Character Creation Discussion Thread

[namo]

Deadline is February 1st, cf. the Overview tab.

[CraziFuzzy]

Oh yeah - since this game is allowing 3pp spheres content - I wanted to make sure everyone got the change to use my contribution if they choose:

Spheres of Adequacy

[Sundust]

Sorry if any of these have been answered already, but:

1. Is Magical KnackMagical Knack
   You were raised, either wholly or in part, by a magical creature, either after it found you abandoned in the woods or because your parents often left you in the care of a magical minion. This constant exposure to magic has made its mysteries easy for you to understand, even when you turn your mind to other devotions and tasks.
   
   Benefit: Pick a class when you gain this trait—your caster level in that class gains a +2 trait bonus as long as this bonus doesn’t raise your caster level above your current Hit Dice. allowed?
2. Is Prophetic ArmorProphetic Armor (Ex): You are so in tune with your primal nature that your instincts often act to save you from danger that your civilized mind isn’t even aware of. You may use your Charisma modifier (instead of your Dexterity modifier) as part of your Armor Class and all Reflex saving throws. Your armor’s maximum Dexterity bonus applies to your Charisma, instead. allowed to stack with things like the Prescient DodgerPrescient Dodger (Ex)
   You have developed a sort of sixth sense where it can divine where blows will hit. The source of this foresight may be calculative, inborn luck or insightful. When unarmored and unencumbered and not using a shield, you add your highest mental ability modifier (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma), or casting ability modifier, if you possess a casting tradition, to your AC and CMD. These bonuses apply even against touch attacks or when the rogue is caught flat-footed and increases by +1 for every 4 rogue levels. You lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless, when you wear any armor or use a shield, or when you carry a medium or heavy load. This does not stack with the monk’s AC bonus or similar class features. and CunningCunning (Ex)
   You are good at getting yourself out of scrapes by being wilier and craftier than your enemies. Choose a saving throw. You receive a bonus to this saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You lose this bonus whenever you are denied your Dexterity bonus to AC or you wear armor heavier than light armor. You may choose this talent multiple times. Each time, choose a different saving throw. rogue talents?
3. If my character is undead, and has no constitution score, may I still reduce my constitution score for race building purposes? I understand that con should start at 10 from point buy, but I'm talking about after the point buy. For example, could I apply the -4 from Greater WeaknessGreater Weakness (–3 RP)
   Prerequisites: Pick either mental or physical ability scores.
   
   Modifiers: : Members of this race take a –4 penalty to one of those ability scores, a –2 penalty to another of those ability scores, and a +2 bonus to the other ability score. to con, bringing undead con from 10 to 6?

[Ulysses Dare]

Ah, the joys of discovering a new archetype and having to completely reconsider your character build.

A question regarding the Symbiat's Battlefield Sense. By RAW, it applies Intelligence. I suspect this is an oversight from before Ultimate Spheres and that it should apply one's Casting Ability Modifier instead. However, I could not locate any errata to that effect. What would your ruling be?

[Taggerung559]

Ultimate spheres of power included a reprint of symbiat, which still has battlefield sense use int rather than casting modifier. It's not just an oversight.

Edited January 26 by Taggerung559 (see edit history)

[Saberfan]

On 1/24/2024 at 5:32 AM, Escheton said:

Just found the thread. Looks like it's been up for a month or so. Has a deadline been given yet? A quick perusal didn't spot me one.
And would need a good two weeks for a character with this many options.
Also, hey everyone

February 1st is the cutoff date for applications. I'm currently still hard at work deconstructing statblocks for completed submissions, so you have a bit of time left to complete a character.

On 1/25/2024 at 8:18 PM, Sundust said:

Sorry if any of these have been answered already, but:

1. Is Magical KnackMagical Knack
   You were raised, either wholly or in part, by a magical creature, either after it found you abandoned in the woods or because your parents often left you in the care of a magical minion. This constant exposure to magic has made its mysteries easy for you to understand, even when you turn your mind to other devotions and tasks.
   
   Benefit: Pick a class when you gain this trait—your caster level in that class gains a +2 trait bonus as long as this bonus doesn’t raise your caster level above your current Hit Dice. allowed?
2. Is Prophetic ArmorProphetic Armor (Ex): You are so in tune with your primal nature that your instincts often act to save you from danger that your civilized mind isn’t even aware of. You may use your Charisma modifier (instead of your Dexterity modifier) as part of your Armor Class and all Reflex saving throws. Your armor’s maximum Dexterity bonus applies to your Charisma, instead. allowed to stack with things like the Prescient DodgerPrescient Dodger (Ex)
   You have developed a sort of sixth sense where it can divine where blows will hit. The source of this foresight may be calculative, inborn luck or insightful. When unarmored and unencumbered and not using a shield, you add your highest mental ability modifier (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma), or casting ability modifier, if you possess a casting tradition, to your AC and CMD. These bonuses apply even against touch attacks or when the rogue is caught flat-footed and increases by +1 for every 4 rogue levels. You lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless, when you wear any armor or use a shield, or when you carry a medium or heavy load. This does not stack with the monk’s AC bonus or similar class features. and CunningCunning (Ex)
   You are good at getting yourself out of scrapes by being wilier and craftier than your enemies. Choose a saving throw. You receive a bonus to this saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You lose this bonus whenever you are denied your Dexterity bonus to AC or you wear armor heavier than light armor. You may choose this talent multiple times. Each time, choose a different saving throw. rogue talents?
3. If my character is undead, and has no constitution score, may I still reduce my constitution score for race building purposes? I understand that con should start at 10 from point buy, but I'm talking about after the point buy. For example, could I apply the -4 from Greater WeaknessGreater Weakness (–3 RP)
   Prerequisites: Pick either mental or physical ability scores.
   
   Modifiers: : Members of this race take a –4 penalty to one of those ability scores, a –2 penalty to another of those ability scores, and a +2 bonus to the other ability score. to con, bringing undead con from 10 to 6?

Magical Knack is allowed, but remember it's restriction on not raising your CL higher than your HD.

Generally speaking, class features that give the same ability score modifiers to AC or saves do not stack.

My stance is that it wouldn't make a lot of sense to allow undead characters to get free RP for no real tradeoff, so I'd advise against reducing your CON score.

On 1/25/2024 at 9:10 PM, Ulysses Dare said:

Ah, the joys of discovering a new archetype and having to completely reconsider your character build.

A question regarding the Symbiat's Battlefield Sense. By RAW, it applies Intelligence. I suspect this is an oversight from before Ultimate Spheres and that it should apply one's Casting Ability Modifier instead. However, I could not locate any errata to that effect. What would your ruling be?

As far as I know, it retains the INT stipulation even in Ultimate Spheres of Power. I'm pretty sure the question came up on the Spheres discord and it was stated that it was a deliberate design choice, although I may be misremembering that.

[Taggerung559]

11 hours ago, Saberfan said:

Magical Knack is allowed, but remember it's restriction on not raising your CL higher than your HD.

If you're determined I won't contest this, but I'd like to point out that if allowed magical knack is an objectively better (by a significant margin) version of the sphere specific Gift for magic trait, since that is also +2 CL, has the same limitation that it can't exceed your HD, and only applies to a single sphere.

[Steel Warrior]

So, I was looking over the rules and I tried to see if this had been answered. I know the goal is "spheres classes" and I thought it would be cool to have a shapeshifter (changeling) race builder. I am also interested in the Shifter class that's not spheres and the Oozemorph Archetype.

Can I still use this plus a spheres class?

The only other thing that kinda fits is the Alteration Ooze Transformation (transformation) [Origin], but it since it says Origin. So I don't know if I can use it as we use Racebuilder, and not Origins.

Or it's only implying the source of the alteration and it's free to use. Just making sure.

Edited January 27 by Steel Warrior (see edit history)

[VennDygrem]

1 hour ago, Steel Warrior said:

The only other thing that kinda fits is the Alteration Ooze Transformation (transformation) [Origin], but it since it says Origin. So I don't know if I can use it as we use Racebuilder, and not Origins.

Or it's only implying the source of the alteration and it's free to use. Just making sure.

I believe those talents have that tag so they interact a specific way with the Origin talent system, but as far as I know they're still just normal Alteration talents.

[TheFred]

1 hour ago, Taggerung559 said:

If you're determined I won't contest this, but I'd like to point out that if allowed magical knack is an objectively better (by a significant margin) version of the sphere specific Gift for magic trait, since that is also +2 CL, has the same limitation that it can't exceed your HD, and only applies to a single sphere.

As much as I've love just to slap Magical Knack on everything, I agree, at this level it almost turns any mid-caster into a full-caster for the low low price of one trait. The transparency rules also indicate that general CL boosts from outside Spheres ought to apply only to MSB (which feels a bit spoilsporty in some cases, but entirely fair in this one!).

[TheFred]

Other questions...

Just to double-check, the Veilweaving Sphere is allowed, but were the Spheres archetypes of the Veilweaving classes, like Sphere Vizier?

The odd Spheres gestalt rules let you get double bonus tradition SP. Does the same apply to bonus essence from the Essence Pool boon? I wouldn't expect it to, but then, I would never have expected SP to either (and Draw/Condense sets up a - rather generous - 1:1 ratio for the two).

Are things like magic items of Vancian spells still available? I assume so, since under these rules you can still be a Vancian spellcaster (e.g. Magus with the Runic Knight archetype I think still counts as "a Spheres class"?), just wanted to double check.

[Escheton]

With the only off limit sphere being bear sphere, that means pilot, and thus the Arcforge Mecha Rules are in play correct?
In looking into it, I found some other Arcforge feats on the SoP site, and would like to request the use of some of them:
 

%5Burl%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fspheresofpower.wikidot.com%2Farcforge-feats%23toc14%22%5DFortified%20Corpsecraft%5B%2Furl%5D

Fortified Corpsecraft

%5Burl%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fspheresofpower.wikidot.com%2Farcforge-feats%23toc27%22%5DRevenant%20Militia%5B%2Furl%5D

Revenant Militia

%5Burl%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fspheresofpower.wikidot.com%2Farcforge-feats%23toc21%22%5DMaster%20Necrografter%5B%2Furl%5D

Master Necrografter

 

[Laird Ichofox]

@Saberfan Because I've had a third idea, I want to know: Would you allow the Epoch-Walker & Veilknife archetypes for Soulknife to stack, trading the feats Veilknife would grant away for the Epoch-Walker's Blended Training?

[Rudra]

Go for it Laird, 2 more applications and this game will reach 50, could be a record!

[Steel Warrior]

Oh? I didn't realize that Dreamscarred Press combined with spheres would be allowed. It's all good though. I may not have time to finish an app anyways :( Work work.