VladtheLad
2018-09-10, 07:35 AM
Hi!
I was thinking how I like classes that have flexibility instead of power, but also enough power to stay relevant. To that end I was wondering how overpowered or not the following idea would be for Spheres of Power/Might and if it is overpowered, if there is a way for it to become usable at all.
The idea is to make the talent progression a pyramid, where you progress in the maximum speed in your “primary” sphere but as you level up start progressing in other spheres too, but to a lesser extend.
Lets use only the conscript and and the incanter for simplicity's sake and focus on them getting the maximum possible flexibility and choices without making them totally overpowered.
Unfortunately I am semi familiar with the sphere system and I am still unsure of the level of synergy between the different spheres, which could easily send things out of wack.
In any case here's what I have been thinking for either the conscript or the incanter.
At levels 3&4 he gains one extra talent on top of the ones he already does normally. At levels 5&6 he gains two extra talents and at 7&8 he gains three extra talents. All the way up to19&20 gaining nine extra talents at each of those levels.
For a total of 90! extra talents at level 20, total 131 talents assuming you spent all your bonus feats on talents.
However there are limits to how many talents you can buy for each sphere. That limit is your class level for your “primary” sphere, your level-2 for your “secondary” sphere, your level-4 for your “tertiary” sphere and so on, OR 3 talents per sphere whichever is higher.
My intention is for this pattern on emerge at level 20: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 all in all 100-110 talents. I could see reducing the cap to higher sphere to increase in a lower sphere all the way up to having all 10 spheres capped at 11.
Regarding the talents from your expert combat training or high caster progression, you can spent them ignoring the cap of talents per sphere, but you also can only spent them on the sphere with the lowest number of talents (or on a sphere with no talents I guess). So 20, 18,..., 4, 2 becomes, 20,18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10.
Further rules:
Any sphere with 6-10? or more talents get's the 3rd level ability from conscripts sphere specializations automatically and any sphere with 16-20? talents gets the 8th level ability.
Incanters get only the 1st sphere specialization of their sphere if they have 11-13 talents in it or they may not get anything at all or maybe they get the 1st sphere specialization but counting their level equal to the number of talents in that sphere.
The following are my personal preference, just a possible application of the idea and try to emulate classic dnd as much as possible within the sphere system:
There only 4 main classes (not including gish concepts) and I tried to make them distinct by simply disallowing access to certain spheres:
2 based on the conscript.
Fighter
combat specialization armor training.
With allowed spheres athletics, barrage, barroom beastmastery berserker, boxing, brute, dual wielding, equipment, gladiator, guardian, lancer, shield,, sniper, warleader, wrestling,
Thief
combat specialization evasion.
With allowed spheres alchemy, athletics, barrage, barroom, beastmastery, boxing, dual wielding, duelist, equipment, fencing, open hand, scoundrel, scout, sniper, trap, wrestling,
2 based on the incanter
Wizard has intelligence as his casting ability modifier a fitting casting tradition (without prepared caster because that would be extremely limiting for this system).
Allowed spheres warp, time, illusion, enhancement, creation, mind, telekinesis, alteration, death, darkness light, divination, destruction, protection, conjuration
Cleric has wisdom as his casting ability modifier
Allowed spheres are death, life, light, darkness, weather, nature, war, fate, divination, destruction, protection, conjuration, mind, enhancement, creation
Depending on the god the allowed spheres can change.
Examples: (Conscripts have fewer talents due to getting combat specializations armor training &evasion)
Level 10 fighter: 10 guardian, 8 shield, 7 lancer, 6 warleader, 4 barrage, 3 equipment
Level 10 rogue: 10 scout, 8 scoundrel, 7 sniper, 7 duelist, 3 trap, 3 equipment
Level 10 wizard: 10 destruction, 8 conjuration, 7 protection, 7 warp, 6 time
Level 10 cleric: 10 life, 8 war, 7 light, 7 fate, 6 divination
Level 20 fighter: 20 guardian, 18 shield, 16 lancer, 14 warleader, 12 barrage, 10 athletics, 10 beast mastery, 10 wrestling, 10 equipment, 8 boxing
Level 20 rogue 20 scout, 18 scoundrel, 16 sniper, 14 dual wielding, 12 duelist, 10 athletics, 10 alchemy, 10 trap, 10 equipment, 8 barroom
Level 20 wizard: 20 destruction, 18 conjuration, 16 protection, 14 warp, 12 time, 10 divination, 10 mind, 10 creation, 10 telekinesis, 5 darkness, 5 light
Level 20 cleric: 20 life, 18 war, 16 light, 14 fate, 12 enhancement, 10 weather, 10 nature, 10 darkness, 10 death, 10 divination
So what do you think? Is there a way for this to work or at the very least sth similar to work? If am probably going to run a campaign like this, is there sth specific I should watch out for?
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
I was thinking how I like classes that have flexibility instead of power, but also enough power to stay relevant. To that end I was wondering how overpowered or not the following idea would be for Spheres of Power/Might and if it is overpowered, if there is a way for it to become usable at all.
The idea is to make the talent progression a pyramid, where you progress in the maximum speed in your “primary” sphere but as you level up start progressing in other spheres too, but to a lesser extend.
Lets use only the conscript and and the incanter for simplicity's sake and focus on them getting the maximum possible flexibility and choices without making them totally overpowered.
Unfortunately I am semi familiar with the sphere system and I am still unsure of the level of synergy between the different spheres, which could easily send things out of wack.
In any case here's what I have been thinking for either the conscript or the incanter.
At levels 3&4 he gains one extra talent on top of the ones he already does normally. At levels 5&6 he gains two extra talents and at 7&8 he gains three extra talents. All the way up to19&20 gaining nine extra talents at each of those levels.
For a total of 90! extra talents at level 20, total 131 talents assuming you spent all your bonus feats on talents.
However there are limits to how many talents you can buy for each sphere. That limit is your class level for your “primary” sphere, your level-2 for your “secondary” sphere, your level-4 for your “tertiary” sphere and so on, OR 3 talents per sphere whichever is higher.
My intention is for this pattern on emerge at level 20: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 all in all 100-110 talents. I could see reducing the cap to higher sphere to increase in a lower sphere all the way up to having all 10 spheres capped at 11.
Regarding the talents from your expert combat training or high caster progression, you can spent them ignoring the cap of talents per sphere, but you also can only spent them on the sphere with the lowest number of talents (or on a sphere with no talents I guess). So 20, 18,..., 4, 2 becomes, 20,18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10.
Further rules:
Any sphere with 6-10? or more talents get's the 3rd level ability from conscripts sphere specializations automatically and any sphere with 16-20? talents gets the 8th level ability.
Incanters get only the 1st sphere specialization of their sphere if they have 11-13 talents in it or they may not get anything at all or maybe they get the 1st sphere specialization but counting their level equal to the number of talents in that sphere.
The following are my personal preference, just a possible application of the idea and try to emulate classic dnd as much as possible within the sphere system:
There only 4 main classes (not including gish concepts) and I tried to make them distinct by simply disallowing access to certain spheres:
2 based on the conscript.
Fighter
combat specialization armor training.
With allowed spheres athletics, barrage, barroom beastmastery berserker, boxing, brute, dual wielding, equipment, gladiator, guardian, lancer, shield,, sniper, warleader, wrestling,
Thief
combat specialization evasion.
With allowed spheres alchemy, athletics, barrage, barroom, beastmastery, boxing, dual wielding, duelist, equipment, fencing, open hand, scoundrel, scout, sniper, trap, wrestling,
2 based on the incanter
Wizard has intelligence as his casting ability modifier a fitting casting tradition (without prepared caster because that would be extremely limiting for this system).
Allowed spheres warp, time, illusion, enhancement, creation, mind, telekinesis, alteration, death, darkness light, divination, destruction, protection, conjuration
Cleric has wisdom as his casting ability modifier
Allowed spheres are death, life, light, darkness, weather, nature, war, fate, divination, destruction, protection, conjuration, mind, enhancement, creation
Depending on the god the allowed spheres can change.
Examples: (Conscripts have fewer talents due to getting combat specializations armor training &evasion)
Level 10 fighter: 10 guardian, 8 shield, 7 lancer, 6 warleader, 4 barrage, 3 equipment
Level 10 rogue: 10 scout, 8 scoundrel, 7 sniper, 7 duelist, 3 trap, 3 equipment
Level 10 wizard: 10 destruction, 8 conjuration, 7 protection, 7 warp, 6 time
Level 10 cleric: 10 life, 8 war, 7 light, 7 fate, 6 divination
Level 20 fighter: 20 guardian, 18 shield, 16 lancer, 14 warleader, 12 barrage, 10 athletics, 10 beast mastery, 10 wrestling, 10 equipment, 8 boxing
Level 20 rogue 20 scout, 18 scoundrel, 16 sniper, 14 dual wielding, 12 duelist, 10 athletics, 10 alchemy, 10 trap, 10 equipment, 8 barroom
Level 20 wizard: 20 destruction, 18 conjuration, 16 protection, 14 warp, 12 time, 10 divination, 10 mind, 10 creation, 10 telekinesis, 5 darkness, 5 light
Level 20 cleric: 20 life, 18 war, 16 light, 14 fate, 12 enhancement, 10 weather, 10 nature, 10 darkness, 10 death, 10 divination
So what do you think? Is there a way for this to work or at the very least sth similar to work? If am probably going to run a campaign like this, is there sth specific I should watch out for?
Thanks for taking the time to read this!