Can you critique these affiliation rules?

[Oryan77]

I run a 3.5 Planescape game and I found some affiliation rules (PHB 2) that someone here made for the PS factions. I'm sorry but it's been so long I can't remember who originally made them & give you credit!

I decided to use them but I needed to tweak them up to fit our game. I am not a rules guy or a game creator, so what I wrote up might be a complete mess. I'm wondering if anyone would help me out and critique them? Let me know what works & doesn't work and give suggestions on how to fix it. My players aren't much help because they only criticize the parts that give them penalties or might be hard to accomplish and yet they never seem to find anything wrong with bonuses that might actually be too powerful.

This first affiliation is for the Transcendent Order faction. Their belief is that you 'act without thinking'. They try to make the mind & body one and they train their bodies to perform actions without needing to give it any thought. So I tried to make criterion that reflected this belief. If you have ideas for better criterion, let me know

Keep in mind, players aren't expected to raise in rank in these affiliations. They are purely available for people who want to take the belief of their character seriously and raise in ranks. So a powergamer might be hesitant to spread skill points thin just to raise a rank, but a roleplayer might think spending a point in a cross-class skill might be worth it if he raises rank in his faction. I just want to make sure I'm not totally screwing the roleplayer over.

Please let me know what you think. If I get a lot of help, I might post more of my affiliations up for critiques

 

[lud]

Hi,

I'll throw in a few comments:

A) First on the benefits:

They are too strong compared to what you find in published books. I was looking at the Complete Champion and there you can expect:

rank 1: +2 bonus on a specific skill.
rank 2: +1 bonus to a specific save
rank 3: +1 caster level, or +1 attack or an extra use of a specific class ability...

You basically have 4 time the benefits expected at each rank!

B) On your comment about power gamers not getting ranks:

If someone is using tumble, then he will have 5 ranks in jump (for +2 to tumble), 5 rank in spot and balance is not much of a stretch...

There is a good chance someone using tumble will also be in a Dex based class with impr. Init and un. dodge. Almost any 4 level rogues would have all those things...

So for 15 points at lvl 8

lvl (8):4, Dex:1, Thumble(10):2, Jump(5):1, Spot(5):1, balance(5):1, impr. init:1, unc. dodge:1

You just need then to visit Elysium (+1) and do a mission for the Ciphers (+2) to get to 15...

Who would not spend the skill point in escape artist to get the listed benefits?

A free stat raise, 8 skill points, +2 init (That's 1/2 a feat, or 4 point of dex!) and a free AoO...

Note that you invested 6 point in balance + escape to get 8 points in return!

 

[Storme]

+2 to ALL X based skills is amazingly powerful.

Make it +2 to ONE, or TWO skills if you want to push the envelope.

Also, the initiative bonus, extra AoO, bonus to TWO ability scores (even one ability would be overmuch) sound very potent. Joining this organization will empart powers on par with the best magic items.

Consider violently reducing the benefits.

 

[Oryan77]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. So far both of you say that if anything, it's TOO powerful rather than being unfair for the penalties I listed

That's pretty much what I figured...you never get an honest critique from your own players


So you guys think all I really need to do is reduce the benefits? You don't really see a problem with the criterion that I created? Do you guys have advice on how I should change things? Any specific ideas?

Thanks for looking at this, I really appreciate it!

 

[Storme]

Give a +1 or +2 bonus to a single skill.
At higher ranks, give another bonus to another skill.

That the highest rank, give +1 to attack, or Damage, or AC. But not all.

I wouldn't do more than the above with any organization.

Check out the organizations in Complete Champion. Their benefits are rather unusual and quite interesting. Such as the Paragnostic Assembly that adds +10 to knowledge skills when using an Assembly Library for extended periods. And the ability to Take 10 on knowledge checks when under pressure at the highest ranks.

Organizations shouldn't add ECL to people who join. The benefits should be visible but not enough to make the character superior to the idiots in the group that don't join.