Talk:Epic Path

Notable Changes Since Last Game

• Updated way CMB and CMD are calculated. See new character sheet for details
• Class abilities which grant bonuses to combat maneuvers should have been updated (notably, Brawler's Dirty Fighting feature)
  • Ask each player to review and ID any maneuvers which their class grants bonuses to; I may have missed some.
  • Max bonus from a class should be +5 to either CMB or CMD
  • renamed "Run" feat to "Runner" (to disambiguate the run action)
• Parade armors (incl. coat of arms and martial regalia) no longer provide a circumstance bonus to diplomacy and intimidate

Skill Refactoring Project

Needs to occur before magic items can be rebuilt

core mechanics (not changing this):

• ability modifier
• ranks

Changes being made:

• all level 1 characters will get a "naturally talented" skill -- remap 1 skill to a new stat
• eliminating the class skill bonus. No class gets class skills anymore, or the bonus for class skills.
• character class features will offer a training bonus which caps at +3 (+1 until 11th, +2 from 12th to 23rd, +3 from 24th on).
  • will probably provide alternative benefits for many class features, in addition to this much-reduced bonus.
• racial traits will offer a training bonus (same mod as classes, doesn't stack) which caps at +3 (+1 until 11th, +2 from 12th to 23rd, +3 from 24th on).
  • will probably provide alternative benefits for many race traits, in addition to this much-reduced bonus.
• feats
  • skill focus, or single-skill bonus will cap at +5 (scaling with level)
  • dual-skill feats will cap at +3 (scaling with level)
  • feats which give incidental skill bonuses will cap at +1, in addition to some other benefit.
• magic items:
  • enhancement bonus: range +1 to +5, cost is fairly low (1/8th armor)
  • integral bonus: range of your level - ranks in the skill in question
    • your ranks + integral can never exceed your level
    • ranges from +1 to +35, but costs a lot (same as armor?)
    • does NOT count as ranks for purposes of prerequisites, etc., just another way to boost the skill

In general, any bonus we haven't reviewed will need to be divided by 4-ish (drop fractions; minimum 1) until it gets reviewed.

Catch-up mechanisms:

• Integral magic bonus (to catch up on ranks)
• all level 1 characters will get a "naturally talented" skill -- remap 1 skill to a new stat
• retraining - remap 1 skill to a new stat (possibly lower increments from 100 to 50?)

Bonuses and penalties we need to revise/review:

• Invisibility gives +20 to stealth... this will need to change.
• Sniping penalty of -20
• moving while stealthed -10
• consider reducing armor check penalties for armor, in light of new ranges of skill bonuses.

Updated skill criticals -- your result is bumped up to the next higher target DC for the CR being attempted on a natural 20.

• may want to add a skill, race or class ability (or abilities) that improve the crit chance to 19-20 for one or more skills.

Highest Priority Things To Do

• change profession skills for piloting to piloting skills (primarily because not wis-based, but also cleaner)

• consider renaming Spycraft to Espionage

• monsters with combat reflexes should have a set number of extra aoo's based on CR, instead of based on dex
• any other feats which are stat-based should also be CR-based for monsters

• catalog of monster abilities -- first one to try is troll regen or orc healing power (something used in multiple monsters)

• When making magic item pass (and apply to mounts, magic weapons/armor, etc.), use a variable in place of cost, and refer to a table so we can centrally manage costs

• Review barbarian feats again

• 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
  • Finish moving existing monsters to the new Monster template (done through CR 8)
  • Finish converting blueprints to new template (done through CR 13)
  • finish creating heroic-level monsters (CR's 17 to 20)

• character sheet
  • more automation
  • may need to wait until skill refactoring is complete

• Combat Maneuvers:
  • update feats (again!) for new status conditions, as needed
  • update weapon qualities for the new status conditions/combat maneuvers, as needed

• consider renaming Paladin's "Mercy/Correction/Scourge" to "Cleansing"

• add weights for all doors and such on the 'breaking objects' page, for purposes of the Might skill.
• Make traps more interesting/fun
• revisit Merchant DC numbers on Money and Merchant pages (make sure they line up with Hard DC's for the NPC level we want)

• May want to review the damage done by mounts (currently adds damage bonus equal to CR of mount, assuming it is combat-trained). See Ride for details.

• 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)

• Vehicles & Siege Weapons
  • template for vehicles?
  • template for siege weapons?
  • Finish Vehicle Combat Rules
    • page for PC vehicles (pre-made, make your own, customization/upgrade rules)
    • page for NPC vehicles (make your own, table of specials)
    • page for special vehicle upgrades

• Finish Equipment descriptions

• Pre-Made Magic Items List : "Acculturate" magic items so that there is a courageous, heroic, epic, and mythic version on every item for every slot.

• Skills
  • Update the skills pages with the new Skills template
  • Need to review all skills to update Target DC's using new skill check DC's table, if appropriate.
    • Should also review epic skill uses for the same thing.
  • sleight of hand needs a new use: obscure a non-spell ability from observation (e.g. Paladin's detect ethos, barter's detect magic, etc.)
  • Combat Uses for Skills -- maybe we roll all combat maneuvers into the skills? Get rid of CMB? Could keep CMD as a resistance against skill-based dirty tricks...
  • Consider reducing magic item boosting of skills to be in line with weapon enhancement bonus (+1 to +18 max), instead of +1 to +70. This would get us back into the 20-point dynamic range for skills.
    • This should be done at the same time we start tackling magic items.

• new feats needed:
  • 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?

• Feats:
  • Review mounted feats, in light of changes to Mounted Combat
  • Update any feats which apply to abstract encounters with the "Category:Abstract Encounters" category.

Lower Priority Things To Do

• templates:
  • update spell template to pass info to master list (components)
  • consider redoing rogue talents pages into a template
  • consider moving the weapon/armor/shield magic properties pages into templates
  • consider moving fighter tactics into templates/separate pages

• consider renaming Prowler to Skirmisher, Corsair, Drifter, Outlaw

• 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

• Fane Campaign (Level 5 to date) - Characters play-tested:
  • cleric
  • brawler
  • prowler
  • alchemist
  • wizard

• Windward Marches campaign (level 8 to date) - Characters play-tested:
  • fighter
  • paladin
  • warlord
  • rogue (clever)
  • alchemist
  • barbarian (left game at level 6)

• The Golden Portal campaign (level 11 to date) - Characters play-tested:
  • prowler
  • bard
  • brawler
  • sorcerer
  • rogue (clever)
  • cleric
  • fighter
  • ranger

• Fractured World campaign (level 5 to date) - Characters play-tested:
  • prowler
  • warlord
  • rogue (ruthless)
  • ranger
  • barbarian

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

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 -

New Systems

• Prestige-class replacement system (feat trees?) Alternatively, examine 'good builds' in existing sources and recreate similar functionality in a 'package' of class abilities, call it the 'Epic Path' 'Divergent Path'; 'Dilettante Path', 'Dabbler Path' ?
• Off-class specializations (prestige classes):
  • tank - divergent way
  • striker - motley calling
  • leader - specialized training
  • controller - eclectic pursuit

• Balance thoughts for multi-classing; 5 levels minimum dip, multi-class characters may not use action points, multi-class characters may not use feat trees/epic paths, etc.
• Abstract Action mechanic worked out, needs playtesting/balance/integration into all game mechanics

• True Dweomers - data compilation begun
• Interoperate with Abstract actions/become ritual magics?
• Some casting times measured as a standard action usable in Real-Time, some casting times measured in Intervals?
• Require skill rolls vs DC's to cast? (Old idea, but, it kind of works with the new systems pretty good....)

10th Corrupt Dweomers: Target a foe, any items they have no longer give them a bonus until the end of the encounter. If the items have a CL of 20 or below, there is no roll. If the items have a CL of 21 or higher, make a caster level check vs a target of 10+ the CL of each item. If it succeeds, the item no longer gives a bonus until the end of the encounter. If it fails, there is no effect.

11th

12th

13th Accursed Dweomers: As Corrupt Dweomers, except any affected items inflict a penalty equal to their normal bonus until the end of the encounter.

14th

Truemagic Feats

• • Truemagic Scribe - learn one new true dweomer of 10th level
  • Truemagic Supplicant - learn two new true dweomers of 10th or 11th levels
  • Truemagic Ordained - learn three new true dweomers of 10th thru 12th levels
  • Truemagic Nominate - learn four new true dweomers of 10th thru 13th levels
  • Truemagic Magus - learn five new true dweomers of 10th thru 14th levels

Dice Roller

• All electronica baby!

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• 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)

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