XPH: Elan Balanced?

[Thanee]

Sure, Nightfall, whatever you say.

Who or what is 'Nightfall'?

Bye
Thanee

P.S. You can like the book as much as you want (nothing wrong there), but if you say it's balanced with the PHB, I have to laugh!

 

[johnsemlak]

Who or what is 'Nightfall'?

Nightfall is the 'Sage of the Scarred Lands'. He's an uber-fan of that setting, though AFAIK he doesn't have any direct affiliation with S&SS. Look for his 'Ask the Scarred Lands Sage' thread in general discussion.

I think Dinkledog was referring to the fact that Nightfall uses every chance he can to plug the Scarred Lands setting.

Personally, I would have preferred the following line:

Sure Cato, whatever you say

 

[Thanee]

Uhm... not that there are many similarities... *shrugs*

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

I think Dinkledog was referring to the fact that Nightfall uses every chance he can to plug the Scarred Lands setting.

Hey, I don't even have a signature proclaiming the horrid unbalanced-ness of the XPH!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Dinkeldog]

Yet.

 

[Darklone]

Hehehe. Wait for the first few totally unbalanced FAQ answers to the XPH and you will

 

[two]

this race will save your *ss a few times at least

This race will save your butt a few time, at least. That's what makes it possibly more powerful than +1.

For example, the +4 on saves is the difference between a wizard having a sucky fort save and having a good one (at low-mid levels particularly).

The 1PP for 2 HP's thing is gnarly. This will save your hide 4-5-6 times in the course of your adventuring life, at least.

For example:

"OK you are hit by the flanking rogue attack, 3 attacks hit, you take 88 points of damage"
"Aurhgh. I shuold be at -5 right now, but instead I absorb 50 points of the damage."

Etc. Basicaly, any time you would have died/gone unconscious due to HP loss, this race will keep you going. How much is THAT worth?

 

[Scion]

Lets also not forget they are abberations, meaning they are immune to a lot of the dominate person, charm person, etc.

Most of the powers they are immune to that are harmful are pretty limited use anyway, and arent used beyond the first few levels. Not a huge bonus, but they are also immune to some 'beneficial' spells which are used later on. So, at best it is a wash.

The -2 to charisma really isn't much of a minus, as has been stated.

The -2 may not be huge, but the lack of a +2 definately is. As the -2 will cost roughly 2 point buy points most of the time, but lack of a +2 costs a min of 2 and up to 10. That is an enormous deficit.

People are saying the immediate effect can only be used once a round, and is balanced. But what spell level would you give to a spell that granted a +4 bonus to saves that stacks with all other save bonuses, lasts one round, and is quickened?

And that spell gets rid of all of your other racial abilities? Sounds like a pretty sucky spell now doesnt it? Having a +1 all of the time, without cost, vs a +4 sometimes that has two (maybe three, depending on how you count) costs..hmm.. Pretty much a wash there as well.

In fact better than quickened because it doesn't even have to be my turn, so its more like a contengency, except the condition is "whenever I feel like it".

Have you seen how many powers in the psionics handbook use those free actions? A lot, and there is quicken power for that matter. With the amounts of powers that can be quickened it makes that action type even more desireable. Making the cost to use your racial abilities even higher.

For the resilence thing, its not the absorb 50 points of damage that's awesome, its the fact I could absorb that last 10 points of damage that would have put me under.

How often have you gotten surprised by an enemy and got dropped to -2 hp? How much better would it have been to have 3 more hp so you could have run away, or healed yourself up. The fact that the elan's ability is so customizable and can be done whenever they want is what makes it so hardcore.

Sure, it is an interesting ability. But a +2 con would probably save a person from such things just as often, along with granting a score of other abilities. Plus, you have to pay for this with an immediate action, what if you had already used it for that +4 to save? or for some other ability? (psionic pounce is pretty nice after all!)

So, they have nice abilties of course. But the sheer cost of having them is so high it is laughable

 

[James McMurray]

The 1PP for 2 HP's thing is gnarly. This will save your hide 4-5-6 times in the course of your adventuring life, at least.

+2 to Dex as an elf will make almost 5% of all attacks miss you. +2 dex and small size as a halfling will make almost 10% of all attacks miss you.

The +4 to saves is nice, but it isn't much nicer than a dwarf's +2 that is constantly active against magic.

The Elan is strong for +0, but it isn't necessarily too strong. My next campaign will likely have at least one Elan in the party, so I'll have more actual game anecdotes by that point.

 

[Shadowdweller]

And that spell gets rid of all of your other racial abilities? Sounds like a pretty sucky spell now doesnt it? Having a +1 all of the time, without cost, vs a +4 sometimes that has two (maybe three, depending on how you count) costs..hmm.. Pretty much a wash there as well.

You see, the problem with guns is that they run out of ammo. Swords don't, however. Why don't you see modern armies using swords instead of guns?

The +4 to saves is nice, but it isn't much nicer than a dwarf's +2 that is constantly active against magic.

Other than that the Elan's ability affects non-spell saves as well. And that +4 is as much better than the dwarf's +2 (on any roll where said +4 applies) as the dwarf's ability is better than the Generic Other Race.