Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Alpha_Nerd 02-09-07, 03:15 PM	You've said in other threads that you're trying to get rid of ridiculous caster bumps, so why keep the +4 CL for 10 minute beads? It seems counter-productive. Just let people either sell the 1 bead back for full or sell the entire strand back for full. Also, let people buy the strands if they want, they just adjust the cost for the strand without the karma bead.
Britt 02-09-07, 03:26 PM	Karma beads are not easy to get, cost a lot of money, only work for 10 minutes a day, take a round to activate, and are in the DMG. All those things weigh against closing them, when compared to other CL bumps. Yes, it is better than I like, but not so good that it has to go, when weighed against the other points.
Alpha_Nerd 02-09-07, 03:44 PM	Karma beads are not easy to get, cost a lot of money, only work for 10 minutes a day, take a round to activate, and are in the DMG. All those things weigh against closing them, when compared to other CL bumps. Yes, it is better than I like, but not so good that it has to go, when weighed against the other points. Hard to get: That just means that the people with them have a large advantage over those without them. Cost a lot of money: If you craft, which many clerics do now-a-days, it's reduced dramatically. It's still pretty efficient though compared to other caster level bumps IIRC. Only works for 10 minutes a day: That's either 1 combat (probably the last) or all the daily prebuffs you could want. Take a round to activate: This is true, but it seems from my experience that Clerics are more of a reactive caster, so missing the first round isn't as detrimental as it is for an arcane caster. In the DMG: Just because WotC printed an imbalanced item in a core rulebook instead of a splatbook shouldn't make it more capable of sticking around in my opinion. Case in Point: Polymorph.
copper_wyrmling 02-09-07, 04:10 PM	Cost a lot of money: If you craft, which many clerics do now-a-days, it's reduced dramatically. It's still pretty efficient though compared to other caster level bumps IIRC. Note that (a) you need an alignment domain or the Glory domain to meet the spell prereqs for a standard strand, and (b) under the new crafting rules, you would need to have seen access. I've seen access exactly once in ~200 ARs. It does give a substantial advantage to people who already crafted it based on the level+2 rule, yes. Only works for 10 minutes a day: That's either 1 combat (probably the last) or all the daily prebuffs you could want. Yes, and when my cleric buys it, she'll probably use it at the end of the day when she casts all her extended buff spells. It won't work on Heroes' Feast (casting time is too long) but the MV's and GMW's will be okay. Take a round to activate: This is true, but it seems from my experience that Clerics are more of a reactive caster, so missing the first round isn't as detrimental as it is for an arcane caster. At the APLs where you see a lot of these things, combats tend to be over rather quickly (in terms of rounds, that is, they can drag on for a while in real-time because everyone has such complex actions). In a lot of combats I've played, the encounter would actually be over by the second round if my cleric spent her first standard action on spellcasting (righteous wrath, bolt of glory, holy word, etc), so activating a bead in the first round would be a bit of a waste. Of course, this may vary depending on your group.