I don't know whom you're going with for your PoD, but if you're doing it through Lulu, I'd _really_ like to request that it not only be hardback.
Probably Amazon, almost definitely softcover.
Skills
A disappointment is skills. From the sounds of it, you're sticking with the way that skills have been done.
Not entirely, no. Our version is more like the Pathfinder alpha.
At any rate, changing the way that skills are done isn’t something that players were clamoring for. (Remember, we are really trying to keep a tight focus on our design criteria.)
However, changing the way that skills are done is definitely something that
DMs have been asking for, simply because it’s such a pain to stat out NPCs; and there’s some good news there.
We’ve tried to “unhook” skills from combat in such a way that skill points have even less of an effect on CR than they already did. If you want to shorthand an NPCs skills as “Skills they should be really good at = HD+3, and everything else = HD/2” then you can just do that. Your game will survive such egregious fudging.
Combat Reactions
I poked over to your blog (not updated for some time) to read up more on the whole Combat Reactions thing. It's cool and I think tying it to BaB like that is nifty. I do wonder though if it's not just swapping out where the slowdown occurs? One of the complaints about Iterative Attacks is that it slows down combat. Yeah, I suppose you could toss 3 or 4 d20s at the same time, but it's not really an ideal solution for everyone. By turning around and giving more actions at the same rate as BaB, why isn't the game going to slow down in the same way?
This question deserves a lengthy answer.
First, it’s far too pithy to simply say that, “Iterative attacks slow down combat.” Specifically, the biggest slowdown to combat is the
calculation time that the old method represented. Because each attack had a different attack bonus, you were required to roll them in sequence, and do the math for each d20 individually.
I categorically reject the notion that “Players don’t like rolling a lot of dice.” Players
love rolling dice. In huge handfuls. Think Shadowrun or Warhammer 40k. The difference is that in such games, all of the dice rolled are looking for the same target number. You can sort successful from failures in groups. We can do that.
It’s also a mistake to think that players don’t want options to slow down their game. “Options” is just another way of saying “meaningful choices” and meaningful choices are the fundamental building blocks of play. If the players are given the opportunity to make choices (such as how to spend their combat reactions)
when it isn’t their turn, this keeps them engaged
when it isn’t their turn.
As I see it, people are going to be trying to figure out some way to use the Combat Reaction so it isn't "wasted."
Well, you’re not always in a position to use a combat reaction.
Without doubt, the most useful and powerful reaction is the Dodge. There’s almost no slowdown here. If the DM tells you that the troll is attacking, you say, “I’ll dodge a claw attack.” But each dodge only works against a single attack—and there aren’t enough combat reactions to go around. Players will very often eschew other combat reactions (including attacks of opportunity) because they want to save their reactions to Dodge.
The second most useful (and most used) reaction is Aid Another. Again, very little slowdown. We’ve removed the required roll here—you spend the combat reaction, your ally gets +2 to hit or AC.
But let’s also talk about the ways that combat has been sped up in other ways. First and foremost: movement, positioning, attacks of opportunity. In 3e, combat is very static. You have a lot of wasted time as the players jockey around trying to figure out how to get into combat without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Trailblazer opts for a much more dynamic combat. We’ve made most move actions that you perform “inside your own space” safe to perform, and we’ve made it
much easier to get into combat. Players want to get into combat. The DM wants his players in combat. Why would you want rules that frustrate that process?
So we’ve removed the concept of “threatened squares” and replaced it with “threatened area.” You only provoke an attack of opportunity if you
leave a threatened area. In a nutshell, this means that you can freely move up to an opponent (regardless of its reach) without having to walk on eggshells. It also means that, as long as you stay inside that opponent’s threatened area, you can move around, try to flank, and so forth. Everybody gets “shifty.”
Expert Weapon Proficiency
Looks cool. I like this as a perk for Fighters. I can see something like this being leveraged by folks that want to give a perk of some sort to characters that use a racially favored weapon, even if they're not of a Fighter class.
Certainly—but three levels is not an insignificant dip. In game time—if you’re actually playing the character and leveling up organically—that’s a huge investment.
Base Magic Bonus
Seems interesting; I'll be interested in seeing exactly how it's used, although I think I might understand what's being done with it. Is it actually _worth_ anything though to a non-caster class? Meaning, if I play a straight Fighter for 10 levels, is the BmB ever going to be of use?
No, but it’s also not worth very much in terms of CR. Something like 1/200th of 1 CR.
I haven't seen Action Points presented in any fashion that doesn't encourage hoarding them until the very last minute. Which usually means, the big climatic battle at the end versus Mr. Evil, which will result in a level up and new Action Points. Is Trailblazer using/including Action Points as well? If so, are they the usual waste?
Yes. Not only are they are extremely useful, they are essential to Trailblazer and to dozens of fixes to high-level play. The game desperately needed a new kind of high level resource ablation.
I’ll put Action Points in their own preview.
Okay,my impression of the Trailblazer (TB) fighter:
Hit Die: Fine. I assume you'll be using standard maximum hit points at first level plus any CON bonuses.
PCs also get a “Heroic Bonus” equal to their full CON score.
Punishing Strike: Immediately reminded me of the fighter's mark in 4th edition without the mental gymnastics. Opponents will think twice trying to move away from fighters. I can see players developing PC builds that'll increase the number of AoO from foes (e.g., trip) to take advantage of this ability.
Ha ha! Standing up from prone doesn’t provoke an AoO. Cause really, you just got hit. And then tripped. And then you have to spend your move action standing up. Doesn’t that suck enough? (See above commentary on making moving around in combat not suck.)
But your point is taken, and there are other ways to provoke AoO from a fighter.
Combat Reactions (CR): I like how ALL PCs, not just fighters, have this ability. Wizards or rogues who are suddently forced into melee combat with foes, for example, can use Dodge and Block to protect themselves without having to do a Withdrawal.
I don’t think you’re going to have to “force” rogues into combat—but we’ll cover that in today’s preview. But yes—dodge is great. Consider 12th level, the fighter has a +12 BAB, three reactions, and +6 dodge bonus; the wizard has a +6 BAB, two reactions, and a +3 dodge bonus.
Question, though. Do combat reactions replenish? If so, how often? Once per round?
Once per round—like attacks of opportunity.
And CRs practically cry out for feats to give more of them.
I think they’re too good to give more of them. Combat Reflexes was changed for this reason: Add your DEX bonus to your BAB to determine how many combat reactions you receive. (My playtest rogue had two reactions by 3rd level.)
But you could certainly create feats to make the ones you do receive work better.
But if Trailblazer classes are closer in power, will that alter the CR of the monster? If so, I see two possible solutions: increase the monster's power or change their CR. I'd assume the latter from what I've seen of TB's Encounter Building system.
Trailblazer PCs are certainly more powerful, a difference most acutely felt at low level. (This is a mathematical necessity: a ½ CR increase at first level is an increase of 50%, but it’s a much smaller proportional increase as levels increase.)
But one of the design goals was to be able to use more monsters for bigger, more interesting combats,
especially at low levels. It’s a feature. Who wants to fight
one zombie?
But right off the bat:
Especially if you release a print version of Trailblazer for me and my players.
