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View Full Version : MORE New Mindscourge Anomalies (01-28)



TabletopNuke
2010-01-04, 10:58 PM
Here are some more anomalies for my mindscourge (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131476) class.

I want to make more epic mindscourge feats based the feats off the "Epic Insights" warlock options (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ei/20061027a) available on the WotC website. I plan to design each feat around a common theme (offensive psychometabolsim, personal psychometabolism, telekinesis, ect) which will determine what anomalies are prerequisites (preferably one of each level). I definitely want to have an anomaly for each school of psionics available at each grade.

Should false perception be a Least anomaly? Does telekinetic marionette seem to powerful? It's based on control body (although altered somewhat), which is a 4th-level power.

I based Psychokinetic Scourge on Dragon Magic's Eldritch Glaive, but made it a lesser anomaly, instead of least. I added the ability to attack adjacent foes in addition of ones 10 feet away, and made it compatible with Weapon Finesse. Eldritch Glaive is regarded as a powerful ability, and this has even more usefulness. Is it still too weak to be a lesser anomaly?

Extradimensional Ejection
Greater, Psychoportation; 4th
Display: Auditory
Range: Close (25 ft +5 ft/2 levels)
Target: One extraplanar creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Power Resistance: Yes
This anomaly forces an extraplanar creature back to its home plane if it fails a special Will save (DC = anomaly's save DC - creature’s HD + your manifester level). If the anomaly is successful, the creature is instantly teleported away, but there is a 20% chance of actually sending the subject to a plane other than its own.

False Perception
Least, Telepathy [Mind-Affecting]; 3rd
Display: None
Range: Personal or close (25 ft +5 ft/2 levels) (secondary effect)
Target: You or one creature (secondary effect)
Duration: 1 hour/level (D) or 1 min/level (secondary effect)
Save: Will negates if interacted with or Will negates (secondary effect)
Power Resistance: No or yes (secondary effect)
You project a faint telepathy that makes others perceive your appearance—including clothing, armor, weapons, and equipment—as something different. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller, thin, fat, or in between. You cannot change your body type (seem quadrupedal if humanoid, ect). Otherwise, the extent of the apparent change is up to you. You could add or obscure a minor feature or look like an entirely different person.

The anomaly does not provide the abilities or mannerisms of the chosen form, nor does it alter the perceived tactile (touch) or audible (sound) properties of you or your equipment.

If you use this anomaly to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on the Disguise check. A creature that physically interacts with you gets a Will save to recognize your perceived appearance as fake.

If you dismiss the normal effect of this anomaly before the duration ends, you can trigger the secondary effect. You make yourself undetectable to a single creature by removing awareness of your presence from it's mind. You are invisible and inaudible to the creature. It cannot even detect your presence by means of blindsense, blindsight, scent, or tremorsense, and cannot pinpoint your location by any means.

The subject remains unaware of your actions, provided you do not make any attacks or cause any obvious or directly threatening changes in the subject’s environment. If you attack the subject creature, the effect ends.

If you take an action that creates a sustained and obvious change in the subject’s environment—for example, attacking a creature aside from the subject or moving a large or attended object the subject can see—the subject immediately gains a new saving throw against the anomaly. An ally of the subject creature that is able to see or perceive you can use a move action to warn the subject and thereby grant it a new saving throw.

Psychokinetic Scourge
Lesser, Psychokinesis; 3rd; Lash Shape
Display: Visual
Range: As psychokinetic lash
Effect: As psychokinetic lash
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Power Resistance: Yes
Your psychokinetic lash materializes into physical form that resembles a writhing, tentacle-like scourge. As a full-round action, you can use this appendage to make a single melee touch attack as if it were a reach weapon. However, unlike most reach weapons, a psychokinetic scourge can be used to attack adjacent foes. A target struck by a psychokinetic scourge is affected as if hit by your psychokinetic lash (including any lash composition applied to the lash). Unlike the psychokinetic strike anomaly, you cannot combine your psychokinetic scourge with damage from a held weapon. A psychokinetic scourge is treated as a natural weapon for the purposes of proficiency and feats such as Power Attack Weapon Finesse. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when attacking with your psychokinetic scourge.

Until the start of your next turn, you threaten nearby squares as if wielding a reach weapon. Attacks of opportunity made with your psychokinetic scourge are melee touch attacks.

If you have a base attack bonus of +6 or higher, you can make as many attacks with your psychokinetic scourge with your full-round action as your base attack bonus allows. For example, a 16th-level mindscourge could make three attacks, the first with a base attack bonus of +12, the second with a base attack bonus of +7, and the third with a base attack bonus of +2.

Read Thoughts
Lesser, Telepathy; 3rd
Display: Mental
Range: 60 ft
Area: 60 ft-radius centered on you
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates; see text
Power Resistance: No
You can perceive the surface thoughts of nearby creatures. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.

1st Round
Presence or absence of thoughts (from conscious creatures with Intelligence scores of 1 or higher).

2nd Round
Number of thinking minds and the Intelligence score of each. If the highest Intelligence is 26 or higher (and at least 10 points higher than your own Intelligence score), you are stunned for 1 round and the anomaly ends. This anomaly does not let you determine the location of the thinking minds if you can’t see the creatures whose thoughts you are detecting.

3rd Round
Surface thoughts of any mind in the area. A target’s Will save prevents you from reading its thoughts, and you must manifest read thoughts again to have another chance. Creatures of animal intelligence (Int 1 or 2) have simple, instinctual thoughts that you can pick up.

This anomaly can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it. A creature that successfully makes its Will save is immune to your read thoughts for 24 hours.

Telekinetic Marionette
Greater, Psychokinesis; 5th
Display: Material
Range: Close (25 ft + 10 ft/2 levels)
Target: One creature of the appropriate size and shape (see text)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Power Resistance: Yes
You can psychokinetically control the body of any creature with a discernible anatomy that is within range and to which you have line of sight. The creature can be no more than one size category above Medium size per 5 manifester levels. For example, a 12th level mindscourge could manipulate a Huge creature, but not a Gargantuan one.

Manipulating the creature's body doesn’t require mental contact with the subject, since you are forcing limb movements independent of the target’s mind. You can make the subject stand up, sit down, walk, turn around, and so on, but operating the vocal cords is too difficult. You can also render the subject helpless by holding it subject immobile. You cannot force the subject to manifest powers, cast spells, or use any special ability that is not a function of just its body movements. If you lose line of sight to the subject, the effect of this anomaly ends.

If you force the subject to engage in combat, its attack bonus is equal to your base attack bonus + your Charisma bonus, and its bonus on damage rolls is equal to your Charisma bonus. A creature under the effect of this anomaly cannot make attacks of opportunity. The subject gains no benefit to Armor Class from its Dexterity, but it does gain a bonus to its AC equal to your Charisma bonus.

Although the subject’s body is under your control, the subject’s mind is not. The creature is still capable of taking purely mental actions (such as manifesting powers).

Desmond Tiny
2010-01-04, 11:15 PM
I always like warlock based classes and the are awesome.

Sereg
2010-01-05, 08:07 AM
I happen to be a fan of you mindscourge class and am glad that you are still adding new anomalies.

deuxhero
2010-01-05, 09:19 AM
Psychokinetic Talon's duratation should be 24 hours, not instant.

While you 24 hours at will is basically the same as permanent but instant is immune from dispel

TabletopNuke
2010-01-05, 03:43 PM
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. It warms the black depths of my heart.


Psychokinetic Talon's duratation should be 24 hours, not instant.

I'll go fix that. I wanted to do something similar to Eldritch Glaive, but with more of a "natural weapon" feel. Sadly, I don't have a copy of Dragon Magic, so I had to cobble this together on my own.

TabletopNuke
2010-01-28, 02:18 PM
I added several more anomalies for review.

JoshuaZ
2010-01-28, 03:27 PM
Is there any chance you are going to put all the Mindscourge material in one place, or list somewhere all the relevant threads?

TabletopNuke
2010-01-28, 03:35 PM
The link to the mindscourge class page is at the top top of the post (looks like this: mindscourge (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7318333#post7318333)). It has the class progression, all the "completed" anomalies, epic progression, and links to prestige classes (only one at the moment). I make anomaly brainstorming threads separate, and add the anomalies to the main thread once they've been judged fairly balanced by the board.

JoshuaZ
2010-01-28, 03:42 PM
The link to the mindscourge class page is at the top top of the post (looks like this: mindscourge (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7318333#post7318333)). It has the class progression, all the "completed" anomalies, epic progression, and links to prestige classes (only one at the moment). I make anomaly brainstorming threads separate, and add the anomalies to the main thread once they've been judged fairly balanced by the board.

Very good. I didn't realize that the original thread was getting updated. I like this class a lot. I'm between games now but I think I may try it out in my next one.

TabletopNuke
2010-01-28, 04:26 PM
Excellent! Let me know how it turns out!

DragoonWraith
2010-01-30, 01:04 AM
False Perception seems like a Least Anomaly, yes. And Telekinetic Marionette seems like it might be a Dark (err, whatever you're calling the Dark equivalent). Beguiling Speech seems fine.

Extraplanar Ejection - that formula is too complicated, just say they gain their HD as a bonus to the save. That said - why would you do that? Pretty much nothing will fail that save. Seriously, HD is quite a bit better than even a strong Will save, at least once you get past 4th level. HD+Will save is insane. It's just Dismissal with the possibility of "missing", why not just treat it as such?

TabletopNuke
2010-01-30, 05:20 PM
False Perception seems like a Least Anomaly, yes. And Telekinetic Marionette seems like it might be a Dark (err, whatever you're calling the Dark equivalent). Beguiling Speech seems fine.

Extraplanar Ejection - that formula is too complicated, just say they gain their HD as a bonus to the save. That said - why would you do that? Pretty much nothing will fail that save. Seriously, HD is quite a bit better than even a strong Will save, at least once you get past 4th level. HD+Will save is insane. It's just Dismissal with the possibility of "missing", why not just treat it as such?

Thanks for checking this out for me!

I'll go change false perception.

I was hesitant to make telekinetic marionette a phenomenal (the equivalent of dark) anomaly, because full telekinesis is available at that level. It is based on a 4th-level power. If I were to make it phenomenal, I'd have to add some other benefit. Also, the anomaly requires concentration, which means the mindscourge probably can't do much else while controlling the target.

I actually used the DC formula from dismissal for extraplanar ejection. I believe that's exactly how it is written in the PH. I really only made that anomaly because I felt that there should be some psychoportation anomalies available at every anomaly level. If anyone has any ideas for better replacements, let me know.

TabletopNuke
2010-03-11, 09:26 PM
I just got Dragon Magic (booyah!) and updated this with the new info. PLEASE PEACH THIS! I want to get it done so I can add it to the main mindscourge page.

DaTedinator
2010-03-18, 11:59 PM
Energy Conversion: It's perfectly balanced, but a little boring. Maybe if it's an immediate action to use, but only lasts one round? That might be too good, actually. I'd leave it as-is, it's definitely useful.

Extradimensional Ejection: The save mechanic is weird, I don't really associate planehopping and extraplanar hijinks with psionics. Probably balanced if you just make the save DC normal, but it's pretty meh.

Extradimensional Lash: Looks good! Balanced, and useful enough for a least.

False Perception: This one is a great concept that currently is hindered by too much reliance on Disguise Self. Get a bit more inspiration from Cloud Mind mechanics-wise and you'll have a great, flavorful ability, I think.

Fortify Self: Seems fine, but again, a little bland.

Psychokinetic Scourge: I think you're right, it's a little weak for a lesser. Make it not provoke attacks of opportunity and I think you're good.

Read Thoughts: Some copy/paste errors (it refers to itself as detect thoughts instead of read thoughts, and refers to changing the area, when this version is a radius), and given that it's usable at will, consider making it so that a creature that saves against it is immune for 24 hours.

Telekinetic Marionette: Oooh, fun. Maybe a little too fun? Save-or-sucks at will are powerful. Might want to consider giving it a little boost and upping it to phenomenal.

Telepathic Rapport: This is just reflavored Charm, right? Should be balanced.


All in all, it seems like pretty much everything is solidly balanced, but without too much uniqueness. Don't be afraid to push the envelope! I think you're sticking too close to what's already been written, when you should be trying to figure out something yourself. It's easier to balance something flavorful but unbalanced than it is to spice up something bland but balanced.

TabletopNuke
2010-03-21, 04:05 PM
Thanks a lot! I added energy conversion, extradimensional lash, fortify self, and telepathic rapport to the main anomaly list on the mindscourge page.

I made the change you suggested to psychokintetic scourge, and read thoughts. The normal range for detect thoughts is a cone, while read thoughts is radius, should I change that? I also added a cloud mind effect to false perception. How's it look?

I'd really like to have an anomaly from each school of psionics available at each level (partially for epic feat requirements). What would you suggest I replace extradimensional ejection with for the greater psychoportation anomaly? Also, I'd like to make a phenomenal anomaly that turned the user incorporeal/ethereal. Any ideas on balance?

There are two reasons I'd like to keep telekinetic marionette at greater level. As I mentioned above, I'd like to have an anomaly of each school at each level. Also, actual telekinesis is available at phenomenal level, and probably outshines telekinetic marionette. Should I nerf telekinetic marionette in some fashion to help tone it down? And if so, do you have any ideas how?

imp_fireball
2010-03-21, 04:20 PM
Telekinetic Marionette
Greater, Psychokinesis; 5th
Display: Material
Range: Close (25 ft + 10 ft/2 levels)
Target: One creature of the appropriate size and shape (see text)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Power Resistance: Yes
You can psychokinetically control the body of any creature with a discernible anatomy that is within range and to which you have line of sight. The creature can be no more than one size category above Medium size per 5 manifester levels. For example, a 12th level mindscourge could manipulate a Huge creature, but not a Gargantuan one.

Manipulating the creature's body doesn’t require mental contact with the subject, since you are forcing limb movements independent of the target’s mind. You can make the subject stand up, sit down, walk, turn around, and so on, but operating the vocal cords is too difficult. You can also render the subject helpless by holding it subject immobile. You cannot force the subject to manifest powers, cast spells, or use any special ability that is not a function of just its body movements. If you lose line of sight to the subject, the effect of this anomaly ends.

If you force the subject to engage in combat, its attack bonus is equal to your base attack bonus + your Charisma bonus, and its bonus on damage rolls is equal to your Charisma bonus. A creature under the effect of this anomaly cannot make attacks of opportunity. The subject gains no benefit to Armor Class from its Dexterity, but it does gain a bonus to its AC equal to your Charisma bonus.

Although the subject’s body is under your control, the subject’s mind is not. The creature is still capable of taking purely mental actions (such as manifesting powers).

This is a great power for starcraft d20, since it pretty much mimics what happened in the first book of the dark templar saga when Jake had to fight Ethan's butler - of course, he didn't know kung-fu, so the protoss alien in his head possessed his body and did it for him. :smallsmile:

However, she was also able to manifest powers through him - except that she manifested her own powers, not his (also Jake can't manifest powers anyway). Jake was thoroughly exhausted after wards.

Could I use it?

I also invented a new name for a power - telepathetic. Just came to me. Write it down. Quickly.

TabletopNuke
2010-03-21, 04:43 PM
This is a great power for starcraft d20, since it pretty much mimics what happened in the first book of the dark templar saga when Jake had to fight Ethan's butler - of course, he didn't know kung-fu, so the protoss alien in his head possessed his body and did it for him. :smallsmile:

However, she was also able to manifest powers through him - except that she manifested her own powers, not his (also Jake can't manifest powers anyway). Jake was thoroughly exhausted after wards.

Could I use it?

I also invented a new name for a power - telepathetic. Just came to me. Write it down. Quickly.

I've never read it. Hmm, being able to manifest powers through your target could bump this up to phenomenal level. That would be great if I didn't want to go in the opposite direction. Maybe I'll use this for the epic telekinesis mindscourge feat!

Go ahead and use it (just give me credit, please)! I'd be honored. Lemme know how it turns out!

Telepathetic
Any power manifested by the target fizzles out with an embarrassing *pthoot* noise.

DaTedinator
2010-03-21, 10:36 PM
The problem with Telekinetic Marionette is that pretty much as soon as the baddy fails the save, you win the fight, and you can try it every single round. Sure, they can still manifest powers, but you can make him kneel so the rogue can coup de grace him, and if you couldn't take single round of him manifesting, he's too powerful for you, and you died before he failed the save anyway. And unlike Read Thoughts, it doesn't make sense for this to be a "If they successfully save they can't be affected for 24 hours" dealie.

And you definitely don't have to worry about actual telekinesis outshining this, it's a completely different ability.

As for False Perception, I didn't mean that you should add a direct Cloud Mind ability to it, I meant that you should draw inspiration from its mechanics. If it's not an illusion, it doesn't make sense that people wouldn't get a save until they interact with it; I can't think of a single mind-affecting effect that works that way. If there is one I don't know about, then hey, fine! But as it is, the spell is just Disguise Self but it makes less sense. Make it more like, you can force someone to make a Will save and if they fail, they think you're someone else, no Disguise check required. Along those lines.

Read Thoughts is fine as a radius, no worries.

I've been thinking hard, but no, no ideas for a Psychoportation thing yet, sorry. If you still can't think of anything, I'll try brainstorming ideas, see if it'll spark anything for you.

TabletopNuke
2010-03-24, 12:13 AM
The problem with Telekinetic Marionette is that pretty much as soon as the baddy fails the save, you win the fight, and you can try it every single round. Sure, they can still manifest powers, but you can make him kneel so the rogue can coup de grace him, and if you couldn't take single round of him manifesting, he's too powerful for you, and you died before he failed the save anyway. And unlike Read Thoughts, it doesn't make sense for this to be a "If they successfully save they can't be affected for 24 hours" dealie.

And you definitely don't have to worry about actual telekinesis outshining this, it's a completely different ability.
Do you have any ideas for boosting it up to a phenomenal anomaly?

As for False Perception, I didn't mean that you should add a direct Cloud Mind ability to it, I meant that you should draw inspiration from its mechanics. If it's not an illusion, it doesn't make sense that people wouldn't get a save until they interact with it; I can't think of a single mind-affecting effect that works that way. If there is one I don't know about, then hey, fine! But as it is, the spell is just Disguise Self but it makes less sense. Make it more like, you can force someone to make a Will save and if they fail, they think you're someone else, no Disguise check required. Along those lines.
Actually, I'm designing that anomaly with a friend in mind. He specifically requested an anomaly that could make people think his character looked like someone else, rather than actually changing the character's form.

I guess I could make some kind of false sensory input-based anomaly for my friend instead, and turn this into a shapeshifting effect. That sound better?

I've been thinking hard, but no, no ideas for a Psychoportation thing yet, sorry. If you still can't think of anything, I'll try brainstorming ideas, see if it'll spark anything for you.
Sure, I'm all for brainstorming. I've been watching some playthroughs of Psychonauts lately, in hopes of getting inspiration. They don't have that much variety in the way of teleportation, though.

What about a mage hand-type least or lesser anomaly?

DragoonWraith
2010-03-27, 01:45 PM
The main problem I see with the Psychokinetic Scourge is that you have to wait until 6th level to use it. What would a 1st-5th "scourge-scourge?" do? I mean, Hideous Blow is awful, so if that's all Psychokinetic Strike does... well, that sucks, I wouldn't want to waste an Anomaly on it. At the same time, you really can't do your schtick until 6th, can you? You can sit there and pew-pew a bit, but your feats are probably getting lined up for use with the Scourge, and you're not going to get it for 5 levels. It's kind of rough.

Other than that, though, it seems fine. I like the upgrade, and I think it probably does fit as a Lesser Anomaly. Just not sure about that bit.

Sorry it took so long to do any kind of EACHing on these, I've been a bit busy.

TabletopNuke
2010-03-30, 06:15 PM
The main problem I see with the Psychokinetic Scourge is that you have to wait until 6th level to use it. What would a 1st-5th "scourge-scourge?" do? I mean, Hideous Blow is awful, so if that's all Psychokinetic Strike does... well, that sucks, I wouldn't want to waste an Anomaly on it. At the same time, you really can't do your schtick until 6th, can you? You can sit there and pew-pew a bit, but your feats are probably getting lined up for use with the Scourge, and you're not going to get it for 5 levels. It's kind of rough.

Other than that, though, it seems fine. I like the upgrade, and I think it probably does fit as a Lesser Anomaly. Just not sure about that bit.

Sorry it took so long to do any kind of EACHing on these, I've been a bit busy.
Thanks for taking another look at this.

Do you have any ideas for fixing the psychokinetic scourge problem? I guess if I were to boost I]psychokinetic strike[/I] (hideous blow) enough, it could be taken by future "scourge-scourges" and then switched out at 6th level. What would be a good way of fixing it?

DragoonWraith
2010-03-30, 09:09 PM
I don't honestly know. Maybe including a clause in Psychokinetic Scourge that if you have Psychokinetic Strike when you take it, you may immediately and freely swap that out for a different Anomaly? That makes the most sense to me...