Just a note, if you want any of your earlier threads moved here, just drop us a request with the thread link.
I'm glad you took my advice. :)
So when do you and I build a Residuum/Rituals hybrid? :smirk
I know the feeling. Looking back at MaI, I had about 8 different dual progression classes and only 2 or 3 single progression PrCs.
Some ideas, if you're looking for residuum-only class inspiration...
- Building up wisps of residuum into full-fledged spell-like effects that actually take actions to use.
- A summoning-focused class. There are enough summoning techniques, you can probably do something interesting.
- A sort of anti-residuon with a lot of counter spells and anti-magic, possibly also getting some bonus residuum from negated spells.
- A multi-elementalist. Unlike normal elemental mages who like to focus on only one, the residuum elementalist takes dregs and scraps of all elements and smushes them together.
How 'bout an evil class a la necrocarnate that destroys residuum?
Hey Geometer, I just added Residuum to my list of pre-approved homebrew in the High Arcana (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?board=114.0) game. You're welcome to come join and give it a test-drive, if you like.
Monster
Range: Close
Duration: 1 round + 1 round/3 levels
As the spell Summon Monster I. Implementing this technique twice in the same round can create a single monster from the Summon Monster II spell list, implementing it 4 times can create a single monster from the Summon Monster III spell list, and so on. All of these effects have the range and duration above.
If you've got a moment, I've got a question.
Some techniques follow a progression based on the number of like techniques you implement in the same round. For instance, here is Monster:QuoteMonster
Range: Close
Duration: 1 round + 1 round/3 levels
As the spell Summon Monster I. Implementing this technique twice in the same round can create a single monster from the Summon Monster II spell list, implementing it 4 times can create a single monster from the Summon Monster III spell list, and so on. All of these effects have the range and duration above.
My question is, what is the "and so on"? The progression listed is of low value and thus vague in defining the later stages' costs. Does it cost 6 points for Summon Monster IV, or 8, or 16? It's not as self-evident as it might seem. There might be some others that do the same thing, I can't quite recall. I think spreading out the value of the examples would help define the cost structure a lot more clearly.
Anyway, I just finished updating the Divine Shard! Please tell me what you think, etc., etc.. Anyway, if you've noticed that the spell remnants are not updated yet (they're still called "techniques"), don't worry. I will get back to those and make a thread containing all of them once I've finished with the other major classes. Then I'll work on the feats and finally get around to some prestige classes and supplementary classes.
Anyway, I just finished updating the Divine Shard! Please tell me what you think, etc., etc.. Anyway, if you've noticed that the spell remnants are not updated yet (they're still called "techniques"), don't worry. I will get back to those and make a thread containing all of them once I've finished with the other major classes. Then I'll work on the feats and finally get around to some prestige classes and supplementary classes.
So that's where the Priest of Legacies went... What's new in this version? On the other hand, it's been so long since I read the original, I'll be looking at it with fresh eyes even if you gave me a change log.
Tangentially related, but do you have any plans for the other 6 chapters of the Book of Seven Secrets? "The Book of Just One Secret For Now" doesn't have the same ring to it.
Does this mean that minus potential future tweaking it is all worked out and finished?
Does this mean that minus potential future tweaking it is all worked out and finished?
Hang on, I'm adding the next 15 or so remnants now. But finalizing these remnant lists really shouldn't take too long. I should have the first prestige classes up by the end of today. So, to answer your question, yeah, Remnant Magic is playable now.
YAY!
Does this mean that minus potential future tweaking it is all worked out and finished?
Hang on, I'm adding the next 15 or so remnants now. But finalizing these remnant lists really shouldn't take too long. I should have the first prestige classes up by the end of today. So, to answer your question, yeah, Remnant Magic is playable now.
YAY!
Congratulations!
When are you going to get to work on the other magic systems? :p
Does this mean that minus potential future tweaking it is all worked out and finished?
Hang on, I'm adding the next 15 or so remnants now. But finalizing these remnant lists really shouldn't take too long. I should have the first prestige classes up by the end of today. So, to answer your question, yeah, Remnant Magic is playable now.
YAY!
Congratulations!
When are you going to get to work on the other magic systems? :p
Way to spoil my celebration. :) I still have to finish the PrC's for this system (I have 4 in mind), and once I'm done those, the monsters, the magic items, and maybe a small thread about the League of Alborard, I'll get started on the next one.
Each remnant is a use of the magic that exists in the air around the caster. Though similar to a spell in that it requires somatic and verbal components to manipulate the magic, it is much simpler in practice. While casting spells involves creating magic, often in great proportions, casting remnants is merely moving small amounts of magic that have already been created. Consequently, casting a remnant takes a free action, does not provoke attacks of opportunity, does not incur an arcane spell failure chance, and never requires concentration or any other components.
Ah. That would do it.
Has anyone playtested this yet?
Figured you may have been updating it after playtests.
I've only been looking at the Remnant Mage, and the biggest potential breakage is the fact that the abilities are free actions. Assuming you are just working on blasting, you can easily end up with more damage than a blastificer, and potentially more damage than the mailman. I may be missing something, so I'm just gonna suggest that you try it out. Make a remnant mage, dedicate all your non-remnant feats to blastificer shenanigans, and see what you end up with.
About your new prestige class... First, what does "+1 to arcane remnant casting class" actually do? I'm guessing you get 3 more RP per round, and 1 more known remnant, but I figure I should check.
I've looked through it... if you were getting 50% more powerful than the warlock, blasting-wise, then one of us is missing something...
Say we take Slash. Make it the practiced remnant at level 2 (so it now costs 1 RP). Then we are using all of our RP on it. At level 10, with a starting int of 16, a headband of int+4, and putting both of your level-up increases into int, a Remnant Mage can have 35 RP. Give him a 14 starting dex, and bracers of dex+2, and take into account his BAB, he's got a ranged attack of +8. Let's say he gets a 10 on the roll. Average touch AC for a CR 10 monster is 9.26, according to this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172050). So, we'll round up to say 10, and our Remnant Mage is beating them by 8. So, we get 26 attacks through. The total deals 26d6 damage. More than five times what a warlock of the same level does.
So... is the above wrong?
Even if we don't make it the practed remnant, we still do 17d6 damage, although the average is a bit weirder, because 10 gives us the maximum result.
Finally, the Practiced Remnant problem... Why not give each Remnant Spell a "augment" which is only picked up by taking the Practiced Remnant power. For example, damages might go up a size, wish might allow you to copy 6RP powers, Monster might pick up Augment Summoning for free, etc...
Well, depending on how multiclassing is handled, imagine a fighter 8/Remnant Mage 2. In addition to his usual tripping mechanic, he gets 6 remnant points that he can use to shift, wall or transposition as a free action. With a horrible chasis on Remnant Mage, no less.
Consider Wizard 3/Remnant Mage 3/Cantrip Caster 4. Black Tentacles locks down, say, half the monsters he targets, and then uses his 21 RP to screw over the other half, doing things like Wall-ing the enemies so they can't get out of the tentacles for next time.
The maths favors splitting your RP between multiple spell remnants, at least as far as save-or-suck effects go. This gives an effective +3 to the DC.
It would be nice to see some more remnants that grow and evolve as you gain levels and can use them more, rather than just becoming the same thing with larger numbers. Monster is a good example, summoning more powerful creatures with different sets of abilities.
Speaking of Monster (and Animal and Animate, as well), the quantity and quality of the effect seem to be mildly borked. For 25 castings (1 + 3*8), it seems that you get 25 monsters (one per casting) from the SM9 list (SM1 + 8 SM levels for 24 extra castings). I'm not exactly sure what kind of scaling you were trying to accomplish, so I can't offer a proper fix.
Light's damage is much greater than other remnants if I'm reading it correctly. But, it seems I'm not, as on re-reading, it appears that you need 3 castings to create a radius larger than 10 feet and thus deal damage. So I'm just going to go with it being mildly confusing and unintuitive, then. I think.
Charm's RP cost is unusual. What happens if you think you have enough RP but actually don't when you try to cast it (for example, you think you're targeting your old drinking buddy, but you're actually targeting a Rakshasa disguised as him who has just noticed your party's Rogue preparing to slip a knife under his purse strings)?
A concept that's been rolling around in my mind to fix the higher levels is the concept of Spell Constructions, or larger spell effects composed of lots of different remnants pieced together. Basically, you would cast Chill 3 times, Spark 3 times, and Wind 3 times, and summon a storm or something (net RP: 33). Since they would be composed of other remnants, they would essentially have the same prerequisite-like properties as the paths that C_R was talking about. That would add some interest to Remnant Magic that would spice up the higher levels. Lower levels naturally won't have access to enough RP to use these. It fits easily with what I've already made. It could mean that Monster will simply summon a creature from Summon Monster I, and the Advanced Monster construction can require a number of castings of Monster to make the more powerful creature appear.
Most likely, these constructions will require the necessary remnants to be cast every turn for a number of turns, and the effect begins when the caster expends a standard action. I'm less clear on how remnant casters would acquire these. A feat probably wouldn't be worth it unless you got 2 or 3 constructions per feat, but just getting one every few levels seems very limiting. Maybe both? Remnant classes could get a construction at every level divisible by 6 or as a feat, maybe. I need to think it through a bit more. And come up with a better name. What do you call something built from a lot of small pieces? A mosaic? :p
The proposed usage of "Talent" rubs me the wrong way. It feels like it's giving ability scores a greater influence on the potency of your abilities than your actual character level and class level. I'm also worried that the number of daily uses of various things will get ridiculous with each individual remnant having it's own pool of per day charges of awesomeness.
Have you done anything about how saves, touch attacks, and SR work? In particular how each layer of defense effectively halves the number of remnants getting through unless the remnant caster gets a result vastly above the defender's defense (so having SR makes "saving" really easy even if the penetration roll is high enough), or how multiple castings of a remnant effectively function as bonuses on the SR penetration roll or touch attack when dealing with no save remnants?
Ooh. New post.
Spellforms... Interesting. Standard activation fixes a lot of potential breakages. I like that.
Going through them... The list is mostly fine.
You mistakenly wrote "Cold" for fire snow, which I assume should be chill.
How does Apparent Strength interact with someone trying to lift an actual person?
Shadowy Bodyguard might need a clause saying you need to be aware of the potential attacker. Not certain if it's necessary, but my spidey sense is tingling.
Illusory Monster should either be CR-based, or have a no-template clause.
What's a thunderbeast?
Reciprocate Spells seems... weird.
Although difficult... I'm worried about Persistent Hypothetical Future. It does require me to find a way for a sorcerer to have 14 6th level spells available in a day, so it should be ok.
Dead Eyes is probably a bit powerful, as a second level save or lose with a lesser lose on a successful save.
Change Form... Umm... Really? You took one of the most powerful spells in the game and included it in your system? :( Could I talk you into having a list of monsters you can turn into instead? Maybe a bonus to attack based on CL or something like that to make up for the lack of scaling? That way, you can use the newer polymorph rules.
Phase Transition... So, at level 12, I can take 12 10 ft cubes of air and transform them into a prison for whatever creatures where inside it, and those creatures start suffocating? With no save? I'm clearly not reading this right.
So... Change Form and Phase Transition are... problematic at best. There's some potential abuse I can see on some other spells, but it seems difficult at best. (Illusory Monster could actually be fine as an AoE will-save-or-die, since you have to be level 18 to even cast it). The way metamagic works at the moment means that you can start casting metamagic'd versions of spells as soon as you get them, which might be problematic.
Only 5 more short posts to go, and then I can move on to Spirit Magic! Start the countdown! 5!4! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14155.0)
Spellmonk looks pretty cool. Aura of Calm should clarify what the action to suppress it is, and how you resume it once suppressed (presumably the same way, but I'm a nitpicker). Creatures that are already enraged/frenzied when they enter your aura stay enraged, right?
The only potentially problematic thing I see is the Remnant Flurry and Mystic Focus. You can combine Remnant Flurry's many attacks with size increases (whether actual or effective) to still increase the damage. A Remnant Mage, Magician, or Spellknight entry has access to Enlarge, which can easily increase 2-3 size categories. I have to do the math on how it compares to just a regular flurry with a quarterstaff or something, though. Mystic Focus has the potential for tremendous burst damage at the start of a fight if you can stack it across multiple uses in the past minute. It's certainly fine if only only the greatest number of extra attacks from spare RP used in the last minute applies. I think the current wording is the former (all uses stack), but I'm not sure what your intent is.
Why do you want to precharge Mystic Flurry, anyways? Why not have it apply only to your next flurry in the same turn?
If you do want it to be prechargeable, why do you want multiple in-combat rounds to stack the charging?
3! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14183.0)Only 5 more short posts to go, and then I can move on to Spirit Magic! Start the countdown! 5!4! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14155.0)
2! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14214.new#new)3! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14183.0)Only 5 more short posts to go, and then I can move on to Spirit Magic! Start the countdown! 5!4! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14155.0)
Screw the countdown! FOUR (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14255.0) POSTS (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14256.0) AT (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14257.0) ONCE (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14258.0)!2! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14214.new#new)3! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14183.0)Only 5 more short posts to go, and then I can move on to Spirit Magic! Start the countdown! 5!4! (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=14155.0)
The Monsters link in the remnant magic thread (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=5885.0) links to items instead of monsters.
I've been looking over the Spellform feats, and I'm kinda confused about the formula for uses/day.
The Formula as written results in negative spells per day no matter the caster level for any spellform with an effective spell level of 3 or higher, and results in a NAN value for effective Spell Level 2, so...what gives?
Thank you! I misread the Order of Operations on the formula, apparently forgetting divide before subtracts, so....I've been looking over the Spellform feats, and I'm kinda confused about the formula for uses/day.
The Formula as written results in negative spells per day no matter the caster level for any spellform with an effective spell level of 3 or higher, and results in a NAN value for effective Spell Level 2, so...what gives?
The formula I see here (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=12980.0) is ((character level / 2) - spell level) / 2, with an effective minimum of 0 due to only being allowed to use the spellform if that results in 1 or higher. After all the rounding up, that works out to 1 use at level equal to 1 plus twice the spell level, with one more use every 4 levels thereafter (which is probably a simpler way of defining it). In any case, there are no NAN values because you're always dividing by 2, not some changing value that could be 0.
I'll have this first post be Spoiler-divided to keep things smaller and more easily understood:(click to show/hide)(click to show/hide)(click to show/hide)
Thoughts on anything in this post?
TheGeometer hasn't posted since May so I don't know when you'll get a response.
Remnant Mechanics:This line (using Body Adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/bodyAdjustment.htm) as an example):
1) I honestly don't understand what these sentences are saying. I've read them like five times and I still don't know what you mean. What line from Psionics, what statblock? I'd like to make the Remnant lists better-organized, but I literally don't understand what your suggestion is.
2) Looking back at Build, there's a lot I don't like about it. A minute per week of normal time would probably be more appropriate, and the last line about making Craft checks in addition to the effective Craft DC of the Remnants seems... out of place, if not just badly worded. I don't think it's more broken than Fabricate in its current form, but I'd still like to rework it.Just making the Craft check with a DC bonus based on how many instances are used should be balanceable, as it does give earlier access to crafting stuff like plate mail, but you still need the money to pay for materials. And mundane crafting has a tiny, barely mentionable, profit margin (though they do have one by RAW, unlike magic items). Having the DC boost for multiple uses per turn be mandetory prevents extremely rapid construction because you get confined by one check per interval, meaning it only gets faster when you have the Epic Level Handbook rules in play and make up for the +10 DC for accelerated construction.
3) I agree that in practice, casting only 1 group of remnants per turn is usually the way to go. It gives you a lot more damage and larger effects on saves, and if you split up your RP, you'll find your effects fizzling out. The main times when you would divide them would be sustaining effects and in non-offensive cases. Putting up a few small walls, healing a bit of damage, and moving over a bit, all in the same turn, can be really useful. They're not meant to be combined more than that except in spellforms (which, as you point out, have their own set of problems).
Keep in mind that damage from Weapon still obeys the remnant damage rules (though now that you've drawn my attention to it, I should add that they explicitly don't add any size modifier to their attack rolls). A CL 7 Remnant Mage can indeed make a cluster of 21 fine greatswords that attack at +7, but if you're up against a pretty standard CR 7 monster with AC 20 and you roll a 10, let's say, you'll be dealing 7d4. So, it's a fairly typical damaging spell for its CL. I should also explicitly say that the weapons don't deal with natural 1s or 20s normally, since a 20 in this case is already 17d4, and I don't want anyone to think that a crit doubles that. So thanks for mentioning falchions - wouldn't have caught that otherwise.
6) Note that in the introduction, I mention that all remnants must be cast in the same action per turn. That means you specifically can't use a remnant in between every action, only between every turn. As for the examples you gave, none of them seem unbalanced to me. A 1-level dip in Remnant Mage could let you Shift 5 feet every turn. Pretty reasonable for a dip - an extra 5-ft. step every turn seems to me like something a good feat would let you do. As for Shift and Ascend being used to fly... yeah. :p Remnant casters don't have any other way to fly. They were absolutely intended to be used together like that.All-day flight for two picks with a level-scaling speed is a pretty good out of combat capacity, and taking away from the speed is a good cost for bursts of high effectiveness.
Spellform idea:
I like your concept (if I'm understanding it right) of a Spellform being a customizable plug-and-play spell-creation system, where you can create any number of slightly different spell effects by swapping out the component remnants. If you can make something like that work well mechanically, I encourage you to post it as homebrew (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=14271.0). As is, though, other than some potential balance tweaks with how strict the Remnant component requirements are and how many unique effects are worth a feat, I don't see any way to modify my current system slightly to increase the flexibility. Making a variant partially or completely from scratch seems like the way to go if you want to flesh out your idea.