KickStarter Solasta: Crown of the Magister Thread - now with Palace of Ice sequel DLC

[Lacrymas]

Roleplaying should be done within the lore. Fighters from certain tribes are called barbarians for example. Fighters from a monastic order are monks. Etc.

 

[Larianshill]

And warriors without balls should be called paladins

 

[gurugeorge]

Roleplaying should be done within the lore. Fighters from certain tribes are called barbarians for example. Fighters from a monastic order are monks. Etc.

Ackshually Monks should use a slightly different mechanic ("chi", "ki" or "qi").

If you go by real-life, then it should be roughly a cross between a rogue (in terms of something like legerdemain) and a fighter. There is such a thing as "qi" and it's mostly a result of conditioning the body's fascia via stretching and breath training, also beating, combined with clever leverage - i.e. not a mysterious "energy" but really a different way of using and co-ordinating the body, resulting in tremendous "short power" and powerful throws. Actually there's two forms of it, hard and soft, the hard results in things like extreme callousing, or like "eagle claw" where a guy who's conditioned his hand appropriately for like 10 years eventually has the grip to be able to rip into an oil barrel with his bare hand; or there are trainings that enable monks to lift tremendous weights with their balls - always useful in combat (actually it's a visible marker of overall fascia conditioning). The soft form is as aforementioned.

IOW, it's apparently - but not really - magical effects, achieved by an insane amount of repetitive training and resultant skill (kung fu), but based on CON, not INT.

 

[Lacrymas]

It was just an example, it depends on how the classes work mechanically. My point was that roleplaying is essentially a lore-related thing, it shouldn't corrupt the mechanics of how the classes work.

 

[gurugeorge]

It was just an example, it depends on how the classes work mechanically. My point was that roleplaying is essentially a lore-related thing, it shouldn't corrupt the mechanics of how the classes work.

I was just thinking about that there, and I've realized I don't know what you mean. Either multiple classes are giving varied gameplay via varied mechanics or not. If the complaint is that they're not, because they're all disguised flavours of the basic classes, fair enough, I don't think that's actually true in most cases (e.g. the Monk example I gave - normally they're not as elaborate as that, but they're not exactly "just disguised Fighters"). But if they are actually offering some variety in gameplay via varied mechanics, what's the problem?

Or maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick with what you're saying?

 

[Alex]

I clicked this thread thinking it would be about Ultima...

 

[Cryomancer]

. My point was that roleplaying is essentially a lore-related thing, it shouldn't corrupt the mechanics of how the classes work.

IMO mechanics and lore must be aligned. Otherwise you have shit like Diablo 3, where you can use siphon blood in skeletons, golems and ghosts and the amount of blood sucked is 100% dictated by your weapon which magically disappear when casting. That said, a fighter and a barbarian should be different mechanic wise. One has formal training and other is a wild man.

 

[Lacrymas]

It was just an example, it depends on how the classes work mechanically. My point was that roleplaying is essentially a lore-related thing, it shouldn't corrupt the mechanics of how the classes work.

I was just thinking about that there, and I've realized I don't know what you mean. Either multiple classes are giving varied gameplay via varied mechanics or not. If the complaint is that they're not, because they're all disguised flavours of the basic classes, fair enough, I don't think that's actually true in most cases (e.g. the Monk example I gave - normally they're not as elaborate as that, but they're not exactly "just disguised Fighters"). But if they are actually offering some variety in gameplay via varied mechanics, what's the problem?

Or maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick with what you're saying?

The problem is that 5E classes don't have enough mechanics to justify them being so many (Pillars of Eternity has the same issue btw). It's not economical to try to come up with a whole other class for a fighter from a monastic order when the end result can be achieved from the Fighter (or Rogue, it doesn't matter, it's just an example) class who takes a few feats and fights with his fists. That only leads to each class not having any significant build options and are only marginally different from other classes. Might as well go classless system by that point.

 

[Fedora Master]

Have they fixed the faces yet?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Have they fixed the faces yet?

Helmets

 

[Artyoan]

Have they fixed the faces yet?

They've already been fixed in the same way you might think of a dog being fixed. If you start from the point of view that you're playing with four Mr/Mrs Potato Heads, your appreciation will only go up from there. Just gotta adapt to these hard times.

 

[Reinhardt]

Roleplaying should be done within the lore. Fighters from certain tribes are called barbarians for example. Fighters from a monastic order are monks. Etc.

wommynz from barbarian school called...

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Roleplaying should be done within the lore. Fighters from certain tribes are called barbarians for example. Fighters from a monastic order are monks. Etc.

wommynz from barbarian school called...

They want their dead kids back.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Roleplaying should be done within the lore. Fighters from certain tribes are called barbarians for example. Fighters from a monastic order are monks. Etc.

wommynz from barbarian school called...

They want their dead kids back.

...for use as tribal grounds decorations.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Fighters from a monastery are called... fighters. Monks aren't just "fighters but from a monastery".

 

[Acrux]

Fighters from a monastic order would be paladins.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Fighters from a monastic order would be paladins.

According to whom? Certainly nearly all of them would not be capable of fulfilling the duties of a paladin.

 

[Acrux]

Fighters from a monastic order would be paladins.

According to whom? Certainly nearly all of them would not be capable of fulfilling the duties of a paladin.

According to me.

 

[Fatberg Slim]

Warlock update -
https://www.solasta-game.com/news/167-dev-update-33-warlocks-so-anyway-i-started-blasting

Dev Update #33 - Warlocks: So anyway I started Blasting​

03 November 2022

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Heya people!
Less than 1 week before the release of the Inner Strength DLC, coming out Monday November 14th! And you know what that means - it's time to talk about the last class of the trio. Warlocks!

If Sleep affects 5d8 HP and a cat has 2 HP, how many cats can Sleep put asleep? Mili and Oliver say at least 2.

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Read the Fine Prints
So you're telling me you want to learn magic, but you've got no money to enter a magic academy and no ancient bloodline running through your veins? It's alright, just sign here and I'll take care of it. What is this? You can't read either? Even better!
Jokes aside, Warlocks are spellcasters whose magic originates from their pact with an otherwordly being - a pact that could be your stereotypical deal with the devil, a whimsical interest from a powerful fey, or even the protection of a compassionate entity. Their patron grants them power in exchange for services, a facet of the class that can be very interesting to explore on Tabletop but which could not be implemented in Solasta.

First drafts of the Warlock outfits
Starting at level 1 Warlocks get access to Pact Magic. This type of magic is very different from other spellcasters, as Warlocks know very few spells and have even less spell slots... with only 1 at level 1, 2 at level 2 and 3 at level... 11! What sorcery is this?! However they regain their spells on a short rest instead of a long rest, and all their spells are automatically upcasted to the highest level they can cast (which caps at 5th spell level)! This makes Warlocks very explosive spellcasters who can afford to go all in during each and every fight. Also, don't forget to learn Eldritch Blast - Warlocks' signature cantrip! It's by far the most powerful cantrip in the game, and it synergizes with many Eldritch Invocations.

You will learn to love that cantrip. Because you'll be throwing it around a lot.
At level 2 Warlocks get their first two Eldricht Invocations. Those are like special Feats available only to them, which can go from granting them additional spells to greatly improving Eldritch Blast. There are a total of 22 Eldritch Invocations available in Solasta, and Warlocks can learn an additional one at level 5, 7, 9 and 12. On top of that, they can also swap one of them each time they level up so you won't ever be stuck with one you dislike!

Here's a couple of old sketches when doing research on the Warlock's visuals.
At level 3 Warlocks get their Pact Boon, which gives them the choice between Pact of the Blade, Pact of the Chain and Pact of the Tome:

• Pact of the Blade: Weapons wielded by the Warlock count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity.
• Pact of the Chain: As Solasta does not handle familiars, Pact of the Chain has been adapted to grant Warlocks the power to bind themselves to one of four creatures for a minute (bonus action, recharges on a long rest). The Imp grants them darkvision, resistance to fire and poison. The Pseudodragon grants them advantage on all saving throws against spells and magical effects. The Quasit grants them resistance against bludgeoning, piercing and slashing non-magical attacks. The Sprite grants them +2 cells movement speed and immunity to opportunity attacks.
• Pact of the Tome: The Warlock can immediately choose 3 additional cantrips from any spellcasting class.

Excuse me sir I believe that's yours.
At level 11, Warlocks unlock Mystic Arcanum. As stated above, Pact Magic is limited to spells below level 5 (as getting 9th level spells refreshed on short rests would be insanely strong) - but that doesn't mean Warlocks can't get access to them! Mystic Arcanum allows them to choose a 6th level spell that they can cast once per long rest.

Eat some of this, you dang oversized lizards!

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The Fiend (SRD)

When we were talking about your stereotypical deal with the devil, Fiend Warlocks are the first thing that come to mind. Having made a pact with a powerful demonic (or devilish!) entity, Fiend Warlocks get access to the Dark One's Blessing, which makes them gain temporary hit points every time they kill a hostile creature (reminder: temporary HP do not stack), At level 6, they can call upon the Dark One's Own Luck, granting them an additional d10 to all their ability checks and saving throws for one minute. And at level 10, their Fiendish Resilience allows them to choose one damage type that they'll gain resistance again - which can be swapped at the end of each short rest! Although be careful, magical weapons will bypass it.

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The Hive (Homebrew)

Bravery or simply insanity? Some Warlocks have chosen to make a pact with the Hive, a mysterious entity which scholars have theorized to be in control of Redeemers all over Solasta. Hive Warlocks display many similarities with those giant mutated insects, applying Weakening Pheromones whenever they hit their enemies with spells, which gives them disadvantage on their next saving throw. At level 6, they get Magic Counter which allows them to cast an improved version of Counterspell once per short rest (without using a spellcasting slot). And at level 10, Reactive Carapace makes them instantly gain temporary HP until the start of their next turn immediately after they take damage from a spell or magic effect.

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The Timekeeper (Community)

The winner of the Wishing Well, Timekeeper Warlocks have made a pact with an unknown entity from beyond space and time. At level 1, enemies damaged by their spell become afflicted with the Curse of Time, taking a small amount of damage at the start of each of their turn. At level 6, Time Shift allows Timekeeper Warlocks to vanish from the battlefield after taking damage, only returning at the beginning of their turn with all the damage taken undone by rewinding time (once per long rest). Finally at level 10, they get Accelerate - using a bonus action they can grant the effect of Haste to an ally for a single turn, without the lethargy when the effect ends (proficiency bonus per long rest).

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The Tree (Lost Valley)

Those who have braved the marshes of the Lost Valley know that some trees out there are better left alone. Unlike Druids who commune with Nature, Tree Warlocks' blessings are viewed by many as a curse. At level 1, Piercing Branches start to sprout from their skin, inflicting damage to any enemy who hits them with a melee attack. At level 6, they receive the Blessing of the Tree, granting them immunity against poison effect, and resistance against poison and necrotic damage as their blood and skin start to take a greenish color. And at level 10, they can unleash an Explosive Growth, sprouting branches from all over their body to inflict heavy damage to all enemies around them, shoving and restraining them on a failed dexterity saving throw (once per short rest).

Alright folks, this is the end for today! Next time we'll be talking about... The trailer and the Community Video :D Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.

I'm not sure what to make of this class - a lot will depend on the invocations and how they're implemented within the game systems. Hopefully they do a better job than NWN2 did, not that that would be saying much

 

[Lhynn]

Fighters from a monastery are called... fighters. Monks aren't just "fighters but from a monastery".

The Dnd Monk class is just a mess, it draws inspiration from too many sources, often conflicting. Add to that the fact that it seems like a class intentionally designed to be bad and you are left with a useless aberration.

From experience people that play monks actually want to play one of these:

- Fighters without armor
- Brawlers
- Taoists
- Actual shaolin monks
- Just add some "spiritual inclination" to their base class in the form of a dip
- Generic martial artists, Jet lee, jackie chan, IP man, etc
- A 90s action hero

The class offers a little bit for everyone, but doesnt fully support any of it, this was supposed to be addressed by subclasses, but they dont, at all. Most of the subclasses feel very weak, because most of the subclass features actually clash with the main class features, that is Ki usage and bonus action usage. Its just horribly designed and it really does feel intentional.

 

[gurugeorge]

Fighters from a monastery are called... fighters. Monks aren't just "fighters but from a monastery".

The Dnd Monk class is just a mess, it draws inspiration from too many sources, often conflicting. Add to that the fact that it seems like a class intentionally designed to be bad and you are left with a useless aberration.

From experience people that play monks actually want to play one of these:

- Fighters without armor
- Brawlers
- Taoists
- Actual shaolin monks
- Just add some "spiritual inclination" to their base class in the form of a dip
- Generic martial artists, Jet lee, jackie chan, IP man, etc
- A 90s action hero

The class offers a little bit for everyone, but doesnt fully support any of it, this was supposed to be addressed by subclasses, but they dont, at all. Most of the subclasses feel very weak, because most of the subclass features actually clash with the main class features, that is Ki usage and bonus action usage. Its just horribly designed and it really does feel intentional.

Why would they intentionally design a bad class?

 

[Lhynn]

From what I understand the class was designed based on a bad actor making bad martial arts movies back in the 80s that had some ties to dnd at the time. Its been a while since I read the story and cant seem to find it, but it seems like the monk class was designed to take the piss out of this person.

In every edition since its conception the monk has been a horribly designed weak class, so the theory seems to track.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

gygax regretted including the monk and wanted to remove it in 2E
it was based on the TV series Kung Fu.

 

[Faarbaute]

Khelgar Ironfist was a legit portrayal of dnd monk. The only one I can think of, in fact.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Khelgar Ironfist was a legit portrayal of dnd monk. The only one I can think of, in fact.

yea but he mostly just wanted to punch shit hard
obvious the class would have been better off as "brawler" or something, a fighter focusing on grappling