I have to admit that the magus is probably the class that I like most in the game (although I’m also very keen on Warpriests after taking Oloch through the Skull & Shackles adventure path). I’ve quite a bit of thought to the bladebound archetype and how this might be translated into a role for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. The bladebound magus is very appealing, especially for fans of Elric of Melniboné. For those not familiar with the game, the bladebound magus wields a sentient black blade. Both the magus and the black blade grow in power as they advance. This archetype is clearly based on Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné and Stormbringer (in addition, both of the iconic images of Seltyiel bear more than a passing resemblance to the albino swordsman).
What really distinguishes the bladebound from the other magus archetypes is the symbiotic relationship with the weapon, as well as the fact that the weapon, too, advances in power. The release of the Wrath of the Righteous base set brought us the Cohorts. These are additional cards that some characters have, either as a basic attribute like Alain and Shardra, or because the scenario allows temporary Cohorts. This concept might be extended to a role-based Cohort and sets up some interesting possibilities.
My previous effort at developing the bladebound role can be seen with my Amrael character (which I’ve abandoned). Discussion of that idea helped me to see some things I hadn’t considered, so I incorporated them into the application of the role for Seltyiel.
Now the lore for the black blade and the bladebound archetype allow for a variety of backgrounds behind how the magus acquires the black blade. The simple method is that the black blade appears in the magus’s belongings mysteriously, but that seems too easy. A grand quest seems much more appropriate, so I’m developing the black blade rules as a reward for a solo quest that Seltyiel undertakes at some point while going through Adventure 3 (i.e., after completing Adventure 2 but before completing Adventure 3). I’m not going to bother you with the challenges I face in creating a solo adventure as I want to focus on the bladebound role and the black blade.
For my current purposes, the black blade comes in two formats. First is a Loot card that Seltyiel gains as a reward for successfully completing the hypothesized solo adventure. If he is in possession of the black blade Loot card when the time comes to select a role, he may select the bladebound role. If he does so, the black blade Loot card is removed from the game and replaced with a black blade Cohort card (which is gained as part of the bladebound role). If Seltyiel takes a different role, he may keep the black blade Loot card in one of his Weapon slots.
Ultimately, a bladebound magus is bound to a single black blade, and a black blade won’t work to its full potential for other characters, including other magi. It’s like a parasitic marriage. So my scribblings explored different options for making this work. In the end, I decided that each black blade Cohort would have a name and each bladebound magus role would have a corresponding name. The names of the Cohort and the Role might not match, but would be thematically linked and would be specifically mentioned on each other’s cards so that the relationship would be clear.
Each black blade is unique, combining the aspects of its physical form (e.g., a black blade short sword starts with the base rules of a short sword whereas a black blade temple sword would start with the base rules of a temple sword) with the sentience and magical properties of the black blade. There are common black blade powers, but there might also be unique powers for each black blade, making each distinctive based on the “personality” and motives of the sentience within the black blade.
Since Seltyiel is lawful evil and craves power, I determined that the black blade to which he bonds is one that serves the goals of power. While the blade itself is Lawful, the good/evil component is driven by the wielder. So the full role name adds “Lictor” to be indicative of the black blade’s motives of securing power and order. The role isn’t part of the Hellknight order, but draws upon parallel naming due to parallel motivations. RPGers may wonder what a Hellknight/Magus multiclassed character might do with a black blade…
While my initial vision for Seltyiel’s black blade was that it was a khopesh-type weapon from an ancient other-worldly civilization, the khopesh’s ability to add the Bludgeoning trait didn’t really fit with Seltyiel’s concepts (see the Khopesh card in the Oracle class deck). So I shifted to the more elegant Elven Scimitar as the model for the black blade (see the Iconic Heroes card). I stripped out the particular properties of the magical Elven Scimitar and applied different magical properties (i.e., removed the +1 and special magus power and added replaced it with the adventure deck number bonus). Conceptually, this black blade was crafted by (or perhaps the sentience within the black blade is a member of) an ancient otherworldly civilization related to the Elves of Golarion.
In addition to the personality of the black blade, I had to come up with a name to distinguish the weapon from other black blades. I chose “Nightshard” as a name that is evocative of darkness and deadliness, though that is only its common name (or one of the names by which it has been called through the years). The true name of the sentience within the black blade is known only to its wielder and has been included in parenthesis in the Cohort card (but not the Loot card – the magus hasn’t bonded with the weapon at this point and the black blade has not communicated this secret).
So the base powers of the black blade in question are:
NIGHTSHARD
LOOT 3
Type: Weapon
TRAITS: Sword Melee Slashing Finesse Magic
For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Melee skill + 1d6 plus the scenario’s adventure deck number; you may additionally discard this card to add another 1d6. If you aren’t proficient with weapons, the difficulty of this check is increased by 4. You may not play another weapon on this check.
If you possess Nightshard when it is time to choose a role, you may take the Bladebound Lictor role.
As a black blade, the weapon has more potential, but that potential won’t be realized unless the magus bonds with the weapon – or in Pathfinder Adventure Card Game terms, takes the bladebound role. If Seltyiel bonds with Nightshard, he becomes a bladebound magus, and any magus that bonds with Nightshard is known as a Bladebound Lictor (conceivably, another magus character might be created that has her own Bladebound Lictor role card).
SELTYIEL (BLADEBOUND LICTOR)
The magus and the black blade – who wields whom?POWERS
Hand size 5 □ 6 □ 7
COHORT: NIGHTSHARD
PROFICIENT WITH Light Armors Weapons
Choose a weapon that doesn’t have the 2-Handed trait and a spell that has the Attack trait. When you play one for your combat check, you may recharge the other (□ or shuffle it into your deck) to add 1d6 (□ 2d6)( □ 3d6) and that card’s traits to the check.
At the end of your turn, you may attempt to recharge a spell in your discard pile.
When Nightshard would be banished, bury it instead. When you gain a power feat, you may take a cohort feat for Nightshard instead.
□ At the start of your turn, you may discard a spell to search your deck or your discard pile for Nightshard and put it into your hand. □ If Nightshard is buried, you may banish a spell with an adventure deck number equal to or greater than the scenario’s adventure deck number to shuffle Nightshard into your deck.
□ Add 2 to your check to acquire a boon with the Arcane trait.
□ You gain the skill Perception: Intelligence +1.
Only one additional feat is available for the base character powers because I want the role’s feats to focus on the bladebound portion. Astute readers will notice that there are only nine feat boxes. This is because one of the distinct elements of the bladebound role is that the black blade also advances as the bladebound magus advances. Also, there are elements of the role that should only be available when the bladebound magus is using the black blade (i.e., when the black blade card is in the player’s hand). In addition, since the role relies so heavily upon the availability of the black blade, the powers allow for the player to regain the weapon by sacrificing other cards, either discarding or banishing a spell as appropriate (reflecting the expenditure of magical power to summon the black blade when it is lost).
The Loot card is then removed from play and, as the role card indicates, replaced with the Cohort Nightshard:
NIGHTSHARD (MORDISA’IL)
COHORT 3
Type: Weapon
OWNER: SELTYIEL (BLADEBOUND LICTOR)
TRAITS: Sword Melee Slashing Finesse Magic
POWERS:
For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Melee skill + 1d6 plus the scenario’s adventure deck number; you may additionally discard this card to add another 1d6. If you aren’t proficient with weapons, the difficulty of this check is increased by 4. You may not play another weapon on this check.
□ If you use Nightshard for your combat check and you have the Bladebound Lictor role, you may add the cold, electricity, fire, or force trait. □ When you defeat a monster and you have the Bladebound Lictor role, you may reveal Nightshard to recharge 1 random card from your discard pile.
□ If you have the Bladebound Lictor role, you may put this card on top of your deck to examine the top card of your location deck; if the card is a non-Villain bane, you may immediately encounter it.
The base information and rules remain the same as the Loot version. There are three feat boxes on the Cohort version, though, which, as the Bladebound Lictor role card indicates, may be selected instead of power feats. These reflect the black blade’s advancement in parallel with the magus. The first line is actually two powers, but they must be chosen in sequence (i.e., first adding traits to the attack and later healing). The second line is intended to reflect the Awareness that the Bladebound magus gains in the RPG (which is also reflected in the Perception: Intelligence +1 power on the role card). The use of this power brings risk as the Bladebound magus must put the black blade on top of his deck, so he doesn’t have access to the weapon if the bane requires a combat check (and he can’t continue scouting through the turn). This risk is offset by the word “may” which allows the magus to simply not encounter the card.
Of note is the inclusion of the requirement for the wielder to have the Bladebound Lictor role in order to use these powers. This verbiage was included because Cohorts can be given to other characters, but these powers shouldn’t be usable by other characters, not even other Bladebound magi. So if Seltyiel decides to give Nightshard to another character for some reason, that other character can only use Nightshard as a magical weapon and doesn’t have access to the more exotic of the black blade’s powers.
This is a creative use of the Cohort card, I’ll admit. The Cohorts available in the Wrath of the Righteous adventure path, both those specific to the AP and those that come with the characters, are beings. None of them is an object. The converse logic here is that the black blade isn’t just a weapon, it is also a sentient being. Regardless, the Cohort method has been the only method I’ve found that matches my conception of how the bladebound magus and black blade would be translated from PF RPG terms into PACG terms.
At this point, I’m working on playtesting these rules through all three of the official adventure paths. I think that the Loot version of Nightshard is a fairly simple add-on as it is comparable to other magical weapons (so it shouldn’t need much playtesting). The more important portion for me to playtest is the combination of role and Cohort rules.
While I’ll post my observations here, I’d appreciate any feedback that may be provided.
Very cool stuff here. Perhaps you should add the Veteran trait to Nightshard (both versions). And is a d6 + the adventure deck number sufficient oomph? Compare to the Veteran Longspear for Alain, d8 plus the adventure deck number.
□ If Nightshard is buried, you may banish a spell with an adventure deck number equal to or greater than the scenario’s adventure deck number to shuffle Nightshard into your deck.
How could you have a spell in your hand with an adventure deck number greater than the scenario's adventure deck number?
Perhaps you should add the Veteran trait to Nightshard (both versions). And is a d6 + the adventure deck number sufficient oomph? Compare to the Veteran Longspear for Alain, d8 plus the adventure deck number.
Adding the Veteran trait doesn't seem necessary.
I'll use the scimitar card from the Cleric class deck to illustrate my process.
The basic scimitar has an adventure level of 1; the sword, melee, slashing, finesse, and elite traits; with the following wording:
For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Melee skill + 1d6; you may additionally discard this card to add another 1d6+1. If you aren't proficient with weapons, the difficulty of this check is increased by 4.
That class deck also has two magical versions of scimitars.
The flaming scimitar +1 has an adventure deck level of 2, the same traits (and if it doesn't have the fire trait, it probably should - or maybe it has it by FAQ/errata), and the following wording:
For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Melee skill + 1d6+1; you may additionally discard this card to add another 1d6+1 with the Fire trait. If you aren't proficient with weapons, the difficulty of this check is increased by 4.
The dancing scimitar +2 has an adventure deck level of 6, the same traits except that the Elite trait has been replaced with the Magic trait, and the following wording:
For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Melee skill + 1d6+2; you may additionally recharge this card to add another 1d6+2. If you aren't proficient with weapons, the difficulty of this check is increased by 4.
When playing another weapon, you may discard this card to add 1d6+2 to the combat check.
So the "basic" version of the weapon serves as a template, with enhanced or magical versions simply adding on to the wording. This is a pattern I've observed in all of the other magical weapons.
In this case, I've chosen the Elven Scimitar as the baseline for this particular black blade. In truth, I could choose just about any bladed weapon and use the baseline version of that weapon as the starting point, but I figured it would be appropriate to make the shape of the weapon match the iconic image of Seltyiel. If you followed the link to the Elven Scimitar, you can see the baseline rules. Since that weapon is magical, I've stripped out what I think the "magical" properties are to get to a mundane Elven Scimitar, then added on the rules for Nightshard (though I need to adjust one portion - based on the standard scimitar rules I've quoted above, the bonus for discarding the weapon would be 1d6+1 rather than a straightforward 1d6).
So the magical properties simply add on to the baseline properties of the weapon. Adding the veteran trait may be appropriate (and I'll do it as long is it doesn't violate any other patterns in traits - perhaps it has to have either veteran or magic, in which case magic will win through; or perhaps weapons generally don't have more than five traits), but I don't know that it would inherently create justification to further enhance the rules for the weapon.
Keep in mind all of the other powers that Seltyiel has that go into the weapon. First, he wouldn't gain the weapon until adventure deck 3, so that's 1d6+3 and the magic trait. Then he has his magus power to recharge a card to add even more d6. The bladebound role also allows him to add another trait to the attack at higher levels, and he can tailor the chosen trait based on any vulnerabilities an opponent might have. Lastly, if he defeats a monster, he can heal a card once he reaches sufficient levels. And that's just the combat properties of the weapon, not including the ability to examine a location deck.
How could you have a spell in your hand with an adventure deck number greater than the scenario's adventure deck number?
Good catch on poor wording. Thanks. The "or greater than" portion will be removed. I'll have to look closely at the Skull & Shackles cards as I recall a card that had wording in this vein (i.e., I'm trying to match wording as much as possible where appropriate).
Thanks for the feedback so far! :)
The flaming scimitar +1 has an adventure deck level of 2, the same traits (and if it doesn't have the fire trait, it probably should - or maybe it has it by FAQ/errata)
Weapons that have optional Fire/Cold/Acid, etc. don't have that trait because then it would be part of any check that you used it to define the skill.
Weapons that have optional Fire/Cold/Acid, etc. don't have that trait because then it would be part of any check that you used it to define the skill.
The flaming scimitar +1 has an adventure deck level of 2, the same traits (and if it doesn't have the fire trait, it probably should - or maybe it has it by FAQ/errata)
Yes, and it is better that way, or else you could never use the weapon on a monster immune to the trait.
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Perhaps you should add the Veteran trait to Nightshard (both versions). And is a d6 + the adventure deck number sufficient oomph? Compare to the Veteran Longspear for Alain, d8 plus the adventure deck number.Adding the Veteran trait doesn't seem necessary.
It may not seem neessary, but the convention in the PACG is that any card that adds the adventure deck number to any check or difficulty gets the Veteran trait, so I would highly recommend that you do so. It should also absolutely have the Magic trait so that Seltyiel will be able to defeat things like Ghosts with it.
Regarding the spell with a higher deck number than the current scenario, that is actually possible through replaying, so I would leave the option of "higher than" in there, personally.
It may not seem neessary, but the convention in the PACG is that any card that adds the adventure deck number to any check or difficulty gets the Veteran trait...
This only holds true for banes, as you paraphrased ("The difficulty to defeat [the bane] is increased by the adventure deck number of the current scenario, if any."). It doesn't hold true for boons. The only boons on which I found the Veteran trait in the Skull & Shackles AP were Allies, and the benefits they conferred weren't tied to the adventure deck number of the current scenario. Nightshard is a Weapon (whether Loot or Cohort), and no Weapons included the Veteran trait. The only boon in the Skull & Shackles AP I found that comes close is the Wand of Flame (Item/2) which includes the verbiage "...plus a number of additional d6 equal to the adventure deck number of the current scenario, if any..." though that Item did not have the Veteran trait (it did have the Magic trait). Admittedly, a review of all three APs and the entire range of class decks is necessary, but I won't be able to do that until this weekend. The quick review of the S&S cards is very likely indicative of the total range, though, so I'm willing to go with it unless/until we discover that the other APs/CDs show S&S to be an exception.
Keep in mind that the justification provided for adding the Veteran trait was to increase the damage done by Nightshard. I already demonstrated why that wasn't appropriate at present (Nightshard is based on an Elven Scimitar, so the base damage is locked in at d6) or necessary (all that is necessary to increase the damage is to change the form of Nightshard from an Elven Scimitar to some other weapon).
So the outcome really depends upon the answers to two questions. First, does Nightshard need to be based on an Elven Scimitar? The context here is that I'm trying to preserve the iconic imagery of Seltyiel; but this is all an alternate reality Seltyiel so that isn't absolutely necessary. Second, and only if the answer to the first question is "no," does the potency of Nightshard need to be increased in order to ensure that it remains a viable option for Seltyiel throughout the rest of the AP? The issue here is considering the complete potency of the weapon, including Seltyiel's magus powers. If Nightshard's form changes in order to increase its potency, I don't want it to look like representations of Stormbringer that we've seen over the years (it's bad enough that Seltyiel could pass for Elric if the latter traded in his nifty duds for gothic leathers).
A side note on my review of the S&S AP cards: while most cards have five or fewer traits, a few cards had six, and at least one had seven. So that portion of my previous argument at least was incorrect and additional traits can be applied to Nightshard, if necessary.
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While no weapons in S&S might have had the Veteran trait, there are several in Wrath of the Righteous that do, which is to say every single one of them that add the adventure deck number to the check. And really, the Wand of Flame absolutely SHOULD have the Veteran trait if it does that.
As to your questions: I think an Elven Scimitar or Elven Curve Blade are perfectly fine options for the base weapon. I do think the potency needs to be increased to keep it viable. And think about this... when you add to your check with the weapon, it's not necessarily JUST representing the damage dealt. It's also representing the higher attack roll from the weapon being enchanted or enhanced in different ways. For example, if Nightshard starts as a MW elven scimitar, there would be no problem with giving a roll of Melee + 1d6+1, to represent the +1 to attack rolls that MW gives a weapon. Subsequently, if it increases to a +4 weapon, then having it do Melee + 1d6 +4 plus the adventure deck number could represent the increased damage from the enhancement bonus AS WELL AS Seltyiel's ability to enhance it with specific abilities, such as bane, cruel, keen, furious, etc. These make the weapon more powerful through increasing its effectiveness not just with flat damage, but with other abilities that help you defeat an enemy.
That actually gives me an idea: keen is something that every magus will start enhancing his weapon with as soon as 5th level rolls around... so why don't you give Nightshard a feat that gives him a bonus if you roll max? It could be just like other abilities of high-crit-range weapons in the PACG: "When you use Nightshard on a combat check, treat any 6 rolled on a d6 as if it were a 7." or you could make it a bit more unique by giving it exploding dice: "When you use Nightshard on a combat check, for each 6 rolled on a d6, you may roll an additional d6 and add it to the check." That second option would represent the bonus damage that a Magus gets to add from a crit with Spellstrike more accurately than the first option does.
Ah, you are correct.
So Nightshard has the Veteran trait.
There are actually a number of options for increasing the damage. Before we look at those options, some things to consider:
The combination of Seltyiel's ability to discard spells to get Nightshard back and his ability to attempt to recharge spells at the end of his turn means that he won't balk at discarding Nightshard for the extra damage (he won't do it every time, mind you, but he'll do it often enough).
In addition, Seltyiel can recharge a spell for his attack (assume that he's using Nightshard). I'll assume a lower level power feat progression, and make that +2D6, though it's very likely that he'll have +3D6 at some point.
I would expect Seltyiel players to max out on their Spell card feats, and to make every effort to acquire spells during game play. We'll just assume that he only has a number of spells in his deck equal to his max card feat (7).
For my lowball estimates, we'll assume that Seltyiel uses the base damage, +2 Strength skill feat (which looked like the average of the "in progress" Seltyiels I saw posted here), and recharging a spell for +2D6 (and +4 since Nightshard's true potency won't come into play until Adventure 3 is completed, Seltyiel chooses the Bladebound Lictor role, and Adventure 4 commences). I'm skipping a true lowball entry of Nightshard's base damage and Seltyiel's Melee because that's not a true indicator of the weapon's practical use (it would be 1d8+5+1d6, so 7-19 or higher). For my highball estimates, we'll assume the same plus discarding Nightshard for the extra damage. Maxed out damage is given for adventure 6 and assumes +4 Strength skill feat and +3d6 for the magus power (this is unlikely, but will show a true potential). And none of these estimates include additional damage for blessings, allies, additional damage due to enemy vulnerabilities to specific traits, etc. "Averages" will be based on low/high average rolls for each die, starting with the low (so a d6 alternates 3, 4, 3, etc. while a d8 alternates 4, 5, 4, etc.).
Hopefully all of my math below is correct (feel free to shame me if I fail ;) ).
If Nightshard remains an Elven Scimitar in form, we could adjust the basic damage to 1d6+1 and discard damage as 1d6+1 (mirroring the Iconic Heroes Elven Scimitar). +2 is probably too much since this is a magic weapon gained as part of adventure 3.
Lowball damage:....1d8+5+3d6+1+4 (14-36/avg 24)
Highball damage:...1d8+5+4d6+1+4+1 (16-43/avg 25)
Maxed out damage:..1d8+7+5d6+1+6 (20-52/avg 35)
If we go with the Keen alternative to 1d6+1 (so 1d6(7)/1d6(7))...
Lowball damage:....1d8+5+3d6(7)+4 (13-38/avg 23)
Highball damage:...1d8+5+4d6(7)+4 (14-45/avg 27)
Maxed out damage:..1d8+7+5d6(7)+6 (19-56/avg 34).
So the 1d6+1/1d6+1 option provides higher average rolls than the Keen alternative, while the Keen alternative has higher potential rolls.
If we go with Keen as an addition to the 1d6+1, we have...
Lowball damage:....1d8+5+3d6(7)+1+4 (14-39/avg 24)
Highball damage:...1d8+5+4d6(7)+1+4+1 (16-47/avg 29)
Maxed out damage:..1d8+7+5d6(7)+1+6+1 (21-58/avg 36)
This option clearly provides the best possibilities of the three options we've discussed.
If the damage were 1d6+2/1d6+1, everything above would simply increase by 1. Not a huge difference, but worth considering.
Looking at some Wrath of the Righteous Weapons, 1d6+1/1d6+1 is better than Radiance (Loot/1) and compares well to Holy Radiance (Loot/4) depending upon mythic charges (though Holy Radiance shines when used against Demons and Outsiders - as it should). The Vorpal Blade, meanwhile, exceeds Nightshard if mythic charges are expended, especially if one of them results in a 20 (nothing compares well to the Vorpal Blade when it rolls a 20, though, so that's probably not a fair comparison).
1d6+1/1d6+1 Nightshard is also better than Brine's Sting (S&S Loot/2).
Assuming I got all of that math correct (and included all of the bonuses that should have been there), simply increasing the damage to 1d6+1/1d6+1 may be sufficient. Keen remains a possibility, either as an alternative or as an addition, if a more thorough analysis shows that Nightshard needs more oomph. I'll have to take some more time to look more closely at other weapons that would be appropriate for Seltyiel to see, though. Ideally, Nightshard should be a viable option to other weapons throughout the rest of the adventure path (without becoming better than the Vorpal Blade at its best). And the rules have to be applicable across all of the adventure paths (so no use of mythic charges or focus on specific types of enemies).
I'll look more this weekend, though I welcome other analyses (and correction of any errors I may have made above).
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Wow, you're really good at this whole math thing. LOL. I would tend to agree that a flat 1d6+1/1d6+1 is sufficient as a base damage, but I would definitely still consider the keen as a feat option on the Nightshard cohort card. :)
You and I should really consider working together on a few characters. I've designed several recently and added them to the custom printing service at drivethrucards.com, and I'd love to have you go over their numerical potentials, as it's something that I'm not as keen on. I prefer to playtest directly to determine things like that, but both of the methods have merit for sure.
My most recent set of cards on drivethrucards.com are versions of the iconic Vigilante. I'll link them here so that you can check them out, though unfortunately you can only read one side of the card in the preview. If you're interested, I'd be happy to share the google document where I created the card text with you.
The Red Raven
Aric
Aric roles
Red Raven roles
Token card (Aric on one side, Red Raven on the other)
Well, math is only a starting point to see how a thing works in theory. Even with an initial mathematical analysis, playtesting is necessary to show how a thing works in practice and brings up other complicating factors such as availability of spells and blessings, etc. Too often, something that worked out on paper doesn't deliver as expected, so I never rely upon the theoretical analysis beyond allowing for it as an initial level of confidence.
I'd be happy to look at the characters.
Yes, but I was only able to take a cursory look and then the challenge of representing a vigilante, essentially two characters in one, blew my mind.
Did you want to discuss the Red Raven/Aric in another discussion or a PM? And I'll be out of town this week on business, so I won't really be able to respond. I'm taking printouts of the cards with me to review when I have down time, though, so I should be able to provide some thoughts either Friday or Saturday.
If Nightshard remains an Elven Scimitar in form, we could adjust the basic damage to 1d6+1 and discard damage as 1d6+1 (mirroring the Iconic Heroes Elven Scimitar). +2 is probably too much since this is a magic weapon gained as part of adventure 3.
Lowball damage:....1d8+5+3d6+1+4 (14-36/avg 24)
Highball damage:...1d8+5+4d6+1+4+1 (16-43/avg 25)
Maxed out damage:..1d8+7+5d6+1+6 (20-52/avg 35)
So your math is a little bit off. When the dice results are symmetric (which is most of the time), the average can be found by adding the lowest and highest possible rolls and dividing by 2. So 1d8+5+3d6+1+4 is indeed 14 minimum and 36 max but the average is (14 + 36) / 2 = 25. And similar corrections for other calculations.
The dice averages are a little different when 6s become 7s because it's no longer symmetric. The mean die rolls go up more than the median. Meaning you get more high rolls, but about the same medium and low rolls.
That was less a matter of "math" being off and more of a deliberate choice because dice don't roll fractions - they roll whole numbers. Similarly, the transformation of a 6 result on a d6 to a 7 was captured in the overall potential damage (the most common results will still, mathematically, be the two numbers flanking the median of the face values). The "average" was used to show the median die roll result given in whole numbers - hence the alternating low/high/low progression (using low first and, therefore, most often as a means of giving a "low" "average" so as to manage expectations). I'll admit to using an inaccurate term, but that was a deliberate choice in the interest of keeping things relatively simple (and because there isn't a technically correct word for "the two whole number values of the median of a polyhedral die's possible results" ;) ).
We're getting off track, though.
The point here is to identify areas where the rules I've developed might need to be improved upon. Admittedly, I've provided a role that breaks the current mold by making a Cohort a weapon instead of an animal/eidolon/whatever; and I've also allowed for "Cohort Feats" in place of Power Feats (totally new invention of my own creation, so there may be some shenanigans going on and someone needs to throw a sanity check my way if that just isn't tenable).
We've already identified that Nightshard needs to have the Veteran trait added.
The "math" discussion stemmed from the suggestion that Nightshard might not be potent enough to be worthwhile for the rest of the adventure path (which would be a bad thing because this version of Seltyiel would rely upon Nightshard quite heavily). Based on the numbers I provided, Nightshard might be potent enough. I still need to look into other weapons across all of the APs in order to develop a better picture of magic weapons and how potent Night Shard should be in order to remain competitive. The observations of others are always welcome in developing this picture, of course. I've described my reasoning behind Nightshard's base damage (i.e., I've used the Elven Scimitar as the model in order to preserve the iconic imagery of Seltyiel), so if it turns out that Nightshard isn't potent enough, we'll have to explore either changing the form of the weapon or giving the weapon a little extra oomph to bring it up to par.
Are there any other areas where players see either weaknesses or strengths that need to be balanced?
(And I have a slew of other Magus characters I've been working on, so I'm itching to start other discussions. ;) )
I’ve made a few minor adjustments.
The first was to change the form of the black blade from an Elven scimitar to a longsword. This removed the Finesse trait and increased the base damage to 1d8.
The second change was actually a series of changes that refined the wording somewhat, especially in light of the Witch class deck.
The skills and cards remain unchanged, so all I’m presenting below are the powers and the cohort.
SELTYIEL (BLADEBOUND)
The magus and the black blade – who wields whom?POWERS
Hand size 5 □ 6 □ 7
COHORT: NIGHTSHARD
PROFICIENT WITH Light Armors Weapons
Choose a weapon that doesn’t have the 2-Handed trait and a spell that has the Attack trait. When you play one for your combat check, you may recharge the other (□ or shuffle it into your deck) to add 1d6 (□ 2d6)( □ 3d6) and that card’s traits to the check.
At the end of your turn, you may attempt to recharge a spell in your discard pile.
You gain the Bladebound trait. When you gain a power feat, you may take a cohort feat for Nightshard instead. When Nightshard would be banished, bury it instead.
□ At the start of your turn, you may discard a spell to search your deck or your discard pile for Nightshard and put it into your hand. □ If Nightshard is buried, you may banish a spell with an adventure deck number equal to or greater than the scenario’s adventure deck number to shuffle Nightshard into your deck.
□ Add 2 to your check to acquire a boon with the Arcane trait.
□ You gain the skill Perception: Intelligence +1.
NIGHTSHARD (MORDISA’IL)
COHORT 3
Type: Weapon
OWNER: SELTYIEL (BLADEBOUND)
TRAITS: Sword, Melee, Slashing, Black Blade, Magic, Veteran
POWERS:
For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Melee skill + 1d8 plus the scenario’s adventure deck number; you may additionally discard this card to add another 1d6. If you aren’t proficient with weapons, the difficulty of this check is increased by 4. You may not play another weapon on this check.
□ If you use Nightshard for your combat check and you have the Bladebound trait, you may add the cold, electricity, fire, or force trait. □ If you succeed at a combat check that invokes the Black Blade trait and you have the Bladebound trait, you may recharge 1 card from your discard pile.
□ If you have the Bladebound trait, you may put this card on top of your deck to examine the top card of your location deck; if the card is a non-villain bane, you may immediately encounter it (□ or you may shuffle it into the location deck).
Oh, and I changed the name of the role from “Bladebound Lictor” to simply “Bladebound” in the interest of keeping it more generic.
Okay, I've made some major revisions to the role and the cohort, many of these driven by what I've seen in the Witch and Warpriest class decks. I've also adjusted my other magus characters, so some of those changes have cascaded into this version of Seltyiel (which is merely a custom role for the Skull & Shackles version of the character).
The "Cohort feats" are gone as I realized that they are unnecessary. Those feats have shifted over to the role card, with some minor wording changes.
I've also changed the name of the role back to "Bladebound Lictor" because I'm using the Bladebound role elsewhere.
SELTYIEL (BLADEBOUND)
Chains of darkness bind the magus and the blade, but which holds the key?POWERS
Hand size 5 □ 6 □ 7
PROFICIENT WITH Light Armors Weapons
Choose a weapon that doesn’t have the 2-Handed trait and a spell that has the Attack trait. When you play one for your combat check, you may recharge the other (□ or shuffle it into your deck) to add 1d6 (□ 2d6)( □ 3d6) and that card’s traits to the check.
At the end of your turn, you may attempt to recharge a spell in your discard pile.
You gain the cohort Nightshard. When Nightshard would be banished, bury it instead. □ Instead of your first exploration on a turn, if Nightshard is buried, you may banish a spell to shuffle Nightshard into your deck.
□ At the start of your turn (□ or after you reset your hand), you may discard a spell to search your deck or your discard pile for Nightshard and put it into your hand.
□ If your combat check invokes the Black Blade trait, you may add the cold, electricity, fire, or force trait (□ and you may recharge 1 card from your discard pile).
□ You may recharge a spell to examine the top card of your location deck. (□ If it is a non-Villain non-Henchman bane, you may encounter it).
And now the revised Nightshard:
NIGHTSHARD
COHORT 3
Type: Weapon
OWNER: SELTYIEL (BLADEBOUND)
TRAITS: Sword, Melee, Slashing, Black Blade, Magic, Veteran
POWERS:
For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Melee skill + 1d8 plus the scenario’s adventure deck number; you may additionally discard this card to add another 1d6. If you aren’t proficient with weapons, the difficulty of this check is increased by 4. This counts as playing a weapon.
If you have the Magus trait, you may recharge this card to add the adventure deck number to your check to defeat a barrier.
So there are a few minor adjustments to the powers, but I think the end result is a lot more elegant than the previous versions.
Interestingly enough, I had to make additional revisions so that the text would fit on the cards. I had been using a format that I thought was comparable to the cards, but actually allowed for far more text. This means that all of the characters I've been working on probably need revision (dangit). Anyways, here's the adjusted version:
SELTYIEL (BLADEBOUND)
Chains of darkness bind the magus and the blade, but which holds the key?POWERS
Hand size 5 □ 6 □ 7
PROFICIENT WITH Light Armors Weapons
Choose a weapon that doesn’t have the 2-Handed trait and a spell that has the Attack trait. When you play one for your combat check, you may recharge the other (□ or shuffle it into your deck) to add 1d6 (□ 2d6)( □ 3d6) and that card’s traits to the check.
At the end of your turn, you may attempt to recharge a spell in your discard pile.
When building your deck, include the loot Nightshard as 1 of your weapons.
□ At the start of your turn, you may discard a spell (□ or a blessing) to search your deck or your discard pile for Nightshard and put it into your hand.
□ If your combat check invokes the Black Blade trait, you may add the cold, electricity, fire, or force trait (□ and you may recharge 1 card (□ 2 cards) from your discard pile).
□ You may recharge a spell to examine the top card of your location deck.
If playtesting shows that the role is too powerful, I'll probably reverse the spell/blessing progression of the power allowing Seltyiel to retrieve Nightshard from his deck or discard pile. This would put the risker blessing on the front end with the far better spell (since he can attempt to recharge it later) as the advancement.
Nightshard remains as posted above, though I added the Finesse trait (doesn't affect Seltyiel's usage, but some other character might benefit from it if Seltyiel gives/loans the weapon). I'm also considering a Cohort version, but playtesting the role still needs to be done (I've been busy playtesting the adventure in which Nightshard is gained).
And I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what the class deck version of Seltyiel looks like so that I can create a bladebound lictor role for it.