Time for an all-pixie campaign

[I'm A Banana]

OTOH to give a goliath +4 STR!!!!!!!! or full up always on +1 reach really would be making them the uttermost gods to melee to the extent that no other race could even hope to compete with.

Here is my ideal solution: Toss minis-grid combat.

Or at least, opportunity attacks.

Admittedly, my preferred solution is extreme, and definitely not for everyone, but for me personally the benefits far outweigh the price of admission.

Ah, a banana can dream...

 

[mudlock]

Here is my ideal solution: Toss minis-grid combat.

Your solution to "not enough mechanical distinction between some races" is to remove most of the mechanics?

I admit, it's unorthodoxed.

I mean, you could just as easily say "get rid of most races." I mean, what's a goliath, except for a tall dwarf? And what's a gnome, except for a shorter eladrin?

Among the hard-core minmaxers, attribute bonuses rule all, and there are only 15 combinations, but there are now more than twice that many to choose from (three times, if you count NWCS's subraces.)

 

[I'm A Banana]

Your solution to "not enough mechanical distinction between some races" is to remove most of the mechanics?

Y'know how I was describing the other take I had on Goliaths, the one I like much more than my initial gloss of Yet Another Big Strong Race?

I'd like to be able to represent that in the rules, rather than just being fluff.

I'd also make them big and strong because they are big and strong, and if being big and strong is "unbalancing" then perhaps we need to take a closer look at what kinds of lines we're balancing the thing around. Perhaps we need to expand the base of balance so that "big and strong" and "can fly" and such are not unbalancing.

I mean, you could just as easily say "get rid of most races." I mean, what's a goliath, except for a tall dwarf? And what's a gnome, except for a shorter eladrin?

Ya could. Heck, there's only really 3-5 distinct character archetypes in most games. But as I wrote above, a goliath IMC is actually quite distinct (in flavor) from a dwarf. Gnomes and eladrin are similarly distinct.

Ideally, I'd like mechanics that reflect that distinction...or at least a distinction.

If minis combat makes those mechanics "unbalanced," I'd just as soon ditch minis combat, and replace it with mechanics that more closely model the actual narrative distinctions between different types of characters.

But yeah, it's not an orthodox solution. Still, my early playtests with "phased solos" are promising...

 

[Garthanos]

The pretense that strength is the be all end all of fighting or even the prime basis of the best fighting style could be killed in the dirt.

I have heard some suggesting general house rules where attributes and to hit rolls were divorced (you only get a damage bonus and to hit are based as though you had an 18 with boost every time)

Then again you could visualize your really strong characters who are great at lifting weights and moving stuff and breaking things that arent fighting or moving ... but who get there extra mass used against them relatively normally by others using perceptive, responsive and adjusting techniques (ie judo -note the fighter has many moves even whos effects could be describe like this) or simply last minute dodges that throw the big guy even more off balance cause he is relying so much on brute strength - which is of limited value when fighting.

You could give the really big ones pure strength roll bonus when they break or lift stuff(additional to what they get now?).. but only a small bit of fighting abiity bonus (like it is now)..

Oh look Goliaths already get a bonus to athletics checks as though there strength were 4 higher than it is. Dragonborn dont get that.. neither do Half Orcs.

To a degree you could make some adjustments for mass using dcs Oh look he is big so his dc to lift the thing is 5 less and the pixies is 5 more.

Ofcourse Tinker Bell is mighty potent and often portrayed carrying full grown adult folk around so not sure if that much distinction fits the myths..

Shrug...

 

[mneme]

I'm guessing they'll give first level pixies "fly 6 (limit: 1), thus forcing them to end their turns no more than 1 square off the ground.

Called it. (ok, we don't know their speed yet, but 6 is a good one to guess and they're Altitude limit: 1 according to today's Rule of Three).

 

[Mummolus]

Called it. (ok, we don't know their speed yet, but 6 is a good one to guess and they're Altitude limit: 1 according to today's Rule of Three).

That's enough to make pixie defenders significantly better than most, on flat surfaces. Hover directly above their mark and it has to move multiple squares to get out of range.

Not sure how I feel about that, truth be told.

 

[Dice4Hire]

That's enough to make pixie defenders significantly better than most, on flat surfaces. Hover directly above their mark and it has to move multiple squares to get out of range.

Not sure how I feel about that, truth be told.

I would not worry too much about it.

It would help the Warden and Battlemind a lot, but the fighter and swordmage not much at all

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I would not worry too much about it.

It would help the Warden and Battlemind a lot, but the fighter and swordmage not much at all

warden yes...but battleminds use con over str, and have no at will basic attack powers...there op attacks are often not that good (unless you find a work around)

 

[mneme]

GMfP: Twisted Mind. Not quite at will, but close enough (and provides a debuff on the OA, which is strong).

And, of course, you can take melee training (con). A few points of missing damage aren't that big a deal compared to not having an OA. Or hybrid Warlock and take Eldritch Strike. Which isn't to say that they shouldn't fix the class.

 

[keterys]

Hmm... how do you count altitude limits, I wonder. Couldn't find any monsters with a limit of 0, so limit 1 might actually be that first square - hovering about the floor.

And above a monster might be the 2nd square, meaning you'd fall if you tried to stay there.

Anyone know if one of the books talks about it more?