New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

[larsdangly]

Another existing sub-system that might be co-opted is the superpowers supplement contained in the TFT Companion

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Tier 1 - Bestow Grace (500 XP):
Twice per day, the character may draw on positive energies to temporarily boost DX or restore ST lost to fatigue for themselves or another player by 1 point per Power tier they have acquired in this portfolio (i.e. a character w/ the tier 4 ability ‘Radiant Burst’ may add up to 4 DX). If granted to another player, the giver must be physically touching them. This enhancement only lasts for 3 turns.

Minor suggestion: I think you and/or a GM using this may want to consider whether they want this to stack with the Aid spell or not, especially if they have house-ruled limits to the amount of DX or IQ attainable with Aid. If the GM likes some things to remain challenging (e.g. long-range head shots), this might be a consideration. (Or if not, not.)


For the "per day" limits, it may matter how those work, exactly. i.e. if it is "twice per day", does that mean it has a 12-hour cooldown after use, or does it mean I can start a difficult combat a few turns before midnight, use it twice, then after midnight use it twice more, then perhaps run away and come back to attack two nights later just before midnight again, to be able to use my power 4 times per combat rather than once?

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Tier 4 - Radiant Burst (2000 XP):
Once per day, the character can now deliver a burst of positive energy to every undead creature (or demon) in their hex or any hex directly adjacent to them. It has no effect against other creatures. Burst damage is 1d for each Power tier they have (i.e. 4d to start). No roll to hit is necessary, although intelligent foes in the blast radius may attempt to resist, taking half damage by making a successful adjDX roll.

As a secondary effect, the energy burst will paralyze unintelligent undead up to two hexes away from the character for 3 turns (assuming those closest are not immediately destroyed by the initial blast damage).

I'm not clear if this is meant to be armor-bypassing like the Tier 3 Smite ability or not.

The secondary effect seems oddly unresistable in any way. You might also need rules for how many paralyzed evil things a figure can auto-kill per turn.


I notice this Portfolio of powers has the aspect I dislike for the new ITL Staff spells, which is that they combine very desirable powers of multiple types into one expensive choice. That is, if you want to be a great healer, you want to get as much of this Portfolio as possible, which ALSO means getting super smite/burst powers, which means there's no way to just get one or the other. That may make complete sense for your campaign setting - I'm just mentioning it to point out the entanglement.

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Tier 5 - Restoration (2500 XP):
Once per month, the character can use this Power to restore any dead creature back to life. Like the Revival spell, it cures all minor wounds and diseases and leaves its subject unconscious with a ST of 0. Unlike Revival, however, the window to perform this feat is up to 24 hours from the time of death (at the GM’s discretion, they might set the deadline to be something like “before the last light of the setting sun disappears into the night”). The restored character also suffers no permanent loss of their stats.

This Power can also be used to reverse the effects of magical aging and the corruption that results from exposure to necromantic forces.

This original version of Restoration is super-powerful except for the "once per month" part, and again it would be essential to define how that works, exactly, so players know if/how they can plan its use - i.e. if it's a calendar cut-off, then there's a super two-fer sale at the end of the month.

If/when any PCs have this available for them to benefit from, I would tend to expect players to place a high value on having this ability available, and to avoid danger if they can when it is in cooldown. The 24-hour grace period and no revival side-effects make it more valuable than having a re-usable Revival potion around. Note that the normal TFT balance value of a Revival potion is a list price of $65,000, rarity, fragility, one-time use, uncertain success (a ST roll, and the chance the potion is bad), and making the potion is a 20-week process with expensive ingredients and has many chances for failure and lab explosions. So making it a "you can reliably revive someone with no side effects once per month" is massive - I would expect rulers and other powerful people to be VERY motivated to "secure" the services of people with this power.

[Skarg]

This version limits the revival part, which I think is probably good except for GMs who want some no-consequence death available.

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Here's a possible revision to the Restoration power...

Tier 5 - Restoration (2500 XP):
Once per month, the character can use this Power to restore any creature back to full health. Like the Revival spell, it cures all minor wounds, diseases, and poisons, but unlike Revival, the creature cannot actually be dead… unconscious and dying, yes, but not completely dead (at the GM’s discretion, they might also establish an effective window when the Power can be used. Something like “before the last light of the setting sun disappears into the night”).

However this last change:

This Power can also be used to reverse the effects of magical aging and the corruption that results from exposure to necromantic forces.

Does not explain exactly what it means. Again I would compare to the usual means of doing this in TFT (e.g. Youth potion, $40,000, 20 weeks, 4 dragon hearts, lots of risk, probably a losing proposition to try to get much or any of this), and think about how the very wealthy, powerful, immoral and narcissistic people of the world are liable to relate to the existence of this ability. i.e. expect nasty wicked people to get the idea to force them to become their property. Also, about the existence of the people who have successfully done that, and may have been amassing power and XP for hundreds of years...

[Skarg]

This revised version of Radiant Burst:

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Tier 4 - Radiant Burst (2000 XP):
Once per day, the character can now deliver a burst of positive energy to every undead creature (or demon) in their hex or any hex directly adjacent to them. It has no effect against other creatures. Burst damage is 1d for each Power tier they have (i.e. 4d to start). No roll to hit is necessary, although intelligent foes in the blast radius may attempt to resist, taking half damage by making a successful adjDX roll. The energy burst will also paralyze unintelligent undead up to two hexes away from the character for 3 turns (assuming those closest are not immediately destroyed by the initial blast).

As a secondary effect, all living beings caught within the blast radius receive the effect of the ‘Bestow Grace’ Power. This does not count against the daily uses of that Power.

Note: The opponents that Radiant Burst can be used against may be expanded at the GM’s discretion and based on the nature of their specific campaign. For example, in some settings characters may be able to use the power against any 'supernatural evil’ creatures.

The new power seems like it would be extremely valuable, and another one of those powers people may want to avoid going into combat without, if they have access to it.

i.e. It sounds like you can have up to 18 allies huddle around you, and they all get +4 or +5 DX next turn? (Or 18 apprentices and/or wizards all recover 4-5 fatigue each. Not as obvious how good that is, but if you have that many apprentices, it could mean a couple more castings of powerful spells such as Summon Demon or Revival per day.)

Maybe have it only give +2 DX?


Again though, I think for general use, I'd probably prefer to have a healer portfolio which just does healing and beneficial life energy tasks, and then a different portfolio which is about smiting and banishing "evil/death/whatever" foes (which might be religion/theology dependent).

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by warhorse11h

I think it would depend on circumstances. If your campaign has only occasional combats, it might be excessive, but in a deadly enough dungeon, your channeling character will probably have to ration his healing ability for the most seriously wounded in order to make it last as long as possible.

Yes, it really depends on what the GM wants as far as healing, and what the play style will be like. If the GM wants lots of healing and plans for lots of ongoing danger in a single day and wants a pool of healing for that, then it's probably fine (it'll be like a party bringing along a supply of several healing potions), but if the GM likes lasting wounds and the need for some badly hurt characters to rest for long periods to heal, then if the PCs have someone with this power, and they don't keep getting injured every day, this will tend to make that element of play greatly reduced.

[TippetsTX]

"Be careful what you wish for."
;)

I've been desperate for more feedback for awhile and now I've got more than I can handle. Thanks guys!

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by Skarg

I'd suggest (maybe starting another thread and) listing the specific changes, because otherwise it will be unclear which specific tweaks you made, which commenter actually noticed which changes, which changes were intentional, and which are being discussed.

One piece I noticed was you specified that you reduced the cost to recharge staff mana from 5 to 3, and only the wizard's own ST can recharge staff mana, but I assume that can be bypassed by someone using Aid to aid the wizard?

I think I will re-post the 'staff' portfolio as a new thread. I've got a few tweaks that I want to make to it anyway. Thanks for the suggestion.

The lowered ST cost to 'charge' the staff and the restrictions on where that ST can come from are both intended to reinforce the special-ness of the bond between wizard and staff. The arcane foci that I intended is essentially an extension of the wizard's soul or personal essense so pulling ST from another source via Aid would not be usable for the purpose of recharging the device.

[hcobb]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

The arcane foci that I intended is essentially an extension of the wizard's soul or personal essense so pulling ST from another source via Aid would not be usable for the purpose of recharging the device.

So recharge one point per hour that the wizard meditates undisturbed on his focus. (And this doesn't double as rest because his mind is very active.)

So if the wizard spends all 16 waking hours focused on his focus he recovers 16 mana and doesn't contribute the 25 points of fatigue he could normally provide for enchantments.