Non-Core Class Survivor: Round 2

[FireLance]

woah! the Knight is in the running? Man, I can't figure out why.

Several posters to this site dislike anything "videogamy", and the knight's challenge mechanic is tainted by a lot of terms like "aggro" which I do not really understand since I do not play MMORPGs and am not familar with them. I assume those who dislike "videogamy" elements know what they are talking about, though.

 

[Blackthorne]

No divine psionics for me, thanks.

 

[I'm A Banana]

The truenamer was the worst part of a good book. In any mediocre book, it'd be fine, but any acts that follow the binder (great class) and the shadowcaster (great flavor, not obviously flawed mechanics) is going to have a tough time of it.

I'm not going to miss any that are going to bite it this time around (though I do kind of miss the wu jen and the healer. )

 

[Plane Sailing]

Incarnum use is evil ... its addicts must be cleansed.

First, I will obliterate the Soulborn ... then, I will destroy the Incarnate.

-Samir

I wish I'd read this first, so I could have joined your vote for the soulborn rather than spend it on the incarnate. I think incarnum adds least of all to the game and would like to see it go!

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Enough Talk!

Brother Plane Sailing's lamentation brings focus to the Anti-Incarnum Crusade. What we need is a strategy!

Here's what I propose. Let's eliminate the following classes, in this precise order:

1. Soulborn
2. Incarnate
3. Totemist

What say ye?

-Samir

 

[genshou]

Ah the old proposed 'drowning loophole'.


Doesn't work, though.


Note the operand 'drops' in the drowning rules with regard to what happens to your hit points. If you're already below that level you don't go up in life because it's not then a drop.

The angelic gelatinous cube said it before I could.

Down you go, Artificer! But not because of any ritual that actually does break game rules, but rather because there's no need for them outside of Eberron, and I think how Eberron handles availability of magic is poorly-designed to begin with.

Nooooo, why the Truenamer? It's fun to explain these oddities of the class in-game!

 

[genshou]

Several posters to this site dislike anything "videogamy", and the knight's challenge mechanic is tainted by a lot of terms like "aggro" which I do not really understand since I do not play MMORPGs and am not familar with them. I assume those who dislike "videogamy" elements know what they are talking about, though.

Or it could be that their only encounters with such things as a knight's challenge are through aggro tactics similar to the class's mechanics, and they know nothing of folklore, medieval history, and fantasy stories featuring such things, that predate video games.

 

[airwalkrr]

This thread prompted me to break out my Tome of Magic and actually read it for more than 5 minutes (I'm a collector so I buy all the books even if I don't plan to read them). I have to say I can't really see what all the fuss is about. Sure, the truespeak skill mechanic is not typical of D&D, but that is what this book is all about: introducing new kinds of magic. I think, as a skill-based magic system, it probably works pretty great. In fact, I'm now thinking of trying to play one in the Savage Tides Adventure Path which our group is planning to run once it is released (assuming our DM will let me, which I expect he will, being the softy he is). The only downside I can see to the system is that it is basically suicidal to not have your truespeak skill maxed out and pumped up at all times. But other than that, I can't see it being a problem at all. The simulationist in me wants to say that this is not a very realistic mechanic. But when I step back and look at all the possibilities, I realized that mechanically, this system probably works really well and is very balanced. I'd have to see it in play to give it my true opinion. How many of you truename magic nay-sayers have actually used this system and are badgering it based on experience and how many of you simply read it, thought to yourself "hogwash!" and never touched the subject again? I'm not casting stones or anything, I'm just curious if the sentiment against the system is genuine dislike based on experience or theoretical discourse on a system that hasn't seen play at many tables.

 

[Hussar]

I'm thinking mostly theoretical.

I do know that the truenamer in the game I played in managed to jack his truenamer skill up to 17 at second level for 5 rounds. Some truename spell that gives you +5 to any skill. Now there's a nice spell. Err, whatever.

I'm thinking the unlove for truenamer comes from looks bad plays good.

 

[Seeker95]

My vote went to anything Incarnum. Get rid of all three classes from that book, and we can keep that book out of the room too!