Woohoo! WotBS Player's Guide is done!

[Morrus]

I'm pretty stoked that we've got our first War of the Burning Sky 4E product out! It's the Player's Guide (designed to be distributed to all players in the gaming group), and it has come out pretty well.

We've updated the file twice in the last week, but the final official version can now be downloaded. Check it out - it's free!

http://www.enworld.org/forum/local_l...&catid=1&id=62

[Henrix]

Looks good!

[mach1.9pants]

It is awesome, great quality as always. The mechanical stuff seems good as well, now hurry up and finish the campaign!

[Piratecat]

Working in it!

[catsclaw227]

PCat -- any rough ETA on the Campaign guide? Days? Weeks? May 1st? Late May? Last February?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Originally Posted by mach1.9pants

It is awesome, great quality as always. The mechanical stuff seems good as well, now hurry up and finish the campaign!

Hmm, I am not convinced by the mechanical part, to much of that 1/2 level stuff seems ThirdEditiony.
I like the idea of certain "role-playing" requirements to get access to powers, though.

I just hope someone in my group will take the opportunity to run this. (Well, first they'd have to subscribe, of course.) It will almost certainly not be me, I am still busy with WotC adventures, and I really want to run something homebrew after that.

[Echohawk]

Originally Posted by Morrus

We've updated the file twice in the last week, but the final official version can now be downloaded. Check it out - it's free!

It looks good, but at the risk of prompting yet another file update, is the credit on the front/back cover correct? I thought Piratecat had taken over the updating and editing process from Steve Muchow?

[mach1.9pants]

Yeah there is a bit of older edition feel, but I have no probs with that. The older editions used to be the best thing out from memory
I am running out guys through the 'the next plot location is in the letter on the bad guys corpse' WotC modules, I reckon we'll hit 30 then cross over to WotBS. I would imagine they are nit going to come out at a fast enough rate for us to not run out if we started straight away; although you guys can help yourself to proving me completely wrong!

[Jack99]

Have only looked through it casually so far, but when I looked over the new powers, my eyes caught a few minor things.

Reactive Counterspell should be a Immediate Interrupt. Also I do not get the penalty, but I guess that's subjective. Seems very underwhelming compared to what it does.

Curse of Flesh looks like an attack power, not a utility power (it has an "attack" line after all). Also, the Sustain wording is odd, because what is "this" turn? The caster's? Because that would suck. I am pretty sure it should say: Sustain Minor: You sustain the effect until the end of your next turn. If you want to keep it as an attack utility (i think i just made that up) you should add the implement keyword, to get the proper to hit bonus.

Gabal's: There is something odd about the range/area line. And what the others said about ½ level. Let go of 3.x pretty please with sugar on top.

Wayfarer's Step: Again, something odd with the "range" line. The range in the spell line denotes how far away the guy you teleport can be, not have far you can teleport him. That just has to be in the text.

Enforced Flesh. Level 13 powers are encounter powers, not dailies. Powerwise it seems fine as a encounter power, perhaps even a bit low, since it is not really impressive unless you fight insubstantial monsters.

Cheers

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by Jack99

Have only looked through it casually so far, but when I looked over the new powers, my eyes caught a few minor things.

Reactive Counterspell should be a Immediate Interrupt. Also I do not get the penalty, but I guess that's subjective. Seems very underwhelming compared to what it does.

Curse of Flesh looks like an attack power, not a utility power (it has an "attack" line after all). Also, the Sustain wording is odd, because what is "this" turn? The caster's? Because that would suck. I am pretty sure it should say: Sustain Minor: You sustain the effect until the end of your next turn. If you want to keep it as an attack utility (i think i just made that up) you should add the implement keyword, to get the proper to hit bonus.

Gabal's: There is something odd about the range/area line. And what the others said about ½ level. Let go of 3.x pretty please with sugar on top.

Wayfarer's Step: Again, something odd with the "range" line. The range in the spell line denotes how far away the guy you teleport can be, not have far you can teleport him. That just has to be in the text.

Enforced Flesh. Level 13 powers are encounter powers, not dailies. Powerwise it seems fine as a encounter power, perhaps even a bit low, since it is not really impressive unless you fight insubstantial monsters.

Cheers

I'm not sure which version you're looking at, but it's not the latest version (in which Reactive Counterspell is an interrupt, etc.!)

As for Enforced Flesh - yeah, insubstantial monsters are the main bad guys. You meet them a lot.

[Jack99]

Originally Posted by Morrus

I'm not sure which version you're looking at, but it's not the latest version (in which Reactive Counterspell is an interrupt, etc.!)

As for Enforced Flesh - yeah, insubstantial monsters are the main bad guys. You meet them a lot.

When you mentioned several versions, I figured it was "in-house". If there is a newer version that has come out since it was uploaded on Friday, sorry about that.

Cheers

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by Jack99

When you mentioned several versions, I figured it was "in-house". If there is a newer version that has come out since it was uploaded on Friday, sorry about that.

Heh - the beauty of the PDF industry is that updates can be applied and the customers' files replaced in real time. You can always have a clean copy of the latest version of a product.

If you haven't already, it's really worth checking the box at RPGNow which allows them to notify you when a product you have bought has been updated.

We're actually planning on one more update, probably today.

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by Echohawk

It looks good, but at the risk of prompting yet another file update, is the credit on the front/back cover correct? I thought Piratecat had taken over the updating and editing process from Steve Muchow?

Nope. Steve is still updating. Piratecat is editing; he starts with the Campaign Guide, though, not this book. It's basically an extra layer of insulation.

[Pickles JG]

Originally Posted by Jack99

Reactive Counterspell should be a Immediate Interrupt. Also I do not get the penalty, but I guess that's subjective. Seems very underwhelming compared to what it does.

Curse of Flesh looks like an attack power, not a utility power (it has an "attack" line after all). Also, the Sustain wording is odd, because what is "this" turn? The caster's? Because that would suck. I am pretty sure it should say: Sustain Minor: You sustain the effect until the end of your next turn. If you want to keep it as an attack utility (i think i just made that up) you should add the implement keyword, to get the proper to hit bonus.

Gabal's: There is something odd about the range/area line. And what the others said about ½ level. Let go of 3.x pretty please with sugar on top.

Enforced Flesh. Level 13 powers are encounter powers, not dailies. Powerwise it seems fine as a encounter power, perhaps even a bit low, since it is not really impressive unless you fight insubstantial monsters.

Cheers

This.

Plus Reactive Counterspell is going to have trouble finding ANY use at all unless you fight a lot of NPCs as monster attacks do not have power sources. It should be a daily without the Special, huge, cost.

It uses "struck" by an attack, should be hit. It mentions the spell "failing" which does not mean anything. I think you might mean the attacker "must use the lower of the two rolls" or "use the new roll even if higher". I do no know if you intend the power to somehow cancel spells that effect other targets too.

As a cleric power it would be leadery if it was "Close burst 5. You or an an ally in the burst is hit by a ranged attack that targets a defence other than AC".

Apart from that it's a great power.

Ghost Phase Attack & Curse of Flesh I like (with Jack99's caveats).

Gabal's is horrible in almost every way.

It scales - not a 4e thing so it can be abused by student of Caiphon &
Power Jewels &c.

It is really powerful for its level anyway.

It is fiddly & complex. If it is really a blast you do not need the special text as that follows from being a blast (they ignore concealment & cover is checked from the origin square & LOS also not needed). You might need to add "ignores cover" - making it even more powerful.

I think it should be: level 7, close blast 10, targets up to 3 creatures in blast, 2d4+INT force damage. Ignores cover & superior cover.

From level 1 to 7 you can make do with magic missile

The upgrade would be "Gabal's Ultimate Missile": level 23 close blast 20, targets up to 5 creatures in blast 4d4+INT force damage. Ignores cover & superior cover.

It looks suitable for a Paragon Path attached to the school - some of those level 11s scale as they cannot be replaced.

Enforced Flesh is appalling - as well as not being sure if it's level 15 or 13 it is too situational. It needs to be able to damage any target with the special effect vs insubstantial. It should probably not deal necrotic damage as most insubstantial creatures are undead & many of these resist necrotic (though that may be just the fleshy ones). The power looks about right for a level 13 encounter (or a tad weak)

If it is a daily not an encounter it should have some consequence on a miss. I suggest the "losing insubstantial" is an effect (save ends), aftereffect loses insubstantial until end of your next turn. It is still a pretty feeble daily - probably level 1 or 5. Or it could be an Area power.

It is a great idea though.

The Gate Pass type feats look cool. Quite strong maybe not the thing you ought to have lots of? I would like them as straight background options rather than feats but I think that's only personal preference & nervousness with untyped bonuses.

Moral Insight - yuk I thought we had seen the last of this plot derailing device. Maybe if it only worked on Immortals & the like I would hate it less.

Counterspell - "you are effected by a spell" is not a trigger I like - needs to be hit by a spell. As noted before this is very rare as monsters do not have spells (or powersources). This type of feat usually requires swapping a utility to prevent really bloated numbers of powers.

Shining Warrior references fighter bonus feats.

Items.

Shatterspell - see difficulty with repsect to monster spells. 4e canon would have attacks vs creators defences, which scales. The save penaltygets much better at higher level.

Orb of Persistence. Isn't this the Orb of inevitable Continuance but largely better & lower level? The wording is a bit off but we know what it does.

Feigning fez = Hat of Disguise. Am I missing something?

Hat of Intelligence ~ Headband of Intellect. It mentions "intelligence roll".
Is this intelligence check? Intelligence based Skill check? Intelligence based attack? or something else including a combination?

Are these tweaks of the AV items or merely parallel designs?

Anyway I will try to read the fluff but I am not much of a one for fantasy fiction....

Cheers

[Mark]

Congrats!

[Jack99]

Originally Posted by Morrus

Heh - the beauty of the PDF industry is that updates can be applied and the customers' files replaced in real time. You can always have a clean copy of the latest version of a product.

If you haven't already, it's really worth checking the box at RPGNow which allows them to notify you when a product you have bought has been updated.

We're actually planning on one more update, probably today.

I agree 100% about the beauty of PDF's. This is why I post these things. So that they can be fixed. It's not to annoy anyone

Anyway, could you explain in greater detail where the box to check for notification? I can't seem to find it.

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by Jack99

Anyway, could you explain in greater detail where the box to check for notification? I can't seem to find it.

I had to look for it myself!

I don't know if there's a global notification setting (there are some options in My Acount->Email settings that I don't understand), but I found it on the product page itself after a bit of searching around.

At great length and effort, I have carefully designed and prepared the following comprehensive guide for you:

[Jack99]

Originally Posted by Morrus

I had to look for it myself!

I don't know if there's a global notification setting (there are some options in My Acount->Email settings that I don't understand), but I found it on the product page itself after a bit of searching around.

At great length and effort, I have carefully designed and prepared the following comprehensive guide for you:

Thanks. I think that with a little luck, I might be able to follow your guide.



Cheers

[mach1.9pants]

Originally Posted by Morrus

At great length and effort, I have carefully designed and prepared the following comprehensive guide for you:

That's great but can we please have the guide in other languages? You are ignoring your international customers......

Thanks

[Jack99]

Or not. It's not there on my screen. I tried to check out every single option, but it seems the only one who ever corresponds mildly with an email with every update, is the global notification, and that has been on since forever.

I guess I will have to write RPGnow