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Author Topic: Idea to make One Power, less Powered
JosephKell
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Member # 99447


posted April 07, 2003 12:22 PM      Profile for JosephKell   Email JosephKell    Edit/Delete Post
Well I told a player about how WoT works with d20, and he was like, "Cool, we are going to play that too [we are already playing D&D], right?"

But only a fool wouldn't be a Channeler (they may not know how to min/max, yet, but they aren't idiots), so I am trying to find ways to make channelers rely on skills and attack rolls more. All I have so far is:

-More ranged touch attacks for One Power: Fireball (and Lightning, and Balefire) would now require a Range Touch Attack (similar to a grenade attack) with a Range Increment of 1/10th the total range of the fireball (the Far Shot feat would double the range increment to 1/5th total fireball weave range). (I always thought it should be like this, how could you have Fireball throwing matches in Forgotten Realms if it is just look and shoot?!?!?!)

Any other ideas to make them less automatic?

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From: California | Registered: Aug 2002  |  IP: Logged
LuciusT
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posted April 07, 2003 01:16 PM      Profile for LuciusT      Edit/Delete Post
Someone whose name escapes me at the moment had posted a varient rule requireing a Composure check to Embrace the Source. IIRC, it was DC 10 to Embrace the Source as a full round action, DC 20 as a move action and DC 30 as a free action. Failure required a Fort save on the Overchanneling chart.

Edit: Also, if you really want to limit channeling, strictly enforce the social/RP restrictions on channeling. Those restrictions create some very good reasons to not want to be a channeler.

[ April 07, 2003, 01:20 PM: Message edited by: LuciusT ]

From: Lafayette IN | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged
The Great Gray Skwid
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posted April 07, 2003 02:19 PM      Profile for The Great Gray Skwid   Email The Great Gray Skwid    Edit/Delete Post
Lucius ain't kidding.

It's real easy to keep channellers low-powered if your GM doesn't let casual channelling slide. I think my fellow PCs are starting to wonder why they keep my character around...he sure isn't that good of an armsman... [ROFL]

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Evan "Skwid" Langlinais
The Humblest Mollusk on the Net
http://www.thehumblest.net/
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From: The Big D | Registered: Jul 2001  |  IP: Logged
JosephKell
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posted April 07, 2003 03:22 PM      Profile for JosephKell   Email JosephKell    Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Originally posted by The Great Gray Skwid:
Lucius ain't kidding.

It's real easy to keep channellers low-powered if your GM doesn't let casual channelling slide. I think my fellow PCs are starting to wonder why they keep my character around...he sure isn't that good of an armsman... [ROFL]

That is fine and good for a mixxed party, but this is (probably) an all [male] channeler party (one might be a female wilder... not sure). Although it would be amusing to not tell everyone what each other's characters are and to watch all 3 male channelers try to hide their abilities from each other!

"You armsmen are useless!" single female channeler says to the 3 incogneto male channelers.

--------------------
Instant Message me @ JonERPG on the AIMer

Visit AielManSpear

-If you cast Meteor Swarm to avoid wasting your REALLY good spells...
-If your character sheet is longer than the Player's Handbook...
-If you have a magic item that can destroy the world...with four charges left...
-If the God of Destiny asks you what will have next...
...you might be a Munchkin.

From: California | Registered: Aug 2002  |  IP: Logged
LuciusT
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Member # 4474


posted April 07, 2003 04:25 PM      Profile for LuciusT      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Originally posted by JosephKell:
]That is fine and good for a mixxed party, but this is (probably) an all [male] channeler party (one might be a female wilder... not sure).

Don't forget the whole rest of the world. Any NPC would learns that a man can channel ought to react with fear and/or violence. The mere rumor of a single male channeler... let alone several... should bring the Red Ajah down on the party like a ton of bricks. The characters will be outcasts at best, outlaws at worst.
From: Lafayette IN | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged
skyman
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posted April 07, 2003 04:27 PM      Profile for skyman      Edit/Delete Post
In my campaign channelers probably had the worst of it. As any slip could get them hunted by Whitecloaks and the Aes Sedai (either to be gentled for males or taken to the White Tower for female wilders) they could only use their abilities in a select few situations. This led the channelers to often multiclass, so they would be useful in other situations.
Also, I only let channelers select weaves they would have a good chance of learning - no fireballs and such unless they were taught. I might actually have to help channelers out in my next game.

[ April 07, 2003, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: skyman ]

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"Death comes sooner or later to everyone unless they serve the Dark One, and only fools are willing to pay that price."
-Lan Mandragoran

From: Olympia, WA | Registered: Mar 2003  |  IP: Logged
Steve Russell
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posted April 08, 2003 12:38 AM      Profile for Steve Russell   Email Steve Russell    Edit/Delete Post
Why does everyone want to go around nerfing the channelers? Is it because your powergamers gravitate to these classes perhaps.

Channelers in the books take out Lan so forget game balance for a minute and remember the setting.

The better way is to use the books, in the books it is said it is very difficult to use the power on something you cannot see.

Point one all channelers are humans and cannot see in the dark. Myrdraal know who the channelers are. kill them first. or just make it another sneaky sob.

I have found that the variant rule no dex, no def bonus works well to make things very much like a single arrow through the heart still kills you (especially with that trolloc poisoned barbed arrow)

madness gets channelers, quit just letting your PC's Take mental stability in my game you have to learn it (Rand gets put in a box for 40 days and 40 nights to learn it with beatings in-between.)

enforce blocks you don't get to use any channeler exclusive skills if you have a block and cannot overcome it. and once thier past first level make them have to learn to break their block (look how long it took Nynaeve)

Laws and Traditions help also. It is against the law to use the power and not be a member of a channeling tradition in every society and in some it is against the law to channel or even be a channeler. even after rand offers his ammnesty it is only for those who follow the black tower.

If you got male channelers well you better get out Cadsuane Sedi or the 13 Red Ajah (maybe that nasty group that stills on the spot) Your not the dragon reborn there is no reason not to gentle you now chose your new class or go find nynaeve and ask really nicely.

If you have a potiential remember that a traveling Aes Sedi will know it (or the kin) and the Seanchan will bloody well collar her.

Oh yea and skyman is right wilders don't get to choose thier weaves the gm does they want to choose weaves get a teacher (who still chooses what to teach you).

Don't be a Carebear. Be a PKer. its more true to life.

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I have a reading lesson with the Lady Riselle. She lets me rest my head on her bosom while she reads to me.
-Olver

Please visit and review my Epic Level Homebrew Setting: A Brave New Worldat the Commonplace Book.

From: dayton ohio usa | Registered: Mar 2003  |  IP: Logged
The mighty anarchist
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posted April 08, 2003 03:08 AM      Profile for The mighty anarchist      Edit/Delete Post
I aggree with Steve, if the gm does his job this won`t be a problem.
If you send several np`c`s or any smart ones, go for the channeler, their weaves doesn`t come into effect before the 3th round, meaning you could attack the channeler, killing or hurt her/him badly, and trip him/her, the channeler wouldn`t stand a chance.
If you relly want do downpower the channelers then just let the saving throws be easier, but I don`t think they are owerpowered at all. A myrdral kicks an aes sedai any day, coz she is dead before that arms of air takes effect.
I personly uses ref saves for arms of air, so it won`t be that bad.

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Did it die??

From: Norway | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged
Shadowkiller
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posted April 08, 2003 07:27 AM      Profile for Shadowkiller      Edit/Delete Post
I must say, I really do try to kill my PC's but they do a really good job of keeping everyone alive. I only limited male channelers at the beginning and truthfully I almost had no channelers to start my game. Everyone wanted to be something else and they got it no problem. 2 of my original players went wilder after a while and now they are my two strongest channelers. I'll give you a situation that I ran.
[PoTD SPOILER BELOW]

In the Moon Tower scene, I increased the difficulty because my characters are level 10 and 11. There were 5 level 7 snipers firing 3 shots a round and the Noble in the back cheering them on (now level 12). I started slamming the 3 PC's who were climbing the tower doing around 30-50 damage a round. Round 2, Female wilder throws a compulsion up there but because of darkness and the fact that they had 1/2 cover, she only managed to get one of them and told him to stop firing, so he did. Round 3, Male channeler (who finally started hitting madness ratings hard due to coming back from the future) channeled fly(learned with my random weave table on my website) and flew up and stopped in the middle of the snipers. 15 arrows later, he had 3 hp left and missed the panic stage of madness by 1 point.
Female wilder throws a wall of air around him in a cylindrical shape without top or bottom effectively stopping arrows. Male channeler flew straight down 4 or 5 floors before hiding and after leaving a level 6 fireball among the snipers(princess I'm trapped by Darkfriends barely made her save due to 9/10 cover). Snipers start raining arrows down upon noble chick working her way up the ramp still(since they dont know who the female channeler is yet and they cant see her very well[night sky is backlighting the snipers so there are silouettes] and the noble is glowing due to her Sildaren battle dress being over halfway used[A power wrought item on my website]) Male channeler starts working his way up the ramp on the underside(still flying and hiding).

Female wilder creates a ladder out of air and surrounds it with an air shield (double weave from my website). Female noble is glowing much brighter now due to 20-30 arrows sticking out of her. Male channeler stops on the floor with still open windows and quickportals outside and flys straight up 45 feet(he wanted to portal 160 feet above the snipers but he couldn't see it due to nighttime).

Female wilder is still climbing the ladder, noble is getting more cushiony and male channeler keeps flying up. Female wilder makes it to the top of her ladder and orders compulsioned boy to tackle one of the other snipers(she is still surrounded by air so no arrows get to her but the snipers stop shooting at the noble[who is at 2 hp]). She manages to compulsion another one while male wilder throws an immolate on the one of the other guys killing him(after the failing the fireball save and immolate save)[male wilder is now floating with just his head above the edge of the tower].

Female channeler orders compulsioned guy two to tackle the last sniper while male channeler immolates our noble DF, killing him(he also failed both saves).

As you see, I did what I could, but sometimes you just cant stop what is happening. There was some lighting effects in there at one point and some other things and they booked out of the tower in hopes that they wouldnt get caught by the guards after the fireball went off. (I also didnt feel like working much harder at that point.)

Channelers can be quite powerful even if they use it smart. I admit, I run a power game, but I also run power everything in my game. You just need to make sure that the players know that channelers arent all there is. Without the big fighters to hold back the Myrddraal and things, I probably would have killed my party many a time by now.

--------------------
Children of the Dragon
^My Website^

From: Currently-Germany | Registered: Oct 2002  |  IP: Logged
Steve Russell
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Member # 130579



posted April 08, 2003 09:54 AM      Profile for Steve Russell   Email Steve Russell    Edit/Delete Post
quote:
"I did what I could, but sometimes you just cant stop what is happening... ...Channelers can be quite powerful even if they use it smart. I admit, I run a power game, but I also run power everything in my game."
It seems to me if your running a power game in this situation a channeler on the other team would have been called for and a better murder hole.
(psycho male wilder, renegade Windfinder, etc...)

quote:
fly
Grrr. I hate fly. you are a braver GM than I. [bow]

--------------------
I have a reading lesson with the Lady Riselle. She lets me rest my head on her bosom while she reads to me.
-Olver

Please visit and review my Epic Level Homebrew Setting: A Brave New Worldat the Commonplace Book.

From: dayton ohio usa | Registered: Mar 2003  |  IP: Logged
Sophiathegreen
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posted April 13, 2003 04:24 AM      Profile for Sophiathegreen   Email Sophiathegreen    Edit/Delete Post
I donot think Channeler are that over powering.

First it than Channeler channel than power which is very visal to the public in than area that donot like
channeler is asking for touble. Than reputation check
can have the NPC know they are faceing than channeler
than they will take measure to deal with that.

From: El Pase Texas | Registered: Apr 2003  |  IP: Logged
drothgery
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Member # 4490


posted April 13, 2003 11:47 AM      Profile for drothgery      Edit/Delete Post
quote:
Originally posted by JosephKell:
Well I told a player about how WoT works with d20, and he was like, "Cool, we are going to play that too [we are already playing D&D], right?"

But only a fool wouldn't be a Channeler (they may not know how to min/max, yet, but they aren't idiots), so I am trying to find ways to make channelers rely on skills and attack rolls more. All I have so far is:

Strangely, all-cleric D&D parties are surprisingly rare.

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Dave Rothgery
Picking nits since 1976
drothgery@alum.wpi.edu
http://drothgery.editthispage.com/
Optional d20 WoT Rules at http://home.san.rr.com/drothgery/wot_rpg.htm

From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged


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