[4e] Theme balance, power and utility and other thoughts. (Spoilers)

[Ajar]

Overall, I like the changes. A few thoughts and questions:

Docker
Should the enemy or the allies also be aware of the Docker character, since Audience Participation is implicitly predicated on the Docker’s performance?

Gunsmith
Do you intend for Gunsmiths to be able to buy magical ammunition in the same way that a crossbow-wielder could buy magical bolts? That could somewhat circumvent the need for the Alchemical Launcher modification.

Martial Scientist
I like the change, although I bet my Martial Scientist player – who is definitely a gamist – will complain about it being a nerf. This makes it more in line with Martial Practices, which is good. If you haven't already, it might be worth glancing at Martial Practices to see if it makes sense to implement the Martial Scientist powers as practices instead. IIRC, though, Practices are usually dailies, so you're probably OK with a separate system.

Spirit Medium
My Spirit Medium player will love the telepathy. His first question will be whether the creatures he communicates with can answer him. Can they?

Vekeshi Mystic
What happens if the Mystic player breaks the Patient Revenge vow? Their ally already gained the surge. Also, is only the Mystic player bound by the vow? Can they send their allies after the target, even after making the vow? I'm 100% certain that these questions will come up in my party.

 

[Crispy120286]

I really like the way these work. Any way to make them function in pathfinder without being overpowered?

I can understand them being feats but pathfinder really loses out on how they improve themselves overtime

 

[Garthanos]

Thanks for the point to Zeitgeist... quite intriguing.

 

[Tukka]

Overall I like the changes.

Eschatologist: I like the eschatologist's death avoidance buff, but to me Icy End still seems far too double-edged and situational. Not being able to heal or gain temp hp as a PC is a huge liability (especially when you're bloodied and taking additional self-inflicted damage), but it's irrelevant to enemies in most encounters. It just seems like a high cost to pay for mediocre damage and some soft control. Again, though, this could be an issue of my own lack of imagination. And with the buff to the death avoidance trait, maybe it's OK if the power is tricky to use effectively.

One possible change would be to add a "hasten end" effect to it. "When an enemy in the zone takes damage that reduces it to 10 or fewer hit points, it dies." That makes the power stronger, still seems like a good thematic fit, and also keeps the double-edged/situational aspect of the power, since using it means there's a risk of killing perps.

Skyseer: Handy Intuition is cool. It's a little redundant with taking the kitchen sink approach with a Bag of Holding (which becomes tenable when you have the wealth of a level 10 adventurer) but I never really liked the "put every mundane item in the PHB on your character sheet" shenanigans, and this power is better and far cooler, since the items acquired can be a lot more specific than general tools.

Vekeshi: Regarding the vow, allowing an ally to spend a healing surge doesn't seem like much of a benefit if the enemy is on the run and you don't plan on pursuing him, since that means the current battle has probably already been decided in the party's favor and they will soon take a short rest, at which time they can spend healing surges freely. (Though encounters could certainly be tailored that would make the vow advantageous, such as chained encounters or encounters where the enemy flees early.)

 

[skotothalamos]

Martial Scientist
If you choose Martial Scientist as your character’s theme, you gain training in History. If you already are trained in History you may gain training in another skill. You are proficient in all military weapons.

Throughout the campaign you will have the ability to learn new techniques from other martial scientists. Keep track of which techniques you know. At the end of an extended rest, choose any one technique you know. You have access to that technique’s power for the day. At 1st level, every martial scientist starts with the experimental strike technique.

With as reactive as a lot of the martial techniques are,I would prefer for this to work more like Diving Channeling. I.ex, you have an encounter power that is "Use Martial Technique" and then you decide what technique you use at the time. Keeps the Martial Scientists from being able to spam techniques, but doesn't turn them into AD&D magic-users trying to decide if Knock or Sleep will be more useful 3 hours from now...