Quellian-dyrae
2013-12-06, 02:36 AM
The Core Rule
Going for simple here. Tiers measure both power and versatility, which typically comes from powerful spells and unique abilities. Magic items can provide both power and versatility, often by emulating powerful spells or granting unique abilities. So characters gain WBL based on their relative power. For simplicity, I'mma just go with Tier for the breakpoints. No need to be too fancy.
Worth noting though, overall, this is a high-powered system. Weak gets boosted quite a bit more than strong gets nerfed. Also, I don't expect it to really fully balance the classes, but it should do well enough that everyone's at least playing the same game.
Tier 1: Half normal WBL.
Tier 2: Two-thirds normal WBL.
Tier 3: Full normal WBL*.
Tier 4: Twice normal WBL*.
Tier 5: Three times normal WBL.
Tier 6: Four times normal WBL.
*Tiers 3 and 4 actually have a pretty broad range of potential power levels. You may even want to divide this up some, something like:
Strong Tier 3 (Fixed List casters, higher-powered Tier 3 homebrews, etc): Full normal WBL.
Typical Tier 3 (Six-level casters, solid leveled system users): 1.25X normal WBL.
Borderline Tier 3/4 (High powered Tier 4 homebrews, more borderline cases like Warblades and Warlocks, ...maybe charge-optimized barbarians): 1.5X normal WBL.
Typical Tier 4 (Most other Tier 4 classes): Twice normal WBL.
Oh, also, first level base WBL changes from "by class" to "300 gold".
Obvious Glaring Issue #1 - "Wow. Okay. You do realize that wealth actually exists in-game and you can't guarantee its distribution like that, right?"
Using this system, a character's WBL, and thus access to magic items, is entirely divorced from in-game wealth and treasure. While there may be a correlation between the two (that is, the wealth of a life of adventuring being the fluff explanation for a high-level character's access to magical items), magic items certainly do not have set assigned values and a thriving trade in any half-decent civilization characters come to. One cannot simply convert a dragon's hoard (or daily Wall of Iron casting binge, as the case may be) directly into powerful magical tools, or exchange a cartload of +1 Longswords for a +5 Longsword at the nearest wizard's guild.
At each new level, a character can reassign its WBL. At DM discretion, this can also occur with extensive downtime (generally a few weeks to a month). The WBL invested into items that have been lost or stolen in the interim is also refunded (intentionally loaned items must still be deducted from the new total, unless ownership is transferred and the new owner's WBL is deducted accordingly).
WBL invested into perishable items that have been expended does not refresh in this way. Rather, each day, the character can recover an amount of WBL invested into expended perishable items equal to (1.5 * its class level, rounded up) squared. This value is multiplied by tier as normal.
{table="head"]Level|Gold
1|4
2|9
3|25
4|36
5|64
6|81
7|121
8|144
9|196
10|225
11|289
12|324
13|400
14|441
15|529
16|576
17|676
18|729
19|841
20|900[/table]
Characters can only acquire items by their own initiative through their WBL. The DM is welcome to put other magic items in their path for them to acquire and use at its prerogative; the DM may require WBL to be traded out for these items, or may allow them in addition to WBL.
Mundane treasure can generally be spent as, you know, actual money. On frivolous luxuries like lands, buildings, and armies of low-level peon hirelings. Or a nice boat. Whatever.
Obvious Glaring Issue #2 - "Great. You've anywhere from doubled to quadrupled the Christmas Tree effect. That's generally considered a bad thing."
Since magic items are no longer tied to actual in-game wealth, there is no real need for them to be defined as magic items - although they can be. Magic item abilities can be acquired as innate powers, functioning as Supernatural abilities (for constant effects) or Spell-like abilities (for activated effects). Weapon abilities apply to a single weapon wielded at any given time.
Innate powers have the advantage that they cannot be lost or stolen (and, thus, potentially used against the character), and they do not take up item slots. However, they also cannot be lent to allies, and can't be changed by characters with Item Creation feats.
Obvious Glaring Issue #3 - "Oh yeah, good point. What about Item Creation feats? Especially since they're caster feats anyway."
Item Creation feats do not directly impact WBL. Rather, a character with an Item Creation feat can change out WBL for items of the appropriate type. Only WBL invested into magic items (or currently uninvested) can be exchanged, though WBL invested into items that have been lost beyond recovery (but not merely expended perishables) can also be replaced in this way. The crafter may exchange WBL for allies (or as a business, and PCs can potentially hire crafters to exchange their items if none of them have the relevant feats). A crafter can exchange an amount of WBL equal to 10% of its own WBL with eight hours of work.
Crafters can also speed the process of recovering perishable items. Simply possessing a Crafting feat gives you one additional pool of perishable recovery each day, which may only be spent on recovering perishables of that type (for example, a 15th level wizard normally recovers 264 gold of expended perishables per day; since it gets Scribe Scroll free, it gets another 264 per day to recover expended scrolls). By dedicating a day of downtime (at least eight hours of work) to crafting, the character can double its recovery that day. Crafters may also spend their own perishable recovery on ally perishables, if desired.
Item Creation does not cost XP, though normal caster level and spell requirements for the items created still apply.
Obvious Glaring Issue #4 - "So the idea for balancing mundanes is to either cover them with magic or make them magical. I want to play a fighter, not a mage with a sword."
Both magic items and innate powers can be acquired as non-magical capabilities, becoming fully Exceptional with all that entails (ignoring SR, immunity to dispelling and antimagic, etc). Such items are generally exceptionally crafted, alchemically augmented, or technologically advanced. Innate abilities of this nature may be physiological quirks, specialized training, or simple superhuman physical and mental prowess.
Capabilities of this nature are limited. They cannot be explicitly and blatantly magical effects. They can be "reflavored", but this may result in limitations or reduction in utility at DM discretion. That being said, they could quite easily bend or even outright violate the laws of physics.
So for example, something like flight could be due to wings (and thus fail if one is immobilized, unlike a normal Flight spell). Teleportation could be reflavored as bursts of incredible speed (and thus couldn't be used to actually escape bindings, since you have to be able to physically move). Even summons could be defined as access to allies who can be called in when needed (which may take a round or two for them to get into position, or be limited if you travel by means they can't, etc). Of course, simple things like stat bonuses, or even such things as a Wounding or even Speed or Vorpal weapon, could simply work as the character or item is just that good.
Exceptional items do not require Item Creation feats, caster levels, or spells to exchange with the above crafting rules. They do require ranks in a relevant Craft skill at least equal to the required caster level + 3. Additionally, the WBL cost of Exceptional capabilities increases by 10% per spell level the character has access to (including 0-level spells).
Obvious Glaring Issue #5 - "Uh...multiclassing?"
Yeah, yeah, multiclassing. That'll take some eyeballing, but really, there are some fairly solid rules of thumb. Are you a prepared caster with a broad spell list and your highest level spell greater than one-third your ECL rounded up? You're almost certainly Tier 1. Same, but spontaneous caster? Tier 2. Fixed list caster, caster with your highest-level spell greater than something like one-fourth your class level, other leveled subsystem user, or just possessed on a nice breadth of abilities? Probably Tier 3, maybe 4 if your options are sub-par or really limited in utility. Primarily fixed class features, but good at what you do, or access to only low-level spells or leveled features? Probably Tier 4. Possessed of a scattershot of debatably useful or level-inappropriate abilities? Tier 5. And if you have basically no class features of merit, you're Tier 6.
Naturally, if new class levels changes your relative Tier, it'll change your WBL as it refreshes for your new level.
Supplemental Rule #1 - Some Minor Points of Balance
There are certain options in D&D that are, frankly, Just Plain Broken. Particularly glaring math errors that lead to infinite loops, access to capabilities far beyond the intended scope for players (typically by emulating or taking command of some obscure monster), etc. With high-powered magical abilities (or emulations thereof) being more common, it's worth addressing at least some of these. So:
-No character can, by any means other than DM action, acquire access to a spell (or similar ability) with a greater effective spell level (counting all metamagic modifications, including those that are offset or paid for in other ways) than half the character's ECL, rounded up. So no purchasing such spells as magic items, no commanding a summoned or dominated creature to cast such spells for you, no metamagic shenanigans to exceed this spell level cap (though a multiclassed caster could potentially exceed its actual maximum spell level), etc.
-No character can, by any means other than DM action, assume control of or assume the capabilities of a creature or group of creatures with a total EL greater than the character's own ECL - 2. Such creatures can be loosely compelled with appropriate powers, such that they direct their efforts towards a certain goal or don't act in opposition of the controller, but they cannot be actively controlled or forced to take specific actions on the controller's behalf.
-Any capability that grants access to the special abilities of a monster can only ever grant abilities listed in the Special Abilities and Conditions section of the DMG, unless the DM explicitly allows otherwise.
-Infinite loops and nigh-infinite or arbitrarily high stacking causes an overflow error that results in some arbitrarily low negative number. Because :smallannoyed:.
-No character can, by any means, acquire immunity to or specific protection against any effect that it is specifically vulnerable to, that is a limited means of bypassing broad protections (such as DR or Regeneration - and explicitly always including nonlethal damage for a Regenerating character), or that it suffers as a result of using its abilities. Such effects simply ignore such protections. Similarly, any penalty sustained as a cost of using one's abilities cannot be offset during the same encounter it was sustained in (for example, if you take ability damage to activate an ability, you can't heal it until the encounter ends).
-No character can, by any means, Wish for more Wishes. Because seriously it's the first rule of wishing lore, everybody knows it, even Disney, sometimes I don't even arghibhbgbggbjdfhjhgbfdvjzhbdsfkjSkbgvbKJSBdbdvksb kjbvbsb. Ahem. Moving on.
Supplemental Rule #2 - Custom Magic Items
Naturally, for full effect, these rules need to provide good spell access through items, so custom magic item rules are useful. That said, they do have some holes. While I couldn't perfectly balance the system if I tried, there are a couple obvious holes that are worth patching:
-On Command items that cast beneficial spells that last on a duration have the same duration-based cost multiplier as Continuous items (On Command Fly costs 54,000 gold, not 27,000).
-Items that grant a constant or on-command spell that provides a stat bonus are priced as for the stat bonus rather than the spell, if this would be more expensive (Constant Mage Armor costs 16,000 gold, not 2,000, for example).
-On Command items (and, for that matter, the infamous auto-resetting traps) are not strictly unlimited. They are functionally unlimited for purposes of a standard adventuring scenario, but using them truly constantly would still drain them. As a rule of thumb, figure such items have 100 charges and regenerate one-tenth their current charges (rounded up, minimum 1) per day, if a situation comes up where a character really wants to nova its on command items. This rule can be ignored for purely personal effects used by a single character (it's fine to have an item that keeps a rounds/level or minutes/level buff on you all day...but not your whole party).
Supplemental Rule #3 - But What About The Monsters?
This is a high-power variant rule. Although it does aim to cut out some top-level abuses, and does technically weaken the strongest classes, it doesn't really weaken them in such a way that affects the core of their power, and is a fairly substantial boost to lower-powered characters. Most likely, things are going to cluster around closer to Tier 2 in general...possibly even Tier 1 with extensive use of revised crafting rules. So doing something to buff up monsters is helpful.
Generally, I'd say a solid option for games of this general power level is just to work on the assumption that a "challenging" encounter is an EL equal to the party's total EL, rather than equal to the APL. So you don't send a single CR 10 monster at four level 10 characters - you send four CR 10 monsters. NPCs likewise, though this assumes normal NPC disadvantages (lower ability array, lower base WBL). As always, a PC ability array is worth +1 CR, and I'd figure PC WBL would clock in at roughly +2 CR over NPC WBL. This would make a "mirror match" type fight of PC-specced enemies roughly EL + 3 - quite dangerous, but doable with luck, tactics, and/or superior optimization. And yes, NPCs would receive the above WBL modifiers for good or ill.
These numbers...may be somewhat off at the early levels, though.
So. Questions.
So, that's all that. Any comments and critiques are welcome of course, but in particular:
-Does it look like a workable system for balancing the classes, at least to the point that everyone is playing the same game?
-Even assuming it works on its face, are the listed wealth modifiers sufficient, too much, or not enough?
-Are all the Obvious Glaring Issues sufficiently covered?
-Are there any Obvious Glaring Issues that I missed?
Going for simple here. Tiers measure both power and versatility, which typically comes from powerful spells and unique abilities. Magic items can provide both power and versatility, often by emulating powerful spells or granting unique abilities. So characters gain WBL based on their relative power. For simplicity, I'mma just go with Tier for the breakpoints. No need to be too fancy.
Worth noting though, overall, this is a high-powered system. Weak gets boosted quite a bit more than strong gets nerfed. Also, I don't expect it to really fully balance the classes, but it should do well enough that everyone's at least playing the same game.
Tier 1: Half normal WBL.
Tier 2: Two-thirds normal WBL.
Tier 3: Full normal WBL*.
Tier 4: Twice normal WBL*.
Tier 5: Three times normal WBL.
Tier 6: Four times normal WBL.
*Tiers 3 and 4 actually have a pretty broad range of potential power levels. You may even want to divide this up some, something like:
Strong Tier 3 (Fixed List casters, higher-powered Tier 3 homebrews, etc): Full normal WBL.
Typical Tier 3 (Six-level casters, solid leveled system users): 1.25X normal WBL.
Borderline Tier 3/4 (High powered Tier 4 homebrews, more borderline cases like Warblades and Warlocks, ...maybe charge-optimized barbarians): 1.5X normal WBL.
Typical Tier 4 (Most other Tier 4 classes): Twice normal WBL.
Oh, also, first level base WBL changes from "by class" to "300 gold".
Obvious Glaring Issue #1 - "Wow. Okay. You do realize that wealth actually exists in-game and you can't guarantee its distribution like that, right?"
Using this system, a character's WBL, and thus access to magic items, is entirely divorced from in-game wealth and treasure. While there may be a correlation between the two (that is, the wealth of a life of adventuring being the fluff explanation for a high-level character's access to magical items), magic items certainly do not have set assigned values and a thriving trade in any half-decent civilization characters come to. One cannot simply convert a dragon's hoard (or daily Wall of Iron casting binge, as the case may be) directly into powerful magical tools, or exchange a cartload of +1 Longswords for a +5 Longsword at the nearest wizard's guild.
At each new level, a character can reassign its WBL. At DM discretion, this can also occur with extensive downtime (generally a few weeks to a month). The WBL invested into items that have been lost or stolen in the interim is also refunded (intentionally loaned items must still be deducted from the new total, unless ownership is transferred and the new owner's WBL is deducted accordingly).
WBL invested into perishable items that have been expended does not refresh in this way. Rather, each day, the character can recover an amount of WBL invested into expended perishable items equal to (1.5 * its class level, rounded up) squared. This value is multiplied by tier as normal.
{table="head"]Level|Gold
1|4
2|9
3|25
4|36
5|64
6|81
7|121
8|144
9|196
10|225
11|289
12|324
13|400
14|441
15|529
16|576
17|676
18|729
19|841
20|900[/table]
Characters can only acquire items by their own initiative through their WBL. The DM is welcome to put other magic items in their path for them to acquire and use at its prerogative; the DM may require WBL to be traded out for these items, or may allow them in addition to WBL.
Mundane treasure can generally be spent as, you know, actual money. On frivolous luxuries like lands, buildings, and armies of low-level peon hirelings. Or a nice boat. Whatever.
Obvious Glaring Issue #2 - "Great. You've anywhere from doubled to quadrupled the Christmas Tree effect. That's generally considered a bad thing."
Since magic items are no longer tied to actual in-game wealth, there is no real need for them to be defined as magic items - although they can be. Magic item abilities can be acquired as innate powers, functioning as Supernatural abilities (for constant effects) or Spell-like abilities (for activated effects). Weapon abilities apply to a single weapon wielded at any given time.
Innate powers have the advantage that they cannot be lost or stolen (and, thus, potentially used against the character), and they do not take up item slots. However, they also cannot be lent to allies, and can't be changed by characters with Item Creation feats.
Obvious Glaring Issue #3 - "Oh yeah, good point. What about Item Creation feats? Especially since they're caster feats anyway."
Item Creation feats do not directly impact WBL. Rather, a character with an Item Creation feat can change out WBL for items of the appropriate type. Only WBL invested into magic items (or currently uninvested) can be exchanged, though WBL invested into items that have been lost beyond recovery (but not merely expended perishables) can also be replaced in this way. The crafter may exchange WBL for allies (or as a business, and PCs can potentially hire crafters to exchange their items if none of them have the relevant feats). A crafter can exchange an amount of WBL equal to 10% of its own WBL with eight hours of work.
Crafters can also speed the process of recovering perishable items. Simply possessing a Crafting feat gives you one additional pool of perishable recovery each day, which may only be spent on recovering perishables of that type (for example, a 15th level wizard normally recovers 264 gold of expended perishables per day; since it gets Scribe Scroll free, it gets another 264 per day to recover expended scrolls). By dedicating a day of downtime (at least eight hours of work) to crafting, the character can double its recovery that day. Crafters may also spend their own perishable recovery on ally perishables, if desired.
Item Creation does not cost XP, though normal caster level and spell requirements for the items created still apply.
Obvious Glaring Issue #4 - "So the idea for balancing mundanes is to either cover them with magic or make them magical. I want to play a fighter, not a mage with a sword."
Both magic items and innate powers can be acquired as non-magical capabilities, becoming fully Exceptional with all that entails (ignoring SR, immunity to dispelling and antimagic, etc). Such items are generally exceptionally crafted, alchemically augmented, or technologically advanced. Innate abilities of this nature may be physiological quirks, specialized training, or simple superhuman physical and mental prowess.
Capabilities of this nature are limited. They cannot be explicitly and blatantly magical effects. They can be "reflavored", but this may result in limitations or reduction in utility at DM discretion. That being said, they could quite easily bend or even outright violate the laws of physics.
So for example, something like flight could be due to wings (and thus fail if one is immobilized, unlike a normal Flight spell). Teleportation could be reflavored as bursts of incredible speed (and thus couldn't be used to actually escape bindings, since you have to be able to physically move). Even summons could be defined as access to allies who can be called in when needed (which may take a round or two for them to get into position, or be limited if you travel by means they can't, etc). Of course, simple things like stat bonuses, or even such things as a Wounding or even Speed or Vorpal weapon, could simply work as the character or item is just that good.
Exceptional items do not require Item Creation feats, caster levels, or spells to exchange with the above crafting rules. They do require ranks in a relevant Craft skill at least equal to the required caster level + 3. Additionally, the WBL cost of Exceptional capabilities increases by 10% per spell level the character has access to (including 0-level spells).
Obvious Glaring Issue #5 - "Uh...multiclassing?"
Yeah, yeah, multiclassing. That'll take some eyeballing, but really, there are some fairly solid rules of thumb. Are you a prepared caster with a broad spell list and your highest level spell greater than one-third your ECL rounded up? You're almost certainly Tier 1. Same, but spontaneous caster? Tier 2. Fixed list caster, caster with your highest-level spell greater than something like one-fourth your class level, other leveled subsystem user, or just possessed on a nice breadth of abilities? Probably Tier 3, maybe 4 if your options are sub-par or really limited in utility. Primarily fixed class features, but good at what you do, or access to only low-level spells or leveled features? Probably Tier 4. Possessed of a scattershot of debatably useful or level-inappropriate abilities? Tier 5. And if you have basically no class features of merit, you're Tier 6.
Naturally, if new class levels changes your relative Tier, it'll change your WBL as it refreshes for your new level.
Supplemental Rule #1 - Some Minor Points of Balance
There are certain options in D&D that are, frankly, Just Plain Broken. Particularly glaring math errors that lead to infinite loops, access to capabilities far beyond the intended scope for players (typically by emulating or taking command of some obscure monster), etc. With high-powered magical abilities (or emulations thereof) being more common, it's worth addressing at least some of these. So:
-No character can, by any means other than DM action, acquire access to a spell (or similar ability) with a greater effective spell level (counting all metamagic modifications, including those that are offset or paid for in other ways) than half the character's ECL, rounded up. So no purchasing such spells as magic items, no commanding a summoned or dominated creature to cast such spells for you, no metamagic shenanigans to exceed this spell level cap (though a multiclassed caster could potentially exceed its actual maximum spell level), etc.
-No character can, by any means other than DM action, assume control of or assume the capabilities of a creature or group of creatures with a total EL greater than the character's own ECL - 2. Such creatures can be loosely compelled with appropriate powers, such that they direct their efforts towards a certain goal or don't act in opposition of the controller, but they cannot be actively controlled or forced to take specific actions on the controller's behalf.
-Any capability that grants access to the special abilities of a monster can only ever grant abilities listed in the Special Abilities and Conditions section of the DMG, unless the DM explicitly allows otherwise.
-Infinite loops and nigh-infinite or arbitrarily high stacking causes an overflow error that results in some arbitrarily low negative number. Because :smallannoyed:.
-No character can, by any means, acquire immunity to or specific protection against any effect that it is specifically vulnerable to, that is a limited means of bypassing broad protections (such as DR or Regeneration - and explicitly always including nonlethal damage for a Regenerating character), or that it suffers as a result of using its abilities. Such effects simply ignore such protections. Similarly, any penalty sustained as a cost of using one's abilities cannot be offset during the same encounter it was sustained in (for example, if you take ability damage to activate an ability, you can't heal it until the encounter ends).
-No character can, by any means, Wish for more Wishes. Because seriously it's the first rule of wishing lore, everybody knows it, even Disney, sometimes I don't even arghibhbgbggbjdfhjhgbfdvjzhbdsfkjSkbgvbKJSBdbdvksb kjbvbsb. Ahem. Moving on.
Supplemental Rule #2 - Custom Magic Items
Naturally, for full effect, these rules need to provide good spell access through items, so custom magic item rules are useful. That said, they do have some holes. While I couldn't perfectly balance the system if I tried, there are a couple obvious holes that are worth patching:
-On Command items that cast beneficial spells that last on a duration have the same duration-based cost multiplier as Continuous items (On Command Fly costs 54,000 gold, not 27,000).
-Items that grant a constant or on-command spell that provides a stat bonus are priced as for the stat bonus rather than the spell, if this would be more expensive (Constant Mage Armor costs 16,000 gold, not 2,000, for example).
-On Command items (and, for that matter, the infamous auto-resetting traps) are not strictly unlimited. They are functionally unlimited for purposes of a standard adventuring scenario, but using them truly constantly would still drain them. As a rule of thumb, figure such items have 100 charges and regenerate one-tenth their current charges (rounded up, minimum 1) per day, if a situation comes up where a character really wants to nova its on command items. This rule can be ignored for purely personal effects used by a single character (it's fine to have an item that keeps a rounds/level or minutes/level buff on you all day...but not your whole party).
Supplemental Rule #3 - But What About The Monsters?
This is a high-power variant rule. Although it does aim to cut out some top-level abuses, and does technically weaken the strongest classes, it doesn't really weaken them in such a way that affects the core of their power, and is a fairly substantial boost to lower-powered characters. Most likely, things are going to cluster around closer to Tier 2 in general...possibly even Tier 1 with extensive use of revised crafting rules. So doing something to buff up monsters is helpful.
Generally, I'd say a solid option for games of this general power level is just to work on the assumption that a "challenging" encounter is an EL equal to the party's total EL, rather than equal to the APL. So you don't send a single CR 10 monster at four level 10 characters - you send four CR 10 monsters. NPCs likewise, though this assumes normal NPC disadvantages (lower ability array, lower base WBL). As always, a PC ability array is worth +1 CR, and I'd figure PC WBL would clock in at roughly +2 CR over NPC WBL. This would make a "mirror match" type fight of PC-specced enemies roughly EL + 3 - quite dangerous, but doable with luck, tactics, and/or superior optimization. And yes, NPCs would receive the above WBL modifiers for good or ill.
These numbers...may be somewhat off at the early levels, though.
So. Questions.
So, that's all that. Any comments and critiques are welcome of course, but in particular:
-Does it look like a workable system for balancing the classes, at least to the point that everyone is playing the same game?
-Even assuming it works on its face, are the listed wealth modifiers sufficient, too much, or not enough?
-Are all the Obvious Glaring Issues sufficiently covered?
-Are there any Obvious Glaring Issues that I missed?