I have read numerous posts over the different forums of people converting over to Hackmaster because of the combat system alone. Combat just makes sense from the beginning to the end.
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Assuming you are using old-school stats... Accuracy & Stability DEX would give bonuses to your Stability rolls.
INT might add add to Accuracy
Some Talents or Feats Visual Accuity
Steady Hand
There are only 2 game systems that I play. Pathfinder and HackMaster (new edition). The system that I prefer is HM. Second by second combat, attack speed based on weapons, there is no dumpstat as all stats are useful for all classes, opposed rolls for combat and skill checks, penetrating (exploding) die rolls, shields that are actually useful and armor rules that just make sense (heavier armor makes you easier to get hit but absorbs damage). There are lots of advanced (optional) combat rules as well that you can include or not, depending on your group gaming style. Oh, and the HackMaster Basic is now a free download. You dont even have to register at KenzerCo to download it.
http://www.kenzerco.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_94&products_id=862 EDI T - truncated URL. Sorry about that.
Want to see what all the fuss about HackMaster is? Download the HMBasic pdf for FREE! and start gaming in minutes! http://www.kenzerco.com/product_info...roducts_id=862
The book has been delivered, the company received the shipment a few weeks ago. Many gaming stores have already put in second and third orders from selling out of their initial stock. The book is heavy, 4.5 pounds of leather-bound quality. If you are going to Gen-Con, be sure to stop by the KenzerCo booth and check out the new players handbook. Next up, the GMG alpha, and then the triumvirate will be complete.
The group I know in Spfdg is 3.5, but they are converting to PF. I sodl them all my PF and 3.5 books to ease in me moving. The only paper books I own now are the Hacklopedia leather-bound and soon the HM Players leather-bound. Last I checked, Metagames was very NOT interested in Hackmaster, almost rudely so.
I now live in Branson. I have friend in Spgfd who play, but are unsure what their gaming schedule is. Would you be willing to check out the new HackMaster system?
As of 4 days ago, the book was sent to the printers. Today, the final linked and bookmarked PDF was uploaded to the KenzerCo website. Average turnaround is about 3 months, give or take a couple weeks, but that is unofficial. GenCon is mid Aug, which is 4 and a half months away. Barring any natural disasters, tsunamis or nuclear meltdowns, they should be in the hands of stores by then.
Turin, the price point for the PDF will be 40 USD, same as the HoB PDF. But if you preorder the PHB hardback (USD 60 +12 shipping) you get the PDF free. Kenzer currently has a sale going on which you can get to from their main website (kenzerco.com). Normally the HMbasic run 20 bucks. But they have 5 copies for 25 bucks. Order 1 for you and 4 for your friends. Or pass them out at your game store. This sale will not only help empty out the warehouse for the shipemtn of PHB, it will also generate more interest in the PHB as well, once people see the book. Thansk for the comment SuperSlayer. Yeah, the PHB will be massive. The last page of the index is page number 400 :). It will be identical in produciton to the HoB so it will weight in at almost 4.5 pounds, hardback leather, similar in color and feel to Aces&Eights. As far as the release dates, they've learned to ot give them. Last year, with the Hacklopedia of Beasts, sent off to the printers with an announcement of an April release ... which got pushed all the way back to August. It wasn't their fault, though, as there was an earthquake, tsunami, nuclear fallout and an issue with customs. So they have learned to keep quiet about release dates. :)
Unfortunately, the older system was licensed (and heavy-handedly enforced) as a parody of 1st and 2nd edition D&D. They expanded and expounded on the pre-existing foundations, and, well, they really did the best they could with the older system, while incorporating some new mechanics into it. Yeah, their license did expire. WotC was not prepared for the hugely popular success that Kenzer had with HM4e. Once the license expired, I doubt they would have renewed the contract even if Kenzer begged. But with the demanding parody requirement, they wisely chose to start their own. With this edition, it's all built from the ground up, but with one foot still standing firm on the old-school style. The different mechaics (armor, spellpoints, skill %) are not new, most definitely, but they have been perfected, and they were designed to work seamlessly together instead of being tacked on as an afterthought. There will still be a LOT of crunch, but all of the charts will be optional. Combat is simple and elegant, but there are well over a dozen crunchy bits to make it more interesting. There will be more than just the HOB, PHB and GMG. The HOB2 will be out soon after the GMG, as well as other books in the pipeline. A combatants guide, spellslingers guide, and theyve also hinted at psionics. And it's funny you mention RIFTS. This system could easily replace the core Palladium system. Regardless of the games you enjoy, thank you for replying. :)
I am a huge fan of Pathfinder, and love what they have done to continue the 3.x style of gameplay. However, I am also a huge fan of the more old-school style of play as well. The following is my review and synopsis of the new edition of Hackmaster. Also, if there is another subform for reviews, I was unable to find it. If so, let me know and I will have this moved to the right location. Know, also, that I do not normally write reviews, so it will not be of a professional quality. However, i do the best with what I got. Now, on to the review. ================== HackMaster Player's Handbook, 5th Edition
This core book is the second in the newest iteration of the HackMaster line, which started with the Hacklopedia of Beasts. Technically, it started with HMBasic, but since this is an extension and expansion of those basic rules, I choose not to include it in the HM line. The book is (will be) a massive 400-page behemoth, weighing in a 4.5 pounds (if the HoB is comparable, which I have been informed it will be). However, back to the PH. My review will be for the PDF version, which should be identical to the leatherbound hardback edition when it comes to store shelves in a few months. From the Introduction to the Index, it is apparent that the Kenzer crew put their heart and soul into this tome. Every mechanic screams out 'Old-School' while still establishing them in new and modern ways. The power level of the game is "Low Magic", and takes place in the Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign world of Tellene. There are campaign setting books published for D&D 3.x, 4.0, and these books have everything you need for the campaign world, and it's quite likely they can be found rather cheaply. Check online auction sites or your local game store's bargain bin. As well, you can check the Kenzer&Co website and get some of these books on PDF at reduced prices. STATS This system uses a stat-based character development and level-based class system. The stats used are the staple of the familiar DnD (STR, INT, WIS, DEX, CON and CHA), however, they also include LOOKS (think Comeliness). Alongside of these main 7 stats is another stat that is an amalgam of your others. Honor. Your honor is how you abide by the game-world society's ideal. If you are a NE thief, and you start playing as though you are LG, you will be docked Honor, because you are not playing the class correctly. This helps prevent metagaming, and also rewards and encourages great role-playing. The system assumes, and is written as such, that all stats are rolled 3d6 in order. Not 4d6 drop lowest, or 3d6 reroll 1s. This brings the average back down to 10-11, the same as the D&D of old. This is HackMaster, son, not kindergarten! RACES There are over 15 races. You have your staple fantasy humanoid races. Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling and Human. The Kalamar setting of Tellene also has 6 subsets of Human: Kalamaran, Brandobian, Dejy, Fhokki, Reanaarian and Svimohz, based on their ethnics and location on Tellene. The other three races are the Grel (grunge elves), Half-Hobgoblin (Sil-Karg) and the Pixie-Fairy. The PF is an option race in the appendix. There is a taste of the class, and stats required to play it, however much of their information will be spelled out in a future book. The PF is best played by those who are familiar with the race in HM4e, and only with the DM's approval. CLASSES In this game, there are many classes. You have the standard fare of Fighter, Mage, Thief. However, you also have the more exceptional classes such as Knight and Paladin (both of which are ONLY allowable to the Human race), Ranger, Barbarian, Rogue and Assassin. Completing the list are 3 specialized Multi-Class specialties. Also known as Dual Classes and perhaps even a watered down Gestalt form. The Fighter/Mage, Fighter/Thief and Mage/Thief.
CLERICS You notice there are no Druids, no Bards, and no.. Clerics? There is NO Cleric class. There are, however, 14 cleric classes. There are 43 gods in the Tellene campaign world.. The PHB covers the gamut of the alignments. The rest will be released in the future publication.
The cleric of a god of Music, for example, would be a holy bard. He isn't in the PHB, however. But by using this format, building up a cleric class around the god/church itself, it opens up so much more roleplay opportunities, and actually allows you to fine-tune your character as you see fit. How many times did you want to play a thief who was a devout follower of a god (with follower benefits), or another class. This actually allows you to create almost any type of class as a cleric. Again, the remaining of the 43 gods will be covered in a future book, once the GMG is complete. SKILLS The system uses percentile dice. Your choice of class and race both give you free rolls to certain skills. Your first roll in any given skill is the total of a d12p + your lowest relative attribute. The 'p' in d12p means the d12 penetrates or 'explodes' into another die roll, less one. So for the skill of Disarm Trap (INT and DEX), you would take your lowest score (INT-07, DEX-13) of 7 and add a d12p. Let's say you rolled 12, 12, 6. You would add 12 + (12-1) + (6-1) + 7 (INT) and end up with 35 for your initial roll in the skill. Not a bad first roll! Your further rolls in the skill do not use your INT score, but a skill modifier based on the score, which is -2. Since your current score is 35, you roll a d8p and subtract 2. I rolled a 6, -2 is a 4, so my second roll raised my skill up to 39. Had you rolled a 2, you would not have added 0, but a minimum of 1. The great thing about this skill system is that there are no perfect characters. Every character is different, and every character perfectly playable. You may have horrible skills in Disarm Trap, but even so, if you roll low enough on your skill check, you can still beat the trap. Besides, there's always next level, when you might hit a couple penetrates on your skill. MAGIC I love this magic system. Every mage level has it's own spell level. You're a 5th level mage, you can cast 5th level spells. BRILLIANT! Mages can memorize 1 spell per level. Your fifth level mage has memorized 1 spell each of levels 1-5, plus 1 spell from Apprentice and 1 from Journeyman levels (mostly cantrips or low-powered useful spells). Memorized spells cost Spell Level x10(+40) spell points. He can cast ANY known spell, though, not just memorized spells. Non-memorized spells, however, cost double the spell points (Spell level x20(+80)). So an unmemorized 5th level spell costs 180, while memorized 5th level costs only 90. Also, mages can automatically pump in more spells points into a spell to increase damage, distance, saving throws or duration. A spell can only be increased to 300% of the base cost of the spell. A magic system that uses memorization, spell points AND integrated metamagic feat system of d20 3.x. Just make sure you don't blow all your spell points in the first battle, before you come upon the BBEG. This is known as "premature magiculation", and has been known to be the end-all of a good party. INITIATIVE No rounds. No turns. What? That's right. This system uses the "count-up" system that was also used in Aces & Eights. I like to think of it as a "real-life second-by-second" system. Lowest number goes starts the combat faster, and then you proceed according to your weapon speed.
COMBAT Basic combat in HackMaster is very simple. Attacker rolls d20 + bonuses, Defender rolls d20-4 + Bonuses. Tie goes to defender. Very simple. Very quick. Very elegant. But there is more crunch. With the 'count-up' system, you aren't stuck standing in one spot hammering your foe every round and being hammered back. Real combat is fluid, there is movement, and in HM, you can do anything you can in real life. Every second you can move. There are combat rules for different fighting styles. 1-handed weapons, 1 weapon and shield, 2-handed weapons, two 1-handed weapon fighting, 1 weapons atk/1 weapon defend, shield only, and two shields. Plus there are optional combat moves: Called Shots, Jab, Hold at Bay, Aggressive Attack, Charge, Tactical Move, Readying Against Charge, Fight Defensively, Full Parry, Give Ground, Scamper Back, Fighting Withdrawal, Flee, Rear Attacks, and Knockbacks. Not to mention rules for Fatigue, Mounted Combat and even Unarmed combat rules.. Again, these are all optional, and have been designed to mesh seamlessly into the game so your combat can be as fluid and complex as you like it. Chances are very high, however, that your combat scenarios will still take far less time than a regular DnD combat. At least, once you gain the feel of the ease of use of the combat counting system. ARMOR There is no AC. Heavy armor and shields do not make you harder to hit. In reality, they make you much easier to hit, but they reduce the damage you take. For example, the epitome of Fighter armor, Plate Mail. This has a DR of 7, and a -5 Def Adj. So this armor makes you easier to hit, with a -5 on the defense roll, but any attack that hits you is reduced by 7. As for shields, they make you harder to get hit, as the shield itself takes the bow. Even a Medium shield grants you a DR of 4, and a +6 Def Adj. The shield is perfect for any character class. But it could be shattered, and you could not only have a broken shield, but you could sustain damage as well. HEALING There is no "grunt of constipated agony" and suddenly you heal your wounds, like in some lesser games. Nor are there heal-bot clerics that can bring you from the brink of death to full health in a moment. Healing does take more time, but not as long if you play your cards right. In HackMaster, each wound is tracked separately and they all heal individually. Wounds heal according to wound size. a 3-point wound takes 3 days to heal 1 point, then it becomes a 2-point wound. A 3 point wound takes (3+2+1) 6 days of rest to heal. that 8-point gash, if left to natural causes, would take (8!) 36 days of rest to heal.
FINAL THOUGHTS Well, I've gone through quite a bit of information here, and there is still a lot to read. But the system is very well designed, very well thought out, and has had the 9-month input of a couple dozen play-testers and forum-readers in order to make this book one of the most error-free and errata-free books. There is also a 12-page Knights of the Dinner Table combat scenario in the book, in order to help you watch a combat session in progression and further understand the game-play mechanics. Another winner. The PDF is gorgeous and the pages are well laid out. Each chapter page has it's own table of contents. There are wider margins on the sides which hold "tip tabs" and misc notes of interest. These are very handy, and prevent you from searching through the actual text to find these gems of information. Granted, the margins are also there on pages that do NOT have tip tabs, however it's not that distracting. And if ever you need to write your own house rules or errata, there is room for them.
I live in Omaha AR, and will be starting a job in Branson this week, and will hopefully be moving up into Branson or Hollister during thenext month. My current games are Pathfinder, and Ive also purchased the 2 new HackMaster books (the Hacklopedia of Beasts and the new Players Handbook, which has just been sent off to the printers).
The new HackMaster game is very low magic. It is set in the Kingdoms of Kalamar world of Tellene. You might get to level 10 before you will see your first +1 sword.
I'd like to throw the new HackMaster game into the ring. You can preorder it now (and get the PDF for free, but only for a couple days) and it should be off to the printers this week. It has a very fluid combat system, very simple, and lots of optional crunchy bits to increase the realism. 1) There are no rounds. Combat movement works on a second by second basis. Medium creatures move 5ft per second, and you can make a move every second. Tactical planning and combat maneuvering. 2) There is no AC. No magical number to hit in order to do damage. Combat is opposing die rolls. Offense rolls 1d20 + Attack bonuses, Defender rolls 1d20-4 + Def bonuses. Tie goes to the defender. Even if you roll a total of 4 to attack, you can still do damage if the defender rolls lower. 3) Attack rolls (and most other rolls such as skills and such) penetrate (or explode) on the maximum roll. Your weapon does 2d6p? Every 6 that is rolled, you reroll and subtract 1. So you can roll 6+(6-1)+(4-1) and 6+(5-1) doing a total of 24 points on one attack. 3) Armor doesnt make you harder to hit, it reduces the amount of damage that gets through. Heavy armor and shields actually make you easier to hit, but you take less damage. 4) There are lots of optional combat rules to make combat as crunchy as you like. Things like Jab, Hold at bay, aggressive attack, charging, tactical moves, readying against a charge, fighting defensively, full parry, giving ground, scamper back, fighting withdrawal and fleeing combat. There are also rules ofr attacking multiple opponents, rear attacks, knockbacks, fatigue rules, mounted combat and unarmed combat, not to mention Threshold of Pain checks. Playtesters have found that even with the full combat rules in place, combat scenarious that normally take 1-2 hours, only take 15-20 minutes, leaving plenty of time to loot the bodies and get on to the next encounter.
Sorry, didn't help me. Scrolling still atrociously slow. :( Not sure here, I have Acrobat on the desktop only, and it's a real fast machine built for CAD and Adobe programs. My laptop only has Foxit reader. I did load it up on the desktop, and removed the images, but it gave it a dark gray background, difficult to read back text on dark gray. Saw no way to change the gray. Does anyone know how to go about printing a PDF without the images? Printing only the text? I saw no option in the Print Dialogue box, not in preferences.
Yes, it will be updated on a, probably somewhat irregular, schedule. Vic Wertz has confirmed this. Paizo will also send out an e-mail telling everyone that it has been updated. Ahh, thank you GG. I did search for the info, but I never saw anything more specific than the initial PDF fixes. Thanks! gw
I do know that the current PDF will have their links fixed and updated here shortly. I also noticed, via another thread, that the individual chapters ZIP was fixed to include the missing Ch 13. Thanks to the staff for their diligence! My question is regarding the current errata and various other sundry changes to the core rules. Will these be updated in the PDF, then available for re-download at given intervals? The problem with errata for a printed document is that you need both the book and the accompanying errata sheet to play. It would cost a literal fortune to reprint a book with each rule-clarification or mistake-fix. Even if its an annual update. With PDF, all you need to do is edit the document, make the changes, then overwrite the document for download. It would be great if we could have a new update, perhaps quarterly, to include the new errata and link fixes. I know it's just been released, and forgive me if this seems like it's pressuring. I am not intending to come off that way. Simply a suggesion.
I've already tried that venture. (I have Foxit on my laptop, and Acrobat on my PC at work.) The text-only is very horrible, and actually makes it harder to locate information. When you view text only, the formatting is greatly hampered and switches to a monospaced font. A good suggestion, but perhaps when Foxit improves it it will be more viable. Thanks! Good tip, I was going to say he should strip out images from PDFs themselves rather than extract text and re-format it, but yeah, using a reader that let's you turn off images is a good approach too. I've attempted to load and edit the pdf in both Acrobat and Photoshop, but there's a password on it. That's why I went the route of extracting the text and simply formatting it myself. I do not know any other ways of extracting the images from the pdf. If you have some tips, I am all ears! Thanks!
Oh, yes, I heartily agree with you there. However, I have not the funds for such an expenditure right now. Also, a 4lb thick books will just be added weight to my other books, dice, notes, miniatures. I already have a laptop case and a double-thick leather satchel full. As for the PRD, yes, it's very well done, but I currently have the whole core book in text form. Once I get it all formatted and in InDesign, I'll look into adding some hyperlinks, especially in the Spells section. Thanks for your insight and input. It's been most helpful :)
I have a 5-yr old Dell Latitude 100L. But it's not just the PDF that I have open. Most gamers that I know of have multiple files. Here are just a few. 1) PDF - Pathfinder Core Ruleboook
MISC Books
This is not including any custom mapping software such as Dundjinni, AutoRealm, Campaign Cartographer, etc... So it's not JUST the PFCR that is up and running. If it was, then I really wouldn't have much of a problem. I have already taken the PFCR and extracted all of the text with Acrobat. I've opened it up in Word07 am now going through and reformatting it back to how it should be; making all of the paragraphs into one line, instead of broken into separate line-paragraphs, line adjustments etc.. Once that is done, I'll copy it all, paste it into Adobe InDesign CS4, and format it back to a more text-oriented book, then export it as PDF. Unfortunately, this will mean losing the hyperlinks, but I'm ok with that, at least until a more laptop-friendly version is released (if that happens).
That was my thoughts as well. I saw them after posting. Also, I love the layout of the current PDF. The links are a great touch. The bookmarks will take some getting used to. Although I'd much prefer to have it set up in Chapters, like normal. If you're wanting a specific thing, simply head down to the index, find the item, and click the link, and you're there. No need to the extravagant, somewhat convoluted bookmarking layout they have currently. The current PDF layout, minus the bloated images and backgrounds, and I feel it would be a perfect portable rulebook.
I suppose it's how it all turned out. If the premeditated plan was to get him to the final blow, then convert him or kill him, then yeah, not a good thing. But it also depends on the ogre. If his reply was blasphemous, kill him. If he simply said "no", and dropped his weapon, and the cleric killed him anyway? oooh, XP Penalty There are many ways to role-play a clerical ability to bring an enemy to the point of death, without killing him. However, I cannot see any diety, except for an evil diety, to allow their cleric to deal that kind of massive damage that ends in total obliteration of the target. After all, remember, they have 2 chances. 1) save for half damage, and 2) system shock
If you check out the Pathfinder Reference Document, I think they've already made what you're asking for. You should be able to save all the .html files and have them locally stored on your computer if you worry about not always having 'net access. I was under the assumption that the PRD and the Core Rulebook were not identical. If they are, then what, really, is the reason for purchasing the PDF, when all I have to do is copy the PRD and make my own. Is there nothing really stopping me from taking the PRD, and a few weeks of my time, and making my own Core Rulebook pdf? Won't there be rules and information missing? Descriptions, little subtleties? Not being snarky, I'm just uninformed.
First off, I'd like to state that I love the pdf. It's truly a great piece of art. The images, the layout, the backgrounds, very nice. An exact duplicate of the paper book. There is the problem. My laptop, and the laptops of my fellow gamers, are under-powered to read and quickly scan through the book to find wheat we need. Not unless we reboot the OS every couple hours to refresh the RAM. What I'd like to see is another download, this one removing the the lacey/flowery background images from all the pages, as well as, possibly, the chapter images. This would greatly reduce the size of the pdf, and having a mostly-text document would greatly speed up searches and lessen the strain on laptops. After all, I think most people who purchase the pdf did so for quick access and use on their laptop. Again, a great document, a few flaws with links and a page or two out of order, but overall, fabulous! Just not very practical, from a gamers perspective.
I have all 3 core 4e books (PH, DMG, MM) just sitting on the shelf as well. I purchased them before realizing just how different they were to 3.5, and was under-impressed. Never bought any more of the 4e books, just the 3 core.
This brings up a couple more points. 1) Should the ogre make his save, he goes down to one point. The cleric can simply say "Yield in the name of Bright Sun" and be offered a chance to yield. Failure to comply will most likely end his quick death, seconds later. 2) This seems to go along the lines of the clerical aspect, anyway. Kill only when you need to, give every enemy the chance to convert, or make peace with their diety. A cleric who plays like this will earn a hefty RP bonus in my game. Apologies for the double-post.
My personal ruing on this would be this: 13th level Cleric casts Harm, dealing 130 dmg to Ogre champion, which has 117 HP. The ogre fails his save, dropping him to one point. There, spell is over and complete. Now we bring on the Excessive Damage ruling. Ogre rolls his save on taking excessive damage, and fails. Thus he is killed. The spell itself did not kill the ogre. The ogre's system shock is what did him in.
3.5 is back! I believe you mean.. 3.75! :D
I'll get busy started on the Index! :D
Thanks for the info! I still have the zipped file, so I can always extract it if I need to. Also, I don't think I'll use the hyperlinks, but it's great to know that they will jump in-between files!
The download included the full 576 page book, as well as the book broken down by individual chapters. I renamed each PDF to correspond to it's chapter, but there is no Chapt 13 - Environment. Was this left out for a reason? I have the full version of Acrobat 9, so I should have no problem in exporting the full chapter, but I post this for those who do not have access or ability. BTW, the book is very well put together. Although, I would personally like to see a lower-res file, as I, and my gamers, all use laptops. I think a file with very few images, if any, would be ideal.
I like this idea. I have seen it attempted before, back when 3.0 came out. But this is very well thought out. I applaud it. I would also like to see the Bard beomce a prestige class as well. How it went from 2.0 requiring 3 class pre-req to 3.0 1st level admission.. I dunno. I'd like to see you work on the Bard as well.
Actually orcs are +4 STR -2 WIS -2 INT -2 CHA.. Balanced stat mods are for real PC races.. Oh wait.. That was balanced by D&D 3rd logic.. Better then balanced cause STR *has* to have a double mental stat penalty or its teh brokezors hrmm Full Orc : +4 STR -2 WIS -2 INT -2 CHA
So, Half orcs are 2 points weaker than orcs, 2 points wiser, and 2 points more charismatic. The only thing that changed from my last post is the STR reduction replaced the CON. Yeah, i never did understand that a +2 STR was equal to a -4 of other stats. Especially when there are more STR enhancing items than anything else. Or should I say, items that increased the STR bonus to damage.
1) I'm not sure about racial weapon familiarities. A fighter class already has a plethora of feats to devote to weapons. Why would you want to give him a free one? Thats just like Britney Spears going to a fancy restaurant and being told "Oh, you are Ms. Britney Spears! You are famous! Here, let me give you a free dinner. It's on the house!" When, out of everyone at the restaurant, she is most likely the most wealthy there. 2) As far as the halfling's Throw Anything. What about make it similar to Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Oathsworn class ability: Throw Object (Ex): Starting at 4th level, an oathsworn can use any object she can lift above her head as a ranged (thrown) weapon she is proficient with. The object must weigh at least 1 lb. to use it as a ranged weapon. She uses her normal attack bonus and unarmed damage, and the weapon has a range increment of 10 feet. She uses this only against foes she cannot reach or otherwise harm with her unarmed strikes. Assume that, unless the object is particularly sturdy, it breaks when thrown. I think we should have a weight limit. Especially as it's a free racial proficiency. Limit it to items no heavier than a pound. They can throw rocks, a turkey drumstick they were eating on, a pewter mug, etc. Maybe have it deal 1d2 damage, plus STR mod. Now, it's not as much damage as a dagger or sling stone, but it'll still hurt, and you'll always have plenty of options. Move Eq action to find and pick up an object, only 1 attack with it if it's ranged. If it's melee, there's always the chance that the object will break if the dmg meets/exceeds the hardness of the object. Keep the range increment 10ft, maybe move it up to 15, but no further.Little Boomer jumps over the campfire and picks up a dirt clod. Turning, he deftly throws the clod at the orcs face. (crit hit) The clod hits the orc in the forehead for 6 points of damage. (2 on a 1d2, 1 for STR, 3 doubled to 6). The clod expoldes in a ball of dirt, blinding the orc long enough to move back around him and roll under the orcs feet, tripping him. The orc loses his balance and falls forward into the dying flames of the campfire.
I think what most players do is compare the half-orc stats to the humans stats, since they are part human. When you do that, you will always be comparing a race with mo modifiers (humans) to a race with modified modifiers (half-orcs from orcs). You need to compare the the half-breeds to the non-human breed. As such, instead of the Half-Orc getting a
The Half-Orc gets
It kind of puts the whole family in perspective. :)
First off, thanks for the welcome. Glad to be here. Hopefully I will learn a lot with these discussions. As far as the 'half-orc' things. yesh. They are half-human, meaning they are smarter than orcs. But just being smarter doesn't mean that it's necessarily 'book' smart. Their intelligence manifest itself in being wiser, in natural intelligence. I don't have my books here, so I can't compare the half-orc stats to the orc stats. And even if I did have a 3.5 MM here, PF might have a different MM coming out in the future with different monster stats. If memory serves, though, the ORC had stats thus:
compare that to
The half-orc loses the CON bonus of the full orc blood. Meaning they were a bit more frail.
This is how I interpret the stats.
Here is how I see ability stats. STR - Physical strength. Mainly in the arms. How much you can lift, and how much damage you can deliver DEX - Your agility and quickness. Hand-eye coordination. Quick footwork. Ability to dodge blows. CON - Physical constitution. How much damage and abuse your body can take. How long you can hold your breath. How much poisons will affect you. INT - Your intelligence. How much capacity for learning that you currently posess. This means book-learning, studies, reading and language. WIS - Common Sense. Instinctual knowledge. Knowledge passed down from father to son. Mainly verbal histories. CHA - Strength of character. Introverted/Extroverted. ADD/ADHD? How well you come across to other people. I agree: I'd have dropped the int penalty and kept the cha. After all, it is said that orcs often breed half-orcs because they're smarter, so they make better leaders - but that doesn't make any sense if the average intellience in both races is the same. Sure, better wis and cha make good leaders, but I'd still say that pure intelligence is more important for the orcs in that regard. Charisma they have no use for (they respect strength), and I guess they get enough wis from their spiritual leaders (i.e. clerics). What they're really missing is int. You say "what they're really missing is INT". Well, if they are missing that stat, as a race, why are you wanting to give them that stat? That's like saying the Halflings are missing STR, so we need to give them a STR bonus to put them on par with other races. I see races, as a whole, being mainly educated through written history or verbal history. I can't picture an orc encampment with a yert full of books. Hence, they get their education verbally from the shaman or teacher. This constitutes a WIS modifier in place of an INT modifier. Also, in order to rise to prominence in the encampment, CHA plays a major factor in the orc life. They don't have debates or intellectual discussions, nor do they have diplomatic voting. They utilize strength and intimidation to take their place in the society. STR and CHA play a major factor in the life. I wholly approve of the current stats. |