Simple Fix For The Truenamer

[airwalkrr]

General consensus is that the truenamer class is an ill-conceived piece of garbage with lots of cool flavor and piss-poor implementation. The hate seems to revolve around the fact that the DC for using utterances is nigh-unapproachable, and most of the metamagic-like feats are therefore virtually useless. Well, I hit upon an idea rather by accident. After hearing a fellow poster in another thread refer to his experience with the class being incredible with a truenamer as his COHORT no less, it finally dawned on the rest of us based on his description that he was using the class incorrectly. Rather than calculating the DC of utterances as 15 + (CR x 2), he was calculating it as (CR x 2). Quite a big difference, but is it really a bad one?

I got to thinking about the truenamer. You see, trying to find a way to make the class worthwhile is a little pet project of mine since I adore the idea of a skill-based magic system and think the truenamer is on the brink of being a smashing success if it could just be tweaked a bit. I wondered to myself if it would really be so bad if the DCs for utterances, at least the weaker ones, were a little easier to make. Consider that the Lexicon of the Evolved Mind is the truenamer's bread and butter, and that the low-level utterances are not really game-breaking in their power, any more than the warlock's least and lesser invocations (usually) are game-breaking. When it comes down to it, the DCs for the Lexicon of the Evolved Mind are the ones that are really troublesome because those are the ones most often based on a creature's CR (ignoring the fact that CR is purely a game mechanic, it is still a reasonable way of balancing the difficulty of an utterance, especially if you can buy into the argument that the "universe is intelligent" in ways that PCs are not and can categorize a creature's power that way). Those of the Lexicon of the Crafted Tool and Lexicon of the Perfected Map are static and easier to make by the time you get them. With all these things in mind, I hit upon a great idea.

The DCs for the Lexicon of the Evolved Mind are based on the utterance level, with utterances becoming more difficult the more powerful the utterance. The DC for a 1st level utterance is simply the (CR x 2). The DC for a 2nd level utterance is 3 + (CR x 2). The DC for a 3rd level utterance is 6 + (CR x 2). The DC for a 4th level utterance is 9 + (CR x 2). The DC for a 5th level utterance is 12 + (CR x 2). And the DC for a 6th level utterance is 15 + (CR x 2). In addition, any feats that increase the Truespeak DC of an utterance for the purpose of adding a metamagic-like effect increase the Truespeak DC by 3 x the effective spell level increase. For example, Empower Utterance is mechanically similar to Empower Spell, which increases the effective spell level by 2, so the Truespeak DC modifier of an empowered utterance would be +6. Quickened utterances actually become feasible under this system (imagine the feat being useful!), although certainly not easy. The net result is that these feats become conceivably useful as opposed to making already difficult Truespeak DCs unachievable (and thus making most of the feats useless).

So how well does this work in play? I haven't tried it, but consider the following thought exercise. Let us assume one is a 1st level truenamer. With an average set of ability scores, one begins with a 15 Intelligence. Maximum ranks are put into Truespeak (obviously) and the 1st level feat chosen is Skill Focus (Truespeak). The total bonus for Truespeak for this character is +9. The character's 1st level utterance known is knight's puissance. Assuming none of the character's opponents are higher than CR 2 or so, this means the Truespeak DC is automatic the first few times (remember the DC increases by 2 with each successful Truespeak check). So we can add +2 to someone's attack roll or penalize it by 2 several times per day with no chance of failure. We could also do it roughly another 10 times after that, although now we have a chance of failure and our ability to use it becomes increasingly less reliable with each use. Would this really be so bad? Would it really be so horrible for our truenamer to be able to give allies fast healing 1 for 5 rounds several times a day with no chance of failure? I am going to go out on a limb and say no. This does not sound unreasonable at all. After all, the truenamer has fewer tricks than a sorcerer and his single trick at this level is generally less powerful. It isn't like he has a host of other amazing class features to make up for this incredible mediocrity anyway. I think the change makes his utterances useful as opposed to questionably valuable.

Now let's take another example. Take a look at the same truenamer on page 203. He has a Truespeak of +24. However, he is 9th level. Even his 3rd level utterances he can use without fear of failure at least once as long as his opponents are no more powerful than CR 9. Great! He can haste ONE of his allies once per day with no chance of failure. That is an incredible ability for a 9th-level character! [/sarcasm] Ok, so this makes him a great healer, outside of combat that is. Nice ability, but given the fact that he can't really create amazingly powerful effects anyway is that really that bad? I think this guy would be a very handy support character to have around. He wouldn't make his party the most powerful group in the world and he certainly wouldn't be decimating his enemies with awe-inspiring blasts of raw arcane energy. He'd simply have a lot of stamina and be able to use his abilities many times per day. Best of all, that amulet of truespeak is no longer a vital item. He could take it or leave it. He'd probably still want it, but it's absence would not cripple him as much as it would otherwise. He could conceivably spend his money on something else without having his effectiveness nerfed.

I think the designers of this class had a great idea for a support character which they botched simply by making the DCs too high. I think with this fix, the truenamer becomes a very playable class, one that is more fun to play because the character has lots of tricks that are now fairly reliable several times a day, none of them overwhelming in power considering the level at which they become available. What are your thoughts?

 

[Nifft]

I'm starting to think that all new classes should be based on Warlock-like or Dragon Shaman-like ability mechanics. Unlimited use, pay in actions rather than slots per day.

I'll bet we could make a Truenamerlock (tm) that would keep the flavor but be balanced. And we could do it off of Knowledge skills instead of making a new skill.

Hmm, -- N

 

[Sravoff]

This class seems sweet. What book is it in?

 

[Brother Richard]

Other Plan

How about 10+cr and items that improve a skill do not affect truespeak when it is used to cast utterances. This is more balanced because it makes it so there is a chance of failing while still giving the truenamer a good chance of success. It also removes cheap items that should not be usable. This allows a 20th level truenamer(with skill focus and 30 int) to be able to use an utterance on a cr 20 monster automatically the first time but limits the truenamer if he/she keeps trying. I believe this is the best way and this is how I would use it.

Thoughts?

By the way, your idea isn't bad either, but I think with items, it is way too easy to succeed.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Thoughts?

Or, the more obvious way: Just make it a Truenamer Level + 3 + Int check against DC 15 + CR. Similar to the skill check, but not abusable by items. And other classes keep it as cross-class skill, because that's always below it... and to fix balance, cut the Truename skill points by -1.

 

[saucercrab]

This class seems sweet. What book is it in?

Tome of Magic.

 

[FireLance]

The proposal doesn't fix the main problem, which is that CR adds double to the DC. This means that on the basis of skill points alone, it gets relatively more difficult for a truenamer to affect his enemies and allies with his utterances.

Since utterances are divided up by levels, like spells, I thought a better system might be to make the DC 15 + 2 x effect level + creature's CR. That maintains the central idea that more powerful creatures are harder to affect with truename magic, but the truenamer can choose to use a more reliable but lower-level effect, or take a chance on a higher level effect. I'm not sure how this will work out in actual play though, as none of my players are very interested in experimenting.

 

[Sravoff]

Tome of Magic.

Thanks.

I haven't seen the base class yet, but from what you are saying, the Truenamer is similar to a spell caster, except they use skills to cast spells, and they get harder by a number of modifiers. Harder when the spell becomes more difficult (higher Spell level), harder the more times per day the spell has been cast, and harder the more powerful the target.

What I first thought was to make the target make a save, but I realized that didn't work since the Truenamer can target allies. And allies making saves against beneficial magic seems silly. But what about a mechanic the brings Save Bonus's into the equation?

Saves already represent a creatures innate ability to resist any number of harmful effects, from charms, to poison, to dodging. So using a base save of good, compared to its HD, then adding a static number, say, 13?

So the DC=13+Base Save+(2xSpell Level). Casting a first level spell on a one HD creature would be 17. Casting a 9th level spell on a 20 HD creature, would be 43. 13+12+18. The check is Level+3+Int Mod right? So at 20th level, with a 30 int, +33 to the check. Roll a 10 or higher and you make it.

I forgot the bit about it getting harder each time you use it.

DC=12+Base Save+Spell Level. Casting a first level spell on a 1 HD creature, DC 15, +2 for every copy of the spell cast before today. Casting a nineth level spell on a 20 HD creature, DC 23. +2 for every time the spell has been used.

HHmm... You wouldn't be casting Nineth level spells that often. So the DC's taper off a bit much at the end there. But perhaps if spell levels got higher quicker, than say 1/spell level, then it might work.

A first level spell raises the DC by one.
A Second by 3
A third by 5
a Fourth by 7
a fifth by 8
a sixth by 10
a seventh by 11
an eighth by 13
a ninth by 14

That makes the firs systems checks DC 17 and DC 55
and the second systems would be DC 15, and DC 38

I'm not sure if this will help at all, since I only have a vague idea of what the class origanaly did, but there are my two cents. Incase they fell somewhere near their mark.

 

[GreatLemur]

I think that in order to sort out the utterance DCs, the place to start would be to decide just how many times per day a Truenamer ought to be able to use an utterance for "free" against an appropriately-leveled target, and how fast it should get harder after that.

I think the existing +2 to the DC (or, -10% to the chance of success) per use seems like a good rate of difficulty increase, but that might to turn out to be a bit too easy if you don't run into trouble too many times in a day.

As long as the increase rate is at just +2, though, I think balancing the DC formula for just one automatic success per day (assuming the average expected Truenamer stats and enemy CR) might be okay. I think a simple 10 + CR would achieve something like this at first, but that would quickly go out the window once the character ends up with Int increased from new levels and the inevitable piles of magic items.

So maybe 5 + (CR x 1.5)? So Brother Richard's hypothetical 20th level Truenamer with Skill Focus (Truespeak) and 30 Int (total bonus +36, I think) would get two automatic success against a CR 20 foe (DC 35), and then a 90% chance of success, and then an 80% chance, and so on. If he doesn't like his odds, he can switch to any of his 19 other Evolving Mind utterances... Hm. That might be too easy. I think I can see why they went with CR x 2: Even if the resulting DC ends up increasing faster than your Truespeak bonus, your options have also been increasing the whole time.

I ain't sure, here.

 

[Brother Richard]

Other Suggestion

How about 15+cr and remember the affects are not that powerful anyway.