Admire my sack.

I'd love some feedback!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/803826/Will%27s%205e%20Stuff.pdf

A bunch of races, ideas for minimizing number of classes (fighter/rogue/wizard, and everything else is a variation)
Celestial and Inevitable pacts.


I realize it could use better formatting and artwork, but that'll come later. (Artwork, possibly much later)

Sweet! Gonna check this out, thanks!

...ha ha... "sack"...

I like the pacts(now we just need inevitable's in 5e so the pact wielder can potentially meet his sponsor at higher lvl's), you could do with shifting a few things down though so your don't end up with a huge chunk of dead space at the end of your file(also means some of your backgrounds end up starting on their own page which looks better).

Oh yes. There's a lot of layout needed. I'm debating artwork options, too.

Tentatively, once I'm done with most of the content, I'll spring for a good PDF editor (I'm just using MSWord right now), try to see what the cheapest artwork options are (various grab-bags of royalty free stuff), and spruce it up and put in a Paypal donation thing. And if that makes any money, use the money to maybe commission artwork.

But the document at present is probably only half of what I intend to put in it.

To come:
A few more weird races (I made PC otyughs in 3e, might try to do that again, ha ha, maybe shapeshifters and others), a few things related to royal bloodlines (maybe a Pact to the Land itself, which is weird and inhuman, clerical Domains related to royalty or protecting places).
Also fleshing out some of my ideas for 'take wound conditions to buy off damage'.

Also in Pathfinder, at least, it's possible to get a small Inevitable as a familiar (Arbiters), so that would be an obvious addition to Inevitable Pact of the Chain.

Pact of the Modron!

Honestly, I'm not sure how different Pact of the Modron would be from Pact of the Inevitable. Hrrm.

(Alternately, if you wanted to do Modron rather than Inevitable, I think you could probably just change the name, although being Dragged through [strike]Hell[/strike] Mechanus would be funny)

Quote from: Will;798350I'll spring for a good PDF editor (I'm just using MSWord right now)

I'm curious, what can't you do in Word?

----

My idle thoughts, for what they're worth.

Cutting down the number of classes, the Core Class Option, seems to be the least useful part of your "sack"; with enough variants in each to cover different archetypes, it's no great advantage over having a lot of classes -- unless you can combine disparate features.  As I read it, most of your additions exclude other choices, standard or added.

I'd like some way of customizing a character outside of a given class but without taking a level in a different class; sort of like buying a feat instead of buying a level.  But I'm not sure how it could be balanced.  And then convert more class features to be usable that way; but then how to avoid losing class identity?

I did like the additional warlock patrons and the Otterfolk race.  The other races and the backgrounds were just OK.  I don't have enough 5e experience yet to say how any of them would work out.

I like the divine Sorcerer it's similar to the 4e Invoker and the DL/RC Mystic.

Quote from: rawma;798756I'm curious, what can't you do in Word?

Any really fancy layout... I think. Honestly, a higher priority is probably artwork.

But, man. Paying reasonable rates, that could cost me several hundred dollars for something I'm unlikely to see any money from. Heh.

Quote from: rawma;798756My idle thoughts, for what they're worth.

Cutting down the number of classes, the Core Class Option, seems to be the least useful part of your "sack"; with enough variants in each to cover different archetypes, it's no great advantage over having a lot of classes -- unless you can combine disparate features.  As I read it, most of your additions exclude other choices, standard or added.

Yeah, I'm thinking I should either separate it out or just make a note about how some options obviate the need for certain classes. I'm debating, since you might very well WANT Berserker Fighters _and_ Barbarians in your game.

Quote from: rawma;798756I did like the additional warlock patrons and the Otterfolk race.  The other races and the backgrounds were just OK.  I don't have enough 5e experience yet to say how any of them would work out.

Well, to some extent most of this is educated guesswork, since I don't have much 5e experience, either. (But if it helps, I've been paid to make up shit!)

Quote from: Will;798769Well, to some extent most of this is educated guesswork, since I don't have much 5e experience, either. (But if it helps, I've been paid to make up shit!)

Wow, a professional!  Well, I liked it so far.    Feel free to add my endorsement:

Quote from: Some random anonymous person on the internetIt was worth at least ten times what I paid for it!

You could also get theRPGsite Product of Distinction Award, although I think you have to have a printed product.

Quote from: rawma;798756I'd like some way of customizing a character outside of a given class but without taking a level in a different class; sort of like buying a feat instead of buying a level.  But I'm not sure how it could be balanced.  And then convert more class features to be usable that way; but then how to avoid losing class identity?

I've been thinking about levels and point buy combined. Each level gets you a number of points to spend on abilities, such that a level of spell-casting and a level of fighting cannot be taken together (this would be a two class sytsem, fighter and MU), and both cost more than taking a special ability/feat/attribute which cost more than skills/proficiencies.

One thought I've had is breaking down classes further, so you might do something like:

Combat training
Profession
(etc)

And you'd then mix and match. Sort of like do it yourself combo platters. Or... something.

The trick is that the 'size' of various options aren't even, so you have issues like how do you balance the combat option of Fighter with the combat option of Wizard.


Hmm.

Also, if anyone is curious, I had a really active career from 2000-2004... heh.

Contributing author to:
Blue Planet: Natural Selection, Imperial Supply, Scarred Lands: Ghelspad, Scarred Lands: Termana, Spells and Spellcraft, Vigil Watch: Warrens of the Ratmen, Vigil Watch Secrets of the Asaatthi, Relics and Rituals

Also one of those World of Warcraft D&D creature books, I forget which one. (I turned Nerubians into a possibly PC race, since I've always been fond of the idea of PC spider creatures)

Main author:
Fright Night: Haunted House

Might be one or two I've forgotten.


Also apparently I was a cover illustrator in the 1950s, several decades before I was born. MAGIC

Quote from: Will;799038One thought I've had is breaking down classes further, so you might do something like:

Combat training
Profession
(etc)

And you'd then mix and match. Sort of like do it yourself combo platters. Or... something.

The trick is that the 'size' of various options aren't even, so you have issues like how do you balance the combat option of Fighter with the combat option of Wizard.


Hmm.

5 points per level.

A level of fighting = 3 points.
A level of magic = 4 points.
A level of a profession (ala BoL) = 1 point.
A special ability = 1 points.
A magical ability = 2 points.

Or something like that.

Edit: on reflection, special abilities could span the entire 1-5 point range, since the inspiration for them in the first place was the idea that "hide in shadow" was originally meant to be something like invisibility, so give people the option of taking special abilities like full on magical effects. Invisibility, cure, regeneration, armor, etc.

Quote from: Will;798274Admire my sack.

hurr hurr hurr...