Last Chance to Suggest Next APSC and a Bit More Divine Bard

First of all, some shout outs:
Thanks to Berin Kinsman (of Unclebear.com and the Phoenix RPG Examiner) and Oddyesy (of How to Start a Revolution in 21 Days or Less) for posting about the APSC project on their sites.

Thanks to Greywulf (of Greywulf's Lair) made an awesome picture for my divine bard (and for putting up with me while we got it perfect):

(click for larger image)

Second, some changes to the character sheet I made. The updated version includes more things that I missed the first time and the additions from the previous bard post. Hopefully I got everything this time.

(Click for larger images)

And lastly, here is the last call for requests for the next alternate power source class. Once I get enough suggestions, I'll put up a poll to see what the most people want.
I think I know what I am going to do next, but if it seems like a lot of people want something else, I might go with that.

Current requests:
Arcane Paladin
Primal/Divine Warlock
Primal Ranger
Martial Barbarian
Primal Swordmage


Feel free to post your requests for the next APSC!

Actually, I DEMAND IT.

D&D Information Request

WotC seems to be more closely watching what information slips out nowadays. When 4e first came out good ol' Mikey let slip a few hints about the second player's handbook that set the 4e fanboys on a speculation rampage.

Why don't they do that anymore?

There is a lot inf info that they could give us peeks at, or just flat out tell us, and be none the worse. Here are some of the things that I would like to know or at least get a hint to.


Races and Classes
The reference at the top is referring to Mike Mearls letting slip the fist letters of the classes and races in the second players handbook. Playtest of races and classes is nice, but if they want us to really get excited about it, even though it is close to another year away is to let us guess what classes and races are going to appear. Sure, it might take the surprise out of it, but its fun. OH! Better yet! Create a riddle to tell us what the new class/race is, the more cryptic the better. Feel free to make the riddles seem to fit two races, anything to distract them from the edition 'wars'.

The release of the cover for the PHB3 was a good move, because now we have something to speculate about. Or, rather, we better know what to speculate about.


Power Sources
Since the only source of knowledge about the 4 3 yet unexplained power sources has now become decanonized, I don't know what to expect for them. This is one of the things that I would really like to know about, and not just because of my alternate power source class project. The addition of the primal ps added a lot of interesting backstory for the basic D&D setting.

I really hope that the Elemental power source is to the primordials as Divine PS is to the gods and Primal PS is to the nature spirits. Shadow may be linked to the shadowfel, or to something completely different. Psionic, the next power source to be added, seems to have some elements of 'ki' which is no longer one of the power sources.


Future Settings
D&D has a rich history of settings: Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Spelljammer, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, an insane number of homebrew settings and many other published ones that I may not even know of. WotC dangles a new setting for 4e just out of our reach, and makes references to several of the more famous settings. At least give us a hint as to what it is going to be!

Personally, I'm hoping for a 4e Spelljammer, but thats just me.


Do you guys think I did good? Should WotC give us some more speculation fuel? Do you think you know what the future races/classes/power source backstories are going to be? Please leave a comment!

Monster Manual 2 Monster Races and Ones That Could Have Been

I'm so happy! I got my monster manual 2 in the mail today (1. I'm writing this on Monday, 2. Yay, Amazon!) and I was a little disappointed at the monster races in the book. Not only were there only three of them, but they are notably weaker than the races in the first MM and considerably weaker than the ones from the PHBs, signaling that they really only want these races for NPCs.

New Monster Races in the MM2
Kenku-
Black feathered bird people, give unusually high bonus to flanking and aid another and have the ability to mimic sounds and voices.
I have been looking forward to the Kenku for a while, they have everything that their race needs to be kenku, but I would've liked another race feature or two. I wouldn't mind playing one though.

Duergar-
Dark dwarves, shoot out quills.
Kinda weird for my tastes... dark dwarves... with quills?

Bullywug-
Unnatural frog people that corrupt their swamp home, creates and aura that weakens enemies that spends a healing surge.
Be good for a laugh, but overall, not the greatest of options...


Races they should have had playable in the MM2
Gnolls- Could have had the updated stats for them.
Lizardfolk- Weren't these also in the first MM? Still no race stats!
Shadar-kai- Could also have their updates racial stats.
Spriggan- Corrupt gnomes are the only way to play gnomes! I would like to played one. : D

Races they could have had playable in the MM2
Centaur- Could have been really cool option, but the large size was too much of a turn off for WotC.
Drakkoth- Same as centaur.
Nothic- Crazy, one eyed 'humanoids'. would be VERY fun to play. : D
Phoelarch- Humanoids covered in fire, who burst into flames and are replaced by a medium sized phoenix when they die.
Slaad- Was in the first MM, could have many options... maybe in 'plane below'.
Troglodyte- Yet another one from the MM, evil, but could be playable.
Wood Woad- living trees that hate anyone that looks like they might remotely cut down a tree.
Xorn- Creepy, but it could be playable.

Races I would have liked in the MM2, but I'll let slide this time...
Angel- Too overpowered...
Barghest- Goblin shapeshifters, awesome, but overpowered...
Beholder- Floating eyeball of death, too overpowered...
Marut- "Maruts serve other entities as mercenaries or serve their own mysterious purposes." how does that not get racial stats? Well, they are immortals... Oh, and they fly...
Myconid- They only communicate by SPORES. Otherwise would be cool.
Warforged- Another chance for updated racial stats, but will probably be in the Eberron players guide.

Another thing
They could have slipped the Wilden into the MM2 and have more people playtest it...


Did I get everything? Do you dissagre with my opinion? Post a comment!

APSC: Ideas and Whats Next?

Well, I'd at least like to think that the posts about the divine bard are the cause for my sudden increase in visitors, and because of that I will definitely continue with the project. The only question is: whats next?

There are currently four power sources, and 17 classes in 4e (19 if you count playtest classes) and though not all combos make sense, there are still a lot of possibilities.

Here are some of the ideas that I like:
Divine: Bard (already done), Warlock, Druid, Sorcerer (as favored soul?), Swordmage
Martial: Monk, Barbarian
Primal: Warlock, Any divine class, Ranger, Bard, Swordmage
Arcane: Paladin, Ranger, Avenger, Invoker, Shaman

you may notice that I have no martial classes in that list other than the ranger, they might be possible to alter, but It would be quite difficult and I would like to put that off until I have more experience on this project.



To be honest, I am really happy with how the divine bard has turned out and I will be sure to post my playtest results when I finally get a chance to use it. Some people had trouble understanding WHY I was doing it, but I did get some support as well. I am still open to getting feedback on the mechanical changes and the fluff I wrote, and now I want you to tell me what you think would be good for the next focus of the project.

Do you like one of the ideas above? Do you think another one would be better? Convince me, and I might just do the one you want next!

APSC: 4e Divine Bard Additions

Note: Made slight tweaks to 'Harmonious Strike' that I neglected to add before. (5/22/09)

The divine bard (and the project in general) is an ongoing process, and I have some more to add to the divine bard today!

Power Adjustments
First of all, I can't believe I forgot to mention that the keyword 'arcane' needs to be changed to 'divine.'

Also, divine area powers tend to only affect enemies, while most of the bard's powers already do this, there are a few that need to be adjusted:

Players Handbook 2
Bard Attack 19 Irresistible Dance
Bard Attack 25 Vision Distortion

Arcane Power :
Bard Attack 9 Rain of Starlight
Bard Attack 9 Symphony of Misfortune
Bard Attack 19 Spring to Action


I decided that the divine bard needed a new at-will Power to make it stand out, I studied the divine classes' at wills to come up with something that fits both the divine PS and the bard. Then I realized that that is mostly fluff and I stole a power from the warlord and twisted it to my will... er... I made it fit the divine bard.

Bard Attack 1 Harmonious Strike
You Strike your foe, the sound of the weapon and your enemy's cry of anguish become the harmony of the battle, and you help your ally play the melody with radiant guidance.
At-Will: Divine, Weapon, Radiant
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
Hit: Deal radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier, and then choose one ally adjacent to either you or the target. This ally applies your Wisdom modifier as a power bonus to the attack roll and the damage roll on his or her next attack against the target and add radiant to the damage type. If the ally does not attack the target by the end of his or her next turn, the bonus is lost.


Another thing that will make the divine bard stand out a lot more is its own bardic virtue. I am a little torn as to what to call it, either "Virtue of Faith" or "Virtue of Honor". For now it will be Honor.

Virtue of Honor
Once per encounter when an ally fails a saving throw, they can reroll it and add your wisdom modifier.


One last thing, divine classes tend to have radiant damage in their attacks. I would address this issue, but I would like to first talk to some of the other RPG bloggers to see if they have any ideas how to determine which attacks should get radiant damage.


More Fluff
divine bards and deities-
Avandra- Many bards are known to be advocates of chance taking, divine bards are no different. Many bards worship the god of chance, especially those who enjoy their freedoms and adventuring.
Bahamut- There are some divine bards that worship the platinum dragon, holding his domains of justice and honor in high regard.
Corellon- Many, many, divine bards worship Corellon, since they hold music and art in such high regard.
Erathis- There are not a lot of divine bards of Erathis, since her portfolio involves laws. Those that do rejoice in the organization of great cities and enjoy large audiences.
Ioun- Divine bards that seek knowledge often worship Ioun, and some are known to become great prophets. Those who worship Ioun tell great stories in song and poem form.
Kord- Those bards who long for battle, seek to tell tales of great warriors, or just wish to inspire an army worship Kord. Many battles have been turned by the presence of a divine bard of Kord.
Melora- Bards of Melora are inspired by nature and preserve it at all costs. Not all of her bards are divine, as many are primal.
Moradin-The deity common of dwarf bards and those who hold loyal to their family/clan/leaders/people to be immensely important.
Pelor- The sun god's bards favor warm, happy tunes, and tend to play for people in town squares to raise money for Pelor's local church. Some say that it is Pelor's large number of divine bards that make him as widely worshiped as he is.
Raven Queen- Few bards follow the path of the death goddess' blessings, but those that do commonly play at funerals, and other similar ceramonies. Many dirges heard late at night are attributed to the divine bards of the Raven Queen.
Sehanine- Though it is not common for a bard to hide in the shadows, some of the more playful trickster bards follow Sehanine. Elven bards compete for her blessings, and those that receive it are honored among their people.

Evil deities-
Though some of the other evil gods are known to make pacts with mortal musicians, Lolth and Tiamat have the most divine bards at their disposal, spreading their agendas among the bard's listeners.


There you go! I will eventually add these to the divine bard's other posts, or just repost everything in one larger, complete post.


So, What do you think of the new additions? Do you like them? Hate them? Think they are too overpowered? Too underpowered? Leave a comment and give me some feedback!

Power Source Theory

Just a quick post today, next time there will be more Divine Bard!


I have a theory, and to some extent it is based on a mix of 3.x and 4e D&D. Basically its that the Power Sources can be grouped into three different types: Given, Taken, and Self.


Given sources include Divine and Primal, and are granted to them by some other source such as a deity or nature.

Taken sources include Arcane, and are taken from their prospective planes, the universe itself, the mana flow, etc. without any being's consent.

Self sources include Martial and Psionic, and are from within the user, built up from training the body, mind and spirit.



I hope to add the future power sources to this list, Though I assume that Elemental will be a 'taken' and shadow may be a 'taken' or a 'self'.

Does that sound about right? Comment and put in your opinion. I dare ya!

APSC: 4e Divine Bard Fluff and Stuff

Warning: Rant ahead! if you are just here for the Divine bard fluff then scroll down until you see the word "Fluff" in bold letters.


For some reason, people seem to have trouble understanding the concept of this project: To alter existing classes to have different power sources. Hoping to achieve this by first adjusting the mechanics to change the way the class feels when played to match the new power source, then to add some fluff to fill in the gaps.

Maybe I should have done the fluff first, but the change of mechanics is mostly to support the fluff.

I started divine bard is because it is what inspired the project in the first place (if you look at this post there should be a link to The Hypertext d20 SRD, on that page is rules for the 3.x divine bard.), thought keep in mind that the project in question is bigger than just the bard.


If that is not the answer you are looking for: its just something interesting to do, give people more options.

Another Thing that is common among commenters is suggesting that I change the class' name to something else. trying to keep it still a bard, he casts magic through his music, just has a different power backing it. Ok?

What I am trying to get across: Still a bard! Just, not an arcane bard!



Fluff

Divine bard:
Any decent bard can move someone's emotions, but to truly move someone's soul, bring them to a state of euphoria or send them to the depths of deepest depression, they need that divine touch.

Whether by gaining your god's favor by prayer and devotion, trading your soul for the musical ability, or simply being picked out by your god, you were blessed with the ability to make music that truly touches people's souls, and even command the power of your god. Through hymns and songs of worship, you not only inspire belief in your god, but channel his power to attack your enemies.


The three methods of becoming a divine bard

The hard way: By prayer, worship, study, and devotion, you have gotten your god's attention and he finds you favorable to lead his worshipers. You joyfully spread the word of your god in your songs, and pull in new followers without the slightest effort.

The easy way: By dark rituals you have called a dark, evil god and traded your very soul to perform like no other, yet your music carries a silent taint of evil that few can sense. Your music is empty and joyless to you, and after a while you see it begin to spread evil ideas among listeners, as the dark god works through your instrument.

The random way: A god decides that you are the ideal candidate to become his musical champion, whether you want the gift or not. Your songs carry the god's message, even if the song is about a different subject, it can be as much a curse as a blessing if the god is not your favorite.


Of course, these are not the only methods, feel free to create your own. Nothing in D&D is set in stone, it is changeable.


Its not a lot, but what do you think of the fluff? one more post about the Divine Bard, then I'll see what to work on next.