So a little background: I really love the Codex Alera books series and wanted to incorporate it a little bit into a home-brewed E6 game. The basic idea, is that players would get to choose 1 affinity during character creation that would automatically give them perks as the level up. I've been toying around with adding some feats that allow them to pick up a second affinity after level 6 and another feat that gives a more focused affinity with the prerequisite of two specific capped affinities (i.e. metal would be obtainable once earth and fire are capped) Anyways, here's what I have so far, but I could use some suggestions for the blanks and some validation that none of the affinity abilities would be so good that it would discourage a player from taking specific feats.
Basic Elemental Affinities:
Air
level 1 -
level 2 -
level 3 - Gain fly of 30' for 10 rounds/day
level 4 -
level 5 -
level 6 - Gain fly of 40' for 10 minutes/day (Replaces level 3)
Earth
level 1 -
level 2 -
level 3 - Gain earth glide of 30' for 10 rounds/day
level 4 -
level 5 -
level 6 - Gain earth glide of 40' for 10 minutes/day (Replaces level 3)
Fire
level 1 -
level 2 -
level 3 - Sheath weapon in fire for 10 rounds/day (+1d6 fire damage)
level 4 -
level 5 -
level 6 - Sheath weapon in fire for 10 minutes/day (+2d6 fire damage) (Replaces level 3)
Water
level 1 -
level 2 -
level 3 - Gain swim speed of 30' for 10 round/day
level 4 -
level 5 -
level 6 - Gain swim speed of 40' for 10 minutes/day (Replaces level 3)
So a little background: I really love the Codex Alera books series and wanted to incorporate it a little bit into a home-brewed E6 game. The basic idea, is that players would get to choose 1 affinity during character creation that would automatically give them perks as the level up. I've been toying around with adding some feats that allow them to pick up a second affinity after level 6 and another feat that gives a more focused affinity with the prerequisite of two specific capped affinities (i.e. metal would be obtainable once earth and fire are capped) Anyways, here's what I have so far, but I could use some suggestions for the blanks and some validation that none of the affinity abilities would be so good that it would discourage a player from taking specific feats.
I have some questions:
1. Why are you using E6? Codex Alera is a VERY high magic and high power setting. Easy access to large scale magic, which is a foundation of the setting is explicately something that E6 is designed to prevent. E6 is meant to keep characters within the realm of normal human ability. Sure they can still be exceptional but they never become super heroes. The characters in Codex Alera are most assuredly super heroes. So what exactly are you actually going for here?
2. When you say you will offer a feat to pick up an affinity, does that mean the entire progression? IE if I have the water affinity at level 6 I have all 6 water affinity abilities, I then take the feat for earth affinity and get all 6 earth affinity abilities? Then I can take another feat and get all 6 for wood (or something along those lines for the more focused affinities)? I think those feats are probably way too powerful, and would be go to feats regardless of character concept.
3. What is your preference between these rules fitting easily into pathfinder vs are accurate to the setting you are going for? You could do things that would work more like whats in the books, but would likely be a greater departure from the pathfinder rules, where as things that fit easily into pathfinder might not be a great representation of the setting. Which is more important to you?
If you want to fill your game with funky powers, then this question must be asked.
The main purpose of E6 is to essentially keep a campaign to a suitably gritty and mundane level. If you are determined to put in the fantastic, why are you putting the E6 clamps on your campaign at all?
I'm primarily trying to avoid the high hitpoint/high damage aspect of mid-upper levels of normal play.
I have some questions:1. Why are you using E6? Codex Alera is a VERY high magic and high power setting. Easy access to large scale magic, which is a foundation of the setting is explicately something that E6 is designed to prevent. E6 is meant to keep characters within the realm of normal human ability. Sure they can still be exceptional but they never become super heroes. The characters in Codex Alera are most assuredly super heroes. So what exactly are you actually going for here?
2. When you say you will offer a feat to pick up an affinity, does that mean the entire progression? IE if I have the water affinity at level 6 I have all 6 water affinity abilities, I then take the feat for earth affinity and get all 6 earth affinity abilities? Then I can take another feat and get all 6 for wood (or something along those lines for the more focused affinities)? I think those feats are probably way too powerful, and would be go to feats regardless of character concept.
3. What is your preference between these rules fitting easily into pathfinder vs are accurate to the setting you are going for? You could do things that would work more like whats...
1. I don't see Codex Alera as super powerful. Sure, the main characters are considerably stronger than everyone else, but they're the exception. Excluding Octavian and his immediate family, most people only had basic control over their element. I'm primarily wanting to go with E6 to avoid the fighter or wizard from walking into a town and eliminating everyone (this hasn't happened before but you should get the idea of the scale).
2. The feat would let them another affinity with its level 1 ability. It would then scale up as they collected more feats, or require them to take an improved/greater version (though I don't know if the later would be took weak).
3. I'm creating the world, factions, etc. from scratch. However, there is going to be a large "wild elemental" theme that would be fun with affinities. With the group I'm planning this for, I'd lean more towards fitting it into the setting. If I decided to try it with my second group then I'd definitely have to aim more towards rules.
Discussed with a friend of mine and we fleshed out the affinities a bit. Could use some community feedback:
Basic Elemental Affinities:
Air
level 1 - +2 saves vs. electricity or "Air" effects
level 2 - Endure Elements (Cold) constant
level 3 - Air Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, slows target for 1 round (Elec)
level 4 - Levitate 10 rounds/day
level 5 - No longer needs to breathe
level 6 - Gain fly of 30' for 10 minutes/day, average maneuverability
Earth
level 1 - +2 saves vs. acid or "Earth" effects
level 2 - Safe Fall 10' (Drop an additional 10' before taking damage, by softening the landing)
level 3 - Earth Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, half damage next round (Acid)
level 4 - Stone Shape, 1/day.
level 5 - Tremorsense. (15', maybe?)
level 6 - Gain earth glide of 30' for 10 minutes/day
Fire
level 1 - +2 saves vs. fire
level 2 - Endure Elements (Heat) constant
level 3 - Fire Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, set target on fire (Fire, duh)
level 4 - Flame Wreath - 10 minutes/day, do 1d6 fire damage/rnd to any creature that attempts to grapple/swallow
level 5 - Pyrotechnics 1/day
level 6 - Flaming Weapon, 10 rounds/day, free action, can be used in 1 round increments (+1d6 fire damage, stacks with Flaming Weapons)
Water
level 1 - +2 saves vs. cold or "Water" effects
level 2 - Can drink any liquid without risk (saltwater, fresh water, poison...)
level 3 - Water Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, knocks targets down
level 4 - Target can breathe underwater
level 5 - Flowing Motion - +1 Dodge to AC; +4 to CMD vs. grapple
level 6 - Gain swim speed of 30' for 10 minutes/day
Are you going to have 'normal' pathfinder magic in this setting? Are there going to be Sorcerors, wizards and clerics?
Are you going to have 'normal' pathfinder magic in this setting? Are there going to be Sorcerors, wizards and clerics?
Probably. Do you foresee a problem with that?
Discussed with a friend of mine and we fleshed out the affinities a bit. Could use some community feedback:
Basic Elemental Affinities:
Air
level 1 - +2 saves vs. electricity or "Air" effects
level 2 - Endure Elements (Cold) constant
level 3 - Air Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, slows target for 1 round (Elec)
level 4 - Levitate 10 rounds/day
level 5 - No longer needs to breathe
level 6 - Gain fly of 30' for 10 minutes/day, average maneuverability
one of the key abilities for air crafters was the ability to increase speed. That seems to be missing here. I also dont know that electricity fits the alera theme of air even if it does in pathfinder/dnd.
Earth
level 1 - +2 saves vs. acid or "Earth" effects
level 2 - Safe Fall 10' (Drop an additional 10' before taking damage, by softening the landing)
level 3 - Earth Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, half damage next round (Acid)
level 4 - Stone Shape, 1/day.
level 5 - Tremorsense. (15', maybe?)
level 6 - Gain earth glide of 30' for 10 minutes/day
no ability to increase strength and again I am not sure that acid is connected to earth in the setting.
Fire
level 1 - +2 saves vs. fire
level 2 - Endure Elements (Heat) constant
level 3 - Fire Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, set target on fire (Fire, duh)
level 4 - Flame Wreath - 10 minutes/day, do 1d6 fire damage/rnd to any creature that attempts to grapple/swallow
level 5 - Pyrotechnics 1/day
level 6 - Flaming Weapon, 10 rounds/day, free action, can be used in 1 round increments (+1d6 fire damage, stacks with Flaming Weapons)
Probably the most straight forward of the elements, works pretty well.
Water
level 1 - +2 saves vs. cold or "Water" effects
level 2 - Can drink any liquid without risk (saltwater, fresh water, poison...)
level 3 - Water Blast - X/day (1/3 level? 1/4?) 20' cone blast for 1d6/level, Ref for half. DC 10 + 1/2 level + Con Mod, knocks targets down
level 4 - Target can breathe underwater
level 5 - Flowing Motion - +1 Dodge to AC; +4 to CMD vs. grapple
level 6 - Gain swim speed of 30' for 10 minutes/day
Missing healing abilities of water crafters, as well as communication, shapeshifting and reading peoples emotions. I also have the same concern about tieing it to 'cold' energy.
Would I be able to get by without any spell casters if I boosted the effects to tie in closer with Alera? And if I boost Air, Earth and Water, would Fire then be too weak?
Not to mention you completely missed Wood and Metal >_>
Not to mention you completely missed Wood and Metal >_>
Metal wouldn't be a base affinity. It would require having Fire and Earth. I may make Wood a base affinity, but it could be a unique one requiring air and water.
edit: though now that I think about it, most soldiers were metal..
So not trying to stick with the books on that, okay fair enough.
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Would I be able to get by without any spell casters if I boosted the effects to tie in closer with Alera? And if I boost Air, Earth and Water, would Fire then be too weak?
I think if you wanted to completely replace magic you would need to make it alot more robust. I'd probably use the super genius games riven mage as a foundation, the riven spells are very basic magical effects that you can pour energy into to create greater or reduced results. Alot of what can be done in the setting could be done with those and you'd just have to add a few.
I would then attach riven mage level casting to any 6 level caster classes and add rivener to any 4 level caster classes in place of their normal magic, and then tie the various riven spells to different elements.
First, electricy was part off air Furies, so it was primarily for the advance users.
Metal is a harder to do, it is extremely combat oriented. Diehard comes to mind, as well as allowing players to make weapons or armor be treated as special materials. Static bonuses to hit are boring but thematic.
Woodcrafting is oriented on stealth, woodshape, and archery. Allowing woodcrafters the same ability to change the 'material' of bows and wooden armor would work.
Don't forget the less offensive aspects of the elements. Earth can calm beings, fire incites emotions, air can bend light for invisibility and silence, and water heals and senses emotions.
Having a series of perks, giving the player a choice as they level might work best. They could receive a basic bonus at first level and work from there.
Other ideas:
The ability to summon elementals, aka manifesting furies. Dog size or smaller. This could be as simple as familiers with elemental types or animal companions.
Make crafters susceptible to opposing elements, such a salt for aircrafting.
Most of the discrete crafting abilities require contact with the element, such as water tubs for healing. The only exception is that fire needs only to be present.
To reduce any headaches (and make my life simpler) I think I'm just going to treat furies as elementals and make them controllable via Handle Animal + planar language.