Wrote a new feature, called Astrologic Influence, which is available to a variety of characters from different backgrounds. This would be something which costs the player nothing but having the training in a requisite skill. Also, added some stuff for astronomers, and astrology as a connected thing with feats.
NEW FEATURE
Astrologic Influence: Flavor: You are in touch with the subtle flows of the astrology’s influence. Requirement: 13 Intelligence, or 13 Wisdom, or training in the Nature, Religion, or Arcana skill. It must be during your designated time when you use this feature. Special: When you use this feature for the first time, you select the designated time (either at night, or during prayer) to use this feature and the source from which the Astrology check is based on. These choices are permanent. If you do not have the requisite skill but do have the requisite ability score, you may use your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier (and +1/2 per level, rounded down) instead, gaining no training bonus from a skill. Description: At the end of a short rest or extended rest, once per day, you can decide to make an Astrology check during prayer or at night. An Astrology check is a check in which you roll a d20, and modify it as described above against DC 20. If you make the check, you make a Determination roll to determine the alignment of the stars for you and whether the day will be auspicious for you. You gain a +1 bonus to the Determination roll if your check result was 30 or more, or +2 to the Determination roll if your check result was 40 or more. If your check result was lower than a 20 then you do not know what the stars say for you (the DM makes a determination roll in secret, only revealing the result if it is 7 or more).
Determination Roll: Roll a d10, and read the chart below for the effect.
d10 Result -- Effect
1 to 4 --------- Inauspicious Day: The DM may ask you to reroll one successful skill check.
5 or 6 --------- Normal Day: No effect.
7 or more --- Auspicious Day: You may reroll one unsuccessful skill check.
Special: This power does not recharge during an extended rest. Instead, its effects last for 24 hours, and this power recharges after this period of time has expired.
FEATS
Lucky Bastard: Flavor: You are a studied astrologer, and possess a bit of extra luck that others cannot explain. Benefit: When you make an Astrology check you gain a +2 bonus to all Determination rolls.
Astronomer: Prerequisite: Nature training. Benefit: When you make a Nature check to find your way at night, you can roll twice and use either result. Additionally, you gain a +2 bonus to all Astrologer checks.
Astrologic Magic: Flavor: Using the stars as your guide, you tap into the power of the Astral Sea. Benefit: When you make an Astrology check you can increase the potency of all primal, arcane, and divine keyword powers which also contain the implement keyword. You gain the daily power, Astrologic Empowerment.
Astrologic Empowerment - Feat Power
Using the stars as your guide, you tap into the power of the Astral Sea.
Daily
No Action, Personal
Effect: Use this power when you make an Astrology check. If the result was 20 or more, you gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls with the specified powers. If the result is 30 or more, you gain a +2 feat bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls with the specified powers. If the result is 40 or more, you gain a +3 feat bonus to attack rolls and damage with the specified powers. If the result is less than 20, this power has no effect.
Special: This power's benefit lasts for 24 hours.
*some of it is almost straight-ripped from d20's Ultimate Feats, but converted to 4th by me.
Astrologic Magic*: Requirement: Nature training. Benefit: You can increase the potency of your spells by making a successful Astrology check versus a DC of 20 (uses the Nature skill). You are not permitted to take 10 or take 20 on this check, and retries are not permitted. A successful check grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage with all primal, arcane, and divine keyword powers which also contain the implement keyword.
The skill check seem superfluous. DC 20 might be tough at level 1, but becomes easy very quickly. By paragon, most character could make this check automatically, if they wanted to (were trained in nature, and had decent wisdom), since rolling a 1 on a skill check is not automatic failure. By epic, even low wisdom characters will be rolling with +15, minimum.
The bonus to attack and damage is untyped, so it would stack with everything, and would be very attractive to any caster - even non-damage focused casters would appreciate a +1 to hit for 5% better chance of a control effect hitting (or whatever). The +1 to damage is just the cherry on top. There also seems to be no penalty to trying, so even if a character only has 50-50 odds of hitting DC 20, it is still a good bonus.
Astrologer*: Prerequisite: Nature training. Benefit: You make an Astrology check with a DC of 20 (uses the skill Nature) at the beginning of each day. If you succeed you may roll a d10 to determine the alignment of the start during the next day. A roll of 1 to 3 indicates an inauspicious day, a roll of 4 to 7 indicates a normal day, a roll of 8 to 10 indicates an auspicious day. On inauspicious days the DM may ask you to reroll one successful skill check. On auspicious days, you may reroll one unsuccessful skill check.
Conversely, this feat seems underpowered to me. The DC is again almost pointless, as any character who cares enough to take these feats will be able to automatically make a DC 20 check by 10th level. But, in this case, they've spent a feat in order to gain what amounts to no net advantage. 30% of the time, its bad. 40% of the time it does nothing. 30% of the time, it is benificial (but exactly as good as it could be bad).
The net result is that, on average, this feat's benifits will be cancelled out by its drawbacks - so I, personally, wouldn't want to use a feat slot on something that doesn't help me.
Also, in the games I play in, the PCs rarely get to say "well, the stars say today is a bad day to do battle, so lets just rest until tomorrow" - however, in games where this is the case, it would be too awesome. :-)
what type of action is it to use astrologic magic? (by default, skill checks are standard action ...)
Yes, would be a standard action. Should word it as a daily feat power as well, since this came from 3rd I overlooked that fact.
Astrologic Magic*: Requirement: Nature training. Benefit: You can increase the potency of your spells by making a successful Astrology check versus a DC of 20 (uses the Nature skill). You are not permitted to take 10 or take 20 on this check, and retries are not permitted. A successful check grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage with all primal, arcane, and divine keyword powers which also contain the implement keyword.
The skill check seem superfluous. DC 20 might be tough at level 1, but becomes easy very quickly. By paragon, most character could make this check automatically, if they wanted to (were trained in nature, and had decent wisdom), since rolling a 1 on a skill check is not automatic failure. By epic, even low wisdom characters will be rolling with +15, minimum.
The bonus to attack and damage is untyped, so it would stack with everything, and would be very attractive to any caster - even non-damage focused casters would appreciate a +1 to hit for 5% better chance of a control effect hitting (or whatever). The +1 to damage is just the cherry on top. There also seems to be no penalty to trying, so even if a character only has 50-50 odds of hitting DC 20, it is still a good bonus.
I realized this morning that I should make it a +1 feat bonus on both damage and attack, and scale to +3 at Epic tier instead. That should fix the slight problem at higher level for benefit. And to cover the skill DC problem, making it DC 20 for +1, DC 30 for +2, and DC 40 for +3 might handle both ends of the issues you mention.
Astrologer*: Prerequisite: Nature training. Benefit: You make an Astrology check with a DC of 20 (uses the skill Nature) at the beginning of each day. If you succeed you may roll a d10 to determine the alignment of the start during the next day. A roll of 1 to 3 indicates an inauspicious day, a roll of 4 to 7 indicates a normal day, a roll of 8 to 10 indicates an auspicious day. On inauspicious days the DM may ask you to reroll one successful skill check. On auspicious days, you may reroll one unsuccessful skill check.
Conversely, this feat seems underpowered to me. The DC is again almost pointless, as any character who cares enough to take these feats will be able to automatically make a DC 20 check by 10th level. But, in this case, they've spent a feat in order to gain what amounts to no net advantage. 30% of the time, its bad. 40% of the time it does nothing. 30% of the time, it is benificial (but exactly as good as it could be bad).
The net result is that, on average, this feat's benifits will be cancelled out by its drawbacks - so I, personally, wouldn't want to use a feat slot on something that doesn't help me.
Also, in the games I play in, the PCs rarely get to say "well, the stars say today is a bad day to do battle, so lets just rest until tomorrow" - however, in games where this is the case, it would be too awesome. :-)
Aye, I wanted to include this feat because of its flavor. And one thing I will note in case it was missed: its for a skill check, not really battle (though it could be in battle but at least not an attack roll, which I deliberately wanted to avoid).
Although, I do see your point about the near-uselessness of the feat. Shoot. The overall effect is balance which is not very attractive. It would have to be about 50/50 good/no change to be useful, and even then...I dunno, and plus how to scale...
Shoot again. I will edit it to be a like 1-2: being inauspicious, 3-5: no effect, 6 or more: auspicious. And then I will see what I can come with for the skill check..maybe handle it like above, and make the d10 roll occur at the beginning of each day you use the feat. That is: DC 20 +1 on the d10 roll; DC 30 +2 on the roll; DC 40 +3 on the roll.
If it doesn't cost the PC anything to obtain, then it just becomes a quetion of whether or not the PC wants to gamble on it.
Another option would be to make it not cost a feat. You could have this just be a feature that you allow anyone to do with a Nature check in yoru campaign world. Not taking the option means no chance of benifit, but also no chance of punishment. Takign the option means you toll the die, and there are equal chances of goor or bad outcomes, and also a chance of no change (same as you had before).
If it doesn't cost the PC anything to obtain, then it just becomes a quetion of whether or not the PC wants to gamble on it.
Aye, I am open to all suggestions.
That may turn out to be the best alternative. Would like more input before resorting to that though, as I want it to be something special for those who want to experiment with the understanding of the Astral Sea..One possibly important note, is that I am using a variant which effectively removes most of the +1 to x flavorless feats, leaving more room for feats like to be selected (not that it makes the feat any better I do realize, and I understand it needs work) but its good to note that I am using the following variant: One-Stone System, by lgfig
(ref PHB 3; powers each character can take instead of their usual class powers if they are trained in a certain skill)
something like
nature skill power:
utility lvl 2; daily; standard action: grant +1 to attacks until end of encounter.
(requires balancing of course ...)
1d10:
4 or lower: You must reroll the first 20 you roll on an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check today and use the second result
5 or 6: No effect
7 or higher: You must reroll the first 1 you roll on an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check today and use the second result.
Then you could optionally make a feat that gives you a +2 bonus to the roll ("Damn lucky" or something)
Sounds like a fun way to include the stars and astrology in your campaign
If you give them the "Auspicious day" feature for free, and allow anyone to roll the die at the start of the die, with an outcome like this:
1d10:
4 or lower: You must reroll the first 20 you roll on an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check today and use the second result
5 or 6: No effect
7 or higher: You must reroll the first 1 you roll on an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check today and use the second result.
Then you could optionally make a feat that gives you a +2 bonus to the roll ("Damn lucky" or something)
Sounds like a fun way to include the stars and astrology in your campaign
Talked to the player too, he had some good ideas. Gonna post em here, they rock.
Well, you obviously need the skill check to see what the stars actually mean.
I suppose I'd remove the training requirement if you really wanted to improve it. I mean, you could flavor your knowledge fo what the stars mean off any other trained skill: Religion - It is through the stars the Gods speak unto us; History - Judging from past experiences, today's alignment speaks ill for businesses involved in long-distance trading; Arcane - By the positioning of the Stars, I can determine Caiphon's power is waning today; Streetwise - Oy, did you hear what that fortune teller in Grove Street was saying about today's stars?; and of course Bluff - The stars are aligned for you! Today is a good day to try new things, and avoid people wearing the color mauve.
Updating the above now..
-made it available to almost everyone to some degree, and thus reflavored.
-also made the two parts of the initial feature into "Determination roll" and "Astrology check"
-reworded Astrologic Magic (again) and the other feats.
-critique me!
You might want to allow players to change the way they make checks though; if you character has Wisdom and uses that, he'll be losing out a lot when he picks up Nature training at a later level.