New Frank & K Tome pdf

[Surgo]

CURRENT VERSION IS 0.5.1:
http://turing.bard.edu/~mk561/frank_k_0.5.1.pdf
SOURCES:
http://turing.bard.edu/~mk561/frank_k_pdf_0.5.1.tar.gz

http://turing.bard.edu/~mk561/frank_k_c ... [br]Please post any bugs / other problems you find in this thread.

Here's what has changed:
* Added the Master of the Seven Necromantic Mysteries prestige class.
* Added the Fire Mage base class.
* Added the Marshall base class.
* Added the redone Boneblade Reaper prestige class.
* Added a label to the True Fiend class.
* Added a label to the Conduit of the Lower Planes class.
* Added a label to the Necromantic feats.
* Added the Book of Gears as the first appendix.
* Added the following community material in the second appendix:
- Spherelock by Cielingcat
- Skill problems and skill feats by Iaimeki

If you want to see how amateur typesetters work, sources are available here:
http://turing.bard.edu/~mk561/frank_k_p ... .tar.gz[br](Warning: if you use notepad or any other program dumb enough to not interpret line breaks correctly as your text editor / viewer, you might not see line breaks. This is because Windows uses a slightly different format for newlines than POSIX (read: Linux) systems do. Firefox worked correctly on Windows the last time I checked. If you care enough to get so far as to download these, the "book" starts in entire.tex.)

Aside from correcting typos, I made a couple changes from the source material on the community stuff for a little extra clarification on one thing or other, fixing a clear mistake, or making designer intent more clear. You can find the list of changes in the file named CHANGES_FROM_SOURCE.txt in the sources, or here:
http://turing.bard.edu/~mk561/CHANGES_F ... t[br][br]I actually forgot all about Iaimeki's Kantian Paladin, and by the time I remembered it I had already been sitting on this thing too long. So it'll go in the next version. If anyone else has something that they want to be included in the next version and they are reasonably sure it's balanced and playable (have you playtested it?), post a link to it in this thread.

Also, try this:

http://code.google.com/p/awesometome/downloads/list

[Maxus]

I really appreciate that you take the time to make this. Thanks!

(Edit: In a fit of nitpicking, decided the previous edit was worth a post)

[CalibronXXX]

Yes thank you.

[Maxus]

Hey, where's the info on the material Boneblade?

[JonSetanta]

Thanks a ton! Even more thanks for including Fire Mage, Skill Feats (Iameki's) and Spherelock (Ceilingcat's)!

A pity Koumei's skill feats didn't make it in, and we haven't balanced the Bloodlines enough to make it into Tome continuity yet. Ah well, v5....

[Surgo]

Hey, where's the info on the material Boneblade?

That's odd; the entire section on Necromantic Equipment seems to be missing. That'll be the first thing in the next version I guess.

A pity Koumei's skill feats didn't make it in

I need to review them. Again. One major problem I had is that feats shouldn't be scaling with caster level; there are just way too many ways to jack that up artificially high. Scaling with the highest level spell you can cast should be acceptable. But I'll post that with the rest of my review when I get it done.

[MrWaeseL]

Scaling with the highest level spell you can cast should be acceptable.

Best to just make it character level. There are some PrCs out there that grant 9 spell levels over 10 class levels.

In any case, thanks again for the effort.

[Maxus]

One major problem I had is that feats shouldn't be scaling with caster level; there are just way too many ways to jack that up artificially high.

Maybe some caveats about that? True caster level vs. effective caster level?

[Koumei]

Yeah, I forgot that some people have smartass ways of jacking their Caster Level. Just because I'd *like* for CL to always be equal to character level (no more, no less), doesn't make it true.

[JonSetanta]

Aha yes I forgot too!
Just saw a feat in Planar Handbook last night that does exactly that, and then there's the Reserve feats.
I vote for "advances with spellcaster levels but no more than character level".

Also, double check for bleeding bold text that runs into other parts of the document, Surgo.

[Surgo]

It will help if you tell me where those parts are, because it's a fvcking long document. Though theoretically it shouldn't be occuring anywhere because it would cause an error at compile time.

[JonSetanta]

Page 248: CC's Warlock aka Spherelock.
The ability "Energy Resistance" has bleeding bold.

Also, on p260 (credits), the link refers to the Spherelock but it's official title is Warlock.
Perhaps a mention below the Warlock flavor quote that "This class is also referred to as the Spherelock"?

[virgil]

The Marshall doesn't seem to actually be in your document

[Surgo]

Page 248: CC's Warlock aka Spherelock.
The ability "Energy Resistance" has bleeding bold.

Oops. Fixed for next version.

Also, on p260 (credits), the link refers to the Spherelock but it's official title is Warlock.

That's intentional.

Perhaps a mention below the Warlock flavor quote that "This class is also referred to as the Spherelock"?

Okay.

The Marshall doesn't seem to actually be in your document

Oops. I typeset it but forgot to include it in the main document. Fixed for next version.

[Bigode]

Thank you very much. There's the half dragon, genie and puppeteer as extra complete material. The bard and the sorcerer weren't finished, it seems. Also, with you being up for "third-party material", Cielingcat also made the shadow warrior (ops, only lacks the skill list).

[Koumei]

Bah, you don't need a bloody skills list. Seriously just let people take whatever. When multi-classing can be done, that's really good, too.

[JonSetanta]

Yes, I agree with Koumei. Unfortunately we can't seem to convince Frank and Keith of same, unless all their previous stuff was before this whole "new setting" discussion changing their minds about certain things, or at least had time to reconsider.
I enjoy a nice UMD and Diplomacy on a Sorcerer, Hide and Move Silently on a Fighter, or Spot and Listen on a Wizard.

[Bigode]

Koumei, that's been my opinion of late; hence why I don't even call it incomplete - just pointing the minor lack to whoever thinks it's important.

[SunTzuWarmaster]

Side note: Under Combat -> Advanced Combat -> Trip attempts

There is no mention of the defender getting a size bonus. Just sayin'.

[AlphaNerd]

Well, shoot, I could have just sent you a lot of this info already. I put some of it together, but never followed through with it.

Morgon ”Surgo” Kanter. You've got the wrong quote mark on one of the attributations page. I suggest using some command line text editor (forgot the name) to switch all the " ''" or " "" to " ``".

I'm going to put this up on the website that you didn't update the link to, unless you object. I think the odds that I continue this project are slim, so I do not object to someone else picking up the project. Please email me with releases if you want me to continue posting the PDF.

Just for the record, at the time, I heard mixed feelings about including Forum generated content into the PDF. I stopped maintaining the PDF when I lost interest in the game. I'll email you all the .tex files I have just in case you want to incorporate them into something.

If anyone can make an awesome title page, that would be neato. Ideally it would be written in some sort of vector-based format, but the image can be converted (it just looks kinda bad).

[AlphaNerd]

The Book of Gears needs some proofreading, and I've found more quotation mark mistakes, and a .dots for a \dots in "A Little Note on XP Costs".

In general, proofreading sucks, but it's a necessary evil. I recommend two reads over a section to eliminate most errors.



Also, Frank and K please choose a license under which to distribute this material. It doesn't take a lot of work to choose, there lots of good prewritten options. I know little about them, but there's always GNU v2 or the Open Gaming License.

[Surgo]

I've already caught and fixed most ? and . mistakes. I'll upload the next version (with these fixes) asap, along with the stuff you emailed my way.

edit: Also, Josh, thought I should mention something random I found. Apparently a couple people on another small board I visit knew you in college or attended your wedding or something and were mildly surprised when your name came up on the pdf as the original creator. Small world!

edit again: Regarding license, Frank has stated more than once that any work he posts is in the public domain (though not in exactly those words).

[AlphaNerd]

I know about the fact that it's in the public domain, but they may wish to clarify the point (or maybe not).

I am married, and I went to a small college, so it's entirely plausible. Small world indeed.

Drop me an email when you finish it all up, and I can update the stuff on the web.

[JonSetanta]

One problem with making FnK Tome stuff 'public domain' is that WOTC is free, at any time, to directly and blatantly copy the exact wording and paste it in any later release.
That is... if they desired to do so.
Which would alienate many fans, since too many gamers see Tome warriors as too powerful, yet can't seem to defend their reasoning for why spellcasters with SoDs and Calling effects are not.

[Surgo]

One problem with making FnK Tome stuff 'public domain' is that WOTC is free, at any time, to directly and blatantly copy the exact wording and paste it in any later release.

So is anyone and everyone else in the world, actually. That's what 'public domain' means.