Fredo
2021-02-19, 10:08 AM
I have just found out about Lost Spheres Publishing's Codex of Blood, Parasites & Paragons. Normally I really like Lost Spheres Publishing, and my inclination would be to trust anything they make, but this newest splat book is ridiculous.
The offending content is found in the Mangled Gear discipline, as part of the Path of War system.
There are three maneuvers presented that are just absurd:
Energy Retention
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Boost); Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: close (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels)
Target: One object
Duration: 1 round
DESCRIPTION
You imbue an object with a coating of energy that
enables it to be used without diminishing its internal
energies. The next use of that item expends one
fewer charge than normal so long as it occurs within
the duration of this boost.
Repurpose Power
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Counter); Level: 3
Prerequisite(s): One Mangled Gear Maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: instantaneous
DESCRIPTION
As energy flows towards you, you attempt to redirect
it into your equipment. When you would be damaged
by an effect which deals any sort of energy damage,
you may attempt a disable device check. The amount
of energy damage is reduced by the result of your
disable device roll, and for every 5 points of damage
negated in this way one object on your person which
uses charges gains a single charge.
Systemic Bypass
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Boost); Level: 4
Prerequisite(s): One Mangled Gear Maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: personal
Target: you
Duration: 1 round
DESCRIPTION
You create an energy field around yourself which
blocks divinatory and protective effects, enabling you
to move through them with ease. While this boost
is active, you cannot be perceived with any sort of
divination effect, clairsentience effect, or any piece
of equipment with modifies senses (such as tremor
boots, veemods, or even truesight goggles). In addition, any attacks you make or maneuvers you perform
resolve as if the target is being affected by Antimagic
Field, Antitech Field, and Null Psionics Field. This
does not affect the maneuver or other abilities that
you are using to affect the target, but nullifies any
defensive abilities they may possess.
For those that don't know, maneuvers are special moves that martial characters can make, and they have unlimited uses per day, and per encounter. And can generally, depending on set up, be used every turn to every other turn, with some action economy costs.
The first, Energy Retention, is usable by all characters from level 3 up, literally all, as it only takes two feats for any character to be able to use a couple of maneuvers, and with a custom staff one is basically better than a 9th level spell caster - as you have limitless uses of your staff of miracles, say.
The second, Repurpose Power, usable by level 5 characters, is even worse, as it allows you unlimited use of effects balanced around using multiple charges / being difficult to recharge - normally a staff can only be charged one charge a day! at the cost of a spell slot!
Perhaps these seem silly concerns, but literally every martial character, and probably every character full stop, would want to invest 2 or 3 feats, invest in UMD, and buy a staff of miracles, and that would trump any build they otherwise had. It should at least have some caster level or spell level limitations. It is just so broken.
And you say, aha, UMD, well with Make it Work, a level 1 maneuver of the discipline, you can auto succeed on any UMD check as long as the item's CL/ML is below or equal to your IL (initiator level, equivalent to caster level for path of war) - and so with Repurpose Power, you can start spamming your staff even if you have a charisma of 7. And all it takes is a swift action on your turn, and a immediate action now and then to counter an enemies damaging spell, or a ally plinking at you with some minor damage spell, to regain max charges.
For context, Arcane Battery, a wondrous item, costs 22,000 and allows one to charge your staff one extra charge a day... still using spell slots. And charge reducing stuff is generally a capstone - e.g. Arcane Sorcerer, and still costed by consuming spell slots.
And while custom staves may be a contentious area, the psionic rules explicitly allow one to make any level of what are essentially psionic wands.
The third, Systemic Bypass, usable by level 7 characters, overcomes literally any magical or supernatural defense. ANY. This level 7 character can overcome all the magic defenses of a level 20 caster...
I don't know, am I being silly? Are these things not as bad as they seem? To me, it just seems ridiculous. I am all for different class and character options have nice and fun, and maybe even slightly overtuned things, but this just seems like basically any character would want to spend two to four feats to access these maneuvers, and invest in some charge based magic or psionic items - and that would be their build, with a few choices of class features sprinkled on top.
The maneuvers should all have effect level limitations, caster level limitations, and be far higher level...
It is kind of ridiculous, they have an eighth level stance:
Keep the Flame Alive
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Stance); Level: 8
Prerequisite(s): Three Mangled Gear Maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
DESCRIPTION
You produce a constant outflow of energy from your
body, keeping your equipment in peak shape. While in
this stance, items of any sort that you use do not have
their charges depleted if you use them. This stance
does not function for items whose caster or manifester
level exceed half your initiator level.
And why would anyone ever uses this? When the 2 and 3 level maneuvers have already sorted all your problems. I find it funny that here, CL and ML limitations are provided. I do wonder if RAI the first two maneuvers were meant to just be used with technological charges.
Regardless, Systemic Bypass just seems crazy. There is a well established pattern that spells or higher level trump ones of low level, and only in very specific cases, e.g. Mind Blank, should they be able to counter higher level spells. Using this 4th level maneuver a 7th level character could deal fire damage to a wizard under the effect of fiery body... and their attacks would even be un-counter-able by any user of path of war that is using supernatural disciplines / counters, e.g. penetrating the 9th level Shell of the Iron Tortoise counter too - which is the ultimate ability of a whole discipline.
For reference, Hunting Zephyr, a maneuver that cannot be countered, by supernatural or extraordinary counters - is 7th level, and a strike - taking a standard action. Systematic Bypass only costs a swift action, and lasts the whole round.
Anyway, that is my rant.
The offending content is found in the Mangled Gear discipline, as part of the Path of War system.
There are three maneuvers presented that are just absurd:
Energy Retention
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Boost); Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: close (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels)
Target: One object
Duration: 1 round
DESCRIPTION
You imbue an object with a coating of energy that
enables it to be used without diminishing its internal
energies. The next use of that item expends one
fewer charge than normal so long as it occurs within
the duration of this boost.
Repurpose Power
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Counter); Level: 3
Prerequisite(s): One Mangled Gear Maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: instantaneous
DESCRIPTION
As energy flows towards you, you attempt to redirect
it into your equipment. When you would be damaged
by an effect which deals any sort of energy damage,
you may attempt a disable device check. The amount
of energy damage is reduced by the result of your
disable device roll, and for every 5 points of damage
negated in this way one object on your person which
uses charges gains a single charge.
Systemic Bypass
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Boost); Level: 4
Prerequisite(s): One Mangled Gear Maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: personal
Target: you
Duration: 1 round
DESCRIPTION
You create an energy field around yourself which
blocks divinatory and protective effects, enabling you
to move through them with ease. While this boost
is active, you cannot be perceived with any sort of
divination effect, clairsentience effect, or any piece
of equipment with modifies senses (such as tremor
boots, veemods, or even truesight goggles). In addition, any attacks you make or maneuvers you perform
resolve as if the target is being affected by Antimagic
Field, Antitech Field, and Null Psionics Field. This
does not affect the maneuver or other abilities that
you are using to affect the target, but nullifies any
defensive abilities they may possess.
For those that don't know, maneuvers are special moves that martial characters can make, and they have unlimited uses per day, and per encounter. And can generally, depending on set up, be used every turn to every other turn, with some action economy costs.
The first, Energy Retention, is usable by all characters from level 3 up, literally all, as it only takes two feats for any character to be able to use a couple of maneuvers, and with a custom staff one is basically better than a 9th level spell caster - as you have limitless uses of your staff of miracles, say.
The second, Repurpose Power, usable by level 5 characters, is even worse, as it allows you unlimited use of effects balanced around using multiple charges / being difficult to recharge - normally a staff can only be charged one charge a day! at the cost of a spell slot!
Perhaps these seem silly concerns, but literally every martial character, and probably every character full stop, would want to invest 2 or 3 feats, invest in UMD, and buy a staff of miracles, and that would trump any build they otherwise had. It should at least have some caster level or spell level limitations. It is just so broken.
And you say, aha, UMD, well with Make it Work, a level 1 maneuver of the discipline, you can auto succeed on any UMD check as long as the item's CL/ML is below or equal to your IL (initiator level, equivalent to caster level for path of war) - and so with Repurpose Power, you can start spamming your staff even if you have a charisma of 7. And all it takes is a swift action on your turn, and a immediate action now and then to counter an enemies damaging spell, or a ally plinking at you with some minor damage spell, to regain max charges.
For context, Arcane Battery, a wondrous item, costs 22,000 and allows one to charge your staff one extra charge a day... still using spell slots. And charge reducing stuff is generally a capstone - e.g. Arcane Sorcerer, and still costed by consuming spell slots.
And while custom staves may be a contentious area, the psionic rules explicitly allow one to make any level of what are essentially psionic wands.
The third, Systemic Bypass, usable by level 7 characters, overcomes literally any magical or supernatural defense. ANY. This level 7 character can overcome all the magic defenses of a level 20 caster...
I don't know, am I being silly? Are these things not as bad as they seem? To me, it just seems ridiculous. I am all for different class and character options have nice and fun, and maybe even slightly overtuned things, but this just seems like basically any character would want to spend two to four feats to access these maneuvers, and invest in some charge based magic or psionic items - and that would be their build, with a few choices of class features sprinkled on top.
The maneuvers should all have effect level limitations, caster level limitations, and be far higher level...
It is kind of ridiculous, they have an eighth level stance:
Keep the Flame Alive
Discipline: Mangled Gear (Stance); Level: 8
Prerequisite(s): Three Mangled Gear Maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
DESCRIPTION
You produce a constant outflow of energy from your
body, keeping your equipment in peak shape. While in
this stance, items of any sort that you use do not have
their charges depleted if you use them. This stance
does not function for items whose caster or manifester
level exceed half your initiator level.
And why would anyone ever uses this? When the 2 and 3 level maneuvers have already sorted all your problems. I find it funny that here, CL and ML limitations are provided. I do wonder if RAI the first two maneuvers were meant to just be used with technological charges.
Regardless, Systemic Bypass just seems crazy. There is a well established pattern that spells or higher level trump ones of low level, and only in very specific cases, e.g. Mind Blank, should they be able to counter higher level spells. Using this 4th level maneuver a 7th level character could deal fire damage to a wizard under the effect of fiery body... and their attacks would even be un-counter-able by any user of path of war that is using supernatural disciplines / counters, e.g. penetrating the 9th level Shell of the Iron Tortoise counter too - which is the ultimate ability of a whole discipline.
For reference, Hunting Zephyr, a maneuver that cannot be countered, by supernatural or extraordinary counters - is 7th level, and a strike - taking a standard action. Systematic Bypass only costs a swift action, and lasts the whole round.
Anyway, that is my rant.