Midnight with different rules?

[StalkingBlue]

Thanks to you and S'mon for all the input, SB! Part of what really sold me on Midnight was your Story Hour, and it's great to get suggestions and encouragement from someone running such a great game.

Wow, somebody else enjoys the Story Hour, how cool is that? Thanks for letting us know.

Here's a link to our campaign forum on randomlings in case you'd like to check it out. It has my growing set of Midnight house rules, players' strategic discussions, the cast list of PCs (current and former) and NPCs, and more.

http://www.randomlingshouse.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=40

AU actually makes healing quite easy to deal with; the Greenbond can cure some damage, which while not on par with a cleric's ability does provide a buffer. Also, the greenbond's spirit communion and nature abilities make a lot of sense in Midnight.

(As to the races: The only one that really bothers me is the Erenlander, and that's easy enough to fix. The heroic paths: Well, I'd probably use my own anyway. It seems to me that the ones in the Midnight CSB are really best considered templates for designing one's own.)

Healing and nature abilities sound as if they'd make a nice fit for the setting, yup.
I also like the channeler class though, with my house rule modifications to bring the class in line - especially the multiclassing options. The Wildlander/Channeler in my group (Apari Ghostwalker) is a scout who's hard to beat.

I'd like to see your paths when you make some, if you are willing to share ...

Actually, that makes them similar in damage potential to 3.0 orcs, and is an issue of equipment rather than power. The default orc weapon (the greataxe) was changed in the 3.5 MM for precisely the reason that the designers didn't want a one-shot kill. Since one-shot kills from enemies seem to fit Midnight's flavor nicely, I'd be fine with 'em.

Yup, MN orcs seem to work well in my game. They remain very deadly even for PCs at mid-levels - that's why I've now started handing out a Fate Point per player. As much as we enjoy the mood of danger in Midnight, we like some degree of continuity as well.

I do agree, except that I find that the ranger is an equally good survivalist AND better in a fight. While I think the wildlander fills a valuable role in Midnight, I think the ranger would do just as good a job AND keep the player more involved in combat situations. The wildlander's "a la carte" ability selection does add value, though; I may just offer it side by side with the ranger and see which one my players take.

Note that I'm not seeking "balance" because I'm worried about overpowered PCs trashing everything. Hardly the case; in fact, my PCs already know to avoid combat whenever possible, and my XP award system encourages that thinking. Rather, I like each player to feel like he's making a contribution at all times, that he's an asset to the party, and that there are no "no-brainer" character options (such as the Erenlander on the strong side, or [IMHO] the defender on the weak side). But I do take your point!

An XP award system that encourages solutions other than combat? Please share ...

 

[Desdichado]

But how exactly do you see the Ranger as better in a fight than the wildlander? Same hit dice, same BAB progression, same weapon proficiencies, and (optionally) the same fighting style.

 

[Desdichado]

But how exactly do you see the Ranger as better in a fight than the wildlander? Same hit dice, same BAB progression, same weapon proficiencies, and (optionally) the same fighting style.

 

[Sado]

Now, the 3.5 books have some guidelines for magic-free Rangers, Paladins and so on. I'd suggest bringing the idea up in AgainstTheShadow.org though - wonderful resource!

Haven't yet made the switch to 3.5 all the way. Which books?

 

[wizofice]

Haven't yet made the switch to 3.5 all the way. Which books?

That which Emiricol mentions is from the Complete Warrior. There are other class variants in Unearthed Arcana (such as Totem Barbarians, Divine Bards and Cloistered Clerics).

 

[Sado]

That which Emiricol mentions is from the Complete Warrior. There are other class variants in Unearthed Arcana (such as Totem Barbarians, Divine Bards and Cloistered Clerics).

Pah! I'm still stuck with Sword and Fist!

 

[ruleslawyer]

Complete Warrior and Unearthed Arcana both have such variants, IIRC.

Josh: The 3.5 ranger gets two good saves, a better archery tree, favored enemy bonus, evasion, and an animal companion (plus HiPS at high levels). That makes him quite tough. I'd actually probably strip out the spellcasting altogether and replace it with the wildlander's Wilderness Lore (er, Survival)-focused ability, and eliminate the animal companion under the theory that the PC could always take my [modified] version of the warg template. Even then, it just seems like a more combat-capable class, while still maintaining the survivalist focus.

SB: I'd be happy to share the paths with you, once I've... err, written them! [I'll be out of town on work, etc. for a while, so won't be able to put these together for a few weeks.] I have a question for you, actually: Have you thought through the paths on an individual level in terms of which are particularly broken and which aren't? I'd love to see such a breakdown, if you have one!

 

[tarchon]

Yeah, I was thinking about a Midnight variant, maybe something like "what if the Shadow had lost the war?"

 

[S'mon]

Re the Midnight netbook - I had a look through it yesterday, I'd advise caution in using it if you wished to retain anything of a heroic feel; it really goes overboard on the grimness & hopelessness. In particular it seems to use DC 25 rather than regular D&D's DC 15 as the 'typical' DC - eg for Fortitude saves to recover from perfectly mundane diseases, or Survival rolls for finding food in the wilderness. This doesn't mesh well with either the regular 3e system (where DC 25 is "extremely difficult") or with any kind of an heroic paradigm IMO.

 

[S'mon]

I have a question for you, actually: Have you thought through the paths on an individual level in terms of which are particularly broken and which aren't? I'd love to see such a breakdown, if you have one!

Re paths - SB has informed me that there's a ridiculously powerful path called Painless in a supplement that she won't be allowing.
For my PCs I've just been taking Ironborn, which seems functional but not very powerful. Dragonblooded seems a no-brainer for Channelers.