MP2 review: Martial Practices

[Dice4Hire]

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Martial Power 2 Excerpts: Martial Practices)

Looks interesting, overall, but stepping all over the arcane ritualist's toes.

One interesting point, "Unlike rituals, which usually require only a monetary component cost, most martial practices require an expenditure of healing surges. This cost reflects the strain on your body and mind."

I kinda wish all rituals wer faster but cost healing surges. That kind of balance would work well, I think, especially those to be used during an adventuring day.

 

[Mort_Q]

Looks interesting, overall, but stepping all over the arcane ritualist's toes.

I'm not sure what you mean. How is this stepping on anyone's toes?

 

[Infiniti2000]

At first I couldn't figure out why anyone would put martial practices in the monster manual (MM).

Typo aside, healing surges don't work well as a mechanic for classes that don't get a lot of them. An "arcane ritualist" would be quickly out of things to do.

Also, I'm with Mort_Q. I don't see this stepping on anyone's toes, arcane or otherwise.

 

[DracoSuave]

What's an arcane ritualist?

Is that something different from a divine, primal, psionic, or martial ritualist?

Cause... there's only one Ritual Caster feat, and it is without a power source.

 

[fuzzlewump]

So, is the real point behind these to gain skill bonuses? Or, is it defining what you can do and thus what you can not do without the practice? To do something like disguising I would probably do a quick skill challenge with bluff, streetwise, and thievery. (Getting into character, knowing the character, and the quality of the disguise.)

So, is the idea to require "Alter Ego" to make disguises or is just to get the bonus? Is just a skill bonus good enough to justify this mechanic? Is requiring the practice too restrictive for when you don't have the practice? These things I ponder, along with how useful these would be in my game.

EDIT: Also, what's the deal with the level requirements? You have to be level 8 before you can pull off a disguise? Even considering it as having to be level 8 before you can pull off a disguise well (which would be the skill bonus approach in relation to the above) that still seems too late.

Besides, the +1/2 level already takes into account getting better at something with time. A +5 bonus means the same at any level.

 

[fuzzlewump]

Also, rituals costing a varying amount of healing surges to cast would make me a happy camper. And having something like a 3to5-round casting time (30 seconds.) That makes the "defend-the-ritual caster" scenario something that can be declared any time by the group and have it be reasonable. It could have encounter breaking effects, in theory, but only after a 3-5 casting time where the fight may be well on its way, plus the caster gives up that many turns, so it should be at least equivalent to that many rounds of attacking.

Never expect that casters should do it, but put it just within reach so that if the random circumstance calls for it, they can.

Sorry, should be posting this in a different thread, but I just have to get it out.

 

[Nichwee]

So, is the real point behind these to gain skill bonuses? Or, is it defining what you can do and thus what you can not do without the practice? To do something like disguising I would probably do a quick skill challenge with bluff, streetwise, and thievery. (Getting into character, knowing the character, and the quality of the disguise.)

So, is the idea to require "Alter Ego" to make disguises or is just to get the bonus? Is just a skill bonus good enough to justify this mechanic? Is requiring the practice too restrictive for when you don't have the practice? These things I ponder, along with how useful these would be in my game.

I would assume most of the Practices that give a skill bonus are there to add the bonus to something that can be done regardless - ones that don't add a bonus (not sure if there are any as I'm away from my books atm) would be unusable without the Practice.

I would also probably rule that the player could spend additional Healing Surges to use unavailable Practices.
i.e.
+ 1 Surge to cost : Use an unknown Practice.
+ 1 Surge to cost : Add 5 levels to your level to perform a Practice beyond you (this would be in addition to the need to spend +1 Surge you need to use an unknown Practice, as you can't have learnt the Practice in question)




A similar trick could be used to drop casting times on Rituals. Additional Surges spent drop casting times of rituals:
eg.
Surge Cost: Effect On Cast Time
+1: Turns X Hours To 10X Minutes
+1: Turn Minutes To Rounds
+1: -1 Round
Then have the idea that any damage taken forces an Endurance check (DC damage taken + 5 per teir of attacker) or the ritual is interrupted and has to be started again - Caster loses Surges but not the components.

The fact that most Ritual Caster have low Surges/Day and most rituals have slow base cast times should stop this being a common trick in combat - to stop teams using Magic Circle vs Opponent, or similar, as a standard trick.

 

[Engilbrand]

When it comes to Alter Self:
Maybe you use a Skill Challenge at lower levels if someone hasn't really done it before. It's not a part of their repertoire. Later, though, after they have done it enough, then the "martial practice" means that they're a lot better at it and can do it with little problem.
These seem to be things that I would have the players specifically get training in or do enough to make sense. They seem to add a bit of niftiness to the game.

 

[oakbriar]

For the most part they seem to cover a lot of the 3.5 skills that got cut. Craft, Survival, Gather Information, Decipher Script, Sleight of Hand, Handle Animal, Use Magic Device, they're all there.

... But where's my Use Rope practice?! I'm granting permanent CA because my bootlaces are undone.

 

[DracoSuave]

For the most part they seem to cover a lot of the 3.5 skills that got cut. Craft, Survival, Gather Information, Decipher Script, Sleight of Hand, Handle Animal, Use Magic Device, they're all there.

... But where's my Use Rope practice?! I'm granting permanent CA because my bootlaces are undone.

See, I like the craft martial practice, cause... it's like being MacGuyver.

You can make ANYTHING out of household materials.

Time to juryrig me a boat out of chewing gum, a rubber tree, and an orc's axe.