So last week talking to Owen KC Stephens about some crazy game design ideas for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, I suggested doing a COMPLETELY new base class which I have been calling the Storyteller.
Simply put what ever they write from their magic scroll and stylus, it comes into reality. Trapped at the bottom of a pit and you need a rope to get you out? A Storyteller can create one for you. Need a boat to sail away from an island, a Storyteller can create one for you. Need a splash weapon to effect a swarm? A Storyteller can create one for you. If you are thinking inspired by the Green Lantern, you might be in the right ballpark. It was also inspired visually by the image link.
So what do you think? Would this be an interested class for you to play? What would you like to see in this base class? Please let me know. Thanks!
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Honestly, you make it sound more like Harold the purple crayon kid.
At the very least, I don't think "Storyteller" is actually the name you want for the class - that would be better as a Bard Archetype (one with a lot of effort, changes, and innovative abilities put into it, but a Bard Archetype nonetheless).
It also sounds a bit like a nod to my old Scribe class idea (meant to be a sort of Bard/Wizard hybrid intended first and foremost for fitting in Ancient Mesopotamian/Egyptian campaign settings).
My thoughts on the concept was "so, like a Bard with paint instead of music?"
Then I thought of something the lines of Chalkworld, or Imaginationland. Wherever my thoughts go I keep going back to a Bard that is basically making temporary constructs so Green Lantern seems an apt description assuming something along the lines of Kyle Rayner as opposed to the beams and bubbles that some lanterns stick with.
I also agree that 'Storyteller' seems like the wrong name.
Overall I'm digging the concept and would like to see it.
I agree, Storyteller feels like the wrong name.
Without anymore than these admittedly broad brushstokes (sorry!) there is little here to distinguish the Class concept from a reskinned (or not even necessarily reskinned) caster.
Present some sample or conceptual mechanic ideas to generate more interest, otherwise there is not much of a story here, and no new Base Class.
OSW is correct. Unless you create mechanical abilities or a separate spell list, or something else unique...all you've got is a Wizard where every spell has material component: scroll and stylus.
That's not to say that there's not a lot of precedent for this kind of thing. You think Green Lantern, I think...Once Upon a Time.
Don't judge me. I'm secure in my preferences.
Scribblenauts: Base Class.
3D Printer Man/Woman.
I believe you could use Tome of Magic like mechanics to restrict the stuff you can create with this class, limiting it to a certain amount of items at any time, but with a wide range of possibilities. Or you have a Source Pool of material, and it can be spent to create something, but the object has to be melted back into it to replenish the points.
Also restrict the range it can get away from you, the time it lasts (no free money), the overall complexity of the object should increase with level progression (no nukes at first level), and its self-awareness as well (first it's just a sword, then it's a flying sword, finally a talking sword).
I'd really like to see an akashic mysteries summoner based on animated objects, but your idea might not quite be what I'm thinking.
When I read "Storyteller", I immediately thought of The Ghost Writer from Danny Phantom. I've long had the desire to see class with a mechanic that basically functioned like the reality warping power of Narration.
When I read Brush and Stylus, I immediately thought of Sai from Naruto Shippuden (I think that's the right character), or perhaps Brushogun from Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. Draw stuff into life.
As for a "Storyteller" base class? Particularly based off that linked pic (love it btw)... I'd go with a combination of the two. (Edit) That way, you can avoid the issue of basically just having a Scribblenaut, which really doesn't have enough class features built in to support a full class in PF. 3.0 where they don't get stuff every level maybe, but not PF. (/Edit)
Still, I have a habit of liking your stuff, so I'd probably give it a try anyways.
Edit 2: Perhaps an alternate name... I'm partial to Calligrapher myself, but that doesn't quite get the whole "summon creature" aspect I'd like to see.
Also, if you've ever played Dynasty Warriors 7 or later, the Brush weapon (signature weapon of Ma Dai) has a few moves that lets you basically throw out floating orbs of ink, which detonate later when activated (usually at the end of another move set). I would REALLY like to see this in an ink-based class. Wanna go really "crazy game design idea"? Give 'em some ability that lets 'em turn their (brush/stylus) into a weapon, complete with light, one handed, or two handed stats, form chosen when used (kind of like a Mind Blade via soul knife or magus, choose a category and get pre-assigned weapon stats, not just pick a weapon at random).
.... Can ya tell I've given a lot of thought to such a class? Consider the above my "wish list", lol.
When I read "Storyteller", I immediately thought of The Ghost Writer from Danny Phantom. I've long had the desire to see class with a mechanic that basically functioned like the reality warping power of Narration.
I was thinking the X-Men villain Proteus with that description.
When I read Brush and Stylus, I immediately thought of Sai from Naruto Shippuden (I think that's the right character), or perhaps Brushogun from Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. Draw stuff into life.
I am sure there will be a tattoo artist type as a archetype.
As for a "Storyteller" base class? Particularly based off that linked pic (love it btw)... I'd go with a combination of the two. (Edit) That way, you can avoid the issue of basically just having a Scribblenaut, which really doesn't have enough class features built in to support a full class in PF. 3.0 where they don't get stuff every level maybe, but not PF. (/Edit)
I am going to have to look into this.
Still, I have a habit of liking your stuff, so I'd probably give it a try anyways.
Thanks!
Edit 2: Perhaps an alternate name... I'm partial to Calligrapher myself, but that doesn't quite get the whole "summon creature" aspect I'd like to see.
I am getting this feeling...
Also, if you've ever played Dynasty Warriors 7 or later, the Brush weapon (signature weapon of Ma Dai) has a few moves that lets you basically throw out floating orbs of ink, which detonate later when activated (usually at the end of another move set). I would REALLY like to see this in an ink-based class. Wanna go really "crazy game design idea"? Give 'em some ability that lets 'em turn their (brush/stylus) into a weapon, complete with light, one handed, or two handed stats, form chosen when used (kind of like a Mind Blade via soul knife or magus, choose a category and get pre-assigned weapon stats, not just pick a weapon at random).
I never played the game, BUT I LOVE this idea. I have to make some notes now.
.... Can ya tell I've given a lot of thought to such a class? Consider the above my "wish list", lol.
I know the feeling...
As I noted on your facebook post I don't like "this world is really only a book" genre and the storyteller somewhat implies that - I would change the name to something more generic and make it a more customize-able creator of things, where you could flavor or reflavor where the created things come from. Currently I am (very slowly) designing a shadowshifter base class whose main shtick is weaving shadows into things (and minions), a sibling to shadowjack and expanding a lot the shadowjack's shadow weaving ability - including ability to maintain multiple shadow weavings at the same time and having an additional special category of more powerful shadow weavings.
Fat Goblin Games for our Steampunk Musha line plan on having in our much delayed Steampunk Musha: Player's Guide a Calligraphy Master (See Art and Layout Here), which we describe thusly...
Calligraphy Master
Some art is handed down over generations while others are painstakingly learned through years of practice. The calligraphy master can come from either of these backgrounds. She has studied the art of the horsehair brush to such a degree that she can actually place magic in the paintings that she does upon parchment. From spells of destruction to balms for friends, nothing is beyond the reach of her brush and her imagination.
Calligraphy masters, like so many others in The Lost Island, draw inspiration from the elemental powers as they see them. While supposedly alternate schools of thought exist, most calligraphy masters choose one of the traditional elements of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, or Wood. In more “modern” regions of Rosuto-Shima, like near the mechanized city of Shangti, the new school of Metal has become popular. Regardless of if you’re a traditionalist or a contemporary, most admit that a sixth school, Void, also exist, but stands slightly apart from the normal Elemental Wheel.
The foundations of the calligraphy master is shodo. Shodo translates to the gaijin-tongue as “the way or writing” or “the art of writing,” most commonly called calligraphy. Shodo is both a performance and an object, as the act-of-writing is the thing calligraphy masters claim to be mastering. While they also refer to their written forms as shodo scrolls, a calligraphy master will often shake their head at gaijin confusion of how the word is both the art and the act. To foreign spellcasters, these shodo scrolls are almost indecipherable and appear as little more than plain ink and paper, with a magical arcane mark of the calligraphy master’s sigil, but the most common refrain from the master’s is that the creator of the shodo must known not merely the form, but the meaning of the kanji to unlock it’s powers. These spellcasters call themselves calligraphy “masters” because they feel that any spell’s kanji-as-shodo they are able to create as an effect is one they have begun to “master.”
Role: While most calligraphy masters come from a single elemental school, they have almost universal access to the arcane spellcasting lists of sorcerers and wizards. The versatility of calligraphy masters then is mostly bound to how creative that individual is, and how well prepared they are for what is to come.
Also, I submitted a Canvas of the Dreamer to RPG Superstar this last season. It's basic ability was "paint a creature, then you can call it into being for a time."
People complained about the cost, but I still think it was balanced for the spells that you would really need to use to do everything that my item did.
I think DC Comics Green Lantern analogy is the best way to describe this class: A class that uses weapon that uses will power to make the imagined real. The gaming mechanics that I think will be need will be a pool systems when you use point to do things. So I would be looking at the Arcanist' Arcane Exploits and Summoner's Eidolon Evolutions to start the ideas bubbling.
I'm not sure why she's wearing that dress and those heels while shipwrecked and fighting swarms of vermin, but it sounds like fun. Will this be reflavored spellcasting or something brand new?
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I'm not sure why she's wearing that dress and those heels while shipwrecked and fighting swarms of vermin, but it sounds like fun. Will this be reflavored spellcasting or something brand new?
As a guy who's worn man-heels during an event with a lot of physical activity for... Reasons... The complements to your ass is totally worth it.
I think DC Comics Green Lantern analogy is the best way to describe this class: A class that uses weapon that uses will power to make the imagined real. The gaming mechanics that I think will be need will be a pool systems when you use point to do things. So I would be looking at the Arcanist' Arcane Exploits and Summoner's Eidolon Evolutions to start the ideas bubbling.
Maybe a number of basic creations that can be maintained indefinitely (with number maintained at the same time growing with the level) and the pool points would have to be expended to either create more complex things or imbue them with extra powers?
I'm not sure why she's wearing that dress and those heels while shipwrecked and fighting swarms of vermin, but it sounds like fun. Will this be reflavored spellcasting or something brand new?
Who says you can't look awesome while kicking ass?
Maybe a number of basic creations that can be maintained indefinitely (with number maintained at the same time growing with the level) and the pool points would have to be expended to either create more complex things or imbue them with extra powers?
To make them indefinitely they would have to be small and structurally weak. Maybe work it like a zero level spells: Here are four things they can do all the time no matter what from these possible 10 options. Then to do X is cost 1 pool point and Y cost 2 pool points.
So to work some things out I broke out a pad and a pen and his semi rough ideas that I have about the storyteller. Nothing here is set in stone but it gives you some ideas to work from. What do you think?
Scribe Scroll should use Craft (calligraphy) or something of the like.
So will the "spells" be like an alchemist, where each day she preps her handmade papers/scroll/journal and exotic inks, then writes a part of the story before it happens or adds details as the story unfolds?
As for the "reality pool", my mind is swimming with ideas, but implementation seems daunting.
Design Manager
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When I read "Storyteller", I immediately thought of The Ghost Writer from Danny Phantom. I've long had the desire to see class with a mechanic that basically functioned like the reality warping power of Narration.
Greg and I have actually been working on a class for Amora Games that we were also calling the Storyteller that does more of this kind of thing, establishing a Narrative and then buffing allies by empowering them as a particular type of Protagonist (Guardian, Sky Knight, etc.), manipulating enemies by labeling them as particular Antagonists (the Beast, the Spurned Lover, etc.), manipulating the battlefield by creating particular Settings within the area of their Narrative, and other story related abilities. So if you're looking at something that's more Narration and less of the breathing life into drawings, we've been working on something that fits that mold and should have it available in the near future.
Greg and I have actually been working on a class for Amora Games that we were also calling the Storyteller that does more of this kind of thing, establishing a Narrative and then buffing allies by empowering them as a particular type of Protagonist (Guardian, Sky Knight, etc.), manipulating enemies by labeling them as particular Antagonists (the Beast, the Spurned Lover, etc.), manipulating the battlefield by creating particular Settings within the area of their Narrative, and other story related abilities. So if you're looking at something that's more Narration and less of the breathing life into drawings, we've been working on something that fits that mold and should have it available in the near future.When I read "Storyteller", I immediately thought of The Ghost Writer from Danny Phantom. I've long had the desire to see class with a mechanic that basically functioned like the reality warping power of Narration.
I think this has been done and overdone in the area of books, specifically comic books, in several variations of Deus Ex Machina which I DON'T want this class to me. It seems like a lazy short cut to make already powerful characters MORE powerful with additional modifiers. This class adds support and that potential to do something no one thought was possible but changes the game in interesting AND creative ways. Just adding +2 or +X to a stat really doesn't help the game play better, being creative does.
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Design Manager
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I actually agree, which was one of the reasons we're looking more at buffs that graft simple abilities onto allies or open up new ways for them to interact with the game, similar to some of the better* Rage powers. That being said, I like what you're doing; it kind of reminds me of some of the characters I've seen people make using Drop Dead's Creation Sphere from Spheres of Power, but more expansive.
Unrelated, I got the print copy of Obsidian Apocalypse for Christmas, and you should know that when I have the time to sit down and do it justice in a review, it's getting 5 stars. I was really blown away! I've been pimping it to every GM I bump into.
*"Better" in this context meaning "Rage powers that add new dimensions to the character, kind of like Spell Sunder, as opposed to those that are '+X on Y checks'".
* I personally wouldn't want my iconic class feature starting at 3rd level.
There should be small (or large but not so powerful) effects, images, disturbances or other narrative changes to the social environment or combat arena that the class can evoke/imbue/create that aren't just spells we already have.
I understand level-dipping is a concern, but that shouldn't be a barrier to interesting class design.
[LPJ Design] Classes of NeoExodus: Protean Scribe for The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Now available
Louis Porter Jr. Design, has released Classes of NeoExodus: Protean Scribe for The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game at RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG.com. Here is information on this product:
To a protean scribe, all the universe is formed of words. Not just words such as the kind in a language spoken by mortals or even by the gods themselves, but words more powerful even than that. Words that drew forth the universe itself from the protean mass of chaos that came before. Protean scribes dedicate their lives to unearthing these primordial words, and to weaving them into common languages to create powerful magical effects; empowering their allies, weakening their foes, or even creating life with nothing more than a simple stylus and a few words.
Inside this sourcebook you will find you’ll need to enhance on adventures when using the Protean Scribe base class:
- All the information to play the Protean Scribe as base class for the Pathfinder RPG and NeoExodus: A House Divided Campaign Setting.
- Rules for the Protean Scribe’ Stylus and Writing including to create three distinct types of fantastic effects -- Embellishments, Phrases and Stories; and Primordal words.
- Five All New Archetypes: Scrollblade, Wordwriter, Censor, Runewriter and Orator.
- Six New Feats including Distant Phrase, Evolved Story, Intense Phrase
Our friends at Lost Spheres Publishing seem to like Michael McCarthy creation of the basic class, the Protean Scribe. Let's see what they say about it.