Reading over the Wikipedia entry for Sikhism, it occurred to me that that would be a really good non-European translation of the Paladin, which then led to me sketching out a southern/southwest Asian-inspired campaign world(still under construction).
As reincarnation is a strong element in religious traditions from India, I decided that I wanted some game mechanic for that, and so I've ginned up some Feats that I think are appropriate, with low- and mid-level offerings, with the idea that the 'capstone' feat is the only one that is really class-specific, so that the 'intermediate' feats in the tree are of general use to various character concepts.
My question to ye, the good folk of this board, is whether or not
1) the feats themselves are roughly balanced, and
2) whether or not they seem to cohere around the reincarnation theme in a game-mechanic-appropriate manner.
Apologies for any and all formatting issues; the 3 levels are Sleeper -> Echoes of the Past -> Awakened, if it's hard to read below; more Feats are, of course, bubbling away where only I can see, but feedback on what I have already is much needed.
Sleeper
You have a closer connection to your past lives than most.
As a result, your will is more resiliant than most.
- +1 to will saves; additional +2 to will saves vs. mind-affecting effects.
Sleeper: Echoes of the Past
Prerequisite: Sleeper, Character level 5th
Your connection to your past lives is strong enough that elements
of your previous incarnations begins to bleed through into your
current one, allowing you to latently tap into your previous
skills and knowledge.
Sage's Recall:
Many of your past lives were spent collecting and cataloguing knowledge.
- +2 on all Knowledge and Linguistics checks.
- gain 1 language from the list of languages available to you
Master of your Craft:
Many of your past lives were spent mastering a profession.
- +2 on all Profession checks
- You can make any Profession check untrained.
Everlasting Faith:
Many of your lives were spent in service to your god, who still watches over you.
- Once per day, you may roll twice for a saving throw before the results are announced,
taking the better of the two rolls.
- Choose a 0-level cleric spell; you may cast this 1/day as a spell-like ability at CL 1;
this spell is always divine; levels that grant divine spellcasting do not increase
the CL beyond 1.
Heart of the Lion:
Many of your lives were spent in battle.
- +1 Fortitude and Reflex saves.
- +1 on saves against fear effects; +2 DC to attempts to indimidate you.
You may take this Feat as many times as you like, but must choose a different variant each time.
Sleeper: Awakened
Prerequisites: Sleeper: Echoes of the Past, Character level 9th
Storied Leader:
You were once a great leader, and that shines through in this life as well.
- Your Leadership score is counted as if your character level were 2 higher than it is.
- Choose one tactical feat for which you already qualify.
Archmagus:
You were once a fearsomely powerful wielder of magic.
- Your spells per day are calculated as if your relevant ability score were 2 higher.
- You gain Spell Focus for a domain that is not an opposition domain for you.
You may take this Feat only once.
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I think the concept is strong, but you could afford to actually bump up the power level on these feats a bit; Sleeper for example resembles the Iron Will feat, but strikes me as slightly weaker. But if you really want to push a concept in a campaign (like Reincarnation), it's fine if the thematic feats/traits are a bit (say 10%) stronger than regular feats.
As someone who believes in reincarnation, yeah, add 1 to each bonus.
I designed a mystery called incarnate for a random townsfolk topic(will bump). Someone with that mystery could obtain all 3 feats(but not free).
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I've been thinking about a way to highlight the concept of reincarnation in games.. maybe a combination of some feats for people who're getting glimpses, and then a prestige class for someone who seriously dedicates himself to past life experience?
Bonus points if the reincarnate PrC has a left-hand path that embraces eternal life through reincarnation (going towards Rakshasa) as well as a right-hand path breaking out of the cycle (Nirvana)...
Maybe a 3-piece PrC; both paths share an initial stage (PrC 1), but then diverge into left and right hand paths (PrC 2/3)?
I think the concept is strong, but you could afford to actually bump up the power level on these feats a bit; Sleeper for example resembles the Iron Will feat, but strikes me as slightly weaker. But if you really want to push a concept in a campaign (like Reincarnation), it's fine if the thematic feats/traits are a bit (say 10%) stronger than regular feats.
Thanks for the feedback.
I'll agree that Sleeper is slightly weaker, but then I was going for the specific mechanic of "controlling your mind is harder, since it's been around longer than others"; would bumping the bonus against mind-controlling effects to +4 balance out against Iron Will, then?
The middle group was trying to be 1 feat + 1 trait equivalent, so that they'd be a bit more tempting on their own, as well as to balance the (low) feat tax applied.
I'm still rather unsure about the capstone feats; they feel weak to me, but I'm unsure how to tweak them. Any advice on those?
As someone who believes in reincarnation, yeah, add 1 to each bonus.
I designed a mystery called incarnate for a random townsfolk topic(will bump). Someone with that mystery could obtain all 3 feats(but not free).
Good thread; thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Are the bonuses out of line with what you'd expect from feats? Or do you think that, thematically, it's more appropriate to crank them up?
I've been thinking about a way to highlight the concept of reincarnation in games.. maybe a combination of some feats for people who're getting glimpses, and then a prestige class for someone who seriously dedicates himself to past life experience?
Bonus points if the reincarnate PrC has a left-hand path that embraces eternal life through reincarnation (going towards Rakshasa) as well as a right-hand path breaking out of the cycle (Nirvana)...
Maybe a 3-piece PrC; both paths share an initial stage (PrC 1), but then diverge into left and right hand paths (PrC 2/3)?
Was considering such a PrC, but hadn't gotten beyond the basic idea that it would be interesting to have one. The left-/right-hand path is definitely an interesting and thematically-appropriate way to do it!
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I think the concept is strong, but you could afford to actually bump up the power level on these feats a bit; Sleeper for example resembles the Iron Will feat, but strikes me as slightly weaker. But if you really want to push a concept in a campaign (like Reincarnation), it's fine if the thematic feats/traits are a bit (say 10%) stronger than regular feats.Thanks for the feedback.
I'll agree that Sleeper is slightly weaker, but then I was going for the specific mechanic of "controlling your mind is harder, since it's been around longer than others"; would bumping the bonus against mind-controlling effects to +4 balance out against Iron Will, then?
I'd lose the +1 Will part and make the feat a flat +4 against mind-affecting spells and abilities; maybe an Insight bonus? Can you get Insight bonuses on saving throws?
Anyway, I'd lose the Will part because I like feats to be quite distinct from each other, so avoiding bleedover with Iron Will is good.
Also, you should consider adding a second possible effect, instead of the save bonus; otherwise all reincarnated PCs will start to have the same uniform mental resilience, which is kinda boring, and also sucks for Enchanter-style enemies/PCs.
The middle group was trying to be 1 feat + 1 trait equivalent, so that they'd be a bit more tempting on their own, as well as to balance the (low) feat tax applied.
If the middle feats are about that size, and the entry feats are roughly worth a normal feat, then you'd be fine.
Keep in mind that Iron Will is considered a decent feat actually, particularly for fighters worried about Dominate Person and Hold Person. So if Sleeper is good enough, this would be okay.
Master of your Craft, Sage's Recall are you familiar with Breadth of Experience? It's a bit more powerful. You could actually use BoE here, and use Sleeper as an alternative prerequisite.
Minor nitpick: calling out Crafts in the name of a feat about Professions (but not Crafts) is unfortunate choice of words...
Another source of inspiration could be the Cosmopolitan feat; it's quite nice. Maybe you could have a variant that waives the restriction on metal-ability skills only? That would fit in the "slightly more powerful than ordinary feats" category.
Everlasting Faith is just fine as it is.
Heart of the Lion feels slightly weak. I think if you want to patch over a poor saving throw, you'd rather put +2 into that one than +1 and +1 in something else. Better plug one hole thoroughly. I like the part about resisting fear though; maybe you should expand on that?
I'm still rather unsure about the capstone feats; they feel weak to me, but I'm unsure how to tweak them. Any advice on those?
They're not quite there, yeah, but for different reasons.
Archmagus seems fine at first: spell focus plus a small bonus. But it's rare to take SF at level 9; you've probably taken it at level 1 or 3 to get to Augment Summons or Varisian Tattoo. And the value of a second SF is not so impressive.
The extra spells seem nice also, but if it boosts your intelligence from 20-22 to 22-24, it gets you one level 2 or 3 spell; not spectacular.
Maybe it would be nicer to replace SF with Spell Penetration (or if you already have that, Greater Spell Penetration)? Those are feats which are becoming valuable at that level. In that case Archmagus basically becomes a small bonus to a feat you were maybe going to take anyway, at the "price" of those first two feats.
Storied Leader strikes me as a bit weak. What is a tactical feat? Did you mean a teamwork feat? Those are mediocre unless you have some class ability relating to them.
Why not instead say, SL gives you Leadership as a feat, and a +2 bonus? That way you get a small benefit for taking a detour. Provided the early feats are worth it, it's nice.
I'd lose the +1 Will part and make the feat a flat +4 against mind-affecting spells and abilities; maybe an Insight bonus? Can you get Insight bonuses on saving throws?
Anyway, I'd lose the Will part because I like feats to be quite distinct from each other, so avoiding bleedover with Iron Will is good.
Do keep in mind that the bonus will also stack with Iron Will (or any other feats/traits/racial abilities) too. +6 for two feats is a very tempting thing, especially if non-human races can get it (looking at Dwarves, Elves, Half-Elves and Halflings). Many characters with this bonus will become functionally immune to mind control, which may be intended.
Another possible effect is to allow them saving throws against mind-affecting things at the beginning of their turn with a bonus. Or possibly opt to end the effect prematurely by Dazing or Stunning themselves, as they become mired in their memories.
On other topics:
Everlasting Faith is amazing compared to everything else. Taking the best of two dice is better than most similar feats and class abilities, which allow a reroll and make you take the second (even if it's worse). It might be appropriate for a two-feat chain, but it's a long shot better than Greater Iron Will (especially since it can both stack with the previous and be applied to a different save if no Will saves are called for that day). I don't think it'll break the game, really, but it compares well.
I'm tempted to suggest some extra hit points for Heart of the Lion. Possibly something about not having to flee due to fear effects, and/or be able to knock yourself down a stage of Fear somehow.
Since Archmagus scales up with the ability score (and ability bonus items, I imagine), it could be fine. That feat can end up netting you a bonus 5th or 6th level spell as you level up which you wouldn't otherwise have. If more is needed, simply expand the bonus to all effects related to spellcasting, and specify that if the character has Spell Focus (for that school) already, they gain Greater Spell Focus instead.
Storied Leader: Rallying others seems to be what you are going for here, so perhaps a radius of resisting fear effects and Intimidation might be called for. Perhaps the ability to reduce Fear effects or grant a second save vs. mind-affecting in those around you a number of times a day based on Charisma or something. One could become a mini-Paladin of sorts.
Leadership is really hit-or-miss in a lot of groups for one reason or another, but since it's for your own group, it's likely fine.
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Another possible effect is to allow them saving throws against mind-affecting things at the beginning of their turn with a bonus. Or possibly opt to end the effect prematurely by Dazing or Stunning themselves, as they become mired in their memories.
I think that's a really interesting idea. What about:
"At the start of your turn, if you're suffering from a mind-affecting condition (including charm, domination, fear and so forth), you may choose to become Dazed for one round in order to make a new saving throw against the effect. You may use this ability even if under the control of another being or otherwise not free to choose your own actions."
That way, mind control still does something (take the PC out of the fight), but the PC can say "I'd rather do nothing than be Dominated into attacking my friends."
If your GM is reasonable, they might just let you collapse from a nervous breakdown when being dominated to do something completely against your character. The new version allows you to recover faster.