Defensive Blast
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sidkfjjteidlkkf
Mongoose
I do not have the book on hand, but basically it is now available for each style of sorcery, and it best fits each style.
LilithsThrall
Mongoose
Opportunistic sacrifice doesn't work with defensive blast anymore
The biggest change is that there are now several different DBs. It depends on the sorcery style your scholar character had at first level. You can also select another as an Advanced Spell when you learn a new Sorcery Style. Each has now a different "effect", and some are not causing damages. I haven't my book at hand and can't be more accurate.
I also haven't compared the effectiveness of all the DBs, but to get rid of the "walking-bomb syndrom" was IMO a very good idea.
I also haven't compared the effectiveness of all the DBs, but to get rid of the "walking-bomb syndrom" was IMO a very good idea.
I'm surprised someone else hasn't posted them yet.
Desperate Ward (counterspells)
Only works against sorcery, only a hostile effect directed at sorcerer. +Xd6 to saving throw where X is # of PPs spent.
This is rather narrow IMO.
Weapon Curse (curses)
Xd6 damage from weapons, spells, and other direct attacks is taken by the attacker instead of the sorcerer. Lasts one round or until damage is gone.
Woops, my bad. This is not better than Xd6 damage of 1E's DB for killing stuff. Does have a defensive component the old one lacked, though.
Not This Hour (divination)
Sorcerer gains Xd6 hit points for one round.
First thing I'd do is rule that only real damage can cause massive damage saves, otherwise this is pathetic. This seems really limited.
Terrible Fascination (hypnotism)
Within 10' Entranced as spell. Lasts 1d4 rounds.
At least this can do something for someone else in the party and isn't just a one round effect. I would think this would be much better in misunderstanding or "let's be friends, no really" situations, but I have my doubts about the efficacy.
Animal Intercessor (nature)
Animal makes a Reflex save against attack roll to take the damage instead. It makes one charge attack. Size = medium < 4, large 4-8, huge 9+ PPs. One attack on sorcerer's attacker unless attacked. If large enough, sorcerer can make DC 15 Reflex to leave with animal.
This sounds stupid to me at mid level up. Most animals are going to die from any attack the sorcerer would DB against, so it won't even get an attack. Most animals don't have dangerous attacks. Who is going to attack the intercessor if they are familiar with the spell? Running away is a nice way to get the rest of the party killed. Probably reasonable at level 1-4.
Chill of the Grave (necromancy)
10' take Xd6 damage. Fort save vs. Magic Attack Roll for half. Zombies and undead immune.
That the flunkies are immune is interesting tactically.
Vanish (oriental)
If the Xd6 is greater than the attack damage, the sorcerer teleports someplace nearby that is appropriate (GM's decision).
Again, the only damage I fear is massive damage. Now, if things don't look so hot from the outset, maybe it's a good time to bail, but that has the "I screwed the party" problem as well.
Blast Wave (prestidigitation)
Xd6 feet knockback, falling damage of 1d6 per 10', doubled if hitting wall/barrier, Reflex save for half distance.
Interesting tactical uses if you are in the right spot. I'm not sure PCs can maneuver next to cliffs, bottomless wells, pits of acid, lava, spiked walls that easily. Might be good for rearranging combat lines. Open to GM ruling, I suppose, how much different sized creatures are affected. Pushing back a dinosaur is humorous.
Master, Aid Me!
Need demonic pact. Demon shows up immediately within 10' and can act immediately. It can Reflex save to take damage from attack on sorcerer. Hangs around one round per PP or until banished/slain. Gives a corruption point. Greater demonic pact enables summoning multiple demons.
This seems heinously broken at lower levels.
Overall, it seems like defensive blast has been made into a useful NPC ability to vex the party with the offensive uses being vastly more limited. There are some interesting things to do, and the first DB is free, so it's not like going from 1 to 0. But, it is a completely different power than 1E and that's probably as it should be since 1E DB was so out of flavor.
Desperate Ward (counterspells)
Only works against sorcery, only a hostile effect directed at sorcerer. +Xd6 to saving throw where X is # of PPs spent.
This is rather narrow IMO.
Weapon Curse (curses)
Xd6 damage from weapons, spells, and other direct attacks is taken by the attacker instead of the sorcerer. Lasts one round or until damage is gone.
Woops, my bad. This is not better than Xd6 damage of 1E's DB for killing stuff. Does have a defensive component the old one lacked, though.
Not This Hour (divination)
Sorcerer gains Xd6 hit points for one round.
First thing I'd do is rule that only real damage can cause massive damage saves, otherwise this is pathetic. This seems really limited.
Terrible Fascination (hypnotism)
Within 10' Entranced as spell. Lasts 1d4 rounds.
At least this can do something for someone else in the party and isn't just a one round effect. I would think this would be much better in misunderstanding or "let's be friends, no really" situations, but I have my doubts about the efficacy.
Animal Intercessor (nature)
Animal makes a Reflex save against attack roll to take the damage instead. It makes one charge attack. Size = medium < 4, large 4-8, huge 9+ PPs. One attack on sorcerer's attacker unless attacked. If large enough, sorcerer can make DC 15 Reflex to leave with animal.
This sounds stupid to me at mid level up. Most animals are going to die from any attack the sorcerer would DB against, so it won't even get an attack. Most animals don't have dangerous attacks. Who is going to attack the intercessor if they are familiar with the spell? Running away is a nice way to get the rest of the party killed. Probably reasonable at level 1-4.
Chill of the Grave (necromancy)
10' take Xd6 damage. Fort save vs. Magic Attack Roll for half. Zombies and undead immune.
That the flunkies are immune is interesting tactically.
Vanish (oriental)
If the Xd6 is greater than the attack damage, the sorcerer teleports someplace nearby that is appropriate (GM's decision).
Again, the only damage I fear is massive damage. Now, if things don't look so hot from the outset, maybe it's a good time to bail, but that has the "I screwed the party" problem as well.
Blast Wave (prestidigitation)
Xd6 feet knockback, falling damage of 1d6 per 10', doubled if hitting wall/barrier, Reflex save for half distance.
Interesting tactical uses if you are in the right spot. I'm not sure PCs can maneuver next to cliffs, bottomless wells, pits of acid, lava, spiked walls that easily. Might be good for rearranging combat lines. Open to GM ruling, I suppose, how much different sized creatures are affected. Pushing back a dinosaur is humorous.
Master, Aid Me!
Need demonic pact. Demon shows up immediately within 10' and can act immediately. It can Reflex save to take damage from attack on sorcerer. Hangs around one round per PP or until banished/slain. Gives a corruption point. Greater demonic pact enables summoning multiple demons.
This seems heinously broken at lower levels.
Overall, it seems like defensive blast has been made into a useful NPC ability to vex the party with the offensive uses being vastly more limited. There are some interesting things to do, and the first DB is free, so it's not like going from 1 to 0. But, it is a completely different power than 1E and that's probably as it should be since 1E DB was so out of flavor.
Hmm, that is quite a change and while flavorwise they do seem better, some seem much to weak. A DB is something that should be useful at all levels.
The one in 1st e was not bad you know; a lot of sorcerors in conan novels let loose with a blast of fire or somesuch once in a while. Usually beforew conan impaled them with his sword...
Perhaps it will be brought back in a Hellfire sorcery style or something.
The one in 1st e was not bad you know; a lot of sorcerors in conan novels let loose with a blast of fire or somesuch once in a while. Usually beforew conan impaled them with his sword...
Perhaps it will be brought back in a Hellfire sorcery style or something.
sidkfjjteidlkkf
Mongoose
I think sometimes, we cannot follow the true stories of RPG's, and adding a little unusual flair makes for good sessions...
Last week, I added a magical suit of armor (+2 chain), but they deserved it...
Last week, I added a magical suit of armor (+2 chain), but they deserved it...
sidkfjjteidlkkf
Mongoose
Thanks for the help guys, I do not have my book.....
I just had my first look fot he 2E and saw the defensive blasts listed among the spells, does this mean that DBs are cast as spells now? Can be used repeatedly as spells? I think some of them are like reactive spells, but didn't have time to read trhough the rules to be sure.
Clovenhoof
Mongoose
I remember someone from the forum citing one of their players, who went like "Defensive blast is awesome, you can just keep exploding over and over again" -- so that definitely had to be fixed. Making Opp' Sacrifice incompatible was the most important rule change there.
Yeah it is rather narrow, but it may be a lifesaver for showdown against evil sorcerers. To widen it, I'd suggest it might create an antimagic field decreasing the magic attack bonus of any spell by Xd6. Or something like that.
This seems very useful, actually quite powerful but not broken. It's also available quite early on, as first or second sorcery style.
The intent is okay but the wording may be a bit problematic, you need to treat these specifically as temporary HP that are used up first. Actually I'd change the wording to "Xd6 points of damaged are soaked for one round" or something to that effect.
Obviously, Weapons Curse is much stronger since it has the same soaking effect but also returns the favour on top of that.
Hmmmm I guess this is atmospheric, but it probably can also be abused in non-combat situations. What are the PP good for? Do they maybe affect the max HD? Note that the spell Entrance cannot affect creatures of more than 6HD (or characters higher than 6th level).
I share your reservations; probably its prime use would be as a getaway ride for cornered NPC sorcerers. Nature isn't such a terribly useful style for PCs anyway.
That's the one closest to the original DB, replacing Fire with Chill. Nice AoE damage dealing but becomes available only rather late, as it doesn't make sense taking Necromancy style before level 8 or maybe 12. Of course it's great for the necromancer to use this DB without harming his own minions.
As I understand it, the sorcerer does not _take_ the damage if his Xd6 is greater than attack damage. So if normally a MDS would be necessary, a successful DB negates that damage and teleports the caster. Again, this is more useful than Not This Hour.
Yay, I really like that one. It has AoE, it buys time, it's stylish and quite impressive. It's not overpowered since the damage is limited. And it's available very early on, since Presti is a useful style even for first levels. My favourite of the new DBs.
Oh yeah, that's quite powerful. Imagine the Sorc casts this with 9PP -- having a demon around for 9 rounds is no fun at all. But what's more interesting: what if the demon is actually slain during this period? Is it really dead and gone? If so, this DB seems to be a good way to get rid of a demonic pact if the sorcerer so desires.
Also, the standard issue Pact Demon would be a Black Fiend who won't have more than ~40hp anyway. The Physical Immunity is of course a problem. So that may be a powerful DB for lowlevels, yes, but it will rapidly lose its terror from early-mid levels on.
Yeah it is rather narrow, but it may be a lifesaver for showdown against evil sorcerers. To widen it, I'd suggest it might create an antimagic field decreasing the magic attack bonus of any spell by Xd6. Or something like that.
This seems very useful, actually quite powerful but not broken. It's also available quite early on, as first or second sorcery style.
The intent is okay but the wording may be a bit problematic, you need to treat these specifically as temporary HP that are used up first. Actually I'd change the wording to "Xd6 points of damaged are soaked for one round" or something to that effect.
Obviously, Weapons Curse is much stronger since it has the same soaking effect but also returns the favour on top of that.
Hmmmm I guess this is atmospheric, but it probably can also be abused in non-combat situations. What are the PP good for? Do they maybe affect the max HD? Note that the spell Entrance cannot affect creatures of more than 6HD (or characters higher than 6th level).
I share your reservations; probably its prime use would be as a getaway ride for cornered NPC sorcerers. Nature isn't such a terribly useful style for PCs anyway.
That's the one closest to the original DB, replacing Fire with Chill. Nice AoE damage dealing but becomes available only rather late, as it doesn't make sense taking Necromancy style before level 8 or maybe 12. Of course it's great for the necromancer to use this DB without harming his own minions.
As I understand it, the sorcerer does not _take_ the damage if his Xd6 is greater than attack damage. So if normally a MDS would be necessary, a successful DB negates that damage and teleports the caster. Again, this is more useful than Not This Hour.
Yay, I really like that one. It has AoE, it buys time, it's stylish and quite impressive. It's not overpowered since the damage is limited. And it's available very early on, since Presti is a useful style even for first levels. My favourite of the new DBs.
Oh yeah, that's quite powerful. Imagine the Sorc casts this with 9PP -- having a demon around for 9 rounds is no fun at all. But what's more interesting: what if the demon is actually slain during this period? Is it really dead and gone? If so, this DB seems to be a good way to get rid of a demonic pact if the sorcerer so desires.
Also, the standard issue Pact Demon would be a Black Fiend who won't have more than ~40hp anyway. The Physical Immunity is of course a problem. So that may be a powerful DB for lowlevels, yes, but it will rapidly lose its terror from early-mid levels on.
The problem with Vanish is how often will the Xd6 be greater than the damage being dealt of the attack that would cause the sorcerer to want to flee?
If the sorcerer has 6 PP left, then the average is 21. Any fighty character of 5th level or above with a bardiche or greatsword is likely to average around that.
Okay, let's say that somehow the sorcerer has 10 PP lying around to spend on this for a 35 average. Our barbarian (using 2E greatsword damage) averages about 42 damage if he maxes out Power Attack and Reckless Attack. If he doesn't use Power Attack (he often doesn't anymore to guarantee hitting), then he still averages 32 damage which is close enough that someone with a ridiculous 10 PP left still has a fairly high percentage chance of going poof in the undesired way. Turned around, the stuff our party fights these days tends to always hit, have a high base damage, and have Power Attack.
As I said, any nonspecial attack that matters in this game (attacks that do massive damage) is going to be a problem to outroll. So, the smart tactical thing to do is to teleport away before the big guns come on line, which is kind of lame both for a PC sorcerer, who probably never wants to teleport away anyway, especially not someplace random, and for a villain since the villain will not be sticking around to be very villainous (unless it was never supposed to be fought in the first place).
How unfair would it be if it was more like 1 PP = 10 pts. of damage? Still would mean the sorcerer is PP dry and pops up in a random location which may or may not provide access to PP replenishment.
The only reason I'd even bother tying it to damage at all is that it is sort of cheesy to have only 1 PP left and still be able to teleport away, which is particularly lame if there's multiple lower level sorcerers who could Vanish.
The reality is is that I have a hard time seeing Vanish triggering unless the circumstances are just right. Something like: sorcerer has decent number of PP left and no desire to fight from the very beginning, first incoming attack when sorcerer isn't flat-footed is a ranged attack since they do so much less damage, sorcerer doesn't have a better DB to use in the situation (which again goes back to the idea of not wanting to fight as the others aren't as good for running away assuming Vanish works but may have offensive combat uses).
If the sorcerer has 6 PP left, then the average is 21. Any fighty character of 5th level or above with a bardiche or greatsword is likely to average around that.
Okay, let's say that somehow the sorcerer has 10 PP lying around to spend on this for a 35 average. Our barbarian (using 2E greatsword damage) averages about 42 damage if he maxes out Power Attack and Reckless Attack. If he doesn't use Power Attack (he often doesn't anymore to guarantee hitting), then he still averages 32 damage which is close enough that someone with a ridiculous 10 PP left still has a fairly high percentage chance of going poof in the undesired way. Turned around, the stuff our party fights these days tends to always hit, have a high base damage, and have Power Attack.
As I said, any nonspecial attack that matters in this game (attacks that do massive damage) is going to be a problem to outroll. So, the smart tactical thing to do is to teleport away before the big guns come on line, which is kind of lame both for a PC sorcerer, who probably never wants to teleport away anyway, especially not someplace random, and for a villain since the villain will not be sticking around to be very villainous (unless it was never supposed to be fought in the first place).
How unfair would it be if it was more like 1 PP = 10 pts. of damage? Still would mean the sorcerer is PP dry and pops up in a random location which may or may not provide access to PP replenishment.
The only reason I'd even bother tying it to damage at all is that it is sort of cheesy to have only 1 PP left and still be able to teleport away, which is particularly lame if there's multiple lower level sorcerers who could Vanish.
The reality is is that I have a hard time seeing Vanish triggering unless the circumstances are just right. Something like: sorcerer has decent number of PP left and no desire to fight from the very beginning, first incoming attack when sorcerer isn't flat-footed is a ranged attack since they do so much less damage, sorcerer doesn't have a better DB to use in the situation (which again goes back to the idea of not wanting to fight as the others aren't as good for running away assuming Vanish works but may have offensive combat uses).
Clovenhoof
Mongoose
Hm yeah, that kinda makes sense.
If you want to make the DB more useful, i.e. more likely to trigger, you could for instance increase the die size from Xd6 to Xd10 or something.
If you want to make the DB more useful, i.e. more likely to trigger, you could for instance increase the die size from Xd6 to Xd10 or something.
Voltumna said:
Well, it is not forbidden, so I would say he can "push the rules".
With the old Defensive Blast I houseruled that the sorcerer has always to push the rules when using Defensive Blast, and he also risked Runaway Magic. (So a player would usually not abuse Defensive Blast)
