8 power sources. so what are the other 4?

[Irda Ranger]

As people in the other thread have indicated, so far ,the varying powersources correspond quite nicely to the planes

But a power source for each plane seems like needless symmetry to me. I think they'll just make Power Sources that allow them to make the classes they want to make anyway. Justification/fluff comes after that.

My guesses (in order of certainty):
1. Shadow/Illusion (99% certain)
2. Primal/Elemental (99% certain)
3. Chaos/Madness/Far Realm (85% certain)
4. Nature Spirits/Friendly World Spirits (65% certain)

I think the Wu Jen or something like it would go into category 4. So would a Druid that I'd actually use in my campaign. As Alt-Druids go, I prefer Arcane Evolved's Greenbond to a Shifter.

 

[I'm A Banana]

My guess is that the Artificer will be Arcane. The idea is that they tap the magic of items. Any kind of non-wand-using artificer would probably not exist.

I think elemental and primal will be rolled together, though not in every class (the druid, apparently, isn't very elemental, while a Wu Jen might be).

1. Arcane: This is the power of symbols and magical rites! The power is in the world, and your motions and actions tap it.
2. Divine: This is the power of the Gods and religious rites! The power is in the gods, and you serve as a channel for it.
3. Martial: This is the power of your body and physical rites! The power is in yourself, and you just go "aargh!" and call it out.
4. Primal: This is the power of the Primordials and natural rites! The power is in the living things, and you manipulate it.
5. Psionic: This is the power of your mind and mental rites! The power lies in your very thought, and you just go "hmmm" and call it out.
6. Shadow: This is the power of Death and grave rites! The power lies in what was once life, and you twist it for your own ends.

I don't really know what the last two would be, I'm not sold on any of the suggestions so far.


Rejected Power Sources include:

1. Hamsters: This is the power of little hamsters in spinning wheels! The power is in the hamsters, and you get them to run on wheels to power you!
2. Race: This is the power of magical people of different skin colors! The power is in people like Bagger Vance, and you make them appear to help you!
3. Friendship: This is the power of true friendship, through thick and thin! The power is in the care bear stare, and you use it to slaughter your enemies!
4. The Number Fourty Two: This is the power of knowledge! The power lies in answering questions, and asking questions, and you use it to make yourself seem pretty smart!
5. Cake: This is the power of delicious cake! The power lies in its creamy frosting and delicious sugary spongy substance! The cake is a lie!
6. Rock: This is the power of music! The power lies in wailing on your ax so hard it melts faces! You use it to get groupies.
7. Fossil Fuels: This is the power of dead dinosaurs! The power lies in drinking oil and lighting it on fire! You use it to blow up (rejected because of the environmental movement).

 

[JVisgaitis]

The thing that I'm curious about is what constitutes a power source? Yeah, we have martial, arcane, and divine, but what does that mean other than the obvious? Is there something that a divine power can do that an arcane power cannot? If not, the whole classification of these different powers would seem pointless.

One power source I don't see mentioned is music. Probably a minor one, but that would work well with the bard and the bladesinger.

 

[Lizard]

Bear in mind that power source impacts effect types (broadly). Think color in M:TG. (No, I'm not saying "4e is a CCG!") Each color has a speciality, some sub-specialities, and can sometimes mimic other color's strengths with difficulty. (Thus, white is healing, defense, and small creatures, but it can do some limited direct damage (red's speciality) and overlaps a bit with blue in terms of flying/air magic. It has almost no 'hurt myself to do something bad to my enemy' powers like black, though it does have a lot 'sacrifice one creature to do something good to myself' effects.)

Likewise, we know that martial is weapon-based damage and non-magical mobility, arcane is ranged damage and magical mobility, divine is healing/defense. We've been told psionics is mind control/manipulation, and shadow is illusion. Each power source also includes things out of its 'main' sphere, but weaker or more costly. I don't know if we've seen an arcane Charm Person yet, but I'll bet the psionic version is either usable more often or harder to resist or otherwise better -- for arcane, mind control is a sideline, for psionics, it's the main deal. (Or so we've been told)

Primal will likely be self-buffing effects, either a druid's shapechange or a barbarian's rage.

So given those categories, what *kind* of broad effects are missing? As I see it, there are six likely (Martial, Arcane, Divine, Shadow, Psionic, Primal) and two 'unmentioned'. What's left, effect wise?

 

[Kordeth]

The thing that I'm curious about is what constitutes a power source? Yeah, we have martial, arcane, and divine, but what does that mean other than the obvious? Is there something that a divine power can do that an arcane power cannot? If not, the whole classification of these different powers would seem pointless.

Don't forget damage types. I doubt we'll see many arcane powers that inflict radiant damage, for example, and martial powers are almost always going to do weapon damage.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

One power source I don't see mentioned is music. Probably a minor one, but that would work well with the bard and the bladesinger.

The Bard has consistently been an arcane class since 2e (and really hammered in with 3e), and the bladesinger was mentioned somewhere as a paragon path. Both of those are arcane. Arcane has sort of become "manipulation of external forces" as a power source. Some of them do rely on outside entities, as in the case of the warlock, and the possible description of the bard from classes & races.

 

[Szatany]

What's left, effect wise?

+ summoning/mounts
+ self sacrificial effects (spend hit points or apply a negative status to yourself to do something)
+ undoing others' actions (chronomancy?)

can't think of anything else right now.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Don't forget damage types. I doubt we'll see many arcane powers that inflict radiant damage, for example, and martial powers are almost always going to do weapon damage.

The Wizard spell Prismatic Burst does radiant damage. Though it's the only one I can name, that does it.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

+ self sacrificial effects (spend hit points or apply a negative status to yourself to do something)

The paladin in 3e had a lot of self sacrificial effects. It's probable that some defender classes would have such powers.

+ undoing others' actions (chronomancy?)

Psionics had a monopoly on time effects. I doubt they'll have any of the replay 1 round powers, since those really slow the game down, so "temporal regression" might become a interrupt power or a reroll power instead.

 

[Li Shenron]

Seriously, though, I hope they don't map the power sources directly to planes. That seems a bit too contrived, and essentially makes all powers some sort of planar effect.

Ditto. People love symmetries, categories, and "filling gaps", but for my tastes they are the death of fantasy and mystery.