Could Trance be a ritual instead of a racial.

Garthanos said:

Here it is as in my Character Builder

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I dunno, I never really thought of heroes as 'rippling with power' personally. I guess it depends on the levels of the characters and the particulars of the genre of play. I wouldn't normally think of heroic tier characters in this way at least. Epic ones, that seems more like they'd be easy to pick out in a crowd of normal people. Paragon is a bit less definite.

I guess I might be more inclined to handle it more from the other end. Your average guy isn't going to notice the 14th level ranger sitting at the table in the corner. The fat barkeep, who knows a thing or two, on the other hand is quite aware that he's not your average traveler, but still doesn't really know any accurate information about him. The Ring Bearer on the other hand, and his fairly perceptive and somewhat experienced comrades, can see what they're looking at and tell that power lurks under the dirty cloak and muddy boots. The rest of the townspeople of Bree? They just see some slightly disheveled wanderer from strange parts.

So, a character can use "Read Aura" to suss out the higher level figures from the lot, even when they're not obvious. Streetwise or History might also obviously work to let you pick out a face that is notorious or famous.

AbdulAlhazred said:

I dunno, I never really thought of heroes as 'rippling with power' personally. I guess it depends on the levels of the characters and the particulars of the genre of play. I wouldn't normally think of heroic tier characters in this way at least. Epic ones, that seems more like they'd be easy to pick out in a crowd of normal people. Paragon is a bit less definite.

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It definitely might take some insight to pick out at heroic tier, however there are DMs that will tell players things like an NPC is basically a minion and similar info.. no check

AbdulAlhazred said:

I
I guess I might be more inclined to handle it more from the other end. Your average guy isn't going to notice the 14th level ranger sitting at the table in the corner. The fat barkeep, who knows a thing or two, on the other hand is quite aware that he's not your average traveler, but still doesn't really know any accurate information about him. The Ring Bearer on the other hand, and his fairly perceptive and somewhat experienced comrades, can see what they're looking at and tell that power lurks under the dirty cloak and muddy boots. The rest of the townspeople of Bree? They just see some slightly disheveled wanderer from strange parts.

So, a character can use "Read Aura" to suss out the higher level figures from the lot, even when they're not obvious. Streetwise or History might also obviously work to let you pick out a face that is notorious or famous.

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That is interesting too...
How about we do both what if read aura is a lower level practice and suppress aura at higher levels, AND while insight I think is the standard those others look to be relying on extra info and identifiable those arent picking up on enigmatic clues.

OR one DM might not have the one but do have the other in his campaign... similar to what I mentioned about different rituals setting campaign tone. Just like not every campaign has a dragonmark.

IE even in a campaign with heros exuding more it seems the suppress aura
might still be at minimum a level 6.

In D&D land heros bring each other back from the dead at level 8.... and many teleport at level 1

I even like Dragon marks as invisible things that have to be revealed rather than hidden. Or simply generic Bloodline feats which one must pick up on.

Aura sensing would have to open ones perceptions for an extended period of time could it enhance heal/diagnosis checks too or is that an alternative?

With the enhance healing maybe only a +2 that would give the monks
are healers angle interest.

Hmmm aura supression could affect stealth (particularly the hiding in a crowd variety)

Garthanos said:

In D&D land heros bring each other back from the dead at level 8.... and many teleport at level 1

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For me this has a real impact.

Adjusted to have cost as a healing surge... and level as 6, also
changed the verbage to indicate that the heros "gradually begin to... "

The aura manipulation would also interact with the Deva racial

"Astral Majesty" turning it off

AbdulAlhazred said:

So, a character can use "Read Aura" to suss out the higher level figures from the lot, even when they're not obvious. Streetwise or History might also obviously work to let you pick out a face that is notorious or famous.

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I have been wanting something of a Power of Naming ability which picked up on heroic blood-lines and heritage and partially associated with Bardic style background which your Streetwise and History sort of evokes. "I know his name",

I was actually considering connecting those effects like the immortals of the gathering sensing one another perhaps as a bonus on perception and insight checks (like Vampirics noticing and reading each other )

Garthanos said:

It definitely might take some insight to pick out at heroic tier, however there are DMs that will tell players things like an NPC is basically a minion and similar info.. no check

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Right, somewhat of a different issue there. What PLAYERS know is often different from what characters know. In fact I don't play in a "never tell the players what the characters don't know" kind of setup, that's the old-school Gygaxian gotcha-dungeon kind of mode of play. I'll tell the players that those are minions over there, but I also know that they can extrapolate from the descriptions given to what the characters would perceive, and then they can make monster knowledge or perception checks to determine what they do and don't pick up on (which may even be stuff the player does NOT know). I'm OK with not telling players every single thing, some stuff they don't need to now, but mostly 4e works better when its transparent.

That is interesting too...
How about we do both what if read aura is a lower level practice and suppress aura at higher levels, AND while insight I think is the standard those others look to be relying on extra info and identifiable those arent picking up on enigmatic clues.

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Sure, there's plenty of room for both kinds of effects. I think you can also spin the 'aura suppression' as a type of disguise.

OR one DM might not have the one but do have the other in his campaign... similar to what I mentioned about different rituals setting campaign tone. Just like not every campaign has a dragonmark.

IE even in a campaign with heros exuding more it seems the suppress aura
might still be at minimum a level 6.

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Sure, I'm all for choice.

In D&D land heros bring each other back from the dead at level 8.... and many teleport at level 1

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Yeah, that's true. I always thought that maybe Raise Dead being level 8 was more of a playability hack than anything else. I think the whole Eladrin Fey Step as a racial was about bringing in this new race with a lot of distinctiveness, but it does go slightly against the general 4e scheme of heroic vs paragon/epic. In my campaign world Eladrin are a bit more 'out there', being generally termed 'Eldar' and being quite alien in their outlook and culture (think of all the different variations of Eldar that existed in various Moorcock works for instance).

Garthanos said:

I have been wanting something of a Power of Naming ability which picked up on heroic blood-lines and heritage and partially associated with Bardic style background which your Streetwise and History sort of evokes. "I know his name",

I was actually considering connecting those effects like the immortals of the gathering sensing one another perhaps as a bonus on perception and insight checks (like Vampirics noticing and reading each other )

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That kind of thing has obvious uses in a specific type of campaign for sure. The Destined Champions (and their natural opponents) tend to recognize each other and gravitate towards the central conflict. You could call this 'fate'.

AbdulAlhazred said:

Sure, there's plenty of room for both kinds of effects. I think you can also spin the 'aura suppression' as a type of disguise.

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Yes I am currently couching its effects as primarily a boost on disguise (derived of healing surge/healing skill and time)... but it could also affect a combat bluff now that I think about it (which i would like to improve in 4e it just doesn't seem hardly worth its price in its current form)

Perhaps a combat bluff to influence an enemy to pick a different target? using a move action.

AND it might effect as I mentioned stealth of the hiding in a crowd variety.

I like that it has a built in end clause.