New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Page 6 of 51 FirstFirst 1234567891011121314151631 ... LastLast
Results 151 to 180 of 1509
  1. - Top - End - #151
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    OrcBarbarianGirl

    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Alaska
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    One note is that the max Essence investment seems like it has potential to become like the PP supernova fallacy due to being limited by a rule that isn't pointed out in the section where people go to get things limited by the rule. It should be restated by reference when the feats are brought out. I went in looking for what it would do to an E6 game (answer :a big power creep that probably nudges the power levels up a CR or three) but had to reread it to figure out if there was a limit.
    "We were once so close to heaven, Peter came out and gave us medals declaring us 'The nicest of the damned'.."
    - They Might Be Giants, "Road Movie To Berlin"

  2. - Top - End - #152
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by Ssalarn View Post
    I'm going to take the feedback I've been getting from everyone here and in the other forums and get it incorporated into the Vizier tonight, at which point it's off to Jeremy who'll continue the layout I asked him to hold off on so the Vizier could get a little more refinement and feedback. I'm really excited to see the finished the product, and the art we've already received back is something I'm really excited about.
    Any chance of us seeing it before it goes final for proofing? I'm doing the last of what I hit tonight, but there are a lot of changes coming (some big, some small) right as it's about to go final.

    Incidentally, do the Eyes of the Oracle need to be declared before making a roll, or can it be added after?
    Last edited by PsyBomb; 2014-07-10 at 08:01 PM.
    Avatar by Elder Tsofu

    Quote Originally Posted by Forrestfire
    Optimization stops being practical and starts being theoretical when your DPR is measured in Tarrasques instead of hit points
    My Guides:
    PsyBomb's Guides to the Akashic Mysteries (Now with all three classes!)
    Fear Itself: the Dread

    Extended Signature HERE

  3. - Top - End - #153
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by PsyBomb View Post
    Any chance of us seeing it before it goes final for proofing? I'm doing the last of what I hit tonight, but there are a lot of changes coming (some big, some small) right as it's about to go final.

    Incidentally, do the Eyes of the Oracle need to be declared before making a roll, or can it be added after?
    I'm getting the final version prepped now with all the notes I've gotten from everyone and I'll attach it to the link in the OP shortly. It may not end up being exactly what the final version looks like, but mechanically it should be the same. I'll pop in and let you know once it's posted.

  4. - Top - End - #154
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Final round of changes:

    Rules for akasha and veilweaving enhanced and grouped in their entirety just after the veil list.

    Path of the Ruler buffed to increase the penalties inflicted by aura of subjugation.

    Adjustments made to Path of the Seer opening up his ability for limited veil sharing at lower levels.

    Range added to Circlet of Brass.

    Investing Essence into the Dark Lord's Ring of Essence Binding now also improves the created undead's DCs for special abilities.

    Polar Snowshoes updated so that the freezing bind effect now extends beyond the aura's immediate damaging radius.

    Enhanced Veil Capacity changed to simply Enhanced Capacity and is now a valid facilitator for any chakra receptacle.

    Corrected error where Gorget of the Wyrm was not appearing in the veil summary list.

    Added some verbage to Eye of the Oracle clarifying that the granted bonus may be applied after the roll, but before the result is known.


    This is headed back in to layout tomorrow afternoon guys, so let me know if there's any big items I've managed to miss or overlook.

  5. - Top - End - #155
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Ok, let's get started on the last list of corrections and balance for the Vizier:

    1) Tauric Brace, the binds are arranged in reverse order from normal
    2) Chakra Power change to include Piranha Strike and not require strength as a prereq has not been made, will it be included or a separate feat later?
    3) Path of the Ruler is still a bit bland, but at least usable now. Perhaps, instead of excluding the designated allies from the aura effect at level 5, make the effect bonuses to them?
    4) The Veil-sharing effect of Akashic Army is at least usable now, thank you, although being limited to those slots still hurts the ability outside of Akasha-based parties. Still needs verbiage on how to change what veil is being utilized by the ally (current assumption is that it is chosen as they become affected by the ability, and re-chosen each time).

    More to come

    5) Curiass of Confidence doesn't have a save interval listed, a particularly generous reading could force saves every round, pass or fail, until everything is Fanatic to you. I assume 1 save, pass or fail, per 24 hours is intended.
    6) Robe of the Forgotten Deity Body bind has a listed duration, but no listed limitations on use. As written, it can be more or less constant, only needing to be physical long enough to take a Swift action every few rounds. If it was in any slot, I'd say it was unintended, but in the Body bind-slot which only comes on at level 20... not so sure.
    Last edited by PsyBomb; 2014-07-11 at 10:01 PM.
    Avatar by Elder Tsofu

    Quote Originally Posted by Forrestfire
    Optimization stops being practical and starts being theoretical when your DPR is measured in Tarrasques instead of hit points
    My Guides:
    PsyBomb's Guides to the Akashic Mysteries (Now with all three classes!)
    Fear Itself: the Dread

    Extended Signature HERE

  6. - Top - End - #156
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Final Changelog:
    Chakra Power now works with Piranha Strike as well as Power Attack.

    Tauric Brace corrected so that bind layout follows standard formatting.

    Allies excluded from the Ruler's aura of subjugation now gain a +2 bonus to Will saving throws at 9th level, and the wording of the 17th level ability has been altered so that it can be used offensively or defensively.

    Minor clarifications and simplifications to Akashic Army.

    Cuirass of Confidence clarified to affect a particular creature only once every 24 hours.

    Hand Cannons Essence bonus now provides a +1 enhancement bonus per 2 points of Essence invested to assist in penetrating DR.

    And that's it! The Vizier is now off for final layout and production! I'll still take any notes you guys pass on to me for review before the final compilation, but there won't be any more changes applied to the Vizier's playtest documents from this point forward. Thank you everyone for your insight and assistance. Next up in the production schedule: the Guru!

  7. - Top - End - #157
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by Ssalarn View Post
    Final Changelog:
    Chakra Power now works with Piranha Strike as well as Power Attack.

    Tauric Brace corrected so that bind layout follows standard formatting.

    Allies excluded from the Ruler's aura of subjugation now gain a +2 bonus to Will saving throws at 9th level, and the wording of the 17th level ability has been altered so that it can be used offensively or defensively.

    Minor clarifications and simplifications to Akashic Army.

    Cuirass of Confidence clarified to affect a particular creature only once every 24 hours.

    Hand Cannons Essence bonus now provides a +1 enhancement bonus per 2 points of Essence invested to assist in penetrating DR.

    And that's it! The Vizier is now off for final layout and production! I'll still take any notes you guys pass on to me for review before the final compilation, but there won't be any more changes applied to the Vizier's playtest documents from this point forward. Thank you everyone for your insight and assistance. Next up in the production schedule: the Guru!
    One down, two to go... and WOOT! Awesome change log, even if it take a tiny bit of the edge off my main offensive Veil.

    In any case, I'll be picking up the subscription to this one when it becomes available, and the guide is complete through the Veils (feats, races, and builds left to do, though I won't put it up for the public until the PDF comes out and it's all official). If you want to see it, I can hang it up on Google Docs as I work. Looking forward to the next steps, to be sure, the Guru is my favorite of the crop so far.

    EDIT: Prereqs remained on Chakra Power, making it effectively unusable for Piranha Strike builds. I'm going to be writing the guide under the assumption that this was not intended, since nobody who takes Power Attack is ever going to bother taking Piranha Strike. I'm also guessing that at some point, an item that increases capacity of Veils in the slot (or increases Essence effectively invested), since right now the system maximum is 8 invested in a veil (Vizier or Guru with Expanded Capacity, 4 base + 3 Improved Capacity + 1 feat) and the Cannons can use up to 10
    Last edited by PsyBomb; 2014-07-11 at 11:09 PM.
    Avatar by Elder Tsofu

    Quote Originally Posted by Forrestfire
    Optimization stops being practical and starts being theoretical when your DPR is measured in Tarrasques instead of hit points
    My Guides:
    PsyBomb's Guides to the Akashic Mysteries (Now with all three classes!)
    Fear Itself: the Dread

    Extended Signature HERE

  8. - Top - End - #158
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    D'oh! I e-mailed Jeremy asking him to add "or Piranha Strike" after Power Attack in the prereqs for Chakra Power and made the change in my source documents, so it should work as intended when the .pdf releases.

    Also, yes, there will be a selection of magic items available, and some of them can be used to allow you to scale beyond your normal Essence Capacity, which is why the Hand Cannons have a cap of +5 even though you currently can't raise your capacity to that degree with any of the available options (also because I prefer forward thinking rules).
    Last edited by Ssalarn; 2014-07-12 at 12:30 AM.

  9. - Top - End - #159
    Spamalot in the Playground
     
    Psyren's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Awesome, haven't been back here in a while. Going through the updated documents, I had some questions/observations:

    Vizier

    Spoiler
    Show
    Aura of Subjugation: Can the Vizier force enemies to reroll will saves from allied effects? If so, is the Vizier aware of it when an enemy makes a will save against an allied effect?

    Path of the Seer: I think you should structure this the same way you structured Path of the Ruler. In other words - "Path of the Seer: {fluff description}", followed by a separate aura ability (with the (Su) tag) that grants the speed increase. That way you won't need the "this is a supernatural ability" explanatory text.

    Foresee Conflict: What happens if the Vizier wants to retrain a Teamwork feat that is currently being used as the prerequisite for another feat or ability?

    Bangles of the Jealous Seductress:
    - The Wrists bind notation should be "[D7, V8]."
    - Does the slashing chakram count as magic for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction?
    - Does the chakram do (1d4+1)/e, or 1d4 + (1/e)?

    Bloody Shroud: Is "darksome energy" a typo?

    Collar of Skilled Instruction: Can this be used to Aid Another In Combat?

    Cuirass of Confidence: Does the Diplomacy-AC-replacement ability granted by the Chest bind work on mindless or otherwise mind-affecting immune creatures?

    Dark Lord's Ring of Essence Binding:
    - What action is required to animate a body with this veil?
    - What happens if you target a non-humanoid corpse with this ability?
    - What happens if you target a humanoid corpse with the giant subtype?
    - What happens if you target a corpse with a size category other than medium?
    - What happens if you target a corpse that has racial hit dice, e.g. a troglodyte? Will the zombie keep those RHD as normal?
    - Can the Cairn Wights (from the ring bind) create spawn?
    - Cairn Wights are intelligent and can speak - do they know anything the corpse knew in life?
    - Will a Cairn Wight become free-willed upon the Vizier's death?

    Dreamcatcher: I think 3 rounds is too short for this bind - anyone in a 60ft. cone in front of the Vizier will be making will saves constantly. If you spend 10 minutes talking to someone they will have made 30 saving throws, feeling a hostile force or tingle with every success. I would consider anyone who makes their save being immune for 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour or even 24 hours.

    Eyes of the Hawkguard: Does the essence ability extend the range of your True Seeing?

    Gorget of the Wyrm: Do you choose the shape (line or cone) when you shape the veil, or each time you activate it?

    Heart of the Wight: "directly into the core of energy that flows from the wielder's core" sounds odd/redundant.

    Horselord's Greaves: Consider making the "AC/saves per essence buff for mounts" ability baseline instead of tying it to each of the binds. This would not only make the veil more attractive for non-veilweaving classes who use mounts but have not accessed their chakras, it would also save you real estate on repeating that same sentence under each of the binds. The need to invest essence for more than minor gains will keep it balanced.

    Light Whip: Do feats, items and other modifiers that affect the trip ability apply to the veil?

    Riven Darts: Do the darts truly have a maximum range of just 20 feet, or was that meant to be a range increment?

    Robe of the Forgotten Deity: Do you get the bonus in darker than dim light?

    Snakehandler's Gauntlets: The ability describes the poison from the Hands bind as "magical film," but the poison itself is tagged as (Ex), making it nonmagical. Which is right? Will the poison persist in an antimagic field if already coating a weapon, or is the poison supernatural?

    Spiked Pauldrons: Do the spikes count as magic for overcoming damage reduction?

    Stone Giant's Girdle:
    - The abilities this grants you should be renamed to "Rock Throwing" and "Rock Catching."
    - What is the damage of a Vizier's rock throwing ability? For Giants this is normally based on slam damage, but Viziers don't have a slam attack.

    Stormcaller's Band: This should have the [Air] descriptor.

    Storm Gauntlets: This should have all three descriptors of the damage it deals. ("See text" might be the easiest way to do this.)

    Vestments of the Maharaja: This should have either the [compulsion] or [mind-affecting] descriptors, or both. I would also include the "obviously self-destructive commands are not followed" clause from dominate.


    Feats:

    Spoiler
    Show
    Akashic Augmentation: Like Midnight Augmentation, it is not clear whether this reduction applies each time the power is augmented (more powerful), or to the total cost of the power (less powerful.) For example, if I manifest Astral Construct level IV (normally 7 PP - 1 + 2 + 2 + 2) with 1 essence invested in AA, will the total cost be 4 (1 + [2-1] + [2-1] + [2-1]), or 6 (1 + 2 + 2 + 2 -1)?

    Chakra Strike: I think this should apply to all precision damage, thus allowing things like Favored Enemy and Precise Strike to benefit from it as well as the two abilities listed, and remove the prerequisites.

    Essence of the Immortal: This one might be a bit too strong - it grants a Vizier 60+ extra hp with a single feat. I would make it equal to the essence pool, or perhaps essence pool + 10, instead of essence pool * 2.

    Shared Veil:
    - Can this be used with psicrystals? If so, what chakras do they get?
    - For limbless companions, assuming they only get the Heart and Body chakras, are those the only veils you can share with them even if those veils are not bound?

    Veilbound Resilience: This one scales oddly. At level 11, a Vizier can store 4 essentia in this feat, granting them 48 HP of healing per day. One level later this jumps to 75. At 18 it becomes 108 total, and at 20 it becomes 245. I'm not sure it's really a problem, it's just weird.

    View Energy: Can you tell the difference between a living and non-living creature if viewed with this ability? (Magic Jar has text around this.)


    I'll dig through the Guru and Daevic this weekend if I can.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    But really, the important lesson here is this: Rather than making assumptions that don't fit with the text and then complaining about the text being wrong, why not just choose different assumptions that DO fit with the text?
    Plague Doctor by Crimmy
    Ext. Sig (Handbooks/Creations)

  10. - Top - End - #160
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by Ssalarn View Post
    D'oh! I e-mailed Jeremy asking him to add "or Piranha Strike" after Power Attack in the prereqs for Chakra Power and made the change in my source documents, so it should work as intended when the .pdf releases.

    Also, yes, there will be a selection of magic items available, and some of them can be used to allow you to scale beyond your normal Essence Capacity, which is why the Hand Cannons have a cap of +5 even though you currently can't raise your capacity to that degree with any of the available options (also because I prefer forward thinking rules).
    Don't forget to drop the Strength requirement, or the same situation crops up. This also gives the feat the ability to work with certain builds (like a THF Ranger or certain Monks) that might not have the Strength for Power Attack, but got it anyway. Should read "Prerequisites: 13 CON, either Power Attack or Piranha Strike"

    And nice catches, Psyren. Not sure how I missed the Rock Throwing thing, I think I was assuming you'd key off the Stone Giant (due to the name of the Veil).
    Avatar by Elder Tsofu

    Quote Originally Posted by Forrestfire
    Optimization stops being practical and starts being theoretical when your DPR is measured in Tarrasques instead of hit points
    My Guides:
    PsyBomb's Guides to the Akashic Mysteries (Now with all three classes!)
    Fear Itself: the Dread

    Extended Signature HERE

  11. - Top - End - #161
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Sorry for the double-post, but it's a distinct reason and been a bit. Initial version of my guide is up, Feats aren't done and the build stubs aren't there, but here is roughly V0.5. All commentary welcome, especially from Ssalarn (since Word of Creator will be invaluable to have secure RAI)

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

    EDIT: Different link, to the one I can edit online.
    Last edited by PsyBomb; 2014-07-13 at 09:09 PM.
    Avatar by Elder Tsofu

    Quote Originally Posted by Forrestfire
    Optimization stops being practical and starts being theoretical when your DPR is measured in Tarrasques instead of hit points
    My Guides:
    PsyBomb's Guides to the Akashic Mysteries (Now with all three classes!)
    Fear Itself: the Dread

    Extended Signature HERE

  12. - Top - End - #162
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2011

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by PsyBomb View Post
    Sorry for the double-post, but it's a distinct reason and been a bit. Initial version of my guide is up, Feats aren't done and the build stubs aren't there, but here is roughly V0.5. All commentary welcome, especially from Ssalarn (since Word of Creator will be invaluable to have secure RAI)

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

    EDIT: Different link, to the one I can edit online.
    Can't read that yellow and fortitude is spelled wrong in the saves section. Looking forward to reading the rest.

  13. - Top - End - #163
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by PsyBomb View Post
    Sorry for the double-post, but it's a distinct reason and been a bit. Initial version of my guide is up, Feats aren't done and the build stubs aren't there, but here is roughly V0.5. All commentary welcome, especially from Ssalarn (since Word of Creator will be invaluable to have secure RAI)

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

    EDIT: Different link, to the one I can edit online.
    Love the guide PsyBomb! I saw that you added Path of the Ruler in but your introductory paragraph still says you only talk about two.

    To be honest, I was a little relieved at how much yellow there was in the veils given the amount of blue in the class itself. A lot of those veils (as you note) move up situationally depending on what else you have active and what you're fighting so "average but moves up a notch when XYZ" is pretty much exactly what we want to see. Like you note, the Vizier's big strength is being able to adapt very readily to XYZ.

    As to Veils serving as feat qualifications - here's how I understand this to work based on my conversation with the Paizo devs: You have to have continuous access to a feat, ability modifier, etc. for 24 hours before it counts as a permanent bonus, and dring normal veilshaping you unshape your previous veils. That being said, if you utilize your Veilshifting ability to swap out instead of going through your normal daily process, you can keep a specific veil shaped indefinitely and could use it as a qualifier that way. You'd give up a chunk of your versatility, but in exchange you could use your veils to help progress feat chains. Just note, if you do use your standard daily prep you'd lose access to whatever chain they were enabling for the next 24 hours (longer if you don't reshape the veil granting the prereq as part of the process). So it's possible, but probably not the most efficient way to go about a build, particularly not at lower levels.
    Last edited by Ssalarn; 2014-07-14 at 11:14 AM.

  14. - Top - End - #164
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2011

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Aegis - Zirith: normally aegis get PP based on INT, but the archetype gets veilweaving based on the daevic. Should their be a line specifying their veilweaving modifier?

    Also, do they get no inherent essence aside from spending PP or customizations? I presume they can skill get essence from feats and such normally, correct?

  15. - Top - End - #165
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by stack View Post
    Aegis - Zirith: normally aegis get PP based on INT, but the archetype gets veilweaving based on the daevic. Should their be a line specifying their veilweaving modifier?

    Also, do they get no inherent essence aside from spending PP or customizations? I presume they can skill get essence from feats and such normally, correct?
    I'll clarify that they should be using INT as their veilweaving modifier, since the default would be Wisdom. And that's correct, they don't have an inherent Essence Pool, but nothing is preventing them from gaining one via feat investment or from other sources, and Essence pools from all sources stack.

    The archetypes are on my list for an update sometime towards the middle of next week, which will include a few new archetypes and some adjustments to bring the "Contemplation" in line with the Golden Rule of Psionics (Despite the cost progression being appropriate we don't want to create confusion by introducing a rule that doesn't jive neatly with the existing framework).

  16. - Top - End - #166
    Spamalot in the Playground
     
    Psyren's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Did you see my notes Ssalarn? In particular I'm concerned about the Dark Lord's Ring of Essence Binding, Stone Giant's Girdle and those Akashic Feats that contain the same ambiguities as the Incarnum feats they are based on (e.g. Akashic Augmentation and Shared Veil.)
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    But really, the important lesson here is this: Rather than making assumptions that don't fit with the text and then complaining about the text being wrong, why not just choose different assumptions that DO fit with the text?
    Plague Doctor by Crimmy
    Ext. Sig (Handbooks/Creations)

  17. - Top - End - #167
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by Psyren View Post
    Did you see my notes Ssalarn? In particular I'm concerned about the Dark Lord's Ring of Essence Binding, Stone Giant's Girdle and those Akashic Feats that contain the same ambiguities as the Incarnum feats they are based on (e.g. Akashic Augmentation and Shared Veil.)
    I did, and I'm going to get them addressed but I'm not sure if that will happen in this first release as everyone's kind of on crunch time, or if it'll be in an update to the Vizier .pdf. I will have the polished versions incorporating your feedback out in time for the Guru release for certain. Worst case scenario is that the Vizier gets errata'd at that time.

  18. - Top - End - #168
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    I've begun my own Guru review in depth, basically writing a guide for it and going to be bringing things up as I find them.

    EDIT: I just realized... possibly the best race in the SRD for Skillmonkey-role Gurus happens to be the Vanara. This makes me giggle like a schoolgirl, and I'm playing one next time I find a group that will let me. When you get around to writing Alternate Favored Class Features, PLEASE give these guys a good one here
    Last edited by PsyBomb; 2014-07-16 at 12:03 AM.
    Avatar by Elder Tsofu

    Quote Originally Posted by Forrestfire
    Optimization stops being practical and starts being theoretical when your DPR is measured in Tarrasques instead of hit points
    My Guides:
    PsyBomb's Guides to the Akashic Mysteries (Now with all three classes!)
    Fear Itself: the Dread

    Extended Signature HERE

  19. - Top - End - #169
    Spamalot in the Playground
     
    Psyren's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    All right, fair enough. I just hope you don't end up having to issue day one errata thanks to a Cairn Wightocalypse

    Anyhow, continuing on.

    Guru:

    Spoiler
    Show
    All abilities: These need to be given Su, Ex and Sp tags. (Most appear to be Su.) This will also allow you to remove explanatory text like the "This is a supernatural ability" e.g. from Perfect Independence.

    Proficiencies: Out of curiosity, is it possible for one of the Guru paths to get kusarigama proficiency? Particularly the Sineater (which has the similar spiked chain) or the vayist (which has other whiplike weapons.)

    Lucent Revivification. Can you raise someone without diamonds with this? (I ask because even the Paladin's Ultimate Mercy does not waive the material component.)

    Scintillant Form: Can you meditate in your own daylight aura to fuel Absorb Radiance?

    Incandescent Strike: Can this bonus damage be lethal if Gentle Touch is not active?

    Travel the Paths of Light: Does the daylight aura from Scintillant Form let you begin the teleport from anywhere?

    Devour Sin:
    - Can you punch yourself/allies/animal companions/random NPCs/anthills etc. with nonlethal in order to recover essence burn, or is this restricted to enemies?
    - Will you still regain essence burn if DR or hardness reduces the damage dealt to 0, or if your target is immune to nonlethal?
    - Will any sort of nonlethal damage trigger this? For example, a spell that deals nonlethal, or attacking a regenerating creature for lethal without realizing they can regenerate?

    Purify the Unclean:
    - What is the action required to activate this ability?
    - Can this do lethal damage if you're not activating it with Gentle Touch?

    Wages of Sin: Does this restore essence burn on a successful save by the target?

    Aether Ties: You can simply say "-2 penalty to all attack rolls that do not include the vayist as a target" and remove the subsequent sentence defining attacks entirely

    Aether Infusion: It seems odd that the Blur effect lasts for 3 rounds while the more powerful mirror image effect lasts for a minimum of 40, for a mere 1 more point of essence burn. I know which one I'd be using! More an observation than a question.

    Leaf on the Wind: Fall damage is measured in increments of 10ft., as is the monk's Slow Fall ability, so I would recommend doing the same here to avoid fractional math disputes. In addition, the ability is pretty weak so this would help both the DM and the player.

    Breath of the East Wind:
    - Does the alter winds effect move with you?
    - If you teleport to a square inside the river of wind effect and begin your turn there, will the wind knock you over and deal damage to you?

    Chakra Disruption:
    - Do disruptions stack? (e.g can I slow and blind the same enemy by hitting them twice?)
    - Can disruptions be used against an enemy who lacks the corresponding body slot? For example, can you penalize the attack rolls of a creature with no hands, like a horse or lion?
    - Does essence I invest in this ability apply to all uses? For instance, if I invest 6 essence, does that mean I can slow an enemy by 30ft. with one attack and then reduce the Dex of another by 6 without reallocating the essence?
    - I think the DC might scale a bit too quickly on this one. A level 12 Guru will have an essence capacity of 5 (3 base + 2 IEC class feature) for a total DC of 10 +10 + Wis before feats. For comparison, a Witch will not gain the same DC on her hexes, nor a monk on his stunning fist, until level 20.
    - (Hands): Does this debuff affect ranged attacks that use the hands too, such as bows or firearms? How about spells with attack rolls and somatic components, like rays?
    - (Shoulders): Does this debuff affect shield bonuses that don't come from held/worn shields, for example the Shield spell or a ring of force shield?

    Sunder Veil: In order to damage undead with this ability, do you have to spend a stunning fist use, or is it constantly active? If the former, how long does it last before you need to do it again?

    Sever The Flow: The wording on this is confusing - first it says "all magical effects and magic items currently affecting the target are disjoined" but then it says "this ability does not affect magic items wielded or worn by the target." Which is right? And if it does not affect wielded/worn magic items, will it affect slotless ones e.g. luckstone, or ioun stone?

    Veils
    Apologies if I repeat any comments made on veils shared by the Vizier.

    Airbound Imbuement: Eh, constant air walk is nice but a bit weak for level 20. I'd like to add something to this, though I'm not sure what. No issues here other than the power.

    Collar of Skilled Instruction: See Vizier comments.

    Diadem of Pure Reflection:
    - Will this reflect area attacks, e.g. Glitterdust? If so, will it still only be the caster who is affected, or will the entire effect be reflected and centered on the caster?
    - If this is used on an area attack and the Guru makes his save, will any affected allies still be in danger after the effect is reflected?

    Dreamcatcher: See Vizier comments.

    Eyes of the Hawkguard: See Vizier comments.

    Forcestrike Knuckles: This should have the [force] descriptor.

    Immaculate Touch: Is this a Guru veil? It's on the list but it only says "Daevic" in the classes and "[D4]" in the bind.

    Immovable Boots: This should probably have the [earth] descriptor.

    Snakehandler's Gauntlets: See Vizier comments.

    Stone Giant's Girdle: See Vizier comments.


    Also, general question: In MoI, when you bound a soulmeld to a chakra, its appearance changed (generally becoming more tangible, or fusing into the meldshaper's flesh in some way.) This was not only cool, but it was a way for Incarnum-savvy opponents to have an idea of when a given meld was bound or not just by looking at it. Are there any plans to add this to Akasha, or will opponents be able to tell if a soulshaper is bound just through the knowledge check to identify it?
    Last edited by Psyren; 2014-07-16 at 05:45 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    But really, the important lesson here is this: Rather than making assumptions that don't fit with the text and then complaining about the text being wrong, why not just choose different assumptions that DO fit with the text?
    Plague Doctor by Crimmy
    Ext. Sig (Handbooks/Creations)

  20. - Top - End - #170
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by PsyBomb View Post
    EDIT: I just realized... possibly the best race in the SRD for Skillmonkey-role Gurus happens to be the Vanara. This makes me giggle like a schoolgirl, and I'm playing one next time I find a group that will let me. When you get around to writing Alternate Favored Class Features, PLEASE give these guys a good one here
    It's hilarious that you mention this, because I was just telling people on the Paizo forums how a vanara Guru (Vayist) wielding a flying blade and bolas inspired me to go start their favored class and alternate racial trait write up, because they absolutely had to make the cut for featured races.

  21. - Top - End - #171
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by Psyren
    All right, fair enough. I just hope you don't end up having to issue day one errata thanks to a Cairn Wightocalypse
    I'm touching bases with Jeremy tonight, I'm hoping we'll get it addressed then.

    Quote Originally Posted by Psyren View Post
    Also, general question: In MoI, when you bound a soulmeld to a chakra, its appearance changed (generally becoming more tangible, or fusing into the meldshaper's flesh in some way.) This was not only cool, but it was a way for Incarnum-savvy opponents to have an idea of when a given meld was bound or not just by looking at it. Are there any plans to add this to Akasha, or will opponents be able to tell if a soulshaper is bound just through the knowledge check to identify it?
    Go reread the new rules on veils. Veils are nearly invisible without investment and easy to disguise, but become more visible and tangible when bound or invested with Essence.
    Last edited by Ssalarn; 2014-07-16 at 01:37 PM.

  22. - Top - End - #172
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    OrcBarbarianGirl

    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Alaska
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    I know it isn't going to be in the original release, but is there anything on the hinted at support/repair class yet?
    "We were once so close to heaven, Peter came out and gave us medals declaring us 'The nicest of the damned'.."
    - They Might Be Giants, "Road Movie To Berlin"

  23. - Top - End - #173
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by JusticeZero View Post
    I know it isn't going to be in the original release, but is there anything on the hinted at support/repair class yet?
    The Veda or Vedist (name still in flux) is still in early development, but it will be a veilweaving class with access to veils that help address non-hit-point related injuries and maladies like level damage/drain, curses, diseases, negative levels, etc. He'll also provide an in-combat method for restoring his or an allies veils that have been suppressed due to sundering, dispelling, disjunction, etc. His veil list will have some overlap primarily with the Guru, and currently he's also a WIS based veilweaver, though that may be subject to change.

    Aside from it being low priority right now since it's tagged for a 2nd book release, the biggest thing keeping me from moving forward is that I'm having a little trouble deciding whether it works better as a complete stand-alone class, or as an alternate class or archetype for the Guru. There is (currently) a lot of thematic and mechanical overlap between the two.

    The upside: I'm going to be spending a lot of time getting the Guru ready to go into layout this weekend, and I'll make a final decision on the ultimate disposition of the Veda then. If I decide it works best as an alternate class or archetype for the Guru, I'll port the veils into the Guru doc and add the Veda to the archetypes playtest doc, providing a true healer class as part of the initial release.

  24. - Top - End - #174
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    OrcBarbarianGirl

    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Alaska
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    It's also possible to have a healer ACF and a later healer class with different mechanics, too. The Egoist doesn't invalidate the Vitalist, for instance. I'm always a fan of including a heal&support class in a new subsystem's first release, as a "healer" makes a much better lead edge of the wedge to adoption.
    Last edited by JusticeZero; 2014-07-16 at 04:27 PM.
    "We were once so close to heaven, Peter came out and gave us medals declaring us 'The nicest of the damned'.."
    - They Might Be Giants, "Road Movie To Berlin"

  25. - Top - End - #175
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by Ssalarn View Post
    The Veda or Vedist (name still in flux) is still in early development, but it will be a veilweaving class with access to veils that help address non-hit-point related injuries and maladies like level damage/drain, curses, diseases, negative levels, etc. He'll also provide an in-combat method for restoring his or an allies veils that have been suppressed due to sundering, dispelling, disjunction, etc. His veil list will have some overlap primarily with the Guru, and currently he's also a WIS based veilweaver, though that may be subject to change.

    Aside from it being low priority right now since it's tagged for a 2nd book release, the biggest thing keeping me from moving forward is that I'm having a little trouble deciding whether it works better as a complete stand-alone class, or as an alternate class or archetype for the Guru. There is (currently) a lot of thematic and mechanical overlap between the two.

    The upside: I'm going to be spending a lot of time getting the Guru ready to go into layout this weekend, and I'll make a final decision on the ultimate disposition of the Veda then. If I decide it works best as an alternate class or archetype for the Guru, I'll port the veils into the Guru doc and add the Veda to the archetypes playtest doc, providing a true healer class as part of the initial release.
    I could see either way, to be honest, given the Akasin's potential to be "I Can't Believe It's Not Paladin!" gameplay. I don't know the general mechanics of how you were seeing it, but I had been thinking of a playstyle that focused around a low-magnitude but high-use Channel Energy supported by defensive Veils. This could be accomplished by adding an Archetype or Philosophy to the Guru, and fits thematically with the whole Gentle Touch concept. Curious to see how yours runs.
    Avatar by Elder Tsofu

    Quote Originally Posted by Forrestfire
    Optimization stops being practical and starts being theoretical when your DPR is measured in Tarrasques instead of hit points
    My Guides:
    PsyBomb's Guides to the Akashic Mysteries (Now with all three classes!)
    Fear Itself: the Dread

    Extended Signature HERE

  26. - Top - End - #176
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    OrcBarbarianGirl

    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Alaska
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Well, HP recovery is the least of a "healer"'s problems. In practice, they usually end up doing the CLW wand type stuff for after combat healing, and that's already doable in Akashic material. It's removal of negative levels, poison, curses, death, etc. that they have to deal with, and those are NOT yet defined.
    "We were once so close to heaven, Peter came out and gave us medals declaring us 'The nicest of the damned'.."
    - They Might Be Giants, "Road Movie To Berlin"

  27. - Top - End - #177
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    Quote Originally Posted by PsyBomb View Post
    I could see either way, to be honest, given the Akasin's potential to be "I Can't Believe It's Not Paladin!" gameplay. I don't know the general mechanics of how you were seeing it, but I had been thinking of a playstyle that focused around a low-magnitude but high-use Channel Energy supported by defensive Veils. This could be accomplished by adding an Archetype or Philosophy to the Guru, and fits thematically with the whole Gentle Touch concept. Curious to see how yours runs.
    If I go in with a Guru archetype, it'll probably exchange the Chakra Disruptions for something more akin to a Paladin's Mercies, but tweaked up a bit and scaled to amtch up with the Cleric's ability to remove status affects instead of the Paladin's more delayed progression. I'm also a bit conflicted if I do it that way on whether to mandate a specific Philosophy (which helps address the raising the dead issue as well), or to a larger exchange of abilities to introduce a more reliable form of combat relevant healing than is currently available.

    I'll try and get something thrown up this weekend for you guys to look at and help decide if it feels like it's leaning in the correct direction.

  28. - Top - End - #178
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Gender
    Male2Female

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    As a personal opinion, I would rather have the options to have a dedicated class or full alternate class, ala Vitalist. I absolutely adore Vitalist as a healer class because:

    • It lets players be dedicated healers without rendering them useless when they don't need to heal.
    • Assumes that the majority of their kit is going to be focused on support, and makes adjustments accordingly (ex. Steal Health as consistent, albeit low, damage unlimited/day)
    • Allows for permutations on the theme without needing to redefine everything multiple times (Archetypes and Methods, neither of which would be easy as a single archetype - Sadist Life Leech is the coolest healer ever.


    When talking about whether or not a support option needs to be a class or an archetype, obviously the first two aren't that big of a deal - you can just grab a damaging option or a debuffing option and be fine - but in my experience it doesn't feel good when you're trying to be a support build to need to waste a limited option on a non-support ability; Vitalist sidesteps that entirely by having the non-support option also be an essential part of the support kit.

    The latter is the big thing. It's incredibly hard to have single archetype that's both the "light" healer and the "dark" healer or anything in between (or off to the side). It's more likely that you'd end up needing multiple archetypes for it - which would have a lot of rules overlap or wouldn't get done at all.
    There was something here and in the avatar box, and there will eventually be again. I just need to figure out what I want...

  29. - Top - End - #179
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Seattle
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    I suspect that what will end up happening is that I'll have a Guru archetype in this one following the basic ideas I went over earlier, and the Veda (or whatever) will probably get a complete re-imagining for the next book that allows me to do something completely different than I've done so far. It would be fairly appropriate since several of the classes lined up for the potential next book use Essence completely independently of veils.

    One thing I thought about doing was a healing/support class that can invest Essence into allies providing various effects (like providing Fast Healing equal to the invested Essence, or a bonus to various saves, etc.), and whose trick for status removal would be to draw out a given status effect when Essence invested in an ally is reclaimed and make a boosted save against that effect. So, for example, you could invest Essence into an ally to give him Fast Healing 2, and then if he were blinded by a spell or effect, you could reclaim that Essence, drawing the blindness into yourself and making a new save against it with a +2 bonus. Or potentially even move that Essence into another ally, so that if you have a Wizard who fails a Fortitude save vs. disease the Veda could draw the disease out and give it to the party Paladin whose innate immunities would allow him to automatically save against the effect.

    Thoughts?
    Last edited by Ssalarn; 2014-07-16 at 06:10 PM.

  30. - Top - End - #180
    Spamalot in the Playground
     
    Psyren's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Dreamscarred Press Introduces: Akashic Mysteries

    I *love* the "draw out affliction" idea. It dovetails seamlessly with Akasha's reputation as being "primitive magic." (I can just see a civilized cleric turning up their nose at the mere thought of a healer who has to pull a poison, disease or curse out of her victim's body and expose herself to it.) Pretty unique. At higher levels they should probbaly be able to gain temporary immunity to certain effects (say, "if you invest 5 or more essence into this ability, you gain immunity to X...), which both makes them useful in an endgame party and allows them to autosucceed at cleansing certain debuffs from party members.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    But really, the important lesson here is this: Rather than making assumptions that don't fit with the text and then complaining about the text being wrong, why not just choose different assumptions that DO fit with the text?
    Plague Doctor by Crimmy
    Ext. Sig (Handbooks/Creations)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •