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Old 11-30-2018, 08:35 AM   #21
TippetsTX
 
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
What are the costs for these quasi-spell abilities?

Your hero is balanced against another hero who paid three skill points for the Telekinesis spell because of what?
See my previous reply to platimus... initial cost will be XP, but each ability may require some kind of per-use cost as well.
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Old 12-01-2018, 02:06 PM   #22
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Thanks, I'll take a look.

UPDATE: There are certainly some surface similarities and even potential overlap in specific abilities that I may want a few of the portfolios to cover, but i think my approach has much more structure, versatility and variety (assuming it works out how I hope... fingers crossed).
The reference was just so you could look it over as grist for your mill.

I am greatly in favor of using staff mana as a precedent for other interesting non-talent, XP-bought powers. Ceremonies in my Theurgy system are really talents but you could think of them as XP-based powers and I've been thinking of giving at least one religion its own XP-based options...
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Old 12-01-2018, 02:28 PM   #23
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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I am greatly in favor of using staff mana as a precedent for other interesting non-talent, XP-bought powers. Ceremonies in my Theurgy system are really talents but you could think of them as XP-based powers and I've been thinking of giving at least one religion its own XP-based options...
Your excellent Theurgy system was actually one of several alternate-ability proposals that inspired me to work on this idea. I just wasn't completely satisfied leveraging talents or spells for the 'powers' I want it to support and figured since SJ opened the door to use XP for other things, I would try to take advantage of the concept.
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Old 12-10-2018, 08:03 AM   #24
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

OK, so I'm close to having a few specific examples ready for peer review, but first...

Not sure what I was thinking with the name 'Heroic Exploits'. It doesn't really fit the TFT lexicon so I decided to go with a much simpler descriptor... Powers.

TFT Powers

Beyond Spells and Talents lie the realm of Powers; special abilities and feats that a character may unlock during their adventuring career by spending XP. They represent innate potential or untapped supernatural capacities that will enhance and expand the character's prowess. Unlike talents or spells, Powers do not typically require formal training or study although they will often have prerequisites or other qualifications that must be met before the chosen ability can be acquired (including story-driven criteria to be defined by the GM).

All Powers are grouped into distinct portfolios of five related and escalating abilities. The XP cost will also escalate starting at 500 XP for the first Power, 1000 XP for the second, 1500 XP for the third and so on. Each ability is given a ‘tier’ which should roughly correspond, power-wise, to spells or talents in the following IQ ranges.
  • Tier 1 - IQ 9/10 (500 XP)
  • Tier 2 - IQ 11/12 (1000 XP)
  • Tier 3 - IQ 13/14 (1500 XP)
  • Tier 4 - IQ 15/16 (2000 XP)
  • Tier 5 - IQ 17+ (2500 XP)

A character may purchase Powers from multiple portfolios, but in order to select a higher tier ability, they must have the lower ones in the same portfolio first. The ‘Rule of Five’ also applies which means that no character may acquire more than five total Powers regardless of tier or portfolio. Additionally, individual Powers won't normally have per use ST cost like spells, but instead may be limited in other ways such as having a specific number of uses per day.

Powers can literally be game-changers and as such, GMs should carefully consider their impact on the game before adding them as a character option.
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Last edited by TippetsTX; 01-13-2019 at 06:16 PM.
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:22 AM   #25
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Not sure what I was thinking with the name 'Heroic Exploits'.
I kinda wondered that myself :)
I came to believe I had greatly influenced your thoughts with my suggestion that Cidri is a Matrix! hehehe

Nothing wrong with "Powers". It may be more fitting than the idea I'm about to throw-out here. I don't know because I haven't seen any of these "powers" yet, but here goes...

"Heroic Feats" or simply "Feats"

Now that I've typed that and digested what you have said, "Powers" is probably better. However, I'm now inspired to look into implementing "feat points" that can be used to do certain things during play...possibly a replacement for the Lesser Wish stuff...
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:34 AM   #26
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

So here's my first portfolio (replacing the current series of Staff spells)...

Magister Foci Portfolio
Prerequisites: Wizard, Imprint spell
This Power allows the wizard to create and attune a personal magic item through which arcane power may be channeled. Usually, this will take the form of a staff, but it can also be a wand or rod. Cost of materials will vary since while wood is the most common medium, bone, ivory, silver, and other combinations are also possible, and gem decorations are common for wealthy wizards. Once the physical item has been created, the wizard must spend a day in meditation and then must expend 10 of his own ST during a ritual of attunement (see Imprint spell) lasting 3 hours. A wizard can have only one staff attuned to him at a time. If he loses his staff, the act of making another will disempower the old staff. The wizard may keep the staff in hand at all times, even when casting spells; it gives no advantage or disadvantage. Finally, the wizard may add other enchantments to the staff using the rules for creating magic items.

Tier 1 - Wizard's Staff/Rod/Wand:
By spending 500 XP, the wizard will imbue the foci item with a portion of their arcane power. The staff becomes an occult weapon that does one die of damage (front hexes only) when the wizard points with it. The wizard spends 1 ST and makes a regular die roll to hit. The staff does not have to touch its target in order to deliver this flare of magical energy. A staff can be affected by a Drop Weapon or Break Weapon spell. If anyone picks up your staff against your will, it explodes, doing the fool who touched it 3 dice damage. A dead wizard’s staff eventually becomes safe to touch (GM’s discretion on how long it actually takes).

Tier 2 - Staff of Mana:
By spending 1000 XP, the wizard’s staff will now function as a limited ST battery, usable only by the wizard attuned to the item. The staff can store a maximum ST equal to the level of the wizard’s IQ. The wizard will spend 3 ST for each point of ST stored and this energy must come from the wizard himself. The staff is now immune to Drop Weapon and Break Weapon spells and critical failures.

Tier 3 - Staff of Striking:
By spending 1500, the staff’s arcane strike may target a figure up to two hexes away in any direction from the wizard, and the to-hit roll is made at DX+3. Also, the staff’s arcane strike now bypasses the armor or natural defense of its target. Magical defenses such as Stone Flesh still operate.

Tier 4 - Staff of Power:
By spending 2000 XP, the wizard can store ST up to twice his IQ in the staff. In addition, the staff’s arcane strike is now a free action – the wizard may use the staff’s strike along with any option, including attacking, running away, or using the staff as a physical weapon. However, if the staff is used as a weapon, the arcane strike must be directed at the same target.

Tier 5 - Staff of Mastery:
By spending 2500 XP, the ST channeled and stored in the staff may be increased up to triple the wizard’s IQ, and the arcane strike damage is increased to 1d+2. The Staff of Mastery still does 3 dice damage if picked up against the owner’s will, but it does not explode.
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:41 AM   #27
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

So no wizard starts with a staff?
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:46 AM   #28
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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So no wizard starts with a staff?
Nope. I like it better as an earned power that requires a bit of 'self'.
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:49 AM   #29
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

Not what I was expecting. You're just revising the Staff spells and their XP costs. I'm...uh...speechless...
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Last edited by platimus; 12-10-2018 at 10:05 AM.
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:52 AM   #30
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

So starting wizards bite in combat or what?
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