AU - first impressions?

[SJ]

Definitely more implied feel. There's a depth to the way the races, classes, feats, talents, and magic relate, it brings a cohesion to everything that makes a setting easier to visualize.

It's certainly possible to use any number of settings, or roll your own, but I think the AU book presents a feel from the way it's written that makes it stronger and more unique than what we see in D&D.

I also bought Plague of Dreams and Siege on Ebonring Keep, the two mods from FDP and MEG respectively, and there's plenty of info there to get your group going until DT is released.

BTW, in the demo game at GenCon I got to play the verrik mind witch, and it was really good. The verrik are somewhat spooky, and you do NOT want them to get into your head or they will twist you every which way. Heh.

SJ

 

[Numion]

Everywhere. If AU is not described as DIFFERENT then it is described as ALTERNATE.

Either way the only reason given appears to be being different for the sake of being different.

Well, if his goal was to publish an alternate / different / not-same players handbook, I'd be surprised if it wasn't different.

AU is different from D&D PHB because that's how it was meant to be. You may well find this a negative thing, but I don't think you've discovered anything great or revealing when you proclaim on this thread that it's different for the sake of being different.

 

[nharwell]

<cut> ... I have to admit that some of Monte's suppliments have consistently caused power creep problems. Which has created a bit of a bad buzz around his company and caused some people (I know anyway) to dismiss what are basically decent products with good ideas.

It's interesting to me how these "power creep" problems can vary so much from game to game. While I have had to alter a couple of spells from Monte's products, in general I've not had any problems. On the other hand, I've had serious "power creep" issues with almost every Forgotten Realms product -- and, to a lesser degree, from the class splatbooks. Just goes to show how much gaming experiences can vary, I suppose....

 

[anonystu]

Revised impressions: expect low-level casters tuned for blasting to just be pumping out lots more damage.

There's a 1st-level spell, that when diminished (making it a 0-level), does 1d4 damage.


There's Modify Spell (which may seem monstrous at first glance, but is kind of balanced compared to what other spell feats do), which lets you choose one of the following effects:

Extend Spell
Empower Spell
Widen Spell
Silent Spell
Still Spell

(plus one or two other effects I'm forgetting) for the cost of ladening (double the slot). You get to do this on the fly.

(edit: overstated the overall effect of energy mage)
There's Energy Mage (which lets you take one energy-based template). Let's take Fire: add a 20gp gem to your spell, add +1d6 fire damage, but +2d6 fire damage if it's already a fire-based spell.

So, 1st level caster, with Energy Mage (Fire), and Modify Spell, casts this 0-level spell Fireburst (diminished) with the fire template, and empowered.

For the cost of 2 cantrips, and 20gp, they get:

(1d4 + 2d6) * 1.5 = expected damage 14.25 = about 4d6.
(edit: checking out the spell description yields that it's even stronger: that's 4d6 damage to a 10-foot radius!)

Two Ray of Frosts (expected damage: 4?) looks kind of puny compared to that double cantrip.

 

[Radiant]

ok you win i give, i tried to find out what this is all about by reading this but i stopped after two pages, What the heck is AU?

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Arcana Unearthed, an alternate PHB by Monte Cook.

Best,
tKL

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

For the cost of 2 cantrips, and 20gp, they get:

(1d4 + 2d6) * 1.5 = expected damage 14.25 = about 4d6.
(edit: checking out the spell description yields that it's even stronger: that's 4d6 damage to a 10-foot radius!)

Two Ray of Frosts (expected damage: 4?) looks kind of puny compared to that double cantrip.

And a feat. It also costs a feat. Not to mention a save on the spell.

So 2 0-level spell slots, 20gp, and a feat. And all for puny damage.

Puny damage? Biggus, havee you finaly flipped?

Nope.

10'. That's 4 "squares". At first level you're likely to be facing opponents with 4-6 hp. Most of that damage is overkill. Also, 20 gp is around 10%-20% of a character's starting wealth.

This is basically a trick they can only do once or twice at 1st level. Considering they could start out with alchemists fire or tanglefoot bags with no feat or spell slot cost at all, I don't see a problem here.

 

[anonystu]

Okay, we'll do the math with saves:

(edit: I forgot to add spell focus and gsf to the wizard, which is kind of very silly. My apologies. Added in sorcerous bolt)

Let's say you're facing a big bad. We'll give our big bad a reflex save of +5. Our magister and wizard both have int 18. The wizard has spell focus and greater spell focus evocation.

5th-level Wizard casting Lightning Bolt (saves on 14 or higher, 5d6)
17.5 65% of time + 8.75 35% of time

14.44 ED, costs 3rd-level slot.

1st-level Magister casting 0-level empowered firefireburst (saves on 9 or higher, (1d4 + 2d6) * 1.5 dmg)

14.25 40% of time + 7.125 60% of time

9.975 ED, costs two 0-level slots and 20 gp


1st-level wizard casting magic missile (1d4+1)

3.5 100% of time

3 ED, costs 1st level slot.



Let's move on to an example where everybody is at 6th-level:

6th level wizard casting lightning bolt (saves on 14 or higher,6d6)
21 65% of time + 10.5 35% of time

17.35 ED, costs one 3rd-level slot.

6th level magister casting 3rd-level empowered eldritch firefire sorcerous bolt (saves on 13 or higher, (6d6 +2d6)*1.5 dmg)

42 60% of time + 21 40% of time

33.6 ED, costs two 3rd-level slots, costs 20gp.


6th level magister casting 1st-level empowered eldritch firefireburst (saves on 11 or higher, (4d6 + 2d6)*1.5 dmg)
32.5 50% of time + 16.25 50% of time

24.38 ED, costs two 1st-level slots, costs 20 gp.


6th level penny-pinching magister casting 1-level empowered eldritch fireburst (saves on 11 or higher, 4d6*1.5 dmg)
25 50% of time + 12.5 50% of time

17.75 ED, costs two 1st-level slots


6th level magic missile
10.5 100% of time

10.5 ED, costs 1st-level slot.

Our 6th level magister can fire the penny-pinching version of the spell, without spending /any money/ 6 times, get better damage than a lightning bolt, and then still have enough slots left over to cast the heightened version (even more damage) 3 times on top of that.

That it costs the modify spell feat (for the penny-pincher version) is no problem at all: modify spell is a rough combination of about 6 or 7 metamagic feats from D&D, except for that every single one of those metamagic feats now costs less (they only laden spells instead of raising levels). It's a pretty easy must-take feat for just about any spellcaster.

 

[Radiant]

Arcana Unearthed, an alternate PHB by Monte Cook.

Best,
tKL

thanks

 

[Desdichado]

ok you win i give, i tried to find out what this is all about by reading this but i stopped after two pages, What the heck is AU?

We revel in our superiority of insular, useless knowledge! How geeky is that? I guess I just assumed everyone would know the acronym AU...