Homebrewing Dark Sun Themes- Innate Mage and Alley Rat

[Kinneus]

I'm considering starting an urban Dark Sun campaign, set specifically in the Warrens of Tyr. Kind of a wacky idea for a campaign setting that focuses on harsh desert wilderness survival, but I think it will be fun. PCs will start out as part of a criminal organization, living in absolute poverty and trying to claw their way to a position of influence within the city. I wanted to create a couple of themes suited to this somewhat unusual application of the Dark Sun setting and possibly modify or houserule existing themes.
The two big themes I really want and need in the game are what I'm calling "Alley Rat&" and "Innate Mage." Alley Rat represents somebody who was born and bred in the Warrens, or has at least lived there a long time. Innate Mage is a new concept I'm adding to the fluff and flavor of the campaign. In addition to preserving and defiling, some people are simply born with a natural affinity for magic. So, innate mages are to defilers/preservers as sorcerers are to wizards. A big part of the campaign will be figuring out what causes innate mages, where their powers stem from, etc. I want to do this as a theme because a Druid or Psion could easily be re-flavored as a person with an innate capacity for arcane magic. Innate mages also explain why somebody who lived their whole life in squalid poverty in the Warrens could learn/use magic, with no access to teachers or magical materials.
Here's what I'm thinking for these themes, mechanically.
Alley Rat Theme
Benefits: Gain training in two of the following skills: Stealth, Thievery, Intimidate, or Streetwise
Thuggery
Encounter-Personal
Free Action
Effect: You gain a +4 bonus to damage rolls against enemies granting combat advantage until the end of your turn.

Innate Mage Theme
Benefits: If your class would normally grant you access to Arcane Defiling, you lose access to it. You gain training in two of the following skills: Bluff, Arcana, Streetwise or Intimidate
Elemental Attunement
Encounter-Personal
Free Action
Special: When you select this power, choose Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, Lightning, or Void
Effect: You gain the benefit associated with your element.
-Water: You gain a +2 power bonus to Will and Fortitude until the end of your next turn. This power can only be used on your turn.
-Earth: You gain a +2 power bonus to AC and Fortitude until the end of your next turn. This power can only be used on your turn.
-Fire: Your attacks deal an extra 1d10 fire damage until the end of your turn.
-Wind: You gain concealment until the end of your next turn. This power can only be used on your turn.
-Lightning: Your attacks deal an extra 1d10 lightning damage until the end of your turn.
-Void: You gain resist 5 fire, lightning, cold and necrotic until the end of your next turn. If you already have resistance to one or more of these damage types, instead increase that resistance by 5.

Here are my planned modifications to existing Themes:
Athasian Minstrels gain training in Thievery in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Dune Traders gain training in Bluff in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Elemental Priests gain training in Nature in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Gladiators gain training in Athletics in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Noble Adepts gain training in Diplomacy in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Primal Guardians gain training in Nature in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Templars gain training in Intimidate in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Veiled Alliance gain training in Bluff in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Wasteland Nomads gain training in Nature in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.
Wilders gain training in Insight in addition to the other benefits of their Theme.

 

[Kinneus]

Concerns I have and things I need help with:
1) Balance. I don't want these themes to be crazy over-powered, but I'm okay with them being just a little bit better than 'normal' themes. This is for two reasons. First, because I frankly want to encourage my players to take them, since they're the most appropriate for the campaign and the most interesting plot-wise. Second, I want to make these themes really good at level 1 and essentially "front-load" them because I don't intend to do a full spread of powers and associated Paragon Paths. I'm simply not up for or qualified for that level of homebrewing, tweaking and balancing. What you see at level 1 is all you get with these themes.

2) Skills are going to be important in this campaign. Real important. So I want to give my players greater access to them (because, honestly, who takes skill training/skill focus these days?) Since Escaped Slave gave Bluff training in addition to a pretty decent power, I figured it was kosher to go this route with my homebrewed themes. What do you think about allowing players to choose 2 trained skills from that list for the homebrewed themes, perhaps in exchange for scaling down the power? And maybe adding an associated trained skilled for other themes?

3) How should these theme powers scale by tier, if at all?

4) Innate Mage needs some work formatting-wise. I know some people will be wary about taking away Arcane Defiling ("Themes should be additive!"/"You shouldn't take options away from your players!"/"That's easily side-stepped by not taking an Arcane class!"), but this is solely a flavor issue. Innate mages are able to use their magic without drawing off life because they draw off of some other mysterious outside source (a big part of the campaign will be figuring out exactly what). If a player wants to play an Arcane class, wants to be an Innate Mage, and still wants to defile, they can be easily fixed by simply giving that player a Boon that replicates Arcane Defiling. Any player that whines and clamors enough for it will get that boon.

 

[Kinneus]

Nearly a week and no responses! Too boring? Too rambling?

Also considering adding an extra trained skill to all other themes. Athasian Minstrel would grant training in Thievery, Noble Adept would grant training in Diplomacy, Templar would grant training in Intimidate, so on and so forth in that manner. This might mean that my homebrewed themes might need to be powered up to compete. What do you all think? Suggestions, questions, ad hominem attacks?

 

[Zaphling]

I happened to stumble across this and pretty much it needs very little tweaking here and there. Although i suggest improving fire and lightning instead of them just giving a 1d6 extra damage. Squeeze out your creativity some more.

 

[SlimJim]

I think they're pretty balanced, and if skills really are as important as you say, I would go ahead and give the extra skills bonuses.

 

[Kinneus]

Thanks for your responses, guys.

As for the fire and lightning... I honestly thought those were two of the strongest. Factoring in things like multiattacks, minor action attacks, APs, and Leader-granted attacks, they can really eek out some huge damage from that seemingly tiny bonus. It did occur to me that it is a +3 bonus to damage on average, and an elemental type of damage, which is generally weaker because it means it can be resisted. This means that it's strictly inferior as a damage boost to the Alley Rat's power. As such, I'm thinking about increase the damage bonus to at least 1d8, possibly 1d10. But then that raises my concerns about nova-ing even more.

I think I'm going to have all Themes grant training in a skill, like Escaped Slave. That means that my homebrewed Themes will grant training in two skills, something I think is necessary to balance at the fact that these Themes will have no feat support, no Paragon Path options, and no further powers.

Giving everybody an extra trained skill (or two, if they go homebrewed) will make for a very 'skillful' party, and might trivialize all but the most esoteric of Skill Challenges... but I feel that can always be compensating by bumping the DCs higher, if need be.

 

[aurance]

The damage bonus thing is tricky. I might limit it to 1/turn to prevent multi-attack nova scaling.

Other than that it looks good. Flavorful. The extra skill is no big deal if everyone gets it and you'll be tweaking DCs anyway.