D&D 4E Epic Skill Powers... Improving Alice in Wonderland

[Garthanos]

Wot? No galumphing?



Hate to say it, but think about what anime characters do...

...ok and action movies...


So, leaping physically impossible distance, arrow-cutting, outrunning explosions, parkour to the nth degree, superhuman stealth to & beyond the point of invisibility or of "teleporting" away in the instant someone takes their eyes off you, escape-artistry to the point of functional insubstantiality (literally nothing can hold you), "irresistible" persuasion or intimidation (hitting WILL to impose conditions). You might also consider utilities that specifically work in skill challenges: An Epic Daily based on streetwise, nature or dungeoneering to unerringly find a creature, place or thing in the corresponding environment, giving enough automatic successes to compete a Complexity 1 Challenge (or one less, so a check is still required); a similar mechanic could be used for Bluff/Diplomacy/Insight in social challenges, each for somewhat different goals thereof (or within a more complex challenge).

Throwing Allies impossibly far. Sensing an attack from impossibly far. Those persuasions/diplomacy affecting even enemies of course.

Definitely some skill challenge functions. I am thinking using any Martial Practice converted into an action instead of a process.

 

[Garthanos]

Hate to say it, but think about what anime characters do...

I picked Alice for impossibilities because I thought it was kind of brassy...

 

[Garthanos]

So lets say mighty leap/bounding leap are adjusted initially to not provoke opportunity attacks and the distance was changed to be +1 square per 3 on the skill check when you reach say level 12.

and at 22 make it divide by 2.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Definitely some skill challenge functions. I am thinking using any Martial Practice converted into an action instead of a process.

Having read that, I am now surprised that there was never a daily wizard utility that let you pre-cast a ritual then use it as an action.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Yeah, I have heavily blurred the line between 'procedures' and 'utilities'. I don't really hold with a specific 'skill power' category anymore, but in HoML utility powers don't have limited slots anyway.

 

[Garthanos]

Having read that, I am now surprised that there was never a daily wizard utility that let you pre-cast a ritual then use it as an action.

We have scroll casting...

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, I have heavily blurred the line between 'procedures' and 'utilities'. I don't really hold with a specific 'skill power' category anymore, but in HoML utility powers don't have limited slots anyway.

Add clause to a utility or skill power saying you gain the martial practice X its makes me think of the 5e free and slotted rituals almost.

 

[Garthanos]

Unimpeachable Lie - level 26 Blufff skill power
You can even kill one of them and they still think you are on their side
I will write this up but at the moment I am having moral problems with it.

Divisive Deception - level 26 Bluff skill power
You turn enemies against each other to the degree they ignore you and your allies.

 

[Garthanos]

In principle there's nothing to say that level 26 skill powers cannot exist. This level is normally one where you gain an epic destiny utility power, but there's really no reason it couldn't be exchanged for a skill power.

While this means there are Epic Destiny powers to look at for comparison I am not one hundred percent certain the current offering is really as epic as it could be but.... it gives us a starting point.

 

[Garthanos]

Unimpeachable Lie - level 26 Bluff skill power
You can even kill one of them and they still think you are on their side
I will write this up but at the moment I am having moral problems with it.

Divisive Deception - level 26 Bluff skill power
You turn enemies against each other to the degree they tend to ignore you and your allies.

I am thinking a way to inject things like these into a battle scene is to allow them to delay the fight also could happen with Diplomacy and Intimidate nor just Bluff based practices ... ie when pre-prepared (like a ritual invested in a scroll) they might take only an action to initiate like use of a scroll might but the end effect may occur only after a minute.

The delay will most of the time just be flavor although it makes it technically interruptible.