Could Trance be a ritual instead of a racial.

[Garthanos]

I am starting to think a feat perhaps called "Perfected Practice" that allows one to perform a martial practice as a skill power (swapping it with one of your skill powers would work for a ton of MP.... Partly its the healing surge cost that balances it. Which is not true of rituals.... obviously one that creates a magic item or GMT wouldnt work.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

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.

I could imagine Bluff doing most anything, getting enemies to attack each other, go to the wrong place, attack a different target, etc etc etc.

Honestly I was never very enamored of the little "here's what you do in combat with this Skill" dohickies that PHB1 had. They were more an impediment to creative thinking than anything else. Either make up an actual power, that's worth being a power and being selected, or point them to page 42 and shut up.

 

[Garthanos]

Honestly I was never very enamored of the little "here's what you do in combat with this Skill" dohickies that PHB1 had. They were more an impediment to creative thinking than anything else. Either make up an actual power, that's worth being a power and being selected, or point them to page 42 and shut up.

They needed to make things scale and treated with mechanics like an actual power indeed even if they were universal applications.

There have been some pretty elaborate discussions about page 42 not going far enough as not enabling things one might reasonably want like using your powers as starting points for instance.


Personally I think that discussion of conquering false versatility needs to be picked up... overly valuable specialization means that unless these things correspond to specialization they will never get used.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

They needed to make things scale and treated with mechanics like an actual power indeed even if they were universal applications.

There have been some pretty elaborate discussions about page 42 not going far enough as not enabling things one might reasonably want like using your powers as starting points for instance.


Personally I think that discussion of conquering false versatility needs to be picked up... overly valuable specialization means that unless these things correspond to specialization they will never get used.

Well, in HoML I have basically 3 overarching categories of powers. One set are called 'Categorized' powers, which have to occupy slots as any normal 4e power would. The 2nd type is 'Basic' powers, which are labeled as such and simply exist, any character can use them. These are often 'Ad-Hoc' powers like terrain powers or even technically things you make up using 'page 42'. The 3rd category are Utility powers, which you generally get by picking up a boon (much like a feat). These don't have slots, you can use any utility power you have access to.

 

[Garthanos]

Well, in HoML I have basically 3 overarching categories of powers. One set are called 'Categorized' powers, which have to occupy slots as any normal 4e power would. The 2nd type is 'Basic' powers, which are labeled as such and simply exist, any character can use them. These are often 'Ad-Hoc' powers like terrain powers or even technically things you make up using 'page 42'. The 3rd category are Utility powers, which you generally get by picking up a boon (much like a feat). These don't have slots, you can use any utility power you have access to.

Nods the dominance of specialization is likely a full foundational element....

Technically I can do rock paper or scissor, but I have enhanced rock to the point only rock is really worth doing anytime ever. Because my rock is the biggest baddest rock

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Nods the dominance of specialization is likely a full foundational element....

Technically I can do rock paper or scissor, but I have enhanced rock to the point only rock is really worth doing anytime ever. Because my rock is the biggest baddest rock

Honestly, I have very few power slots. Most characters have A shtick, and general badassery. They rely a lot more on improvisation than in an array of specific powers. Utility powers are often 'adjuncts' that let you do something extra (added damage, unique effect, etc). In this sense HoML works a bit more like Essentials, there are quite a lot less powers but more ways to use them. Retraining can get you a lot of mileage though because it doesn't take much to shift to a slightly different shtick. I'd like to focus more on how the different characters interact and less on depths of trickiness in terms of exact tricky power interactions and whatnot.

 

[Garthanos]

Honestly, I have very few power slots. Most characters have A shtick, and general badassery.

I chose rock paper scissors to emphasize tactically distinct options... in some of my homebrew rpging there are 5 core mechanically distinct tactical methods applicable to most any activity.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I chose rock paper scissors to emphasize tactically distinct options... in some of my homebrew rpging there are 5 core mechanically distinct tactical methods applicable to most any activity.

Well, I'm not disagreeing that there should be a variety of options open to the PLAYERS and that the situations their characters find themselves in should provide opportunities for those options to exist and be meaningful. I think that it isn't maybe so necessary for every character to have 5 options of powers to use on every round. Maybe one power, several possible viable targets, another power that has a cost, and that's enough. Maybe the choices should sometimes be a bit higher level, like do we hold back and try to surprise these guys or do we just rush in and blow past them? Do we fight or do we negotiate? Do we burn up those potions now, or hold onto them for a bigger fight to come?

This may be a bit more reminiscent of AD&D in some ways, but I think there's room to tweak the 4e formula some.

 

[Garthanos]

I think that it isn't maybe so necessary for every character to have 5 options of powers to use on every round.

in this case many combatants styles need incorporate only 2 of those and he could shuffle between those two only like the hulk does wild/instinctive moves or direct moves that is his combat style and those 2 provide differing real tactical benefits depending on his adversaries choices.

And that will stand just fine up against someone using all 5 possible ones. They are truly optional

One of those methods is deceptive (like using bluff)

 

[Garthanos]

Back on topic how hould you formulate sense/examin aura... as a practice