Last visit was: It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:33 am


All times are UTC - 5 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: New Path for Home Campaign - Feedback wanted
PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 4:02 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:46 pm
Posts: 1353
All,

For my home campaign I wanted to provide a Path that would allow someone to focus on their racial abilities. In case PCI is interested in using this, or any similar derivative of it, I knowingly and willfully grant full permission for use in perpetuity, free of charge all intellectual property rights to PCI. Anyone who contributes to this Path also agrees to provide to PCI without condition all intellectual property associated with it for use in perpetuity and free of charge, their consent demonstrated by their post.

The name works for my home campaign, though a better one is probably needed. I couldn't think of anything else that fit the bill. So thoughts, suggestions, feedback?

AWAKENED
There are those whose race holds vast potential, too often left untapped. These aren’t merely the gifts that any may inherit, but tied closely to their blood and typically locked away. Only with great effort are more than the most rudimentary elements of their nature brought forth. Those who follow the Path of the Awakened embrace and evoke their heritage.
Nationality: Any

INITIATE
Requirements: dark-kin, elorii, gnome, ss’ressen or val, 3 Ranks in Mettle, Insight 5+ and 5+ Stat in one of the Race’s preferred stats; NOTE: a race that gains Insight as their stat option must also have the other stat option at 5+.

Trained Skills: Arcanum: Meditation, Athletics
Talents: Pick 2 from those listed below; NOTE: except for the Foundation talents listed below, you must still qualify for each Talent selected

REALIZED
Requirements: Awakened (Initiate) (pa), Tier II, 5 Ranks in Mettle

Trained Skills: Athletics, Mettle
Talents: Pick 2 from those listed below; NOTE: except for the Foundation talents listed below, you must still qualify for each Talent selected

MASTER
Requirements: Awakened (Realized) (pa), Tier IV, 9 Ranks in Mettle

Trained Skills: Arcanum: Meditation, Mettle
Talents: Pick 2 from those listed below; NOTE: except for the Foundation talents listed below, you must still qualify for each Talent selected

Options:
• Dark-kin: Furious Rage, Huge, Infernal Heritage (multiple), Natural Scent, Wings of the Fiend
• Elorii: appropriate bloodline Talent, Vitality of the Orumar or Visions of Lives Past
• Gnome: Advantageous Deformity
• Ss’ressen: Armored Fortitude, Biological Adaptation, Camouflaging Scales, Dragon’s Hide, Huge, Natural Claws, Natural Scent, Tail Swipe
• Val: Potent Blood, bloodline Talents appropriate to Bloodline

As a side note, I considered Potent Blood as a prerequisite but that didn't fit for most races and doesn't mesh with the special creation rules I'm using for my home campaign.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul


Top
Offline Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: New Path for Home Campaign - Feedback wanted
PostPosted: Fri Sep 06, 2019 4:53 pm 
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 1:06 am
Posts: 2109
Location: Portland OR
Yes, Yes. I consent to those IP terms...

Cool general idea. I don't see anything broken. On the title: I think "Awakened" only really works for psionic val characters. If you had a non-psionically-awakened val who took this path, then I think that would be confusing. I also don't think an elorii or a dark-kin would call themselves awakened. I will offer up the suggestions of "Racial Champion" or "Scion of Heritage" instead.

Okay looking at the nuts and bolts, there are two things that leap out at me:

(1) the ss'ressen at least already have something similar to this idea in the Adherent of the Claw from Codex of Heroes. I think the ss'ressen version of this class overlaps a lot mechanically. And the fluff there is more specific to the Black Talons. I don't know if that's a big deal or not, but it stands out to me. FYI

(2) The mileage a PC gets out of ranks in Arcanum (Meditation) is directly proportional to your PC being an awakened val. For psions those skills ranks are amazing. For everyone else, it's something that they might not even bother to write down on their character sheet. (Tukufu, knocking on Tier 4, happens to have 4 ranks in Ranged Throwing since the Awakened Scion background gave him a rank in it at creation and he's picked another rank up each time "all skills" get advanced. To save space I leave that off of his character sheet).

I *think* the reason you have Arcanum Meditation is to represent someone's inward quest to unlock their potential...but I also think that's already represented by Mettle.

If you really want the skills to stay away from combat bumps then I think that needs to be true for all characters. Psionic Vals are the group of PCs who (IMO) need the *least* amount of additional support. You might instead try Athletics to represent physical training, or Empathy to represent inward enlightenment.

If instead all characters are meant to get a combat boost out of the class I would run with "any 1 combat or arcanum skill."

My two cents! Good Luck

_________________
Eric Gorman

AKA Ambassador Tukufu, man of letters, tomb raider and Master Sword Sage
. . . and Sir Szymon val'Holryn, Order of the Phoenix
Formerly Sir Jaeger val'Holryn. Weilder of the Holy Avenger: Thonanos. Gave his soul to help free King Noen


Top
Offline Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: New Path for Home Campaign - Feedback wanted
PostPosted: Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:31 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:46 pm
Posts: 1353
Hi Eric,

Thanks for the feedback. I wasn't trying for a combat boost and you're correct, meditation was more intended for an inner exploration. I looked at Empathy but it was specifically looking at other people so thematically didn't feel right. I'd be fine going with Mettle and Athletics in general, though that would feel potentially repetitive. Any suggestions for mixing that up? I guess I could do either Mettle or Athletics at the second Tier and a skill of choice with the other at the third iteration?

Scion of Heritage is workable. I looked at so many variations of awaken, evoke etc as a "to bring forth". I looked at variations of unlock, unleash but again didn't feel right from the flavor of an inner journey.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks.


Top
Offline Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: New Path for Home Campaign - Feedback wanted
PostPosted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 6:48 am 
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 1:06 am
Posts: 2109
Location: Portland OR
From Alfred Bester/Roger Zealand’s Psychoshop you might steal the title of Kalideon. If i’ve spelled that right. It was meant as an exemplar or paragon of an animal species in essentially human form (one of the characters turned out to be a hyper evolved “cat person.” Another was a snake woman. The book was light hearted but ... complicated).

Knowledge (Metaphysics) might be another skill that represents (a more formal) inward search to understand how racial powers work and the keys to unlocking them....

_________________
Eric Gorman

AKA Ambassador Tukufu, man of letters, tomb raider and Master Sword Sage
. . . and Sir Szymon val'Holryn, Order of the Phoenix
Formerly Sir Jaeger val'Holryn. Weilder of the Holy Avenger: Thonanos. Gave his soul to help free King Noen


Top
Offline Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: New Path for Home Campaign - Feedback wanted
PostPosted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 8:12 am 

Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:37 pm
Posts: 842
Location: Michigan
I also agree that the meditation thing makes it great for vals, but poor for others.

My other question might be about the gnomes and Ssressen. In all the others the people are going in and activating the magical power of their blood, so a dark-kin suddenly becoming huge seems workable as it activates some fiendish source. But with gnomes and Ssressen that isn't really an option.

On the Ssressen side of things, as val Holryn points out, there is already the Adherent of the Claw that does this sort of thing, so it must be possible for them. For gnomes it seems a little... odd for them to suddenly get really long legs, or suddenly develop a hump-back. Are they accessing the power of their dwarven/giant blood, or are they accessing the power of the curse that made the giants into dwarves? If they are accessing the power inherent in giant blood, maybe a similiar power could be used by dwarves?

_________________
AKA Kavaris, awakened "Human" from the Hinterlands, psionic transmutation specialist, adventurer, and no one important


Top
Offline Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: New Path for Home Campaign - Feedback wanted
PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 5:26 am 
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 1:06 am
Posts: 2109
Location: Portland OR
toodeep wrote:
...snip... For gnomes it seems a little... odd for them to suddenly get really long legs, or suddenly develop a hump-back. Are they accessing the power of their dwarven/giant blood, or are they accessing the power of the curse that made the giants into dwarves? If they are accessing the power inherent in giant blood, maybe a similiar power could be used by dwarves?
As far as gnomes go, the way I would do that as a player (If I was playing a gnome. I haven't and I probably won't) is I would describe the PC as having the hunched back and long legs - but it wouldn't be a mechanical benefit until I unlocked them. I don't think the gnome stuff has the foundation tag so its really no different from just taking the Talents later in your career.

_________________
Eric Gorman

AKA Ambassador Tukufu, man of letters, tomb raider and Master Sword Sage
. . . and Sir Szymon val'Holryn, Order of the Phoenix
Formerly Sir Jaeger val'Holryn. Weilder of the Holy Avenger: Thonanos. Gave his soul to help free King Noen


Top
Offline Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ]  Moderators: james.zwiers, PCI Eric

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Theme created StylerBB.net & kodeki