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LordWolfKnight
2018-05-25, 04:26 PM
i want to include firearm-like weapons to my setting. i have found that there is three ways to make them work.

Alchemical-Uses alchemy to create Black Powder which propels the bullet which is activated by pulling a trigger
Magical-Uses a reduced explosive rune to propel the bullet which can be activated by command word
Psionic-uses a minor power symbol to propel the bullet which can be activated by a thought


Now some of my thoughts

Why not have all three? reason not to is because it gives casters and caster-like classes something else to do outside of combat.
which one would give mundane classes a leg up on casters? answer, none of them.
how do i give the mundanes a leg up on casters? answer, the thought of them making more money outside of combat came to mind by working as a temporary worker a new system that allows mundanes to work for factory-like groups who make common items like packaged food for traveling, farming equipment and people to make sure it works right (mechanic), and making the material components for spells and items, and building materials for buildings. the problem with this is that then there would have to be checks that would have to be made while in town, which can lead to parties not catching the next adventure hook, unless it is tied to the work being done.
If that isn't enough, then what? i thought about giving all the mundane classes and increase in skill points and widening their class skill list, but then this steps on the toes of the skill based characters. So now i don't Know what to do about giving mundanes a power boost. I thought of giving all of them a special attack to be used in combat but they are already good at that in some way.


What do you guys think i should do to make this all work out for the mundanes?

aimlessPolymath
2018-05-25, 05:28 PM
I'm not entirely clear on your actual question here- your questions don't seem to relate heavily to

Re: your thoughts:
1- I don't follow your reasoning. How would including all three (as opposed to one) give caster-type characters something else to do outside combat? Why is this bad?
2- Fair. The main problem with caster/noncasters is that mundanes do things that regular people can do, and casters do that and everything else- there were never clear limits on the abilities casters had available (as a general class).
3- This sounds basically like letting the non-casters make Craft or Profession checks? I'm not clear on why they couldn't do this already.
4- First off, definitely give them a skill boost. 2+Int is absolutely criminal, and a boost to it will not step on the toes of most skilled characters. 4+Int is a general minimum. Have you considered reducing and limiting the abilities of casters? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?317861-Fixed-List-Caster-Project-(3-5)&p=16545265#post16545265) There are a lot of martial and caster fixes floating around, including some quick general fixes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?535084-Five-Quick-Rules-for-Fixing-3-5).

If you're looking for some generally balanced special options to give to martials, I have another option, as well. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?217700-Combat-Techniques-Adding-Depth-to-Mundane-Combat) Giving people guns isn't going to solve their essential problem, but that's no reason not to give them guns.
Note: Apply multiple fixes at once with caution.

LordWolfKnight
2018-05-26, 10:07 AM
Basically what i am asking is how do i give the mundane classes something outside of combat.

From what i see casters have so much that they can do outside of combat that almost every player i have played with in the last year has gone gish of some sort. i want to give the mundane classes stuff to do outside of their normal routine. rogue has skills so i am not to worried about them as they can do quite a bit outside of combat and, in my opinion the most important role, of finding traps and disarming them. one thing i thought of was letting them have a free gestalt with a class of my own design, but i haven't gotten to make it yet. it would blend fighter bonus feats and rogue abilities and possibly have a role outside of combat if i can figure out what to give them.

aimlessPolymath
2018-05-27, 12:14 AM
Do note that the idea of "give mundanes things to do outside combat" is kind of a Big Problem, related to the tier system.

After a great deal of searching, I found this list (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?314701-Person_Man-s-Niche-Ranking-System) of general niches that someone created.

Converting them to "out of combat" roles that mundanes can follow can be done in two ways.
First, by letting them use them- but only after prep time. Examples of this include combat tactics made before battle (Buffer, situationally Mobility), traps (Battlefield control, debuffer), and recruiting allies (Summoner). This allows you to expand their battlefield effectiveness through out-of-combat actions.

Another is that several of those roles (Curiosity, Face, Mobility, Sage, Scout, Thief, and Trapfinder) are partially or entirely out-of-combat roles, many currently filled by the rogue. A skill buff of 2 points would allow fighters to fill one of those roles, though not multiple in the same way as a rogue.