NEW Immortals Handbook - Ascension thread

[dante58701]

ok...understood...im just bored

 

[Upper_Krust]

Dante.

lol!!!

I think people take me WAY too seriously.

I have noticed a recent upswing in the amount of useless posts you have been making to the extent that seeing your name as the latest post for a thread hits me like an energy drain spell. Luckily I am 117th-level otherwise the shock of looking at the eternity publishing forums right now would have turned me undead.

In fact its got to the point where I am almost steering clear from my own forums because I don't want to read your latest posts....and I suspect I am not alone in that.

Now thats not to say you don't come up with some gems from time to time. But what I am specifically talking about is the sort of nonsense you have been posting over the past few days. A truckload of nothing but one sentence silliness. Its just posting for the sake of posting! That helps nobody.

All this rubbish does is clog up the forum for people who either want to post a question or concern of relevance, or people who want to look through the threads for something of importance.

I appreciate the enthusiasm but you really need to put a lid on the silly posts, single line responses...followed by YET ANOTHER single line response one minute later instead of editing the previous post.

Its really starting to gnaw at my sanity. So for my sake if nothing else, please cut it out.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey all!

Okay, just to let you know I'll be updating in about an hours time (lets say 11:30 GMT).

Obviously I had to take 90 minutes* off duty to watch Liverpool beat Barcelona!

*plus stoppage time.

As it stands right now there are 10 portfolio powers still needing fixed...the real dirty stinkers. So I'll see about finishing those off and be back in an hour or so.

EDIT.

Okay, I just updated.

Here is a list of the current absent portfolio powers to the best of my knowledge:

Destruction (Old One; single)
Revenge (Elder One; double)
Science (Greater deity; single & double)
Thunder (Old One; single)

There are almost certainly a few more, but those are the rotten eggs on my list at the moment. I'm sure I'll find a bunch more when I give it another read over.

However, that said, I hate the layout of the portfolios. I just think its far too confusing.

So what I am going to do is convert the portfolios over into a table format and secondly change all the names to their divine ability names where possible.

Any comments on this approach? I just think they look too messy.

A few other things of note. Ltheb I am only about 1/3rd the way through your errata word file, but thanks for that. I'll be sure and have it all fixed by the next update. Much appreciated.

I think I have everything in the Upper Krust Fix This thread done except for the problem with Transcendental powers within the divinity templates (specifically First Ones & Demiurges).

The pages on religion building I didn't want to show until they were done to my satisfaction.

The last paragraph of the introduction is incomplete, so expect that to see some attention as well. I've been writing the darn thing for 4 years and I still can't get that bit right.

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

U_K!
Just skimmed the update. Some of the new portfolio powers made me cackle at how ludicrous they are . Especially the destruction portfolio. The entire thing. Destroying Timelords!?! (The ability is vague. I take it it means one can ignore transmortality? Since beings of Timelord stature can play rock-paper-scissors with portfolios, I would guess double-destruction = finisher-move-mode.)

And timelords with Thousandfold hit points? Man, thats a lot. (Is that a multiplied factor when becoming a Highlord? Ex: does a highlord gain two-thousandfold normal hit points?)
My suggestion for the single Destruction power = Disjunction, and the Double should be completely sundering it permanently. (Can't be reforged/regenerated/whatever)

I think I might be able to get through another few pages of chapter 4. It just takes a while to go over every sentence, and make sure everything is grammatically correct. If I throw another file together, it'll be the same format as the first: Grammar first, rules questions 2nd. (I suspect I shall have quite a few rules questions by the end, since some of the powers are probably intentionally vague in their descriptions)

 

[Pssthpok]

Hi, UK,

Will the Body/Mind/Soul/Spirit abilities be revised?

Will we see more detailed instructions for how to arrange ability scores (so as to prevent negative ability scores via the template penalties), or will that element be changed at all?

I like the new ability score tables.

I'll try to put together some ideas for your side-thorn portfolio abilities. I'm also looking forward to the new format. Dominion was a nice addition, btw; will all portfolios have this add-on?

 

[Upper_Krust]

U_K!

Hey Ltheb mate!

Just skimmed the update. Some of the new portfolio powers made me cackle at how ludicrous they are .

Some will probably change when I convert to the new format.

Especially the destruction portfolio. The entire thing. Destroying Timelords!?! (The ability is vague. I take it it means one can ignore transmortality? Since beings of Timelord stature can play rock-paper-scissors with portfolios, I would guess double-destruction = finisher-move-mode.)

I think not having the ability to magically heal should give something above average in return.

And timelords with Thousandfold hit points? Man, thats a lot. (Is that a multiplied factor when becoming a Highlord? Ex: does a highlord gain two-thousandfold normal hit points?)

You know, its really not an easy thing balancing sidereal and eternal hit points. So consider that work in progress.

My suggestion for the single Destruction power = Disjunction, and the Double should be completely sundering it permanently. (Can't be reforged/regenerated/whatever)

There are a number of possibilities.

Basically I have been thinking of late that single portfolios should be built from 'known' abilities and double portfolio should have otherwise unobtainable abilities.

I think I might be able to get through another few pages of chapter 4. It just takes a while to go over every sentence, and make sure everything is grammatically correct. If I throw another file together, it'll be the same format as the first: Grammar first, rules questions 2nd. (I suspect I shall have quite a few rules questions by the end, since some of the powers are probably intentionally vague in their descriptions)

I suspect you may indeed.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi, UK,

Hiya mate!

Will the Body/Mind/Soul/Spirit abilities be revised?

I thought I did revise them?

AC and DC are based on divine rank now, while Attack and Saves go with ability score bonuses.

Will we see more detailed instructions for how to arrange ability scores (so as to prevent negative ability scores via the template penalties), or will that element be changed at all?

Yes, especially in the portfolio templates I have a number of changes planned for the new format.

I like the new ability score tables.

Thanks.

I'll try to put together some ideas for your side-thorn portfolio abilities.

I think ideally I should really have brainstormed evey portfolio longer than I did and came up with a lot of unique stuff.

But when you consider I probably have designed more abilities for Ascension than 15 players handbooks you can forgive me for trying to bring a bit more structure to the portfolios in terms of content. Unfortunately that structure came at a price and you end up trying to shoehorn stuff in to fit the parameters.

I'm also looking forward to the new format.

Theres just something about the current format that looks messy to me. Maybe its just my own wrestling with the portfolios thats turning me off them?

What I would like to do (although seems unlikely now), is rewrite the entire feat system (and by extension divine abilities) from the ground up so that you have feat trees like power attack I, II, III, IV, V, VI.

So that to get Power Attack III you MUST take I and II.

The benefit of this approach is when you come to determine a characters feats you just pick the major feats you want and the level of ability for those feats. So a Fighter with 20 feats may have: Power Attack V, Weapon Focus IV, Weapon Specialization II, Armor Focus III etc. and you automatically know they have all the preceding feats.

Dominion was a nice addition, btw; will all portfolios have this add-on?

Glad you liked it but thats only the first incarnation, I'll try and expand it a touch.

Yes all portfolios will have it, some I couldn't fit in, but when I make the change to the new format it should open up the appropriate space.

 

[Pssthpok]

Hiya mate!



I thought I did revise them?

AC and DC are based on divine rank now, while Attack and Saves go with ability score bonuses.

You might want to double check; my copy still has "ability modifier" for the bonus.

Yes, especially in the portfolio templates I have a number of changes planned for the new format.

Can't wait.

I think ideally I should really have brainstormed evey portfolio longer than I did and came up with a lot of unique stuff.

But when you consider I probably have designed more abilities for Ascension than 15 players handbooks you can forgive me for trying to bring a bit more structure to the portfolios in terms of content. Unfortunately that structure came at a price and you end up trying to shoehorn stuff in to fit the parameters.

Understandable; your content is great, but I can see how trying to standardize things can be like trying to cover variously-sized walls with the same amount of paint.

What I would like to do (although seems unlikely now), is rewrite the entire feat system (and by extension divine abilities) from the ground up so that you have feat trees like power attack I, II, III, IV, V, VI.

Too much trouble at this stage, I think, especially if Find-Replace isn't a speedy option.

Glad you liked it but thats only the first incarnation, I'll try and expand it a touch.

Yes all portfolios will have it, some I couldn't fit in, but when I make the change to the new format it should open up the appropriate space.

Very cool; hopefully we should only see another update, pre-art? 2.3 would be the 19th update.

 

[paradox42]

Just to comment on the hit point multiplier by template issue, I think it's an excellent start, and a good base to work with. If we step back and take a look at what the beings actually get with this, Elder Ones get effectively 400 hit points per die, Old Ones get 600 per die, First Ones get 800, and Demiurges get 2000. Time Lords, though, get 1000000- that's a bit of a precipituous jump!

To resolve this, I think the different Stages of Demiurge should grant different multipliers. This would model the fact that as the Demiurge takes in more and more Sidereals, it becomes more and more like the Time Lord it once was. My suggestion is for Stage I to have double, as it now does, Stage II gets 10x the amount, and Stage III gets 100x. that's a jump from 2000 to 10000 hit points per die going from I to II, and 10000 to 100000 going from Stage II to Stage III.

One snag with this, though, is that it's possible for beings of lower divine status to get d1000s for hit dice if they're built without artifacts- a First One, for example, would get 48 Divine Abilities' worth for each "lost" artifact, and in general that would result in at least one Transcendental ability per item if we use the principle of least-total-number-of-abilities. If that First One then takes Transcendental Toughness as its ability, then suddenly the entity is gaining 8000 hit points per hit die instead of 800- and not incidentally, four times the number of hit points per die as the Demiurge which is supposedly a more powerful being.

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

Well, by taking those powers, it has limited itself to what it 'can do'. The sample first one you mention is tough. Really tough. Juggernaut tough. But that encompasses so many divine slots that it basically becomes a major facet of their being. But if the First One can do it, The Demiurge can too. (The Idea of uncanny Omega Effect is quite scary)

Hit points are not the only thing an opponent can attack. Heck, the easiest way to stop a deity with tons of HP is to attack anything that isn't HP. (Ability score Drain, Level Drain, Quintessence Drain, % Hp Drain from gravitic effect all work well)