House Rules!

[Dracos]

The Tank Rule

Stay behind the fucking tank.

Petitioned for formal addendum to house rules =P

Dracos

[Carthrat]

Taking a leaf from 3e, and this was discussed in the chatroom earlier.

Party consensus seems to be 'converting cleric spells into healing is good'. The mechanic would work like this.


You have a prepared cleric spell, but you can spontaneously convert it into a cure spell of the equivalent level. i.e., I have Bless prepared, so it turns into a Cure Light Wounds spell if I decide I need to play doctor. It functions just like the cure spell, and Bless is wiped from memory once it's done.

I'd also like to petition 'Cure Moderate Wounds' being on the general spelllist; it's not a huge step up from Cure Light and fits 2nd level spells fine. It also gives me a stepping stone up to Cure Serious Wounds; I think that it's really too far apart from Cure Light, personally.

As an ethos thing, I think it'd be cool if Saul had to pay a toll to Waukeen every time he did this. The actual cost could vary depending on spell level- perhaps 5gp per spell level as an added material component?

It fits my ethos well, and as the only cleric/mage around, I really need all the flexibility I can get- since I can only cast one spell a round and have only so many chances to do so a combat, my biggest limiting factor is the ones I have memorized. While the mage side is still limited, this opens up the cleric side a little more, and gives me a more interesting role during combat.

Thoughts?

[Anastasia]

As for the former, see the Musings thread. We'll deal with that therein.

As for the latter? Could you post the exact stats for Cure Moderate Wounds, Saul?

[Carthrat]

Cure Moderate Wounds
(Necromancy)
Reversible

Sphere: Healing
Range: Touch   Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous   Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Creature touched   Saving Throw: None
Subtlety: +3   Knockdown: d8
Sensory: Moderate visual   Critical: Medium (1 hit)
wounding when reversed

   Somewhat less common than the well known cure light wounds and cure serious wounds, this healing spell was created by a priest who found that his heroic companions required his skill at doctoring more than his advice and wisdom. By laying his hand on the subject's body, the priest can heal 1d10+1 points of damage. Noncorporeal, nonliving, or extraplanar creatures cannot be healed by this spell. The reverse of this spell, cause moderate wounds, requires the priest to successfully touch the victim and inflicts 1d10+1 points of damage. (The knockdown and critical strike entries above are for spell's reverse.)

[Anastasia]

2nd level priest spell

Cure Moderate Wounds
(Necromancy)
Reversible

Sphere: Healing
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M(Holy symbol, Ana edit)
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Creature touched
Saving Throw: None

Somewhat less common than the well known cure light wounds and cure serious wounds, this healing spell was created by a priest who found that his heroic companions required his skill at doctoring more than his advice and wisdom. By laying his hand on the subject's body, the priest can heal 1d10+1 points of damage. Noncorporeal, nonliving, or extraplanar creatures cannot be healed by this spell. The reverse of this spell, cause moderate wounds, requires the priest to successfully touch the victim and inflicts 1d10+1 points of damage.

---

Slightly altered and edited to remove rules we don't use. Also added a simplistic M component. But yeah, that's fine.

[Anastasia]

The Tank Rule

Stay behind the fucking tank.

Petitioned for formal addendum to house rules =P

Dracos

<_<

As a serious note to this, we need to work something out with you and blocking/defending other PCs and NPCs.

[Carthrat]

Alright. In light of this, I present to you... a cleric kit!

Waukeenar Elvadth ('Caretaker', in Elven)

Men swear themselves to Waukeen for a variety of reasons. Her ethos is such that one deals with the goddess herself for her magic- many go on to have nothing to do with her church, persuing their own agendas and using her magic as they see fit- as long as they uphold the honor of all bargains and spread just trade (well, mostly just trade) throughout the world. Thus, there are many variations to her worship- each cleric has his own personal bargain, with particular boons and banes attributed to them as such.

Only these clerics know what fate awaits them when they go to her side... and none have ever shared this secret, not even to another of their chuch.

After much contemplating, Saul has decided that while he truly belives in the ethos of Waukeen, the primary use he has for her gifts is the healing boons he can bestow upon his friends (and others, when feeling magnanimous). After much prayer and contemplation, he has discovered a means in which he can more efficiently put his companions back together when they get broken. By trading a portion of his wealth directly to Waukeen, he can convert any spell he has prepared into the equivalent cure or inflict spell that that level represents. He must have his holy symbol to complete the transaction, even if the spell doesn't require it.

Kit Stats: As cleric, but with the following changes.

Special Abilities: Transaction. The Elvadth does not need to prepare his healing spells in advance; every clerical spell he memorizes has the potential to heal or harm.

By sacrificing 5gp per spell level to Waukeen, the Elvadth can convert any presently memorized cleric spell into a cure (or heal) or inflict (or harm) spell of that level or a lower one. As long as the character has genuine ownership of the money involved (i.e. in his possession, or being held by a person or institution who would willingly cede it as owned by the caster), it simply vanishes from it's location, presumably enrichening Waukeen's domain further.

The spell functions like it had been cast; it is wiped from memory on completion, and if the caster is distracted, it does not remain. (The gold, however, is not spent.)

Special Disadvantages: Because he is sworn to the goddess of trade, the cleric can never renege on a sworn bargain, oath, or deal. He can play with words and mislead his mark by never truly swearing, but once he's given his absolute word, he cannot break it.

If it is broken, it counts as a major ethos violation- but because of the special powers Waukeen has granted him, it may have more dire consequences than simply needing to find an atonement spell!

[Dracos]

[09:46] <Dracos> Ana: We do?  *thought we had something with me blocking/defending other PC/NPCs.  I just rush over and enemies get bonuses to stab me*


my initial thought:

Really what stands now is that enemies are really willing to just ignore the knight right in front of them for the enemy in the distance, even the hardass warriors and such.  I think reducing that would count for a bit and fit well into the mythos the knights are supposed to have.  I should be inherently someone being gunned for by evil characters, thieves definitely count.  The situation with Seryf obviously was something that couldn't be helped (And gavin would assume she's got her defense handled).  Certainly the 'dive in front' of folk stuff will still happen.  On that?

I see a couple of cases when it'd come into play.  the before attack case, the before attack case when haven't moved, and the after attack case.  I theoretically should get a poke before the attacks are rolled and in most cases, I'd think that it'd be a flat roll type deal for the enemy.  Sure, I'm not in great position rushing on the way, but equally so, he's got a big shield where he was not expecting it and a good ways in front of where he was going to be attacking.  I think that's how that case probably should be handled.  I'd suggest an extra if I haven't moved yet, that I could get an advantage off that.  A shield bash type deal or whatnot where I don't get in front, but instead smash right into the side.  This could be represented as just a -2 or something to the attack rolls on that.

On the after attack role, I'm getting in the way of an attack that was going to hit basically.  A general +1 or +2 penalty should cover the added likelihood that I won't get a guard up that'll stop it.


*Shrugs*

Dracos

[Carthrat]

I think we need to watch out for what's practical here, too. It's all good to have Gavin bravely getting hit, so I don't have to, but given the speed at which combat moves, is he always going to have time to get in somebody's way? Wouldn't he have to win initiative, then *wait* until he sees someone else attack, and rush in and stop?

He's got his movement action, true, but that's just incidental moving, not moving to reactively intercept. I think it's not an action you can just do off the top. But, then, I haven't paid attention to how it's been done so far.

[Dracos]

Re: Saul's thing

[09:49] * Ana-away will read and comment in a minute, Saul.
[09:49] <Saul> Open to debate on the pricing and range of spells. If I could pull it off, I'd ask to be allowed to convert any spell.
[09:50] <Saul> But then I'd expect the gold cost to be comparitively higher, and I wouldn't really want that.
[09:56] <Dracos> 5 gp?  eh.  mmm.  That sounds keen in a void, but is that really keen in context of how much we tend to pull in each campaign?
[09:57] <Iddy> Checky my posty.
[09:57] <Dracos> Maybe it's changing, but a variety of cure moderates being pulled in could quickly rack up 40 gp
[09:57] * Ana-away nods in a vague sort of way, takes a BRB. I'll get posting on my return.
[09:57] <Dracos> which is often a significant share if not all of an adventures earnings.
[09:58] <Saul> It's supposed to be significant.
[09:58] <Dracos> I think the gold cost should probably be decided by dune with an eye on how much he intends us to earn and the consideration of what value it has to the game; aka: Letting saul be more versatile and have more fun options when playing while still providing the sole source of healing we have.
[09:58] <Saul> Better poor than dead, anyway.
[09:59] <Saul> I wouldn't be adverse to having more flexibility with trading in spells and that. That'd really fit my ethos.. it's just that the gold cost, reasonably, would need to go up.
[09:59] <Dracos> yes, it would.
[09:59] <Dracos> I question the need of fit being symbolically gold rather than silver.
[09:59] <Dracos> (which while still expensive, isn't like "here, you convert a few spells for the entire cost of a town!")
* Retrieving #moonkingdom modes...
[10:00] <Saul> I was honestly wondering if the price was enough. I think it should be significant enough to make me think twice before preparing spells at random.
[10:00] <Dracos> And whether the cost level is in scope with the RP.
[10:00] <Saul> It could be a freaking percentage of my wealth, but that gets fiddly.
[10:01] <Dracos> That's the thing though.  We've not been able to afford potions and again tying our only source of healing strongly into the very funds we have a hard time obtaining at all is a bit 'eh'.
[10:01] <Iddy> Drac, for your guarding thing.. How about make it a called ability? As in, you have designate one person, and you have to be within a certian distance of that person.
[10:02] <Dracos> It's one thing to say 'yeah, this is great mythology' and all.
[10:02] <Iddy> have to*
[10:02] <Dracos> It's another when the cost of healing is suddenly our entire earnings for an adventure because we have no other options or it's just left precisely how it is now.
[10:02] <Saul> Once again, realise that I can prepare healing spells normally, too. I wouldn't be pulling this out every combat, even.
[10:03] <Iddy> Yeah, Rat's spell switching should be a 'OMFG, we're gonna die, save my ass' thing.
[10:03] <Saul> Again, I seriously have no issues with this limitation. I don't think 5gp a spell level is hugely significant when I might spend, say, 20-30 gp an adventure at *most*.

Anyhow, tossed up for dune.  I still think silver would be a lot more sensible in general.  It's symbolic.  And I think strongly the first thing I said in that line.  The price should be determined more by Dune with an eye on how he intends to grow or not grow the amount of gold we get to harvest each adventure.  I'm speaking largely from the perspective of seeing it almost as a flatline thing so far with many of our rewards being not in readily disposable gold for such purposes.

[Carthrat]

How is silver more sensible and symbolic than gold, aside from 'it costs less'?

As far as this sort of changing the price thing goes? Well, it's fine to change my pricing, but I'm looking for consistency, not, "Oh, you've got a 4k bank account, hmm, cure light costs 100gp, now."

[Anastasia]

Mmmm.

The money=heal spell issue? I want there to be a price, but I don't want it to be extragant, either. That said, this has been a low wealth campaign so far, so I'm inclined to set it lower, with the caveat that I may raise it once or twice if this drastically changes. I'm not planning to, mind, but I'd like to cover my bases here.

As for a figure? How's 2 GP per spell level sound, in a meet in the middle sort of way?

---

Mmm. As for Gavin's movement and blocking? I don't mind him trying to stop someone he's engaged with or in close contact. Mmm. How about this - if Gavin wants to specifically protect a person, he can. He declares this at the start of the round and he has to stay close enough to them to protect them. (This varies wildly depending on the circumstances.)

If this is not called, it's a case by case basis call by the GM. Generally the foes get a small bonus to hit as Gavin's moving out of position - ranging from +1 to +3, generally.

This is admittedly a simplification, but I'm hoping you'll make comments and suggestions back on this matter.

---

Really what stands now is that enemies are really willing to just ignore the knight right in front of them for the enemy in the distance, even the hardass warriors and such. I think reducing that would count for a bit and fit well into the mythos the knights are supposed to have. I should be inherently someone being gunned for by evil characters, thieves definitely count. The situation with Seryf obviously was something that couldn't be helped (And gavin would assume she's got her defense handled). Certainly the 'dive in front' of folk stuff will still happen. On that?

Mmm.

To take the example of the thieves therein, they were CE, alright. But on the other hand, the line of thought they had was distinct - I can take out the lighty armored elf quickly, then focus on the harder to damage metalheads. This is reinforced by the fact that Seryf is an offensive dynamo and does a good job of getting hits in on them.

That said, I reckon you have a point. It's kind of a reverse of what you're implying - they're going after Seryf or Darius or Elaine sometimes since you're a heavily armored, culturally reinforced knight. They generally look like somewhat easier marks and are more likely to score serious hits against them.

[Dracos]

How is silver more sensible and symbolic than gold, aside from 'it costs less'?

As far as this sort of changing the price thing goes? Well, it's fine to change my pricing, but I'm looking for consistency, not, "Oh, you've got a 4k bank account, hmm, cure light costs 100gp, now."

When I said 'symbolic', I meant: It's a symbolic trade, meaning what's more relevant is the symbolism of paying for it rather than the price.

*Reads anas*

[Carthrat]

2gp a spell level? M'kay.

Drac, if it was just symbolic, it wouldn't cost anything meaningful. 2gp sounds ok, I guess.

[Dracos]

High Mastery
By spending a second slot on mastery, a character can become a high master. By this time, the character has spent four slots on a single weapon and is at least 6th level. High masters increase the speed factor of their chosen weapon by one category; for example, a slow weapon in the hands of a high master is automatically considered to be of average speed. High masters also score critical hits on rolls of 16 or higher rather than 18 (if the optional critical hit system is used) that hit their opponent by a margin of 5 or more.
High masters who specialize in bows, crossbows, slings, or firearms gain a new range category: extreme range. For all weapons, extreme range is 1/3 farther than long range. For example, if a weapon has a normal maximum range of 18 squares, in the hands of a master it can shoot 24 (1/3x18=6, 18+6=24) squares. Extreme range shots have a –10 penalty to hit before adjustments are made for the effects of mastery.

It's been mentioned this needs rewriting.  Given, I don't know about the others, but I'm not planning on taking it till level 12, I'm procrastinating on other things at the moment though so, suggested rewrite, melee focused:

High Mastery
By spending a second slot on mastery, a character can become a high master. By this time, the character has spent four slots on a single weapon and is at least 6th level. High masters decrease the speed delay on their weapon by 2; for example, a weapon with an attack speed of 10 now has an attack speed of 8. High masters also score critical hits on rolls of 19 or 20.

The sixth level thing remains comedic.  I translated the crit hit expansion into what we're using and similarly the speed  modifications into the same.  Really, a weapon speed category translation is 3 not 2, but I figured that's probably more balanced even if it won't move the slowest weapons entirely out into the next category.

Dracos