AgentPaper
2009-04-04, 11:26 AM
Okay, basic system I've worked out, though it probably needs a nice amount of work:
You get a certain number of "style" points each level. (check table below) You can spend these points to learn various styles. A style gives you a bonus to certain attributes, and many also give you a special technique that you can use along with it. You can only use a single daily technique per day at heroic tier, two at paragon, and 3 at epic.
There are four categories of styles: Attack, Defense, Mental and Utility. All styles except for Utility styles have an enhancement bonus, usually depending on it's level. Attack styles add this bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls. Defense styles add to AC. Mental styles add to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. Utility styles do not add to any attribute, unless stated differently.
You can only have a single Attack, Defense and Mental style active at any time, and it takes a minor action to change from one to another. You can choose which of these styles you want to use at the start of battle, if you have learned multiple stances of the same type. You can have any amount of Utility styles active at any time. You can never benefit from the same style twice, and no two style properties can benefit the same attribute twice.
You choose what styles you learn each time you level up. You can also re-train a single style you already know to learn a new one, regaining all the points you spent to learn that style. You can also upgrade any styles you already know to a higher level version of itself, as long as you have enough points.
{table=head]Level|Style Cost|Points Available
1|360|1,080
2|520|1,560
3|680|2,040
4|840|2,520
5|1,000|3,000
6|1,800|5,400
7|2,600|7,800
8|3,400|10,200
9|4,200|12,600
10|5,000|15,000
11|9,000|36,000
12|13,000|52,000
13|17,000|68,000
14|21,000|84,000
15|25,000|10,0000
16|45,000|180,000
17|65,000|260,000
18|85,000|340,000
19|105,000|420,000
20|125,000|500,000
21|225,000|1,125,000
22|325,000|1,625,000
23|425,000|2,125,000
24|525,000|2,625,000
25|625,000|3,125,000
26|1,125,000|5,625,000
27|1,625,000|8,125,000
28|2,125,000|10,625,000
29|2,625,000|13,125,000
30|3,125,000|15,625,000[/table]
Attack Styles
Duelist Style---------------------------------------Heroic
The favored style of a rogue.
Lvl 3 +1-------------------Lvl 18 +4
Lvl 8 +2-------------------Lvl 13 +5
Lvl 13 +3------------------Lvl 28 +6
Weapon: Light Blade
Critical: +1d6 damage per plus, or +1d8 damage per plus if
-you have combat advantage
Daily Technique: Minor Action. You have combat advantage
-against the next creature you attack with an allowed
-weapon on this turn.
Focused Style--------------------------------------Heroic
You sacrifice power to focus your mind on landing each and
and every attack you make.
Lvl 2 +2-------------------Lvl 19 +5
Lvl 8 +3-------------------Lvl 24 +6
Lvl 14 +4------------------Lvl 30 +7
Weapon: Any
Heroic Tier Feats
Adaptive Style
-Prerequisites: Int 13
-Benefit: You can switch styles of the chosen category as an
immediate action, instead of a minor action.
-Special: You can take this
feat more than once. Each time you select this feat, choose
another style category.
Dual Style
-Prerequisites: Dex 15
-Benefit: You can have two Attack styles active at any one
time. Each attack you make can only benefit from one of these
styles. For powers that grant multiple attacks, choose for each
attack.
-Special: You must be wielding two weapons/implements to
benefit from this feat.
Varied Style
-Prerequisites: Wis 13
-Benefit: Each style your learn after your first in a category
other than Utility costs as many points as an item 1 level below
it. At 11th level they cost as much as an item 2 levels below it,
and at 21st they cost as much as an item 3 levels below it.
Basically, this removes WBL and ties "items" directly to your level, which is basically what WBL did anyways. As you can see, turning items into styles is ridiculously easy. Magic weapon and implement types become Attack styles, magic armor types become Defense Styles, and neck slot items become Mental styles. All other magic items become Utility styles.
Another system I've been thinking of, which would go well with this one, is masterwork weapons, basically like how masterwork armor works. These would replace magic items as "loot", and basically give something like a +1 to +4 bonus to hit and damage. +1 being the life work of a master, +2 being made of a special material like adamantine and forged by a legendary master, +3 being made of starmetal and the progressive life work of a line of dwarves, and +4 being nothing less than a weapon forged out of the cosmos by the god Moradin himself for his champion among mortals. Getting a +1 item would be normal in heroic, a +2 normal in paragon, +3 normal in epic, and +4 would be something you might get at level 30 right before you fight tiamat.
None of these would be assumed, of course, given out by the DM depending on if he wants the game to be harder or easier, and also just as easily taken away as given. For example, Roy's sword might be a +2 item, and perfectly good to use for the duration of his career, and even if he finds a nice +3 item later, he wouldn't be stabbing himself in the foot if he passed it up out of respect for his grandfather. (Just punching himself in the foot)
I like this system because it brings back what I think a lot of people liked about the item systems in the older editions, like 2e and before, while keeping the added customization of 4E's item system. And like I said above, it makes the players feel more like it's they themselves that are getting more powerful instead of just having more stuff on them, and frees the game from WBL being needed so much for items and such.
Of course, this doesn't fit every style of play, and does lose out on some of the OOO SHINY from the normal item system, but there ya go.
Comments? Fatal flaws? Typos?
You get a certain number of "style" points each level. (check table below) You can spend these points to learn various styles. A style gives you a bonus to certain attributes, and many also give you a special technique that you can use along with it. You can only use a single daily technique per day at heroic tier, two at paragon, and 3 at epic.
There are four categories of styles: Attack, Defense, Mental and Utility. All styles except for Utility styles have an enhancement bonus, usually depending on it's level. Attack styles add this bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls. Defense styles add to AC. Mental styles add to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. Utility styles do not add to any attribute, unless stated differently.
You can only have a single Attack, Defense and Mental style active at any time, and it takes a minor action to change from one to another. You can choose which of these styles you want to use at the start of battle, if you have learned multiple stances of the same type. You can have any amount of Utility styles active at any time. You can never benefit from the same style twice, and no two style properties can benefit the same attribute twice.
You choose what styles you learn each time you level up. You can also re-train a single style you already know to learn a new one, regaining all the points you spent to learn that style. You can also upgrade any styles you already know to a higher level version of itself, as long as you have enough points.
{table=head]Level|Style Cost|Points Available
1|360|1,080
2|520|1,560
3|680|2,040
4|840|2,520
5|1,000|3,000
6|1,800|5,400
7|2,600|7,800
8|3,400|10,200
9|4,200|12,600
10|5,000|15,000
11|9,000|36,000
12|13,000|52,000
13|17,000|68,000
14|21,000|84,000
15|25,000|10,0000
16|45,000|180,000
17|65,000|260,000
18|85,000|340,000
19|105,000|420,000
20|125,000|500,000
21|225,000|1,125,000
22|325,000|1,625,000
23|425,000|2,125,000
24|525,000|2,625,000
25|625,000|3,125,000
26|1,125,000|5,625,000
27|1,625,000|8,125,000
28|2,125,000|10,625,000
29|2,625,000|13,125,000
30|3,125,000|15,625,000[/table]
Attack Styles
Duelist Style---------------------------------------Heroic
The favored style of a rogue.
Lvl 3 +1-------------------Lvl 18 +4
Lvl 8 +2-------------------Lvl 13 +5
Lvl 13 +3------------------Lvl 28 +6
Weapon: Light Blade
Critical: +1d6 damage per plus, or +1d8 damage per plus if
-you have combat advantage
Daily Technique: Minor Action. You have combat advantage
-against the next creature you attack with an allowed
-weapon on this turn.
Focused Style--------------------------------------Heroic
You sacrifice power to focus your mind on landing each and
and every attack you make.
Lvl 2 +2-------------------Lvl 19 +5
Lvl 8 +3-------------------Lvl 24 +6
Lvl 14 +4------------------Lvl 30 +7
Weapon: Any
Heroic Tier Feats
Adaptive Style
-Prerequisites: Int 13
-Benefit: You can switch styles of the chosen category as an
immediate action, instead of a minor action.
-Special: You can take this
feat more than once. Each time you select this feat, choose
another style category.
Dual Style
-Prerequisites: Dex 15
-Benefit: You can have two Attack styles active at any one
time. Each attack you make can only benefit from one of these
styles. For powers that grant multiple attacks, choose for each
attack.
-Special: You must be wielding two weapons/implements to
benefit from this feat.
Varied Style
-Prerequisites: Wis 13
-Benefit: Each style your learn after your first in a category
other than Utility costs as many points as an item 1 level below
it. At 11th level they cost as much as an item 2 levels below it,
and at 21st they cost as much as an item 3 levels below it.
Basically, this removes WBL and ties "items" directly to your level, which is basically what WBL did anyways. As you can see, turning items into styles is ridiculously easy. Magic weapon and implement types become Attack styles, magic armor types become Defense Styles, and neck slot items become Mental styles. All other magic items become Utility styles.
Another system I've been thinking of, which would go well with this one, is masterwork weapons, basically like how masterwork armor works. These would replace magic items as "loot", and basically give something like a +1 to +4 bonus to hit and damage. +1 being the life work of a master, +2 being made of a special material like adamantine and forged by a legendary master, +3 being made of starmetal and the progressive life work of a line of dwarves, and +4 being nothing less than a weapon forged out of the cosmos by the god Moradin himself for his champion among mortals. Getting a +1 item would be normal in heroic, a +2 normal in paragon, +3 normal in epic, and +4 would be something you might get at level 30 right before you fight tiamat.
None of these would be assumed, of course, given out by the DM depending on if he wants the game to be harder or easier, and also just as easily taken away as given. For example, Roy's sword might be a +2 item, and perfectly good to use for the duration of his career, and even if he finds a nice +3 item later, he wouldn't be stabbing himself in the foot if he passed it up out of respect for his grandfather. (Just punching himself in the foot)
I like this system because it brings back what I think a lot of people liked about the item systems in the older editions, like 2e and before, while keeping the added customization of 4E's item system. And like I said above, it makes the players feel more like it's they themselves that are getting more powerful instead of just having more stuff on them, and frees the game from WBL being needed so much for items and such.
Of course, this doesn't fit every style of play, and does lose out on some of the OOO SHINY from the normal item system, but there ya go.
Comments? Fatal flaws? Typos?