Talent Trees & D&D

[Psion]

I think I'd rather see anything that is good about talents, however, be integrated into the feat system rather than treating them separately. Heck, from the start I was annoyed that 3e--having gone the direction it did--didn't go further & integrate class abilities with the feat system.

I like the idea of making classes more flexible AND giving classes specialties. So I like them separate.

True20's class specific feats are a little like feats, but I like talents a bit better because they force some measure of horizontal character development instead of letting you just scale to the apex of a single feat tree as fast as you can.

 

[Voadam]

Doesn't Grim Tales do talent trees for D&D? Or is that attribute hero classes for D&D with talent trees (strong hero, intelligent hero, charismatic hero, etc.)

 

[Cam Banks]

Doesn't Grim Tales do talent trees for D&D? Or is that attribute hero classes for D&D with talent trees (strong hero, intelligent hero, charismatic hero, etc.)

Grim Tales is an excellent resource for talent trees, as are the Postmodern products and the "Classically Modern" PDF that's been drifting around for a while. In GT, all of the "class feature" talent trees are advanced talents, that is they're only available after 3 levels of Fast, Tough, Strong etc etc. GT abandons d20 Modern's advanced classes in favor of these trees.

I'm working on using Star Wars Saga Edition for a fantasy campaign this summer, and one of the key areas to consider is what the base classes will be. Like others, I don't want to take it all the way back to True20's (or Unearthed Arcana's) three class model, but then I think Star Wars' five is a good group. Another option is to go with the d20 Modern six, and leave the class feature stuff in as Grim Tales does it. Sort of a Grim Tales meets Star Wars Saga Edition.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[GlassJaw]

Doesn't Grim Tales do talent trees for D&D? Or is that attribute hero classes for D&D with talent trees (strong hero, intelligent hero, charismatic hero, etc.)

The latter, and it rocks. Highly customizable sweet spot gaming at its best.

 

[Ranger REG]

It wouldn't be too hard to create some talent trees based on current PrC/base class abilities.

Fighter
* Archer (bow/missile atks)

Do you have some suggestions for the Archer talent tree?

 

[Remathilis]

Do you have some suggestions for the Archer talent tree?

Off the Top of my Head, things like rapid shot, ignoring soft cover, aiming shots, extra damage, etc.

Its a work in progress

 

[Ranger REG]

Off the Top of my Head, things like rapid shot, ignoring soft cover, aiming shots, extra damage, etc.

Its a work in progress

So's mine, though I haven't decided to use any of the known feats as talents.

 

[Imruphel]

FFG's excellent Dawnforge used talent trees to build the racial abilities of the various races. Well worth a look, IMO.

 

[RFisher]

Off the Top of my Head, things like rapid shot, ignoring soft cover, aiming shots, extra damage, etc.

There were those feats for a Sherwood campaign in Dragon...

 

[satori01]

Talent trees preserve the flavor of a class in a way that I think just granting feats to customize your character and select the abilities you want does not.

You still wind up with a customizable but strongly themed character, and I think when you have free form "feat" system for character advancement you get not very well thought out amorphous characters.

This is of course my personal opinion. I tend to agree that with Talent Trees you can reduce some of the classes, Sorcerers, Scouts, Specialist Wizards come to mind. I also like the idea of class specific talents, for example I can see the Fighter and Ranger class sharing the Archery Talent Tree for example, but the Fighter Tree having a couple of extra options.