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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6081576" data-attributes="member: 6696971">Sorry.&nbsp; Have been MIA a wee bit.&nbsp; Its extremely difficult to give advice on this without having further information to focus my thoughts; eg setting, plot arc expectations, PC backgrounds.&nbsp; However, what I can do is provide this general guidance on themes and give two examples:Problematic theme:&nbsp; There are themes out there that either have far too much potential synergy with certain builds or they start out with ridiculously powerful features (such as encounter powers with extreme action economy; eg minor action attacks or powerful no/free action riders or status effects) and comparatively taper off in power (but oftentimes become more interesting and better served in their thematic role) as they level.&nbsp; These themes will have large effect on combat encounter budgeting expectations.&nbsp; I would be inclined to make PCs spend a feat on the first level features they gain for free.&nbsp; Examples:&nbsp; Blackstaff Apprentice, Guardian, Sohei.Functional theme:&nbsp; There are themes out there that diversify resource arsenal and/or provide true thematic depth to a character without considerably perturbing their fundamental power level.&nbsp; What's more, these themes either have a flat power gain or a minor trend upward.&nbsp; While they do not affect combat encounter budgeting in any meaningful way, they likely gain interesting, thematically coherent features that provide them combat utility.&nbsp; However, what they do is provide the character the means to functionally participate in non-combat encounters outside of their class's default expectations or they make them slightly better at their class's default non-combat encounter expectations.&nbsp; That is a good thing.&nbsp; Examples:&nbsp; Explorer, Hordelands Nomad, Mariner.All in all though, outside of a few examples, the Theme Utility Power options are almost univerally excellent.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 6081576, member: 6696971"] Sorry. Have been MIA a wee bit. Its extremely difficult to give advice on this without having further information to focus my thoughts; eg setting, plot arc expectations, PC backgrounds. However, what I can do is provide this general guidance on themes and give two examples: [I][B]Problematic theme[/B][/I]: There are themes out there that either have far too much potential synergy with certain builds or they start out with ridiculously powerful features (such as encounter powers with extreme action economy; eg minor action attacks or powerful no/free action riders or status effects) and comparatively taper off in power (but oftentimes become more interesting and better served in their thematic role) as they level. These themes will have large effect on combat encounter budgeting expectations. I would be inclined to make PCs spend a feat on the first level features they gain for free. Examples: Blackstaff Apprentice, Guardian, Sohei. [I][B]Functional theme[/B][/I]: There are themes out there that diversify resource arsenal and/or provide true thematic depth to a character without considerably perturbing their fundamental power level. What's more, these themes either have a flat power gain or a minor trend upward. While they do not affect combat encounter budgeting in any meaningful way, they likely gain interesting, thematically coherent features that provide them combat utility. However, what they do is provide the character the means to functionally participate in non-combat encounters outside of their class's default expectations or they make them slightly better at their class's default non-combat encounter expectations. That is a good thing. Examples: Explorer, Hordelands Nomad, Mariner. All in all though, outside of a few examples, the Theme Utility Power options are almost univerally excellent. [/QUOTE]

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