[PoC] Power of Cybernetics General Discussion Thread

[Garryl]

I'm thinking of making your activator level a singular value shared across all classes, instead of each class having its own value. Your AL would thus be based on the sum of your levels in all activating classes. This is a relatively minor thing, since very few effects use your AL (mostly just the DC for dispel checks). I could even go whole hog ToB and say your non-activating classes still count as 1/2 to determine AL. That would also let me dump the AL = 1/2 character level text in the Activate Module feats.

I'm also thinking, to go with this (only if I go with the whole hog ToB style) changing the formula for energy capacity. Currently, it's based on character level, like Incarnum. With the change above, I could change it back to activator level, like it was in MaI, without worrying that characters without activating classes are unable to allocate energy and use System feats and racial features.

The above changes are ultimately of benefit far later on when Rise of the Machines and its mecha will come along. Since they're probably going to be statted like monsters, they're likely to have higher HD than CR/effective level, which, under the current system, would give them inflated energy capacities. That would be a bad thing. Although I could probably deal with it through RotM's subsystem rules, too.

Thoughts?

[Nanshork]

That sounds good to me, it would clean things up and smooth them out nicely.

[Amechra]

So, Garryl, you mind if I made a version of these feats for PoC?

I mean, I'm trying to get back from creating sucky homebrew. So I need the practice.

[Garryl]

I'd love that. Go right ahead.

Edit: Just remember that modules aren't a closely tied to body slots and physical, magic items as soulmelds are. They don't normally interfere with body slots, or even associate with them directly, unlike soulmelds which are shaped around specific chakras/body slots, and prevent magic item use when bound. And that modules can be attached to any accessible socket, even if they only normally gain benefits from specific sockets (you could, for example, attach the Power Suit module to your Energy Emitter socket just for the increased energy capacity if you wanted to).

[Amechra]

Temporary Craftsmanship [Cybernetic][Item Creation]
You have discovered how to activate your Modules in a way that allows you to lend them to others.
Prerequisites: Must be able to activate at least 2 Modules, Activator Level 3rd
Benefits: Whenever you activate a Module, you may activate it as a Widget, appearing at your feat as a solid item. As long as a Widget exists, anyone can pick it up and use it as if it were a slotless cybernetic item with an Activator level equal to your own.

The Module is still subject to effects that destroy modules, and is additionally subject to effects which target magic items. If you activate the same module an additional time, either as a Widget or as a normal Module, the existing Widget is deactivated and disappears.

A Widget does not count against the maximum number of Modules a given creature is able to have active at one time unless they are currently wearing that Widget.

You cannot allocate any energy into a Widget, and you cannot activate a Widget that is attached to a Socket. You may not create a Widget out of an Integrated Module.
Special: Your activator level increases by +1, to a maximum of your total Hit Dice.

Effortless Invention [Cybernetic]
You have gotten better at rapidly tinkering up Widgets.
Prerequisites: Temporary Craftsmanship, Activator level 6th, able to attach modules to a Socket.
Benefit: If someone with an energy pool is wearing one of your Widgets, they may allocate energy to that Widget or attach it to a Socket as if it were a Module they had activated themselves.

As soon as they are no longer wearing that Widget, the energy allocated is deallocated from the Widget and returned to the person who allocated it, and the Widget is detached from that particular socket.
Special: Your activator level increases by +1, to a maximum of your total Hit Dice.

Pocket Industry [Cybernetic]
A breakthrough! Advanced technologies may now be granted to the poor, benighted masses!
Prerequisites: Effortless Invention
Benefits: Whenever you allocate energy to a Widget that you created, you may choose to have the energy not return to you when it leaves your person. You may not change how much energy you have allocated to a Widget unless you are wearing it. As long as you still have at least 1 energy allocated to a Widget, no-one else may allocate more energy into it.

In addition, if you have a Widget attached to one of your sockets, you may choose to have it not detach from that socket when it leaves your person; anyone who chooses to use that Widdget treats it as a cybernetic item that takes up a body slot analogous to the socket that the Widget is attached to, and may not attach it to any other sockets. You may not change what socket the Widget is attached to unless you are wearing it.
Special: Your activator level increases by +1, to a maximum of your total Hit Dice.

Technological Aesthetic [Cybernetic]
Your technology looks like it stepped right out of the blueprints of your dreams.
Prerequisites: The ability to activate a module.
Benefit: When you first take this feat, you may specify an aesthetic for your modules to take on. From this point on, all of your modules take on that aesthetic.

For example, if your aesthetic was "Steampunk", and you activated a Power Suit, it could form an imposing suit of armor with gears peeking through the gaps, with steam hissing out of a boiler in the back, rather than some sleek future technology.

Any Spellcraft checks or Computer Use checks to determine that you are carrying or using a module have their DC increased by 10, because of the sharply different aesthetic.
Special: Your activator level increases by +1, to a maximum of your total Hit Dice.
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There, all done. Despite the fact that you reminded me of the fact that you can tie anything to anything after I got started... that doesn't really change anything. I mean, you could attach Power Armor to your Visor socket, and then create a Widget from it, if you really wanted to. It just wouldn't do much, besides the increased energy capacity.

Also, curse you Garryl! I originally renamed Soulmeld Items to Gadgets, then I saw that you already were using the word. I had to settle for Widget.

And aren't you glad that I went for inventor over efevreist?

[Garryl]

Temporary Craftsmanship shouldn't work with Integrated Modules. Also, it should be a slotless cybernetic item with an activator level equal to your own.

Effortless Invention should say deallocated, not divested.

You have a stray reference to Gadget instead of Widget in Pocket Industry.

Technological Aesthetic should also influence the Computer Use checks to identify the module being used.

[Amechra]

What are you talking about?

I never made those mistakes.



But, yeah, they were fixed. Including a mistake you did not catch!

[Garryl]

Which mistake? And It's item Creation, not Item Crafting.

Don't blame me for taking gadgets. I just stole the term from d20 Modern/Future.

[Amechra]

I had a Magical Item in Pocket Industry.

And what are you insinuating? It was item creation from the start!

[Garryl]

Pocket Industry shouldn't work with modules attached to multiple sockets or to sockets that don't have analogous body slots.

Edit: Efevreist?

[Amechra]

Efevreist comes from efevrei, the Greek word for Invent.

Ergo, one who invents.

And can you give me a quick rundown of the sockets that have no body-slot analogy? I could set up Pocket Industry to work with multi-socket modules by taking up all of those body spaces. I'll probably have to do that with my Incarnum version as well, for stuff like Totem.

[Garryl]

And can you give me a quick rundown of the sockets that have no body-slot analogy? I could set up Pocket Industry to work with multi-socket modules by taking up all of those body spaces. I'll probably have to do that with my Incarnum version as well, for stuff like Totem.

Table 1.1.2: Socket/Body Slot Equivalencies, also has Chakra equivalencies for easy reference.

[Amechra]

Sweetness. I've got stuff I need to work on, so I'll fix everything up real nice tomorrow.

[Garryl]

I just added a few more energized melee weapons. The general idea is to be slightly weaker than a normal weapon would be when unpowered, and slightly stronger when energy is allocated. If you're planning to use the Energized property or similar things, it's an advantageous combo (since it's all one energy receptacle, letting your energy count for both aspects), but otherwise it's a tradeoff of 1 energy for a slightly better weapon. How do they look?

The laser chainweapons are just like the weapons they mimic (dagger, longsword, etc.) when unpowered, except with an inferior crit range. When you allocate energy to them, they're like the weapons they mimic but one size bigger damage and a slightly better damage type (piercing and slashing).

The plasma whip is like a one-handed spiked chain that deals fire damage when powered, but like a whip (and all the disadvantages that come with it) without the triple reach when unpowered.

[Garryl]

The Chronologist and Deleter PrCs are now up.

In addition to the usual slew of dual progression PrCs, are there any archetypes you'd like to see expressed through prestige classes? Please let me know, I'm looking for ideas.

[Amechra]

The Chronologist and Deleter PrCs are now up.

In addition to the usual slew of dual progression PrCs, are there any archetypes you'd like to see expressed through prestige classes? Please let me know, I'm looking for ideas.

A Hacker would be nice...

[Garryl]

Hacker how so?

Edit: By which I mean please elaborate. Hacker is broad enough term to imply a lot of things in a lot of contexts.

[Amechra]

The one thing that is popping in my head is someone who can allocate Energy to other people's modules (and other stuff, like their System feats, later on), to gain some level of control over them.

Like how the do it in bad Hollywood movies.

[Garryl]

The one thing that is popping in my head is someone who can allocate Energy to other people's modules (and other stuff, like their System feats, later on), to gain some level of control over them.

Like how the do it in bad Hollywood movies.

You mean the rapid, random typing and spouting of meaningless technobabble? Preferably with some raster graphics and ones and zeroes flying all over the screen.

I'll see what I can do. I'm thinking, in addition to the whole taking control of others' modules like you mentioned, some dispelling (existing hack based abilities in PoC dispel and suppress things), debuffing, and buffing (boost allies' modules and spell patterns beyond their rated limits). Maybe borrow a bit from Sirp's Divhead.

[Amechra]

I was also thinking about them getting a special "spike" socket, which they can stick on something.

"Guys, I've hacked into the door's technomagic processor and spammed the subroutines with the code. We're in."
"Marvin, that's not a- wow, that actually worked."

With Modules for doing stuff like "unlocking" doors, blasting open walls, quickly reading through a library's worth of information...

Actually, wait, that sounds open enough to be its own category of module (maybe call 'em [External], let them provide some effects tied to an object, rather than you? Like having them store data in a matrix, create Cybernetic Doors, and the like...)