The World of Layonara  Forums

Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - Stephen_Zuckerman

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 187
1
Ask A Gamemaster / Re: Point of Extra Ranged Damage Type
« on: January 08, 2013, 05:47:04 pm »
I'm talking about Compound Bows. They all have "Extra Ranged Damage: Piercing."

From perusing various other forums, it turns out that this ability does absolutely nothing.

So why is it on the items?

2
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 05, 2013, 09:09:20 pm »
More inconsistent than anything. See my note above.

3
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 05, 2013, 08:50:53 pm »
You'll notice I edited my post - which took longer than I intended, thanks to a phone call - and didn't see your post until I submitted it.

With the current requirements and skill points, it's not unreasonable. Skill Focus and Combat Casting are the only real feat taxes to enter, but entry requirements are much more challenging, now. I don't see why you're requiring level 4 spells, though.

3 Fighter/5 Wizard has 3rd spells, all the feats (plus three or four more), and all the skills (plus two or three more). If you require 4th level spells, you prevent a multiclassed character from having more than 5 levels pre-epic. Is this as intended?

Edit, starting 9:03EST:

I still have trouble seeing how this isn't awesome near-free stuff for a pure wizard, though. Skill Focus and Combat Casting hurt to spend (because neither is a very good choice in NWN, unless you're Casting Defensively all the time... In which case they DON'T hurt to spend), but Dodge and Mobility aren't bad at all. MWP is great. A combat-focused Wizard would have no problem paying all of that for a Full BAB (and therefore another attack per round and +5 BAB by level 20).

Another thing to consider is that you're designing a PrC basically JUST for wizards. We've got a couple of those already. Do we really need more?

4
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 05, 2013, 08:29:34 pm »
I'm all for a 4 skill point class with Tumble on the list in addition to the Wizard skills... But not at Full BAB and Full Casting.

3/4 BAB, and I could see -1 casting progression, with no other class features... At the requirements I outlined above.

Look at Wizard, Bard, and Ranger for a moment. Wizards get 1/2 BAB and 9 levels of casting. Bards get 3/4 and 6. Rangers get full and 4. Are you noticing something?

The original EK (as seen here: Eldritch Knight :: d20srd.org ) is not easy to implement in a balanced way in NWN, because there's an aspect of its requirements that NWN circumvents: Proficiency in ALL Martial weapons.

In PnP, Martial Weapon Proficiency applies to a single weapon. The only way to gain proficiency in ALL Martial weapons is to take a level in a class that grants it. This forces a potential EK to give up a level of their primary casting class. 3rd level spells means that the soonest you can enter this class is as a 5 Wiz/1 Fighter, and your first EK level doesn't give you a casting level... But in NWN, you can just take 1 feat (that's worth having anyway) and meet the requirements at level 5 Wizard.

In most cases, a prestige class was all about the class features. In the case of Eldritch Knight, you give up your bonus feats as a wizard, your two free spells (which can make a big difference in PnP - and doesn't in NWN), and your familiar's progression (which, again, could really matter in PnP, and doesn't in NWN), for a good BAB and almost-full spellcasting. And even in PnP it was kinda cheap.

5
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 05, 2013, 08:15:02 pm »
The thing you don't seem to realize is that taking this Prestige Class as you present it, gives the character something (full BAB, more skills) for nothing (as Martial Weapon Proficiency is neatly offset by Combat Casting and Skill Focus: Concentration, to say nothing of the fact that MWP is worth getting ANYWAY).

It's "free stuff." There's no reason whatsoever for a wizard to not take this class.

And while armored AC is easier to boost, unarmored AC doesn't really have a cap. The Dex bonuses can beat out armor bonuses from Fullplate very quickly (level 8?), especially with buffs... To say nothing of Magic Vestement, Shield, Mage Armor, and sweet things like Shadow Shield, Stoneskin, Displacement, Blur, and Haste.

6
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 05, 2013, 12:35:00 pm »
Wait, you mean the PRC includes imbalanced content? No way! I'd never have suspected that!

The class as presented costs one feat to enter, and gives d6 HD and full BAB and casting progression. There is no reason whatsoever NOT to enter the class (as a wizard). I remember playing briefly on another NWN server that made that class available, and, as a pure wizard, my reaction was "wait, free stuff? I'll take free stuff."

For what it's worth, though, the prestige classes that advance your casting ability are supposed to do so for spells known and spells per day - at least, that's what they were intended to do in PnP.

7
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 05, 2013, 01:39:19 am »
You pretty much can't combine full BAB and full casting progression, regardless of the requirements. I understand what you're trying to do, but you're better off taking a 5 level Fighter dip if you REALLY want to augment your combat abilities...

Though, frankly, losing those 5 levels of Wizard hurts you much more than the Fighter levels could possibly gain.

3/4 BAB and -1 Spellcasting progression, with entry requirements that favor multiclassing with a melee class for entry by level 8, or without by level 12, are about right. At that point, it's a matter of additional class features as to whether the class gets 2 or 4 skill points per level.

So... +6 BAB, 2nd level spells, Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Spellcraft and Discipline both 5 ranks.

If you get good Will saves, and no other class features, you should see 4 skill points per level. If you add any class features (which you really should, like [lore]Imbue[/lore] and [lore]Canny Defense[/lore]), that drops to 2 per level.

8
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 04, 2013, 11:28:04 pm »
Quote from: drakogear
guess why eldritch knight doesn't have any class features... nor this class. :p

So basically, you're giving a high BAB progression and better skill points to what is otherwise a full casting class, with incredibly low entry requirements? Sure, sign me up.

While you're at it, change my age and race to Venerable Dragonwrought Kobold.

Quote from: drakogear
Sure could go the wiz duelist but that would  make your spells fewer and weaker and would be some what restricted to  rapiers or other one handed piercing weapons.

Also, I've had this character from a story I've been writing who casts  spells, wear no armor (unless you count a leather trench coat as light  leather armor) and wields a large great sword. (clearly the opposite of a  rapier)

Pure Wizard does this quite well... But you're pointing out a character in a story you're writing. I could write a story about a clever rogue who gets Death Attack, but is totally a good guy, and did I mention he's also a powerful wizard who gets all the ladies?

9
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Re: Spell Blade
« on: January 04, 2013, 11:11:07 pm »
The Spellsword as implemented in Layonara is based upon the D&D 3e Spellsword prestige class, the focus of which was a hybrid armored warrior and spellcaster.

Honestly, if you're looking for an unarmored warrior, pure Wizard (or if you want some giggles, throw Duelist in there) does it best.

Full spellcasting progression beats out any combat-related class feature.

10
Roleplaying / Re: Food for thought: Stealth
« on: December 29, 2012, 07:54:17 pm »
Quote from: Aphel
So, no real interesting roleplay involved? Slip on gear, done?

Not at all. Emoting the magic doing its work gives the appropriate flavor for Phinn entering stealth mode (or leaving it). I just think you might be using the "doing lots of different and super-special clever things" definition of "roleplaying," rather than "portraying a character."


Quote from: Aphel
Thanks. That means I am doing it right. :D

Not necessarily. That's a little bit like saying it's good to "drink too much water." It's not. That's why it's "too much."

However, putting thought into aspects of playing a character is never a bad thing.

I definitely disagree with you lumping everything a rogue-class character is best at into "stealth," though. Subtlety is not stealth. Reflexes are not stealth. Charisma is not stealth. Insight is not stealth. Misdirection is not stealth. Do all of these things help, when you try to go unnoticed? Yes. But that's not what you're trying to say.

Emoting "Ronnie Rogue throws a rock to distract the medusa as he slips past the doorway" implies that the medusa is distracted by the rock. The player doesn't have that power. You could throw a rock, and have a GM take a Bluff check (or whathaveyou) as a bonus to your Hide and Move Silently checks, but that's a much more dynamic scenario than you seem to be addressing in your first post.

Stealth mode is very simply hiding from sight, and being quiet about it. Armor check penalties apply to Hide and Move Silently.

NWN is poorly suited to strict simulationism. The GMs reward cleverness and ingenuity, but you can only get so far when you have a -20 to Move Silently, and the fellow you're sneaking up on isn't stone deaf.

11
Roleplaying / Re: Food for thought: Stealth
« on: December 29, 2012, 06:53:24 pm »
And here I thought we were just talking about Hide/Move Silently.

Liches don't know 'bout my Adventuring Kit.

12
Roleplaying / Re: Food for thought: Stealth
« on: December 29, 2012, 05:02:19 pm »
My character has a Cloak of Elvenkind (along with a few other items) that make him harder to see by camouflaging him with his surroundings. When he's focused on being stealthy, he blends in as well or better than an invisible character (his +36 beats the heck out of the +20 you get from Invis... In PnP, anyway).

This, of course, is physically being hard to see. For Phinn, that's the pinnacle of stealth - not subterfuge, but almost not even being there at all.

For the rest of your [strike]article[/strike] post... I think you're really just overthinking it a little.

13
(57) - ginseng
(1250) - corn x25
(1155) - wheat x35
1200 - iron heavy mace
228 - sage x4

Credit - 1034 = 4480

T.R.Ph.T.McD.

14
Layonara Server / Re: Bonus XP Week....ish
« on: December 27, 2012, 12:32:46 pm »
The RP XP seems to just be a 1xp tick every so often, though... And it persists through relog. As intended?

15
Rumour Has It / Re: Posted in Center by a haggard looking Jo.
« on: December 27, 2012, 12:31:39 pm »
Crack shot engineer Thomas Rumbody Phinnegan Therias MacDougan, signing off on the project! Probably! We'll see in a week!

~T.R.Ph.T.McD.

16
Took 8 Ettercap bits, cost 400. Left 40 in chest.
5,514-360=5,154
~T.R.Ph.T.McD.

17
+2000 for Panther Leather Armor, left in chest
Account now 5514, plus tentative 87,246.
~ T.R.Ph.T.McD.

18
General Discussion / Re: Vampiric regeneration
« on: December 24, 2012, 02:36:47 pm »
It's not really blood. It drains their vitality into you. Negative and positive energy, you know.

19
6750 - Mineral Fire Opal x27
600 - Mineral Alexandrite x6
100 - Mineral Topaz
250 - Mineral Sapphire
280 - Pecan x4
250 - Ginger x5
1500 - Scroll of Evard's Black Tentacles
250 - Scroll of Summon Creature I
250 - Scroll of Grease
350 - Scroll of Endurance
350 - Scroll of Summon Creature II
350 - Scroll of Bull's Strength
3500 - Stone's Boots of Protection
500 - Iron Helm
1400 - Brown Leather Armor
1750 - Topaz Set in a Silver Ring
--- 18430



(25) - Lump of Clay
(30) - Venom Sack from a Phase spider
(320) - Ingot of Copper x16
(360) - Cotton x36
(670) - Dark Silk x10
(250) - Mineral Aventurine x10
(680) - Mineral Fire Agate x34
(240) - Mineral Malachite x12
(300) - Mineral Phenalope x12
(5500) - Hood of Shadows
(2000) - Panther Leather Armor
(4000) - Blue Suede Shoes
(1750) - Ring of Cat's Grace I
--- 16125


Left 1612 in chest.
+2305 Credit + 1209 Existing = 3514 Credit

And 87,246 Tentative credit

~~ Thomas Rumbody Phinnegan Therias MacDougan

20
Left by Fortun Ghaele -

1015 - aloe x35
1155 - wheat x35
60 - salt x10
290 - purple mushroom x10
100 - mineral amethyst
30 - cotton x3
250 - scroll of expeditious retreat
350 - scroll of ghostly visage
500 - iron helm
2250 - Zolinar's Ashes
350 - scroll of bull's strength
500 - scroll of summon critter I x2
250 - scroll of endure elements
250 - scroll of sleep
250 - scroll of ray of frost x2

Total - 7600

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 187