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View Full Version : Original System "Talents" - what do you want them to do?



Jormengand
2014-12-19, 02:10 PM
So, in my new game I have these abilities called "Talents" - they're a little like feats, but importantly you get them every class level that you don't get spells, so gishy characters get fewer than most people, and magi get none. They are, essentially, a way to allow martial and rogue-like classes to keep up with their magic-using ilk, and also to allow more options and more variety. My question to you, the playground, is what should these Talents do? What would you want to see when you looked through the Talents section?

AirwaveRanger
2014-12-19, 04:42 PM
Might help to know a bit about this game of yours. . . it's D&Desque fantasy, right?

I assume you've already got a list yourself, but I'll try to throw a few vague ideas out there. But obviously I've no clue as to your mechanics or how narrow or wide you want these talents to be, so again these'll just be enough to get you thinking.

Lesse, non-magical utility:

all sorts of social stuff
enhanced senses
trapping
climbing
various other athletic stuff
stealthy stuff
artistic performance stuff
natural affinities
predicting the weather
lore and knowledge stuff
healing stuff
appraisal
being good with animals

Brett Nortje
2014-12-20, 02:50 AM
This is very original! :smallsmile:

steelsmiter
2014-12-20, 03:11 AM
In response to the previous general list, I've always thought it'd be cool for the Barbarian to be able to scare someone literally to death at higher levels. Maybe only stun them at mid levels.

AirwaveRanger
2014-12-20, 05:54 AM
Heh, I hope my post above didn't come across as too dismissive or general. I guess I just feel that I'd need some info on the game before trying to suggest anything very specific or particularly interesting. If you have a unique setting or mechanic it'd be great to reflect such things in the character options.

Jormengand
2014-12-20, 07:13 AM
Yeah, it is kinda D&Dish fantasy, only with less "Wizards rule everywhere at high levels" and therefore less Tome of Magic: Swords Edition just to make martial characters better. So the example of "Barbarian scares someone literally to death" is not really on, but general things like being more sneaky might be.

TWF is a talent, there's a set of talents which are a lot like Spring Attack only the later ones let you do more than attacking during your movement. There's also one that allows you to jump down onto someone and deal damage to them (http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb249/NotchedSpear/DynamicEntry.jpg). They don't have to be amazingly realistic, just not overtly magical, and preferably not something you could run out of, or that you have to run out of to balance its use.

Jakodee
2014-12-22, 05:14 PM
I've always wanted to play a game with no mechanical difference between martial talents and spells. But an idea that might fit better with you would involve skills. Maybe each skill (if they exist in your game) could have a set of talents expanding on it. Athletics gets "spider climb", stealth gets "assassination", and axes, if that is a skill would get "cleave". People would like axes could get multiple axe talents to put axes on their axes while firing laser guided axes at axes.

Hytheter
2014-12-22, 07:44 PM
This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?383037-Martial-Maneuvers-What-Do-You-Like-to-See) I made a while ago might interest you. It has ideas from the very realistic to the hilariously cinematic without being "magical".


In response to the previous general list, I've always thought it'd be cool for the Barbarian to be able to scare someone literally to death at higher levels. Maybe only stun them at mid levels.

Maybe it's just me but that sounds awesome! I could definitely see it being the final step in a path of fear based talents.

Jormengand
2014-12-23, 06:38 AM
I've always wanted to play a game with no mechanical difference between martial talents and spells.

Some spells in the game are already attack modifiers, or skill modifiers. Some people, however, don't want to be a mage: swords edition. They want to be a fighter.

Having talents based on skills is a possibility, but... ehh. That should be covered by being good at that skill.


This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?383037-Martial-Maneuvers-What-Do-You-Like-to-See) I made a while ago might interest you. It has ideas from the very realistic to the hilariously cinematic without being "magical".
This, though, is cool. Thanks.