UA variants

[motoko's ghost]

Thinking of starting a new campaign world soon and was wondering if anyone knew how well some of the UA variants worked, in particular armour as DR,magic recharge times,metamagic components and incantations?

do they actually work in a campaign? Could I get at least the metamagic components and incantations into the current magic system without too much trouble? and stuff like that.

[TopCheese]

Thinking of starting a new campaign world soon and was wondering if anyone knew how well some of the UA variants worked, in particular armour as DR,magic recharge times,metamagic components and incantations?

do they actually work in a campaign? Could I get at least the metamagic components and incantations into the current magic system without too much trouble? and stuff like that.

From what I hear... Mostly not very well. I haven't used any of the variants in a loooong time. I do love the skill system variant (trained = max skill points, not trained equal half) mainly cause you could gain new skills easier (err more or less).

But then again the base system for AC doesn't work past like level 8 or 10... Core casting is broken after level 3 spells come in play... metamagics has a ton of flaws...

Hmm

Anyways.. The stuff in UA like all of 3.5 wasn't really play tested or well thought out so really it shouldn't mess up your campaign.

What you should probably do is play test it then switch things around to fit your liking.

[motoko's ghost]

Okay thanks, I know some of the stuff in there is borked, I just wasn't sure about those ones, I'll probably end up tweaking them then.

[Feralventas]

Most of the Druid variants are nerfs.
That said, druid needs to be beaten to a pulp with a nerf bat.

Domain Wizard is giving a powerful class more power.

Bard and Barbarian variants can give them nifty flavor, but really shouldn't upset the balance. The real gem in Barbarian variants is the 1level dip in Lion Totem Barb from Complete Champion rather than UA.

Thug Fighter's an okay way to get full BAB and a couple of Sneak Attack dice.

Monk fighting styles are nifty, but still not pulling them out of the hole that is their class features.

Paladins of Slaughter, Freedom, and Tyranny are pretty much just alignment-shifted Paladins; no major changes aside from easier multi-class options.

Wild-Shape Ranger is pretty nice.

Wilderness Rogue: May as well be a Scout.

Battle Sorcerer is a gish-in-a-can.

[IdleMuse]

I've played D&D variants with armour-as-DR and it's boring as all hell.

[Feralventas]

I've played D&D variants with armour-as-DR and it's boring as all hell.

Armor as DR works better with the class Defense Bonus variant also in play; Fantasy Craft pulls it off quite well.

[motoko's ghost]

Armor as DR works better with the class Defense Bonus variant also in play; Fantasy Craft pulls it off quite well.

I was originally considering using both, but I wasnt sure if that would prove too weird for new players.

[Hecuba]

do they actually work in a campaign? Could I get at least the metamagic components and incantations into the current magic system without too much trouble? and stuff like that.

Those particular elements can work fairly well, or they can be horrible. The key is they both depend heavily on active balancing and adjudication by the DM.

They are, essentially, a framework for limited homebrew. Thus they bring all the work of homebrewing and of adjudicating homebrew.

I've used them with pleasant effect, but I heavily suggest you I have a basic skeleton of the balance work done ahead of time.
Using the incantation system as an example, I found it helpful to have a specific pre-made incantation for each school/subschool for something close to the top power level I found acceptable. I also created one that I though was on the edge of needing a buff.

[Dimers]

Incantations are basically ALL noncombat magic in (dare I say the words in this subforum? I do so dare) 4th-ed. They work okay there -- would be more popular if they weren't overpriced and if skills hadn't been improved to cover more situations. But all the divination, lots of overland travel, some conveniences, wards, most long-distance communication, and more, that's all in incantation form. It's nice that you can make a non-caster class who can use them!

[toapat]

Paladins of Slaughter, Freedom, and Tyranny are pretty much just alignment-shifted Paladins; no major changes aside from easier multi-class options.

actually, Paladin of Freedom and Slaughter, barring the need to readjust the spell lists for each book added, are actually superior to Core paladin, so long as you can actually explain to the DM that the Code is a code, not RAW.

Paladin of Freedom isnt actually barred from the good substitution levels of the class

Paladin of Slaughter has the interaction of gaining all of the benefits of blackguard, without loosing them either. One thing i commonly see said is that Paladin 1/ Blackguard 10 is a good combo. Thing is, that suggestion is actually in ignorance of the specific wording of the Paladin level interaction clause. You actually need to retain 10 levels of paladin to get the full power out of blackguard. with evil paladins, they actually still qualify for this clause, and they gain all the benefits of being evil, with a second layer of evil. you essentially create a character who has 10 CEpally//11 Blackguard. the charisma Synergy is rediculous too, giving you 2x cha to saves.

[etrpgb]

From what I recall:
DR to armor is bull****. That level of protection is more bookkeeping than protection.

Most variant classes work fine, just exclude the Domain Wizard.

Weapon groups are nice.

Fixed XP per monster are also good, it makes giving XP to the party easier and they are equivalent to the original rule.

[SowZ]

From what I recall:
DR to armor is bull****. That level of protection is more bookkeeping than protection.

Most variant classes work fine, just exclude the Domain Wizard.

Weapon groups are nice.

Fixed XP per monster are also good, it makes giving XP to the party easier and they are equivalent to the original rule.

It's always gone simply enough for me. Armor as DR has never given me any problems as a DM.