RPM: Beta features update

[Luke]

Re: The evolving beta, and some answers to the above posts

My very, very latest (personal) version now processes stacking bonuses correctly, and also creates enchantment bonus modifiers for armor and shields. With those 2 things in mind, I'll address the issues raised above...

something I'd like to see added is a point-buy option

Yes. I'm in favour of that too. It may wait till after the beta though.

it'd be nice when (during the Creature Creation Wizard) viewing feats during the level up process to have some additonal info displayed for the feats

Yes, and the same for skills, classes, items etc etc. I plan on those, but after release 1.

The half-orc doesn't have any racial qualities listed

Was true. There's nothing very special to list in the game mechanics area.

Gruther the Goblin, is an Asn5, with no other classes. Is this because you simply put that in as an example?

Yes. When you go to "Level Up" you see that the Asn class is technically not qualified for. RPM will warn you, but still let you...

I'd like to second the request to *not* have the 'standard' equipment forcibly re-added to a creature being created in the Wizard.

Yep. I *do* need to do this with natural attacks and weapons, but I'll find a way to ignore other weapons.

the javelin of lightning's description says it deals 5d6 damage; when equipped, it's listed as 1d6

This is correct. The javelin is still a 1d6 piercing weapon. As per it's description, it's ability to transform itself into a 5d6 lightning bolt (when thrown) is a very different situation. From a game mechanics perspective, it needs a little script code to *transform* it into a lightning bolt. It essentially becomes a different weapon altogether.

Did you know RPM not only allows you to equip a char with multiple suits of armor, it allows them to stack? *grin* "Why, yes, Bob the fighter /does/ have chainmail on under his plate--and a suit of leather, to boot!" Hehehehe

Yes - and I'm not changing it. I've just been playing with a character that is wearing +2 leather over their chain shirt. With the stacking bonuses and the armor enchantment working correctly, you still get the +2 benefit from the leather, even if the leather itself is redundant due to the chainmail shirt Seems fair to me... At the very least, RPM doesn't just add them altogether anymore, with the stacking correctly applied.

Shields aren't allow any magical properties in RPM, though they should be, only bonuses (and I thought those were only supposed to go up to +5, with the max of +10 being for additional properties rated as bonuses).

Now they do. If your house rules allow you to go past +5, that's fine. Correct stacking now ensures that you get the correct maximum total.

there were a few places where Alt-G didn't bring up the guide

Probably where you were in a modal screen (can't click outside of the window).
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Issues mentioned with racial base scores for half-orc, gnome, half-elf etc.

Simple data entry. Half-Orc and half-elf is actually correct, as per the SRD.

When creating a half-orc with no class levels, RPM gave me 2 ranks of Spot and a +2 inherent bonus to spot, for a total of +2 (!)

Well, SRD says +2 racial spot and listen for orcs and half-orcs. PHB says nothing for half-orc. SRD makes sense, or does it?
Those 2 ranks are mis-reported (badly worded) in the wizard, and aren't seen after the wizard is completed.

Half-Orcs: Alertness, +2 listen, and feats for armor, weapons and shields, and Iron Will.

"Alertness" is as per the SRD (probably more correct than the PHB, since it takes a more universal approach to racial qualities, whereas the PHB is more a direct outgrowth of 2nd ed D&D). I've added the +2 listen, and the weapon/armor/shield proficiencies probably only appeared after you started playing with class levels.
"Iron Will" fixed.

The javelin's damage is wrong - it only has 1d6 damage, despite Str 13.

That was because the javelin is listed as a range attack. Too bad there's no "Mighty" Javelin. Just goes to show: we're all human. When a program is wrong, it's because it was programmed that way by a human

How is the database structure? Is this the final version of the structure (no more changes to the structure)?

Very, very close to being complete.

Initiative Bonus of 0 as it shows up in the Statblock
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A simple, stupid mistake. Sorry about that. Will be fixed, and also displayed on the main screen.

Does the program figure the synergy bonuses for skills? I noticed that 3 of the skills were 2 points lower than they should be and this was due to no synergy bonus.

Synergy bonuses, and a whole lot more, appear in-game, via the "Execute Action" window.

How does one go about adding in the Unarmed attack and the correct BAB sequence for this. I would have thought with the monk being in the database it would have the appropriate information but alas it appears not to.

You should have found that the full monk attack was automatically calculated for you (in your version, I think...).
You may have been confused in that the "UseFlurryOfBlows" option wasn't invoked. This gives you the extra attack with the reduced to hit.
Lastly, I haven't yet coded the "FlurryOfBlows" attack modifiers for when that option is selected, and the attack is with a "monk weapon"

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I'm trying to get the private release cleaned up for those who've requested it. Although I'm more keen on the core RPG engine issues than the simple data entry ones, please continue to report anything, and I'll clean as I go...

Thanks for the feedback guys!!

 

[CRGreathouse]

Well, SRD says +2 racial spot and listen for orcs and half-orcs. PHB says nothing for half-orc. SRD makes sense, or does it?
Those 2 ranks are mis-reported (badly worded) in the wizard, and aren't seen after the wizard is completed.

"Alertness" is as per the SRD (probably more correct than the PHB, since it takes a more universal approach to racial qualities, whereas the PHB is more a direct outgrowth of 2nd ed D&D). I've added the +2 listen, and the weapon/armor/shield proficiencies probably only appeared after you started playing with class levels.
"Iron Will" fixed.

The SRD doesn't say +2 racial bonus to Spot and Listen - it gives them Alertness, which most players replace wuith a different feat. It's their "starting package", just like greataxe and javelin.

The proficiencies appeared before I added any levels at all, for some reason.

Quick question, Luke - how easy is it to add levels to 1-HD monsters other than core PC classes (e.g. aasimar, orcs)?

 

[Velik]

CRGreathouse,

You should just be able to give them more race levels, either by adding levels or the level up button

 

[CRGreathouse]

Velik - that's not exactly my question. Take an aasimar, for example - d8 HD, +2 base saves (Fort, Ref, Will), etc. It's a template monster, like orcs and elves, so taking a class level *replaces* its "Outsider" level. Thus, a first-level fighter aasimar has a Fort save of 2+Con modifier instead of 4+Con modifier, and has 1d10+_ HD instead of 1d8+1d10+_ HD.

I just wanted to know if RPM knows this.

 

[Luke]

Velik - that's not exactly my question. Take an aasimar, for example - d8 HD, +2 base saves (Fort, Ref, Will), etc. It's a template monster, like orcs and elves, so taking a class level *replaces* its "Outsider" level. Thus, a first-level fighter aasimar has a Fort save of 2+Con modifier instead of 4+Con modifier, and has 1d10+_ HD instead of 1d8+1d10+_ HD.

I just wanted to know if RPM knows this.

There are some issues related to racial hit dice, so I'll give you the RPM approach, and my personal take.

RPM approach
This is an open, generic D20 system, so you have flexibility, whilst the default should be core rules, as follows:

• You choose whether or not there are any racial hit dice, using the "Player Character" checkbox. Perhaps it could be better named, but the hint on it says it all. Obviously, when generating standard player characters, you turn this off (hence the labelling of the checkbox).
• If you opt for racial hit dice, the default is as per the template for the racial standard.
• A progressed creature could have any amount of racial or class levels.
• RPM will correctly work out all BAB, HD, saves etc. based on the total class levels and racial level (if any). Just like classes, races have their own way of determining what the good saves, HD type, BAB attack columns etc. are. Far as I know, it's all handled correctly.

My personal take
I'm very uncertain about using "replaces" as THE rule.
This is an area where the core rules could have been generally more specific, particularly with individual race descriptions.

Dragons are an area where it is handled well. Racial HD levels are clearly linked to dragon age. I personally tend to think that from baby to adulthood, there certainly is a growing "toughness" that would be typically linked to age (as the form of advancement).

The "replaces" would worry me most with an example such as the shaman in the Storm Giant village. Whilst the adults typically run around with 19 HD, the "shaman", with 2 levels of cleric, would be 2 HD!! Just doesn't sound right. Seems like maybe the shaman could have 17HD of racial levels, and 2 of Cleric??

Until we get "hard rules" for how to evolve racial HD properly (as they bothered to do with Dragons), RPM will just give you the flexibility to tweak it how you want, and make sure that all the mechanics numbers come out correctly.

If by "replaces", you mean sacrifice a certain number of racial HD for some total of class levels (as opposed to *no* racial HD), then we're all talking the same language!

 

[CRGreathouse]

The "replaces" would worry me most with an example such as the shaman in the Storm Giant village. Whilst the adults typically run around with 19 HD, the "shaman", with 2 levels of cleric, would be 2 HD!! Just doesn't sound right. Seems like maybe the shaman could have 17HD of racial levels, and 2 of Cleric??

For D&D (and the rest of the d20 system? I don't know.), "replaces" is the rule - but only for 1-HD monsters. A tiefling Ftr1 has 1d10 HD, whereas a hobgoblin Ftr1 has 3d8+1d10 HD (IIRC). These are obviously adjusted for Constitution and Toughness...

 

[Luke]

For D&D (and the rest of the d20 system? I don't know.), "replaces" is the rule - but only for 1-HD monsters. A tiefling Ftr1 has 1d10 HD, whereas a hobgoblin Ftr1 has 3d8+1d10 HD (IIRC). These are obviously adjusted for Constitution and Toughness...

Fair enough. This is consistent with maintaining a particular CR level (very roughly), by sacrificing racial HD for class HD.
For a 1st level (as per new character generation), "sacrifice" effectively means "replace", since you only have 1 level to give.

The biggest (sideline) issue to all this, is an accurate represention of overall CR, based on the total of class and race levels. Assuming you accept that classes are balanced against one another for equality, the race levels are a very poor cousin by comparison. The basic difference is that adding race levels doesn't typically give you all the extras you get, as with class levels (eg. level-based class features). Once again, there are exceptions, as with dragons, where you get new/improved features to go with new race levels.

My personal take is that a *general* race-based approach to new/improved racial features that are race-level-based would go a long way to rounding out the core rules.
Of course, as with dragons again, this places a general layer of complexity that screams for computer assistence when DMs and publishers create their adventures, which is never an accepted pre-requisite for playing D&D
... and I'm also responding to a pen and paper fan...

 

[CRGreathouse]

Speaking of dragons, I've been putting some serious hours into my dragon generator - 27 varieties of dragon, plus HD advancement, adjustable stats, etc. I'm working on templates next. Hopefully, this will give me something of a background for understanding the issues involved!

http://mwtools.thyle.net/d_gen.html

 

[mabreaux]

I believe that templates would be a great boon to the program, like the afore memtioned, half dragon, and vampires examples, which I use in my campaign currently.

 

[CRGreathouse]

My priorities at the moment: dracolich, fiendish, half-fiend, ?. Of course, I'm open to suggestions...