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View Full Version : (3.P) Making spells/abilities harder to cast


peacenlove
2012-01-15, 03:29 AM
I had some thoughts to implement in my next campaign. More precisely, even with the concentration rule change in PF, there are many ways of bypassing rolling concentration altogether. So to make things fairer for my players (I utilize a lot of casters and UMD monkeys in my game) I propose the next 2 changes.

1) Abilities activated from items count as spell like abilities, unless otherwise noted.
2) Swift and immediate action spells and item activations, as well as spells that are cast as a result of another spell (such as contingency, arcane fusion, etc), provoke AoO.

I am willing to lax the first rule and make the item abilities as supernatural abilities (so only dedicated AoO builds, which take Supernatural strike, will be able to block them)

Any unforeseen consequences? Imagine a high powered Tier 3 environment, where Tiers 1-2 are expected as opponents, and even as players (forgotten realms and its abundance of mages/clerics, also take note that I am the optimizer/rules lawyer of the group)
Hiro Protagonest
2012-01-15, 12:53 PM
...I don't see this changing power level much. It just means the mage is less likely to survive the first round of combat if they rely on Contingency if they lose initiative. Plus, there's some verisimilitude problems. Why does Contingency provoke an AoO? You don't do anything to activate Contingency.
peacenlove
2012-01-15, 02:15 PM
...I don't see this changing power level much. It just means the mage is less likely to survive the first round of combat if they rely on Contingency if they lose initiative. Plus, there's some verisimilitude problems. Why does Contingency provoke an AoO? You don't do anything to activate Contingency.

My goal isn't to bridge the gap between magic and non magic users. Just making them more careful and vulnerable and de emphasize the value of magic items, which at 15th - 20th level make or break a build.
However on second thought you are right about the contingency problem. Also there are feats that accomplish most of what I am proposing so there's that too.