Mulletmanalive
2009-07-28, 01:00 AM
Ok, this is a repost of something I put onto the Homebrew section. Please ignore the rule idea [the colour coded section] if you prefer to keep out of that and read the surrounding bit which was a request for Exalted encounter suggestions...
I began running a high level Exalted game set in an Aztec Mordor with a Witch-Queen bent on assending to godhood. The setting, as far as it matters, has crystalised nicely with a little input from the players.
My issue at the moment is that i'm dreading using a million spellcasters. The setting with it's current psuedo-god queen has a whole bunch of priests running around with its military and this is kinda new to me. I had an idea for limiting the paperwork with multiple casters to avoid the temptation to keep making dudes that are more powerful than the Ringwraith equivilents [Demon Knights, think Jaguar Warriors but with demon pelts] which are CR 12 with an ability that makes them more dangerous in numbers.
[B]NPC Casters
NPC spellcasters undergo the following alterations:
1: Their total spell slots are calculated and halved. In the case of spontaneous casters, their 'spells known' rating is used instead.
2: Spells are assigned to these slots as per normal.
3: The caster casts their first spell from any level they choose.
4: Subsequent spells must be of a lower level than the last spell cast. For instance, a 7th level druid casts Flamestrike [Level 4]. The next round, he may choose to cast any spell of 3rd level or lower. He chooses Flaming Sphere, meaning that his next spell must be 1st or 0th level.
5: 0th level spells may always be cast without limit.
6: To restore themselves to factory default, the caster must spend a Full round action meditating. Such an action provokes attacks of opportunity.
6b: Spontaneous casters may restore their progression with a Standard action that does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity.
Fine points:
a) Metamagic is memorised into spells by non-spontaneous casters and the metamagic version of a spell is considered a discrete spell.
b) Spontaneous Casters apply metamagic more or less as normal; it takes a Full action to cast the spell and it counts as the increased level of the spell.
Requests:
Ok, now heres what i'm asking. I'm not going to break this mechanic, or abuse it [and as a GM, that's not technically possible anyway] but I am concerned that this might make spellcasters a little more powerful than they might be otherwise.
Does this need a CR adjustment? If so, how much? I'm planning to use this mostly with Druids and the occasional Favoured Soul but knowing about other spellcasters will be handy too.
Beyond that, can anyone think of any interesting encounters for a collection of 12th level Exalted characters? The clan is mostly combat types with an Apostle of Peace. I've got a few ideas but more are always appreciated and we're a bit past the level where dungeon crawling works...
If you want to know more about the setting, just ask.
I began running a high level Exalted game set in an Aztec Mordor with a Witch-Queen bent on assending to godhood. The setting, as far as it matters, has crystalised nicely with a little input from the players.
My issue at the moment is that i'm dreading using a million spellcasters. The setting with it's current psuedo-god queen has a whole bunch of priests running around with its military and this is kinda new to me. I had an idea for limiting the paperwork with multiple casters to avoid the temptation to keep making dudes that are more powerful than the Ringwraith equivilents [Demon Knights, think Jaguar Warriors but with demon pelts] which are CR 12 with an ability that makes them more dangerous in numbers.
[B]NPC Casters
NPC spellcasters undergo the following alterations:
1: Their total spell slots are calculated and halved. In the case of spontaneous casters, their 'spells known' rating is used instead.
2: Spells are assigned to these slots as per normal.
3: The caster casts their first spell from any level they choose.
4: Subsequent spells must be of a lower level than the last spell cast. For instance, a 7th level druid casts Flamestrike [Level 4]. The next round, he may choose to cast any spell of 3rd level or lower. He chooses Flaming Sphere, meaning that his next spell must be 1st or 0th level.
5: 0th level spells may always be cast without limit.
6: To restore themselves to factory default, the caster must spend a Full round action meditating. Such an action provokes attacks of opportunity.
6b: Spontaneous casters may restore their progression with a Standard action that does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity.
Fine points:
a) Metamagic is memorised into spells by non-spontaneous casters and the metamagic version of a spell is considered a discrete spell.
b) Spontaneous Casters apply metamagic more or less as normal; it takes a Full action to cast the spell and it counts as the increased level of the spell.
Requests:
Ok, now heres what i'm asking. I'm not going to break this mechanic, or abuse it [and as a GM, that's not technically possible anyway] but I am concerned that this might make spellcasters a little more powerful than they might be otherwise.
Does this need a CR adjustment? If so, how much? I'm planning to use this mostly with Druids and the occasional Favoured Soul but knowing about other spellcasters will be handy too.
Beyond that, can anyone think of any interesting encounters for a collection of 12th level Exalted characters? The clan is mostly combat types with an Apostle of Peace. I've got a few ideas but more are always appreciated and we're a bit past the level where dungeon crawling works...
If you want to know more about the setting, just ask.