Shadows of the Sword Coast (Forgotten Realms 3.5)

[Xanatos]

Okay I get it now.

Just one thing, which is an issue on the part of the game makers then. Darkvision allows sight in darkness, even total darkness. The Drow exist in, for the most part - excluding any patches of glowing fungi - total inky, no light, nadda zip ziltch, total darkness. Any light source, except a faint candle, causes them light blindness. Thus they don't use any light to voyage around the Underdark. So, by that alone, even the Ebon Eyes spell should allow sight in total darkness if the creature possess Darkvision.

Since wording is so important, I think a GM ruling is needed here. Sorry to be a pain, but I don't want anything I plan on using, becoming an issue half-way in the game. I think its better to hash it out now, than later.

[greenknight]

When would a creature with darkvision not be able to see in total darkness? That's what darkvision allows.

A darkness spell is a different situation. The shadowy darkness it creates affects even creatures with darkvision. So all creatures in the effect suffer either a 20% miss chance from the spell and a 50% miss chance if normal conditions warrant the greater penalty. So a Drow, underground in total darkness, is in the area of darkness. Both miss chances apply and his own darkvision negates the natural (and worse) one. But it has no effect on the magical one. That's what ebon eyes is for.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Aye, I would read Ebon Eyes means it cancels magical darkness generated miss chances. Except caused by darkness effects which cause total blindness, like Blacklight spell example.

[Xanatos]

I'll get back to this in the morning. I simply cannot comprehend this for some inane reason. Nothing is making sense anymore. It shouldn't be this hard. >.<

[Zaer Darkwail]

Go sleep, it clears things up :P.

[kongming]

Okay, the stats side is pretty much complete for my character. After some sleep I'll write up a background. We'll have a Cleric that's reasonably hard to hit, can dish out the anti-undead (and can still use archery and longswords to attack other things as need be), can handle a few skills here and there as need be... and the bit people should like: can heal others, remove status afflictions (undead == ability damage, negative levels, ability drain and fear effects after all) and bolster everyone in general.

http://plothook.net/RPG/profiler/view.php?id=13226

[Blinkin]

It was today in 1257 AD when the great inventor Uglug The Great created one of his least known creations... The Stealth Catapult!

This fine device, painted a flat black and built with great care, was said to be able to advance, undetected to within hundreds of feet of the enemy and launch large rocks hundreds of feet at an unsuspecting enemy. A marvel of it's time, this device would of revolutionized war if not for 2 things...

In a demostration to the prince, Uglug sat in the sling to describe where the rock went
and the prince pulled on a loose rope attached to a ring behind the sling, asking, "You have a loose rope here, it might trip someone and get us some workman's comp law suit..."

The secret of the Stealth Catapult's paint color died with Uglug.

[Nicolae]

@kongming: In light of conversations with Xanatos, I've decided to house rule some things about Turn Undead that may affect your character (in a good way). You can use your Wisdom bonus OR your Charisma bonus (whichever is higher) for your Turn rolls, and you only need to make one Turn Check roll (1d20 + CHA or WIS) that will count for both the Turn Check and Turn Damage roll, rather than a second roll (Turn Damage) that can screw things up for you even if you did well on the first roll.

[Xanatos]

Okay, I think I finally get it. I forgot that the spell is not taking into account that the player might have Darkvision, while I was, and completely getting hung up on this fact. So basically, the spell still does what I wanted it to do all along. Negate magical darkness as a hindrance.

Ugh, that was unnecessarily frustrating, heh.

[Xanatos]

Alright, my character should be done. Finally. Ex...cept, for the private things I need to PM to you Calrond. Just remembered those. Heh. Otherwise, I should be done.

[kongming]

Cool, I adjusted it. And I have now added Lia's background to the sheet, along with a picture I grabbed off a quick Google search. She doesn't actually wear such evil-looking stuff, but overall the picture's good enough. I might draw my own character art at some point.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Cool, I adjusted it. And I have now added Lia's background to the sheet, along with a picture I grabbed off a quick Google search. She doesn't actually wear such evil-looking stuff, but overall the picture's good enough. I might draw my own character art at some point.

Where is the sheet? I have tried find it....

[kongming]

Here: http://plothook.net/RPG/profiler/view.php?id=13226

I had linked it above.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Oh yeah, blind as usual :P. Anyways as tip you may use Zen Archery feat to use wisdom for ranged attack rolls instead Dex, but it would leave your offense weaker (if not taking weapon finesse or lowering Dex score). But overall sheet looks pretty good :). You could be cloistered cleric also (less armor proficiency and get knowledge domain for free and more skill points but less BAB also and HD).

But as said; sheet looks good. Any plans for PrC's?

[kongming]

Not for a little while yet. Assuming the game will keep going and we'll gain levels (let us all be honest here: forum games often move slowly, and people drop out and DMs get abducted and stuff), I intend on another two levels of Cleric, and then going into Contemplative (if I can make contact with my deity or an emissary of some kind - a Lillend would be ideal, and I would enjoy making certain types of contact with one of them :D). I'm pretty sure Sehanine has no unique Prestige Classes of her own, but Contemplative works well enough - it doesn't have anything weird that doesn't suit.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Contemplative is good choice. Sehanine has many good domains.

[greenknight]

So, are we using the unarmored defense variant? I just need to know if I'm taking off Cail's bracers for a net +8 +6 AC.

(Note to kongming, it's only +8 defense at 8th level.)

[Zaer Darkwail]

I wonder bit same, if we all use it then Adrian's AC also increases (as mage armor stacks with it). Usually it's also comboed with UA rule regarding armor giving DR (so armor gives less AC bonus but gives DR in return).

[greenknight]

Mage armor and bracers of defense don't stack. They provide an armor bonus and defense and armor bonuses don't stack. So stacking Cail has to choose one or the other, too.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Aha, ok. That case Adrian likely would also not use mage armor but how about monsters then? Overall I myself would be in favor if single char which is devoted not wear any armor any kind (while using non-monk class) allowed use unarmored bonus while rest follow old formula. As suddenly applying new armor rules mid game may lead confusion.

[kongming]

So, are we using the unarmored defense variant? I just need to know if I'm taking off Cail's bracers for a net +8 +6 AC.

(Note to kongming, it's only +8 defense at 8th level.)

I know. I listed +9 there because it's +8 Defence and +1 Luck (Luck of Heroes).

[greenknight]

Monsters get murky. It breaks down like this:

   
• If the base monster has no armor proficiency, it has no defense bonus.
• If the base monster has armor proficiency, it gains a bonus from +1 to +4 depending on what categories it's proficient with.
• If the monster has class levels, it gains a defense bonus normally, considering only its class levels. Racial HD and level adjustments don't count.

I agree, changing armor rules mid-stride is wonky at best. The UA rules make it much worse. Star Wars introduced the concept and it was based on a combination of BAB and class theme and like BAB and saves, each class contributed to a piece of it. UA bases it solely on character level and armor proficiency feats. Any class dipping into fighter (or cleric or paladin) gains fighter defense forever.

If you want to go the unarmored defense route, I recommend AEG's Swashbuckling Adventures' feat tree. The three feats provide overlapping bonuses as the character increases in level. Beginner provides a bonus equal to (character level/3)+3, so the increases follow the weak save scheme. Intermediate is (character level*2/5)+4 ⁴/₅. (Table follows.) Master is (character level/2)+7, like a good save. (Remember, you always round down in d20)

Intermediate Defense

Level	Bonus	Level	Bonus
1	+5	11	+9
2	+6	12	+10
3	+6	13	+10
4	+6	14	+10
5	+7	15	+11
6	+7	16	+11
7	+8	17	+12
8	+8	18	+12
9	+8	19	+12
10	+9	20	+13

(SA is AEG's conversion of 7th Sea to d20. Later supplements include stats for both systems.)

[greenknight]

I know. I listed +9 there because it's +8 Defence and +1 Luck (Luck of Heroes).

I know that, but you've got the base value listed as +9 in your feat section.

[kongming]

Oh right. Fixed that.

[Blinkin]

As I'm playing a swashbuckler... can you explain that again in simple terms... it just blew my still waking up mind... I hate not knowing a system...