Author Topic: 1st level Reserve feats?  (Read 1717 times)

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RobbyPants

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1st level Reserve feats?
« on: August 17, 2010, 11:30:56 AM »
How much do you think the game would be affected by changing the prerequisites of all reserve feats to only require 1st level casting?

This would give low level casters their unlimited pew-pew lazers, like a warlock, but at a noticably shorter range.  Things like Touch of Healing would be nice for a 1st level group.  A lot of them don't scale too well down to that low of a level.  Some wouldn't work anyway, due to a lack of availability of certain types of 1st level spells (like teleporting).

Am I missing anything crazy?  Does anything crazy-powerful sneak through?  A lot of these still don't seem to warrent an entire feat, but I'm just brainstorming at this point.
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archangel.arcanis

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Re: 1st level Reserve feats?
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2010, 12:23:29 PM »
i doubt it would be a problem. The only other thing i could think of that possibly could be abused would be people dipping to get them and using them early on by combining with things that would get high level spells quickly, but i still don't think that would break anything. The only other one would be the boost to CL which at low levels is actually significant. +1cl doubles damage at lvl 1.
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RobbyPants

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Re: 1st level Reserve feats?
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2010, 12:29:25 PM »
Double damage on a blast spell at level 1 isn't really a bad thing.  It's pretty weak normally.  We're talking 2d4 damage on Burning Hand or Shocking Grasp, both of which mean getting up close.  Magic Missile and the Lesser Orbs won't increase until level 2 anyway due to their delayed progression.
My balancing 3.5 compendium
Elemental mage test game

Quotes
[spoiler]
Quote from: Cafiend
It is a shame stupidity isn't painful.
Quote from: StormKnight
Totally true.  Historians believe that most past civilizations would have endured for centuries longer if they had successfully determined Batman's alignment.
Quote from: Grand Theft Otto
Why are so many posts on the board the equivalent of " Dear Dr. Crotch, I keep punching myself in the crotch, and my groin hurts... what should I do? How can I make my groin stop hurting?"
Quote from: CryoSilver
I suggest carving "Don't be a dick" into him with a knife.  A dull, rusty knife.  A dull, rusty, bent, flaming knife.
Quote from: Seerow
Fluffy: It's over Steve! I've got the high ground!
Steve: You underestimate my power!
Fluffy: Don't try it, Steve!
Steve: *charges*
Fluffy: *three critical strikes*
Steve: ****
Quote from: claypigeons
I don't even stat out commoners. Commoner = corpse that just isn't a zombie. Yet.
Quote from: CryoSilver
When I think "Old Testament Boots of Peace" I think of a paladin curb-stomping an orc and screaming "Your death brings peace to this land!"
Quote from: Orville_Oaksong
Buy a small country. Or Pelor. Both are good investments.
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archangel.arcanis

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Re: 1st level Reserve feats?
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2010, 12:43:11 PM »
the only other thing is that for the first few levels it basically replaces some spells. Like the minor shape change one constantly being used with only 1 slot taken up to power it, or the damaging ones the same way. this would still leave a few other slots for the other spells and take care of 2 whole types of spells all day long.
Clerics and Druids are like the 4 and 2 in 42. Together they are the answer to the ultimate question in D&D.
Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

veekie

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Re: 1st level Reserve feats?
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2010, 02:43:59 PM »
Trivial other than making warlocks cry. I think.
Summon Elemental is a mite tricky because you couldn't summon elementals the usual way....until they came up with Animate [Element] for druids.
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Prime32

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Re: 1st level Reserve feats?
« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2010, 02:46:45 PM »
Maybe you can't take them at 1st-level normally, but can trade your familiar for one? Or maybe trading in your familiar for a reserve feat lets you calculate the effects based on your highest-level spell, rather than your highest-level spell of a certain type.
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RobbyPants

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Re: 1st level Reserve feats?
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2010, 02:52:36 PM »
Trivial other than making warlocks cry. I think.
Kind of.  That 60' range and typeless damage is really nice for a warlock.  Using the reserve feats typically puts you within 20 or 30 feet or your opponent (or less!).

I suppose, as compensation, you could add +Cha mod (if positive) to damage for Eldritch Blast.  Then they'd have more damage to further set them apart at this level.


Maybe you can't take them at 1st-level normally, but can trade your familiar for one? Or maybe trading in your familiar for a reserve feat lets you calculate the effects based on your highest-level spell, rather than your highest-level spell of a certain type.
I don't think trading a familiar straight-up would be necessary.  Trading it to change how you calculate your highest level spell available is also probably too high a cost.  Familiars are awesome.
My balancing 3.5 compendium
Elemental mage test game

Quotes
[spoiler]
Quote from: Cafiend
It is a shame stupidity isn't painful.
Quote from: StormKnight
Totally true.  Historians believe that most past civilizations would have endured for centuries longer if they had successfully determined Batman's alignment.
Quote from: Grand Theft Otto
Why are so many posts on the board the equivalent of " Dear Dr. Crotch, I keep punching myself in the crotch, and my groin hurts... what should I do? How can I make my groin stop hurting?"
Quote from: CryoSilver
I suggest carving "Don't be a dick" into him with a knife.  A dull, rusty knife.  A dull, rusty, bent, flaming knife.
Quote from: Seerow
Fluffy: It's over Steve! I've got the high ground!
Steve: You underestimate my power!
Fluffy: Don't try it, Steve!
Steve: *charges*
Fluffy: *three critical strikes*
Steve: ****
Quote from: claypigeons
I don't even stat out commoners. Commoner = corpse that just isn't a zombie. Yet.
Quote from: CryoSilver
When I think "Old Testament Boots of Peace" I think of a paladin curb-stomping an orc and screaming "Your death brings peace to this land!"
Quote from: Orville_Oaksong
Buy a small country. Or Pelor. Both are good investments.
[/spoiler]

veekie

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Re: 1st level Reserve feats?
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2010, 03:39:18 PM »
More or less, the issue is more with warlocks sucking than the feats being too strong really. Besides, adding cha to damage gives a reason for low level warlocks to care about cha.
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

I wish I could read your mind,
I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
-Ibuki Suika, on overkill

To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

There is no higher price than 'free'.

"I won't die. I've been ordered not to die."