10-05-2017, 02:20 PM | #21 | |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
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10-05-2017, 02:37 PM | #22 | ||
Join Date: May 2007
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
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That said, I in no way claim that a multiple-magic-role system is in any way undesirable, and I agree that hirelings are a useful solution to this and other problems. Quote:
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I predicted GURPS:Dungeon Fantasy several hours before it came out and all I got was this lousy sig. Last edited by ravenfish; 10-05-2017 at 02:40 PM. |
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10-05-2017, 03:20 PM | #23 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
I never quite got this characterization of healers, whatever their power source or official profession.
I played a lot of clerics through many years of D&D, and for the most part my experience was that heroes had good enough AC and saves – and enough HP – that I didn't need to heal anybody most rounds. That left me free to whack things (which clerics in D&D are moderately good at) and to use some spell slots for reversed heals and other offensive magic. As of 3.0/3.5, I didn't even have to agonize over that last bit, because I could just "cash in" attack spells for healing spells as needed, so I was free to play at being artillery. I liked being a caster with good armor, HP, and combat rolls, with the added bonus of being able to shoo away a common class of enemies (undead). I didn't feel much like a bot or a henchman . . . often, I felt a little too capable. This is even more true in the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, thanks to active defenses and absorptive DR. On average, a party of well-designed characters will dodge, parry, or block most things and have a good percentage of what's left go "ka-PWING!" off armor, so once again, there's no need to heal all the time. Which means turns can be spent fighting instead, and the DFRPG has no armor or weapon restrictions for casters, so casters can wade right in and fight if they want. As spells cost one point apiece, it's easy to have a good mix of things – not just heals and buffs – with the only real limit being available FP. I'd say that's a good reason to restrict the spell list . . . but even with that, playing a cleric doesn't feel like playing a bot or a henchman. However, I acknowledge that this comes down to character design. It's very possible to throw everything into the "healing" bin and do nothing else. I just prefer to take it as read that I'll heal, make that a small postscript along the lines of "of course wizards can read old books" or "of course scouts can track," and focus on all the rest. Sister Miriam (Delvers to Go!, p. 13) is there to remind gamers of this: fights with a sword that does 2d; has a several defenses at 12 with her shield factored in; wears armor; can self-buff for better damage, defenses, and DR; blasts enemies with Sunbolt; turns undead; exorcizes demons; and has all of 14 points (5-6% of her total) in actually fixing-up-friends healing skills and spells. Sure, she can't tank a dragon, but she's more than a match for cultists, orcs, zombies, etc.
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10-05-2017, 03:44 PM | #24 | |||
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
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10-05-2017, 03:58 PM | #25 | |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
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Very true. However, the bit about wading through a lot of fights completely untouched means that "I heal and only heal!" casters aren't going to be in demand. In the proto-DF campaign I ran, the healers were an assassin, a barbarian, and a death priest who mostly killed things but who had sidelines in healing woo-woo.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
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10-05-2017, 04:07 PM | #26 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
Agreed. There's just a demand for enough healing that a bad roll doesn't mean heading home. On reflection, depending on loot levels, healing potions can be all you really need in DF.
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10-06-2017, 06:34 AM | #27 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
Having played a giant berserking barbarian, I can confirm that character was a sponge for healing in just about any fight that involved worthy enemies. He was a big sack of HP, which helped keep him upright, and had natural DR as well as armor DR, but he still tended to end fights being patched up by the healer and/or drinking healing potions like sports drinks.
I, of course, was perfectly happy with this but our healer, who had planned to do other things with their life, was a little irritated :)
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10-06-2017, 07:11 AM | #28 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dobbstown Sane Asylum
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
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10-06-2017, 08:57 AM | #29 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: GMT-5
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
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It has worked well so far. The only hiccup was spell prerequisites often included spells from colleges players didn't pick. To remedy this, I allowed people to spend one point per spell to waive outside-collage prerequisites on that spell. Everyone seems to like it. YMMV |
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10-06-2017, 11:00 AM | #30 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Dungeon Fantasy with only one Spellcaster "Class"
Unless the spell requires magery, you can learn spells outside of those colleges. You just can't actually cast them outside of a high mana zone, and you don't get magery bonuses.
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