L4W Discussion Thread V

covaithe · May 2, 2011

I feel reasonably confident that, in publishing our own themes, we wouldn't fall afoul of any IP-related legal BS that we don't already infringe with backgrounds. No one has ever suggested that those are problematic.

I say this as someone who doesn't currently subscribe to DDI, and has no idea at all what a theme is, mechanically.

garyh · May 2, 2011

I like themes and, if the new generic ones are solid mechanically, would like to find a way to allow them in L4W.

renau1g · May 2, 2011

re: themes - essentially they add an extra encounter power based on their thematic tie. There is one that allows you to apply poison to your blade, dealing an extra 5 damage to a 1W attack and if the target moves too far it can fall prone and be immobilized.

They also allow for a few other powers to be chosen instead of normal powers at certain levels (up to 10 I think, most of the levels)

BenBrown · May 2, 2011

Each of the themes in Dark Sun also has an associate Paragon Path

Iron Sky · May 2, 2011

I'm for themes, but they have to be balanced carefully. If not, you'll end up with something like we've seen in our Dark Sun games where 80% of people are Noble Adepts with a smattering of other themes mixed in for specialized builds.

twilsemail · May 2, 2011

I've seen a few people boggle at the Noble Adept. It's confusing.

They get an extra PP. That's pretty much on par with an extra encounter power, isn't it?

renau1g · May 2, 2011

Hopefully they learned their lessons.

Iron Sky · May 2, 2011

twilsemail said:
I've seen a few people boggle at the Noble Adept. It's confusing.

They get an extra PP. That's pretty much on par with an extra encounter power, isn't it?

They also get Adept's Surge that lets you add 1 or 1d4+1 to a roll. The power doesn't specify whether it's before or after the roll is made, so it is usually used to turn a miss/failure into a success after the roll. Being able to do that once per encounter per Noble Adept is huge.

It may not seem like much, but having played in a group with several noble Adepts, it often means the difference; making that save, hitting with that daily, turning a death save into a 20+ revive, etc.

If you ruled that it had to be declared before the roll is made, it becomes far less powerful, though pretty much every psionic character will still pick that theme for the pp alone. If we decided to allow themes here (and Dark Sun themes in particular) I would propose that Adepts Surge has to be activated before the roll is made rather than after...

twilsemail · May 2, 2011

Yes, we'd ruled that it had to be used before. As there are at least a few other powers that key off knowing the result of a roll, and that one doesn't specify, we thought that was the right choice.

I can certainly see that extra PP being worthwhile. Unlike the other themes, NA gets a utility and a PP to add one more "encounter power" per fight.

We also had a lot more Martial characters, which may have had something to do with it.

ScorpiusRisk · May 2, 2011

There is nothing illegal about publishing a theme without being licensed/having consent from Wizards. Open Design had a theme in their Soldiers of Fortune product, I'll have a new theme on StufferShack next week, and if I get my way there will be Midgard themes released after the Campaign Setting.