Dreamscarred Press Presents: Akashic Mysteries, Thread 2

[Mehangel]

I know I came into this really late, but I was curious, any chance that the veils can be grouped up and named. Much like how Vancian Magic: Schools, Pact Magic: Constellations, Spheres of Power: Spheres, Path of War & Psionics: Disciplines. I understand that to most people such groupings dont really mean much, but in my campaign setting it does, and I would very much like to implement Akashic Mysteries, but it will be difficult to do so if they arent grouped up. I wouldn't mind if the groupings are purely aesthetic in nature, in fact I dont need more then four groupings so there could be something like lawful, chaotic, evil and good (Again, all this will be purely fluff, nothing mechanical about it.)

[Vhaidara]

That kind of defeats the point. Some veils do have alignment tags, but they aren't supposed to be organized, except by class/bind.

[Mehangel]

Well thing is it doesnt have to be alignment, that was just an example, it could be animals, objects, moon phases, seasons, elements, etc. To be honest, it just so happens that if I end up having to write up the groups myself, I might aswell leave out Akashic Mysteries, cuz I am lazy like that...

[Vhaidara]

The problem is there aren't themes in them. With your examples, they are all pretty easy groupings. But Veils hardly even classify into something as simple as Offense, Defense, and Utility. The best categorizations you're going to get are Class/Bind, because that's the closest individual veils come to being connected.

[Nyaa]

But Veils hardly even classify into something as simple as Offense, Defense, and Utility.

They do? I made Vizier veils table, only two veils fit in more than one category.

[Ssalarn]

So, bossman doesn't like the "wetboy" name for the gunslinger archetype since it breaks with the silk road theme of the supplement pretty sharply (which is a fair assessment). What would you guys think if I changed it to hashasheen, an Egyptian Arabic word meaning roughly "noisy troublemaker" that's believed to be the original word from which "assassin" derived?

[Vhaidara]

Not sure. It kind of sounds like someone with a lisp is saying assassin.

[Milo v3]

Not sure. It kind of sounds like someone with a lisp is saying assassin.

But the word Assassin comes from people mispronouncing hashasheen too often

[Vhaidara]

But the word Assassin comes from people mispronouncing hashasheen too often

It's just the kind of thing I could see becoming a joke around tables.

[Ssalarn]

It's just the kind of thing I could see becoming a joke around tables.

Like the kind of joke that becomes endearing with time, or the kind that's a little more offensive each time you hear it?

[Vhaidara]

Like the kind of joke that becomes endearing with time, or the kind that's a little more offensive each time you hear it?

Well, with my table, they're kind of the same thing, but generally more the second one. Mostly because I can also see REALLY racist accents coming into play off of it. Again, funny the first few times. Gets old fast.

[Extra Anchovies]

I'm in favor of renaming wetboy to Hashasheen. To be honest, I thought wetboy was kind of a gross name to begin with (personal preference, I just don't like how it sounds), and Hashasheen fits a lot better with the general theme of the book.

[Ssalarn]

I'm in favor of renaming wetboy to Hashasheen. To be honest, I thought wetboy was kind of a gross name to begin with (personal preference, I just don't like how it sounds), and Hashasheen fits a lot better with the general theme of the book.

Sweet. Obviously assassin is off the table, and I really don't want to go plumbing through my library and the internet looking for another viable name attached to a history or legend I'm not familiar enough with. Now we just need to get Keledrath's racist friends to grow up

[squiggit]

Obviously assassin is off the table

Any reason why?

[Extra Anchovies]

Any reason why?

It already exists as a PrC.

[Ssalarn]

It already exists as a PrC.

This, and the fact that some usage of it is really commonly used in multiple core and 3pp archetypes and classes (like RGG's Shadow Assassin, the Crimson Assassin PrC from The Inner Sea Campaign Setting, the Psychic Warrior's Assassin Path, etc.). It's so prevalent that it just doesn't feel right putting yet another assassin out there.

[squiggit]

It already exists as a PrC.

Well yeah. But there's like five different things named investigator and swashbuckler and two different "brawling" enchantments that do radically different things.

Figured it would just be continuing a long and storied tradition of making things very confusing to identify.

[Ssalarn]

Well yeah. But there's like five different things named investigator and swashbuckler and two different "brawling" enchantments that do radically different things.

Figured it would just be continuing a long and storied tradition of making things very confusing to identify.

I try to break from bad traditions whenever possible

This Bard archetype I'm working on is kicking my ass. It's amazing how difficult it is to write succinct and clear mechanics for an ability that lets you use your bardic performance to make your veils go all sorcerer's apprentice.

What would you guys think of a swashbuckler archetype that gets the Desire daevic's Paramour class feature?

[NineThePuma]

Well yeah. But there's like five different things named investigator and swashbuckler and two different "brawling" enchantments that do radically different things.

Figured it would just be continuing a long and storied tradition of making things very confusing to identify.

Insightful Strike!

[Kaidinah]

I try to break from bad traditions whenever possible

This Bard archetype I'm working on is kicking my ass. It's amazing how difficult it is to write succinct and clear mechanics for an ability that lets you use your bardic performance to make your veils go all sorcerer's apprentice.

What would you guys think of a swashbuckler archetype that gets the Desire daevic's Paramour class feature?

I am all for spreading the daevas among everyone. I am also for renaming the wetboy, as much as I enjoyed the previous name. Someone has to do the wetwork.

[Nyaa]

hashasheen, an Egyptian Arabic word meaning roughly "noisy troublemaker"

I thought it means "users of hashish"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassins

[Milo v3]

I thought it means "users of hashish"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassins

Iirc, the Hashasheen did use hashish a lot. There was a reason the man on the mountain was said to promise paradise for his followers (though... the assassins creed franchise preferred the idea of magic-tech rather than drugs to generate that "paradise").

[Ssalarn]

I thought it means "users of hashish"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassins

That's hashshashin, a different word with a common etymology.
"Many scholars have argued, and demonstrated convincingly, that the attribution of the epithet "hashish eaters" or "hashish takers" is a misnomer derived from enemies of the Isma'ilis and was never used by Muslim chroniclers or sources. It was therefore used in a pejorative sense of "enemies" or "disreputable people". This sense of the term survived into modern times with the common Egyptian usage of the term Hashasheen in the 1930s to mean simply "noisy or riotous". It is unlikely that the austere Hassan-i Sabbah indulged personally in drug taking ... there is no mention of that drug hashish in connection with the Persian Assassins – especially in the library of Alamut."

[stack]

I would say that the biggest problem with wetboy was the name, so any change is welcome. The new name might clash with people's perceptions on hearing it, given it is for a gunslinger archetype, though the etymology fits well enough.

[PsyBomb]

Ok, starting up the level-6 sims. I'll lead off with a basic Zen Archer for reference numbers. I'm sure that I could push this harder if I wanted to, but it really isn't needed for the baseline (and I prefer to build something that might actually be used). Using an Akasic build atm as well, pretty sure a Nisir is actually optimal for damage. If anyone wants me to post the rest of how I got my numbers, just ask and I will, but most of you just skim to the number at the end anyway

Target: Median AC of 19, Median HP of 68. Within 30 feet

Human Monk (Zen Archer) 6
Weapon: +1 Mighty Composite Longbow (+2 Str)
Relevant Stats: Wis 20 (includes +2 headband), Str 14, Dex 14+
Feats: 1) Deadly Aim, 1B) Point-Blank Shot, 1B) Perfect Strike, 2B) Weapon Focus (Composite Longbow), 2B) Precise Shot, 3) Chakra Targeting (1 essence), 5)Extra Ki, 6B) Improved Precise Shot, 6B) Weapon Spec (Comp Longbow)
Attack routine uses 1 Ki per turn, pool is 10, so this can be done 10 times per day if going all-out. Plenty for all but the most brutal adventuring day. Later, will use 2/turn once the damage boost is an actual increase.

Attack rolls :+6(base under Flurry) +5(Wis) +1(PBS) +2(Targeting) +1(Enh) +1(WF) -2 (DA) -2 (Flurry) = +12/+12/+12/+7
Damage per shot: 1d8 +4(DA) +2(str) +1(PBS) +1(Enh) +2(WS) +2(CT) =1d8+10= 16.5 avg

Note: Perfect Strike used on last attack
Expected Damage: 13.28 + 13.28 +13.28 + 13.24 = 53.08 DPR

I know I can do better, but this is something a slightly-above-average player in a group might do.

Megaman coming up later today.

EDIT:Two errors corrected, thanks Nya for spotting WS actually being +2. I also forgot CT gives a point of Essence when taken.

[Quiet Wizard]

Ssalarn, are there any arcane/divine spells that tie into support of the Akashic Mysteries characters?

Similar to the way that MoI had those really cool [Incarnum] spells that allowed Essentia to be infused into them for amping-up their performance.

Thank you!

[Ssalarn]

Ssalarn, are there any arcane/divine spells that tie into support of the Akashic Mysteries characters?

Similar to the way that MoI had those really cool [Incarnum] spells that allowed Essentia to be infused into them for amping-up their performance.

Thank you!

Yeah, I did a small spell section, but it's been... troublesome. The original takes I did kept coming out too much like psionic augmentation, and if I'm going to do something, I'd prefer it not just feel like another option for doing things the game already covers. I've set aside the spells for the time being while I focus on finishing items, archetypes, FCBs, PrCs, and the akashic mini-bestiary. I'll be revisiting them before this goes to layout to see if I don't feel differently about the current ideas or maybe come up with something I'm happier with.

[Ilorin Lorati]

Well, they're relatively closely related systems, so feeling similar will be unavoidable. Mind sharing with us the basic mechanic you originally had, so we can try and help figure something out? Was it different than MoI's version by a significant amount?

[Seerow]

Yeah, I did a small spell section, but it's been... troublesome. The original takes I did kept coming out too much like psionic augmentation, and if I'm going to do something, I'd prefer it not just feel like another option for doing things the game already covers. I've set aside the spells for the time being while I focus on finishing items, archetypes, FCBs, PrCs, and the akashic mini-bestiary. I'll be revisiting them before this goes to layout to see if I don't feel differently about the current ideas or maybe come up with something I'm happier with.

Here's a suggestion to make them feel more different: Use Essence to turn spells into basically reserve feats. Basically you lock some essence into the spell. While the essence is invested, that spell acts as a quasi-veil, giving a passive or at will benefit, but essence can't be shifted in or out of it. Once you cast the spell (whose effects may or may not depend on invested essence, up to you) that essence is freed up to be reassigned elsewhere as normal.

[Extra Anchovies]

Here's a suggestion to make them feel more different: Use Essence to turn spells into basically reserve feats. Basically you lock some essence into the spell. While the essence is invested, that spell acts as a quasi-veil, giving a passive or at will benefit, but essence can't be shifted in or out of it. Once you cast the spell (whose effects may or may not depend on invested essence, up to you) that essence is freed up to be reassigned elsewhere as normal.

Oooh! Do this. I like this. Paizo's lack of reserve feats upsets me.