mamba
Legend
that is just magical without using that word for it. I don’t see why in DS! you cannot say that is what your Fury character does instead of pretending that it is ‘classic magic’
Draw Steel General Thread [+]
- Thread starter overgeeked
- Start date
Because the Fury doesn't have that kind of powers. Does Li Mu Bai strike you as a character fueled by rage, throwing people through walls right and left?
ffanxii4ever
Explorer
Can you reskin the Fury to fit that archetype? Sure. It works for the less elemental chaos-fueled powers, but does feel weird once your swordmaster who has studied the blade long enough to cause shockwaves (or whatever) can now start to commune with Quintessence and create a portal to that realm from anywhere in the Timescape.
That said, I definitely think that there is space for a weaponmaster/swordmage style character who hones their skill with a weapon to such an impressive level that they develop a form of magic with it, it's definitely an archetype that I like, and I know that there are others who do too.
But I really respect MCDM's decision to focus on classes and archetypes that they find cool or interesting, and I am loving what am I seeing so far (I can't wait to see the proposed Acolyte)
That said, I definitely think that there is space for a weaponmaster/swordmage style character who hones their skill with a weapon to such an impressive level that they develop a form of magic with it, it's definitely an archetype that I like, and I know that there are others who do too.
But I really respect MCDM's decision to focus on classes and archetypes that they find cool or interesting, and I am loving what am I seeing so far (I can't wait to see the proposed Acolyte)
mamba
Legend
ok, but doesn’t that mean they need another class, not that it cannot follow the same design approach they used for the others?
Covering that archetype does need another class, because none of the existing ones cover it. Draw Steel is a game where classes matter a whole lot – they are fundamental to your character, not just a shopping list of abilities like in e.g. Fabula Ultima. I like this, because it means each class has a strong identity and can focus on what makes that class cool, but it also means that it's a lot of work if you want to cover a new concept.
mamba
Legend
I was not disagreeing with this, I was only asking whether that class would be so fundamentally different that the overall design approach with magical features would not work for it.
To me a supernatural feature and a magical feature are functionally the same, the difference is in the fiction only (if even that)
Like I've said, I'm perfectly fine with higher-level features being supernatural of some variety (though I think flavor-wise, "psionics" fits better than "magic" for something based in enlightened discipline). I'm thinking something halfway between the Fury and the Null: about as much supernatural stuff as the Fury, but flavored more like that of the Null. The main issue I see with it is that it runs the risk of just being "Null with a sword", but that's something a competent game designer (i.e. not me) could work out.
I think Draw Steel! might be a perfect game to use the 4e Neverwinter Campaign Setting with. Nice an open sandbox, the Theme backgrounds can be overlayed on a DS! character without issue; the Shapeshifter stuff can be a Complication (there's one there already for wolves); etc.
What is the problem with null with a sword? There are nothing preventing the null to swing around a sword. It just will act mechanically as a prop until they somehow unlock the ability to use a kit. Once that is in their abilities are indeed typically having the weapon tag!
Edit: if you indeed are too imparient to get a kit, make their chosen sword an implement! The implement chapter clearly both states that weapons can be implements, and that null is among the classes most likely to benefit from implements.
Because If I'm playing an enlightened swordmaster, I don't want the sword to be a prop. I want the sword (or axe, or bow, or whatever) to be an inherent part of what I'm doing. It's also against the core ethos of the Null class: "You require no weapons, no tools. You suffice." The Null is also highly psionics-based from day 1, and that's not what I'm after. The class I'm envisioning starts out based on pure skill, and if they have to get some psionic/wuxia nonsense to keep up at higher levels I'm cool with that, but the core of it should be about unparalleled weapon skill.
Rules matter. Draw Steel is not a Lego system where you build your character from building blocks. Classes are designed to be holistic things – that's why Draw Steel doesn't have multi-classing.
