Non-Ranger 3.5E Changes

[Murrdox]

The FAQ has a specific entry on intimidate - and I use this for other combinations as well.

If you're using intimidate to phsycially threaten someone, use your STR bonus instead of your CHA bonus.

Other combinations like this are possible when people start using skills in interesting ways, but using STR for intimidate is one of the more obvious ones.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

The FAQ has a specific entry on intimidate - and I use this for other combinations as well.

If you're using intimidate to phsycially threaten someone, use your STR bonus instead of your CHA bonus.

Other combinations like this are possible when people start using skills in interesting ways, but using STR for intimidate is one of the more obvious ones.

I like that. I thought the bend metal bars thing was lame, but str instead of chr when you physically threaten in general I think works.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Naw. Just because someone who is large is intimidating, doesn't mean they have actual skill in it. Besides, an 18 STR doesn't always mean hulking large. Maybe some kind of synergy bonus.

Yeah that's what ranks are for.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Re: I hope the fix the damage spells!

The change I'd most like to see with 3.5 is a slaughtering of the sacred cow of having magic missile and fireball screw up the damage guidelines for spells. It's not so much that these two spells are overwhelmingly powerful, but rather that I always find annoying that spells of the same level should be so varied in usefulness. I'd like to see them take a step back and make the damage spells consistent in how much damage all energy damage spells can do at each level, and how much damage spells that do bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage can do.

MM breaks the conventions but fireball doesn't. Check the guidelines 10d6 cap for area of effect spells at 3rd level. Fireball nails it. Now flamestrike, blade barrier, magic missile and many others break the conventions and they shouldn't IMO. On a more specific note MM doesn't break the damage conventions but combined with auto hit and a force effect it is very powered up for 1st level.

 

[zoroaster100]

fireball

Fireball doesn't break the 10d6 max, save for half convention for third level, that's true. But it has a much bigger area than other 3rd level area damage spells that do the same damage. It probably should have a 15' radius or be 4th level.

 

[Vaxalon]

Fireball has a smaller area than a lightning bolt.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Hmmm.

I know a few folks who can play about 6-8 instruments quite well. Some folks can just do it. I guess the question you have to ask yourself is this: If you don't have a problem with characters calling lighting from the skies to smite your foes, hurl balls of killing flame and transform others into whatever their minds can think of with a simple spell then is someone being able to play 20 different musical instruments that much of a leap?

Magic isn't supposed to make sense, except for it's own internal logic. Skills however, I believe, are supposed to be somewhat realistic, unless you're talking epic level skills and swimming up waterfalls and all that jive.

I know people who can play several instruments too. And they'd tell you that they're really good at one or two, and "proficient" at the rest. My point is that they have differing levels of skill in the different instruments. Unless you're some kind of idiot savant, I don't see how you can know 20 different instruments, ALL at Jimi Hendrix/Yitzhak Perlman/Keith Moon levels of virtuosity (20 skill ranks), and just decide to pick up your 21st instrument and automatically become a grandmaster at it. It makes more sense to me to be really good at one or two kinds of performance, with maybe another one or two to fall back on.

 

[John Crichton]

Magic isn't supposed to make sense, except for it's own internal logic. Skills however, I believe, are supposed to be somewhat realistic, unless you're talking epic level skills and swimming up waterfalls and all that jive.

I know people who can play several instruments too. And they'd tell you that they're really good at one or two, and "proficient" at the rest. My point is that they have differing levels of skill in the different instruments. Unless you're some kind of idiot savant, I don't see how you can know 20 different instruments, ALL at Jimi Hendrix/Yitzhak Perlman/Keith Moon levels of virtuosity (20 skill ranks), and just decide to pick up your 21st instrument and automatically become a grandmaster at it. It makes more sense to me to be really good at one or two kinds of performance, with maybe another one or two to fall back on.

The entire game is based upon the fantastic. That 20 ranks in perform is for incredibly high level characters who's greatest abilities go way beyond being able to play over a dozen instruments at a master level. Magic having it's own internal logic is no excuse for letting that happen (which is basically the impossible) with no problem yet taking issue with a person having the ability to play many musical instruments. I've heard Hendrix and Moon do some amazing things but I've never seen either one of them cure the blind, create fire from nothing or bring anyone back from the dead. It's all in context.

I respect the way you see skills and appreciate how you may try to run them. But the d20 system isn't based in reality, it is there to make the fantastic possible within a rules system. Is it a little nutty that things like Perform are wonky, sure. But I don't know about you but there aren't that many 15+ level bards in my worlds. Just to get that high is an acomplishment. Having the ability to play that many instruments would just be gravy.