Local Speakeasy: Home Brewing 3.X Voting Thread I: To the Ruin of All

[ShiningStarling]

Welcome one and all to the voting thread for the Local Speakeasy: Home Brewing 3.X Competition I: To The Ruin of All. Voting will consist of each voter giving a first, a second, and a third place vote, as well as a vote for the categories of Most Original, Most Likely to See Play, and Best Use of Theme. Anyone can vote, and in fact, entrants must vote to qualify for victory.

A first place vote is worth three points, a second place vote is worth two points, and a third place vote is worth one point. Votes for the three other categories are each worth 1 point in their category. You may not vote for your own entry.

You are encouraged to include reason with your votes, though this is not absolutely required.

The entry that ends up with the most points wins the contest, and each category goes to the entry with the most votes in it.. Voting starts now and will continue until 11:59pm (Eastern Standard Time USA/Canada; GMT-5) on July 14th.

Entry	Creator	1st	2nd	3rd	Total Points	Most Original	Most Likely to See Play	Best Use of Theme
Fixed Sorcerer Lists & New Spells	Jormengand	1	2	0	7	0	0	0
Ruiner (PRC)	Sengmeng	0	1	1	3	0	1	0
The Soul of Ruin (PRC)	Amechra	2	0	1	7	2	1	2
Ebon Ruin (invocations)	Just to Browse	2	0	0	6	1	0	0
Ruinous Magic (metamagic feats)	Oblivimancer	0	2	2	6	0	1	0
The Taldar (race)	Libro	0	0	1	1	0	0	1

Tied for 1st place: Jormengand and Amechra
Tied for 3rd place: Just to Browse and ObliviMancer

Voting thread based upon Zaydos's Ancillary Contest voting thread.

[Grand Arbiter]

1st place: The Soul of Ruin
When I think of what little I know of incarnum, I think of making things, not destruction and desolation. Now if only I better understood incarnum....

2nd place: Fixed Sorcerer Lists & New Spells
The idea of fixed lists seems like a good way to grant sorcerers access to new/different spells. The new spells are interesting as well.

3rd place: Ruinous Magic
Situational, but useful and not game-breaking.

Most Original: The Soul of Ruin

Most Likely to See Play: Ruinous Magic
Metamagic is available to any caster.

Best Use of Theme: The Soul of Ruin

[Just to Browse]

1. Amechra
2. Jormengand
3. Oblivimancer

Most Original: Amechra
Most Likely: Amechra
Best Use: Amechra

Amechra absolutely killed it with the PrC. Dripping with awesome flavor that could fit any meldshaper, good use of Essentia, and a very interesting anti-buff effect. My two wishes were to make the capstone more effective (annihilating blast doesn't work that well and requires a swift action which means you can't use it in conjunction with the Destruction Devotion feat!) and to amp up the uses/day when you invest Essentia in Destruction Devotion. PCs taking this lose a tier of chakra binds so the class features should be crazier.

Jorm made level 9 spells that might actually see play. I seriously dislike the awful scaling on the damaging non-fire spells, and the fixed sorcerer lists definitely don't feel even. Last thing that really bothered me, greater obliterate (level 7, average 6.5/lvl) has worse damage scaling than obliterate (level 6, exactly 10/lvl). Close range and the possibility to use metamagic does not convince me otherwise, considering the spells levels at play here. I'd rather play a mailman.

Oblivimancer had an interesting idea, but the feats seem like traps with the exception of the last one. The particular feat is the ultimate "GET REKT" button for Golems, piercing their magic immunity and dealing 110% damage (the extra 10% is permanent hit point reduction). While that permanent reduction would be super annoying for PC Warforged players, I could see it in a flaw-heavy blaster build.

Amechra: 6
Jormengand: 2
Oblivimancer: 1

[Jormengand]

In greater obliterate's defence, it's based on greater harm, which also trades damage for range. Not being forced to reach out and touch someone can be exceptionally useful.

[Just to Browse]

I understand that, but I'd only be on board with that philosophy if we were required to adhere to WotC-style creations. As 90% of the class fixes on this board can attest to, "WotC did it" is rarely a good justification for determining quality of classes / feats / spells / etc. It's the same issue I have with the damage-scaling of other spells, which is identical to inflict yet far below par for someone who wants to kill.

We should probably keep the non-rating things here to a minimum. I'll put anything else in the chat thread.

[ShiningStarling]

1st: Fixed Lists
Entirely for the Flame one, honestly I had it in my mind that fire was going to be a boring theme, and the least ruinous, glad you proved me wrong.

2nd: Ruiner
Why? Because its non-magical, but frickin' destroys thing, with the added benefit of ruining some class-level-having enemies' days with those harder concentration checks and disjoinings. If it didn't have the attack as Disintegrate, wouldn't have made the spot, so y'know, may not be the most straightforward class, but I enjoyed it a lot.

3rd: Soul of Ruin
I know nothing about Incarnum. Never had the books, never had any interest in it. Until I read this. Might actually look at it now. As it is, the class seems alright to me, I like getting more Devotion, those feats were always so cool to me.

Most Original: Ebon Ruin
Would never use them myself, but also would never have thought of them, so they earned the spot.

Most Likely to See Play: Ruiner
Because it has use, and stacks rage. Don't see much of the rest of the entries making it to play by player choice, heck barely even my own.

Best Use of Theme: Taldar
I know like nothing about the thing these were inspired by, but a race of forgotten constructs from a race long forgotten, piecing together civilization from the bones of their former masters, imbued with the memories of heroes long dead? Could be on the poster for this contest.

Also, votes tallied.

[Jormengand]

1st: Ebon Ruin. I love the undead theme, even if Shadow Over the Sun is a bit too powerful (Killing everything with 1 or 2 HD, even if it's already an undead? Or a construct at that?).

2nd: Ruinous Metamagic. I hate the fact that evokers can't normally do much to break down objects; now they can.

3rd: The Ruiner. Nice to see someone who can actually bash things about.

[Amechra]

1st Place - Ebon Ruin: Because who can say no to creepy skeleton houses?
2nd Place - Ruinous Magic: Niche but usable - in Pathfinder, at least, Ruinous Spell makes it easier to deal with some kinds of constructs.
3rd Place - The Taldar: Whelp. You put in the work on this one - not many homebrew races have racial substitution levels.

[ShiningStarling]

That'll do, votes tallied and your local polling stations are now closed.