D&D 4E Brainstorming new 4e subsystems

[Nifft]

Flexible Power: An Encounter power that grants one of three effects, each of which is about as strong as a decent At-Will; or a Daily power that grants one of three effects, each of which is about as strong as a decent Encounter power. (This idea came from trying to model the 3.5e Chameleon PrC.)

Resonant Powers: Inflicts a minor status condition (save ends), which gets worse every time a power with a specific keyword hits. The simplest case would be inflicting plain old Vulnerable (some keyword) (save ends). A more complex case might be inflicting Slow (save ends), but if you are hit with a Cold attack, you automatically fail your next round's save.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Timeboxer]

Patient Powers: These powers gain some benefit if you did not attack at all last turn.

You know, this gave me an idea for something like:

Charging Powers: When you use this power, you are removed from initiative, but may reenter at any time (including as an immediate interrupt during someone else's action). When you reenter initiative, your power takes effect immediately. For each turn that passes between leaving and reentering initiative, you gain some incremental benefit.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Attack Challenge:
A system that transposes the skill challenge concept to combat, representing your ability to put your enemy into a easier exploitable situation. (Possibly granting access to encounter or daily powers outside of the regular framework, supplementing the rules for stunts)

Each vocation grants 'social powers' (I'm thinking of calling them interactions), which are divided into three categories: Encounter, Daily and Weekly.

I would suggest more abstract categories:
1/Scene: Encounter, Skill Challenge
1/Act: A set of scenes belonging together - could be a dungeon level, could be the investigation part of an adventure (consisting of an "interrogation" skill challenge, a "find-clue" skill challenge and a "get roughed up by some bandits send stop you finding out the truth"-combat.)
1/Adventure: A set of acts that define the adventure.

 

[Alex319]

You know, this gave me an idea for something like:

Charging Powers: When you use this power, you are removed from initiative, but may reenter at any time (including as an immediate interrupt during someone else's action). When you reenter initiative, your power takes effect immediately. For each turn that passes between leaving and reentering initiative, you gain some incremental benefit.

Removing a player from the initiative order is probably not the best way of achieving this effect as it is likely to lead to severely exploitable situations. (For example, I cast a buff on another player that ends at the beginning of my next turn, and I use an action point to start up a charging power, preventing me from getting another turn for a while and thus prolonging the buff.) Also, it would present a problem as if I get stunned while charging the power, then I could not complete the power (since I cannot take actions) but since I'm out of the initiative order, I have no way to get back in to make a save against the stun, so I would be out for the rest of the encounter.

But you could say that you start up a power, and then each standard action you spend adds a "charge point" to the power, that you cannot take any standard actions other than adding charge points until you discharge the power, and you can discharge the power as either an immediate interrupt during someone else's turn or a free action during your turn.

 

[Timeboxer]

But you could say that you start up a power, and then each standard action you spend adds a "charge point" to the power, that you cannot take any standard actions other than adding charge points until you discharge the power, and you can discharge the power as either an immediate interrupt during someone else's turn or a free action during your turn.

Fair points, but not the kind of mechanic I wanted. Essentially the idea is that you sacrifice your place in initiative for more power. So, simple fix -- I'll piggy-back on an existing mechanic, which essentially does what I wanted in the first place.

Charging Powers: When you use the Delay action, use this power as a free action. All normal rules for Delay apply, except that you may choose to re-enter initiative as an immediate interrupt. If you do so, your initiative is set immediately above that creature's initiative count. When you re-enter initiative, your power takes effect immediately, and the required action is expended. For each [enemy?] turn that completes before you re-enter initiative, you gain an incremental benefit to your power.

Here's another take:

Charging Powers: When you use this power as a readied action, you may re-enter initiative at any time, and you may re-enter initiative as an immediate interrupt. When you re-enter initiative, your power takes effect immediately. For each [enemy?] turn that completes before you re-enter initiative, you gain an incremental benefit to your power.

 

[Szatany]

Persistent Damage - as ongoing damage (per round) but target doesn't save. Instead effect ends with the encounter.

Wild (magic) - attack powers that have extra effect if you roll a specific natural number.

for example:
Jet of Changeflame [Fire, Wild]
Cha vs. Ref, ranged 10 etc etc.
Deals 3d12+Cha damage.
Wild Effect 3: Target is dazed (save ends)
Wild Effect 13: Target is blinded (save ends)

Accurate - this power is not expanded if you roll a natural 20 on hit.

Yardstone Powers - effects are dependant how many fights passed since last extended rest (the more, the greater the power)

 

[Nifft]

You know, this gave me an idea for something like:

Charging Powers: When you use this power, you are removed from initiative, but may reenter at any time (including as an immediate interrupt during someone else's action). When you reenter initiative, your power takes effect immediately. For each turn that passes between leaving and reentering initiative, you gain some incremental benefit.

Reminds me of those variable casting time spells in the 3.5e PHB-II.

Did anyone use those enough to have feedback on how well they worked?

Cheers, -- N

 

[jmucchiello]

Most of the suggestions here are just ways to make powers. "Persistent damage" can be modeled without the need for naming it "persistent damage". "Charging powers" would just be some kind of power with a Sustain Full that would up the charge and then an after-effect that would be the actual power being released.

These aren't really subsystems. The social attack/encounter stuff is a subsystem. Can't wait to see that developed. As for other subsystems:


Power Source Class Features
Classes should have features based on their Power Source. Each Power Source would provide some list of available powers that can be used in part or in total by each class accessing that power source.

As an example, it would be cool if the Wizard's cantrips were actually tied to the Arcane Power Source. Some Arcane classes might grant access to 1 or 2 cantrips while the Wizard would grant access to all four.

The Divine Power Source would grant access to the Divine Channelling ability. Let Paladins choose to turn undead if they want.

What the other power sources would do? I don't know. Maybe the psionic power source would provide access to a power (traditionally named) Psionic Blast. Maybe the chaos power source grants some kind of wild surge like ability when you sacrifice a daily power.

It would have made the power sources more interesting. Of course as the GSL stands now, you could not modify the classes and power sources to allow this kind of thing.

Commoner Tier
4e assumes the characters are already heroic. How about pushing a tier beneath it. A cool game supplement would add a Commoner Tier where the class-like elements would be called "beginnings" (as in Common Beginnings): the farmboy, the street urchin, the escaped slave, the student, the landless noble's son/daughter.

I've already worked out the xp math and level progressions. (You go from C1-C10 and then reset to 1 once you've become Heroic.) But I have no way to really release it. The power source thing might work with a revised GSL. Adding tiers I doubt will ever be doable with the GSL.

 

[chronoplasm]

Class features for social encounters:

Fighter's Appeal/Paladin's Appeal:
"Wow Ragnar, you are such a mighty warrior! And so handsome too."
When you make a successful diplomacy check to strike up conversation with a character, that character becomes marked. Characters marked in this way are mesmerized by you and will focus all their attention on the conversation.

Wizard's Glamour:
"Hey everyone! Look at me! I'm magic!"
Every non-party character within burst 5 who isn't currently marked by a Fighter's/Paladin's appeal stops what they are doing and looks at you.

Rogue's Charm/Ranger's Charm/Warlock's Charm:
When you talk to a character, you may mark that character as your quarry. You get a +2 to skill checks when talking to your quarry.

Cleric's Advice/Warlord's Advice:
You give a party member a bonus to their skill checks the next time they talk to someone.