02-11-2021, 07:33 PM | #31 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Re: Wizards without Staves
It really comes down to mana storage doesn't it.
2000+xp to fully charge a staff. 2000+ xp once you get to Staff III. (and if you do not start there, 500 xp for each level to get there) Lets assume just 5000 xp. I know the immediate argument would be that 5000xp vs. getting a full staff is a no brainer...just go for the staff. However, is a character going to stay stagnant that whole time? Adventuring without any real increase other than to increase a mana bank? That might be a logical gamey decision, but perhaps not one based on reality. Real world example: people get tax refunds....they have a house....they could put it toward your house....but most people will buy something shiny instead. |
02-12-2021, 03:52 AM | #32 |
Join Date: Jun 2019
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Re: Wizards without Staves
I agree with you JimmyPlenty, and for that reason just don't want or intend to use the XP for mana and new Staff rules -- that is, if I ever get a group together. Thought I had some folk lined up last January, and then, well, pandemic!
What I'm eager to try out is (1) reverting to the single, original Staff spell only, (2) giving wizards a Mana attribute (my original group in the 80's used that) and then (3) let every Staff store Mana, with the amount capped (for all practical purposes) by a formula taking into account the Mana and IQ attributes of the wizard. So as in original TFT all XP gets spent on increasing attributes, and if a wizard carries a Staff it will just gradually hold an increasing amount of Mana as the wizard improves him or her self. (The Staff Mana limit runs the course of 0, 2, 4, 6... up to fully equal to the wizard's Mana stat at high level, and double that amount at the super-high level. The latter two steps just happily coincide with where it would be anyway under RAW with Staff IV and Staff V, even though I wouldn't use/need those spells.) Because I feel XP should improve the person, not the thing. Raising attributes would still have it's original benefits, with a Staff gaining more capacity as just a side effect. But to bring it back to topic (haha) my original group's World had among its many countries a large empire, a theocracy, that forbade secular magic and burned all wizards. PCs never set foot in that empire proper, but if they had, any wizards would have to be suicidal to openly carry Staves. Our wizard PCs had plenty of run-ins with extremist NPCs that came from that empire though, and "fun" always ensued.
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02-12-2021, 06:40 AM | #33 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: Wizards without Staves
In summary the reasons to have a staff are:
The reasons to not have a staff are:
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03-27-2021, 01:34 PM | #34 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Just got the new Wizards PDF with oodles of useful characters. I've noticed the following:
(1) Lots of wizards with no staff at all. (2) Those with a staff have more mana than I'd expect a character to have sometimes. The awkwardly named Fivm Gederi is a 33 pt. character with 9 mana in her staff. A while ago, I figgered I was giving too much mana in NPC staves, thinking about how a player would develop a character, and toned it down, but Fivm has spent 1800 experience on mana, which makes her 33 pts. a little misleading. Those 1800 experience points could take her to 37 attribute points with leftovers. (3) A lot of those without staves have significant powerstones. They are all very experienced, however. Duisiy is a 40 point character with 40 mana in her staff and a 15 ST powerstone! She has a total of 64 ST/mana for spells. She's an enchantress, so I guess she saves a lot on apprentices. She's spent 8000 XP on mana for her staff! I'll probably tone down some of the mana reserves for many of these wizards, no doubt. At the least, you shouldn't rely too much on attribute points for assessing how badass these guys are. On the other hand, Esagodiemol, a wizard miner, has no mana reserves and ST 10. Yes, he can open tunnels, but not and stay conscious. This resource really shows a great variety of wizards with very different specialties. And it's good to break the habit of building NPCs suited only as foes or combat allies of the PCs. Good stuff. On to the other new books. |
03-27-2021, 01:50 PM | #35 |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: Wizards without Staves
In particular, I was reminded this was pointed out in playtest and despite my trying to be organized about it, was missed in the adjustment phase. Esa shall be provided with a suitable powerstone with a few points of mana before the book is finalized.
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03-27-2021, 02:06 PM | #36 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Oh, I think you should keep it. Part of the eccentric character!
There is one small editorial change I'd like to suggest. In the Wizard's book, the staff is listed as both a weapon and magic item, clearly distinguishing the club damage from arcane blast. That's great. In the Bandits and Outlaws book, the damage from staffs is usually omitted, whether mundane or arcane (the exception being the quarterstaff staff, which lists quarterstaff damage, but not occult blast). In the Rookies book, no damage from staves as clubs is listed. Instead, the staff is listed under weapons with damage 1d. It would be nice if the three books were consistent. The Wizards book, not surprisingly, has the best solution for how to list staves. Really good stuff. The backstories really point out what a slacker I am. My backstories are limited to "Good guy", "Bad guy" and, when I'm feeling complicated, sometimes "Good guy but sometimes bad". |
03-27-2021, 02:10 PM | #37 | ||
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Quote:
Quote:
Obviously for a published book, I had to do some prose-writing. But for GM notes, just the adjectives (ITL p. 14!), and a few notes on what they want and what they'll do to get it are more than enough. (note: that can include 'murder-bot' as well as 'wait petulantly for the world to align to their desires')
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03-27-2021, 02:15 PM | #38 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Wizards without Staves
One of the terms listed ("murder bot" and "wait petulantly for the world to align to there desires") seems to describe me to a tee, but I won't say which one.
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03-27-2021, 02:58 PM | #39 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Quote:
Adding another meatshield gives a linear increase in capability while adding a wizard gives a linear increase in fatigue recovery times a linear increase (usually just log increase due to overlap in spell lists) in the list of spells available. So a borg-like gang of wizards can both power single spells of incredible power while also selecting just the right spell to apply in each circumstance. This is why friends don't let friends play Muggle.
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03-27-2021, 04:18 PM | #40 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Wizards without Staves
What an odd analysis. So, heroes have only one role: to hit stuff?
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