Immortals Handbook - ASCENSION

[Cheiromancer]

Is there a discrepancy between the description and the rules text here?

KILLER INSTINCT [EPIC] (EX)
In combat you achieve a zen-like focus, allowing you to strike killing
blows without preparation.
Prerequisites: Death attack class ability, sneak attack +5d6.
Benefit: You need not spend 3 rounds preparing for a death attack,
instead you only need take a standard action to prepare for the death attack.

No preparation: I see you, I kill you.
Standard action: I see you, next round I kill you.

Right?

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey Frobojoe!

I can give it a shot, if you want.

email me agooddesigner@hotmail.com and I'll send it to you.

Thanks for the help.

Or even whoever emails me about it first.

I think the problem is my friend has blocked javascripts on my machine so it won't open the sub-window, where you add the attachments.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi Phantom Llama mate!

This intrigues me. What sort of loony mythology has The Universe owning artefacts? I'm guessing from the that you aren't telling us until you reveal his statblock in whichever update though.

The demiurge is classically more of a universe creator than a 'universe' themselves.

That said, some things I worked out with Buugipopuu today:

Just assume I really like the ones I don't mention.

Regarding the Omnific powers in general, it never fails to amaze me how ridiculous they really are.

Greater Potency (Cosmic) (Ex)
Magic fills your being.
Prerequisites: Key casting stat 70, Potency
Benefit: Choose a spellcasting class you possess. For that class, all your HD contribute to its caster level.

I have this as standard (as a fix to one of the major problems with multiclassing).

Infallible (Divine) (Ex)
You don’t fail.
Prerequisites: Cha 40
Benefit: Natural ones are not considered automatic failures.

Very interesting. This may be too powerful for a divine power.

Nonlinearity (Cosmic) (Ex)
You cannot be solved analytically.
Prerequisites: Cha 70, Chaotic alignment
Benefit: Enemies do not gain Insight bonuses against you.

I wanted to specifically mention this one because I can see some nice potential in breaking down all the 'extra' bonus types.

Potency (Divine) (Ex)
Magic is within your being.
Prerequisites: Key casting stat 40
Benefit: Choose one spellcasting class you possess. For that class, class levels or HD that do not increase caster level instead have half caster level progression. Class levels or HD that have half caster level progression gain full caster level progression.

Same problem as Greater Potency.

Superior Potency (Transcendental) (Ex)
Magic overflows from your being.
Prerequisites: Key casting stat 130, Greater Potency, Potency
Benefit: Choose a spellcasting class you possess. For that class, all your HD contribute twice to its caster level.

This one isn't too bad although I would make it cosmic.

As a rule of thumb a cosmic power can double more or less any ability.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hiya mate!

Krusty, this next one's for a couple of builds I'm working on (or planning, rather). Which of the following would be appropriate as Divine Handicaps?

-Cannot grant spells.
-Cannot create avatar and aspects.

Both fairly minor handicaps in terms of the characters overall Challenge Rating.

-Does not possess a godly realm.

Good handicap for an immortal (demi-deity or better though)

-Loss of template spell-like abilities.
-Loss of portfolio spell-like abilities.

Both really depend on the immortal. I mean something like that might hurt Achilles (non-spellcaster) far more than it will hurt Yanauluha (a spellcaster).

-Vulnerability to an energy or weapon type (50% more damage).

I'd say double damage.

Cosmic abilities usually deal with doubling, but in this very limited capacity I think you can use the mechanic for divine beings.

Or perhaps +50% for a single portfolio, +100% for a double portfolio.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi mercucio mate!

Hi U_K. I figured I'd get a quicker answer/feedback here than on DF .

Ironically for once you probably would have been wrong.

Though I usually check dicefreaks at least once per day, I probably check here 2-3 times per day.

Anyway, apologies for the slow reply.

The above two divine abilities don't seem to really adhere to your maxim that 6 feats (epic or non-epic) equal one Divine Ability.

1. Assuming that Divine Sorcery is meant to double a spellcaster's spells per day (be they spell slots or prepared spells) this means a sorcerer gains an additional 54 spell slots total and a wizard an addition 36 spell slots. The equivalent of receiving your version of Improved Spellcasting x27 or x18 respectively. To phrase it another way as written Divine Sorcery grants the equivalent of Multi-Faceted x4.5 or x3 (for wizards).

As I see it, its still balanced.

Firstly, its arguably a fluid ability. So it should get slightly better each measure of power.

Secondly, you are not really allowing spellcasters to do something they cannot already do, just more often.

2. Assuming Divine Wizardry is meant to double your spells known (for spontaneous spellcasters) or spells automatically gained per wizard level we run into two issues. The first is as described above. Doubling a sorcerer's spells known grants an extra 34 spells known, or the equivalent of Spell Knowledge (from the Epic SRD) x17, or the equivalent of Multi-Faceted x3.

Second, no wizard will every take this ability. Who cares if you can add 2 more spells per wizard level to you spell book when you can add any spell you find or research for free?

Indeed the name could be misleading. Though its still useful for Sorcerers.

In light of above I'd suggest replacing Divine Sorcery and Divine Wizardry with the following:

DIVINE SPELLCASTING (SU)
Prerequisites: Spellcraft 40 Ranks, ability to cast 1st level spells.

Benefit: If you prepare your spells each day you can prepare two additional spells per spell level you can cast, to a maximum of 9th level. If you cast your spells spontaneously each day you gain two additional spell slots per spell level you can cast, to a maximum of 9th level.


DIVINE SPELL KNOWLEDGE (SU)
Prerequisites: Knowledge (arcana) 40 Ranks, ability to spontaneously cast 1st level spells.

Benefit: You learn two additional spells per spell level you can cast, to a maximum of 9th lebel.

I like both your refits, I must say.

What do the rest of you think?

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hiya mate!

Is there a discrepancy between the description and the rules text here?

No preparation: I see you, I kill you.
Standard action: I see you, next round I kill you.

Right?

It should really be the latter. I think it was deemed by the group too powerful as 'I see you, I kill you". Although that was my initial idea.

 

[Cheiromancer]

It might still be too powerful. If one feat means going from 3 rounds to 1 standard action, what would a follow-up feat do? The Save DC for a death attack can be min-maxed pretty high. A half-fiendish pixie assassin would be fearsome indeed.

I was meaning to ask you about the principle that a feat is worth about a plus of a weapon. Does that mean as a divine ability you could add a +6 (or so) special ability to your weapon? Add chaotic power or something to your (already fearsome) weapon?

You don't seem to have used this idea in your divine abilities (except for the monk's unarmed strike). Maybe you thought they were boring and derivative? Or would that make the weapon unbalanced?

 

[Alzrius]

U_K, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still working on the editing of chapter four. The main reason it's taking so long is that I'm going through and logging every instance where a feat/power's listing has prerequisites that differ from the given prerequisites on the summary table. Needless to say, that happens quite a lot.

I'll get it to you the instant I finish it.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hiya mate!

It might still be too powerful. If one feat means going from 3 rounds to 1 standard action, what would a follow-up feat do? The Save DC for a death attack can be min-maxed pretty high. A half-fiendish pixie assassin would be fearsome indeed.

I'd probably allow a divine ability that made it a free action.

I was meaning to ask you about the principle that a feat is worth about a plus of a weapon. Does that mean as a divine ability you could add a +6 (or so) special ability to your weapon? Add chaotic power or something to your (already fearsome) weapon?

Chaotic Power is +8.

But the principle is sound, so yes you could add a +6 weapon ability as a divine ability.

Where the complication arises is in the difference between weapon and armour special abilities (specifically the difference of the costs).

You don't seem to have used this idea in your divine abilities (except for the monk's unarmed strike). Maybe you thought they were boring and derivative? Or would that make the weapon unbalanced?

I used it with the Monk feat and I use it indirectly in some other places.

But I didn't want to make a big deal out of the idea because I want divine abilities and weapon abilities to be seperate. Or at least as seperate as possible. Otherwise the two start to lack any distinction.

 

[WarDragon]

Both fairly minor handicaps in terms of the characters overall Challenge Rating.

Good handicap for an immortal (demi-deity or better though)

Hmm... how about a Quasi-deity losing all three of them, as a single handicap?

Both really depend on the immortal. I mean something like that might hurt Achilles (non-spellcaster) far more than it will hurt Yanauluha (a spellcaster).

Are you saying it's worth less than one ability for a spellcaster, or more than one for a non-caster?

I'd say double damage.

Cosmic abilities usually deal with doubling, but in this very limited capacity I think you can use the mechanic for divine beings.

Or perhaps +50% for a single portfolio, +100% for a double portfolio.

Ok. I wasn't connecting it to a portfolio though, even though the deity in question does have Fire.

As for Merc's abilities, I'm in favor of them, since I had a hand in helping develop them. You yourself said that any doubling was usually Cosmic...