TRAILBLAZER - PDF Release - Discussion/Questions/Errata

[ouini]

Clarifications

Bought the paper version from Amazon, going to show it to my 3e group.

Until it arrives, I'm pondering a couple things in the PDF:

- The first optional 'Action Point Enhancement' (APE?) is something called 'Bound Item'. Does one spend an action point in order to use this ability? Or is it simply bought once per item, or once per level that you bind one or more items, or just once?

- What size do Action Dice start at? D4s are shown in the chart describing exploding Action Dice, but the first APE that increases Action Die size says, "...(d6 becomes d8)."


Just a note: On the Exotic Weapons table, the Whip is listed as doing 1d23 or 1d33 damage. The last 3 in both of those somehow didn't get superscripted (as with Unarmed Strike). Similarly for bolas.

Thanks for creating the TB rules set. Was a list of which spells are Rote vs. Restricted ever made available?

 

[GlassJaw]

- The first optional 'Action Point Enhancement' (APE?) is something called 'Bound Item'. Does one spend an action point in order to use this ability? Or is it simply bought once per item, or once per level that you bind one or more items, or just once?

Bound Item does not require you to spend an AP. Once you choose the Bound Item enhancement, it's "always on" for whatever item you choose. You can switch your bound item each time you gain a level.

- What size do Action Dice start at? D4s are shown in the chart describing exploding Action Dice, but the first APE that increases Action Die size says, "...(d6 becomes d8)."

It's up to the DM but d6 is the default. We should have mentioned that I suppose but d6 is the most common.

Just a note: On the Exotic Weapons table, the Whip is listed as doing 1d23 or 1d33 damage. The last 3 in both of those somehow didn't get superscripted (as with Unarmed Strike). Similarly for bolas.

Grr. Good catch.

Was a list of which spells are Rote vs. Restricted ever made available?

No. We discussed it - and I would given the time - but with the guidelines given in TB, it's not really necessary. Plus, it's subjective to each campaign.

Thanks for the questions!

 

[cauldron]

Bardic Music

Hi,
I'm a newcomer to Trailblazer (played only one game so far) and I love it. A great addition to DD3.5 in my opinion and I hope the system will have a long and fruitful life!

I'm currently converting the characters a my campaign (from Castles & Crusades, a long story), I've had no problem until I just come to the bard. If you allow me I have a question (if it was already asked before sorry, my search skill is quite low...).

If I understand well, a character can't have more ranks in a skill than he has levels, so a first level character is limited to one rank. But the Bardic Music ability requires that the character has at least 3 ranks in Perform to use it. That means that a bard must be at least third level to use any Bardic Music ? But why has he the ability at first level ?
Am I wrong somewhere ?


(PS : sorry for my English, It is not my native language and I hope I'm understandable)

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

If I understand well, a character can't have more ranks in a skill than he has levels, so a first level character is limited to one rank. But the Bardic Music ability requires that the character has at least 3 ranks in Perform to use it.

You can't put more skill points into a skill than your level; if the skill is a class skill (as Perform is for a Bard) then your first skill point is worth 4 ranks. (1 skill point with a +3 bonus.)

 

[cauldron]

OK, thanks !
Now I understand. I thought the +3 was just a bonus, not ranks.

 

[ValhallaGH]

OK, thanks !
Now I understand. I thought the +3 was just a bonus, not ranks.

I had the same issue at first.
It's clear when you read it closely that the extra +3 is ranks, but it's really easy to overlook it.

Good luck with your transition.

 

[cauldron]

Hi,
If you allow me I have another question. More of a clarification in fact.

The Combat Maneuver bonus is the sum of the Melee bonus and the Maneuver modifier, this one depending of the size of the creature.
The Melee bonus is the sum of the BAB, the Strength modifier and the Size modifier.

That means that the size intervenes twice in the calculation of the Combat Maneuver Bonus. For a large creature for exemple, it would be as a -1 as a Size Modifier and a +5 as a Maneuver modifier.
And also three times in the Combat Maneuver Defense (in the Touch AC, the Melee bonus and the Maneuver modifier).

Is that correct?

 

[GlassJaw]

Hi,
That means that the size intervenes twice in the calculation of the Combat Maneuver Bonus. For a large creature for exemple, it would be as a -1 as a Size Modifier and a +5 as a Maneuver modifier.

And also three times in the Combat Maneuver Defense (in the Touch AC, the Melee bonus and the Maneuver modifier).

Is that correct?

Basically, although while "size modifier" and "maneuver modifier" are both based on size, they are two different modifiers.

Maneuver modifier essentially "backs out" size modifier from its melee attack bonus to make CMB easier to calculate.

So once you have CMB calculated, you are essentially only "using" the creature's size once.

A creature's size modifier to AC remains (and therefore its CMD), although we preserved the difficulty of tripping or grappling big creatures, which is inherent in their melee attack modifiers.

But yeah, you got it right.

 

[cauldron]

OK, thanks !

 

[jdrakeh]

Just wanted to say that, while I probably won't be running a straight Trailblazer game anytime soon, I definitely plan to steal bits and pieces (e.g., the new skill acquisition rules, rest periods, encounter budgeting, etc) of this for my next 3.5 game. Excellent work, guys!