Level Up (A5E) ASI Ideas. Extra for those without Magic Items, Ect

[Nivek Loneshadow]

I Choose LU but in a way this would be any 5E game . . .

I have played all Editions but 3E will always be in my head when I think of how things work. I loved having the standard chart with the universal increases. I hate choose between Feats and ASI with only 5 chances (hopefully do to Mutli-class) To give more background on my questions. I always loved the Dresden Files and other modern fantasy settings so that leads me to the reason for my post.

I'd like to know how to balance a Homebrew chart where some people get the standard mix but others can be from a world with no magic and get extra ASI/Feats to balance them with those who do. Also I see A5E has great feat chains. Something I started working on a long time ago. I'd like to see more ideas on negative concepts that balance the above ideas. No I don't want silly ways to opver power classes. I hate the idea of a negative feat saying well he's old and looses strength but we'll give his wizard free INT for it. I mean more stuff like If a feat gives a werewolf resistance to standard attacks then they have to take the balance of Silver doing double damage. Or another werewolf example is stuff like maybe giving them Ability scores up to 24 in pshyical stats but the balance is they can't ever use magic items or something like that. I want a world where you can make supernatural races like Pixies with wings and extra spells but it's balanced by their size penalty and cold iron, ext.

So to sum up I hope this makes sense and I'd like to here your ideas. If a Herald has a Holy Avenger (plus other magic gear) and I have an Adept that's never seen magic but she's got how many extra feats . . . to balance?

Final thought I've seen people talk of how they like very low Ability scores and I'm learning but the 3E in me never leaves my head and I often want ideas for allowing even the standard characters to get but the ASI and the Feat at each marker. So while I'm posting all these options if you have thoughts on how much difference getting 10 feats in 20 levels is vs the 5 standard. What does that do for monster balance? Are there simple ways to touch up the monster CR to balance a higher power world?

 

[WanderingMystic]

Looking at the recommended starting wealth per level and the cost to get a magical +2 to a Stat I would give the an extra feat starting at lvl 12 and every even level there after.

Personaly would put a 15,000 gold value on learning a feat once you reached level 12 with a down time of about 6 months maybe a little less.

Also remember that the only difference between a 16 and a 20 is a difference of +2, so high stats aren't that nessisary, especially now with expertise dice.

 

[Nivek Loneshadow]

Looking at the recommended starting wealth per level and the cost to get a magical +2 to a Stat I would give the an extra feat starting at lvl 12 and every even level there after.

Personaly would put a 15,000 gold value on learning a feat once you reached level 12 with a down time of about 6 months maybe a little less.

Also remember that the only difference between a 16 and a 20 is a difference of +2, so high stats aren't that nessisary, especially now with expertise dice.

Interesting way to look at it. I kept trying to find a way to measure their value. I'll look further into this.
I understand what your saying on the +2 difference on skills but more and more class powers are effected by the bonus as well.

 

[Xethreau]

5e is balanced on the expectation of no magic items, so there is no "catching up" a character has to do with the game system if the Narrator doesn't give treasure or if a PC personally opts-out of treasure. The "Recommended" starting wealth and all that exists with emphasis on the recommendation; these are a suggested norm proved by A5e where O5e had none. So your Dark Sun campaign shouldn't even sweat its low treasure/magic item nature, because the game system accommodates that by default.

Player vs. player balance, that's another matter. The 3.5 feat "Vow of Poverty" comes to mind. There are items that provide boosts to ability scores (including headband of intellect and the strongholds) so that would be a good place to really delve into GP-to-ASI equivalence.

 

[Mike Myler]

If the people from another world are never getting magic items, I'd try to settle on a pay-per-feat system and probably lock it up with strongholds somehow (whenever your stronghold's grade increases, you can spend <number> x character level gold pieces to gain a feat, using the same equation for time required as retraining a feat [months equal to 8 – their proficiency bonus]).