Immortals Handbook - ASCENSION

[Phantom Llama]

Since Portfolios are so central to a deity's being, I would put them right at the start with the size/type/class level information.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi Pssthpok matey!

re: the three torches... maybe each one gives her Enlightenment for 3 spell levels? i.e. one torch gives her up to 3rd, the other 6ths, etc.

Not sure about that idea. Three torches are going to have the inherent power of one torch anyway. Therefore the only benefit to having three torches is as a physical weapon.

The six-armed/three torched version of Hecate could be an epic spell (granting extra arms) or the abnormality ability. But the fact that there can be three torches suggests to me that they are definately a weapon. Which sort of sits in opposition with the idea that the torch gives the Enlightenment ability.

Also, there's a LOT of copy/paste flaws in the portfolios. Just a heads up; there are too many to list.

I know, I fixed a few for this update, but there is still some ways to go.

I'll make Surtur the priority tonight/tomorrow and get him on the website. But I am still unhappy he only has one artifact.

Otherwise, it's looking better all the time.

...I'd be upset if it was looking worse.

I put Achilles against a 31st level sorcerer and a 30th level priest last night and he only lost by happenstance. He's easily capable of dealing hundreds and hundreds of points of damage in a round.

Cool!

I really think my critical hit/critical hit multiplier chain is a great 'leveller' abridging the gap between warriors and spellcasters.

I mean imagine what you could do if you went out of your way to min/max it all...as I plan to do with Thrin.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi Phantom Llama mate!

Since Portfolios are so central to a deity's being, I would put them right at the start with the size/type/class level information.

But do you mean for merely the listing of portfolios or the listing of individual portfolio powers known to that immortal?

 

[Cheiromancer]

As long as you are fixing things, here are a couple of things that I've noticed:

Automatic Writing has great flavor text, but questionable mechanics. There is no such thing as memorizing spells anymore. If you mean that you can prepare the spell you witnessed without a spell book (like Spell Mastery) you should say so. If the spell automatically appears in your spellbook, like the flavor text says, the benefit should agree; and maybe say what happens if your spellbook is full or something.

Improved Critical Multiplier doesn't have Improved Critical as a prerequisite- that is odd. It also excludes non-fighters, which doesn't seem right. The same goes for Greater Critical Multiplier.

At least you don't put these feats into the Cleave/Great Cleave chain, like WotC did for Overwhelming Critical and Devasting Critical. That is unfair to finesse fighters, who should be able to excel with critical hits.

 

[Phantom Llama]

But do you mean for merely the listing of portfolios or the listing of individual portfolio powers known to that immortal?

Oh, the former. The portfolio powers should go in the Combat section with the other SAs/SQs.

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

Oh, the former. The portfolio powers should go in the Combat section with the other SAs/SQs.

Perhaps a heading under their Name, size, and type for "Portfolios" listing their portfolio and their rank(s) in said portfolios. (In the event a deity, for whatever reason, isnt the same "rank" in a portfolio as his or her tier would allow) And perhaps a heading, under Epic feats but before Divine abilities for "Portfolio Powers" or whatever. (I say before divine powers because portfolio elements are indeed more important/powerful, and contribute quite a bit to a deities powers.)

On another topic, the Immortal's Character sheets: Some suggestions:
- Do away with the spells section. It is impossible to list a deities spells on one sheet of paper. Perhaps a space to list Portfolios and their powers would do better.
Has anyone ever played an epic character and been able to use the standard D20 sheet for spells? Such a small space. I tried and I ended up preparing "Poly x4, E.F.B. X3" (Empowered fireball, 4th level because of Improved Metamagic) on one line because I didn't have enough room for my 4th level spells.
- Equipment could also be shortened. (half standard sheet size?) to give room for more "Divine powers". Deities only need room for 4 artifacts, plus or minus some "mundane" magic items.
- For Armor class, a box for Divine Bonus, and a couple "unlabled" AC bonuses would be nice. (There are too many bonuses to AC in D20 to list, so 2-3 blank boxes should suffice)

Just ideas. I would guess the Character sheets are the last thing on your list "to do."

 

[WarDragon]

Hi WarDragon dude!

Nitpick away. I appreciate all constructive criticism.

You really think you need to tell ME that?

I totally agree. I am just wondering what is the best way to do this (in the stat 'block' or listed after COMBAT as one of the abilities.

What the llama said.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to change that.

Chaotic Evil stays though.

Like I said, your call.

Its basically a +7 aberration dread version of the Staff of Nature's Fury. The reason I didn't write it up is because I'm just not happy with that incarnation of it.

K.

Weird. Must just be an honest mistake.

I'm not happy with the names of Vainamoinen's weapons at all. I read the darn Kalevala and couldn't find where they are named.

Never read the full version myself, so I can't help you. If all else fails.... make 'em up?

His skin is silver. In effect he IS silver or at least silver plated. Thats why he gets to pierce it. I just thought it was a cool idea and abridged why he would live in the Nine Hells, because he scares even devils.

Just giving it out for free, then, when everyone else has to pay a feat for it?

Well the Torch is known as the Torch of Enlightenment. So my initial thoughts were that it would give her the Enlightenment ability. However, I am not totally sold on the idea, because it doesn't gel with why she would wield three torches.

One for Enlightenment, two as weapons?

Combat based immortals will generally hit every opponent on a '2'. The exception to this is going to be some sort of heavily min/maxed deity who has put in a lot of work on their AC.

Well, then almost every immortal is going to be slaughtered easily. AC is one of those things that needs constant boosting by multiple magical items in order to stay relevant.

While I am trying to build each deity to be tough, I still try and follow the myths as close as possible. Dagda runs about in rags, and is a bit of a fatty. So hes not especially quick on his feet, doesn't wear armour of note.

Although I don't believe I have added Dagda's +16 morale bonus yet (from his Cauldron).

There may also be other bonuses from the Throne of the Gods that increase this.

He can also cast Epic Mage Armor.

So he is not exactly of a low AC. Its just that AC is not his speciality, having loads of hit points is!

Ok. I assumed following the myths was the reason for so many "weird" builds, that don't' really synergize at all.

Algol is insane. Incidently the bonuses that would have been added to Int and Wis were halved then spread spread amongst other ability scores.

As for his low AC, I'm not totally sure where else to go with it. Maybe adding Nebulous?

Another point of note with Algol is that he has no artifacts.

I am trying out some rules for using monsters in place of artifacts.

Why not just use the bonus divine abilities in place of artifacts, as you suggest in Chapter 2? That would keep it simple, and probably take care of his AC problem, as well (adding Wis and Cha to it again, and so forth). I did it with a human-based immortal of mine, who eschews magic items for personality reasons, and it worked out nicely.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I really like Algol - the notion that a particular star is actually the divine aura of an insane God... it really works for me.

Could you say the same thing about other stars and planets, I wonder? It would be really neat if you could balance it (making the divine aura an extremely heavy component of the manifestation's CR) so that a solar would be an aspect of a sun, and a planetar would be the aspect of a planet. The aspect of the aura-less body, that is.

Dunno if it is feasible, but it would be neat.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi Cheiromancer matey!

As long as you are fixing things, here are a couple of things that I've noticed:

Automatic Writing has great flavor text, but questionable mechanics. There is no such thing as memorizing spells anymore. If you mean that you can prepare the spell you witnessed without a spell book (like Spell Mastery) you should say so. If the spell automatically appears in your spellbook, like the flavor text says, the benefit should agree; and maybe say what happens if your spellbook is full or something.

Noted, thanks.

Improved Critical Multiplier doesn't have Improved Critical as a prerequisite- that is odd. It also excludes non-fighters, which doesn't seem right. The same goes for Greater Critical Multiplier.

The question is "Should Fighters have nothing for themselves?"

At least you don't put these feats into the Cleave/Great Cleave chain, like WotC did for Overwhelming Critical and Devasting Critical. That is unfair to finesse fighters, who should be able to excel with critical hits.

See above.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey Ltheb mate!

Got one of those new optical mice today so I am zipping along nicely. The simple pleasures of life.

Perhaps a heading under their Name, size, and type for "Portfolios" listing their portfolio and their rank(s) in said portfolios. (In the event a deity, for whatever reason, isnt the same "rank" in a portfolio as his or her tier would allow) And perhaps a heading, under Epic feats but before Divine abilities for "Portfolio Powers" or whatever. (I say before divine powers because portfolio elements are indeed more important/powerful, and contribute quite a bit to a deities powers.)

So something like:

Surtur
Sir toor

Elder One (Divine Rank 24) of fire and destruction

Titanic Outsider (elemental, evil, extraplanar, fire, lawful)
etc.

On another topic, the Immortal's Character sheets: Some suggestions:
- Do away with the spells section. It is impossible to list a deities spells on one sheet of paper. Perhaps a space to list Portfolios and their powers would do better.
Has anyone ever played an epic character and been able to use the standard D20 sheet for spells? Such a small space. I tried and I ended up preparing "Poly x4, E.F.B. X3" (Empowered fireball, 4th level because of Improved Metamagic) on one line because I didn't have enough room for my 4th level spells.

I was thinking that I should have a seperate spell sheet for spellcaster types.

- Equipment could also be shortened. (half standard sheet size?) to give room for more "Divine powers". Deities only need room for 4 artifacts, plus or minus some "mundane" magic items.

Indeed.

- For Armor class, a box for Divine Bonus, and a couple "unlabled" AC bonuses would be nice. (There are too many bonuses to AC in D20 to list, so 2-3 blank boxes should suffice)

There can't be more than about a dozen bonuses.

Just ideas. I would guess the Character sheets are the last thing on your list "to do."

Yes.