Afrodyte
Explorer
This is a continuation of two threads I started a while ago: organizing class abilities into talent trees and revising the phb races for for flavor and focus.
A change I have decided on is to replace class level with character level for the purpose of determining when talents are gained. So, you get talents at 1st, 5th, 10th, 14th, and 20th character level. Your bonus feats (which I'm now calling class feats) are given at 2nd, 7th, 11th, 13th, 17th, and 19th character level. The overall effect is theoretically reducing the power level of the classes while allowing for more variation within each class.
I have also decided to add talent trees for races too, the better to represent paragons of the various races. Right now, I only have elves completed since I'm more likely to use these in the adventure I'm slowly creating. However, I would like to create racial talent trees for the other races mentioned in the thread linked above. The way the racial talents are formatted have given me some ideas of what I want to do when I revise the class talents. One dilemma I'm facing is whether racial feats should get their own progression like class and character feats, or whether they should be chosen from amongst the feats available. Giving racial feats their own progression does power up the PCs, and I'm not sure how that would play out in the long run. However, it does do more to emphasize the particular traits each race excells at.
Here is what I have for the racial talent trees for elves.
Innate Magic Talent Tree
Craft Magic Item. You may imbue even the most mundane items you craft with magical qualities. The magical properties of the item you create must follow the general function and nature of the item and be of masterwork quality. Typical boons include bonuses to skill checks (for items other than armor and weapons), saves, attack rolls (for weapons), and AC (for armor). Other benefits are feasible as well as long as the mundane function and nature of the item is followed. Thus, a ring of invisibility is right out, but a cloak that makes its wearer comfortable in all weather and easier to hide is just right. If you successfully craft a masterwork item, for every 4 ranks in the appropriate Craft skill you have, you can give a +1 bonus to a roll suited to the item or one spell level of an effect. To give an item spells and spell-like effects, you must be able to cast the spell you with to weave into the item.
Gift of the fey. As the gift described for generic spellcasters in the aforementioned thred.
Gift of the green. As the gift described for generic spellcasters in the aforementioned thread.
Fey subtype. Your character's creature type becomes fey instead of humanoid. You gain DR 5/cold iron and holy. Prerequisites: gift of the fey.
Enhanced gift. Add your casting attribute bonus to the effective caster level for gift of the fey or gift of the green spells. Prerequisites: gift of the fey or gift of the green.
Spirit of Nature (or the Wilderness, or whatever) Talent Tree
Darkvision. As described in the PHB.
Racial Skills. You may spread a +5 bonus amongst the following skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Hide, Knowledge (arcana, geography, history, nature), Listen, Move Silently, Perform (music-based), Spot, Survival, and Swim. No more than +3 can be alloted to a single skill.
Racial Feats. You gain one of the following as a bonus feat: Agile, Point-blank Shot, Quick Draw, Skill Focus (one of the racial skills), Stealthy, Weapon Finesse, and Weapon Focus (any bow or finesseable melee weapon).
Ability ImprovementTalent Tree
Ability Improvement. You may distribute 3 points amongst Dexterity, Wisdom, and Charisma. You may choose this talent more than once, but you cannot apply more than 3 points to a single attribute.
A change I have decided on is to replace class level with character level for the purpose of determining when talents are gained. So, you get talents at 1st, 5th, 10th, 14th, and 20th character level. Your bonus feats (which I'm now calling class feats) are given at 2nd, 7th, 11th, 13th, 17th, and 19th character level. The overall effect is theoretically reducing the power level of the classes while allowing for more variation within each class.
I have also decided to add talent trees for races too, the better to represent paragons of the various races. Right now, I only have elves completed since I'm more likely to use these in the adventure I'm slowly creating. However, I would like to create racial talent trees for the other races mentioned in the thread linked above. The way the racial talents are formatted have given me some ideas of what I want to do when I revise the class talents. One dilemma I'm facing is whether racial feats should get their own progression like class and character feats, or whether they should be chosen from amongst the feats available. Giving racial feats their own progression does power up the PCs, and I'm not sure how that would play out in the long run. However, it does do more to emphasize the particular traits each race excells at.
Here is what I have for the racial talent trees for elves.
Innate Magic Talent Tree
Craft Magic Item. You may imbue even the most mundane items you craft with magical qualities. The magical properties of the item you create must follow the general function and nature of the item and be of masterwork quality. Typical boons include bonuses to skill checks (for items other than armor and weapons), saves, attack rolls (for weapons), and AC (for armor). Other benefits are feasible as well as long as the mundane function and nature of the item is followed. Thus, a ring of invisibility is right out, but a cloak that makes its wearer comfortable in all weather and easier to hide is just right. If you successfully craft a masterwork item, for every 4 ranks in the appropriate Craft skill you have, you can give a +1 bonus to a roll suited to the item or one spell level of an effect. To give an item spells and spell-like effects, you must be able to cast the spell you with to weave into the item.
Gift of the fey. As the gift described for generic spellcasters in the aforementioned thred.
Gift of the green. As the gift described for generic spellcasters in the aforementioned thread.
Fey subtype. Your character's creature type becomes fey instead of humanoid. You gain DR 5/cold iron and holy. Prerequisites: gift of the fey.
Enhanced gift. Add your casting attribute bonus to the effective caster level for gift of the fey or gift of the green spells. Prerequisites: gift of the fey or gift of the green.
Spirit of Nature (or the Wilderness, or whatever) Talent Tree
Darkvision. As described in the PHB.
Racial Skills. You may spread a +5 bonus amongst the following skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Hide, Knowledge (arcana, geography, history, nature), Listen, Move Silently, Perform (music-based), Spot, Survival, and Swim. No more than +3 can be alloted to a single skill.
Racial Feats. You gain one of the following as a bonus feat: Agile, Point-blank Shot, Quick Draw, Skill Focus (one of the racial skills), Stealthy, Weapon Finesse, and Weapon Focus (any bow or finesseable melee weapon).
Ability ImprovementTalent Tree
Ability Improvement. You may distribute 3 points amongst Dexterity, Wisdom, and Charisma. You may choose this talent more than once, but you cannot apply more than 3 points to a single attribute.
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