PENTHIAE CAMPAIGN QUESTIONS

[Zanaikin]

yeah seems like they took off the wound points, now just using Vitality Points (HP) and condition steps. The force powers are pretty much revolving around a single skill, which isn't ridiculous since star wars skills are rather consolidated and skill points are in high demand (jedis also have the lowest number of skill points of all the base PC classes). Force points are their version of action points, and aren't really used by Force powers. Where force powers are kinda prepared/spent like maneuvers, with certain abilities that allow for in-combat-recharge (or if you roll nat20 on Use the Force skill). They're a pain to learn though.

the conditions path seems like too much hassle for my game to adapt and keep track of. However, I might still pull out base defense bonus once I come up with a decent equation for it... it won't be as good as highly enhanced armor / high lvl mage armor, but definitely a good boost for those who don't wear heavy armor or cast spells, and no they won't be stacking, ACs are high enough as it is.

[Laharl]

I should mention that the old Force system, the clunkiest thing EVER, had a different skill for each effect. Jedi still only had 4+Int skills, iirc, and you didn't have a separate skill point pool for non-Force skills, so you basically got like two Force skills, which cost Vitality to do anything meaningful with, and then a couple regular skills.

BDB was something you used to use, and speaking as someone that's had difficulty keeping ACs up when not using heavy armor or being a caster, I agree with the idea, mostly for light armor users...

[Zanaikin]

currently my BDB equation is:

Base Attack Bonus + Reflex Save - Class Level

it's a dodge bonus, loses when in armor, higher than light load, or denied dex AC. However I'm trying to figure out a REASON to deny it from stacking with things like Greater Mage Armor so classes like monks & ninjas don't end up with an untouchable AC (cause they have some of the highest AC as it is already).

casters may not wear armor but for the most part, they don't have the BAB to make this AC useful. They're not trained to fight in melee anyways so it makes sense not to provide them this bonus.
rogues & similar builds, particularly with crossclassing, have insane base reflex saves that'll patch up their base attack bonus to give them a decent bonus.
most fighter builds, while with full BAB, does not have good reflex saves, but they get heavy armor proficiency anyways.

basically its classes that are limited to light armor but at the same time are a frontline combatant (like rangers, or fighter/rogues since we're a gestalt game) that get the most of out this.

[Laharl]

By loses when in armor, do you mean any armor or armor over light? Since if you want rogues and such to get a lot out of it, it needs to function in light. Of course, then swordsages become insane...

[Zanaikin]

well yeah the idea is that, BDB shall not stack with armor AC (even though its a completely different bonus).

although I may make 2 fighter feats to allow partial stacking, just to make Fighters keep a special edge of its own. (or I may make it a fighter substitution ability to deny warblades it )

[Zanaikin]

ok, an idea I have:

these three ideas kinda work together:

1. BDB as stated above:
Base Defense Bonus is a class and level dependent boost to AC as a dodge bonus. This bonus is denied if you are wearing any armor, carrying more than a light load, or denied your dexterity modifier to AC. This bonus is calculated by the following equation:
Base Defense Bonus = Base Attack Bonus + Base Reflex Save – Character Level
Your Base Defense Bonus is a minimum of 0 (so it cannot penalize your AC).

2. Well that makes paying for armor kinda not worth the investment right? Armor to DR is something I always liked and wanted to use. And since DR stacks in my game, no1 is being penalized for this:
You receive DR/- equal to half your armor AC (rounded down).

3. Well what about the fact you can get Mage Armor / Bracers of Armor for armor AC and still receive BDB? Well, Mage Armor / Bracers of Armor are now changed to grant deflection AC rather than armor AC. After all, force is indestructible so it's more like a force screen deflecting attacks than metal armor softening/glancing indirect hits. So basically, armor AC is ONLY gained from REAL MATERIALISTIC armor.
Some of you will like this since it makes Deflection AC cheap to get, at only Bonus Squared x 1,000 and up to +8 nonepic.
Others (particularly sorcs) will find this unacceptable as their AC drops. Well, I'll suggest an alternative: +5 Twilight Mithral Chain Shirt (+9 armor AC, 0 ACP, 0% ASF, for only 37k, toss in a Mct[+1] for additional benefits to outmatch your old Empowered Greater Mage Armor). Going for +8 dex mod? go look @ Millennium Chainmail (MIC).

I DID NOT SAY I'M INCORPORATING THIS RULE YET, ONLY DRAFTING THOUGHTS, before anyone screams blasphemy.

so, what you all think?

[Zanaikin]

[Squall255]

[Zanaikin]

[Squall255]

[Zanaikin]

[TheDude51]

[Zanaikin]

[Zanaikin]

announcement: we'll be switching to BDB once the Trelling campaign is complete (I don't feel like editing all the NPCs), not to mention we'll have serious gaps in between battles to get used to the system.

[Zanaikin]