Chymist’s Eye and Starting Trophies

[QuidEst]

Chymist's Eye from Chymist's Vials has the following reinforce ability:

"Reinforced You also gain one special vision ability the creature the trophy was claimed from had, such as darkvision or a cloud giant’s cloudsight, for the duration."

All of the other starting reinforce options give you something you can use right away, but this one relies on an uncommon characteristic. It's not too hard to hunt a darkvision creature at low levels, but if you start at high levels, you're really missing out, and you can't even go pick up something you "missed".

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to keep the cool, unique vision upgrade trick! But maybe at least include darkvision as a starting default? That doesn't solve the high-level issue, but starting out without it makes Chymist's Vials stand out as a really rough start. When you're not dealing with your quarry, the only thing you get is a 1/minute weaker Breathe Fire.

[rainzax]

Higher level Slayers start with a few extra trophies.

Buried in there somewhere.

[Dubious Scholar]

rainzax wrote:

Higher level Slayers start with a few extra trophies.

Buried in there somewhere.

They do, but they're generic trophies and won't have any special vision abilities.

[Zoken44]

says who?

If I'm GMing a table and a player can tell me how they came by those trophies I would let them have specific trophies.

[QuidEst]

Zoken44 wrote:

says who?

If I'm GMing a table and a player can tell me how they came by those trophies I would let them have specific trophies.

I'll certainly do the same and ask the GM to, but better starting trophy rules by default would be nice.

[Zoken44]

I agree about better starting trophy rules, given "Really good specific rules" are kind of a big selling point for this game.

[Red Griffyn]

Just skimmed AON's table for different 'vision' types. Some fun options in no particular order and without any thought for monster level/rarity:

- Magnetic Vision: An asp of grief can see magnetic fields, allowing it to detect large sources of magnetic metal (Bulk 1 or greater) as a precise sense.

- Painsight (divine): A velstrac automatically knows whether a creature it sees has any of the doomed, dying, and wounded conditions as well as the value of those conditions.

- Gemsight: As long as Calcifda holds a gemstone, she can see through the gem with darkvision and the effects of true seeing. When she uses her pearlescent pyramid aeon stone for this ability, she also knows the wounded and dying value of every creature she sees. Calcifda is blind when she isn't holding a gem in her hand.

- See invisibility/See the Unseen

- Truesight/Trueseeing

- Lamp Vision: The Claws of Time is specially attuned to the crystal lamps in the Cradle of Quartz. It can sense creatures within 30 feet of any crystal lamp in the Cradle of Quartz. These lamps are marked as glowing blue dots on the map on page 42. This is a precise sense. (really good for one specific location in the world)

- Blindsight (precise) 120 feet (probably your best option)

- Planar Sight (occult): The eyes at the end of their tentacles allow a dibrasgorth to see into planes coterminous with the one it is currently on at the listed range. For instance, if they're in the Universe, they can see into the Ethereal Plane and the Netherworld.

- Infrared Vision: A deculi can detect infrared radiation as a precise sense.

- Otherworldly Vision: A froghemoth's alien eyes allow it to perceive creatures within 30 feet, even if they are invisible or ethereal. It can still be fooled by successful Stealth checks to Hide, but it has Perception DC 38 in such cases. It also sees through and is unaffected by illusions with the visual trait if they are within 30 feet.

- Status Sight: The Grim Reaper automatically knows the Hit Points, conditions, afflictions, and emotions of all creatures it can see. (very cool IMO).

- All-around Vision: This monster can see in all directions simultaneously and therefore can't be flanked.

- Rust Vision: An oregorger ignores the concealed condition from rust clouds.

- Smoke/Cloud/Fog/Mist/etc. Vision

- Mirror Senses: A shatterling can see and hear through any unbroken mirror within 100 feet. (SO COOL and amazing to carry around hand mirrors to set-up surveillance for ambushes or spying on enemies/NPC conversations).

- Greensight: Vegetation doesn't impair a ta'apundo's vision and doesn't provide a creature cover or concealment from a ta'apundo.

- Many Eyes in Many Places: Vulot can extend their senses through any cultist wearing one of their stolen identities as long as the cultist is in the Universe or the Outer Rifts. Vulot can't maintain their attention through more than three cultists at one time. Vulot can't speak through these cultists.

- Sanctified Sight: The dragon can automatically detect if a creature, effect, or item is sanctified, and whether it’s holy or unholy.

- Potionsight: Apothecary bees' complex eyes let them see the auras of magical potions and instinctively identify potions of their level or lower. These auras are visible through mundane containers, though their eyes have no special ability to perceive or identify non-magical solutions, such as alchemical elixirs.

[Dubious Scholar]

On the one hand, stealing all those unique vision powers is neat. On the other, it feels really narrow and the vast majority of creatures can't give you anything more interesting than Darkvision.

[Sagiam]

Personally I hope they go the other way and let all the other Sig Tools copy specific abilities from defeated foes the way this one does.

[Squiggit]

Yeah in general I'd like to see more weird stuff with Trophies worked into the design.

I also think that the starting trophies for higher level characters should maybe be a "work with your GM to pick your monsters" kind of thing. It adds overhead to building the class... but it really kind of bugs me that a Slayer built at level 10 is likely going to have worse class features than a Slayer built at level 5 and played to 10. Loot and stuff can obviously have a big effect on power level, but it's a little awkward when we're talking about a core feature of the class imo