[PoC] Power of Cybernetics General Discussion Thread

[Garryl]

I have an idea for a PrC that makes Energy Overchanneling super-amazing-awesome.

I'm intrigued and would like to hear more. (Especially because I realized a few days ago that Energy Overchanneling is nigh-useless on its own until you have an energy capacity of at least 3 or 4, depending on if you're comparing it to +1 or +2 energy for a feat.)

Garryl, how finished would you say that the three base classes are?

Pretty much finished, I expect. The Energy Warrior is most likely to change, mostly if the new Energy Beam doesn't work out. The Cyberneticist and Dreadnought are right where I want them, though. The only changes I can conceive of making are adding in a few more Battle Talents to pick from, or possibly tweaking at what levels the Cybernticist abilities and extra uses are granted. I don't have any changes actually planned, and that's pretty much the extent of what I'm willing to alter at all at this point. Why do you ask?

[Amechra]

One of the basic features of the PrC would be adding your levels in the PrC to your Activator level for the purposes of whatever module you are enhancing.

Beyond that, I'd probably throw in something where you can use it to attach the module to an available socket as part of the same action.

[Nanshork]

I ask because if I get the chance I'd like to play one. 

[Amechra]

May I ask why the whole "treat the Missile Launcher as if it were your Energy Beam" Energy Emitter attachment is part of the Ice Spreader?

Shouldn't it be part of the Missile Launcher?

It kinda bugs me that you have to invest 3 modules into this; the Ice Beam isn't even very good when applied to the Missile Launcher! The Spazer Beam makes me drool, though, especially if you make your Missile Launcher fire 5 seeker missiles...

[Garryl]

May I ask why the whole "treat the Missile Launcher as if it were your Energy Beam" Energy Emitter attachment is part of the Ice Spreader?

Shouldn't it be part of the Missile Launcher?

It kinda bugs me that you have to invest 3 modules into this; the Ice Beam isn't even very good when applied to the Missile Launcher! The Spazer Beam makes me drool, though, especially if you make your Missile Launcher fire 5 seeker missiles...

There are a number of reasons that Ice Spreader's energy beam effect isn't part of Missile Launcher.
- For a time, Missile Launcher wasn't even an Energy Warrior module.
- Missile Launcher already has 3 attachments. It doesn't need to break the mold and add a 4th. If it did, it would be a sole exception, and I'd feel compelled to make more modules like it.
Two is a number, right?

What's so special about Spazer Beam with 5 seeker missiles? The 3 AoE beams (Spazer, Shadow, and Flare) only function 1/round, regardless of how many attacks you make. Is it in some other combination that I haven't noticed?

On a related note, I'd completely forgotten about Ice Spreader's Energy Emitter ability. Does it still work with the new Energy Beam rules? I think so, but I'd like to be sure. Does it need text clarifying that the missiles aren't masterwork? Is it a can of beans I don't want to even open up and thus should be removed?

[Amechra]

I didn't notice the 1/round thing. Darn.

I think allowing them to enchant the missile (or just use Energy Beam stuff) is just fine. You could make that "attachment" a feat...

[Garryl]

The first draft of Phazon mechanics for the Metroid adaptation are up.

[Garryl]

I'm trying, and failing, to come up with new module ideas for the Energy Warrior. Part of it, I feel, is that the EW doesn't have a distinct shtick other than Energy Beam (which is already well-covered). The Cyberneticist's modules are crazy technology things, the Dreadnought's modules are the tools of war, but the Energy Warrior's? Does anyone have any ideas about this?

[Jackinthegreen]

Got a question about refreshing energy and such.  The thread states:

At the beginning of the day, or at any point of it that you have a free hour, you can refresh your energy. When you do so, you may choose which modules you want to have active for the day and which socket attachments you wish to have for the day.

At first I was thinking "Woohoo, refresh energy and modules any time there's a free hour, any number of times a day."  And then I figured you only meant it for once a day and after a full night's rest, yes?

[Garryl]

Got a question about refreshing energy and such.  The thread states:

At the beginning of the day, or at any point of it that you have a free hour, you can refresh your energy. When you do so, you may choose which modules you want to have active for the day and which socket attachments you wish to have for the day.

At first I was thinking "Woohoo, refresh energy and modules any time there's a free hour, any number of times a day."  And then I figured you only meant it for once a day and after a full night's rest, yes?

Nope. Your first assumption was the correct one. The actual, in-depth rules for refreshing your energy are a fair bit further down. Just 1 hour of reasonably uninterrupted concentration, no limits, any number of times per day, even if you've been up for 72 hours straight or whatever. I try to only write what I mean.

Here are the pertinent bits:

Refreshing Energy
   Refreshing energy requires 1 hour of concentration or meditation. Refreshing energy requires enough peace, quiet, and comfort for proper concentration. Your surroundings need not be luxurious, but they must be free from overt distractions, such as combat raging nearby or other loud noises.  Exposure to inclement weather prevents the necessary concentration, as does any injury or failed saving throw you might experience while refreshing your energy. You do not need access to any materials to refresh your energy. You can refresh your energy any number of times per day, as long as you spend the required amount of time each time you do so.

On a related note, would the layout be better if the energy refreshment rules were up top? I wanted to put the rules for actually doing things first so you don't get lost in the nitty gritty mechanical details when reading it, but refreshing energy might be important enough to warrant coming much earlier in the page. Then again, the overview at the top has the important parts, the rest is just details about how those play out.  Or maybe it would be better to remove the potentially-confusing "At the beginning of the day, or at any point of it that you have a free hour" line and replace it with just "Whenever you have a free hour"?

[Jackinthegreen]

Yeah, I'd simply go with "Whenever you have a free hour."

And good to know it can be refreshed more often than once a day.  The flexibility is much welcomed given how some of the modules aren't exactly combat-oriented and such.

[Amechra]

So...

Could I bother you with a request for Apprentice Level progressions for the classes you've got here?

[Garryl]

I will ask you one last time, Amechra, please get out of my head. I was just thinking about those the other day.

By the way, whatever happened to that game you were planning to use Apprentice Levels for?

[Amechra]

And leave the cushy lair I set up? No!

As for the game, it kinda... never went anywhere but my head. It will be run someday, though!

[Garryl]

Just some interesting statistics you may be interested in. I went through all the non-WIP modules currently posted and recorded all of their numerical bonuses, senses, movement modes, immunities, etc. and recorded them in a table. You can see it here, on Google Docs (formatting is still a teensy bit messed up).

Edit: Formatting should be not messed up now. Also, added a couple things I missed in the first pass.

[Nanshork]

Nice!

[Garryl]

Added a sheet with all of the special attacks, color coded by damage type.

[Amechra]

In the index, both the Special Ability Types and Universal Special Abilities links lead to the Actions in Combat page.

[Garryl]

Thanks for catching that. They were originally in the same thread, but I split them off recently and forgot to update the links. Whoops.

[Garryl]

So, just a thought on further modules for the Energy Warrior. Does building up the combo idea sound interesting? There are a few "combo" modules already (requiring one or more existing modules to already be active and granting additional benefits to those modules or thematically aligned with them), and Energy Warriors have a decent affinity for the concept (combining multiple energy beam types, and mechanically having the most modules active of all classes). Any thoughts?