Magic the Gathering Based Feats and Such

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Prak
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Magic the Gathering Based Feats and Such

Post by Prak »

Decided to use D&D for my zombie one shot and run it in Innistrad. Because why not, you know?

I've got some feats I've worked up based on D&D mechanics. I'm well aware that these are not likely to be balanced with existing feats, but as I'm going to be providing premade characters that's not super important. What I do want is some feedback on the power level between the feats.

The feats are tagged to Magic colors, and I'm making two characters for each color. I'm toying with the idea of actually bringing mana into the game, something like 1 per level, color chosen at level up, and possibly linked to class (Bard allows red or blue, barbarian allows red, druid green, fighter any etc), but that wasn't built into these feats.

Vigilance [White]
You are always ready to protect yourself even as you press the attack.
Benefit: You gain Uncanny Dodge as a rogue of your level. In addition, attacking you provokes an attack of opportunity from you.

Pacify [White]
You're a novice in heiromancy, able to lock down opponents for short periods of time.
Prerequisite: Detain
Benefit: As a full round action, you may make a ranged touch action against an enemy within 30'. If you succeed, they make a Will save (Wis or Cha based, choose when you take this feat). If they fail, they are Stunned for a number of rounds equal to your (Wis or Cha) modifier. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your (Wis or Cha) mod.
(yes, it's better than Stunning Fist. Is that a big deal? SF is pretty fucking terrible.)

Detain [White, Blue]
You can temporarily halt an enemy in it's tracks
Benefit: When an encounter starts (an enemy you're aware of attacks you or you initiate combat), you may take an immediate action and force a single opponent to make a Will save (Int or Wis based, choose when you take this feat). If they fail, they are dazed for one round.

First Strike [White, Red]
You can hit your opponent before they hit you
Benefit: When targeted by an opponent in combat, if you haven't already taken your turn you may take an immediate action to take your turn before them that round.
(Maybe a per-day limit?)

Disenchant [White, Green]
You may manipulate magic effects already in place, unweaving them
Benefit: You may make a special sunder attempt to remove spell effects in place. Your target makes a caster check instead of the typical attack roll (use the stats of the originator of the effect if that's not the target). Unless you have some way of knowing the exact effects in place, the targeted effect is determined at random. Spells in place have hardness equal to their level, and hp equal to the caster's level.

Counter [Blue]
You are able to stifle enemy actions.
Benefit: So long as you have a free hand or a ranged attack ready, you may take an immediate action to Daze another creature for 1 round on their turn by making a ranged touch attack. If successful, the target must make a Will save (DC is Int or Cha based, your choice when you take the feat). If the save fails, you deal no damage, and the target is dazed. If the save succeeds, the target is not dazed, and may take their action, but you deal your attack's normal damage. This feat's ability is usable 3+(Int or Cha) times per day.

Bounce [Blue]
You can manipulate time and space to fuck with your opponents.
Benefit: 2+(Int or Cha mod) times per day, you may target an opponent and teleport them 5' per (int or cha mod). You cannot teleport your opponent into a position that will cause them harm, but may otherwise choose the direction and placement. A Will save (Int or Cha based) negates this.

Transmute [Blue, Black]
You're able to manipulate magic to gain exactly the spell you need in a pinch.
Benefit: A number of times per day equal to your Int mod, you may change a prepared spell into any other spell you would normally be able to prepare of the same or lower level as a Swift action.

Prowess [Blue, Red]
The energy of magic empowers you even when not directed at you.
Benefit: When an ally casts a spell within 30' of you you may take an immediate action to gain a bonus on attack and damage rolls equal to the spell's level until the end of your next turn.

Shroud [Blue, Green]
You can manipulate magic to make yourself difficult to target.
Benefit: You may take a move action to gain total concealment until your next turn.

Fear [Black]
Your frightful visage gives those aligned to other colors pause.
Benefit: When using Intimidate to demoralize a foe, you may do so as a full round action. If you do, you may target any non-black enemy within 30', and additionally, take a -4 penalty to your check to Frighten the target.

Miasmic Gasp [Black]
You can sap an opponent's strength through the use of Black magic.
Benefit: A number of times per day equal to your (Int or Cha) mod, you can take a full round action to afflict an opponent within touch range with a curse that confers a -2 penalty to attacks, saves, checks and weapon damage. A Fort save negates this curse. If not negated, the curse lasts a number of rounds equal to (Int or Cha) mod.

Unleash [Black, Red]
You are very excited about killing, so excited, you can hardly contain yourself. Or protect yourself.
Benefit: You may rage as a (phb) barbarian of your level with the following exceptions- instead of -2 AC, you are considered flatfooted so long as you rage; you do not gain Greater Rage, Tireless Rage or Mighty Rage.

Regenerate [Black, Green]
Your refusal to accept death is so strong that it actually enables you to deny it.
Benefit: 1+Cha mod/day when you would be reduced to -10 hp or otherwise killed, you may instead enter a state of suspended animation. When you do, your hp is immediately raised to 0, and you suffer the disabled condition (instead of dead). While in this state, you can be killed if an opponent reduces you to 0 hp or subjects you to a Death effect again and you have no more uses of this ability for the day (or you chose not to use it). If you haven't been killed, at the end of the encounter you lose the Disabled condition and heal HP equal to (1/2 CharLv)d6.

Haste [Red]
Your aggression enables you to strike even when given little warning
Benefit: At the beginning of combat, you may act first. If you are surprised, you may take a single action or perform a charge, and then roll initiative as normal. If you aren't surprised, you take your full turn at the top of initiative.
After the first round, your turn is taken in its normal initiative order.

Pyromancer [Red]
You can tap into red magic to enhance your attacks with conjured flame
Benefit: As a standard action, you may cause a held weapon to erupt in flame. This flame lasts for a number of rounds equal to your con or cha mod (chosen when you take this feat), and deals fire damage equal to your character level on a successful attack.
Special: Instead of a pyromancer, you may be an Sparkmage (dealing electricity damage), Frostmage (dealing cold damage), or Chemage (dealing acid damage).

Landstalker [Green]
You're innately in tune with the land, allowing you to slip past the guard of others.
Benefit: Choose a terrain type when you select this feat. When in the chosen terrain, you may ignore the threatened area of other creatures for movement and treat enemies as flat-footed.

Ground Ambush [Green]
You can surprise flying creatures and bring them down for short periods of time.
Benefit: If you have a ranged weapon or threaten a flying creature, you may make a special attack as a full-round action. If you hit, roll damage as normal. You may trade damage for rounds in which the creature cannot use its fly speed at a rate of 5:1.

Lure [Red, Green]
You may issue a challenge to enemies, forcing them to attack you and ignore your allies.
Benefit: As a full-round action, you may challenge or otherwise provoke an enemy (choose at the time you take this feat whether the challenge is visual or aural). The target must make a Will save (cha based). If they fail, they must target you with any and all effects until you or they die (multi-target attacks must target you, but they can be used as normal otherwise).

Lifelink [White, Black]
Through manipulation of the magic or life or death, you may heal yourself at the expense of others.
Benefit: As a full round action, you may make a single attack, if you hit, your enemy must make a Fort save (Cha or Wis based). If the target fails, you heal hp equal to half the damage you dealt.
Last edited by Prak on Fri Oct 07, 2016 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by JonSetanta »

Interesting concept Prak
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Post by Prak »

thanks, Jon.

So... no feedback? Anyone?
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Post by Wulfbanes »

Why limit them to the colours at all? There's certainly been more First Strike than just in White and Red, and nearly all the abilities have seen use in a variety of decks.
Since you're pre-genning, the division doesn't even come into it.

Ground Ambush is really weak compared to the rest. Just make them lose fly speed for damage rounds if you hit them.
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Post by ...You Lost Me »

Keywords in magic aren't meant to be represented 1-to-1 with a feat or special class feature. They're abstractions of combats.
  • Gearshift Ace gets first strike because he's fast.
  • Toolcraft Exemplar gets first strike because he's using special weapons (like a gun?).
  • Skyship Stalker gets first strike because it's a dragon and dragons are sweet.
  • Aetherborn Marauder gets lifelink because it has a life-draining ability.
  • Angel of Invention gets lifelink because of the holy magic that empowers them.
  • Aerial Responder gets lifelink because eh why not... inventions or something, but definitely not holy magic or life draining.
The reason those abilities are keyword-ed in MtG is because combat is heavily abstracted and consistency is necessary. D&D has neither of those design constraints, and the game is probably going to be worse off if Vampires & Paladins heal using the same feat.

I'm all for design explorations of Dungeons the Gathering, but this feels like round peg / square hole.

EDIT: To give something more constructive, I'd suggest looking for soft ways of differentiating the colors and trying to create mechanics with similar outputs that feel different. For first strike, an ugly list of representations:
  • Creatures with high initiative pretty much have first strike de facto if you're not using simultaneous resolution (like in D&D).
  • Spears allow for attacks of opportunity.
  • Being really far away is like having first strike.
  • Charging on melee combatants.
  • Creatures that can parry an initial blow, or parry attacks of opportunity while closing a gap.
So when building your R Berserker options, make sure charge is in there. When building the W Soldier options, make sure they have spear proficiency and combat reflexes. When building your RW Swashbuckler options, look to add some limited parry mechanics or AoO negation. In the end you'll hopefully be able to build characters that capture the fast & intense style of RW despite taking very different actions in combat.
Last edited by ...You Lost Me on Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:42 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by Prak »

Wulfbanes wrote:Why limit them to the colours at all? There's certainly been more First Strike than just in White and Red, and nearly all the abilities have seen use in a variety of decks.
Since you're pre-genning, the division doesn't even come into it.

Ground Ambush is really weak compared to the rest. Just make them lose fly speed for damage rounds if you hit them.
First strike is primary in White, and Secondary in Red. Less than 10% of FS creatures are in each of the other three colors (8% in black, 2% in each of Blue and Green). The division of combat mechanics by color is part of Magic's flavor. You're right that the division won't come into the specific thing I'm currently working on, but neither will, at best, half these feats. The One Shot prompted me working on these, but I'm also just generally interested in Magic the Dungeoning.

That said, my primary concern, overall, is leaning on Magic's color pie flavor. Is there a better way you can think of evoking that?

Ground Ambush likely drops a flier for at least two rounds, and quite possibly four The average combat isn't going to last much longer than that if at all. But I'm not opposed to it dropping them for longer than that, it just likely won't often matter.


@You Lost Me: At the very least, MtG keywords will need to be special abilities in Magic the Dungeoning, because it will feel less like Magic otherwise. These feats may need to have their fluff widened a bit, but they're a good start. Given that I don't want to bring Weapon Speeds into this (because they're bullshit and D&D doesn't need to be more complex) that leaves two ways to represent First Strike, as an example- high initiative, which can be done on monsters and such, but characters would need to be highly focused on Initiative (and I don't feel like crawling through the books looking for initiative bonuses) or have a special "I attack first" ability which is either going to come from a feat, spell, or class ability.

If I were actually sitting down to work on Magic the Dungeoning, I'd be doing a lot of class creation and mini-system creation, but for my Halloween one shot, feats seem to fit the bill (especially since I'm giving all the characters 1 feat per level)

But your list of soft options is a good one.


Again, for the one shot, it probably isn't a big deal, but overall, I think that not having at least the evergreen keywords remain specifically named abilities in Magic the Dungeoning will make it feel less like Magic. But it's also a fine line between "Hey look everyone, this is Magic! THIS IS MAGIC THE GATHERING, EVERYONE. HEY, DID YOU HEAR-" and just strengthening the connection. The list of soft options is very good food for thought, but I also want to have things specifically called First Strike and Vigilance. Maybe feats/class features available for characters on top of soft options?
Last edited by Prak on Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by ...You Lost Me »

I can see specific abilities like "First Strike (Ex)" being a good signpost for players who are familiar with MtG. I don't know what a good way to implement them is, but my gut tells me they are best on a set of "beginner" classes (like tome berserker & fire mage) because a player that pilots a difficult class can probably grasp how soft keywording would work.
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Post by AndreiChekov »

haven't read all of them, but one glaring problem turned up that I saw

Pacify requires Detain. Detain's save is Int or Wis, and Pacify's is Wis or Cha, which means on a wis character will ever take pacify.

First strike seems really damn annoying in how it is implemented. how about, "Each enemy that attacks you in melee provokes an attack of opportunity from you. You can't make more than 3+int mod attacks like this per day. Also, you get +2 initiative bonus."

Why can't bounce move allies? I've used bounce spells in magic to protect my stuff.

Why does counter daze things??? That seems really weird. How about you actually counter something like spells or things. X times per day, make an opposed something or other check and make a spell fizzle.

Again with Shroud... It protects from spells, not physical attacks. How about as whatever action you gain SR for a turn.

In magic transmute doesn't let you trade down, and I would keep it htat way here.

Fear is also like... what were you thinking with that one? Thats just taking a word used in magic and using a it in a different way. fear allows you to bypass enemies unless they have the right thing. That implies that either they are too afraid to fight you, or paralyzed with fear or something. I don't know that this one can really be a feat without being super strong

Again with pyromancer... srsly, that is nothing like what the cards do. Should give you a weak, but spamable ranged attack made of fire.

Why does lifelink have a save?
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Post by Prak »

AndreiChekov wrote:haven't read all of them, but one glaring problem turned up that I saw

Pacify requires Detain. Detain's save is Int or Wis, and Pacify's is Wis or Cha, which means on a wis character will ever take pacify.
Hm, good point. I was going off the top of my head. I should change one of those.
First strike seems really damn annoying in how it is implemented. how about, "Each enemy that attacks you in melee provokes an attack of opportunity from you. You can't make more than 3+int mod attacks like this per day. Also, you get +2 initiative bonus."
Ok, yeah, that's a better mechanic. Less direct translation, but cleaner.
Why can't bounce move allies? I've used bounce spells in magic to protect my stuff.
Also a good point. And I've used the bounce on an enchantment that's supposed to save your own thing as short term removal. Magic bounce totally doesn't care whether the target is friend or foe.
Why does counter daze things??? That seems really weird. How about you actually counter something like spells or things. X times per day, make an opposed something or other check and make a spell fizzle.
The idea is that you're countering the other's action. But the fact that you're throwing a dagger or some sand at someone is so divorced from Magic countering, that it's probably not a great idea. It should probably build on the countering that casters can already do in D&D.
Again with Shroud... It protects from spells, not physical attacks. How about as whatever action you gain SR for a turn.
It protects against targeted spells and abilities, so, like, prodigal sorcerer's ping effect.
In magic transmute doesn't let you trade down, and I would keep it htat way here.
Is there any compelling reason to not allow trading down?
Fear is also like... what were you thinking with that one? Thats just taking a word used in magic and using a it in a different way. fear allows you to bypass enemies unless they have the right thing. That implies that either they are too afraid to fight you, or paralyzed with fear or something. I don't know that this one can really be a feat without being super strong
So, overall, I was trying to make an equal number of feats for each color, primarily based on their evergreens. Yeah, in Magic, the Fear keyword's fluff is basically that you're too scary to be blocked, and black creatures and artificial constructs aren't afraid of you. The idea was to build on D&D's existing in-combat fear effect open to everyone (ostensibly), and make other creatures less effective in fighting you. Admittedly, it's not a perfect representation. I guess it'd almost need to be an antipathy sort of effect? Which, yeah, is too strong.
Again with pyromancer... srsly, that is nothing like what the cards do. Should give you a weak, but spamable ranged attack made of fire.
Yeah, it was more thematic than direct translation. I could see trying to replicate more of the weak ping effect.
Why does lifelink have a save?
I think I was just thinking that was the standard, but you're right, it doesn't need one.

Thinking about it as I typed this, I think really what's needed to tie in the color pie is- well, first characters need to be given a color identity- but then once they have that color identity, they need something that makes them pick feats from the appropriate list for their color, and then a reasonable grouping of feats needs to get sorted into those lists. But I think that just saying OVERALL that you can only take feats in your color identity is way too limiting. So like they'd get bonus feats, and those bonus feats have to be in-color, while their normal feats can be whatever. Something like that.
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Post by AndreiChekov »

first off, I'm not going to respond to things that you have made me agree with. If I didn't talk about it, it means "yes, good"
prak wrote:The idea is that you're countering the other's action. But the fact that you're throwing a dagger or some sand at someone is so divorced from Magic countering, that it's probably not a great idea. It should probably build on the countering that casters can already do in D&D.
If you want to build on D&D countering, that makes a giant mess of writing. I'm lazy. So, how about you just limit number of uses, and then you can have it be more powerful, and easier to understand.
Is there any compelling reason to not allow trading down?
Yes. it requires an extra line in your text. Word bloat for no real gain.
So, overall, I was trying to make an equal number of feats for each color, primarily based on their evergreens. Yeah, in Magic, the Fear keyword's fluff is basically that you're too scary to be blocked, and black creatures and artificial constructs aren't afraid of you. The idea was to build on D&D's existing in-combat fear effect open to everyone (ostensibly), and make other creatures less effective in fighting you. Admittedly, it's not a perfect representation. I guess it'd almost need to be an antipathy sort of effect? Which, yeah, is too strong.
Now that I think about it, if you really want to abstract it, you can allow intimidate to lower AC of enemies. Because fear makes it easier to "deal damage." An alternative would be casting Cause Fear (can't remember what the spell is called exactly) as a spell-like.


As for your last part. Do you mean to tie classes to colours? or just have people declare their colour allegiance at the beginning. Less work in the latter.
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Post by AndreiChekov »

first off, I'm not going to respond to things that you have made me agree with. If I didn't talk about it, it means "yes, good"
prak wrote:The idea is that you're countering the other's action. But the fact that you're throwing a dagger or some sand at someone is so divorced from Magic countering, that it's probably not a great idea. It should probably build on the countering that casters can already do in D&D.
If you want to build on D&D countering, that makes a giant mess of writing. I'm lazy. So, how about you just limit number of uses, and then you can have it be more powerful, and easier to understand.
Is there any compelling reason to not allow trading down?
Yes. it requires an extra line in your text. Word bloat for no real gain.
So, overall, I was trying to make an equal number of feats for each color, primarily based on their evergreens. Yeah, in Magic, the Fear keyword's fluff is basically that you're too scary to be blocked, and black creatures and artificial constructs aren't afraid of you. The idea was to build on D&D's existing in-combat fear effect open to everyone (ostensibly), and make other creatures less effective in fighting you. Admittedly, it's not a perfect representation. I guess it'd almost need to be an antipathy sort of effect? Which, yeah, is too strong.
Now that I think about it, if you really want to abstract it, you can allow intimidate to lower AC of enemies. Because fear makes it easier to "deal damage." An alternative would be casting Cause Fear (can't remember what the spell is called exactly) as a spell-like.


As for your last part. Do you mean to tie classes to colours? or just have people declare their colour allegiance at the beginning. Less work in the latter.
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Post by AndreiChekov »

Regenerate [Black, Green]
Your refusal to accept death is so strong that it actually enables you to deny it.
Benefit: 1+Cha mod/day when you would be reduced to -10 hp or otherwise killed, you may instead enter a state of suspended animation. When you do, your hp is immediately raised to 0, and you suffer the disabled condition (instead of dead). While in this state, you can be killed if an opponent reduces you to 0 hp or subjects you to a Death effect again and you have no more uses of this ability for the day (or you chose not to use it). If you haven't been killed, at the end of the encounter you lose the Disabled condition and heal HP equal to (1/2 CharLv)d6.
Is there any reason for this to be tied to charisma? It seems to just make this a paladin/sorcerer feat which is odd, considering how most regenerate is trolls and zombies. Also, this feat is really wordy.

"1/3 level per day when you would be reduced to -10 hp or otherwise killed, you may instead have your hp immediately raised to 0, and you suffer the disabled condition (instead of dead). If you haven't been killed again, at the end of the encounter you lose the Disabled condition and heal HP equal to (1/2 CharLv)d6."

This does the same thing, but is a bit less wordy.
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Post by Prak »

AndreiChekov wrote:first off, I'm not going to respond to things that you have made me agree with. If I didn't talk about it, it means "yes, good"
prak wrote:The idea is that you're countering the other's action. But the fact that you're throwing a dagger or some sand at someone is so divorced from Magic countering, that it's probably not a great idea. It should probably build on the countering that casters can already do in D&D.
If you want to build on D&D countering, that makes a giant mess of writing. I'm lazy. So, how about you just limit number of uses, and then you can have it be more powerful, and easier to understand.
I'm going to have to think about how I want to translate Magic countering.
Is there any compelling reason to not allow trading down?
Yes. it requires an extra line in your text. Word bloat for no real gain.
Interesting. I could kind of see a caster saying "Damnit, I need Spiderclimb, but I'm out of 2nd levels. I guess it's worth trading fireball." I'll think on it.
So, overall, I was trying to make an equal number of feats for each color, primarily based on their evergreens. Yeah, in Magic, the Fear keyword's fluff is basically that you're too scary to be blocked, and black creatures and artificial constructs aren't afraid of you. The idea was to build on D&D's existing in-combat fear effect open to everyone (ostensibly), and make other creatures less effective in fighting you. Admittedly, it's not a perfect representation. I guess it'd almost need to be an antipathy sort of effect? Which, yeah, is too strong.
Now that I think about it, if you really want to abstract it, you can allow intimidate to lower AC of enemies. Because fear makes it easier to "deal damage." An alternative would be casting Cause Fear (can't remember what the spell is called exactly) as a spell-like.
Actually, thinking about what Fear literally does in Magic, it makes it so you can't be stopped on your way to a chosen target. So what if it was a fear based AoO-avoidance ability? Like creatures entitled to an AoO against you have to make a Will save or panic one round, or something?
As for your last part. Do you mean to tie classes to colours? or just have people declare their colour allegiance at the beginning. Less work in the latter.
In as much as I've thought about it, I was thinking that characters would gain 1 mana per level, they could choose the color, but their choices would be restricted by the class they were taking. So bards could choose blue or red, barbarians red, black or green, clerics any color but depends on domains, druids green or black, and so on. That mana would dictate color identity (and admittedly, it'd be easy, but impractical, to be a five-color character), and could be used as a resource.
AndreiChekov wrote:
Regenerate [Black, Green]
Your refusal to accept death is so strong that it actually enables you to deny it.
Benefit: 1+Cha mod/day when you would be reduced to -10 hp or otherwise killed, you may instead enter a state of suspended animation. When you do, your hp is immediately raised to 0, and you suffer the disabled condition (instead of dead). While in this state, you can be killed if an opponent reduces you to 0 hp or subjects you to a Death effect again and you have no more uses of this ability for the day (or you chose not to use it). If you haven't been killed, at the end of the encounter you lose the Disabled condition and heal HP equal to (1/2 CharLv)d6.
Is there any reason for this to be tied to charisma? It seems to just make this a paladin/sorcerer feat which is odd, considering how most regenerate is trolls and zombies. Also, this feat is really wordy.

"1/3 level per day when you would be reduced to -10 hp or otherwise killed, you may instead have your hp immediately raised to 0, and you suffer the disabled condition (instead of dead). If you haven't been killed again, at the end of the encounter you lose the Disabled condition and heal HP equal to (1/2 CharLv)d6."

This does the same thing, but is a bit less wordy.
That's a good point. I could see tying it to Str or Con or something. And maybe make a necromancer's version where your undead regenerate based on your int or cha.

My stuff tends to be overly wordy the first time I write it.
Last edited by Prak on Sat Oct 15, 2016 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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AndreiChekov
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Post by AndreiChekov »

Prak wrote: stuff and Str or Con for regenerate... fear things
Con for regenerate makes problems with no Con undead. which, if you are also redoing undead isn't a problem, but thats a lot of work.

as for fear. yes. that would be cool.

Fear
Once per round, as a swift action you can make an intimidate check against an opponent (DC 10 + their level). If you succeed, they cannot make attacks of opportunity against you until the beginning of your next round.

(That is my tired quick-write hack at it.)


Also, with magic countering, how about

X times per encounter(day or whatever), you may use an immediate action to make an enemy spell fail. The target must make a save (of some sort), with a DC of 10 + 1/2 character level + relevant stat. If they fail the save, the spell they are attempting to cast does nothing, and they expend the spell slot.
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