Question about my Character sheets

Altearez · Post by **Altearez** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 9:52 pm

Who are these people you are refering to? Who are these people who are powerbuilding for the sake of just being a high damage monsters? Trust me, jack of all trades is the weakest path of them all for a power build.

I do Agree that Jack of all trades is not the strongest path, I will say that it can be carefully built to make an efficient plot grinding character.

Assume basic lv.20 character

Valkyn'Vi

Savage

Essence Boon- Knockout

Basic
_____
Healing(Can Heal self)
Lesser Channel(Damage)
Dual Wield(Defensive Skill & Offensive Skill)
Sense Magic(More Information Gathering)

Advanced
_________
C.R.(Self-Healing Soak)
Spot(More Information Gathering)
Read Write(More Information gathering)
Tactics-C.R.(Self-Healing Soak)

Master
______
Augment(Buff myself for 2 C.R.)
C.R.(Self-Healing Soak)
Channel(Damage)
Magic Fear(Defensive Skill)

1st disciplen
Lv.1-Necropsy(More Infromation Gathering)
Lv.2-Power Of The Stars-(Reduce Recall 5min)
Lv.3-Flat Of Blade(35sec"2 Vorpal Knockout" from essence boon)
Lv.4-

2nd Disciplen
Lv.1-Visions(More information gathering)
Lv.2-Probe Mind(More information gathering)
Lv.3-Recall(more information gathering)
Lv.4-

Soak
C.R.-8
Life-8
Light Armor-4
Total=20:)

60
90
00
20
30
20
40
70
_____
330 leaves me 5 points left over

This character alone has such great plot grinding potential, and if you know how to RP with the G.M.s well you can really get stuff done, with this build I can search a room in every way, sleep a person and steal their secrets, can scare people away. you can tell me this is weak but it is up to you to decide.

Post by **GM_Chris** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:30 pm

whats a "plot grinding character"

cole45 · Post by **cole45** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:20 am

What he means is he has all the tools to get "plots" done as fast and easily as possible. Info gathering, time reduction etc. no muss no fuss. one thing, no scout man.(powergaming the plots so to speak.)

I like the build from an intelectual level

Zeira · Post by **Zeira** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:43 am

It's like a not as good at getting info version of Sage. Except they can throw 10 magic and Sage can swing 10 with a higher charge time...in heavy armor.

Duel Wield is a Sage skill

Sense Magic - If you need this skill to find out if something is going on magicaly you are in trouble. If you reeeaaaly need it, mimic it.

Healing - Forget it. Mimic Regeneration and then you can walk and heal at the same time.

Spot - If you are taking the time to thouroughly search a place, take the time to mimic this skill.

Read/Write - Spend 10 points at character creation, If you can't read it use Decipher Script.

CR - Don't need it, Got heavy Armor. But I'll dip into warrior.

Tactics - Sage Skill

Augment - Sage Skill

Channel - This is the best part about this build if you like to run and gun. But I'll Mimic grenadier or dervish and throw 1's all day or 1 vorpals. Or pick up a crossbow for 2 vorpals.

Magic Fear - Good control the field ability especialy when paired with Channel.

I also get

Administer
Utilize Resource
Identify Magic Item
Necropsy
Research

I will swap Read/Write for Determination. Purchase CR and Vigor. Also Get Hold Ground. After that purchase Cure 2 from Wizzard so every event you can get 8 potions. These are upped to Cure 3 because of Administer. If you are in a tight situation activate Hold Ground, maybe with your back to a wall. When you drop drink a potion and Hold Ground again.

Discipline

Pikeman

Press
Vigor
Impale
Weapon Focus - Polearm

You can now swing 2's, can move your enemies around in a direction of your choice, have extra life and have access to a vorpal strike that takes only 15 seconds...and you can wear heavy armor.

LP
1 garb
1 race
2 common
2 vigor
1 armor
1 20th

CR
4 (6 with Augment)

AP
12

Total Soak - 24 (34 w/Hold Ground)

It's tried and true. I know because I played it for years and it served me very well. But you have to be smart to know how to use it. You have to have some foresight when choosing your Mimic and Augment. You have to learn NOT to rely on Recall and use common sense.

Don't ask for the hint until you have taken some time to think about the problem. If you don't know what the problem is than another PC does and you need to be conferring with them.

And most important is when in doubt just go for it...you'll have more fun that way. Although you might not live...

Altearez · Post by **Altearez** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:12 pm

besides, is this a weak build? I was under the impression that the conversation was about if Jack of all trades is weak or strong, I believe that the build I used as an example proves that Jack of all trades is a decent path.

GM-Phil · Post by **GM-Phil** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:50 pm

regardless of your build.. any Path can be good or bad.. I have seen players do things as lvl 0 characters that higher levels could have done, mechanically but didn't.

The thing about a LARP is that it should be first and foremost a role-playing game, with the rules simply helping the world run along as invisibly as possible (kinda like the laws of Physics).. they should not be there to see how badly you can abuse and break them.. even if we try to do that to the laws of physics as well..

Simply put you can talk "builds" all day long.. but there are just as many people out there that play this game that don't care about what your build can do, but what you can do.

Altearez · Post by **Altearez** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:53 pm

I was merely trying to express the point that I do not think the paths are that unbalanced as of now and jack of all trades especially not on the weak side.

cole45 · Post by **cole45** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:21 pm

That was in a discussion about high numbers not plots.

Garritt · Post by **Garritt** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:54 pm

It's like a not as good at getting info version of Sage. Except they can throw 10 magic and Sage can swing 10 with a higher charge time...in heavy armor.

The armor doesn't make the skill any better, frankly. Half the expansion skills have horrible downsides. Using Study the Foe to throw 'ten damage' in melee sounds great, until the downsides hit you. Triple the time as channel for the same damage, with no range, and the best- requiring a target that has to be to be fully in sight, and alive, for a full minute, and you cant get touched at all or you lose it. (Full assassin gives you whatever-you-can-swing-once vorpal with no target required for the same exact time.)

Meanwhile rogues of the same level (advanced) can throw "8 damage" 6 times with no target required, and Empaths can throw "10 magic" three times, also with no target as a prerequisite. You could always go Sage Assassin, and throw 10 Vorpal Poison- that sounds like alot, but that takes 2 1/2 minutes to do just once (and reintroduces a light armor restriction as well as the target restriction from Study thy Foe).

Study they Foe should be a 20 count charge with a specific target in mind to throw "10 damage". That would be more acceptable, while still being worse than Channel or advanced Crit Strike.

It's almost as bad as the horrible Charm-Dominate, which requires 2LP spent to do 3 vorpal, and also requires the stacking and purchasing of another lesser charm skill that can be resisted by anyone, essentially as a "magic fear" (and what NPC would ever care about the 1 LP expenditure to resist your Mezmerize so they can screw you out of using Dominate). Oh, and you have to stand stock still and do nothing but talk for a full minute before you can start the entire process all over again.

Also, back on topic- the info-gathering version of sage also requires that you are "cool" enough among the players both IG and OOG that anyone will listen to you about anything, but that might be me being pissy.

Post by **GM-Mike** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:15 pm

and what NPC would ever care about the 1 LP expenditure to resist your Mezmerize so they can screw you out of using Dominate

Quite a few actually. In it's creation, it was considered to be a pretty effective NPC skill and we've even discussed who would and would not try and break it. It's not our fault no one has enough faith in us to give it a try

Garritt · Post by **Garritt** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:37 pm

That doesn't stop the fact that a Charm should only be stopped with "Resist Charm". Isn't that exactly why Resist Charm is a Master Level skill, and the only other Resist Charm is a given enchantment that takes ten minutes and only works once, and why they are such expensive skills to buy for a character, are they not?

I'm also pretty dubious about NPC's actually worrying about their LP, I have to admit, especially when they might have numerous respawns. Most melee NPC's (regardless of what they are portraying) that I fight just come charging straight in and appear to only be noticing melee weapons. I have a hard enough time getting them to acknowledge packet debuffs like Root, Slick, and the like, and even then it's always an argument like they think I'm cheating to hurt them.

It's rare when I see NPC's character's worry about their personal safety, and not just be suicidal. I've actually suggested many times before that I'd like to see more of NPC's being defensive like we are against them.

Though that's all off topic for here, really. Mostly I was just giving an example as to why Warriors swinging for "2" without raging is a good ability that is so constantly taken for granted when worry is always being placed on melee damages that are even higher.

Warriors always worry about not getting maximum damage output, when it's pretty clearly shown that on any given day, even a single weapon spec being stacked with warrior defensive skills makes it much easier for them to be relevant than the other paths that require much more logistical pain to even be effective at all. So even if they aren't being the God of War/Rambo, they are damned effective.

We're in a low damage/low soak system, broken up with high burst damages that have low to moderate downsides. It should stay that way.

Post by **GM_Chris** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:00 pm

I'm also pretty dubious about NPC's actually worrying about their LP, I have to admit, especially when they might have numerous respawns. Most melee NPC's (regardless of what they are portraying) that I fight just come charging straight in and appear to only be noticing melee weapons. I have a hard enough time getting them to acknowledge packet debuffs like Root, Slick, and the like, and even then it's always an argument like they think I'm cheating to hurt them.

Believe it or not but that is the number 1 complaint the NPC's have about the PC's.

I would NPC a bit and see what its like. The fact of the matter is that most people are not cheating they simply are not noticing things. I estimate a 30-50% screw up factor and gets worse the more people are hitting you.

As for our NPC's they all know they are there for your enjoyment and do the best they can. You do have some awesome feedback though as we always need to get better.

Post by **GM_Chris** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:01 pm

BTW what are we even talking about anymore? I lost track of the thread....

Garritt · Post by **Garritt** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:31 pm

*shrugs*

Who the hell knows anymore, lol. Mostly I'm just shoehorning things I feel bitchy about into this thread.

[quote]I would NPC a bit and see what its like. The fact of the matter is that most people are not cheating they simply are not noticing things. I estimate a 30-50% screw up factor and gets worse the more people are hitting you.[quote]

Actually, the ones that made me feel that way are small skirmishes where a lone NPC wants to get to the squishy behind me, and I hit him/her with a loud and clear root (half the time it being the only damage call being called within thirty feet) as they charge past me and keep on going. When I chase them down, they blow me off and say "nope, you didn't hit me", because they put the blinders on and went for melee.

At least with Root, I only lost a 15 second count. I refuse to have that happen with skills I have to invest a LP into, only to have the NPC not hear, or-- in the case of the possibly confusing Mesmerize/Dominate combo, have no idea how the rule works.

Dallid · Post by **Dallid** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:51 am

To be fair, I've only rarely, rarely had trouble with NPCs missing my root, banish, or boom calls. Make your call loud and clear, make the packet hit solid (preferably he sees it incoming), and choose an appropriate target. An NPC in melee with four other PCs is unlikely to hear a ranged call.