Segev
2014-06-25, 03:30 PM
The conceit behind the Truenamer is that there is this true language of reality called Truespeech which can be used to rewrite and manipulate said reality. This is a cool concept, and I think most people agree the flavor of the class is pretty awesome. It's known, too, that a significant amount of optimization can bring the underwhelming mechanics of the class up to Tier 3, with possible Tier 1 at high level due to Gate.
So, what if Truespeech was a thing that didn't require a class to access? It is, after all, a skill in its own right even as written in the ToM.
Proposal: Any character trained in Truespeech can use any utterance from any lexicon, as long as he can make the DC. With the exception of not needing to "know" the utterance independently of having the Truespeech skill, all the rules for calculating DCs are as they are in the existing RAW for Truenamers.
Truenamers actually can do this, too. They remain, as well, the only class which has Truespeech as a class skill. (Maybe give it to Bards. Maybe.) They can use the skill just like anybody else. In addition, however, the utterances they "know" - henceforth referred to as "have mastered" - from their choices from the various lexicons are still an advantageous trait for them: they may add their Truenamer level to the skill roll to use any utterance they have mastered.
This change expands the Truename Magic to everybody, but keeps it hard to use without extensive investment. It also elevates the Truenamer's focus on this magic to the point that he has a LOT of use out of the utterances he has mastered, and gives him a solid chance at all of them.
So, what if Truespeech was a thing that didn't require a class to access? It is, after all, a skill in its own right even as written in the ToM.
Proposal: Any character trained in Truespeech can use any utterance from any lexicon, as long as he can make the DC. With the exception of not needing to "know" the utterance independently of having the Truespeech skill, all the rules for calculating DCs are as they are in the existing RAW for Truenamers.
Truenamers actually can do this, too. They remain, as well, the only class which has Truespeech as a class skill. (Maybe give it to Bards. Maybe.) They can use the skill just like anybody else. In addition, however, the utterances they "know" - henceforth referred to as "have mastered" - from their choices from the various lexicons are still an advantageous trait for them: they may add their Truenamer level to the skill roll to use any utterance they have mastered.
This change expands the Truename Magic to everybody, but keeps it hard to use without extensive investment. It also elevates the Truenamer's focus on this magic to the point that he has a LOT of use out of the utterances he has mastered, and gives him a solid chance at all of them.