Heroes of Shadow

[gyor]

I can't speak for WotC, but I think the narrow options for the vampire was intentional. The class is a way for a character to showcase his full vampiric might during combat. He's not a "wizard vampire", casting spells and occasionally using vampire powers (that type of character can be achieved with the Vryloka).

If you look at the Buffyverse, there's not much to differentiate Angel, Spike, Darla, or even the Master. Sure, you have the Drusilla with some psychic abilities, but that can be achieved by, say, making her a kalashtar vampire.

That being said, if you can come up with a cool concept for a vampire expansion (by making, say, a pennangalan or hopping bloodline), go for it.

Oh my God you should so write that as an article for dragon, especially the pennangalan vampire. I'm totally serious, that would be so cool, a pennangalan build for the vampire.

Why so many Arcane paragon paths compared to everything else?

Btw way I loved the way you made Vryloka different from true vampires and dampyrs. In White Wolf terms the Vryloka are like rogue ghoul family's with the Red Witch as an Asnam as a secret patron.

 

[Incenjucar]

Oh my God you should so write that as an article for dragon, especially the pennangalan vampire. I'm totally serious, that would be so cool, a pennangalan build for the vampire.

It would be more likely as a Gamma World thing. Pennangalan Rat Swarm would be wonderful.

 

[WalterKovacs]

There's already a feat that turns your necrotic powers into necrotic and poison

If you are a dark pact warlock ... or is there another feat I'm missing ...

 

[Aegeri]

If you are a dark pact warlock ... or is there another feat I'm missing ...

Yeah that feat is called Spirit Poison. I just had a look, unless I am missing something as well it is indeed Dark Pact Warlocks. So unless you're some bizarre hybrid or you start as Warlock or Assassin, you can't even make this work in the first place. It is of course a complete trap feat and you must take venom hand master to not make a total disaster all over your powers.

 

[Jhaelen]

I wanted something at-will that allowed the shade not to hide better, but to hide on occasions where other creatures simply couldn't.

Yup, I'd thought that might have been the case. I've not yet reached the feat section, so maybe what I would suggest already exists:
I'd be fine with a racial feat that changes the action type or at least allows using the power a limited number of times in an encounter without having to spend a standard action.

I don't mind the reduced number of healing surges at all. I wouldn't play a Shade Vampire, though

What I dislike most about the Shade is that they get Stealth as a trained skills. There should at least have been some provision to compensate if you pick a class that already grants it. I guess I could just houserule it to grant Skill Focus (Stealth) instead (like I did with several Multiclassing feats) but it's really a bit underwhelming.

All in all I like the shade, though. All of my complaints are minor and easily fixed - a single Dragon article could do it!

Did you work on any other classes besides the Vampire?

 

[Aegeri]

Racial feats aren't actually in HoS except for 3 from the Revenant (which feel a little bit like clarifications). I am suspecting this could be a new trend moving forward.

 

[Klaus]

Oh my God you should so write that as an article for dragon, especially the pennangalan vampire. I'm totally serious, that would be so cool, a pennangalan build for the vampire.

Why so many Arcane paragon paths compared to everything else?

Btw way I loved the way you made Vryloka different from true vampires and dampyrs. In White Wolf terms the Vryloka are like rogue ghoul family's with the Red Witch as an Asnam as a secret patron.

To be honest, Ravenkin was originally open to any character, not just arcane ones.

I did write PPs for non-arcane characters, but they didn't make it into the book (and some of them were my favorites).

 

[Klaus]

Surely you mean acid, which unlike poison isn't the absolute worst damage type in the game?

If you are a dark pact warlock ... or is there another feat I'm missing ...

Yeah that feat is called Spirit Poison. I just had a look, unless I am missing something as well it is indeed Dark Pact Warlocks. So unless you're some bizarre hybrid or you start as Warlock or Assassin, you can't even make this work in the first place. It is of course a complete trap feat and you must take venom hand master to not make a total disaster all over your powers.

I didn't get a chance to access the compendium, so I was speaking off the top of my head. There might be other ways to make damage "necrotic + something", but I can't search right now. Items, maybe?

Anyway, the necromancy spells sidestep this issue by having different effects against undead (and there you have the reason why the vryloka can choose to be living or undead against different effects).

 

[Klaus]

Yup, I'd thought that might have been the case. I've not yet reached the feat section, so maybe what I would suggest already exists:
I'd be fine with a racial feat that changes the action type or at least allows using the power a limited number of times in an encounter without having to spend a standard action.

I don't mind the reduced number of healing surges at all. I wouldn't play a Shade Vampire, though

What I dislike most about the Shade is that they get Stealth as a trained skills. There should at least have been some provision to compensate if you pick a class that already grants it. I guess I could just houserule it to grant Skill Focus (Stealth) instead (like I did with several Multiclassing feats) but it's really a bit underwhelming.

All in all I like the shade, though. All of my complaints are minor and easily fixed - a single Dragon article could do it!

Did you work on any other classes besides the Vampire?

I didn't work on the Vampire at all.

I think the shade already offers a lot to rogues and assassins, apart from the Stealth Training, in the form of the racial utilities (encounter-based invisibility and +5 Stealth at level 2!). A Dex-based class, if you start with an 18 Dex, means you already have +11 Stealth. If the shade granted Skill Focus to those that already get the training, that'd be a +14 at level one, making Stealth rolls a non-issue (since you only have to roll higher than passive Perception to become hidden).

 

[Aegeri]

I have noticed in the book a few necrotic powers are actually two damage types, notably fire+necrotic and cold+necrotic (blackguard). It's mostly just unfortunate for anyone wanting to pinch necrotic stuff outside of those in the book.

Now I think of it, was there stuff that you made or wanted to make that you didn't get into the book? Anything you'd like to revisit in future if you got the chance?