Engilbrand
First Post
This just hopped into my head and I liked the idea. I don't know if 4th will go this way, but it's a possibility. Hell, everything's a possibility right now.
I'll use the Wizard as my base example. Things are listed as steps:
1. Choose Wizard. 1d4 hitpoints and access to all schools.
2. Stay Generalist or choose a Focus/Tradition (tree). Depending on Tradition, your Wizard changes. If you choose "Golden Wyvern", you lose access to Enchantment and Illusion, but you can use some forms of armor better and have increased hit points. It may even give you a certain set of skills. If you choose a different Tradition, you gain a different set of abilities there while sacrificing other things.
3. Choose Implement. The Implement adds its own abilities to some of your spells.
4. Pwn n00bz.
I threw number 4 in there to be ridiculous. Everyone always talks about "squishy" Wizards. Why would a Battle Mage be "squishy"? I could see them being focused more on combat, including physical combat. Personally, I have no problem with Traditions and think that they make more sense than the way things have been. I don't even think that there should be a Generalist Wizard. I view it like going to college. A Wizard focused on throwing Fireballs shouldn't be anywhere near as effective as someone who focuses on that sort of stuff. It would make sense that they would learn a lot of similar spells. Almost like Psions do in the XPH. They're all psionic powers, but they choose their focus and it's difficult to get other spells.
The same thing can be done with a fighter. Choosing the tree for Barbarian makes you lose feats in return for added hit points. I see the "tree" idea as being more than just a small selection of abilities. It has the ability to be a lot more.
I'll use the Wizard as my base example. Things are listed as steps:
1. Choose Wizard. 1d4 hitpoints and access to all schools.
2. Stay Generalist or choose a Focus/Tradition (tree). Depending on Tradition, your Wizard changes. If you choose "Golden Wyvern", you lose access to Enchantment and Illusion, but you can use some forms of armor better and have increased hit points. It may even give you a certain set of skills. If you choose a different Tradition, you gain a different set of abilities there while sacrificing other things.
3. Choose Implement. The Implement adds its own abilities to some of your spells.
4. Pwn n00bz.
I threw number 4 in there to be ridiculous. Everyone always talks about "squishy" Wizards. Why would a Battle Mage be "squishy"? I could see them being focused more on combat, including physical combat. Personally, I have no problem with Traditions and think that they make more sense than the way things have been. I don't even think that there should be a Generalist Wizard. I view it like going to college. A Wizard focused on throwing Fireballs shouldn't be anywhere near as effective as someone who focuses on that sort of stuff. It would make sense that they would learn a lot of similar spells. Almost like Psions do in the XPH. They're all psionic powers, but they choose their focus and it's difficult to get other spells.
The same thing can be done with a fighter. Choosing the tree for Barbarian makes you lose feats in return for added hit points. I see the "tree" idea as being more than just a small selection of abilities. It has the ability to be a lot more.
