Thinking of running again: D&D, or Maid? [Humanoid Bondage/Consensual]

[TheGlyphstone]

Ah, yeah. That's it. So, more or less what I said. Good at carrying out ideas, and coming up with clever ways to do so, but no good at coming up with the initial idea. But if you're okay with that then it's all good.

Honestly, it's more a 'why re-invent the wheel' situation to me; with steamjacks so prevalent in the setting, I can't see why anyone would go to the trouble of building Warforged (and if they did, why would 'jacks exist anymore since 'forged are so much better), and if high-level wizards can Animate constructs into true sentience, why do they still manufacture cortexes? Better to stick with the setting-established elements than add new ones and end up causing more questions than I answer.

[SomeGuy]

That works.

Just to say it, there are logical answers to all those questions though. Warforged are crappy compared to Jacks, as without the huge magic factory... things that exist in Eberron it'd be like making any other construct, ending up being highly inefficient overall. It's still entirely possibly they do exist, as a sort of 'concept run', you know how like concept cars have all sorts of extras or as an experiment with a different type of Cortex manufacturing. Animated objects suck compared to 'Jacks. A large animated object is CR 3 like I said, a Jack is over CR 10 and a lower level guys can make them compared to the ultra high level wizards who would probably rather put the time into a kickass custom 'Jack anyways.

[frost rose]

Okay, yay! I feel all the more validated now. Also, poor Akemi, her modified luck is now -2. Granted, it can't go below 0, but it's still pretty bad. I also feel like maybe I should reroll the random -1 she got, so she doesn't get too much soaked off into luck and not inflicting badness on her generally, to avoid stat inflation. I mean, really, this is Maid—having a character who isn't failing half the time totally takes the fun out of it.

And I'm assuming I'm at least not disqualified from IK, even though I don't think characters have been okayed yet? Working on that, I have thoughts! I'm a little sad that 10 will be the starting point—I tend to prefer going from early on, just because I like the character development there, buuut, if we want world-shaking, I can see starting later, just because it's really annoying to have to go through too much before the interesting stuff happens, so I'm not too disappointed.

As far as stat generation goes, the only kind I'm opposed to is 32 point buy, for philosophical game dev reasons. I'm opposed to any system which requires geometric expansion of points/exp to purchase while providing linear benefits. It just doesn't make sense to my mind—the only system I've seen thusfar with justified geometric expansion of experience costs is ORE, and that only due to their unique die rolling system and the kinds of probability distributions you go through while increasing skills. But I'm fine with either random generation or linear point buy (option 3). That said, I won't cry bitter tears if we do go 32pt.

Also, huge thanks to Kunoichi! I looked up the Unseen Seer (read, stole a friend's book), and the illusionist variant is totally in keeping with the feel I was thinking, albeit with the level dings for non-specialty schools more in this case showing off that she's just for the most part a bad and half-trained wizard more than super-focus on one school. I figure that's easy enough to think about as flavour, so long as the illusionist Unseen Seer variant is okay with kongming?

[TheGlyphstone]

That works.

Just to say it, there are logical answers to all those questions though. Warforged are crappy compared to Jacks, as without the huge magic factory... things that exist in Eberron it'd be like making any other construct, ending up being highly inefficient overall. It's still entirely possibly they do exist, as a sort of 'concept run', you know how like concept cars have all sorts of extras or as an experiment with a different type of Cortex manufacturing. Animated objects suck compared to 'Jacks. A large animated object is CR 3 like I said, a Jack is over CR 10 and a lower level guys can make them compared to the ultra high level wizards who would probably rather put the time into a kickass custom 'Jack anyways.

Fair enough on all points. I'm still going with the 'jack rather than a Warforged or a animated coffee table, cause what's the point of Iron Kingdoms if it isn't stompy steam-powered robots? (Plus, this way there's a purpose for your Focus class feature).

@Kongming: I'm still concerned with regards to functionality uptime, and the cost it'll take to keep me fueled - would you be okay with a modified Superheavy Steam Engine that augmented efficiency rather than raw power? Giving up the +3 bonus Strength, for example, to double the duration the jack can run on a single load of coal?

Also, is there any way I can boost my Wisdom or Charisma scores as part of my cortex upgrade? Int varies by grade, but as-printed, all 'jacks have Wis 11 and Cha 1. The wisdom's not such a big deal, but I wanted to get a Goblin Bodger cohort as my 'little buddy' who was (previously, at least) my handler/owner/repairman...except for the whole -Awful to Leadership scores from Charisma 1. For that matter, it also strikes me as odd that 'Jacks are given stats you usually only see on mindless golems and undead.

[SomeGuy]

I was actually thinking a statue of someone/a warjack to avoid having to run off coal and you could still strap the engines and stuff on, a coffee table would be amusing though.

The new [Leadership] feats while taking your leadership score into account have cohorts as 'a creature with a CR 2 levels lower then you', so cohorts aren't dependent on your score anymore.

[Sethala]

About to go grab some food, but I rolled up a Maid character.  Still working on fleshing her out, and ideas are welcome:

Character Sheet

Athletics 2
Affection 4
Skill 2
Cunning 0
Luck 1
Will 1

Maid types: Sexy/Pure

Uniform color: Blue
Hair: Indigo
Eyes: Silver

Membership: Political Organization
Secret Job: Hacker

Roots: Unrequited Love
Explosion: Mischief
Weapon: Axe

Maid Power: Power of Friendship

By the way, I ended up rolling stats instead of assigning them and rolling random +/-.  I was one point over budget after rolling (Kongming's system means everyone ends up with a total of 10 attribute points, before maid types), so I just picked a random stat to drop a point from, so I'm still "in line" with the other characters.

The "secret job: hacker" might not work so well in a fantasy setting, but I'm thinking maybe adopt that to some sort of magitech or something.  Or I might drop it for a non-human race (unsure what, yet).  Otherwise, I rerolled on the sub-table and got Pro Creator, so I might go with that instead.

[kongming]

SomeGuy: the Cortex is included as part of being a Jack. And the items replace the WBL system - though you would also each have over a thousand crowns in actual coins/promise notes, as well as good quality mundane (non-magical) items. [Leadership] feats aren't based off your Charisma (at least, the Cohort level isn't), but I could see there being a Jack upgrade that improves mental faculties. Doubling the efficiency with an item is fine too, yes.

Kunnoichi: Juggernaut works as a requirement, yes, and the Alternate Form feat looks fine as well.

Frost rose: Illusionist Unseen Seer is fine, yeah.

Sethala: looks good so far. And it's okay to be a magic hacker: wizards are known for communicating through Scrying spheres (crystal balls), which you can totally hack through for spying/giving false communications. You'd also be able to "hack" magi-tech to change what it does.

[Kunoichi]

Alright, and now I only need to have one more question answered to finish my build:

The combat feat Weapon of Righteous Destruction.  The +0 bonus is 'Whatever weapon you are wielding is considered Magical (+1/3 bonus/level) in addition to any other properties it has.  Your unarmed attacks, even if you are not proficient, count for this effect.'  I'm guessing that the weapon being considered Magical means that it gets an increasing enhancement bonus to attack and damage as I level up, but if it works on unarmed attacks, does it also work on natural attacks?

[TheGlyphstone]

Okay, I'm a little more solid, but somewhat confused - I'll give some examples. If I had wealth to spend, I could  buy +5 Dexterity for 2,500 gold, or +4 Strength for 1,000. A supercharged engine would run me 3,500 GP, or +3 armor for 325 GP. Since Tome of Awesome removes gold costs, how many body enhancements can I 'purchase' for, say, one minor item?

"Building" myself is the most complex part of this character, since I have no class features to arrange, so I'm trying to work out how much leeway I get in slapping upgrades onto my chassis.

(Also, ugh. The Tome stuff is fun, but the magic item rules are awful and confusing, lacking any sort of definitions for what is a 'moderate' or 'major' magic item.)

[Sethala]

Hm, that sounds like a good idea for "hacking".  She'd probably also be good at hacking into magical seals, letting her bypass wards and scry things that would normally be protected.

Anyway, I decided to give up the political organization membership to become an elf instead, so I need racial changes for that.  I also need a little history of the mistress, since my maid roots are "unrequited love"; is she really only 17, or does she only look that young?  And how long would my character have known her?

Edit: Updated character sheet:

Character Sheet

Athletics 2
Affection 4
Skill 2
Cunning 0
Luck 1
Will 1

Maid types: Sexy/Pure

Uniform color: Blue
Hair: Indigo
Eyes: Silver

Elf Ears
Secret Job: Hacker (Alt: Pro Creator)

Roots: Unrequited Love
Explosion: Mischief
Weapon: Various magical weapons, usually the type to make explosions.

Maid Power: Power of Friendship

Appearance: Alice has a gorgeous, well-endowed body, with long indigo hair flowing halfway down her back.  A pair of small, pointed ears poke out from her hair, hinting at her Elven heritage.  Her body is slim, save for her large breasts; a result of spending most of her time in her lab.  Her maid uniform often has several stains and marks from experiments gone awry, though she doesn't seem to notice most of the time.

Personality: Despite having a gorgeous body, Alice doesn't seem to consciously flaunt it, instead often surprised at people admiring her.  She is very affectionate and friendly however, both to the other maids and the mistress, she just doesn't use her own charms as much as she would be able to.  Most of her free time is spent in her lab, where she takes various magical items and "improves" them.  She's also adept at hacking into magical spells and seals, allowing her access to many places she shouldn't go.  Alice is a bit of a voyeur, and enjoys casting scrying spells to spy on the other maids and the Mistress when they think they're alone.  She especially enjoys watching the maids being intimate with each other.

History: (Coming soon)

[SomeGuy]

I think you got my and Glyphstone mixed up.

While it is of course up to kongming I'd say top of the line stuff for the most part, the system is balanced towards 'well built but not omnipotent wizards'

[Kunoichi]

(Also, ugh. The Tome stuff is fun, but the magic item rules are awful and confusing, lacking any sort of definitions for what is a 'moderate' or 'major' magic item.)

This version is slightly more complete, with listed 'lesser', 'moderate', and 'greater' qualities for an assortment of magic items.  Presumably, we could use those to gauge what other magic item effects might count as minor or moderate...

[SomeGuy]

Cool, there's some interesting extras in there.

[TheGlyphstone]

This version is slightly more complete, with listed 'lesser', 'moderate', and 'greater' qualities for an assortment of magic items.  Presumably, we could use those to gauge what other magic item effects might count as minor or moderate...

That's slightly better, but it still leaves us hanging with, say, how many Lesser Weapon Qualities could be slapped onto a Magic Sword and still have it count as a Moderate weapon, or what combination of Lessers and Moderates would make it a Greater magic item.

[SomeGuy]

As awesome as all the Tome stuff is, I do wish it was in a slightly later development phase. Few things here and there seem like it's unfinished.

[TheGlyphstone]

As awesome as all the Tome stuff is, I do wish it was in a slightly later development phase. Few things here and there seem like it's unfinished.

A few things? I think I've caught a couple points where they left off mid-sentence.

[SomeGuy]

Quiet, you.

[TheGlyphstone]

Lacking further input from Kongming, I'm going to go ahead and stat up my 'Jack body with all top-grade enhancement options, but no magic items. I do want a Magic Weapon spear/polearm, but how awesome it is depends on how many 'effective item slots' I've used up with my body mods.

If possible, one of my cohort's magic items would be a Bag of Infinite Coal, if that'd be allowable - though I don't know if it'd be a minor or moderate item, since it has zero direct combat utility.

[SomeGuy]

You should get another bag, one of infinite gifts.

[TheGlyphstone]

What do I look like, a Khadoran?

Also, seeing as how I want to leverage my innate size/reach into being a battlefield controller, does this look balanced for a Tome-like [Combat] feat?

Battlefield Flexibility
Sometimes, hitting the bad guy really hard isn't the best option. You've mastered all sorts of alternative and sneaky tricks for causing enemies problems that don't involve beating their face in, and you're really, really good at it.
+0: When performing a special combat maneuver, you may substitute your Dexterity modifier for your Strength modifier if it is higher.
+1: You gain a +4 bonus on all opposed checks when performing special combat maneuvers (Trip, Sunder, Bull Rush, Overrun, etc.)
+6: You may add your Strength or your Dexterity modifier, whichever is higher, to your BAB to determine if you have the Edge when performing a special combat maneuver.
+11: Whenever you successfully perform a special combat maneuver, you automatically deal normal attack damage in addition to the effects of the special maneuver.
+16: You may perform special combat maneuvers with a ranged weapon, as long as the target is within one range increment of you.

(Gradually gives the benefits of all the Improved X feats for special maneuvers, then lets you bull rush people with a cannonball at high levels).

[SomeGuy]

If you're going to get an item of infinite coal, why not just get a firebox of infinite coal?

[TheGlyphstone]

I guess? That saves the 5-10minutes needed to refill the furnace, and not much else. Maybe it's just me thinking that a Warjack who doesn't need any refueling is treading too close to the Stormbreaker and Captain-Adept Nemo, who I think is Cygnar's coolest caster+jack pair.

A bag is better overall, "Bag of X" is a very iconic item type - small animals, storage space...


Polearm Sentinel [Combat]
You wield weapons as long as you are as if they were extensions of your own body.
+0: Weapons you carry with Reach now threaten adjacent squares as well. You suffer a -2 penalty on attacks made against enemies in adjacent squares with a reach weapon.
+1: Opponents who Charge into a square you threaten now provoke an attack of opportunity.
+6: If you successfully hit an opponent with an attack of opportunity provoked by leaving a square you threaten, you may forgo dealing damage and instead immobilize them for the remainder of the turn unless they succeed on a Reflex save with a DC equal to the damage you would have dealt.
+11: Any movement by an opponent within your threatened area provokes an attack of opportunity, even Tumbling and 5-ft steps.
+16: When making an attack with a reach weapon, you can make an Impaling attack that strikes all enemies in a straight line between you and the edge of your threatened area. Roll attack and damage seperately for each target.

(this one folds the existing feats Short Haft, Hold The Line, Stand Still, and the Thicket of Blades stance of a Crusader, plus a neat capstone).

[Ershin]

Okay, this will probably be the last crunch question asked about the character I'll be applying with for the Iron Kingdoms game. I've been considering dropping the "Wild Cohort" feat suggested earlier in the thread, replacing it instead with one of the various Leadership-style feats in the Tome of Awesome to help avoid unnecessary conflict with the material.
Since pretty much all of them mention the Challenge Rating of the cohort being two less than the character's level, I was wondering how to treat an Awakened animal, as it's adding an additional 2HD would that add 2CR to the animal in question, or since it doesn't mention it at all would it be better to go by the animal's final HD rather than its CR to determine its availability as a cohort?

An example would be a 5HD/CR3 Lion compared to an 8HD/CR5 Dire Lion, both would generally be fine due to their CR, but the Dire Lion's HD would be 10 after being awoken, the same as the character it's the cohort of. Which seems... odd? Wrong? I don't know.
The followers aren't really of any great concern, possibly being former members of a Satyxis raiding hanging out somewhere else.

Or, and this is the part I should probably have asked first, would all the various Leadership feats be barred?
Finally (in this line), could a cohort be used as a mount if it was quadrupedal, and in this case would the Mounted Combat feat be necessary if the character wanted to fight atop her cohort, or can that feat be used for something more interesting?

Oh! And since the Tome of Awesome suggests that "Wealth by Level" be dropped, what would replace it? I can't really see anything in here that suggests what equipment to take at higher levels, only that WBL should be taken away.



I've just had the idea of the character and a group of fellow Satyxis that follow her on a raiding expedition to a previously untapped coastal area getting enslaved by an arcanist who lived there, who they and those that commanded them there had no prior knowledge of. Perhaps having their minds numbed and made to be his servants for a number of years apart from their leader, kept conscious but under control to spite her for her acts. Perhaps even going so far as to make them a defence force for the town in which his home is located?

As the arcanist ages, he believes he should transfer his mind into a new body (the cohort, I had originally been thinking of a lion or an attempt to merge the forms of said lion and the Satyxis leader... maybe attempt to breed them together similar to Hojo's experiment near the beginning of FF7) and upon beginning the transference, loses the concentration he's kept upon the Satyxis raiders for so long, leading to an interruption in the ritual and part of his intelligence and all his magic prowess being lost, this new form now under the control of the raiding group's leader through fear rather than magic.

The only real trouble I'm having is getting her to travel with the group, maybe the enchantment that compels her to protect is still in effect? Maybe she can't go back to Cryx due to the length of time she's been away, or has repelled further raids from her former allies and fears word's spread and so just continues what she's been doing?

Needs to be fleshed out quite a bit, but hopefully I'll have the time to do so.



Finally, I like the "Bag of Coal" idea Glyphstone's come up with, the image of a soot-covered person continually shovelling coal into the roaring furnace of a Warjack (or at least when it's necessary) seems a bit more flavourful and entertaining than just having an infinite coal firebox.

[SomeGuy]

Anyone know if there's anything more on new Iron Kingdoms stuff besides this?

And very true with the coal thing, it's just that a 3/day major creation item would be well thought out, and however iconic it is it's just more efficient and less risky to create it in the firebox. In fact, I would imagine most of the powerful Warcasters have a decanter of water and ever burning box to keep their Jacks active at all times. I suppose it's possible none of them have considered it....

[Kunoichi]

Personally, for a steamjack character, I see a self-replenishing fuel system as being a lot like a Ring of Sustenance would be for a normal character.  And Sustenance is only a lesser item property in the Book of Gears, so...