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More Ideas for Expanding Effects

Discussion in 'Feature Requests' started by ChrisRevocateur, Sep 6, 2012.

  1. ChrisRevocateur

    ChrisRevocateur Member

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    I'm sure it's already been stated by people that the ability to add DR and ER with abilities would be awesome, and this would allow you to create lycanthropes without having to use multiple creatures in the monster library to do so.

    It would be great if there were some way that you could make effects possibly change the picture associated with the creature's token too. This too would make lycanthropes simpler to run.

    If you can't tell, I'm creating a lycanthrope right now (specifically, Whitechin, the goblin wererat from Council of Thieves).
     
    #1 ChrisRevocateur, Sep 6, 2012
  2. ChrisRevocateur

    ChrisRevocateur Member

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    Oh, and the ability to have active effects on a creature without the owning player being able to see it, such as if a character fails a save against Curse of Lycanthropy.
     
    #2 ChrisRevocateur, Sep 6, 2012
  3. edwardcd

    edwardcd Administrator
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    I'm definitely on board with you.

    Can you explain in detail how you currently handle Lycanthropes?
     
    #3 edwardcd, Sep 6, 2012
  4. ChrisRevocateur

    ChrisRevocateur Member

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    Well, actually, Whitechin is the first lycanthrope I've created, so I'm still trying to figure out the best way to handle it. Right now I have three different creatures, Whitechin (human form) (which is actually a goblin), Whitechin (hybrid form), and Whitechin (animal form). The problem with this set up is whether Whitechin is under any effects when he shifts. I have to go back and apply all the effects on the switched out form (HP is also an issue, but that's simple enough to damage him to where he should be).

    I guess I could set up an ability that would increase Whitechin's abilities to his hybrid/animal form stats, then manually add the DR and change the picture, and just have the bite attack programmed in and just not use it if he's in 'human' form.

    How do you deal with lycanthropes Curtis? You're kinda the expert here, so maybe I can learn something from ya.
     
    #4 ChrisRevocateur, Sep 6, 2012
  5. Wesley Gorby

    Wesley Gorby Production/Community Manager
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    Like Chris states or eludes to above.. as it is right now.. you have to use 3 tokens.. one for the Human form, one for the Hybrid form and one for the wereform.. You could save a lot of headache by doing it with an effect and just changing the token image when needed.. It also as it stands now, makes advancing a were npc a real pain in the ass :) .. because you have to go thru and level all 3 tokens..
     
    #5 Wesley Gorby, Sep 6, 2012
  6. edwardcd

    edwardcd Administrator
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    Personally, I haven't delved into running a lycanthrope on d20Pro, none of my PFS or full adventure games I've run required them. Though, one face-to-face game that a friend of mine is running uses lycanthropes a lot. I know that this has more uses than simply lycanthropes, since it could also be used for summoners, any class with beastshape or elemental body, and ect.

    So, if you were to design a feature (for this request), what would you need?

    1) Creature's Token State (up to 3): whereby selecting a Creature's Token State can:
    • Change the Token's image.
    • Change the Token's size on the map (also to increase or decrease damage dice based on change in creature's size).
    • Apply an effect (where only one creature token state effect can affect the creature at a given time)
    2) ?
     
    #6 edwardcd, Sep 6, 2012
  7. Wesley Gorby

    Wesley Gorby Production/Community Manager
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    2) Ability/Effect able to add/subtract DR/ER based on the duration of the effect.
    3) Ability/Effect able to apply/remove status markers

    Course I'd personally like the above in general not just because we are trying to accommodate Lycans, wildshaper etc etc..

    Speaking of Ability/Effects... One of our groups/playares biggest complaints about effects especially when dealing with poisons and the like is the lack of ANY player visible prompting as to if they saved or failed.
    In other words.. if I have a spider and I create an effect/ability for its poison, I attack, it hits with the bite.. I then apply the poison ability/affect and in doing so it checks if the player made his/her Fort save vs the DC..
    As judge, it shows me whether or not the character saved or failed... but for the players, it shows them nothing...

    It would me totally fantastic if it would put something in the Log such as 'PlayerX Fort Dc 23, Fails 14' or 'PlayerX Fort DC 23, Success 25'..

    because it is soo much more expedient to do saves and such this way I have kinda forced it on my players and they whine that they don't get to roll their own save.. that coupled with the fact that there is no Feedback to the player in the log makes it hard sometimes to keep everyone happy... however, I feel the expedience and ease of play makes up for the whining.. especially when doing an encounter with 8 players and 6 spiders... If we had to stop, and have each person look up their save, manually roll, and then have me manually apply the poison effect every time is just too gludgy ...

    Does that make any sense... ?
     
    #7 Wesley Gorby, Sep 6, 2012
  8. Wesley Gorby

    Wesley Gorby Production/Community Manager
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    I have a major NPC in my current game who is a Lycan.. but you do bring up a good point to which I am about to feel pain and that being Druids.. As my oldest daughter just started playing with us and she took a druid and will soon be using the wildshape... Which means keeping up with her alternate forms as things currently are is going to be a bit of a chore at best...
     
    #8 Wesley Gorby, Sep 6, 2012
  9. Dragonmaster13

    Dragonmaster13 Member

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    For the poison damage (or disease) not having them see if they save or not can add suspence. They get bite by a giant spider, roll for save through the effect, see if they saved or not. Then when they ask "Did the poison effect me?" you can aswer (You feel fine, no ill feelings, for now." Now when you don't ask them for more saves they start to wonder "Did I save and there was only one save or did I fail on the one save and it effected me?" Gives them a good bit of paranoia.

    The same for diseases. They wonder if they saved or not. I can see the following hours of the onset time. "Hey Gregor, does my forehead feel hot or is my face flused. How about my tongue is it swelled, it feels swelled." etc. etc.

    So if you want to be real diabolical, make them sweat.
     
    #9 Dragonmaster13, Sep 7, 2012
  10. ChrisRevocateur

    ChrisRevocateur Member

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    Well, from what I understand, a player isn't supposed to know if they made a save or not, except for the description given by the GM and the effects put on him when he does or doesn't save. (IE: "You feel a chill in your bones as something cold spreads throughout your body. 3 DEX damage." They don't know if they made their save and that's just half the damage, or if they failed their save and 3 is full damage.) I can understand your way of playing and being transparent, but I think d20Pro actually does this to be more 'by the book.' I agree that at least for some saves, it would be nice to have the transparency. Maybe an option to display the roll or not?
     
    #10 ChrisRevocateur, Sep 7, 2012
  11. Wesley Gorby

    Wesley Gorby Production/Community Manager
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    Oh I agree completely that it does add drama and is very useful to have that drama from time to time...
    but yeah it would be nice to have it togglable because sometimes the flat knowledge with die result would be better..
     
    #11 Wesley Gorby, Sep 7, 2012
  12. Montis

    Montis New Member

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    It would also be hell of useful to be able to edit current effects:
    e.g. for poison when a second saving throw fails that you get additional damage, or when the poison heals 1/day.

    And also being able to apply ongoing effects to additional creatures:
    e.g. when having bardic music and someone is summoning a creature, that should get the bardic music as well.
     
    #12 Montis, Sep 8, 2012
  13. ChrisRevocateur

    ChrisRevocateur Member

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    +1,000,000!!!

    These are features right now that are really the biggest fault of the ability/effect system. Yes, expansion of what the effects can do is important, but these capabilities will make having to re-apply effects over and over again a thing of the past.
     
    #13 ChrisRevocateur, Sep 8, 2012
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