Recently, I've been revisiting a class I made a while back, and for one of the abilities, I found that I didn't like how I originally worded it- what it does when a player takes it is allow them to change their size by one category in either direction, but I realized that it was too vague- one could argue that it would stack with enlarge person, and I don't want that. Currently, I have the wording as follows:
"Your size changes by one category, adjusting your natural attacks as appropriate. If you grow one size, you gain a +4 size bonus to your strength score while taking a -2 penalty to your dexterity score. If you shrink one size, you gain a +4 size bonus to your dexterity score while taking a -2 penalty to your strength score. Any equipment on you when you change size changes with you and remains the new size until you revert and if you come under the effects of a polymorph spell that doesn’t change your size, you retain the size you have changed to with this ability. This otherwise functions as enlarge or reduce person, respectively. You must be at least 6th level to take this [ability]."
My goal for this ability is as follows:
1) Allows a player to change their size,
2) Doesn't stack with other size changing abilities, but
3) Allows for polymorph effects to use the new size instead of the old one, as the class has several abilities in it that are considered polymorph effects.
For reference of number three, here is how polymorph effects work with size changes from the SRD:
"You can only be affected by one polymorph spell at a time. If a new polymorph spell is cast on you (or you activate a polymorph effect, such as wild shape), you can decide whether or not to allow it to affect you, taking the place of the old spell. In addition, other spells that change your size have no effect on you while you are under the effects of a polymorph spell."
My question is, does what I've made appear to do what I want it to do from your perspective? I understand that sometimes a different perspective other than my own can help my achieve what I want.
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An ability that works as enlarge or reduce person but gives you 2 more stat is clear. Once you try stacking with other polymorphs it gets muddled.
The problem is that all polymorph effects change your size. Someone casts beast shape 1 to turn into a leopard. A human changes size from medium to medium, an ogre changes from large to medium, and a gnome changes from small to medium. All gain the same effects of +2str and +2natural armor. So when does your ability work and why?
Consider splitting the ability into separate parts, something along the lines of:
1- you can activate this ability to gain the effects of enlarge person or reduce person.
2- While under a polymorph effect, you can increase or decrease your size category by 1 to a maximum of large and a minimum of small. If the effect grants a size bonus to strength or dexterity, increase that bonus by 2 to a maximum of +4.
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Size Modification (Su)
A insert class name may change her size one category from her true size, either larger or smaller. Apply the effects of enlarge person (if larger) or reduce person (if smaller). Size Modification persists even if the insert class name is subject to an effect of the transmutation (polymorph) school as long as that effect does not alter her current size category. Changing size or returning to her true size is a full-round action.
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I think that's pretty clean wording, but you probably want to put the whole class out at some point and let people try to "break" it, especially with dips. There's a reason for that prohibition in the polymorph rules.
edit: pretty clean. It presupposes that you apply the polymorph effects after the size change. If your class has some features where you might want to change size while under a polymorph it needs a bit more tweaking for clarity.
I think it works pretty well how you mean it to. It's pretty clear you're building an ability to allow a specific exception to the normal size change and polymorph rules. To make it more clear though, break the fourth sentence into two separate sentences, to make the called out exception distinct.
That's good, I'm glad I was able to express what I wanted more clearly.
Follow up question might be; if you are already under the effects of a non size change polymorph, can you activate this ability? (i.e. medium PC, polymorph to medium wolf, can you now become a large/small wolf?)
Can you activate the ability? Yes, although I imagine that a PC would have the ability active beforehand in most cases.
Depending on what this class is meant to do, a higher level version of the ability that does stack, at least once, with other size changes would also be cool. I'd be interested to see your finished piece.
Way back when I first imagined this class, I did actually have this ability stack with enlarge person, allowing up to a size of huge. However, I later felt that allowing a PC to become huge would give too much power to that PC, with the damage die increases and reach. As for seeing the final piece, I'm glad you've shown an interest! I'll probably put it under the homebrew section sometime with the title "Metamorph Homebrew class."
An ability that works as enlarge or reduce person but gives you 2 more stat is clear. Once you try stacking with other polymorphs it gets muddled.
That's good that I've made myself clear (for the most part).
The problem is that all polymorph effects change your size. Someone casts beast shape 1 to turn into a leopard. A human changes size from medium to medium, an ogre changes from large to medium, and a gnome changes from small to medium. All gain the same effects of +2str and +2natural armor. So when does your ability work and why?
As I mentioned, my class has abilities it can use that count as polymorph effects but don't change the PC's size. I should've specified that the polymorph abilities from my class don't change the PC's size.
Consider splitting the ability into separate parts, something along the lines of:
1- you can activate this ability to gain the effects of enlarge person or reduce person.
2- While under a polymorph effect, you can increase or decrease your size category by 1 to a maximum of large and a minimum of small. If the effect grants a size bonus to strength or dexterity, increase that bonus by 2 to a maximum of +4.
I like the idea of your second point, but I'd have to think about it for a bit.
I think that's pretty clean wording, but you probably want to put the whole class out at some point and let people try to "break" it, especially with dips. There's a reason for that prohibition in the polymorph rules.
Oh, I will at some point; as I mentioned to Sysryke, I'll eventually put it it homebrew under the name "Metamorph."
edit: pretty clean. It presupposes that you apply the polymorph effects after the size change. If your class has some features where you might want to change size while under a polymorph it needs a bit more tweaking for clarity.
I'll have to add a line about that.
I didn't put it in homebrew because I cared about the wording and not the class in this case, although talking about the class was inevitable. Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose.
As for the psudo feature you wrote down, I may steal that third line, as it is clearer than what I have, in my opinion.
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When people are homebrewing classes or archetypes and creating class features they often forget one or more of the details that turn out to be important in actual play:
1) What type of ability is it? Ex, Sp, or Su? (if applicable)
2) What kind of action does it take to activate the ability?
3) How long does the ability last?
4) What, exactly, does the ability do? If it works just like something in the Core Rulebook, reference the CRB text. There's usually no need to duplicate the text and you especially want to avoid rewording already published material as there is too much room for ambiguity and misreading.
5) If this ability breaks an established rule, be sure to include:
-a) acknowledgment that it is intended to break the rule.
-b) clear limits on the extent of exceptions to the rule.
6) Don't use flavor text in abilities.
7) Do all this as succinctly as possible.
That's just the writing guidance; it has no bearing on whether or not the ability is actually a good idea. And even well-established writers and developers sometimes forget to follow all these rules. Freelancers are notoriously bad about using flavor text and making people wonder if the archetype they wrote is actually doing something more than intended. Heck, reviewing my size modification ability above, I see that I forgot to put in "The effect lasts until she changes back."
When people are homebrewing classes or archetypes and creating class features they often forget one or more of the details that turn out to be important in actual play:
1) What type of ability is it? Ex, Sp, or Su? (if applicable)
2) What kind of action does it take to activate the ability?
3) How long does the ability last?
4) What, exactly, does the ability do? If it works just like something in the Core Rulebook, reference the CRB text. There's usually no need to duplicate the text and you especially want to avoid rewording already published material as there is too much room for ambiguity and misreading.
5) If this ability breaks an established rule, be sure to include:
-a) acknowledgment that it is intended to break the rule.
-b) clear limits on the extent of exceptions to the rule.
6) Don't use flavor text in abilities.
7) Do all this as succinctly as possible.That's just the writing guidance; it has no bearing on whether or not the ability is actually a good idea. And even well-established writers and developers sometimes forget to follow all these rules. Freelancers are notoriously bad about using flavor text and making people wonder if the archetype they wrote is actually doing something more than intended. Heck, reviewing my size modification ability above, I see that I forgot to put in "The effect lasts until she changes back."
For the ability above...
1) This ability is supernatural.
2) This is difficult to answer- a full-round action is technically correct though. I can't really answer this question without talking about the class in full.
3) See #2.
4/5) Now that you mention it, I think I should put "This functions as enlarge/reduce person" first instead of last.
6) I disagree, though I am of the mind that it should remain in the first sentence.
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6) I disagree, though I am of the mind that it should remain in the first sentence.
. . .
6) Don't use flavor text in abilities.
. . .
The problem comes when someone writes an ability like:
The speed demon's fast reflexes allow him to move out of the way of incoming attacks. He gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC. This increases by +1 for every 4 levels past 1st, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level.
You and I can look at this and say "The dodge bonus is the mechanical part, the first sentence is just flavor." However there are people who will misunderstand and think the speed demon gets to move when someone attacks him. Some willfully misunderstanding (trying to make the ability as powerful as possible). More likely - and more forgivably - people who are playing in a vacuum (no access to experienced players or larger online community) or people whose are not native English speakers.
It is worth pointing out that when Paizo ran its RPG Superstar competition, Sean K. Reynolds would publish a long list of do's and don'ts every year. The last item was always some variation on "If your submission is truly awesome, you can break every one of these suggestions."