Talk:Epic Path: Difference between revisions

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==Started But Unfinished Stuff==
==Started But Unfinished Stuff==
* converting ammo into templates (necessary?)
* converting ammo into templates (necessary?)
* converting magic properties - ranged / ammo / armor / shields into templates
* converting magic properties - implements / armor / shields into templates
* creating new senses - Mindsense
* creating new senses - Mindsense
* defining equipment
* defining equipment

Revision as of 16:07, 18 August 2017

slotless notes

  • getting rid of synergy bonus for multiple enchants on single items.
    • instead, everything after the first enchant will have a discord penalty.
    • discord penalty might go up to 2x base cost, instead of what it is now.
    • if we do this, secondary enchants would be exactly as costly as slotless items, meaning a smart player would always just choose to create a new slotless item, rather than piling more risk into a single magic item.
      • if a multi-enchant item gets sundered, they lose more than they would if each enchant was on a separate item.
  • we could get rid of, or severely limit, slotless items, but I'm having trouble understanding why you couldn't have a handy haversack, a bag of holding, an ioun stone AND a flying carpet at the same time.
    • we could, instead, make the discord penalty only something like 1.75x base, meaning it's cheaper than a slotless, at the expense of loading more magic into a single point of failure.

magic weapons notes

  • remove ability to enchant ammo; only projectile weapon can be enchanted
    • update limitless quiver to allow other ammo types, but non-magical.
    • ammo also cannot have dweomermetals — dweomermetal effects are instead conferred by the projectile weapon shooting the ammo.
  • create some non-magical ways of adding +to-hit and +damage to weapons/shields/armor/implements
    • will not stack with magic, but cannot be suppressed by anti-magic/dispel, etc.
    • instead of costing more, I think they just shouldn't go as high as +9
    • no properties? (we could, but it would be a lot of work that we don't really need to do right now)
      • quenches of oil, water, brine, blood for +to-hit
      • tempers of single, triple, and seven-fold for +base damage
  • only one property per weapon/armor/shield/implement
    • create new weapon properties to allow hybrids of existing properties
    • e.g. flaming and keen becomes a +2 property called 'honed fire' (or whatever)
-- base cost of weapon
-- cost of any enhancement bonuses
-- cost of any magic properties
-- cost of any dweomermetal used
  • must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus to add a heroic property
  • must have at least a +6 enhancement bonus to add an epic property
I want to shorten the creation pages a LOT. I'd like to cram all the "you need a workspace" language into the general crafting magic items page, instead.  The individual pages should be as succinct "here's how to stat it out" as possible.

stuff to update

  • review ranger traps (lots of actions, lots of rolls, too many chances for them to do nothing)
  • Perform: performance complexity - clarify to setting the CR of the song
    • same for entertaining an audience
  • retraining, and anything else with intervals of days -- clarify how spells can be used to buff the underlying skill bonus.
    • based on how many times you'd have to cast it in an 8 hour period.
    • No more than 4 times per 8 hours, and you must have the ability to cast it that many times without rest.
  • put in a formula and an example for creating magic weapons, armor, shields, implements
    • put it in a box

Started But Unfinished Stuff

  • converting ammo into templates (necessary?)
  • converting magic properties - implements / armor / shields into templates
  • creating new senses - Mindsense
  • defining equipment
  • magic item crafting rules are only halfway re-written
    • need to update enhancement bonus and property costs for weapons/armor/shields/implements
    • need to update rules for magic enchantment of projectile weapons, but not ammo
  • continue writing Cosmology of Creation page
  • need a page for bonus types, to allow all those broken links to point somewhere.
    • looking at Paizo's PRD, they don't actually do this; I don't think we'll need much, if anything.
    • alternatively, we could rip out all the links, but that seems like more work than just making a page and pointing stuff there.
  • need to update / create page for monster types and subtypes.
    • need to review any broken links to subtypes that we don't actually want to define (e.g. azata)

Siegemetal Alloys

  • like a dweomermetal - any enhancement bonus or magic properties on weapon (or armor?) become extraordinary instead of magic-based.
  • Tempered Siegemetal - max absolute bonus of +5 (12-10)
  • Annealed Siegemetal - max absolute bonus of +10 (20-10)
  • Quenched Siegemetal - max absolute bonus of +14 (28-10)
  • Forged Siegemetal - max absolute bonus of +18 (35-10)
  • DR x/magic works against this weapon, since it is not magic.

Skill Challenges

  • use initiative as a means of controlling who acts when
  • require more skill checks each round than there are players -- make the players decide which parts of the challenge they care about most
  • determine what happens if each of the checks isn't made -- consequences are fun. Use the consequences to trigger the event of the next round
  • the first round should simply lay out the challenge, and let people know what skill checks exist
    • may also want to include mystery checks -- players who don't want to do any of the 'mandatory' checks can try something different
    • set the scene -- make sure there's lots of gimmicks, treats, odds & ends to interact with
    • determine the timer -- there should be a clearly defined timer -- "if the foe gains ground at least three times, they escape".
  • the second round should add a complication or twist, or perhaps a boon (if the players did really well)
  • skill challenges should probably be timed to last about 3-4 rounds, just like combat. This would allow traps to become skill challenges, for example, but also weird things like poisons and disease. Chase scenes, bar brawls, verbal sparring, contests, etc. are all also good examples of skill challenges.
  • abstract encounters re-tool -- exceptional success rewards a d6 (or even 2d6) which can be applied to anyone's future checks during the skill challenge. Bonus dice are additive, and as many as you want can be applied to a single roll. However, any roll which has bonus dice applied to it cannot gain bonus dice itself. If you want to accumulate bonus dice, don't get help.
  • need to work out how xp and treasure would be awarded for skill challenges, especially when they are taking place in the middle of a fight (traps, poisons, contests). The challenge itself would ideally represent one or more monsters of the same CR as the encounter, but the math seems a little fuzzy.
  • common skill challenges (bar brawls, chase scenes) might have a random table of complications for the GM to roll. Complications don't occur right away -- the players are notified that the complication might occur if they don't take action to prevent it, and are given a round to deal with it (in addition to dealing with all the other skill checks required).
    • each complication should have a few variants of outcomes, depending on how well the players mitigated it, ranging from "made it worse", to "not as bad", to "didn't happen at all".

possible skill use

  • movement - challenging DC to ignore movement penalty of 1 square of difficult terrain. 2 squares if hard DC, 3 squares if impossible DC.
  • movement - hard DC to resist 1 square of forced movement. 2 squares if impossible DC.

item names

On the march in unfriendly terrain, the legionnaire would be loaded down with armor commonly (lorica hamata), (lorica squamata), and 1st-3rd Century (lorica segmentata), shield (scutum), helmet (galea), two javelins (one heavy pilum and one light verutum), a short sword (gladius), a dagger (pugio), a pair of heavy sandals (Caligae), a Sarcina (marching pack), about fourteen days worth of food, a waterskin (bladder for water), cooking equipment, two stakes (Sudes murale) for the construction of palisades, and a shovel or wicker basket.

character sheet changes

  • include might skill modifiers to encumbrance
  • bailiwick skill ranks granted to associated knowledge skill
  • add button functions from Rick's sheet
  • start listing out the possible moving parts relevant to combat in the buffs and debuffs tab

Highest Priority Things To Do

  • review equipment bonuses to skills: e.g. masterwork tools, thieves' tools
  • Add definition of triggered free action
  • New Senses
    • Write up telepathy as a sense
    • Cloudsense (see through clouds, fog and mist; akin to radar)
    • Improved Tremorsense - detect and see through solids even past gaps in solids (i.e. detect solids on other side of a wall) as long as within your max range for sense
  • Monsters
    • validate that everything we want in the monster template is in there. Any other changes?
    • restart moving existing monsters to the new Monster template (version 2.0)
    • Finish converting blueprints to new template
    • finish creating heroic-level monsters (CR's 17 to 20)
  • update weapon qualities for the new status conditions/combat maneuvers, as needed
  • consider renaming Prowler to Skirmisher, Corsair, Drifter, Outlaw (to de-conflict with similar-sounding "brawler")
  • review 'breaking objects' page, in light of changes to vehicle combat and removal of abstract encounters rules
    • unless we want siege weapons to continue to be cumulative forces, though it seems like people hated all the dice rolling of the abstract encounters
    • right now, vehicles will never penetrate heavy defenses and fortifications; the target DC's are way too high, as are many of the durabilities
  • add weights for all doors and such on the 'breaking objects' page, for purposes of the Might skill.
  • Make traps more interesting/fun
  • Redo analysis pass for all character classes
    • I'd like to revisit the Brawler's restriction on magic weapons (e.g. Amulet of Mighty Fists). Why? (I forgot)
  • siege weapons - how do they work with the vehicle combat rules?
  • Finish Equipment descriptions
  • feats:
    • Warlord - more formation dice
    • Ranger - more quarry dice
    • Ranger - better traps (better action economy, use against an occupied space)
    • Prowler - improve save DC for encroaching jolt?
    • add a feat to allow "deny saving throw" under Heal to be non-provoking, and take only a move action (no bonus to check)
    • Review mounted feats, in light of changes to Mounted Combat
    • Update any feats which apply to abstract encounters
    • review/update combat maneuver feats for new status conditions, as needed
  • Review barbarian feats again

Lower Priority Things To Do

  • templates:
    • consider redoing rogue talents pages into a template
    • finish moving the weapon/armor/shield magic properties pages into templates
    • consider moving fighter tactics into templates/separate pages
    • move armor/shields into templates like the weapon entries
  • Add to the SR magic enchantment page to include a section which grants a +1 through +6? bonus to existing (class-feature) SR.
  • Epic Bloodline (archaic bloodline) writeups
  • Create dweomermetal properties for implements, and add dweomermetals as an option for Implement creation
  • Partisan (was Cromlech) - primary tank class
  • Sharp (was Gambler) - buff/controller class
  • Pariah (was Warlock) - striker/caster
  • Build/flesh-out basic rules pages
    • How to gaming page
    • Ability Scores page
    • Finish Character Advancement page
    • How to Combat page
    • Glossary of Terms page
    • Re-write "what is epic path" page. (Started)
  • Sorcerer Bloodlines page
  • Cleric Domains page
  • Import spells to page - started!
  • Auramancy
  • True Dweomers
  • If we ever allow multiclassing, we need to create feats for each character class akin to the Shaping Focus (Feat).
  • Create master list of allowable spells for spell effects for magic item creations (optional?)

Playtests

Class Sub-Class Char Name Lvls Campaign
Alchemist Zanril 1 - 5 Fane
Alchemist Hydrazine 1 - 8 Windward Marches
Barbarian Gant 1 - 5 Fane
Barbarian Keladin 1 - 6 Windward Marches
Barbarian Urban Wrathia 1 - 6 Fractured World
Bard Fennec 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Brawler Punch 1 - 5 Fane
Brawler Culotta 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Cleric Scoria 1 - 5 Fane
Cleric Tedrick 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Druid
Fighter Corvus 1 - 8 Windward Marches
Fighter Sojourn 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Monk
Paladin Edric 1 - 8 Windward Marches
Prowler Sigel 1 - 5 Fane
Prowler Gabriel 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Prowler Draught 1 - 6 Fractured World
Ranger Nerium 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Ranger Coldre 1 - 6 Fractured World
Rogue Clever Vellum 1 - 8 Windward Marches
Rogue Clever Ashe 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Rogue Ruthless Senka 1 - 6 Fractured World
Sorcerer Ruin 1 - 12 Golden Portal
Warlord Skipia 1 - 8 Windward Marches
Warlord Brin 1 - 6 Fractured World
Wizard Atticus 1 - 5 Fane

Character Classes

  • Physical Adept class (Fleshcrafter?) - arcane-powered melee, re-tool eidolon-style abilities as self-buffs
  • Mentat Warsage Storm Knight class - intelligence-based melee and thrown weapons user.
  • Fanatic class - divine melee/unarmed, low heals, light armor, no spells. Lay on Hands that does damage; touch attacks.
  • Toxotes - high damage ranged attacks, trick shots (possibly just create via new rogue talents?)
  • Galvanist
  • Seeker
  • Templar
  • Effigy (Artifact? Vestige?)
  • the character is an actual artifact, which is intelligent. The actual artifact is /somewhere/, though even the player may not know where. They have extended their consciousness into a remote effigy (moppet?) with which they interact with the world.
  • they can use their experience to augment their effigy, giving it better abilities
  • like a summoner or pet class, except that the master isn't present on the battlefield

Character Class Mini-Games

The goal of the minigame is to keep each class feeling distinct from any other class (drive home the theme of the class), and also prevent the "I hit him again" same-ness that can happen with combat. Give people something that requires planning or tactical awareness or resource management every round, to keep them engaged. The prowler's mini-game is simple, but it's great, in my opinion. You have to look at the board, you have to remember where you last attacked, you have to think about how you're going to set up your next attack.

Ideally, the mini-game is largely optional. You can play any character as "I hit him again", if you want, and you'll do okay. But if you play the mini-game, it gives you opportunities to optimize your play and improve your outcomes by 10 to 25% or so. Enough of a reward to give the min/maxers something to feel rewarded by, but not so much that it unbalances the class.

Already Addressed

  • Barbarian - generate fury by getting attacked, decide how to spend fury
  • Druid - wild shape; animal companion; spells -- probably busy enough each round
  • Partisan - establish zone of control; govern it
  • Prowler - displace 10 feet between each attack
  • Ranger - determine how to spend quarry dice; keep quarry active
  • Sharp - fate deck

Need Work

  • Alchemist - throw bombs or hulk out; fetish;
  • Bard - "compose a stanza"? arrange a sequence of power words to determine your actions for the round?
  • Brawler - jab and counterstrike are interesting options; the status attacks seem to get short shrift vs haymaker; class is very "I hit him" oriented
  • Cleric - stay adjacent to injured ally; could use more, IMO. Maybe a bonus once/encounter spell (based on domain) that is triggered by something thematically relevant?
  • Fighter - wall of steel fighter is fine, IMO; other fighters may feel a lot more "I hit the guy" than I would want.
  • Monk -
  • Paladin -
  • Pariah -
  • Rogue - seek flanks, maybe some better stealth tricks?
  • Sorcerer -
  • Warlord - keep temp hp's up, probably need a little more (maybe a variable way to improve their hold the line stance each round as an action?)
  • Wizard -

Dice Roller

  • All electronica baby!

http://www.anydice.com/

  • it hurts me, but I am unable to stop poking at it:

http://www.cut-the-knot.org/recurrence/word_primes.shtml

hexatrigesimal prime numbers as words. (whimper)

Things to find and replace