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Words of power and 3rd party publishers?
- Thread starter Evenglare
- Start date
"Everyone?" I don't hate it. Never have. I think you're mistaking absence of evidence for evidence of absence, here. In other words, it may be that the reason you see so many posts about people hating Vancian magic is not because a majority does, but rather because the majority that doesn't hate it have no reason to post at all since the current system reflects what they like. And therefore, they don't post, and stay silent. Posts are made by people who want change.
With regard to the OP, I'm also not aware of any third-party people who've published using it. Admittedly, I haven't really looked, either.
Evenglare
Adventurer
Okay, "everyone" was obviously a hyperbole, I didnt really think that needed to be said, but eh. My mistake. There is a very very vocal group of people that dislike vancian casting, a group large enough to warrant a new system of D&D altogether (4th edition). I personally do not have a problem with it. From playing other roleplaying games , like MAGE and GURPS and HERO I generally like a more freeform approach.
There is a strange skewing in Words of Power vs. regular magic. In regular magic the wizard is supreme in flexibility because they potentially can cast any spell, they just have to prepare it. Words of Power doesn't change that. In fact, because the list of Words of Power is so limited compared to the MASS of regular spells available, you could say a Word wizard is less flexible, (maybe better to say less potential).
Because a spontaneous caster can build spells on the fly, a Words sorcerer is probably a better choice. Maybe even better than a regular sorcerer, at least again as far as flexibility.
That's the weird thing. Words of Power sorcerer = good, Words of Power wizard = meh.
Also, while Words of power have a few tweaks, like the 1st level Fade-Conceal which when Boosted is like a 1 round improved invisibility or the Fortify-Body spell that is +1 to saves and gives temporary hit points, sometimes they are weaker than regular spells. Sometimes because the target words make them trickier to use, like having to hit with a ranged touch attack to heal.
Also, one thing I really didn't like when I read Words of Power is that each caster is essentially limited by the type of spell they could cast regularly. Clerics heal and wizards blast things. Meh.
As that one podcast said, I see awesome roleplaying potential with words of power. My summoner took the Experimental Spellcaster feat and my idea behind learning about words of power was through his eidolon, which is a manifestation of a forgotten primordial power, so words of power seemed like a good mesh.
SnowleopardVK
First Post
I've helped a player build a wordcaster druid recently. She's quite good, if only for the spontaneous summoning (all of the wordcaster's words, including the 'servitor' words take only a standard action to summon things, which makes it a tad better than the regular summoning of anything that's not actually a summoner).
A wordcaster with Metaword Mastery (The player's planned 3rd level feat) looks like it would be quite a useful summoner, without having to actually be a summoner. I'm personally looking forward to seeing how well the player does.
A wordcaster with Metaword Mastery (The player's planned 3rd level feat) looks like it would be quite a useful summoner, without having to actually be a summoner. I'm personally looking forward to seeing how well the player does.
gamerprinter
Mapper/Publisher
Super Genius Games, Power Word Spells: Lore of the First Language.
Product Description:
Welcome to Power Word Spells: Lore of the First Language, the latest product in the new Super Genius Presents line of books!
Power word spells are one of the most interesting elements of the “assumed setting” described by the rules of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Though the power word spells do not have any description of how and why they are different from other spells, both their naming convention (each being “power word” and then a single action or condition) and their unique game mechanics make it clear they are a different kind of magic.
It’s also clear that while power words are enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting], they aren’t limited to forcing a target to do something normally within the power of its conscious mind. There’s no rule to suggest that characters can willingly go blind, become stunned, or kill themselves by will alone, yet the power word spells produce those effects. These are, on the other hand, the kinds of things that adventure fiction suggests that a creature’s mind can do to itself subconsciously, either as a hypnotic suggestion or as result of trauma. Much as a creature can faint if sufficiently surprised or suffer hysterical blindness if subject to sufficient trauma, power words seem to be able to call upon the powers of the mind to do things beyond conscious control.
When considered from the perspective of adventure and fantasy fiction, it becomes reasonable to wonder what else power words can do. In the expanded spells below, the power of the mind to control the body is expanded to include spontaneous combustion, loss of senses, and potentially permanent changes of alignment and memory. While these are beyond the scope of most enchantment spells, they are certainly no less reasonable than suggesting a creature can will itself to drop dead, as power word kill does.
So, what makes power words different from other spells? Why do they focus their power into a single word that affects the minds of their targets, but don’t even need to be heard to be effective? To answer those questions we first take an in-depth look at what we can learn from power word spells’ unique rules, then present a new game element—the First Language
This isn't my product, nor anything I developed, but SSG is one the other great 3pp supporting Pathfinder.
Product Description:
Welcome to Power Word Spells: Lore of the First Language, the latest product in the new Super Genius Presents line of books!
Power word spells are one of the most interesting elements of the “assumed setting” described by the rules of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Though the power word spells do not have any description of how and why they are different from other spells, both their naming convention (each being “power word” and then a single action or condition) and their unique game mechanics make it clear they are a different kind of magic.
It’s also clear that while power words are enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting], they aren’t limited to forcing a target to do something normally within the power of its conscious mind. There’s no rule to suggest that characters can willingly go blind, become stunned, or kill themselves by will alone, yet the power word spells produce those effects. These are, on the other hand, the kinds of things that adventure fiction suggests that a creature’s mind can do to itself subconsciously, either as a hypnotic suggestion or as result of trauma. Much as a creature can faint if sufficiently surprised or suffer hysterical blindness if subject to sufficient trauma, power words seem to be able to call upon the powers of the mind to do things beyond conscious control.
When considered from the perspective of adventure and fantasy fiction, it becomes reasonable to wonder what else power words can do. In the expanded spells below, the power of the mind to control the body is expanded to include spontaneous combustion, loss of senses, and potentially permanent changes of alignment and memory. While these are beyond the scope of most enchantment spells, they are certainly no less reasonable than suggesting a creature can will itself to drop dead, as power word kill does.
So, what makes power words different from other spells? Why do they focus their power into a single word that affects the minds of their targets, but don’t even need to be heard to be effective? To answer those questions we first take an in-depth look at what we can learn from power word spells’ unique rules, then present a new game element—the First Language
This isn't my product, nor anything I developed, but SSG is one the other great 3pp supporting Pathfinder.
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