Spelljammer: 4th ed, do helms drain Daily, encounter, at will spells?

[Silverblade The Ench]

For Spelljammer, 4th ed poses a problem:

since in 4th ed, casters have unlimited at-will powers...does a spelljamming helm drain Encounter and/or Daily spells and prayers but leave at-will powers??

I think it should drain daily spells/prayers, maybe encounters, but definately leave at-wills.

Least in 4th ed, a spelljamming helmsman wouldn't be so useless, as he should, I think be left with his At Will spells?

 

[Kurotowa]

Healing surges. Make it so that anyone with the Ritual Caster feat can use the helm, and have it drain healing surges. It opens up use to more people, yes, but that's part of the spirit of 4e.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Kurotowa,
no, actually what you've done is suggest a GREAT way to work death helms and life jammers, woot!

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Perhaps, you have to maintain a Ritual, I could see someone with Ritual Casting feat going through some manner of training to learn the Rituals to power the spelljammers.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Rituals could work for the type of Spelljammer that burns items. You could toss in x amount of gold and inscense to power it over the course of the rituals casting time. For a true Spelljammer helm, at wills allow you to power the craft at its most basic levels, while encounter and daily powers allow you to use the Ship's encounter and daily powers. Imagine a Squidship with boarding tentacles or a Dragon ship that could breath fire.

 

[1of3]

It could also drain uses for the daily powers of magic items. (Is there a word for that? Daily item use? Item daily use?)

 

[Graf]

Your design goal is to make wizard characters unfun to play in sj?
I realize its a historical artifact but it is truly sucky game design...

I'd be inclined to say the wizard is weakened when they get off the chair. A nod to the past that doesnt gut the character and torture the player...

 

[D_E]

For a true Spelljammer helm, at wills allow you to power the craft at its most basic levels, while encounter and daily powers allow you to use the Ship's encounter and daily powers. Imagine a Squidship with boarding tentacles or a Dragon ship that could breath fire.

Agreed.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Your design goal is to make wizard characters unfun to play in sj?

I realize its a historical artifact but it is truly sucky game design...

This. There are lots of ways to design Spelljammer helms that don't make one PC a no-powers packhorse for the others.

I like the idea of draining a Healing Surge. Or, to keep it a "Spelljammer" though you could allow anyone with Ritual Casting to let it burn residuum. Then it's just an economic cost the whole party can share equally in. And you can make the Ritual Caster is Weakened (save ends) when he first gets off the Helm.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Rituals could work for the type of Spelljammer that burns items. You could toss in x amount of gold and inscense to power it over the course of the rituals casting time. For a true Spelljammer helm, at wills allow you to power the craft at its most basic levels, while encounter and daily powers allow you to use the Ship's encounter and daily powers. Imagine a Squidship with boarding tentacles or a Dragon ship that could breath fire.

Now that sounds fun!
ok, you lose maybe the casters "fun personal combat" stuff, but in etirun, as ship controller, he gets fun!

Ok this is cool so far

So:

Lifejammers and death helms suck healing surges, then when you run out, they suck hps = your healing surge, every so often or when the controller wants ot add a +2 SR boost to the ship, a desperate gamble as you don't know how long the victim will live and it would take, oh, 1d4+4 rounds or so to replace a dead helsman.

Minor and Major helms can use Dialy or Encounter powers in some way, as yet to be determined...maybe, hm let the Area of Effect of a Power eminate from anywhere ON the ship? Since the Helsman is the ship itself in away, when on the helm. Or, be used for a +SR boost.

(SR = speed by the way, Ship's Rating)