| manbearscientist |
I think the core system of this class that should not go away is the Gather Power > Impulse system. I am not opposed to this system at all, and I think Gather Power is leaps and bounds more flavorful and interesting than it was in the past edition.
However, two issues make the class clunky because of the playtest iteration of Gather Power: overflow actions, and elemental blasts being an impulse. A lesser issue I will also talk about is the lack of CON integration into the chassis.
Overflow
As written, there are no 1-action overflow impulses. This means that each and every overflow action takes up at least a full turn's worth of actions. This leads to somewhat odd turn management for the many damaging overflow impulses that take 4 actions, but could also lead to turret gameplay if there is a good 2 action overflow impulse to spam.
Overflow impulses are also pretty uniquely crippling. I would invite the comparison to Swashbuckler's panache. When a Swashbuckler loses panache with a finisher, they lose vivacious speed and the bonus to their panache-related actions. A kineticist that used an overflow impulse can't attack with elemental blast, use any impulse, or even swing with their prebuilt elemental weapon until they Gather Power again.
Elemental Blasts
Elemental Blasts being an impulse has two major downsides. First, as mentioned they don't play nicely with overflow impulses at all. One could even consider them diametrically opposed, favoring either kineticists that go all-in on elemental blast with STR/DEX or kineticists that eschew blasting to max their CON and use impulses with DCs.
Second, elemental blasts trigger AAOs because as impulses they have the manipulate trait. This is absolutely fine for ranged blasts, but melee blasts become far less viable compared to elemental weapon or other martial counterparts. There is no feat to help prevent this.
Proposed Solution
Treat overflow like panache: a feature you have to earn that activates your class features and can be cashed in for big rewards (overflow impulses).
I think it is pretty clear what needs to happen. Both panache and overflow require an action to activate as-is; overflow just needs to have a skill check. I don't think that this is too much rolling; it is the same gameplay loop that a Swashbuckler has already.
So what skill check? This is how you address the lack of CON integration. Assign skills to each element, being pretty heavy on Acrobatics and Athletics. Then make the skill check use either Nature or any of the associated elements skills using the CON rather than whatever the skill would normally roll. I would also recommend a feat letting you use CON for untrained actions using your element's skill(s), per the GM's discretion.
That check would yield the following results:
Critical Success You gain the normal and greater benefits from the gathered element until the next of your next turn. You may use an action with the overflow trait before the end of your next turn.
Success You gain the normal benefits from the gathered element until the next of your next turn. You may use an action with the overflow trait before the end of your next turn.
Failure You may use an action with the overflow trait before the end of your next turn. You may attempt to Gather Elements again this turn.
Critical Failure Failure You may not attempt to Gather Elements again this turn.
Go nuts on what you think normal or greater benefits might be.
I think there is a lot of room here, and that this is somewhat intuitive. Under this system, you still need to have the right element gathered to use an impulse of that element but you need 'overflowing' elements to use an overflow impulse, which takes you back down to 'normal' for that element. I am also fond of making elemental blasts their own type of Strike, rather than an impulse.
Finally, you can tie this all back into the gate subclass the kineticist chose at character creation. I would do this similar to how the Gunslinger's Way differentiated how each subclass interacted with reload. Here is an example of how that could be accomplished:
Dedicated Gate
You are adept at gathering your element and putting it into motion. You Gather Element, then immediately make an elemental blast Strike.
Dual Gate
You can pull both of your elements at once, albeit incompletely. You Gather Element twice, once for each of your elements. Unlike the normal rules for Gather Power, you are able to maintain both of your elements, but the second element you gather is less firmly under your control. You may still use non-overflow impulses, elemental blasts, and gain the benefits of gathering that element, but you cannot use overflow impulses with this element, and it dissipates at the end of your next turn.
Universal Gate
You can utilize your flexibility over the elements to help your allies. You Gather Element and create a kinetic aura with that element. You are considered prepared to aid an attack or any skill associated with the element you gathered, and can aid an ally anywhere in your kinetic aura. You may use CON for the ability for the aid check, rather than whatever other ability would normally be rolled.
Verzen
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I 100% disagree with how you differentiate the gates.
Have you seen my suggestions?
Dedicated = more damage and more focused
Dual = more variety but it actually combines two elements together for all blasts and impulses.
Fire and water = steam. Fire and earth = lava. Water and earth = mud
Etc etc.
Universal = can use any pure element but doesn't get the damage boosters of dedicated.
| manbearscientist |
I 100% disagree with how you differentiate the gates.
Have you seen my suggestions?
Dedicated = more damage and more focused
Dual = more variety but it actually combines two elements together for all blasts and impulses.
Fire and water = steam. Fire and earth = lava. Water and earth = mud
Etc etc.Universal = can use any pure element but doesn't get the damage boosters of dedicated.
This is almost exactly how I differentiated the elements. I just didn't do it with numbers.
Dedicated = damage focus. They get a subordinate action to blast when they Gather Elements. If they wanted to be a turret, they could go Gather + Strike + 2-action overflow impulse every turn.
Dual = On demand variety, wielding both elements at once. Frankly speaking, I don't have a problem with them having full access to both elements or having hybrid abilities but the purpose here was not to write the treatise on how to make hybrid abilities.
Universal = versatility and utility focus.
Keep in mind that this solution is not at all about addressing numerical discrepancies across classes or 100% nailing down the differences between gate subclasses inside kineticist.
This is about primarily about making kineticist less clunky to play, and integrating CON in an intuitive way as a secondary objective.
| manbearscientist |
"benefit from kinetic aura"
Just FYI, using an overflow does not stop kinetic auras:
"A kinetic aura lasts until you
get knocked out, until the encounter ends, or until you
use a new kinetic aura, whichever comes first. "
Fixed, thank you. This was an assumption on my part; if you use even an elemental weapon when you use an overflow impulse why wouldn't you use up the much more dramatic displays around you? Not particularly intuitive.