Post by Jopper13 on Sept 2, 2020 16:34:55 GMT -5
This list of rules updates and changes will continue to be updated with clarifications or changes. This will override 1.6 rules until the next 1.7 rules edition is completed.
CONFIRMED:
1) Clarify wording that an "interrupted" meditation gains zero mana back, regardless of bonuses that add to/alter.
2) Page 50, expand/reword the fatigue after using True Grit/Last Hope.
3) "Severely Fatigued" negative effect for forgetting that you are not supposed to fight unhinderd, cast magic, run, etc is being changed from a "Open Mortal Wound" to the torso to a "Open Light Wound" to the torso. The Open mortal was a bit harsh.
4) Disease Resistance skill will be updated with an additional effect: "All Disease cards have -1 to their Cleanse Rating, as it is easier to Cleanse diseases from your body". Similar effect for Poison Resistance.
5) Update wording in Mordok section about colorations of skin color (from black to ash/charcoal with fantasy colors) as/if needed.
6) Clarify that "partially spent spells cannot be Spell Returned". Example; if someone casts Greater Striking Bolt and throws 2 spells, can they Spell Return 1 bag? If someone uses 1 Flare charge, can they Spell return it back? This may already be covered, but a review is needed.
BEING CONSIDERED:
1) Update Flare spell to allow 2 charges without the need to hold 2 silver beads, one in each hand. From seeing it used during combat, the 2nd charge isn't that much more potent and requiring both hands to do it seems too underwhelming. This would just allow someone to cast Flare, use 1 silver bead in 1 hand, and then expend up to 2 charges.
2) Review the Strap VS Punch shield details about holding a wounded torso. Playtesting & convention combat has shown that allowing punch shields to hold wounded torsos plays out well and is easier to remember.
3) Consider revamp of Ritual magic; turning it into its own school of magic like Arcane and Divine, or having its own skill tree. Tying it to mana reserves has been hard for players to remember and making it separate should be more streamlined.
4) Consider revamping the entire Arcane and Divine magic skills to remove the mana gained from each one. The intent would be to make Arcane 1, 2, and 3 skills and then all mana gained is through Mana Reserves. Careful attention needs to be placed on balancing the cost of skills plus the cumulative costs that can add up. This means that (if the #3 Ritual magic change above goes through) then players can choose from 3 schools of magic (Arcane, Divine, and Ritual) at various potencies and then they can customize their mana pool through Mana Reserves. This should, in theory, allow Syndar to still be potent spellcasters with mana reserves even if they can't access Witch Magic and do both schools (since mana would be split off from the spellcasting skills). This requires a deep analysis of all spellcasting and magic skills to see if it would even work.
5) This is kind of a radical idea, but potentially review an overhaul of Mage Armor and Protection auras and making them similar to the Weaver auras; where they only activate VS specific attacks.
For example, Mage Armor could change from "The next attack, arrow, or spell" to just "The next arrow or spell".
Protection could change from "The next physical attack or arrow" to just "The next arrow".
This would make melee combat not activate the auras but spells and arrows would, making them easier to remember when in the thick of combat. I also think it would be much easier to enforce the "If it is used, remove it" when shot by an arrow or hit with a spell instead of being in the thick of combat.
Another potential idea is to allow the wearer of the aura the choice of when it activates; they choose when they call protection instead of it being automatic. For example, a Mage could choose to call Mage Armor and absorb a melee attack or leave it on and take the damage, keeping it active in case someone shoots an arrow. This may be fun but it may be too complicated.
Another consideration is to remove the "Push/Flare activates a Mage Armor" mechanic as they don't actually do damage.
6) Consider adding in a "Purple Aura" for Magic Resistance. This has been used circumstantially at some events already and this would be a way to bring it into the game as a normal spell. Perhaps this could be a Ritual magic spell (especially if we redo Ritual as a school of magic) or Weaver magic special ability like Shatter Bolt/Acid Bolt auras. (which would just be a trade upgrade). This could either cause "Magic Resistance" for a certain amount of time or make the wearer Immune to the next damaging spell (push and flare wouldn't activate it). The "Resistance" version has worked well at practice where we have allowed someone with a Purple necklace to take knockbacks when hit with magic or even transfer spells into damage instead. This would also make the wearer either immune or harder to heal with Divine magic, a simple effect could be that all timers and mana costs are doubled to apply Divine magic effects on the weilder, or they simply cannot be worn as the spell violently reacts to repel any magic.
This was an idea playtested in 2017 that I would like to revisit, here are is some supporting feedback/info:
Reactive Aura (Spell)
Purple bead aura, cast by arcane magic, 3-4 mana. Reacts to incoming magic by exploding energy to disperse magic effects. All incoming magic targeting the aura bearer is changed to "1 point of damage" regardless of it's original effect. Must call "resist" and then the applicable damage call (armor, hit, etc). Cannot be worn with any other auras.
UPDATE: I both liked and hated this one. I liked it because you had a very solid counter to magic at the expense of taking damage. I hated it because it made things really lethal for both magic users and their attackers. Standing there getting hit with magic will kill you quickly (as Push and Flare now damage you) so you need to act. Since there was no stagger effect you could bum rush a mage and tear their apart. It didn't quite have the effect I was hoping for. I think this has potential... but it should be like the old Spell Block aura we talked about or potentially make it a 1-2 spell absorbing aura that knocks you back when you get hit. Weaver auras would need to be looked at as well
7) I cannot remember if this was reviewed previously and dismissed, but potentially review the order in which we call damage on players. Instead of calling Armor first, changing it to Call Hits first. The idea is that this makes Hit Point boosting effects and Temporary Hit Points from special abilities, spells, or magic items much more relevant. The idea also is that you are going to get battered and bruised up before your armor begins to take damage. If this is switched around, it makes Pull Arrow slightly hindered as Hit Points will be the first lost in combat, not the last. The feel of this change also focuses on players getting winded, bruised, and beet up a little bit before their armor is damaged, making Bartenders, Healers, Picklemongers, and Divine casters with Rejuvenate more important. This would also need to be reviewed with the combat Pierce mechanic as it is supposed to bypass armor... but I think a simple fix is that it still can. If Pierce attacks "Always bypass armor" and they run out of hit points and then get hit with it, they would progress to wounds just like they did before. But it does out imbalance it slightly and needs to be reviewed.
8) Potentially change "Two Handed" skill to "Cleaving Attack" and make it 2 stages; one with large weapons, then a second with shorter weapons. We should then also consider if skills could allow someone to cleave with a single handed weapon, which playtested fairly well as a magic item. Could this be an arcane weapon enchantment, similar to Bless Weapon? Or is this is skill? Or do we keep it magic weapon only risking that nobody will understand it because it doesn't exist anywhere else? It seems that people generally like this and it isn't too overpowered, but are concerned if these are "commonplace" in our game. Perhaps as a VERY difficult enchantment or reserved for rare artifact-level weapons, they could work. The lore supports magic weapons (paladin blades, bone weapons) and magic enchanting weapons (bless weapon) so it fits, but having it be easy or common does not.
9) Consider adding a "speed limit" to raging players; perhaps the "one foot must be in contact with the ground at all times" or "power walk" or "no jogging/running" because time and time again, the tamped up intensity/adrenaline of the Rage skill combined with the situation it activates in usually leads to hard hits and tripped up players or improper encroaching. This should still make the skill viable and terrifying to be on the receiving end but keep in more controlled.
MARCH 2022 ADDITION:
10) Consider adding in "Improved Respite" that allows a player to rest again when at 1 hit point to get to 2 hit points.
CONFIRMED:
1) Clarify wording that an "interrupted" meditation gains zero mana back, regardless of bonuses that add to/alter.
2) Page 50, expand/reword the fatigue after using True Grit/Last Hope.
3) "Severely Fatigued" negative effect for forgetting that you are not supposed to fight unhinderd, cast magic, run, etc is being changed from a "Open Mortal Wound" to the torso to a "Open Light Wound" to the torso. The Open mortal was a bit harsh.
4) Disease Resistance skill will be updated with an additional effect: "All Disease cards have -1 to their Cleanse Rating, as it is easier to Cleanse diseases from your body". Similar effect for Poison Resistance.
5) Update wording in Mordok section about colorations of skin color (from black to ash/charcoal with fantasy colors) as/if needed.
6) Clarify that "partially spent spells cannot be Spell Returned". Example; if someone casts Greater Striking Bolt and throws 2 spells, can they Spell Return 1 bag? If someone uses 1 Flare charge, can they Spell return it back? This may already be covered, but a review is needed.
BEING CONSIDERED:
1) Update Flare spell to allow 2 charges without the need to hold 2 silver beads, one in each hand. From seeing it used during combat, the 2nd charge isn't that much more potent and requiring both hands to do it seems too underwhelming. This would just allow someone to cast Flare, use 1 silver bead in 1 hand, and then expend up to 2 charges.
2) Review the Strap VS Punch shield details about holding a wounded torso. Playtesting & convention combat has shown that allowing punch shields to hold wounded torsos plays out well and is easier to remember.
3) Consider revamp of Ritual magic; turning it into its own school of magic like Arcane and Divine, or having its own skill tree. Tying it to mana reserves has been hard for players to remember and making it separate should be more streamlined.
4) Consider revamping the entire Arcane and Divine magic skills to remove the mana gained from each one. The intent would be to make Arcane 1, 2, and 3 skills and then all mana gained is through Mana Reserves. Careful attention needs to be placed on balancing the cost of skills plus the cumulative costs that can add up. This means that (if the #3 Ritual magic change above goes through) then players can choose from 3 schools of magic (Arcane, Divine, and Ritual) at various potencies and then they can customize their mana pool through Mana Reserves. This should, in theory, allow Syndar to still be potent spellcasters with mana reserves even if they can't access Witch Magic and do both schools (since mana would be split off from the spellcasting skills). This requires a deep analysis of all spellcasting and magic skills to see if it would even work.
5) This is kind of a radical idea, but potentially review an overhaul of Mage Armor and Protection auras and making them similar to the Weaver auras; where they only activate VS specific attacks.
For example, Mage Armor could change from "The next attack, arrow, or spell" to just "The next arrow or spell".
Protection could change from "The next physical attack or arrow" to just "The next arrow".
This would make melee combat not activate the auras but spells and arrows would, making them easier to remember when in the thick of combat. I also think it would be much easier to enforce the "If it is used, remove it" when shot by an arrow or hit with a spell instead of being in the thick of combat.
Another potential idea is to allow the wearer of the aura the choice of when it activates; they choose when they call protection instead of it being automatic. For example, a Mage could choose to call Mage Armor and absorb a melee attack or leave it on and take the damage, keeping it active in case someone shoots an arrow. This may be fun but it may be too complicated.
Another consideration is to remove the "Push/Flare activates a Mage Armor" mechanic as they don't actually do damage.
6) Consider adding in a "Purple Aura" for Magic Resistance. This has been used circumstantially at some events already and this would be a way to bring it into the game as a normal spell. Perhaps this could be a Ritual magic spell (especially if we redo Ritual as a school of magic) or Weaver magic special ability like Shatter Bolt/Acid Bolt auras. (which would just be a trade upgrade). This could either cause "Magic Resistance" for a certain amount of time or make the wearer Immune to the next damaging spell (push and flare wouldn't activate it). The "Resistance" version has worked well at practice where we have allowed someone with a Purple necklace to take knockbacks when hit with magic or even transfer spells into damage instead. This would also make the wearer either immune or harder to heal with Divine magic, a simple effect could be that all timers and mana costs are doubled to apply Divine magic effects on the weilder, or they simply cannot be worn as the spell violently reacts to repel any magic.
This was an idea playtested in 2017 that I would like to revisit, here are is some supporting feedback/info:
Reactive Aura (Spell)
Purple bead aura, cast by arcane magic, 3-4 mana. Reacts to incoming magic by exploding energy to disperse magic effects. All incoming magic targeting the aura bearer is changed to "1 point of damage" regardless of it's original effect. Must call "resist" and then the applicable damage call (armor, hit, etc). Cannot be worn with any other auras.
UPDATE: I both liked and hated this one. I liked it because you had a very solid counter to magic at the expense of taking damage. I hated it because it made things really lethal for both magic users and their attackers. Standing there getting hit with magic will kill you quickly (as Push and Flare now damage you) so you need to act. Since there was no stagger effect you could bum rush a mage and tear their apart. It didn't quite have the effect I was hoping for. I think this has potential... but it should be like the old Spell Block aura we talked about or potentially make it a 1-2 spell absorbing aura that knocks you back when you get hit. Weaver auras would need to be looked at as well
7) I cannot remember if this was reviewed previously and dismissed, but potentially review the order in which we call damage on players. Instead of calling Armor first, changing it to Call Hits first. The idea is that this makes Hit Point boosting effects and Temporary Hit Points from special abilities, spells, or magic items much more relevant. The idea also is that you are going to get battered and bruised up before your armor begins to take damage. If this is switched around, it makes Pull Arrow slightly hindered as Hit Points will be the first lost in combat, not the last. The feel of this change also focuses on players getting winded, bruised, and beet up a little bit before their armor is damaged, making Bartenders, Healers, Picklemongers, and Divine casters with Rejuvenate more important. This would also need to be reviewed with the combat Pierce mechanic as it is supposed to bypass armor... but I think a simple fix is that it still can. If Pierce attacks "Always bypass armor" and they run out of hit points and then get hit with it, they would progress to wounds just like they did before. But it does out imbalance it slightly and needs to be reviewed.
8) Potentially change "Two Handed" skill to "Cleaving Attack" and make it 2 stages; one with large weapons, then a second with shorter weapons. We should then also consider if skills could allow someone to cleave with a single handed weapon, which playtested fairly well as a magic item. Could this be an arcane weapon enchantment, similar to Bless Weapon? Or is this is skill? Or do we keep it magic weapon only risking that nobody will understand it because it doesn't exist anywhere else? It seems that people generally like this and it isn't too overpowered, but are concerned if these are "commonplace" in our game. Perhaps as a VERY difficult enchantment or reserved for rare artifact-level weapons, they could work. The lore supports magic weapons (paladin blades, bone weapons) and magic enchanting weapons (bless weapon) so it fits, but having it be easy or common does not.
9) Consider adding a "speed limit" to raging players; perhaps the "one foot must be in contact with the ground at all times" or "power walk" or "no jogging/running" because time and time again, the tamped up intensity/adrenaline of the Rage skill combined with the situation it activates in usually leads to hard hits and tripped up players or improper encroaching. This should still make the skill viable and terrifying to be on the receiving end but keep in more controlled.
MARCH 2022 ADDITION:
10) Consider adding in "Improved Respite" that allows a player to rest again when at 1 hit point to get to 2 hit points.
