Immortals Handbook - ASCENSION

[Pssthpok]

Hard to say, but I agree with dante on this one. The templates offer their own balance in their flavor as well as the fact that a considerable amount of their offered power is overshadowed by the stock power of the deity itself. I built an intermediate double-death port god with two avatars. Each avatar took either Lord of Spirit or Bone and they both don't look like their up for a fight against a party of their CR/EL if it weren't for the fact that they both dropped some of their gear for Cosmic abilities like Rotting Breath and Abrogate. While I can't speak for the dragon or worm templates, the undead templates don't offer an imbalance of power, at least not in the way of 'over' powered.

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

I wouldn't say the Template powers are overpowered, merely that it is a good idea to take them .
Most of their powers, as already stated, are subsumed by the divinity templates. The ability score modifiers are nice, but a drop in the pond for all but disciples and prophets.

Numbers-wise, if you are looking for an easy power fix, and your DM is a squid and will let you take anything no matter how absurd, then by all means, take all the template and ancestor powers you can. Just don't expect your character to look too pretty in the end. (Or make much sense...)

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey guys - can I just say first thanks so much for the help with the portfolios. Much appreciated. It can be easy to get bogged down or stuck on a small percentage of abilities and that holds up the rest. While obviously I would have thrashed them out by myself eventually, I thought for a change I would seek a second opinion in an effort to speed things up a tad.

Howdy WarDragon dude!

Yet another question; why are Invincibility and Sophism Transcendent abilities, while Elusion is a Cosmic? I honestly don't think avoiding damage that didn't require an attack roll is a sixfold increase in power.

Elusion only works on physical attacks (or ray attacks I suppose), the others work on spells or special abilities too.

And Nebulous seems more like a Divine Ability; only a 25% increase over five feats, and that being negated by True Seeing...

Nebulous isn't negated by True Seeing. Its a partial divorcing from the universe, true seeing has no effect upon it. Just like if you make something smaller it gets an AC bonus...true seeing doesn't overcome this.

The reason Nebulous is a Cosmic ability is because its effectievly doubling your hit points.

I know there are some epic feats which mimic it, but personally I would have them negated by true seeing.

Finally, I just looked at Worm that Walks again. Lord of Maggots would not be underpowered as a Cosmic ability.

I think it would.

I admit its a powerful divine ability, but not overpowering.

Remember that you already must have the Ooze Type traits (itself another divine ability)

Basically you get d10 hp, +20 Insight bonus to AC, Blindsight, some Spell-like abilities, Engulf, Discorporate and some skill bonuses.

The other stuff you already have.

I think its about the equivalent of 3 divine abilities. Or 4 if we count the immunity to crits from the Ooze traits.

But at the same time you need 2 divine ability slots to get it. So its technically only twice as good as a 'normal' divine ability.

But if you feel uncomfortable with it just Rule '0' on it. Or you could add another divine ability prerequisite - such as the Insight to AC bonus (Unknowing Mind).

 

[Phantom Llama]

I gave little consideration to balance in this post.

2. (Divination) The base idea here is that a deity has either clairaudience (single port) or clairvoyance (double) from a certain source (e.g. fire, someone disease ridden).

Arts: You can speak to works of art.
Charity: You can speak to things that you have given away.
Entropy: You can speak to vacuums.
Fertility: You can speak to children (of any age or species, even the unborn).
Peace: You can speak to those who have never killed anyone.
Science: You can speak to anything more advanced than usual for the campaign setting. In a normal setting this would be rennaisance+.

3. (Abjuration) Base idea is for immunity (single) and reflection (double).

Destruction: Typeless damage/first attack per round?
Revenge: Attacks made in anger.

4. (Competence) Base idea is for an Attack, Damage and AC bonus under certain conditions.

Arts: Perform check bonuses, and craft checks to make something more aesthetically appealing.
Entropy: When at low hp.
Knowledge: All Knowledge checks/Int-based skill checks?
Love: Diplomacy & Bluff.
Madness: When suffering from confusion or insanity effects.
Peace: When you have taken no offensive action that day.

5. (Summoning) Base ideas: +50%/+200% Hit Dice for acertain creature type, or + DvR x 2/+ DvR x4 Ability Score Bonus, or a few other bonuses.

Peace: Creatures with no offensive special abilities.
Science: Creatures with no supernatural powers of any kind.

6. (Trumping) Base idea: the deity has either a 50% chance (single) or 100% chance (double) of overcoming an immunity.

Evil: Poison
Fertility: Anything you wouldn't normally be able to have children with, you can anyway. This includes death gods, people of the same gender, golems, etc.

7. (Evocation) Base idea is to use one of the [Effect] abilities.

All these abilities are finished, although I am not sure about the Community Portfolio having the Axiomatic [Effect] since the Community Portfolio only needs you to be non-chaotic.

The Community portfolio gains Bane vs. a type of their choice? I don't really have any better ideas than what you already have.

8. (Healing). Base ideas: Some element will heal the deity, or within a certain place they will heal or regenerate faster.

Crafts: Heal faster in workshops.
Death: Negative energy (inc. energy drain) heals you.
Knowledge: Heal faster in libraries.
Labour: Heal when engaged in strenuous physical labour.
Love: Healing via coitus.
Elf: Heal faster in the presence of elves.
Science: Heal faster in anti/dead magic.
Secrets: Heal faster when nobody (of comparable or lesser power) knows where you are.
Thievery: Heal when you sneak attack/steal something.
Travel: Transportation spells heal you.
Wealth: Heal faster when carrying extra wealth.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Howdy dante!

Sephiroth...what divine rank would you post him as.

4 (quasi-deity)

Do you see him as a potential future ascension example?

No because Squaresoft would sue me.

I can see him as a future example on the website though.

The reason I ask is because Im listening to One-Winged Angel.

 

[Servitor of Wrath]

Fertility: Anything you wouldn't normally be able to have children with, you can anyway. This includes death gods, people of the same gender, golems, etc.

But who has the baby?

 

[dante58701]

What about sephiroth when he was bizarro or that winged aberration. What divine rank?

And what about the others, particularly vincent.

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

What about sephiroth when he was bizarro or that winged aberration. What divine rank?

And what about the others, particularly vincent.

I would say all the incarnations of Sephiroth are about the same. I might give his winged form a few extra ranks, but otherwise, about the same.

Meh, Vincent is just a Multi-classed Ranger-Shifter.

Jenova might actually be pretty tough, however. (Definitely Pseudo-natural)

But otherwise, most of the other people in that game are just epic-level mortals, or really weak immortals (Aerith, Red XIII, Etc). Heck, the summons, besides Knights of the Round, are just weak immortals. (Bahamut Zero should definitely be some form of elder god though )

FF 8 On the other hand, has a summon that shoots a beam that flings the foe into another galaxy, into a black hole, and then the black hole explodes. Hurray for gratuitous animation sequences!

 

[WarDragon]

What's taking so long on that update, chief?

 

[dante58701]

You may be right on the others, but Vincent was also a dormant embodiment of chaos.