General Discussion

[jkason]

In regards to crafting time, I think RAW is perfectly fine. As SK pointed out, this is a case where 100% buyback becomes helpful - just rent an item to round out your equipment list and go adventuring whilst you wait. No need to sit around on your duff in the DWI.

The only issue here is that, if I'm reading the commissioning rules correctly, you have to pay up front. So, to temporarily replace an item while you have it upgraded, you have to have the crafting cost + temporary item cost in available funds. Unless I'm misreading and the up-front charge is different for crafting than commissioning new?

I don't know that I fully object to that, since if there were no cost whatsoever to crafting, there's no real point in forcing the real-time delay. I've been under the impression the whole idea is that sometimes, an adventurer should have to make a choice which isn't particularly easy: take what's on hand, leave something behind and go out without it, force the party to delay, or pass on the purchase until a more convenient time.

 

[Satin Knights]

Yes, it is pay up front. So, yes, all those choices to mull over.

 

[sunshadow21]

I like the suggestion that the Pearl is essentially it's own city as far as limits are concerned. I also think for the Pearl at least that anything can theoretically be found, even if the % decreases. Perhaps keep the current limit, but much like ranged attacks are harder at higher increments, the % decreases with every increment. So 50% for 8001-16000, 25% for 16001-24000, and something like 10% for anything beyond. This would allow the chance to find higher end stuff, but recognize the increasing rarity of it.

I also like the suggestion of having the Pearl accessible in multiple places, but perhaps restrict it to cities only. Anything smaller (towns or smaller) follow normal cost restrictions and limits. This makes dealing with cities or higher easier in terms of bookkeeping, but still sets them apart from the rest of the world and helps maintain the value of what the Pearl represents in the world.

 

[Artur Hawkwing]

So the Mystic Pearl might be more a Rare/Amazing Item Trading Guild than a merchanting area in in Venza, a Trading Guild with branches in Major Cities.

I kinda like that.

 

[Qik]

I like the suggestion that the Pearl is essentially it's own city as far as limits are concerned. I also think for the Pearl at least that anything can theoretically be found, even if the % decreases. Perhaps keep the current limit, but much like ranged attacks are harder at higher increments, the % decreases with every increment. So 50% for 8001-16000, 25% for 16001-24000, and something like 10% for anything beyond. This would allow the chance to find higher end stuff, but recognize the increasing rarity of it.

Just wanted to say "I like it."

 

[jkason]

So, all the lively discussion over in the trait proposal thread vis-a-vis getting Perception as a class skill has me wondering if I've been making horrible choices with Nathan (my sorcerer), since I've never put a single point in the skill. My general inclination has been that he has few enough ranks per level that I should be investing them in skills he'll actually be good at: Social skills (high charisma) and magic skills (caster).

There's perfectly decent fluff to support his dreadful Perception; the same celestial motes that do magic for him are also fairly constantly chattering away at one level or another, and with more and more of them around as he levels (more spells), I sort of figure he's got his mental hands full tuning them out.

I don't know. Like I said, I think it works perfectly fine for the concept, but the more I hear about perception + casters, the more I feel like the RP/fluff might be making the poor guy an albatross.

Just curious, I guess, as to how others see cross-class investment for skill-poor classes.

 

[IronWolf]

So, all the lively discussion over in the trait proposal thread vis-a-vis getting Perception as a class skill has me wondering if I've been making horrible choices with Nathan (my sorcerer), since I've never put a single point in the skill. My general inclination has been that he has few enough ranks per level that I should be investing them in skills he'll actually be good at: Social skills (high charisma) and magic skills (caster).

There's perfectly decent fluff to support his dreadful Perception; the same celestial motes that do magic for him are also fairly constantly chattering away at one level or another, and with more and more of them around as he levels (more spells), I sort of figure he's got his mental hands full tuning them out.

I don't know. Like I said, I think it works perfectly fine for the concept, but the more I hear about perception + casters, the more I feel like the RP/fluff might be making the poor guy an albatross.

Heh - in my opinion I would hardly call not taking perception on a caster making the character an albatross. I am not an optimizer though, I try to make solid playable characters, but I don't seek to eke out every single advantage I can with every single choice for my character.

In my experience most games simply don't warrant the need to optimize to that degree. There are certainly GMs that run games to that level of optimization (though I haven't played under a GM in LPF where I feel a large degree of optimization is necessary). And if you consistently play under a GM that merits such degrees of optimization then I might consider things differently for that particular game.

But so far in LPF I see plenty of room for playing the character you want to play and not the character that optimized mechanics dictate.

With all that said, I do enjoy the mechanic discussions - I just try not to let them overshadow my character choices at build and level-up time.

Just my two coppers...

 

[Systole]

So, all the lively discussion over in the trait proposal thread vis-a-vis getting Perception as a class skill has me wondering if I've been making horrible choices with Nathan (my sorcerer), since I've never put a single point in the skill.

No, you're fine. There's a difference between getting +4 Perception for next to nothing (i.e. a trait) and getting +4 Perception by investing half of your skill points over the course of four levels.

It's sort of like the difference between getting a brand new Cadillac for $50, or getting a brand new Cadillac for $15,000. For $50, you'd buy the Cadillac no matter what. For $15,000, it's still a really good deal, but if you're scraping by on minimum wage, then you're better off buying food than investing in the car.

If you were human a wizard pulling in 8 skill points/level, then yeah, you maybe should be tossing a point or two in there. With your 2-3, don't worry about it.

 

[Satin Knights]

And I look at it from the other direction. You pick one thing to be excellent in, one to be very good in and then pick party members who are excellent in other things. Considering you are +13 in a couple face skills and travel with Zelena, you are doing that perfectly.

 

[Artur Hawkwing]

Hi!

I've had a bit of down time with Distant Relations concluding and with the final battle of Treasure Hunt (so sorry that took us so long SS21) winding down to a close (okay, ended now..so just wrap up to do ) Now might be a good time to ask this.

Looking through things on the Wiki I came across information on the Halflings that intrigued me, so I set out to create a character focused on that. What I came upwith is a halfling specialist wizard. I'm still adjusting him for the rules and such here (Qik has been kind enough to give me advice here and there). I know I cannot have an active 3rd character, but I thought he might be fun to have around at times when the Dunwright is a bit slow to engage new characters in conversation, so I wanted to check and see if I could drop him in there from time to time, just to RP with others there, not to get him into an adventure (Unless something unfortunate should befall Marcus or Audra)?