Ah, psionics and D&D. Has any subsystem had a more troubled history, across all editions? In 1st, it was a badly implemented afterthought that easily became a munchkin's paradise. In 2nd it was maginally better, but still with the dangers of munchkinism. Worse, it wasn't part of the core rules, and used systems that bore no resemblance to the rest of the game. In 3rd edition, the problems with the system were dealt with, and the munchkinism disappeared. Alas, so did all the fun - 3rd edition psioncs was horribly weak, and linked to a psionic combat system that was either impossibly wasteful or immensely destructive, depending almost entirely on the luck of a single roll or two.
Now, we get to the 3.5 revision. In general, I felt this was a big step forward, but it did increase the power level overall. Therefore psionics, although theoretically still compatible, became even more underpowered. Step in Bruce Cordell, the guy who wrote the 3rd edition psionics rules and (in my opinion) Wizards' best serving designer.
The Expanded Psionics Handbook is a 222-page full colour hardback. There are eight chapters and an appendix. Before I get to describing the chapters, though, let me say one thing in general: this book is dull. This is not a book to read for fun, or as an ideas factory. Its only utility is for adding psionics for a game, and I'm going to review it based solely on that criterion. If you have no interest in a psionics system, stay away.
Chapter 1 covers psionic races. This was something of a surprise, as I didn't expect anything like this. However, in hindsight, I think it was almost a good idea. There are several familiar races here, such as the Githyanki, the Thri-kreen, and so forth, and a couple of new races. The reason I say 'almost' a good idea is that the races we've seen before are all either taken from the Dark Sun setting (and of limited use elsewhere), or have a Level Adjustment (and so are of limited use in general), or are new. There's nothing really wrong with the new races, except that they are new. I've posted on this before - we know what an elf is, but do we really know what a dromite is?
Chapter 2 describes the psionic classes. There are four: psion (psionic wizard), psychic warrior (psionic paladin, but without the code of conduct), soulknife (sort of a psionic rogue, although they have an ability that is essentially a lightsaber) and wilder (psionic sorcerer). I like these classes. The soulknife has a problem with the BAB progression, which Wizards say is intentional, but that's easy fixed. Otherwise, they're solid.
Chapter 3 discusses skills and feats. The skills are few in number (a new knowledge - psionics -, a new use for Concentration, and three new skills). The only oddity is that Autohypnosis remains a skill in its own right. I think I would have preferred it to become part of Concentration.
The feats are also fine, covering all the required bases. Oddly, there are a few feats that aren't anything to do with psionics (Improved Manyshot, for instance). These feats don't use psionics, don't improve psionics, don't have psionics as prerequisites, and aren't prerequisites for psionic feats. It's just odd.
Chapter 4 provides the actual rules for psionics. Manifesting powers, learning powers, psi-like abilities, power resistance, and so on, are all covered here. There is a discussion about adding psionics to an existing campaign (which I won't ever use - I'll either run a psionic game or a non-psionic game. Still, it's good to have). The rules here aren't exciting, but they are absolutely rock-solid. This is a good, good chapter.
It should be noted that psionic combat is gone. The old attack/defence modes have become powers in their own right, doing similar things to the old versions, but they don't have their own systems now, which is good.
Chapter 5 describes the powers themselves. This chapter is some 65 pages long. Again, really dull, but again absolutely solid. Nice. Worth noting is that most of the powers now have augmentations available - you pay extra power points for more damage, or better effects, or quicker manifestation. Another of the great weaknesses of the old psionics book is thus gone.
Chapter 6 describes 9 prestige classes. Some of these are the usual tosh. We have to have the "multiclass psion" classes, like the fighter/psion, the wizard/psion, and so on. It remains a huge weakness in the d20 system in general that multiclass spellcasters suck, and the same is true of psionic characters (although you can multiclass psion, psychic warrior and wilder without too much pain, which is good). We have a psionic Mystic Theurge, called the Cerebremancer.
The remaining classes are quite good. We have the Illithid Slayer, the Pyrokineticist, and the Fist of Zuoken, all of which are quite fun. I don't like prestige classes. I didn't like this chapter. However, the rules are handled just fine.
Chapter 7 deals with Psionic Items. These are basically the same as magical items. So, no need to say more there.
Chapter 8 provides new monsters, and psionic versions of some classics. These are okay, but not perfect.
The appendix gives a new Clerical domain (Mind), a couple of new spells, and a couple of new deities. This is very short, but just enough to help adding psionics to a game.
This book is dull. It's a tough read, and not a lot of fun. However, the rules are absolutely solid. If you like psionics, then this book is the essential guide for D&D. It fixes all the problems with the 3rd edition version, and hits just the right balance. Of course, if you don't like psionics, this book is useless.
The only other thing that I think is noteworthy - much of this book is now online at the Wizards of the Coast site. The new psionics stuff is now in the SRD. So, you can always try before you buy.
Tuesday, 15 June 2004
Sunday, 13 June 2004
Buying On-line
I have no problem with companies making .pdfs available on the condition that they have DRM protection. I have no problem with them charging whatever they want for their products. These things don't piss me off.
However, in order to sell me a product, you have to do more than simply not actively piss me off. I have to want to buy your product. And this is one area where on-line shopping breaks down.
See, if I'm in a store, and I have a book in my hands, I may well impulse buy it. This happens a lot, especially with game books, DVDs and music. When I'm shopping on-line, however, I never impulse buy. If I'm on-line, it's because I want something.
(I think the reasoning is something like this - in a store I might not be able to find the very thing I actually want, so I'll get something else. On-line, anything is about as easy to get as anything else, so that incentive is gone. Oh, and shiny "Three for Two!" stickers don't seem to convert very well to the on-line format.)
So, how to resolve this dilemma?
Well, it just so happens I have a couple of ideas:
1) Free samples. Or, if they could get the format and protections right, timelocked samples would be even better. The idea is that you give away a fair amount of stuff free (sneak previews, supplementary adventures, or, on the DVD or music front, trailers and sample tracks). You keep the premium stuff back, and charge top dollar for it. That way, if you like the free stuff, you know that the rest of the stuff is likely to be to your taste.
The timelock formats should be obvious - you download the files for free, but after 50 hours or so the files lock, unless you pay for them. That way, you get to try whatever you want before you buy. And, of course, we're all a lot more inclined to sample something for free than we are to just go ahead and buy it.
2) Smaller files. There is more value in a 400-page book than a 32-page adventure, and the printing and binding costs are similarly favourable to big print works. I don't think the same is true of electronic documents. Clearly, there is no real difference in binding costs (since there aren't any), and storage costs would seem to favour the small. Again, I can see a case for impulse buying a small file where I would never consider dropping $34 for a campaign setting on a whim.
There are other problems associated with DRM, which I want to deal with here as well. The big issue for publishers is one of piracy. And, like it or not, it is a valid concern. Global music chains may be able to afford a little piracy, but it's unlikely that game publishers can. The problem they seem to have forgotten is that their customers won't accept DRM techniques that get in their way. At best, they're an annoyance. At worst, a computer failure wipes out your entire collection, worth several hundred dollars. It is also true that if you buy a file (mp3, pdf, whatever) you absolutely should have the right and the ability to easily take it to any other medium you care. It should be your copy, to do with as you will. If you want to move it to another computer, there should be no problem. It shouldn't even be an issue. If you want to lend it to a friend, the same should also be true.
I have no idea how to solve that problem, however. I just wish that I believed that someone was actually looking. As it is, we have the big companies trying to force DRM on us, the bulk of ordinary customers being shafted, or at least refusing to buy, and a handful of stalwarts/zealots/pirates screaming about how every protection move is big brother or big business stomping on their God-given right to do whatever they want.
However, in order to sell me a product, you have to do more than simply not actively piss me off. I have to want to buy your product. And this is one area where on-line shopping breaks down.
See, if I'm in a store, and I have a book in my hands, I may well impulse buy it. This happens a lot, especially with game books, DVDs and music. When I'm shopping on-line, however, I never impulse buy. If I'm on-line, it's because I want something.
(I think the reasoning is something like this - in a store I might not be able to find the very thing I actually want, so I'll get something else. On-line, anything is about as easy to get as anything else, so that incentive is gone. Oh, and shiny "Three for Two!" stickers don't seem to convert very well to the on-line format.)
So, how to resolve this dilemma?
Well, it just so happens I have a couple of ideas:
1) Free samples. Or, if they could get the format and protections right, timelocked samples would be even better. The idea is that you give away a fair amount of stuff free (sneak previews, supplementary adventures, or, on the DVD or music front, trailers and sample tracks). You keep the premium stuff back, and charge top dollar for it. That way, if you like the free stuff, you know that the rest of the stuff is likely to be to your taste.
The timelock formats should be obvious - you download the files for free, but after 50 hours or so the files lock, unless you pay for them. That way, you get to try whatever you want before you buy. And, of course, we're all a lot more inclined to sample something for free than we are to just go ahead and buy it.
2) Smaller files. There is more value in a 400-page book than a 32-page adventure, and the printing and binding costs are similarly favourable to big print works. I don't think the same is true of electronic documents. Clearly, there is no real difference in binding costs (since there aren't any), and storage costs would seem to favour the small. Again, I can see a case for impulse buying a small file where I would never consider dropping $34 for a campaign setting on a whim.
There are other problems associated with DRM, which I want to deal with here as well. The big issue for publishers is one of piracy. And, like it or not, it is a valid concern. Global music chains may be able to afford a little piracy, but it's unlikely that game publishers can. The problem they seem to have forgotten is that their customers won't accept DRM techniques that get in their way. At best, they're an annoyance. At worst, a computer failure wipes out your entire collection, worth several hundred dollars. It is also true that if you buy a file (mp3, pdf, whatever) you absolutely should have the right and the ability to easily take it to any other medium you care. It should be your copy, to do with as you will. If you want to move it to another computer, there should be no problem. It shouldn't even be an issue. If you want to lend it to a friend, the same should also be true.
I have no idea how to solve that problem, however. I just wish that I believed that someone was actually looking. As it is, we have the big companies trying to force DRM on us, the bulk of ordinary customers being shafted, or at least refusing to buy, and a handful of stalwarts/zealots/pirates screaming about how every protection move is big brother or big business stomping on their God-given right to do whatever they want.
Thursday, 10 June 2004
Unearthed Arcana revisited
I've been thinking about my rather scathing review of Unearthed Arcana recently, especially in light of writing up the "Dragons of the Cerulean Ocean" setting (my latest, fad-of-the-moment, campaign setting). I'm writing up a fairly large number of house rules for the campaign, and I've concluded that I was rather unfair to Unearthed Arcana during the review.
Basically, in the new setting, I'm using large swathes of Unearthed Arcana, either whole-cloth or in a modified form. For instance, Action Points are there, as is Reputation, Magic Rating and Defense Bonus. Paragon classes are in place for two of the races (although these weren't new in UA, and have been modified here), Weapon Groups, and so on, and so on.
So, I guess it's rather more useful that I first stated.
Basically, in the new setting, I'm using large swathes of Unearthed Arcana, either whole-cloth or in a modified form. For instance, Action Points are there, as is Reputation, Magic Rating and Defense Bonus. Paragon classes are in place for two of the races (although these weren't new in UA, and have been modified here), Weapon Groups, and so on, and so on.
So, I guess it's rather more useful that I first stated.
Saturday, 5 June 2004
Disposable Magic
The flip side of the name magic argument is the availability of disposable magical items. I like the notion that a wizard might dash off a few spells onto scrolls, so that he doesn't need to memorize lots of utility spells before heading into the dungeon, or the party might invest in a couple of wands of cure serious wounds. These are low-powered, disposable items that should be available, and which can be crafted by the weaker spell-casters in the setting.
At present, the cost of creating a potion is spell level x caster level x 50. So, a potion of cure light wounds (1d8+1) costs 1 x 1 x 50, while a potion of cure light wounds (1d8+5) costs 1 x 5 x 50, and a potion of cure serious wounds (3d8+5) costs 3 x 5 x 50. (3rd level spell, so minimum caster level is 5). Only spells of 3rd level or lower can be placed in potions.
The cost of creating a scroll is spell level x caster level x 25. So, a scroll costs half as much as the same potion. There is no limit to the spell level allowed in scrolls, but bear in mind, of course, that they are harder to use (anyone can use a potion, after all).
The cost of creating a wand is caster level x spell level x no. of charges x 15. Most wands, fully charged, have 50 charges. So, it's 1 x 1 x 50 x 15 for a 1d8+1 wand of cure light wounds, 1 x 5 x 50 x 15 for a 1d8+5 wand of cure light wounds, and 3 x 5 x 50 x 15 for a wand of cure serious wounds. Only spells of up to 4th level can be placed into wands.
Note that none of the above consider the impact of expensive material components. In the first two cases, these just add to the final cost; with a wand you need to add the cost of the component once per charge.
My proposal is to remove the spell level muliplier from the cost of the items. This will significantly reduce the cost of higher-level potions, wands and scrolls, and make the 1d8+5 wand of cure light wounds obselete. However, it means that a wand of fireballs (5d6) will now cost 3,750 gp, instead of the current 11,250 gp. Since the latter value places such a wand beyond the buying power of a 5th level character, and barely within that of a 6th level character (and shortly after that, the wand becomes useless - better simply to cast fireball, to get 7, 7 or 10d6 damage), I think this is a good thing.
This also has a knock-on effect that the Craft Wand, Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion feats become more useful, since the XP costs for creating these items is also reduced. This is also a good thing.
Note that I think I like this notion, but only in concert with an increase in the difficulty of acquiring more powerful items. As I've said before, permanent items should have a legend associated with them, with more powerful items requiring a more powerful legend.
At present, the cost of creating a potion is spell level x caster level x 50. So, a potion of cure light wounds (1d8+1) costs 1 x 1 x 50, while a potion of cure light wounds (1d8+5) costs 1 x 5 x 50, and a potion of cure serious wounds (3d8+5) costs 3 x 5 x 50. (3rd level spell, so minimum caster level is 5). Only spells of 3rd level or lower can be placed in potions.
The cost of creating a scroll is spell level x caster level x 25. So, a scroll costs half as much as the same potion. There is no limit to the spell level allowed in scrolls, but bear in mind, of course, that they are harder to use (anyone can use a potion, after all).
The cost of creating a wand is caster level x spell level x no. of charges x 15. Most wands, fully charged, have 50 charges. So, it's 1 x 1 x 50 x 15 for a 1d8+1 wand of cure light wounds, 1 x 5 x 50 x 15 for a 1d8+5 wand of cure light wounds, and 3 x 5 x 50 x 15 for a wand of cure serious wounds. Only spells of up to 4th level can be placed into wands.
Note that none of the above consider the impact of expensive material components. In the first two cases, these just add to the final cost; with a wand you need to add the cost of the component once per charge.
My proposal is to remove the spell level muliplier from the cost of the items. This will significantly reduce the cost of higher-level potions, wands and scrolls, and make the 1d8+5 wand of cure light wounds obselete. However, it means that a wand of fireballs (5d6) will now cost 3,750 gp, instead of the current 11,250 gp. Since the latter value places such a wand beyond the buying power of a 5th level character, and barely within that of a 6th level character (and shortly after that, the wand becomes useless - better simply to cast fireball, to get 7, 7 or 10d6 damage), I think this is a good thing.
This also has a knock-on effect that the Craft Wand, Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion feats become more useful, since the XP costs for creating these items is also reduced. This is also a good thing.
Note that I think I like this notion, but only in concert with an increase in the difficulty of acquiring more powerful items. As I've said before, permanent items should have a legend associated with them, with more powerful items requiring a more powerful legend.
Tuesday, 1 June 2004
Name Magic
Okay, what I want to achieve is a world where items aren't just "a +1 longsword of frost", or "banded mail +3 of moderate fortification", but rather "Liandiel, the sword of the winter chill, forged by the elves in secret to escape their subjugation by the red dragon Mantakalasa", or "the Iron Hide of Jonah Agardssen, hero of the third war against the Drow".
I see two ways to achieve this:
Firstly, limit the power of an item based on the power of the legend behind it. So, a character with Craft Magic Weapons and Armour can't just churn out a hundred suits of chainmail +1 - he needs to add meaningfully to the legend of an item before he can increase its potency. Oh, and items need to be named, of course, or else they don't have any power.
Secondly, give characters a break on the crafting costs associated with creating items if they can associate the item with great deeds. So, a character who wishes to create a longsword +2 of shock might travel to the home of the god of lightning, and ask him to personally bless the weapon. In return, in addition to whatever XP he gets for the quest, he gets to add 10% of this to the invested XP in the item. (So, if his quest to see Zeus grants 2,000 XP, that's 200 less he has to spend on the item.)
This would, of course, be coupled with a restriction on the Identify spell, and a corresponding empowerment of the knowledge skills and the bardic lore ability. Rather than having Identify give out the power list of the item, it would instead reveal the name of the item, and some of the legend behind it. Judicious use of Knowledge skills, Bardic Lore and, failing that, sages would reveal the rest of the legend. Naturally, the legend should also include mention of the activation methods of the items, or else the whole thing falls apart.
I would suggest not implementing anything like this for items of limited charges - it would really suck having to individually name potions - but would consider expanding it to include any item with non-standard powers, or any item of especial significance, not just weapons and armour.
What do you think?
I see two ways to achieve this:
Firstly, limit the power of an item based on the power of the legend behind it. So, a character with Craft Magic Weapons and Armour can't just churn out a hundred suits of chainmail +1 - he needs to add meaningfully to the legend of an item before he can increase its potency. Oh, and items need to be named, of course, or else they don't have any power.
Secondly, give characters a break on the crafting costs associated with creating items if they can associate the item with great deeds. So, a character who wishes to create a longsword +2 of shock might travel to the home of the god of lightning, and ask him to personally bless the weapon. In return, in addition to whatever XP he gets for the quest, he gets to add 10% of this to the invested XP in the item. (So, if his quest to see Zeus grants 2,000 XP, that's 200 less he has to spend on the item.)
This would, of course, be coupled with a restriction on the Identify spell, and a corresponding empowerment of the knowledge skills and the bardic lore ability. Rather than having Identify give out the power list of the item, it would instead reveal the name of the item, and some of the legend behind it. Judicious use of Knowledge skills, Bardic Lore and, failing that, sages would reveal the rest of the legend. Naturally, the legend should also include mention of the activation methods of the items, or else the whole thing falls apart.
I would suggest not implementing anything like this for items of limited charges - it would really suck having to individually name potions - but would consider expanding it to include any item with non-standard powers, or any item of especial significance, not just weapons and armour.
What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)