Splatbooks to Beware of?

[DM_Matt]

Frostburn takes all the mistakes of BOED and makes them worse. In BOED, it was "Become Uber, but its OK because you are only Uber against Evil" ...But many people are just about always fighting evil

In Frostburn, it became "Become really, really Uber, but its OK because you are only really, really, Uber, when its really, really cold," since its really, really cold less than PCs fight evil. However, the whole point of the book is areas where its always really, really cold, and they conveniently include spells to make it really, really, cold.

There are feats that if cold enough will give you +2 dmg/die and +2 caster level on all cold spells, a feat to make all spells cold spells (plus there is always energy sub for damaging ones), and a one level matamag feat to ignore cold res and deal half dmg to cold immune things and x2 to fire subtype. This last feat becomes a constant, free ability of a full caster progression PRC.

The biggest spell offender if the spell Frostfell, a level 8 spell that makes it really cold for 1 hour/level, gives you a +1 to caster level, and when cast, everything in a 20 ft/level radius must save or be turned to ice. Those who make the save take 1d6/level, and that includes the +1 level for the spell, the likely +2 from the cold and the feat, and you can get +2/die for the other one.

 

[Shuffle]

*Devoted Tracker needs to be watched. Halfling Outriders with it and a Dire Weasel are near unstoppable killing machines.

Why a dire weasel in particular? And what's so special about it?

 

[moritheil]

I think the whole idea of being really really uber whenever you're in limited circumstances is what imbalances the game more than anything else. After all, this is what was said about Divine Metamagic, too.

Either you won't get enough for the tradeoff to be imbalancing, and people will say, "why go through all that work to get only that much power under so many limitations," or the tradeoff will be supremely powerful under those limitations, which will cause most fights to be a chess game of the PCs attempting to meet conditions.

Frostburn takes all the mistakes of BOED and makes them worse. In BOED, it was "Become Uber, but its OK because you are only Uber against Evil" ...But many people are just about always fighting evil

In Frostburn, it became "Become really, really Uber, but its OK because you are only really, really, Uber, when its really, really cold," since its really, really cold less than PCs fight evil. However, the whole point of the book is areas where its always really, really cold, and they conveniently include spells to make it really, really, cold.

 

[Rystil Arden]

I think the whole idea of being really really uber whenever you're in limited circumstances is what imbalances the game more than anything else. After all, this is what was said about Divine Metamagic, too.

Either you won't get enough for the tradeoff to be imbalancing, and people will say, "why go through all that work to get only that much power under so many limitations," or the tradeoff will be supremely powerful under those limitations, which will cause most fights to be a chess game of the PCs attempting to meet conditions.

More of rock-paper-scissors, at least with the ELH

 

[Klaus]

Shivering Touch, page 104

Touch spell, 3d6 Dex damage, no save, but spell resistance:Yes.

Next on the page is Shivering Touch, Lesser, 1rst level, 1d6 Dex, otherwise identical.

Of course, this is the same volume that contains Bonechill, a spell that freezes solid corporeal undead (and only undead) - and has a Fort save. Undead are immune to any effect that requires a Fort save. Duh.

Unless the spell states it can affect objects. Then it's OK to require Fort saves from undead (and constructs).

 

[Carpe DM]

Heh. Then on the other end of the spectrum, there's the feat from Sandstorm that lets you turn or rebuke Hippopotami.

How do you sleep at night after publishing that feat?

 

[Rystil Arden]

Heh. Then on the other end of the spectrum, there's the feat from Sandstorm that lets you turn or rebuke Hippopotami.

How do you sleep at night after publishing that feat?

Very soundly, if you're living on the African rivers, because you know that you can turn any hippos that show up, and hippos are the #1 African animal for fatalities.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Very soundly, if you're living on the African rivers, because you know that you can turn any hippos that show up, and hippos are the #1 African animal for fatalities.

Herbivores, yes. Docile, NO.

And note that the Dire Hippopotamus does eat meat, and such can be a lycanthrope. You can make a hill giant into a were dire hippo and have it be the same CR as the original dire hippo, for much more capability.

Brad

 

[Rystil Arden]

Herbivores, yes. Docile, NO.

And note that the Dire Hippopotamus does eat meat, and such can be a lycanthrope. You can make a hill giant into a were dire hippo and have it be the same CR as the original dire hippo, for much more capability.

Brad

Heehee, yeah. You'll be sorry you didn't take that feat then Carpe DM! See how useful it is?

 

[Pinotage]

Very soundly, if you're living on the African rivers, because you know that you can turn any hippos that show up, and hippos are the #1 African animal for fatalities.

Heh, can be aggresive, those hippos. The number one human killer from the animal world remains the crocodile though. Or alligator - I forget which one it is exactly.

Pinotage