If you guys wonder why my apartment is such a mess tomorrow, it's because I spent this evening posting rather than cleaning.
So, roles. Noone has laid claim to any particular role yet. My ideas have wandered all over, but I'm currently stuck with several seemingly unrelated character traits I want. You may be a primary, offensive caster if you wish. As soon as you're sure, let us know so we can plan around. My current concept could go front line, stealth, support fighter, support caster, healer, or offensive caster, or any combination. Knowing what I can't be might help me make up my mind.
As far as spell point balance, that's the point of the radical rebalancing at the low and high ends. Low level wizards were mediocre for 2-3 rounds, then dropped to glorified commoner after that. Instead, the SP system allows them to run long or powerful depending on the situation. Also, I consider wizard/sorceror's non-casting abilities to be too limited and cleric/druids to be too much. I wanted to homogenize the casting power of full casters so that their non-casting abilities could be more easily balanced against one another.
I'd guess that a 3x caster would be limited to no armor, have d4 HP, low attack scores, one good save, 2 weapon group proficiencies and 2 skill points by default. However, that's too limited, so they should also be allowed to have a couple of the following: 2-3 good saves, 4 skill points, more weapon proficiencies, d6-d8 HP, light or medium armor, middle attack scores, an extra 1x pool, special abilities, etc.
As an example, I'd replace the wizard with 3x, d4 HP, low attack, good will save, 4 skill points, no armor proficiency, a 1x specialty pool, familiar, free scribe scrolls, can know any number of spells, can only cast spells in spell book, must make elaborate gestures to cast (incurring arcane spell failure), and maybe some other minor magical abilities as they increase in level. For a non-scholarly wizard (i.e., a sorceror), remove scribe, can only know limited number of spells chosen at level-up, remove gestures, add limit that all spells require intense concentration (flat footed for full round after) and add some more unique magical abilities.
I assume our shipmates are named for your coworkers, classmates, or some other group of real-world people. Not that I can complain given that all of the names I've come up with come from two book series and a TV show.
Island Campaign
The Andermann Empire
Previously mislabeled the Silesian Empire (Silesia is now a subregion thereof), the Andermann Empire was founded a fifteen hundred years ago by the mercenary captain, Gustavus Andermann. Following a spectacular victory, Andermann realized that he was not only better than his opponents, he was also better than his employers. Since he had an army at hand, he promptly removed both groups from power and declared himself Emperor Gustav I (aka Gustav the Great), ruling both countries. He then stomped several neighboring governments flat and annexed them into his empire.
Several reasonably talented descendents later, the Empire encompassed almost all of the Stormsea. However, disasterous attempts to expand north and east destabilized the military and aristocratic establishment. And it all kind of spiralled downhill until six hundred years ago a civil war broke out. To some extent, it's still going on, though none of the original factions are left.
During the collapse, the trade and academic infrastructure of the empire collapsed, leaving many islands largely isolated and ignorant of what's going on. And vice versa. Save for the occasional adventurous trade expedition, there isn't any communication that makes it all the way from the east end of the Stormsea to the western end of the Empire.
The term Empire is still used to refer to the region, but there is no overall government. A few leaders are able to exercise power over more than one island, but only tenuously.
Silesia
Silesia is an archipelago in the eastern end of the Empire. The islands are low, warm, and swampy, save for some small mountain ranges. The marshy terrain is home primarily to lizardfolk of several varieties. However, one of the legacies of the Imperial unity are several sizeable minority races. The combination of heterogeneity and geography (located on most trade routes to the deeper reaches of the Empire) has led to a surprisingly cosmopolitan culture. The islands of Silesia are politically independent of one another, but band together to fight external threats.
Haven
Haven refers to the nation, it's capital city, and the island the capital is located on. That island was one of very few to maintain independence during the days of Imperial strength. During the civil war, the army of Haven allied itself with various factions and were able to conquer several surrounding islands. Haven might be mostly human, but I already have lots of human areas, so I'll need to think of something better. As with most islands in the northern Empire, Haven's islands are covered in plateaus and fertile valleys, most of which are arrable. Combined with a temparate climate, this results in extensive agriculture, including cattle, sheep, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Wealth from their agricultural exports has allowed Haven to invest heavily in infrastructure, education, arms, and industry. Their own manufacturing base is still small compared to powerhouses like Gryphon, but it is growing faster. Acquiring more formal Imperial territory would give them access to more resources allowing faster growth.
Haven is ruled by a group of people called Electors. The title refers to the fact that they were originally intended to choose other, more qualified leaders from the ranks of academia, industry, and the military. However, they realized they could select themselves and have been doing so ever since. In some regions, the Elector is a hereditary title, likely due to the power a family held in the region. In other areas, Electors are elected (ironically), or even chosen through competitions.
Previously mislabeled the Silesian Empire (Silesia is now a subregion thereof), the Andermann Empire was founded a fifteen hundred years ago by the mercenary captain, Gustavus Andermann. Following a spectacular victory, Andermann realized that he was not only better than his opponents, he was also better than his employers. Since he had an army at hand, he promptly removed both groups from power and declared himself Emperor Gustav I (aka Gustav the Great), ruling both countries. He then stomped several neighboring governments flat and annexed them into his empire.
Several reasonably talented descendents later, the Empire encompassed almost all of the Stormsea. However, disasterous attempts to expand north and east destabilized the military and aristocratic establishment. And it all kind of spiralled downhill until six hundred years ago a civil war broke out. To some extent, it's still going on, though none of the original factions are left.
During the collapse, the trade and academic infrastructure of the empire collapsed, leaving many islands largely isolated and ignorant of what's going on. And vice versa. Save for the occasional adventurous trade expedition, there isn't any communication that makes it all the way from the east end of the Stormsea to the western end of the Empire.
The term Empire is still used to refer to the region, but there is no overall government. A few leaders are able to exercise power over more than one island, but only tenuously.
Silesia
Silesia is an archipelago in the eastern end of the Empire. The islands are low, warm, and swampy, save for some small mountain ranges. The marshy terrain is home primarily to lizardfolk of several varieties. However, one of the legacies of the Imperial unity are several sizeable minority races. The combination of heterogeneity and geography (located on most trade routes to the deeper reaches of the Empire) has led to a surprisingly cosmopolitan culture. The islands of Silesia are politically independent of one another, but band together to fight external threats.
Haven
Haven refers to the nation, it's capital city, and the island the capital is located on. That island was one of very few to maintain independence during the days of Imperial strength. During the civil war, the army of Haven allied itself with various factions and were able to conquer several surrounding islands. Haven might be mostly human, but I already have lots of human areas, so I'll need to think of something better. As with most islands in the northern Empire, Haven's islands are covered in plateaus and fertile valleys, most of which are arrable. Combined with a temparate climate, this results in extensive agriculture, including cattle, sheep, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Wealth from their agricultural exports has allowed Haven to invest heavily in infrastructure, education, arms, and industry. Their own manufacturing base is still small compared to powerhouses like Gryphon, but it is growing faster. Acquiring more formal Imperial territory would give them access to more resources allowing faster growth.
Haven is ruled by a group of people called Electors. The title refers to the fact that they were originally intended to choose other, more qualified leaders from the ranks of academia, industry, and the military. However, they realized they could select themselves and have been doing so ever since. In some regions, the Elector is a hereditary title, likely due to the power a family held in the region. In other areas, Electors are elected (ironically), or even chosen through competitions.
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VLSmooth
- Tenth Dan Procrastinator
- Posts: 3055
- Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2003 3:02 am
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- Contact:
Spell <> Element mapping?
(maybe even secondary element mapping?)
Just decided to get the ball rolling by listing spells I believe to be useful.
Btw, I don't believe the mapping needs to be one-to-one, ie. exclusivity not required. Perhaps there should a general category as well?
Random question: Does earth cover nature as well? (flora?, fauna?)
Awaiting confirmation:
(maybe even secondary element mapping?)
Just decided to get the ball rolling by listing spells I believe to be useful.
Btw, I don't believe the mapping needs to be one-to-one, ie. exclusivity not required. Perhaps there should a general category as well?
Random question: Does earth cover nature as well? (flora?, fauna?)
Awaiting confirmation:
- Blessing Spells --- Light (blessing, prayer, etc)
- Control Water --- Water
- Curses --- Darkness (bestow curse, wow that's a powerful debuff, etc)
- Fog Spells --- Water (obscuring, fog, solid, etc. perhaps apply to dispersing existing fog as well?)
- Gaseous Form --- Water (Steam?)
- Healing --- Light
- Horrid Wilting --- Water
- Poison --- Water (includes curing)
- Slow --- Earth (Mud?)
- Sleep --- Darkness
- Spike Stones --- Earth
- Stone Shape & Move Earth --- Earth (modify into one spell, 2 is silly)
- Stoneskin --- Earth
- Transmute Stone <> Mud --- Earth (modify into one spell, 2 is silly)
- Attribute Enfeebles (ray of enfeeblement for str, etc)
- Blindness/Deafness
- Blur, Mirror Image, etc
- Charm spells (hold person, confusion, domination, etc)
- Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
- Comprehend Languages & Tongues (hopefully not needed to take up a slot?)
- Darkness Generation (darkness, deeper darkness, etc)
- Dispel (this is a big one!)
- Freedom of Movement
- Grease
- Haste
- Identify
- Invisibility
- Light Generation (light, daylight, etc)
- Mage Armor
- Magic Defense (reduce spell dc, spell turning, resistance, etc)
- Restoration Spells (repair ability damage, etc)
- Silence
- Telekinesis
- Transmutation - Self (change self, shapechange, etc)
- Transmutation - Other (polymorph, etc)
- Summoning spells (maybe divide into more specific spells?)
- True Seeing
Last edited by VLSmooth on Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:09 am, edited 2 times in total.
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VLSmooth
- Tenth Dan Procrastinator
- Posts: 3055
- Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2003 3:02 am
- Location: Varies
- Contact:
hmm...
mudlad
laddum
adduml
adam l.
also
modern
unreal
distinguished
legendary
astonishing
dangerous
or just no.
Perhaps Tydro, Ty for short.
Yep, horribly cheesy Terra + Hydro, but it doesn't sound THAT bad... does it? Well, at least it rhymes with Pedro. That should be worth uber exponential bonus points (otherwise Pedro would be so sad
)
mudlad
laddum
adduml
adam l.
also
modern
unreal
distinguished
legendary
astonishing
dangerous
or just no.
Perhaps Tydro, Ty for short.
Yep, horribly cheesy Terra + Hydro, but it doesn't sound THAT bad... does it? Well, at least it rhymes with Pedro. That should be worth uber exponential bonus points (otherwise Pedro would be so sad
)Ok, I'm going to type up a description of the spell point system. I'll also try to come up with 12 to 15 base spells.
Oh, and Natural 20 Press (the publishers of that elements book) seem to be out of business. There homepage is redirected to one of those crappy search engines.
The book itself is only 6 megs, 4 rar'ed so I could e-mail it to people if you want it. Or I could post it in my web space briefly.
Oh, and Natural 20 Press (the publishers of that elements book) seem to be out of business. There homepage is redirected to one of those crappy search engines.
The book itself is only 6 megs, 4 rar'ed so I could e-mail it to people if you want it. Or I could post it in my web space briefly.
Don't want to map an island?
101 pregenerated islands
Edit Do want to map an island?
Freeware mapping program that can calculate distances in days by rowed or sailed galley
101 pregenerated islands
Edit Do want to map an island?
Freeware mapping program that can calculate distances in days by rowed or sailed galley
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VLSmooth
- Tenth Dan Procrastinator
- Posts: 3055
- Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2003 3:02 am
- Location: Varies
- Contact:
Btw, how are we handling the issue of character "privacy" versus "balance", or is everything public?
I've already typed up some character info; mostly skills/feats/spells/justification, but I also have some "unusual" abilities gained with level.
Should I just post them to the forums?
Imho, privacy can lead to surprises, which can be good. However, balance issues are best ironed out before they become problems.
In short, I'm a big fan of placing all abilities open on the table. Besides it's the use of the abilities that's interesting, not necessarily the abilities themselves.
I've already typed up some character info; mostly skills/feats/spells/justification, but I also have some "unusual" abilities gained with level.
Should I just post them to the forums?
Imho, privacy can lead to surprises, which can be good. However, balance issues are best ironed out before they become problems.
In short, I'm a big fan of placing all abilities open on the table. Besides it's the use of the abilities that's interesting, not necessarily the abilities themselves.
Yes. The players will all be aware of all abilities because we're balancing by group concensus. If you wish to say that the other characters are unaware that's fine.VLSmooth wrote:Should I just post them to the forums?
Also, before the first adventure, we need to run at least one more "beta test" battle. The last one revealed some problems with the system and the party. 2x casters burn SPs much too quickly, and I assume that 3x won't be much better. Maybe 6/4/2 or 5/3/1 would work better.
Peijen's AC is too low for his role as meat shield. He needs spellcasting time before battle to buff, so tactically, we'll need to enter battles more carefully and maybe put someone else forward to run interference until the rest of the party finishes buffing. Also, Peijen, consider taking the two weapon defense or dodge feats to boost your AC, or wear armor until you are high enough level to cast your spell effectively.
We don't have enough hit points. Vinny will add more HP to the party, but he has indicated a desire to act as a caster (i.e., not meat shield). My tentative plan is to retool my character to have a melee mode (i.e., shapechanging). Alternatives if that doesn't work are summoning, limiting the enemy's ability to close range (wall spells, slow, high movement, etc) or using Peijen as an avatar with everyone else buffing/healing him continuously.
I have four spell descriptions mostly finished (ray of X, touch of X, missile of X, and area of X). I'm going to try to get the inflict/cure status ones done for every status in the PHB. Also, I plan to adapt the imbue creature with X, imbue weapon with X, create weapon of X, create wall of X, and create blob of X spells from the element book. Hopefully that will be done tonight.
Someone should type up at least a sheet of notes reminding us what we decided for elemental resistances, skills allowed/disallowed, feat progression, etc.
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Peijen
- Minion to the Exalted Pooh-Bah
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- Location: Irvine, CA
I would say SP should be 6/4/2, because when I first design the encounters I meant for them to run long to wear you guys down. I had given it some thought and decided no armor is a big disadvantage so I am going to give the character 1 feat every level. Good number of them will be predetermined feat. My AC is still low for now, but I have worked out the spells that should help the combat as well.
Ok, I have a partial list of my character's abilities and spells. Strangely, my character's spell list is almost exactly what I would create with Vinny's elements. Lots of area denial spells, so we'll have to use some more intelligent tactics than "charge!". In spite of three energy attack types and a high dex, I haven't definitively chosen any touch or ray spells with one pseudo-exception.
Someone remind me how many spells we know and how many feats we have at third level.
Word document
Edit: Oops, I forgot I haven't trimmed my skill list yet.
Someone remind me how many spells we know and how many feats we have at third level.
Word document
Edit: Oops, I forgot I haven't trimmed my skill list yet.
I thought it was odd, but I could be mistaken. That's why I said someone should write it all up when we still remembered.
Also, how many feats do we get at first level? One for odd? One for human? One for first level? Or, more relevantly, how many do we have at third level barring class features like yours and Jason's?
Also, how many feats do we get at first level? One for odd? One for human? One for first level? Or, more relevantly, how many do we have at third level barring class features like yours and Jason's?
Whenever is fine for me. I should probably point out though that it's supposed to snow six inches tomorrow and I have nothing in terms of food so we still would have to acquire dinner somehow. Also, I'm ordering pizza right now so I probably don't want to order that tomorrow. Also, because the snow's going to accumulate you better know what you're doing driving wise. I'm not going anywhere to push someone else's car. I had enough of that the first two years I lived down here.Peijen wrote:Ok, this weekend!!! Jason's place around 1:30ish unless Jason objects.
Finally, I should probably mention that I probably will be out of town the next two weekends.