PCs from Light Against The Dark

[seasong]

I really am not intending to be as quarrelsome as I probably sound, so please accept big disclaimers up front. I'm really intrigued by this, which is why I ask so many questions. So, that preface aside:

No worries!

Wouldn't a human Ftr2/Bbn1 have comparable hp, BAB, 5 feats (3 standard, 2 fighter-only)? I agree that he wouldn't have weapon specialization yet.

Ftr2/Bar1 base HP = 21, so yes. And he'll survive a 5th level fireball with about as much aplomb.

BAB = +3 for both.
AC +3 for Athan, AC +0 for Ftr2/Bar1
Feats: not even close. Athan's got 3 weapon focus feats, 3 weapon specializations, weapon trip with the staff, improved trip, cleave, and close & far shot with the spear.

Within 30 feet, and not counting STR, Athan has a net +5 to hit, and +3 to damage, which the Ftr2/Bar1 can't match.

For stackable feats, is the limit 1 stacking per level? In other words could Athan be running around with DR 3/- now or even higher?

Max 1 per level. Yes. You munchkin .

The three-state weariness should help casters from falling prey to a single (or even very few) bad rolls. It is a nice simplification from "power points" which would be the nearest match. Now if there was a revitalization spell that boosts your weariness level back up... [grin]

...I would have Greppa and Merideth tag-teaming the enemy like a couple of mafia bruisers on PCP. No thanks .

 

[Caliber]

In your last post you mentioned Greppa slinging around little fire elementals that set the opponents on fire.

Melf's Acid Arrow right?

Edit: Oh, and I think the personalization of spells is one of the coolest elements I've seen, and its something I've often thought about before. Very nicely pulled off in your game, and I am glad to see its worked this well.

 

[seasong]

posted by Caliber
I noticed you said the Earth's Skin protected the party from the flames ... does that mean DR in your game is universal? (ie, DR counts not only as reduction from physical harm, but also from energy attacks?)

Depends. I prefer to have things make sense, so I'm tentatively using the following guidelines:

1. Innate DR will tend to apply to almost all damage. Most "touch attacks" like Inflict will tend to ignore DR the same way it ignores armor.
2. Lightning will ignore DR from metal armor. Otherwise, armor stops energy damage appropriately.
3. Sonics that do damage by bursting ear drums, etc., will tend to ignore armor DR.
4. Some types of DR are only good against a particular type of energy or physical attack. For example, a dragon has Fire DR.

 

[seasong]

In your last post you mentioned Greppa slinging around little fire elementals that set the opponents on fire.

Melf's Acid Arrow right?

Got it in one . Same damage, same rounds/lvl, etc., but a different special effect.

The special effects also have some very minor effects on how the spells work. For example, the lesser shadow killer spell is actually magic missile, but it is not affected by Shield, and it is affected by Protection spells and other anti-extradimensional entity effects.

The infernal spider's web spell doesn't burn at the touch of fire (considering where it comes from!), but ordinary sunlight causes it to burn away.

Edit: Oh, and I think the personalization of spells is one of the coolest elements I've seen, and its something I've often thought about before. Very nicely pulled off in your game, and I am glad to see its worked this well.

Thanks!

 

[Caliber]

Depends. I prefer to have things make sense, so I'm tentatively using the following guidelines:

1. Innate DR will tend to apply to almost all damage. Most "touch attacks" like Inflict will tend to ignore DR the same way it ignores armor.
2. Lightning will ignore DR from metal armor. Otherwise, armor stops energy damage appropriately.
3. Sonics that do damage by bursting ear drums, etc., will tend to ignore armor DR.
4. Some types of DR are only good against a particular type of energy or physical attack. For example, a dragon has Fire DR.

Does Studded Leather count as metal or as ... non-metal? Maybe 1/2?

How do you determine whether or not Sonic should ignore DR?

Would a Dragon also have a whopping regular DR in addition to specialized Fire DR?

Do you still have Energy Resistance of any kind, or has that been replaced by specialized DR?

(Armor as DR is another rule I've toyed with but never tried. Very cool! )

 

[seasong]

Studded leather wouldn't get the DR bonus from being studded .

Sonics: Generally, if it seems to be a "pound the body into powder with vibration", I'd use armor DR. If it seems to be more of a "rupture the ear cavity", I would still allow innate DR.

Dragons have a whopping DR, enhanced with additional heat-specialized DR. Their innate (normal) DR is based on their natural AC bonus; the fire DR is based on their normal fire resistance.

As you might guess from the above, energy resistance is now called specialized DR. Just keeping my terms consistent, but you can call it whichever you want, and I'll probably understand you.

Also, just as a note: I may change all of this, should it turn out to be hosing the game. Just sitting down and working out the math, it all looks like it should work up to level 12 pretty easily.

 

[Capellan]

I have to say that, given the web's resistance to fire, and the fact that the hell hunter comes from the "infernal realms", I am surprised that Greppa's fire elemental had any effect on the creature. Seems odd that it creates a web that is fire resistant, but isn't fire resistant itself?

 

[seasong]

It (and the web) has fire DR 5, enough to stand briefly in a 2d4 bonfire and be unimpressed by a d6 torch held to its flesh. Neither it nor the web are immune to fire, however.

And all of the ordinary mountain spiders are affected normally, of course.

 

[Caliber]

In case you haven't caught it, there is one big difference between DR and Energy Resistance in standard DnD.

DR works for every hit a character receives, while Energy Resistance normally only applies to one attack per round (or at least, it only "refreshes" every round, if you follow)

Overall though, sounds really nice. Those Dragons are gonna be tough though.

Time to break out the touch attacks.

 

[seasong]

I don't see that as a difference in the DR/resistance; I see that as a difference in the damage.

Most energy attacks stack. If you take three fireballs in the same round, and each one does 20 damage, for system purposes you took a hit of 60 heat damage in one round.

Kinetic attacks, on the other hand, do not stack.

It will work the same in my campaign.