Post/Author/DateTime

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Tinari 06-02-07, 08:34 AM

I want to start by saying that I think Wilders are perhaps one of my most favored classes in all of D&D. But, as many others, the implementation and design of wild surge along with enervation has been a major black eye in the class for me. I think I find the fix that Blaine Tog made is my personal favorite but it still doesn't deal with how much is lost when you enervate. This is what I find to be a simple variant/solution that I wanted to get some opinions on. It seems simple enough to me, and plays on Blaine Tog's variant. In his variant (which I can't find a link for, but have the page saved for personal reference) it states that a wilder always has a 15% chance to enervate and will always surge for the maximum amount possible. Thus a level 11 wilder surges for +4 anytime they surge, 15% chance to lose 11 power points, end of discussion. Here is my idea for this ability. Psychic Enervation (Ex): Pushing oneself by invoking a wild surge is dangerous. Immediately following each wild surge, a wilder may be overcome by the strain of her effort. The chance of suffering psychic enervation is equal to 15%. A wilder who is overcome by psychic enervation loses a number of power points equal to the base amount of power points spent manifesting the power, less half the level of their wild surge rounded up, to a minimum of 2. If the wilder loses more than 2 power point due to psychic enervation, she is immediately dazed until the end of her next turn. As a wilder grows more and more accustomed to wild surges and their effects, they are able to more able to withstand the strains on their minds. This "fix" basically incorporates some aspects of the Complete Psionics feat "Enervation Endurance." I prefer this fix as feats are precious to the wilder, and this fix just makes more sense in my mind. A wilder who, for the four hundredth time in their career, manifests an energy ray and is enervated, her mind would be more dulled to the pain, similar to how a barbarian becomes less fatigued from rages as they become more experienced. Does anyone have any thoughts on this idea of a fix? I've always found it rather weird that the best solution for reducing the power points lost from being a wilder is to no longer be a wilder anymore. This should make it more desirable to continue as a wilder so that the higher you can wild surge, the less painful an enervation becomes. My biggest worry/concern is that it would let a 20th level wilder belt out 1 power point 7D6+7 damage energy rays so often a warlock would cry, and they would have to manifest a wild surged energy ray to at LEAST 12D6+12 to suffer any larger penalties to from enervation.