Prince of Men
2023-07-28, 03:36 PM
This question has been bugging me for the better part of the week and I've found no discussion of it anywhere online, so here I am.
What does it mean when a class/feat using HoH taint rules refers to a character's "Taint Score"? I doubt there's an actual RAW answer here, but I wonder if there's even a consensus?
For example, the Subverted Psion is very clearly intended to be used with HoH taint; it repeatedly references the book and notes Depravity in its mechanics. But, it also has the class feature:
Tainted Power (Su): You gain additional power points per day equal to your taint score.
Characters in Heroes of Horror don't have a "taint score". They have taint scores, Corruption and Depravity, but which one do I use, then? Similarly, Heroes of Horror includes specific updates to previous tainted classes like the Maho Tsukai, so I assume it's intended you can play a Maho Tsukai with HoH taint. Yet that class also has features that refer to a "taint score". I know as a DM I'd probably rule in one way or another, but in the interest of playing one of these classes, what's the closest to RAW argument? Use the higher score?
I see UA taint and HoH taint used pretty interchangeably in char op discussions (e.g. using Tainted Scholar while undead to offset UA taint's Con penalty, despite Tainted Scholar specifically using HoH taint), but I never find any rationale as to how that's possible within the rules.
What does it mean when a class/feat using HoH taint rules refers to a character's "Taint Score"? I doubt there's an actual RAW answer here, but I wonder if there's even a consensus?
For example, the Subverted Psion is very clearly intended to be used with HoH taint; it repeatedly references the book and notes Depravity in its mechanics. But, it also has the class feature:
Tainted Power (Su): You gain additional power points per day equal to your taint score.
Characters in Heroes of Horror don't have a "taint score". They have taint scores, Corruption and Depravity, but which one do I use, then? Similarly, Heroes of Horror includes specific updates to previous tainted classes like the Maho Tsukai, so I assume it's intended you can play a Maho Tsukai with HoH taint. Yet that class also has features that refer to a "taint score". I know as a DM I'd probably rule in one way or another, but in the interest of playing one of these classes, what's the closest to RAW argument? Use the higher score?
I see UA taint and HoH taint used pretty interchangeably in char op discussions (e.g. using Tainted Scholar while undead to offset UA taint's Con penalty, despite Tainted Scholar specifically using HoH taint), but I never find any rationale as to how that's possible within the rules.