GOD RULES: Player's Guide (5e) Previews/Discussion

[therealselah]

In the same vein as Expertise being capped, what about the Paladin's Divine Aura?

As written, getting the Cha modifier as an additional bonus to all saves within 30 ft (including to the paladin) will scale saves quite heavily. Ariel, the current build I am working on, has his lowest save increase ~100% with an uncapped divine aura (from +12 to +21), and his highest save increases ~50% (+17 to +26) .

Perhaps, being a non epic non divine ability, it should cap based on the max charisma at 20th level (+5 modifier)?

 

[therealselah]

In fact, I wonder whether that is a necessary principle - pre-epic abilities need to cap to preserve balance. I haven't tried to identify what else would be captured by that... but as I continue playing with design, I'm sure there will be more examples. Bonuses to saves is just an extremely powerful example.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Anything where you have a double-bumper to a bonus, probably needs to be capped in around the +5/+6 area.

Other features like that would be Barbarian/Monk Armor Class.

 

[therealselah]

So I think that's worth adding into your Chpt 1 rules updates (you may have already captured it by now) - cap is based on natural progression at 20th level (for non ability score modifier related) or a max ability score modifier of +5 if based on ability scores.

 

[Upper_Krust]

I have added in the Divine Senses rules to the Divinity Template explanation pages.

I also tightened up the Legendary Resistance rules and if you now have no remaining Reactions on your turn you can still use Legendary Resistance but it costs 2 uses (instead of costing 10% of your HP).

...I was going to go with that costing three uses - but that seems very punitive.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Will have time this weekend to go through what you've sent the backers. Quite excited. I've been quite busy of late.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Will have time this weekend to go through what you've sent the backers. Quite excited. I've been quite busy of late.

Hey there AnotherGuy mate!

Still some pages to finish, some fixes to make, but Version 0.9 has a lot of good stuff in it. Enjoy.

 

[therealselah]

Took a while to format and post up, but here is Ariel, Lion of the Righteous Gods

The process of putting him together was very helpful to work my way through the 0.9 document. I set up a spreadsheet to help with much of the calculable aspects along the way, which will make future design faster.

I really like how Ariel turned out under these rules.

 

[therealselah]

Questions re magic:
1) Overcasting ignores spell slots (implied in overcasting section, confirmed in Epic Spells section). Does overcasting apply only to epic spells, or could it apply to non epic magic as well? (e.g. a 5th level wizard who has 3rd level spell slots max could overcast a 9th level spell - after all, the DC is only 18)
2) For the save DC of wish-based spells, fine to self select which spellcasting ability score applies? This is how it happens for core monster design.
3) For epic spell design, you talk about the base spell level by evaluating parameters. However, do some parameters not belong together without increasing the spell level? I think you mean this but I might have missed you spelling it out. A spell that deals 30 dice of damage in a 160 ft area of effect AND also summons a CR 16 creature AND creates 60 ft volume of something has 3 parameters of level 10... but presumably this is the same as stacking 3 different spells, right?
4) Delayed spell note - is my understanding of this correct? A 4D being that casts an epic spell version of delayed blast fireball is able to target a 3D being that has moved "out of the area" - in effect, the targetting happens in the 4th dimension, and so the 3D being "has not moved" in that respect. Is that right?
5) Can non epic spells be upcast in epic spell slots? I'm thinking about wish in particular, to fill the gap between 9th and 13th level spells (alter reality) when you want to replicate higher level spells. I can see a case for an upcast wish allowing you to cast any 9th level spell, but not to cast an epic spell. (Allowing upcast wish to cover epic spells would be problematic, even with a quintessence cost and the other consequences of casting wish you discuss on p55.)

 

[therealselah]

I have to say, I love the structure of the cosmology. Another patron of your book was complaining about how you specify Good as a choice, while Evil, Chaos, and Law are forces.

But your approach is mythologically sound - with a particular focus on Law vs Chaos more prevalent in ancient mythology than Good vs Evil as we might recognise today. (For those interested in how pervasive that approach is, I can happily recommend the podcast "The Ancient Tradition" to give you massive exposure to a very wide range of common mythological concepts.) You've been consistent with this structure vertically through the cosmology. I really like it. I'm looking forward to the additional detail yet to come for some of the higher dimensional pieces still missing.