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  1. #1
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    Comments on Gary’s “Blood Ability Points” document.

    Ok, first of all that title is too long, so I’m just going to shorten it to
    BAPdoc.

    On a first read-through, I found it very cool. I think you did a good job,
    and I think you met your criterion that they all be useful in almost all
    instances. I like the awnsheigh/ersheigh PrCs. Here’s just a few notes
    and/or questions.

    1. Animal Affinity. Another type of reduction you might consider is to have
    the ability influence a single individual animal (at a time) rather than all
    animals of a type. For example, then I could create pirate captain Don Dirk
    with an animal affinity for Pepperkin Pie, his pet parrot. This would
    involve starting with a Basaia bloodline, expanding it once for all birds,
    but then contracting it for a single individual creature.

    2. Detect Life. A good enhancement would be to make it a free action. I can
    also see it offering ‘uncanny dodge’ equivalents and upgrades.

    3. Elemental control. Note that you have two difference mechanisms that
    extend how long the summoned elementals remain. Is this intentional? I guess
    I can see how it might be, but my first thought was that they were
    alternates and you forgot to delete one.

    4. Fear. Seems this might also be enhancable to ranged touch attacks. The
    ability to cause someone to freeze in terror (and thus not raise alarms)
    rather than run away might also be interesting.

    5. Heightened Ability. Note that the boost to secondary ability scores
    described in the enhancements does not agree with the example (+2 vs +1).

    6. Poison sense. Seems a logical enhancement would be to neutralize a poison
    affecting someone else. “Ah, yes, I see that you have come into contact with
    the distilled resin of the stinging marsh bramble, known to the Rjurik
    clansmen of the north as fergif, a very painful and debilitating
    poison. Too bad I can’t do anything about it, my liege.”

    7. Resistance. This seems phenomenally powerful. SR 20 vs. evocation for
    only 2 BP? Well, except for Masela’s derivation, which seems practically
    useless in comparison. And how does a scion of Reynir resist a
    weather-related spell?

    8. Touch of Decay. You refer to this ability as “Touch of Death” in the
    description.

    9. Travel. Can scions of Basaia sense where large fires are located? Do they
    have to target a specific fire (i.e. know where a large fire can be found,
    be familiar with the fire`s location), or does the attempt send them to the
    nearest large fire to their desired location? If scions do get some idea of
    available locations, that might suggest that the ability to see those
    distant places should logically precede the ability to travel there. I.e.
    scions of Basaia might be able to peer out through fires and see what`s
    going on around distant fires, and scions of masela ensure that there are no
    watchers or guards near the stretch of river where they want to emerge. On
    the other hand, this is problematic for those derivations which have
    temporal limitations rather than locational limitations to the ability.

    Brenna’s version seems a little bit too powerful, or anyway least limited.
    How about limiting it by the inability to pass gates and thresholds? This
    would at least prevent them from appearing within sealed city walls, and I
    think it makes sense. Gates and thresholds are symbolically and ritually
    important, so the extrapolation to being magically important seems logical.

    Mark V.

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  2. #2
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    Comments on Gary’s “Blood Ability Points” document.

    Ok, first of all that title is too long, so I’m just going to shorten it to
    BAPdoc.

    On a first read-through, I found it very cool. I think you did a good job,
    and I think you met your criterion that they all be useful in almost all
    instances. I like the awnsheigh/ersheigh PrCs. Here’s just a few notes
    and/or questions.

    1. Animal Affinity. Another type of reduction you might consider is to have
    the ability influence a single individual animal (at a time) rather than all
    animals of a type. For example, then I could create pirate captain Don Dirk
    with an animal affinity for Pepperkin Pie, his pet parrot. This would
    involve starting with a Basaia bloodline, expanding it once for all birds,
    but then contracting it for a single individual creature.

    2. Detect Life. A good enhancement would be to make it a free action. I can
    also see it offering ‘uncanny dodge’ equivalents and upgrades.

    3. Elemental control. Note that you have two difference mechanisms that
    extend how long the summoned elementals remain. Is this intentional? I guess
    I can see how it might be, but my first thought was that they were
    alternates and you forgot to delete one.

    4. Fear. Seems this might also be enhancable to ranged touch attacks. The
    ability to cause someone to freeze in terror (and thus not raise alarms)
    rather than run away might also be interesting.

    5. Heightened Ability. Note that the boost to secondary ability scores
    described in the enhancements does not agree with the example (+2 vs +1).

    6. Poison sense. Seems a logical enhancement would be to neutralize a poison
    affecting someone else. “Ah, yes, I see that you have come into contact with
    the distilled resin of the stinging marsh bramble, known to the Rjurik
    clansmen of the north as fergif, a very painful and debilitating
    poison. Too bad I can’t do anything about it, my liege.”

    7. Resistance. This seems phenomenally powerful. SR 20 vs. evocation for
    only 2 BP? Well, except for Masela’s derivation, which seems practically
    useless in comparison. And how does a scion of Reynir resist a
    weather-related spell?

    8. Touch of Decay. You refer to this ability as “Touch of Death” in the
    description.

    9. Travel. Can scions of Basaia sense where large fires are located? Do they
    have to target a specific fire (i.e. know where a large fire can be found,
    be familiar with the fire`s location), or does the attempt send them to the
    nearest large fire to their desired location? If scions do get some idea of
    available locations, that might suggest that the ability to see those
    distant places should logically precede the ability to travel there. I.e.
    scions of Basaia might be able to peer out through fires and see what`s
    going on around distant fires, and scions of masela ensure that there are no
    watchers or guards near the stretch of river where they want to emerge. On
    the other hand, this is problematic for those derivations which have
    temporal limitations rather than locational limitations to the ability.

    Brenna’s version seems a little bit too powerful, or anyway least limited.
    How about limiting it by the inability to pass gates and thresholds? This
    would at least prevent them from appearing within sealed city walls, and I
    think it makes sense. Gates and thresholds are symbolically and ritually
    important, so the extrapolation to being magically important seems logical.

    Mark V.

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  3. #3
    Site Moderator geeman's Avatar
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    At 07:48 PM 4/3/2003 -0600, Mark Vandermeulen wrote:

    >1. Animal Affinity. Another type of reduction you might consider is to have
    >the ability influence a single individual animal (at a time) rather than all
    >animals of a type. For example, then I could create pirate captain Don Dirk
    >with an animal affinity for Pepperkin Pie, his pet parrot. This would
    >involve starting with a Basaia bloodline, expanding it once for all birds,
    >but then contracting it for a single individual creature.

    How about an enhancement that let the character have an animal companion
    that amounts to a familiar for those derivations that have totems of the
    appropriate size? I generally tried to avoid having enhancements that cost
    more than 1 BP, but more BP might allow for "improved familiars." 2 BP for
    a wolf, maybe 3 BP for a lion or 4 BP for bear. One could then take the
    reduction already noted and spent that BP (or more) on the "familiar"
    enhancement.

    >2. Detect Life. A good enhancement would be to make it a free action. I can
    >also see it offering `uncanny dodge` equivalents and upgrades.

    Interesting. I think that ability is a bit under-powered, so those dodge
    abilities would help compensate for that.

    >3. Elemental control. Note that you have two difference mechanisms that
    >extend how long the summoned elementals remain. Is this intentional? I guess
    >I can see how it might be, but my first thought was that they were
    >alternates and you forgot to delete one.

    It was unintentional, but there`s no reason why it couldn`t be
    both.... I`ll take a look at that one and come up with some better text.

    >4. Fear. Seems this might also be enhancable to ranged touch attacks. The
    >ability to cause someone to freeze in terror (and thus not raise alarms)
    >rather than run away might also be interesting.

    There are a couple "grades" of fear, which should probably be factored into
    that ability.

    >6. Poison sense. Seems a logical enhancement would be to neutralize a poison
    >affecting someone else. "Ah, yes, I see that you have come into contact with
    >the distilled resin of the stinging marsh bramble, known to the Rjurik
    >clansmen of the north as fergif, a very painful and debilitating
    >poison. Too bad I can`t do anything about it, my liege."

    Good one.

    >7. Resistance. This seems phenomenally powerful. SR 20 vs. evocation for
    >only 2 BP? Well, except for Masela`s derivation, which seems practically
    >useless in comparison. And how does a scion of Reynir resist a
    >weather-related spell?

    Right. That`s one of the one`s I pretty much borrowed from the original
    text, and it`s not as useful as it should be. Masela`s Resistance ability
    in the original text always cracked me up... get water breathing or
    drown. That was just nutty. What might be better for Masela and Reynir to
    resist and should the SR start at 10 rather than 15 and/or progress more
    slowly than increments of 5?

    >8. Touch of Decay. You refer to this ability as "Touch of Death" in the
    >description.

    Heh. Righto. Originally I had Touch of Decay (from the RB) and Death
    Touch (from BE) in the document, but I found the write-ups very similar, so
    I combined them into that one blood ability, hence the confused descriptor.

    >9. Travel. Can scions of Basaia sense where large fires are located? Do they
    >have to target a specific fire (i.e. know where a large fire can be found,
    >be familiar with the fire`s location), or does the attempt send them to the
    >nearest large fire to their desired location?

    The limitations on several of the Travel-teleport abilities are kind of
    difficult to adjudicate. I lean towards the last explanation above since
    it doesn`t have the same "scry" implications, and there already are other
    blood abilities that have things similar to that function.

    >Brenna`s version seems a little bit too powerful, or anyway least limited.
    >How about limiting it by the inability to pass gates and thresholds?

    That works for me, and it`s certainly easy enough to put into the description.

    Gary

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  4. #4
    Site Moderator geeman's Avatar
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    At 07:48 PM 4/3/2003 -0600, you wrote:

    >1. Animal Affinity. Another type of reduction you might consider is to have
    >the ability influence a single individual animal (at a time) rather than all
    >animals of a type.

    How`s this for an enhancement to AnAf:

    For 1 BP scions of Azrai, Basaïa, Brenna and Vorynn attract a totem
    animal to their service that is in all respects similar to a familiar (PHB
    51) including special HD, hp, saves, skills and special abilities. For 2
    BP scions of Masela and Reynir attract their totem animal as a
    familiar. Scions of Anduiras may spend 3 BP to attract a lion as a
    familiar, or a warhorse that has stats and abilities identical to the
    paladin’s mount.

    Gary

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