Hello,
I'm whipping up a campaign and I intend on using Free Archetype and Relics as campaign mechanics.
Free Archetypes will be gained through faction rep. So you get in good with say the Hellknights and get a trainer that gives you those extra feats. Relics will be tied to characters' personal quests. So once Jimmy the Hellknight beats up his chaotic good father, he can take his family beer stein and unlock its true potential.
Now I'm wondering if anyone has used these two and seen any noticeable power bumps? I know you can mete out relic powers via WBL but each step is rather large (4 levels), and then any early recipients also have their Free Archetype power.
But more importantly, how would you handle gaining Free Archetype feats late? Say you only get in with Lord Hellknight at level 5. Would you let players take a lump of feats retroactively, or implement retraining rules?
Also, any general advice is welcome
Now I'm wondering if anyone has used these two and seen any noticeable power bumps?
I have played games with Free Archetype. The power that it gives is breadth of options rather than making any one option more effective. So you generally don't need to adjust the encounter difficulty for it.
I have not actually played with Relics, but it looks like fun. It seems to be duplicating things that you would normally get from items or feats. And again it seems to be giving more options rather than making anything that the character would already be doing be even more effective.
But more importantly, how would you handle gaining Free Archetype feats late?
I would allow them to immediately backfill any feat slots that they couldn't fill before. Especially if some of the characters have their archetypes and others don't.
Breadth of options doesn't need adjusted for with encounter math, but having those options does make a particular character useful in a wider variety of situations. It can feel bad to those who don't have those wider options.
As mentioned, free archetype usually makes characters more versatile rather than noticeably more powerful. Granted, it can make it easier/faster to pick up certain "combos" by reducing the opportunity cost and allow players more leeway in pursuing "flavor" choices (instead of feeling they "have to" always take the most "optimal" feat).
As a GM, I prefer to limit the available archetypes that can be selected based on a list that is thematically aligned with the campaign, rather than allowing completely unrestricted choice. This often helps make the PCs a "better fit" for the story arc and expected adventures, plus allows the GM to tailor some encounters to certain abilities in one or more of the available archetypes (since they "know" the PCs will likely have them).
The base relics from the Gamemastery Guide are a side-grade at best; IMO, they work best when combined with automatic bonus progression so they don't "compete" with normal magic items. A more interesting variant might be the set relics from Treasure Vault; this way, the relic item(s) have their abilities on top of being "normal" magic items.