House Rules for a swashbuckling game?
- Thread starter randomling
- Start date
randomling
First Post
What's a good figure, then?
To put this in context (and in case the text of the feat isn't clear enough!) you get the SR only against creatures with the Allegiance that you picked when you selected the feat. The setting is primarily monotheistic with a few "fringe deities" - the main deity is Auros, a TN god who has churches with all kinds of different moral and ethical Allegiances. There's also Gaea, a nature goddess worshipped by druids, and the voodoo gods - primarily a god of death and a goddess of dancing.
If you were a member of a specific Aurosean Church (which should be the most common choice for PCs IMC) then appropriate opposed Allegiances might be another Church with very different priorities, another deity, or a moral or ethical stance (Evil, Chaos, whatever) that is opposed to your beliefs.
Whatever you pick, the number of people you'd have SR against is very small - whether it's all Savagers, everybody with an Evil allegiance, or everybody who worships Gaea. Quite aside from which, in a low-magic setting SR itself is going to be of limited use anyway.
I did think of something like SR 6 + character level - but that means your average (say) 4th level character, who may possibly come up against a spellcaster of their "enemy" allegiance, gets their SR beat on a 10. 50/50 chance for somebody with a caster level of 1. Isn't that a bit pathetic?
:\
To put this in context (and in case the text of the feat isn't clear enough!) you get the SR only against creatures with the Allegiance that you picked when you selected the feat. The setting is primarily monotheistic with a few "fringe deities" - the main deity is Auros, a TN god who has churches with all kinds of different moral and ethical Allegiances. There's also Gaea, a nature goddess worshipped by druids, and the voodoo gods - primarily a god of death and a goddess of dancing.
If you were a member of a specific Aurosean Church (which should be the most common choice for PCs IMC) then appropriate opposed Allegiances might be another Church with very different priorities, another deity, or a moral or ethical stance (Evil, Chaos, whatever) that is opposed to your beliefs.
Whatever you pick, the number of people you'd have SR against is very small - whether it's all Savagers, everybody with an Evil allegiance, or everybody who worships Gaea. Quite aside from which, in a low-magic setting SR itself is going to be of limited use anyway.
I did think of something like SR 6 + character level - but that means your average (say) 4th level character, who may possibly come up against a spellcaster of their "enemy" allegiance, gets their SR beat on a 10. 50/50 chance for somebody with a caster level of 1. Isn't that a bit pathetic?
:\
StalkingBlue
First Post
Hi randomling - Interesting stuff in here. Looks like you're in for a major undertaking before you get to run your game! 
Talent looks a bit similar to the Midnight Magecraft Feat, the entry feat for characters to learn to cast spells. Are you thinking of using a feat-based magic system at all, or is it going to be all class-based except for Talent?
Also, as far as I understand you're going for a limited-magic feel, correct? Are you thinking rare magic (magic is difficult to access - which makes it rare and very powerful for the same reason) or low magic (access to low-level magic is easy and very prevalent, but no high-level items/spells - which makes magic very common but limited in power)?
Talent is a low-magic Feat - it has no prereq.s to speak of, any average person can be expected to have at least one 11 mental stat, so almost everybody could take it. So as a result you'd get bits of not-very-relevant magic all over the place, at least for NPCs.
That said, I'm not sure how appealing the feat would be for a PC to take.
Assuming that Talent is just an isolated Feat and not the entry Feat for learning to cast spells as such (as Magecraft is in Midnight), access to just one 0-level spell just once or twice a day* isn't all that interesting, except possibly for:
- CMW, if healing magic is essential to survival but not readily available from spellcasters or items; and
- Know Direction, depending on whether you'll have compasses in your game and what the shifting-islands theme is going to do to navigation.
*I'm saying once or twice a day because if you want to specialise in magic you'd take a spellcasting class anyway, Talent looks more like a feat for a warrior or thief type and as such, a sorta poor use of a feat slot you could use to better effect to enhance your combat ability, sneakiness or social success.
I'd suggest that you allow at least 1+[ability] bonus per day btw (or else raise the Prereq. to 12+, i.e. a minimum bonus of 1). (Magecraft gives 3+[ability]bonus/day.)
Talent looks a bit similar to the Midnight Magecraft Feat, the entry feat for characters to learn to cast spells. Are you thinking of using a feat-based magic system at all, or is it going to be all class-based except for Talent?
Also, as far as I understand you're going for a limited-magic feel, correct? Are you thinking rare magic (magic is difficult to access - which makes it rare and very powerful for the same reason) or low magic (access to low-level magic is easy and very prevalent, but no high-level items/spells - which makes magic very common but limited in power)?
Talent is a low-magic Feat - it has no prereq.s to speak of, any average person can be expected to have at least one 11 mental stat, so almost everybody could take it. So as a result you'd get bits of not-very-relevant magic all over the place, at least for NPCs.
That said, I'm not sure how appealing the feat would be for a PC to take.
Assuming that Talent is just an isolated Feat and not the entry Feat for learning to cast spells as such (as Magecraft is in Midnight), access to just one 0-level spell just once or twice a day* isn't all that interesting, except possibly for:
- CMW, if healing magic is essential to survival but not readily available from spellcasters or items; and
- Know Direction, depending on whether you'll have compasses in your game and what the shifting-islands theme is going to do to navigation.
*I'm saying once or twice a day because if you want to specialise in magic you'd take a spellcasting class anyway, Talent looks more like a feat for a warrior or thief type and as such, a sorta poor use of a feat slot you could use to better effect to enhance your combat ability, sneakiness or social success.
I'd suggest that you allow at least 1+[ability] bonus per day btw (or else raise the Prereq. to 12+, i.e. a minimum bonus of 1). (Magecraft gives 3+[ability]bonus/day.)
randomling
First Post
Thanks for the thoughts, SB.
Talent is an isolated feat - spellcasting will be based on classes rather than a feat system, mostly because I'm not sure how to put one together - but I wanted to have it as a prerequisite for the Witch class. Similarly Faith will be a prereq for the Chosen One and Paladin classes, and I think Druids will need either Faith or Talent (Wise Caster). That's all a bit nebulous thus far, though, because the classes aren't written yet!
Ideally, I'd like to make this most appealing to those who are aiming for the Witch or Druid class, and less appealing to warrior, sneaky or social types. The intention is that it's not necessarily something that's very useful on its own - it's a minor bit of inborn magical ability - but without that raw talent, becoming a spellcaster at all is absolutely impossible.
I'm still not 100% sure about this route either, but it'll at least be interesting to see where it takes us.
Let's see, then, how about the following rewrite:
TALENT
You have a minor aptitude for magic.
Prerequisite: Int 15+ (Intelligent Caster), Wis 15+ (Wise Caster), or Cha 15+ (Charismatic Caster).
Benefit: You may cast a small amount of magic. Choose one of the following options:
Intelligent Caster. You know one of the following 0-level spells: Detect Magic, Read Magic, Prestidigitation, or Mage Hand. You may cast the spell a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. Where applicable, your caster level is equal to your character level.
Wise Caster. You know one of the following 0-level spells: Cure Minor Wounds, Know Direction, Guidance, or Virtue. You may cast the spell a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier. Where applicable, your caster level is equal to your character level.
Charismatic Caster. You know one of the following 0-level spells: Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights, Daze, or Lullaby. You may cast the spell a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. Where applicable, your caster level is equal to your character level.
Special: This feat may only be taken at first level.
And possibly the following three feats too, which I'm pretty much making up as I go along:
STUDENT
You are a student of the magical arts.
Prerequisites: Talent (Intelligent Caster), Int 15+
Benefit: Choose one of the following spells: Comprehend Languages, Identify, Hold Portal, or Detect Secret Doors. You may cast this spell a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Intelligence modifier.
ACOLYTE
Your devotion grants you a small measure of power.
Prerequisites: Talent (Wise Caster), Wis 15+
Benefit: Choose one of the following spells: Cure Light Wounds, Bless, Sanctuary, or Command. You may cast this spell a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier.
ENCHANTER
Your charm is almost supernatural.
Prerequisites: Talent (Charismatic Caster), Cha 15+
Benefit: Choose one of the following spells: Charm Person, Unseen Servant, Hypnotism, or Sleep. You may cast this spell a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier.
***
Witch would probably have three versions, or at least some different prerequisites depending on the ability score they chose.
Intelligent Witch
Skills: Knowledge (arcane lore) 7 ranks, Decipher Script 7 ranks, Research* 7 ranks
Feats: Talent, Student
Wise Witch
Skills: Knowledge (arcane lore) 7 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 7 ranks, Survival 7 ranks
Feats: Talent, Acolyte
Charismatic Witch
Skills: Bluff 7 ranks, Gather Information 7 ranks, Knowledge (arcane lore) 7 ranks
Feats: Talent, Enchanter
*D20 Modern skill I'm thinking of putting in.
Hum. :\
Talent is an isolated feat - spellcasting will be based on classes rather than a feat system, mostly because I'm not sure how to put one together - but I wanted to have it as a prerequisite for the Witch class. Similarly Faith will be a prereq for the Chosen One and Paladin classes, and I think Druids will need either Faith or Talent (Wise Caster). That's all a bit nebulous thus far, though, because the classes aren't written yet!
Ideally, I'd like to make this most appealing to those who are aiming for the Witch or Druid class, and less appealing to warrior, sneaky or social types. The intention is that it's not necessarily something that's very useful on its own - it's a minor bit of inborn magical ability - but without that raw talent, becoming a spellcaster at all is absolutely impossible.
I'm still not 100% sure about this route either, but it'll at least be interesting to see where it takes us.
Let's see, then, how about the following rewrite:
TALENT
You have a minor aptitude for magic.
Prerequisite: Int 15+ (Intelligent Caster), Wis 15+ (Wise Caster), or Cha 15+ (Charismatic Caster).
Benefit: You may cast a small amount of magic. Choose one of the following options:
Intelligent Caster. You know one of the following 0-level spells: Detect Magic, Read Magic, Prestidigitation, or Mage Hand. You may cast the spell a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. Where applicable, your caster level is equal to your character level.
Wise Caster. You know one of the following 0-level spells: Cure Minor Wounds, Know Direction, Guidance, or Virtue. You may cast the spell a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier. Where applicable, your caster level is equal to your character level.
Charismatic Caster. You know one of the following 0-level spells: Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights, Daze, or Lullaby. You may cast the spell a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. Where applicable, your caster level is equal to your character level.
Special: This feat may only be taken at first level.
And possibly the following three feats too, which I'm pretty much making up as I go along:
STUDENT
You are a student of the magical arts.
Prerequisites: Talent (Intelligent Caster), Int 15+
Benefit: Choose one of the following spells: Comprehend Languages, Identify, Hold Portal, or Detect Secret Doors. You may cast this spell a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Intelligence modifier.
ACOLYTE
Your devotion grants you a small measure of power.
Prerequisites: Talent (Wise Caster), Wis 15+
Benefit: Choose one of the following spells: Cure Light Wounds, Bless, Sanctuary, or Command. You may cast this spell a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier.
ENCHANTER
Your charm is almost supernatural.
Prerequisites: Talent (Charismatic Caster), Cha 15+
Benefit: Choose one of the following spells: Charm Person, Unseen Servant, Hypnotism, or Sleep. You may cast this spell a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier.
***
Witch would probably have three versions, or at least some different prerequisites depending on the ability score they chose.
Intelligent Witch
Skills: Knowledge (arcane lore) 7 ranks, Decipher Script 7 ranks, Research* 7 ranks
Feats: Talent, Student
Wise Witch
Skills: Knowledge (arcane lore) 7 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 7 ranks, Survival 7 ranks
Feats: Talent, Acolyte
Charismatic Witch
Skills: Bluff 7 ranks, Gather Information 7 ranks, Knowledge (arcane lore) 7 ranks
Feats: Talent, Enchanter
*D20 Modern skill I'm thinking of putting in.
Hum. :\
randomling
First Post
Another potential change: Instead of 3 + ability mod, character level + ability mod? Even with the bumped prerequisites and restrictions (first level only), is that too powerful?
I'm not too sure how to put together a feat-based system, and I think going beyond first level spells with feats is reasonably iffy anyway. :\
Some Witch notes:
Prerequisites will resemble my notes in the previous posts.
Probably poor BAB, medium defence, good Will save, 4 skill points. Class skills will probably vary depending on the type of caster - three subclasses. I need a cool name for the intelligent caster (Book Witch?), but probably Nature Witch for the wise witch and Charm Witch for the charismatic one.
They'll spontaneous-cast, so probably know few spells but be able to cast a decent amount per day. With the prerequisite casting feats they'll have access to lots of low-level magic, and I think be able to get 4 or 5 spell levels over a 10-level prestige class (that may be too much - I might substitute the higher spell levels for some cool flavour abilities, or something).
Almost certainly get a familiar.
Other ideas: either Detect Magic at will, or a Magic Sense. I like Magic Sense (and Evil Sense for paladins) better - you'd pick up the presence of magical auras automatically but have to concentrate to get further information, and you'd be at risk of being overwhelmed by very strong magical auras whenever they were there. (I'd probably say it was a move or standard action to suppress a Magic Sense.) Flavour abilities for the witch might be different depending on your "witch type" - maybe you could pick from a list, or something.
Contributions appreciated!
I'm not too sure how to put together a feat-based system, and I think going beyond first level spells with feats is reasonably iffy anyway. :\
Some Witch notes:
Prerequisites will resemble my notes in the previous posts.
Probably poor BAB, medium defence, good Will save, 4 skill points. Class skills will probably vary depending on the type of caster - three subclasses. I need a cool name for the intelligent caster (Book Witch?), but probably Nature Witch for the wise witch and Charm Witch for the charismatic one.
They'll spontaneous-cast, so probably know few spells but be able to cast a decent amount per day. With the prerequisite casting feats they'll have access to lots of low-level magic, and I think be able to get 4 or 5 spell levels over a 10-level prestige class (that may be too much - I might substitute the higher spell levels for some cool flavour abilities, or something).
Almost certainly get a familiar.
Other ideas: either Detect Magic at will, or a Magic Sense. I like Magic Sense (and Evil Sense for paladins) better - you'd pick up the presence of magical auras automatically but have to concentrate to get further information, and you'd be at risk of being overwhelmed by very strong magical auras whenever they were there. (I'd probably say it was a move or standard action to suppress a Magic Sense.) Flavour abilities for the witch might be different depending on your "witch type" - maybe you could pick from a list, or something.
Contributions appreciated!
StalkingBlue
First Post
randomling said:
Er, Midnight has a Feat-based spellcasting system, all ready-made. You have easier and more wide-ranging access to spells as a Channeler, but there's no actual need to become one in order to learn Baneful Polymorph or Fireball eventually, you just need invest more feats to unlock access to schools and spend minor amounts of XP for every spell you learn.
randomling
First Post
I may have to pick up Midnight and have a look at the system at some point, then. It might need quite a bit of tweaking to get the flavour I want but it's certainly a place to start!StalkingBlue said:
Thanks!
randomling said:
I think Traveller has Fort saves to avoid dying once WP reach 0. You could use bleeding-to-(-10) or (-CON) if desired, or maybe just for PCs/major NPCs. If you allow Fort saves to act at negative, I suggest allowing only standard (was 'partial') actions.
VPs + CONx2 before death is a lot of 'hit points' for low-level characters, if you use this it might be best to use the Star Wars rule and not give Mooks any VPs, and/or only give heroes a chance to stay conscious at negative. I tend to think combat goes best if it doesn't take more than 1-2 hits to fell a weak opponent.
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