Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters

Cleon · Jan 7, 2013

freyar said:
The next item as given originally is

Saving Throws: The goatling can expend two empowerment points to gain a +1 enhancement bonus to all saving throws for three rounds.

I have a feeling that +1 to all saves for three rounds is a bit too powerful. Maybe make it apply to only one type of save? Or, what's probably easier, cut the duration to 1 round.

Hmm, if you want to trim its effectiveness reducing the duration works better for me than limiting it to one save. Alternatively, we could limit it so the saving throw bonus only applies to supernatural/spell attacks and is useless against mundane threats like poison or being trampled by a rhinoceros.

freyar said:
Do we need to go back and put a max of how large a bonus can apply for each type of EP use?

I though we already were. Haven't all the powers we've done so far had a +5 cap?

Oops, checking the Goatling Working Draft we left the cap off the Armour.

Also, your draft of the Saves has a max bonus of +1. It says +1 saves for 2 EPs, not +1 per 2 EPs (max +X). I'll add it in.

Cleon · Jan 7, 2013

Cleon said:
I though we already were. Haven't all the powers we've done so far had a +5 cap?

Oops, checking the Goatling Working Draft we left the cap off the Armour

Looking at the Working Draft, the current wording of the EP costs seems a bit back-to-front. How about changing it to:

Attack: The goatling gains a +1 enhancement bonus to its next attack roll (including spells and natural weapons) for every empowerment point it expends (maximum bonus +5). If the goatling does not make an attack roll within three rounds, the empowerment point is wasted.
Damage: The goatling gains a +1 enhancement bonus to its next damage roll (including spells and natural weapons) for every one empowerment point it expends (maximum bonus +5). If the goatling does not make a damage roll within three rounds, the empowerment point is wasted.
Armor Class: The goatling gains a +1 enhancement bonus to its natural armor for every 2 empowerment points it expends (maximum bonus +5). This empowerment lasts for three rounds.

Cleon · Jan 7, 2013

freyar said:
The next item as given originally is

Saving Throws: The goatling can expend two empowerment points to gain a +1 enhancement bonus to all saving throws for three rounds.

I have a feeling that +1 to all saves for three rounds is a bit too powerful. Maybe make it apply to only one type of save? Or, what's probably easier, cut the duration to 1 round.

Do we need to go back and put a max of how large a bonus can apply for each type of EP use?

Come to think of it, maybe we should make it work like the Attack/Damage bonus - a bonus to its next saving throw, which expires if it isn't used in 3 rounds.

freyar · Jan 12, 2013

I'll agree to the rewording. And I like your proposed fix for the duration on the saves.

The next bonus is to "Ability Checks," which I would translate to "skill checks or ability checks." Do you think that's worth 2 EP or just one?

Saves: The goatling gains a +1 bonus to its next saving throw for every 2 empowerment points it expends (maximum bonus +5). If the goatling does not make a saving throw within three rounds, the empowerment points are wasted.
Checks: The goatling gains a +1 bonus to its next skill or ability check for every 2 empowerment points it expends (maximum bonus +5). If the goatling does not make a skill or ability check within three rounds, the empowerment points are wasted.

Cleon · Jan 13, 2013

freyar said:
I'll agree to the rewording. And I like your proposed fix for the duration on the saves.

Updating the Goatling Working Draft.

freyar said:
The next bonus is to "Ability Checks," which I would translate to "skill checks or ability checks." Do you think that's worth 2 EP or just one?

I think we can make the Ability Check bonus 1 EP per +1 without destroying the balance of the D&D universe.

freyar · Jan 15, 2013

I think so, too, so I'd also move it up the list (above the more costly saves). Have to get going...

Cleon · Jan 16, 2013

freyar said:
I think so, too, so I'd also move it up the list (above the more costly saves). Have to get going...

Got gone updating the Goatling Working Draft.

freyar · Jan 19, 2013

OK, the next two empowerments are

2 EP gives +1 to Ability Scores for 3 rounds (up to 18)
3 EP gives +1 to Spell Magnitude [= spell level]

The second one there seems pretty straight-forward; it seems to act like Heighten Spell. There's no limit listed, so do we allow unlimited boosting or take that to mean the goatling can only empower the spell once?

For the first, is that a +1 to all ability scores or to one ability score for 2EP?

Cleon · Jan 19, 2013

freyar said:
OK, the next two empowerments are

2 EP gives +1 to Ability Scores for 3 rounds (up to 18)
3 EP gives +1 to Spell Magnitude [= spell level]

Click to expand...

The second one there seems pretty straight-forward; it seems to act like Heighten Spell. There's no limit listed, so do we allow unlimited boosting or take that to mean the goatling can only empower the spell once?

I suspect this increases the spell's Caster Level, not the actual spell level - which has less significance in AD&D/BECMI games.

We should definitely apply some limits, otherwise the goatling would be able to arbitrarily increase its spell DC/CL. I suggest either giving its "heighten spell" a spell level cap equal to the highest spell level the goatling can cast or a set maximum (maybe +5, since that's the max bonus the other empowerment use).

Overall, I favour making this a CL boosting ability. Then, if a goatling wants to boost a spell's DC they need to empower whatever ability score that governs that spell's DC.

freyar said:
For the first, is that a +1 to all ability scores or to one ability score for 2EP?

I'd think only one ability score, otherwise it's far too good.

Furthermore, we should modify it so it can boost its scores in steps of +2, to cut down on min-maxing.

We should also make sure that it doesn't cost a Wizard goatling fewer EPs to boost its Int and get a high spell DC than the EPs it would spend to "heighten" a spell to the same level.

Maybe 5 EPs to add +2 to an ability score for three rounds (max +10), and 3 EPs to increase a spell's caster level by 1 (max +5?)?

freyar · Jan 20, 2013

That's reasonable for the ability score, but I don't quite understand what you mean by increasing the CL. CL doesn't affect spell DCs, which are 10+spell level+ability modifier. So do you really mean CL, which modifies things like range, duration, etc? I'm not sure if I'd cost that at 3EP; 2 might be more like it. I'd have to think; I guess it is like getting a few different metamagic feats at once.

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