How much of Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed do you use?
- Thread starter Ashanderai
- Start date
Mmm, poll could have used a separation between the "don't like it" and "don't use it" 
I don't use it/don't have it, but it's not a matter of not liking it; I just don't need an alternate PHB. I'm happy with the majority of D&D as is, I don't need new races, a new magic system, etc. For those who do, I'm glad it's around and hope it helps them.
I don't use it/don't have it, but it's not a matter of not liking it; I just don't need an alternate PHB. I'm happy with the majority of D&D as is, I don't need new races, a new magic system, etc. For those who do, I'm glad it's around and hope it helps them.
Gez
First Post
I use the faen and another race that was inspired by both the verrik and the alabast.
In my attempt to make every classe offer special abilities at least every three levels, I've merged the magister with the wizard.
I've modified the warmain a bit and it has become the Knight class. The Weapon Size Increase ability is restricted to use when charging or overrunning on horseback.
This Knight class, alongside with the unfettered, are used beside the Fighter. The Fighter is the general class, found everywhere; while other combattant classes like the Knight, the Unfettered, and the Clanwarden (renamed OA samurai) are found only in certain cultures -- human aristocracy for knights, dwarven nobility for clanwardens, people frequenting fencing schools in one specific country for unfettered...
I thought about using the greenbond and the totem warriors, but eventually decided not to. I'll keep the witch (but not all witches; I have nice variant witches I want to use); and I'm still undecided on the akashic -- if I use it, it'll be renamed mentat and its powers will be psionic based.
The biggest impact of AU, however, is on the magic system. I use the spells from the Player's Handbook, not from AU.
However, I was wanting to not use class-dependant spell lists. Having a sorcerer spell list, a wizard spell list, a bard spell list, an assassin spell list, a wu-jen spell list, and so on was, IMO, a bad idea. First, it makes the arcane/divine distinction irrelevant. Clerics and druids cast divine spells, wizards and bards cast arcane spells. Yet the bard and the cleric have spells in common that the wizard can't cast; and the wizard and the druid have spells in common that the cleric can't cast. What the smurf?
You see, in AU, classes don't have spell lists. They have spell access, determined through complexity of spells (simple, complex, exotic) and descriptors (for example, greenbonds get access to all spells with the Plant descriptor).
So, I decided to do the same. I've added even more descriptors than AU, and there are only four spell lists. Arcane, Divine, Nature, Psionic.
Classes now get descriptive spell access, rather than enumerative spell lists. For example, Bards cast arcane spells from the illusion, enchantment, and transmutation schools; as well as evocation spells with the [light] or [sonic] descriptors.
And that's it.
In my attempt to make every classe offer special abilities at least every three levels, I've merged the magister with the wizard.
I've modified the warmain a bit and it has become the Knight class. The Weapon Size Increase ability is restricted to use when charging or overrunning on horseback.
This Knight class, alongside with the unfettered, are used beside the Fighter. The Fighter is the general class, found everywhere; while other combattant classes like the Knight, the Unfettered, and the Clanwarden (renamed OA samurai) are found only in certain cultures -- human aristocracy for knights, dwarven nobility for clanwardens, people frequenting fencing schools in one specific country for unfettered...
I thought about using the greenbond and the totem warriors, but eventually decided not to. I'll keep the witch (but not all witches; I have nice variant witches I want to use); and I'm still undecided on the akashic -- if I use it, it'll be renamed mentat and its powers will be psionic based.
The biggest impact of AU, however, is on the magic system. I use the spells from the Player's Handbook, not from AU.
However, I was wanting to not use class-dependant spell lists. Having a sorcerer spell list, a wizard spell list, a bard spell list, an assassin spell list, a wu-jen spell list, and so on was, IMO, a bad idea. First, it makes the arcane/divine distinction irrelevant. Clerics and druids cast divine spells, wizards and bards cast arcane spells. Yet the bard and the cleric have spells in common that the wizard can't cast; and the wizard and the druid have spells in common that the cleric can't cast. What the smurf?
You see, in AU, classes don't have spell lists. They have spell access, determined through complexity of spells (simple, complex, exotic) and descriptors (for example, greenbonds get access to all spells with the Plant descriptor).
So, I decided to do the same. I've added even more descriptors than AU, and there are only four spell lists. Arcane, Divine, Nature, Psionic.
Classes now get descriptive spell access, rather than enumerative spell lists. For example, Bards cast arcane spells from the illusion, enchantment, and transmutation schools; as well as evocation spells with the [light] or [sonic] descriptors.
And that's it.
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
I am running a Diamond Throne campaign with "full" AU rules.
I like running it, and I think the players mostly enjoy it as well. I´d prefer playing it myself, but... No luck.
I like running it, and I think the players mostly enjoy it as well. I´d prefer playing it myself, but... No luck.
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
I don't actually like most of it when it came down to it, except for the idea of ritual feats (although being able to bypass that requirement if you get a feat as a class bonus seems strange) and the magic system which I really like.
I'm in the middle of my current campaign which isn't going to change mechanics mid-stream, but it is quite likely that my next fantasy campaign is going to use the AU magic system, although incorporating that into Eberron is going to be quite a challenge
I'm in the middle of my current campaign which isn't going to change mechanics mid-stream, but it is quite likely that my next fantasy campaign is going to use the AU magic system, although incorporating that into Eberron is going to be quite a challenge
Ashrum the Black
Explorer
I'm using the complete rules for my home brew world of Suma. The charters are a human warmain that just got his first level of the crystal warrior, a faen unfettered/air witch on her way to arcane archer, and a human magister that is looking at archamge. They've just hit 9th level and they love the story.
That being said I've run into a few issues concerning the system. I don't know if it's my players, me, or the rules. But the magister in particular seems to overshadow the other players with the amount of damage and explosive goodness he can dish out. I like the magic system, but the ability to heighten and drop on templates seems to make the magisters almost to over the top at the heigher levels. Perhaps this will level out as we progress further, but it seems to just be getting worse as we go instead of better.
Of course it may be that I need to watch the magisters player better and make sure he isn't slipping himself extra points as we go.
I'd love to here if this hasd reared its head in other peoples campaigns. Ig not them I may need to watch my magister a little closer and make sure he's following all the rules. He has been known to "creatively interpret" the wording of some spells and abilities before.
-Ashrum
That being said I've run into a few issues concerning the system. I don't know if it's my players, me, or the rules. But the magister in particular seems to overshadow the other players with the amount of damage and explosive goodness he can dish out. I like the magic system, but the ability to heighten and drop on templates seems to make the magisters almost to over the top at the heigher levels. Perhaps this will level out as we progress further, but it seems to just be getting worse as we go instead of better.
Of course it may be that I need to watch the magisters player better and make sure he isn't slipping himself extra points as we go.
I'd love to here if this hasd reared its head in other peoples campaigns. Ig not them I may need to watch my magister a little closer and make sure he's following all the rules. He has been known to "creatively interpret" the wording of some spells and abilities before.-Ashrum
Dougal DeKree
First Post
AU Campaign
I'm running a "full" Diamond Throne/AU Campaign with another event book thrown in. We began it when AU came out to "test it" and it still keeps plotting further all the time. The players seem to enjoy it a lot - although noone else seems to want to DM for a while, so i can't tell how much i would like to play it on the other side of the screen.
But maybe Darklone will give me that chance in some weeks...well? Will ya? I'll give you more magic items and xp and cookies and beer for it?!? Deal?
Dougal
I'm running a "full" Diamond Throne/AU Campaign with another event book thrown in. We began it when AU came out to "test it" and it still keeps plotting further all the time. The players seem to enjoy it a lot - although noone else seems to want to DM for a while, so i can't tell how much i would like to play it on the other side of the screen.
But maybe Darklone will give me that chance in some weeks...well? Will ya? I'll give you more magic items and xp and cookies and beer for it?!? Deal?
Dougal
Berandor
lunatic
I'm not using it as much as I'd like - my group is traditional in a way, so we're staying at normal D&D (though I will sneak in one or the other thing ) with minor alterations (hit points, sneak skill, and the bonus regional feat (FR) is somewhat lifted from AU). To set it off, I play in two AU online campaigns.
) with minor alterations (hit points, sneak skill, and the bonus regional feat (FR) is somewhat lifted from AU). To set it off, I play in two AU online campaigns.
Orryn Emrys
Explorer
My primary game is an ARCANA UNEARTHED campaign, which started last October. It is a homebrew setting, which I advanced about a thousand years from my previous campaign, giving me a millenia worth of world events to explain the complete transformation of the setting, but allowing me to use any elements of the 'old world' (standard D&D setting) that I wish to introduce, providing they balance well, make sense, and add to the developing story. Thus far, the campaign's been very successful, and I've even integrated published adventures... with considerable conversion. I'm currently running The Banewarrens, which has provided me a considerable challenge to convert, with several options for using standard material within a vault that's been sealed up for a thousand years.... 
One additional note: I am quite taken with the AU spell system, and a variant of the magister class more suited to the standard game (and standard spells) has now followed me back into other D&D games, as a replacement for the wizard and sorcerer classes. I'm also going to continue using some of AU's metamagic feats, spell templates, and weaving and ladening rules... I don't know that I'll ever go back to the standard rules for spellcasting.
One additional note: I am quite taken with the AU spell system, and a variant of the magister class more suited to the standard game (and standard spells) has now followed me back into other D&D games, as a replacement for the wizard and sorcerer classes. I'm also going to continue using some of AU's metamagic feats, spell templates, and weaving and ladening rules... I don't know that I'll ever go back to the standard rules for spellcasting.
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Cam Banks
Adventurer
I'm using the akashic in my Dragonlance campaign, but there isn't much else from the book that sees use. My wife, who's playing the akashic, has also complained a little that while it seems like a good class at first blush some of the abilities in the first 3 levels seem fairly unimpressive. It's turned her off further advancement, since other characters who have bardic knowledge-type abilities seem just as capable as she and yet hers is supposed to be tapping into the collective knowledge etc etc.
I've been using racial levels, although it's not something unique to AU, and action points, which are a very common feature in gaming these days. Mine work more like Buffy: the Vampire Slayer's drama points than AU's hero points, as well, so in reality the various house rules or included OGL/d20 rules in my game aren't so much AU rules as they resemble them through parallel development.
Cheers,
Cam
I've been using racial levels, although it's not something unique to AU, and action points, which are a very common feature in gaming these days. Mine work more like Buffy: the Vampire Slayer's drama points than AU's hero points, as well, so in reality the various house rules or included OGL/d20 rules in my game aren't so much AU rules as they resemble them through parallel development.
Cheers,
Cam
