GENASI
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The Genasi race has always been a paradox to me. On one hand, it does something spectacular that I wish more races would do, and that is that gives players options, specifically racial feature and racial power options. When you play a Genasi character and tell the other players your character's race, they want to know more details about what sort of member of your race you are because your race alone simply isn't enough information.
However, on the other hand, the racial feature options available to the Genasi race are some of the most boring, drab, and uninspiring in the entire game. Yes, some of the energy resistances offered aren't offered anywhere else, but the mechanic itself is about as unique as the defense bonuses that otherwise plague the race, and I do mean plague.
Not being one to settle for less than perfection, especially not from a race that by all counts deserves to be so much more amazing and unique, I've decided to put some of my boredom to use this summer and reimagine the Genasi race, at least on a mechanical level. I hope that you enjoy this attempt at recreating the Genasi race, and I look forward to questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, and of course, praise. (Yes, that last one was a joke. I promise that I'm not really that arrogant.)
Oh, and the Air-Soul Genasi can fly!*
*sort of...
The Genasi race has always been a paradox to me. On one hand, it does something spectacular that I wish more races would do, and that is that gives players options, specifically racial feature and racial power options. When you play a Genasi character and tell the other players your character's race, they want to know more details about what sort of member of your race you are because your race alone simply isn't enough information.
However, on the other hand, the racial feature options available to the Genasi race are some of the most boring, drab, and uninspiring in the entire game. Yes, some of the energy resistances offered aren't offered anywhere else, but the mechanic itself is about as unique as the defense bonuses that otherwise plague the race, and I do mean plague.
Not being one to settle for less than perfection, especially not from a race that by all counts deserves to be so much more amazing and unique, I've decided to put some of my boredom to use this summer and reimagine the Genasi race, at least on a mechanical level. I hope that you enjoy this attempt at recreating the Genasi race, and I look forward to questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, and of course, praise. (Yes, that last one was a joke. I promise that I'm not really that arrogant.)
Oh, and the Air-Soul Genasi can fly!*
*sort of...
DOUBLE MANIFESTATION
Source: Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
Prerequisite: 21st level, Genasi, Extra Manifestation feat
Benefit: You can manifest two different elemental manifestations simultaneously, but you do not gain all features of both manifestations while doing so. Instead, you gain features as follows:
* When you manifest your Earth-Soul, you gain the Earth, Landslide, and Earth-Shock features.
* When you manifest your Fire-Soul, you gain the Fervent Form, Fire, and Fire-Pulse features, but you cannot use your Fire-Pulse power as a minor action.
* When you manifest your Air-Soul, you gain the Air, Glide, and Wind-Walk features.
* When you manifest your Water-Soul, you gain the Aquatic, Water, and Swift-Current features, and all ongoing damage that you take is halved.
You also gain the Skill Bonus feature of one of your manifestations, chosen when you initially manifest both elements. When you manifest elements with different speeds, you take the lowest speed.
This feat doesn't grant you any extra manifestations, so you can only manifest elements that you already have access to.
ELEMENTAL GUARDIAN
Source: Martial Power
Prerequisite: 11th level, CON 15, Genasi, Fighter
Benefit: When you end your turn adjacent to any of your allies or adjacent to any enemy that is adjacent to any of your allies, you and one such ally of your choice gain a benefit until the end of your next turn depending on the element that you are currently manifesting.:
* Earth-Soul: You ignore all difficult terrain when you shift. Your ally gains Earth Walk.
* Fire-Soul: Your resist fire improved by 5. Your ally gains resist fire 5.
* Air-Soul: You and your ally each gain a +2 racial bonus to AC and Reflex against opportunity attacks.
* Water-Soul: You gain a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against effects that include ongoing damage. All ongoing damage that your ally takes is halved.
FIRE-PULSE MASTER
Source: Dragon Magazine 367
Prerequisite: Genasi, Fire-Pulse racial power
Benefit: Your Fire-Pulse power gains the Reliable keyword and deals an extra 1D6 damage to its target.
FIRE-PULSE TRANSFORMATION
Source: Dragon Magazine 391
Prerequisite: Genasi, Fire-Pulse racial power
Benefit: When you use your Fire-Pulse racial power, each enemy adjacent to you that did not take fire damage as a result of the power takes fire damage equal to your highest ability score modifier.
ALTERED PARAGON PATH FEATURES
ELEMENTAL TEMPEST
Source: Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
Dual Manifestation (11th level): You can use two different elemental manifestations at the same time, but you do not gain all features of both manifestations while doing so. Instead, you gain features as follows:
* When you manifest your Earth-Soul, you gain the Earth, Landslide, and Earth-Shock features.
* When you manifest your Fire-Soul, you gain the Fervent Form, Fire, and Fire-Pulse features, but you cannot use your Fire-Pulse power as a minor action.
* When you manifest your Air-Soul, you gain the Air, Glide, and Wind-Walk features.
* When you manifest your Water-Soul, you gain the Aquatic, Water, and Swift-Current features, and all ongoing damage that you take is halved.
You also gain the Skill Bonus feature of one of your manifestations, chosen when you initially manifest both elements. When you manifest elements with different speeds, you take the lowest speed. You can use the encounter powers for both of these manifestations in the same encounter.
WHIRLWIND GENASI
Source: Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
Whirlwind Breeze (11th level): When you use the Wind-Walk power, you gain a fly speed of 8 until the end of your next turn, but you cannot use the Glide power until after the end of your next turn.
CONCORDANT LEADER
Source: Martial Power
Shared Manifestation (Concordant Leader Utility 12) Effect: The target shares one elemental manifestation you are currently manifesting. The effect lasts until the end of the encounter or until you take a minor action to end it. If the target already has an elemental manifestation, the new manifestation replaces the previous one for the duration of this effect. If the target gained all features of the previous manifestation, then it gains all features of the new manifestation, but if the target did not gain all features of the previous manifestation or did not already have a manifestation, then it instead gains features as follows:
* If the target shares your Earth-Soul, it gains the Landslide and Earth-Shock features.
* If the target shares your Fire-Soul, it gains the Fervent Form and Fire-Pulse features, but it cannot use Fire-Pulse power as a minor action.
* If the target shares your Air-Soul, it gains the Glide and Wind-Walk features.
* If the target shares your Water-Soul, it gains the Aquatic and Swift-Current features, and all ongoing damage that it takes is halved.
That was surprisingly easy... I must have done something wrong...
I was actually pretty surprised at how few feats and features needed to be reworked to accommodate this alternative interpretation of the Genasi race.
The most significant things that needed to be altered were those that allowed the Genasi to manifest multiple elemental manifestations at once. I knew going in that I would have to deal with this, but I decided that I would not recreate the basic forms of the manifestations with this in mind. Instead, I would work out how to make these work later. I have to say, I'm actually pretty pleased with how this turned out. The only thing that I don't think that I was able to do well in this are was the Soul of Erosion's Union of Blessed and Cursed Waters, and that was because I do not have a Caustic-Soul manifestation (and I don't plan on making one). My recommendation when it comes to mixing this variant with existing manifestations is simply, well, that you shouldn't. They're just designed too differently to mesh seamlessly, at least in my opinion.
I actually didn't think that my chance to Fire-Pulse would require so many alterations, but they were both pretty simple and intuitive, so no worries.
On the flip side, I expected to need to alter much more to accommodate Glide, but it turned out that I only needed to alter the Whirlwind Genasi's Whirlwind Breeze to avoid shenanigans of a character running straight up for two turns and then spending rounds upon rounds safely out of harm's way.
The only one of these that I'm really not happy enough with is the Elemental Guardian feat. The feats not very good at all to begin with, though, so I'm not going to let it bother me too much.
The most significant things that needed to be altered were those that allowed the Genasi to manifest multiple elemental manifestations at once. I knew going in that I would have to deal with this, but I decided that I would not recreate the basic forms of the manifestations with this in mind. Instead, I would work out how to make these work later. I have to say, I'm actually pretty pleased with how this turned out. The only thing that I don't think that I was able to do well in this are was the Soul of Erosion's Union of Blessed and Cursed Waters, and that was because I do not have a Caustic-Soul manifestation (and I don't plan on making one). My recommendation when it comes to mixing this variant with existing manifestations is simply, well, that you shouldn't. They're just designed too differently to mesh seamlessly, at least in my opinion.
I actually didn't think that my chance to Fire-Pulse would require so many alterations, but they were both pretty simple and intuitive, so no worries.
On the flip side, I expected to need to alter much more to accommodate Glide, but it turned out that I only needed to alter the Whirlwind Genasi's Whirlwind Breeze to avoid shenanigans of a character running straight up for two turns and then spending rounds upon rounds safely out of harm's way.
The only one of these that I'm really not happy enough with is the Elemental Guardian feat. The feats not very good at all to begin with, though, so I'm not going to let it bother me too much.
Also would the sustain system clean up glide any?
The benefit for the water manifestaion on elemental gaurdian seems especially meh.
Yup, the feat is pretty awful, and I have no idea why anybody would ever take it. I was tempted to ignore it completely, but it did technically require some alteration based on this version of the race.
Also would the sustain system clean up glide any?
Unfortunately, I do not think so (A) because of how the power works with start of turn and end of turn mechanics, when a power cannot be sustained (it's complex enough making exceptions for free actions without making exceptions for entirely new ways for a sustain to work) and (B) because there aren't really any effects of the power that would last long enough to be sustained (none last even a whole round), and this is intended to prevent too much hanging around in the air and to prevent possible nonsensical consequences of allowing effects to go on longer than may be logically called for.
what if you broke it up into separate powers?
I have considered that, but I worried that the result of splitting the power up into all of its separate functions would be too overwhelming and confusing. Still, I never did actually try it to see how it would look...
Sky-Dive: You gain the Free-Fall, Hover, and Glide powers.
Free-Fall
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares). Unlike other free actions, this power can still be used at the start of your turn or at the end of your turn.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
Hover
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 30 feet (6 squares). Unlike other free actions, this power can still be used at the start of your turn or at the end of your turn.
Effect: You stop falling. If you use this power at the start of your turn or during your turn, then you resume falling at the end of your turn. If you use this power at the end of your turn or during another's turn, then you resume falling at the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
Glide
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares) at the start of your turn or at least 30 feet (6 squares) during your turn. Unlike other free actions, this power can still be used at the start of your turn.
Effect: You can choose to expend your turn's minor action. If you do, then you stop falling and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn. However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power or Hover until after you have landed.
Splitting the power up like this is functionally identical, so I guess the question is then whether splitting it up really makes it easier to understand or not. I'd prefer to make it work as a single power, but if this is easier to understand and implement, then I could certainly deal with this.
Glide for example, why does it trigger sooner at the start of your turn?
What's wrong with this?
Trigger: You fall at least 30 feet (6 squares) during your turn. Unlike other free actions, this power can still be used at the start of your turn.
Glide
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 25 feet (2 squares) at the start of your turn or during your turn. Unlike other free actions, this power can still be used at the start of your turn.
Effect: You can choose to expend your turn's minor action. If you do, then you stop falling and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn. However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power or Hover until after you have landed.
As for your trigger, I'm actually not totally clear if the start of your turn counts as being during your turn because the rules are sort of weirdly worded about that.
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares).
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
If you fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall. If you use this power during your turn, then you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn. If you use this power not during your turn, then you resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
Special: If you use this power during your turn and fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to spend a minor action. If you do, then you stop falling and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn (you then resume falling immediately after the end of your turn). However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power until after you have landed.
Or, separated out again into its constituent functions...
Free-Fall
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares).
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
Hover
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 25 feet (5 squares).
Effect: You stop falling. If you use this power during your turn, then you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn. If you use this power not during your turn, then you resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
Glide
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 25 feet (5 squares) during your turn.
Effect: You can choose to spend a minor action. If you do, then you stop falling and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn (you then resume falling immediately after the end of your turn). However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power or Hover until after you have landed.
I looked up the one effect that I thought actually could make you fall at the end of your turn, but it turns out I was wrong, so maybe there's nothing that can do that and I don't need to bother with it at all.
This is simpler, and I like it a lot better. Thank you, rampant. Do you like it?
at that point the falling happens at the end of your turn
EDIT: Wait, I found it. It's in the Crashing rules. Hmm... How to fix this...
Also, an immobilise mid-air (sim to Telekinetic Lift) might be a quicker way to cover interactions (albeit slightly different ones) with other game elements.
Halt fall
Trigger (No Action, 1/round): You would fall more than 30 feet.
Effect: You may interrupt your fall, and are considered immobilised at the altitude of your choice until the end of your next action.
Glide
Requirement: You must be immobilised due to use of the halt fall power.
Minor action: You gain fly speed, no upwards, yadda, yadda . ..
Note this also plays differently with prone - the character would not continue falling, but would need to Crawl/Fly or "stand up" in mid air after using their minor - both thematically OK IMO.
By RAW, interactions with forced movement are left to DM interpretation (some immobilizes move with the target, some don't). I'd be inclined to conisder this a "personal" effect which is not removed from the target through forced movement.
How about a duration "until the end of your next action"?
I don't think that actually means anything mechanically, and it raises a lot of questions like what happens if a character simply takes no actions at all during their turn? This feature is not intended to allow characters to hang out in the air forever.
Also, an immobilise mid-air (sim to Telekinetic Lift) might be a quicker way to cover interactions (albeit slightly different ones) with other game elements.
Halt fall
Trigger (No Action, 1/round): You would fall more than 30 feet.
Effect: You may interrupt your fall, and are considered immobilised at the altitude of your choice until the end of your next action.
I'm not understanding why the immobilized condition would help. You can still fall while immobilized (gravity is a pull). Without a fly speed, the character is de facto immobilized anyway, so there's no reason to say so any further, and it only raises weird questions about what happens if they have their immobilized condition removed. If the answer is nothing, then what's the point?
Also, the reason that this is a power and not a feature is exactly because I want for it to require an action, and it's easier to model that through a power. I see no reason why an unconscious, petrified, or stunned character should be able to do any of these things, so this should not be a No Action power but a Free Action power.
Note this also plays differently with prone - the character would not continue falling, but would need to Crawl/Fly or "stand up" in mid air after using their minor - both thematically OK IMO.
A character can't be prone in mid-air. The prone condition specifies that a character can only be prone while lying on the ground. This is why flying creatures fall instead of becoming prone.
ok it looks lots cleaner and nicer now, you might even be able to get away with re-combining the powers, but that's not a big deal
technically they fall AND become prone
Only if they fall more than their speed, actually. If the distance that they fall is less than their speed, then they take no falling damage and do not fall prone. Either way, they're not prone until they hit the ground.
ok it looks lots cleaner and nicer now, but I have one question,. now that it is cleaned up maybe the hover and glide powers could be recombined? when you use it during not your turn it's hover, when you use it during your turn it's glide
And remove the minor action requirement? I wanted it there to help balance the power, but I guess that it's really not that big of a deal... You could say it's a very minor change.
... I'm sorry for that. I'm not very funny.Anyway, let's see here:
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares).
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
If you use this power not during your turn and fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall. You resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
If you use this power during your turn and fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn (you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn). However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power to stop falling until after you have landed (you can still use it to not take damage from a fall).
Wow, this is a lot shorter and clearer now.
I made another small change to the last sentence so that the power can still be used to negate falling damage but not to stop falling. I trust that this is not a problem. The only thing that I need to figure out now is how to deal with falling at the start and end of your turns when necessary without screwing too much with how the power works now...
How about just adding this to the end?
Special: Unlike other free actions, this power can be used at the start of your turn or at the end of your turn. If you use this power at the end of your turn, then you treat it as having been used not during your turn. If you use this power at the start of your turn, then you treat it as having been used during your turn.
I've found more circumstances where you could fall at the end of your turn (Item: Skygliders) but none where you could fall at the start. Still, maybe it should be added in just in case?
And once you start falling I think you count as being able to take this kind of action since it's triggered right?
Well I don't think you can fall at the start. I mean unless there's a monster that knocks people prone at the start of their turns.
I don't think that there's any way to fall at the start of your turn currently, but the mechanical possibility is technically there, so I'd rather include it in case such a possibility is realized at some point. Added to a completely separate Special line at the bottom of the power, I don't think that is interferes with clear understanding of the power.
And once you start falling I think you count as being able to take this kind of action since it's triggered right?
As long as you can otherwise take Free actions, yes.
So Glide now looks like this, and I'll update it in the original post.
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares).
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
If you use this power not during your turn and fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall. You resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
If you use this power during your turn and fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn (you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn). However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power to stop falling until after you have landed (you can still use it to not take damage from a fall).
Special: Unlike other free actions, this power can be used at the start of your turn or at the end of your turn. If you use this power at the start of your turn, then you treat it as having been used during your turn. If you use this power at the end of your turn, then you treat it as having been used not during your turn.
Well I don't think you can fall at the start. I mean unless there's a monster that knocks people prone at the start of their turns.
I don't think that there's any way to fall at the start of your turn currently, but the mechanical possibility is technically there, so I'd rather include it in case such a possibility is realized at some point. Added to a completely separate Special line at the bottom of the power, I don't think that is interferes with clear understanding of the power.And once you start falling I think you count as being able to take this kind of action since it's triggered right?
As long as you can otherwise take Free actions, yes.
So Glide now looks like this, and I'll update it in the original post.
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares).
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
If you use this power not during your turn and fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall. You resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
If you use this power during your turn and fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn (you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn). However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power to stop falling until after you have landed (you can still use it to not take damage from a fall).
Special: Unlike other free actions, this power can be used at the start of your turn or at the end of your turn. If you use this power at the start of your turn, then you treat it as having been used during your turn. If you use this power at the end of your turn, then you treat it as having been used not during your turn.
It's getting clearer, but still mind-twisting to hold the full decscription in my head.
I think part of the problem here is that you seem keen to construct the power description very tightly out of pre-existing and clear-cut core rules, with the wording all in the power.
Are you reluctant to do something such as create a Glide movement mode, and grant it from start of a fall to "End of Your Next Turn"? You could then detail rules for Glide movement in a similar way to rules for Overland Flight - i.e. seperately to the ability description, and in bullet-point form. For example, in those bullet points, assuming you are still keen that there is an action cost to gliding, you could say that a character that moves using Glide during their own turn only gets two actions Standard + Move. There is even the precedent of Overland Flight which makes action restrictions.
This approach would also have the advantage of re-use for other pseudo-flyers.
It's getting clearer, but still mind-twisting to hold the full decscription in my head.
What part exactly are you having trouble with?
I think part of the problem here is that you seem keen to construct the power description very tightly out of pre-existing and clear-cut core rules, with the wording all in the power.
I would have to disagree. I think that making the decision not to make up any new rules for this power and instead construct it entirely out of pre-existing and clear-cut core rules is exactly what's keeping it from being total gibberish. I do not want to make up any new general rules for this to functions because I don't think that any new general rules need to be made up for this to function.
Are you reluctant to do something such as create a Glide movement mode, and grant it from start of a fall to "End of Your Next Turn"?
Again, I want to avoid "end of next turn" because I don't want the flight to be available on any turn other than the character's own.
You could then detail rules for Glide movement in a similar way to rules for Overland Flight - i.e. seperately to the ability description, and in bullet-point form. For example, in those bullet points, assuming you are still keen that there is an action cost to gliding, you could say that a character that moves using Glide during their own turn only gets two actions Standard + Move. There is even the precedent of Overland Flight which makes action restrictions.
But I don't think that would be worth the extra complexity involved. Remember, there's only a very small portion of the power's text that actually currently deals with the flight involved, and it's not even clear what portion of it should go to the separate rules for gliding and what portion of it should stay as a specific function of the power itself that will not apply to all gliding (the only rules that I could see as definitely applying to all forms of gliding would be that it's flight that cannot take you upward, so that's not very much), so among other things, creating separate rules for gliding may only remove a very small part of the text of the power and would require two different rules sources to learn how the power works either way. I just don't see that as being any simpler.
This approach would also have the advantage of re-use for other pseudo-flyers.
This power can still be used as a general model for other pseudo-flying races without needing to make up any new rules. In fact, I must admit that this was a partial goal of my constructing this power was so that I can point people to something consistent whenever I see yet another race trying to fly using some wonky, nonsensical, or overpowered mechanics.
(( It's also why I totally expected the Glide mechanics to end up being the major focus of this thread's discussion. That said, however, I would still appreciate at least some feedback on the rest of the project. ))
It's getting clearer, but still mind-twisting to hold the full decscription in my head.
What part exactly are you having trouble with?
The amount of text crammed into the description with special cases for amount of distance fallen, special casing for when you activate the power, interactions with other flight powers, interactions with conditions "as if you were flying". This power would need a flow-chart for me to understand its use as a player!
If this were computer code presented to me for code review, I'd reject it with "Too complex in a single routine, please re-factor"
The amount of text crammed into the description with special cases for amount of distance fallen, special casing for when you activate the power, interactions with other flight powers, interactions with conditions "as if you were flying". This power would need a flow-chart for me to understand its use as a player!
As I've mentioned earlier, there's no way for this not to be complicated. If it's too simple mechanically, then it stop making much sense thematically (recall that this is the problem with the Winged Bracers). If I move these rules from the power, then I have to put them somewhere else and end up scattering them around. The best that I might be able to do is to split it up into multiple powers, as was done earlier, but that would result in a lot of repetition of rules text, and I'm not convinced that would be any clearer.
Does it really seem any more understandable as two powers?
Hover
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares) not during your turn.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
If you fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall. You resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
Special: You can also use this power if you fall at least 10 feet (2 squares) at the end of your turn.
Glide
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 10 feet (2 squares) during your turn.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
If you fall at least 25 feet (5 squares), then you can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn (you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn). However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk racial power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power to stop falling until after you have landed or until the start of your next turn (you can still use this power to not take damage from a fall).
Special: You can also use this power if you fall at least 10 feet (2 squares) at the start of your turn.
EDIT: In case it's not clear, what I'm trying to say is that it's okay for the power to be complex as long as it is understandable enough. Complexity and understandability are not mutually exclusive ideas, so there are other ways to alter understandability without needing to alter complexity.
Maybe it would help if you could show me how you would do it?
Is there not a way to phrase "Hover" so that Glide could trigger on your own turn due to the state of hovering? That would remove about half of the text from Glide . . .
I cannot see what prevents you giving the race a separate "Take no damage from falling..." feature? That would remove the "Fall at least 10 feet" (thus having two distances to associate with each power) and "You take no damage from the fall" text, and the "(you can still use this power to not take damage...)" text. I cannot see which in game events would play differently?
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So, another suggestion, a re-working to reduce the text load, which you can consider "thrown at the wall" and pull apart for flaws:
Soft Landing (Air-soul Genasi Feature): Provided you are not helpless, stunned, or prone, you take no damage from falling.
Slow Fall
At-Will
Free Action, Personal (1/turn)
Trigger: You fall at least 25 feet (5 squares).
Effect: You can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall, and gain a Fly speed of 0. You lose this Fly speed, and resume falling immediately, either after the start of your next turn, or if you leave the square in which you stopped.
Special: You can use this power, provided you meet trigger conditions, at the start or end of your turn (unlike other Free Actions).
Glide
At-Will
Free Action, Personal (1/turn)
Trigger: During your turn, you have a Fly speed less than your highest speed.
Effect: You gain a fly speed equal to your highest speed, until the end of your turn. Flight granted by Glide may not be used to fly upwards.
Special: If you use any other power or ability to fly upwards, then the fly speed granted by Glide is immediately removed, and you may not use Glide or Slow Fall until the start of your next turn.
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I renamed Hover just because it might be confused with Fly X (hover) - i.e. players might think they actually have Fly (hover). Just noticed that one. I put in restriction 1/turn, because I am concerned about attempts to chain these powers - especially "Slow Fall" which otherwise could be used repeatedly to prevent reasonable attempts to knock the character out of the sky.
Some of this might play differently in combination with other effects and powers than you intend. Most notably you could tack Glide onto anything that grants a lowish Fly speed (although most single action powers do not do so, they just make you Fly X squares). Some of course might be unworkable - you seem to have a more thorough understanding of flight/crash rules, and what might count as OP than I do.
Is there not a way to phrase "Hover" so that Glide could trigger on your own turn due to the state of hovering?
I'm not actually sure what you mean, but it sounds like you're suggesting that the character not start falling again at the start of their turn, and I don't think that's a good idea. It allows for too much air time. Anything less than a 40-foot fall between turns of flight would be too little, and I don't want for the power to allow characters to hang out in the air for too long in combat. In other words, if Wind-Walk followed by Glide is easily consistently allowing the character to remain aloft for an entire round, then the power needs to require more falling.
I cannot see what prevents you giving the race a separate "Take no damage from falling..." feature? That would remove the "Fall at least 10 feet" (thus having two distances to associate with each power) and "You take no damage from the fall" text, and the "(you can still use this power to not take damage...)" text. I cannot see which in game events would play differently?
I guess that I could, but again, the reason that I prefer that function to be part of a power as opposed to a feature (even if it's its own power) is because I want for it to require an action. There are too many game elements out there that negate falling damage while a character unconscious, stunned, petrified, etc., and I don't want that, at least not as a racial feature. The best that I could word such a feature would be something like:
Free-Fall: When you fall, even if you fall at the start or end of your turn, you can spend a free action to take no damage from the fall.
Free-Fall: As a free action, you can reduce any falling damage that you would take to zero, even if you fall at the start of end of your turn.
Free-Fall: As long as you are able to take free actions, you do not take falling damage, even if you fall at the start or end of your turn.
Maybe it's just me, but even those just don't feel quite right compared to a simple power format. They're features with an effect, a trigger, an action requirement, so I just feel like it's just more obvious and intuitive to make them a power like:
Free-Fall
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Special: This power can still be used at the start or end of your turn.
Trigger: You fall.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
Soft Landing (Air-soul Genasi Feature): Provided you are not helpless, stunned, or prone, you take no damage from falling.
I see no reason why being helpless or prone should be a restriction here. Characters can still take actions while helpless or prone.
Slow Fall
Effect: You can choose to stop falling at any point during the fall, and gain a Fly speed of 0. You lose this Fly speed, and resume falling immediately, either after the start of your next turn, or if you leave the square in which you stopped.
I really don't like the speed of 0 thing. It still grants the character a fly speed and still therefore allows that fly speed to be used on turns other than the character's own. Yes, you've added extra text saying that they resume falling if they leave their square, but I don't see the difference between that and not giving them a fly speed at all and just saying that they resume falling if they're stunned or fall prone just as if they were flying. Besides, I see no reason why the character should fall if they are pushed, pulled, slid or even if they teleport. And the way that this is worded, if they do teleport or are pushed, pulled, or slid and your interpretation is that this does not cause them to fall, then they can now safely be granted movement not on their turn without falling because they will no longer be in the square in which they stopped and can thus cannot leave it.
Glide
Trigger: During your turn, you have a Fly speed less than your highest speed.
This removes falling as a trigger, meaning that the combination of Slow Fall and Glide will arguably allow a character a turn of flight for every 25 feet of descent. Either way, this depends on the whole speed 0 mechanic to function, which I must say that I'm not a fan of.
I renamed Hover just because it might be confused with Fly X (hover) - i.e. players might think they actually have Fly (hover). Just noticed that one.
Fair enough, it was just a working title.
I put in restriction 1/turn, because I am concerned about attempts to chain these powers - especially "Slow Fall" which otherwise could be used repeatedly to prevent reasonable attempts to knock the character out of the sky.
I see no reason at all to do this, and I it feels like a further complicating factor to me. I can imagine no attempt to knock the character out of the sky where being able to use the powers more than once during a turn would be problematic. Can you give me an example? Either way, such attempts would still be fruitful as they would still bring the character closer to the ground. Further, there are plenty of situations where being able to use the powers more than once during a turn sounds totally legitimate to me, and I see no reason to disallow those.
Is there not a way to phrase "Hover" so that Glide could trigger on your own turn due to the state of hovering?
I'm not actually sure what you mean, but it sounds like you're suggesting that the character not start falling again at the start of their turn, and I don't think that's a good idea. It allows for too much air time.
Actually that's how I read your initial "Fall more than 5 squares" combined with "stop at any point during the fall". My reading of that is that I can stop falling on the initial square of a 5 square drop. If that's not what you intend, then there is definitely a clarity issue here. Or a brain issue on my part of course, but I hope I am not so unusual that the feedback is wasted . . . :-)
That function of the power does not trigger unless the character has already fallen 5 squares. You can't stop at a point before you could stop. I should think that this is obvious, but I could always just remove "at any point during the fall". Now that I look at it, it really is just superfluous.
I think that my misunderstanding is due to falling treated as an instantaneous and atomic effect. Splitting up the distance "fallen so far" to qualify for the trigger and "remaining fall" for applying the effect line simply didn't occur to me.
Anyway, enough of that. I will try and contribute something more positive to other parts of this thread shortly . . .
I also think you both are making too big a deal out of the start and end phases of the turn because I'm fairly certain you can use powers then. I mean all the saving throw booster powers get rather useless otherwise.
Furthermore The falling rules specifically state that if your turn starts mid-fall you get to take actions before falling again.
Well aside from needing a different bonus for water on the elemental gaurdian feat (what about taking half-damage from oppurtunity attacks?)...
I really like that as an effect fitting of the Water-Soul in general, but I just realized that feat only grants its benefit while a character is adjacent to an ally, and so granting a bonus versus opportunity attacks makes that sort of weird, and I should even change the Wind-Soul bonus to something else now that I've thought of that. >_<
Hmm, maybe this would be easier if I just changed the power entirely so that it didn't suck anymore.
the glide thing is the only thing in need of critical examination, the rest is pretty much frigging perfect (except for the ability scores, i liked the int-str thing, but that's easy enough to switch back).
Yay! ^_^
I did expect Glide to be the only thing to cause much controversy, but it is still nice to get feedback on the rest.
I also think you both are making too big a deal out of the start and end phases of the turn because I'm fairly certain you can use powers then.
Nope. Unless there's been some update that I'm not aware of, PHB pages 268 and 269 say respectively, and I quote:
"No Actions: You can't take any actions at the start of your turn."
"No Actions: You can't take any actions at the end of your turn."
I mean all the saving throw booster powers get rather useless otherwise.
Most of those are actually either No Action powers or powers that can be used at some other time than the end of your turn and that grant you a benefit that simply applies later on.
Furthermore The falling rules specifically state that if your turn starts mid-fall you get to take actions before falling again.
Yes, but that only applies if you've fallen 500 feet. Anything less than that is dealt with instantaneously and must be dealt with by this mechanic. It'd be a shame for a glider not to get to glide unless they've already fallen 100 squares. A turn of flight (18 squares on a double run?) for every 100 squares of a fall isn't very good gliding, mechanically or thematically.
Well the powers are still much less hideously complex than when they started so we've made some progress right?
I mean I can understand and implement the powers as they are now... might be intimidating to newbies though.
Still I think it's fairly clear, it's just one of those powers you put on a printed out card or copy down directly instead of short handing.
ELEMENTAL GUARDIAN
Source: Martial Power
Prerequisite: 11th level, CON 15, Genasi, Fighter
Benefit: When you end your turn adjacent to any of your allies or adjacent to any enemy that is adjacent to any of your allies, you and one such ally of your choice gain a benefit until the end of your next turn depending on the element that you are currently manifesting.:
Earth-Soul: You ignore all difficult terrain when you shift. Your ally gains Earth Walk.
Fire-Soul: Your resist fire improved by 2. Your ally gains resist fire 5 or their resist fire improves by 2.
Air-Soul: You and your ally each gain a +2 racial bonus to AC and Reflex against opportunity attacks.
Water-Soul: You gain a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against effects that include ongoing damage. All ongoing damage that your ally takes is halved.
What's weird about this feat is that it needs to be useful on its own but also not too good if you manifest more than one element. Also, the bonuses in question need to make sense with the benefits gotten while manifesting more than one element. For example, I couldn't grant a bonus to the Earth-Soul's Rugged Form or the Air-Soul's Swirling Form because a Genasi manifesting both Earth-Soul and Air-Soul gains neither of those features under this variant.
ELEMENTAL GUARDIAN
Source: Martial Power
Prerequisite: 11th level, CON 15, Genasi, Fighter
Benefit: When you end your turn adjacent to any of your allies or adjacent to any enemy that is adjacent to any of your allies, you and one such ally of your choice gain a benefit until the end of your next turn depending on the element that you are currently manifesting.:
Earth-Soul: You ignore all difficult terrain when you shift. Your ally gains Earth Walk.
Fire-Soul: Your resist fire improved by 5. Your ally gains resist fire 5.
Air-Soul: You and your ally each gain a +2 racial bonus to AC and Reflex against opportunity attacks.
Water-Soul: You gain a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against effects that include ongoing damage. All ongoing damage that your ally takes is halved.
He will of course miss the stat bonuses, especially Intelligence. I don't think any player with a Genasi Swordmage in play would be willing to swap in the new design for that reason. If I were considering a Defender from scratch, well personally I don't like Paladins, but there looks to be a very good match there, and I suppose could always re-fluff a lot of the Divine angle. A Fighter build with high Dex (Tempest) or Con (Battlerager) would look good too, especially a character that took some movement-based options.
The changes to rippling form pretty much gel with my character, and look like they'd cover some of the difference - he's a tactical movement specialist, using the racial power along with lots of teleport powers. He also bought the additional energy resistance feat, too. Both of these get a boost in your re-design, making him still a very valid Defender, although he woudl hit a little less often and less hard, he would be more likely to get into position, and able to handle a lot more ongoing damage effects which defenders tend to collect like they were on special offer.
I actually think if a player wanted to keep Str/Int, and still take a Watersoul Genasi Swordmage using your re-design, that this would be a pure power boost, and a bit cheesy. Which is a backhanded way of saying "Yes, it works as is, even for my Swordmage".
He will of course miss the stat bonuses, especially Intelligence. I don't think any player with a Genasi Swordmage in play would be willing to swap in the new design for that reason.
As I mentioned in the design notes, it's perfectly possible to take some portions of the redesign and not others. In fact, I would expect most people even who do decide to take up this variant to keep their old ability score bonuses exactly because their old ability score bonuses are so unique. I mean, they're the only race to get STR/INT and one of only two races to get INT/CON, so I could hardly blame anybody and wouldn't be at all offended. Fortunately, deciding to implement one part of this variant does not require implementing other parts.
If I were considering a Defender from scratch, well personally I don't like Paladins, but there looks to be a very good match there, and I suppose could always re-fluff a lot of the Divine angle. A Fighter build with high Dex (Tempest) or Con (Battlerager) would look good too, especially a character that took some movement-based options.
For a Genasi Defender under this variant, a CON/CHA Battle-Mind would actually work pretty perfectly, now that I think about it.
I actually think if a player wanted to keep Str/Int, and still take a Watersoul Genasi Swordmage using your re-design, that this would be a pure power boost, and a bit cheesy.
While I do agree that it would pretty much be a power boost in the case of the Water-Soul (and honestly a couple of the other manifestations), I'm also of the opinion that the official Water-Soul just isn't very good (and honestly neither are a couple of the other manifestations), so I have no problem with this and don't agree that it would qualify as cheesy. The sad truth is that some races just aren't very powerful, and there's nothing wrong with bringing them up to par or even maybe just a tiny bit past par. You just want the mechanics of your race to back up how thematically awesome it is. ^_~
Are you going to try yourself at the other, alternative manifestations too?Perhaps the fire encounter power is "until the end of your next turn any creatures that enters a square or starts it turn adjacent to you takes X fire damage."
Perhaps the earth one could be like the Goliath's damage reduction.
Another approach would be to assign each one a role - defender striker controller leader - and come with a power that reflects it.
Anyway, I'm not criticizing your work, just throwing in my pennies. Nice work.
I've been tinkering with the genasi race and this is what I have come up with so far. As you can see it's still a WIP, but I'm happy with it so far.
I might be poaching many of your ideas for it if you don't mind as you have some very good material.
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Genasi
Average Height: 5’7”-6’2”
Average Weight: 130-225 lb.
Ability Score: +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence or +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Primordial
Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Nature
Elemental Manifestation: Choose one manifestation. That manifestation is part of your nature. Each manifestation offers particular benefits and provides an associated encounter power. Your appearance changes based on the element you are manifesting.
Genasi
Average Height: 5’7”-6’2”
Average Weight: 130-225 lb.
Ability Score: +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence or +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Primordial
Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Nature
Elemental Manifestation: Choose one manifestation. That manifestation is part of your nature. Each manifestation offers particular benefits and provides an associated encounter power. Your appearance changes based on the element you are manifesting.
Firesoul: You gain resist 5 fire, a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage, and the firepulse power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 fire.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 fire.
Earthsoul: You gain resist 5 force, a +1 racial bonus to saving throws, and the earthshock power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 force.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 force.
Stormsoul: You gain a +1 racial bonus to your Reflex defense, resist 5 lightning, and the promise of storm power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 lightning.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 lightning.
Watersoul: You can breath underwater. You also gain resist 5 cold, and the swiftcurrent power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 cold.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 cold.
Windsoul: You gain a +1 racial bonus to your Fortitude defense, resist 5 thunder, and the windwalker power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 thunder.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 thunder.
Causticsoul: You can breath underwater. You also gain resist 5 acid and the acid surge power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 acid.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 acid.
CinderSoul: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, resist 5 fire, and the firedeath power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 fire.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 fire.
Plaguesoul: You gain resist 5 poison, a +5 racial bonus to saving throws against disease, and the plaguebearer power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 poison.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 poison.
Voidsoul: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Will, resist 5 psychic, and the void assumption power.
At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 psychic.
At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 psychic.
Major Ability Two: A mechanically significant ability
Elemental Origins: Your ancestors were native to the Elemental Chaos, so you are considered an elemental creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Firepulse
As an enemy lands a blow, retributive fire ignites from your arms and fists.
Encounter ♦ Fire
Immediate Reaction Melee 1
Target: The triggering enemy.
Attack: Your highest ability modifier +2 vs. Reflex.
Increase to +4 bonus at 11th level, and to +6 at 21st level.
Trigger: An enemy hits you with a melee attack
Hit: 1d6 + highest ability modifier fire damage.
Increase to 2d6 + highest ability modifier fire damage at 11th level, and to 3d6 + highest ability modifier fire damage at 21st level.
Earthshock
The earth moves in response to your stomping foot or slapping hand, buckling to knock your enemy to its knees.
Encounter
Minor Action Close burst 1
Target: Enemies in burst that are touching the ground.
Attack: Your highest ability modifier +2 vs. Fortitude.
Increase to +4 bonus at 11th level, and to +6 at 21st level.
Hit: The target is knocked prone.
Promise of Storm
The lightning living within you calls out to its companion, the thunder. Sparks dance across your skin, and the air around you seems to darken and rumble.
Encounter ♦ Lightning, Thunder
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of your next turn you deal 1d8 extra damage when you hit with a thunder or lightning attack.
At 11th level, increase your extra damage to 2d8. At 21st level increase your extra damage to 3d8.
Swiftcurrent
Your form ripples like water as you flow forward, whipping past enemies and rubble in a graceful but deadly surge.
Encounter
Move Action Personal
Effect: You can shift up to your speed over ground or liquid terrain. You take no penalties for squeezing during this movement, can move through enemies spaces, ignore difficult terrain, and take no damage if the surface or substance you move across would ordinarily deal damage to you.
Windwalker
You harness the power of the winds. Air swirls about you, lifting you from the earth.
Encounter
Move Action Personal
Effect: Fly 8 squares. If you don’t end your move on solid ground, you float to the ground without taking falling damage.
Acid Surge
You dissolve into a bubbling, hissing liquid and surge through your enemies.
Encounter ♦ Acid
Move Action Personal
Attack: Your highest ability modifier +3 vs. Reflex.
Increase to +6 bonus at 11th level, and to +9 at 21st level.
Effect: You shift half your speed over ground or liquid terrain and through squares occupied by enemies. You must end your movement in an unoccupied square. You make the attack against each creature whose space you enter.
Hit: 1d8 + highest ability modifier acid damage.
Level 11: 2d8 + highest ability modifier acid damage.
Level 11: 3d8 + highest ability modifier acid damage.
Firedeath
As all fires must die out, so does each attack on you dwindle and die.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You take damage.
Effect: All damage dice rolled for the triggering attack are considered to have a result of 1.
Plaguebearer
The breath you exhale is not a bearer of seeds and scents, but a carrier of poison and death.
Encounter ♦ Poison
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, any creature that starts its turn adjacent to you takes 5 poison damage.
Level 11: 10 poison damage.
Level 21: 15 poison damage.
Void Assumption
You become the void, the absence of all for just long enough.
Encounter
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You cease to exist and can take no actions until the start of your next turn. You have line of sight and line of effect to no creature, and no creature has line of sight or line of effect to you. At the start of your next turn, you reappear in the square of your choice within 3 squares of the square you left.
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Genasi
Average Height: 5’7”-6’2”
Average Weight: 130-225 lb.
Ability Score: +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence or +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Primordial
Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, choice of one granted by your manifestation
Elemental Origin: Your ancestors were native to the Elemental Chaos, so you are considered an elemental creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Elemental Manifestation: Choose one manifestation. That manifestation is part of your nature. Each manifestation offers particular benefits and provides an associated power. Your appearance changes based on the element you are manifesting.
Firesoul
Speed: 6 squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 History or +2 Intimidate. This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
Born of Flame: You have resist fire 5 + one-half your level.
Fire Element: You are tied to the fire element, so you are treated as having the Fire keyword for the purpose of effects that relate to a creature’s subtype. Unlike other Fire creatures, you do not shed light by default (why is this clarification necessary?).
Ignite: You have the ignite power.
Fire Pulse: You have the fire pulse power.
(can this fit in here or in another genasi? Perhaps it would be suitable as a feat.) a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage.
Ignite
Flavor goes here. (What no fluff? Arrrgh!? >=P)
At-Will ♦ (Fire or Evocation?)
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You shed dim light up to 2 squares, bright light up to 5 squares, or bright light up to 10 squares.
Special: You can cease to shed light with this power as a free action. Otherwise it lasts either until you use this power again or until you fall unconscious. While you are shedding light with this power you may use the following actions.
♦ Minor Action Touch
Requirement: You are shedding dim light with this power.
Target: One unattended object.
Effect: You warm the target or instantly ignite it, causing it to catch fire.
♦ Minor Action Ranged 5
Requirement: You are shedding bright light with this power.
Target: One unattended flammable object.
Effect: You instantly ignite the target, causing it to catch fire.
Fire Pulse
Flavor goes here. (Again no fluff!? Whyyyyy!? ^o^)
Encounter ♦ Fire
Special: You may use this power as a minor action or an immediate reaction.
♦ Minor Action Close burst 3
Target: One creature in the burst.
♦ Immediate Reaction Close burst 3
Trigger: An enemy in the burst hits you with a melee attack.
Target: The triggering enemy in the burst.
Attack: Your highest ability modifier + 3 vs. Reflex
Increase to +6 bonus at 11th level, and to +9 at 21st level.
Hit: 1d8 + highest ability score modifier fire damage, and each creature adjacent to the target takes fire damage equal to your highest ability score modifier.
Increase to 2d8 + highest ability modifier at 11th level.
Increase to 3d8 + highest ability modifier at 21st level
Earthsoul
Speed: 5 squares (even when encumbered by armor or a heavy load)
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 Dungeoneering or +2 Endurance. This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
Born of Earth: You have resist 5 force + one-half your level. (I’m not sure about this. Would thunder resistance fit an earthsoul better?)
Earth Element: You are tied to the earth element, so you are treated as having the Earth keyword for the purpose of effects that relate to a creature’s subtype.
Landslide: You ignore difficult terrain that is rubble, uneven stone, or earthen construction.
Rugged Body: When an attack would score a critical hit against you, you can make an immediate saving throw to turn the critical hit into a normal hit.
Strength of the Mountains: You move at your normal speed even when it would normally be reduced by armor or a heavy load. In addition, while you are slowed while wearing light or no armor, your speed becomes 3 instead of 2. Other effects that limit speed affect you normally.
Earthshock
The earth moves in response to your stomping foot or slapping hand, buckling to knock your enemy to its knees.
Encounter
Minor Action Close burst 1 or blast 3
Target: Creatures in burst or blast that are touching the ground.
Attack: Your highest ability modifier +3 vs. Fortitude.
Increase to +6 bonus at 11th level, and to +9 at 21st level.
Hit: The target is knocked prone.
(can this fit in here or in another genasi? Perhaps it would be suitable as a feat.) a +1 racial bonus to saving throws
Stormsoul
Speed: 7 squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 (skill choice) or +2 (skill choice). This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
Born of Lightning: You have resist lightning 5 + one-half your level.
Lightning Element: You are tied to the lightning element, so you are treated as having the Lightning keyword for the purpose of effects that relate to a creature’s subtype.
Promise of Storm: You have the promise of storm power. (I’m thinking a teleport power that emphasizes a stormsoul’s ties to lightning would be pretty cool. Maybe have that in addition, or instead of the Promise of Storm power.)
Promise of Storm
The lightning living within you calls out to its companion, the thunder. Sparks dance across your skin, and the air around you seems to darken and rumble.
Encounter ♦ Lightning, Thunder
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of your next turn you deal 1d8 extra damage when you hit with a thunder or lightning attack.
At 11th level, increase your extra damage to 2d8. At 21st level increase your extra damage to 3d8.
Watersoul
Speed: 6 squares, Swim 4 squares.
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 Endurance or +2 Heal. This choice can be retrained (Why can this be retrained?).
Aquatic: You can breathe underwater. In aquatic combat you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against non-aquatic creatures.
Born of Water: You have resist cold 5 + one-half your level.
Rippling Body: You can make an escape attempt as a minor action instead of a move action.
Water Element: You are tied to the water element, so you are treated as having the Water keyword for purposes of a creature’s subtype.
Swiftcurrent: You have the swiftcurrent power.
Swiftcurrent
Your form ripples like water as you flow forward, whipping past enemies and rubble in a graceful but deadly surge.
Encounter
Move Action Personal
Effect: You can shift up to your speed over ground or liquid terrain. You take no penalties for squeezing during this movement, can move through enemy’s spaces, ignore difficult terrain, and take no damage if the surface or substance you move across would ordinarily deal damage to you.
Windsoul
Speed: 7 squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 Acrobatics or +2 Stealth. This choice can be retrained (Why can this be retrained?).
Air Element: You are tied to the air element, so you are treated as having the Air keyword for purposes of a creature’s subtype.
Born of Wind: You have resist thunder 5 + one-half your level. (I’m not sure about this. Would force resistance fit a Windsoul better?)
Lighter than a Feather: You gain a +2 racial bonus to Athletics checks made to jump and do not need a running start. In addition, non-genasi allies within 4 squares of you gain a +1 racial bonus to checks made to jump.
Feather Fall: If you don’t end your turn on solid ground, you may descend your speed without taking falling damage. (To be honest the Glide power made little or no sense to me despite my earnest attempt to decipher it. It seems like a neat idea, but it’s too poorly written for me to understand in any short amount of time. Which is important as the idea is to spend more time actually using the power than reading it.)
Windwalker: You have the windwalker power.
Windwalker
You harness the power of the winds. Air swirls about you, lifting you from the earth.
Encounter
Move Action Personal
Effect: Fly your speed + 2 squares. If you don’t end your move on solid ground, you float to the ground without taking falling damage.
Causticsoul
Speed: (?) squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 skill choice or +2 skill choice. This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
Born of (?):You have resist acid 5 + one-half your level. (For this I feel the name should emphasize the corrupted nature of the element it’s based on. Or maybe it should have a more primordial slime feeling)
Ooze: While squeezing, you move at your full speed rather than half speed, you don’t take the -5 penalty to attack rolls, and you don’t grant combat advantage for squeezing. (I'm not sure if this is balanced for a PC, but think it's pretty awesome!)
Acid Surge: You have the acid surge power.
Acid Surge
You dissolve into a bubbling, hissing liquid and surge through your enemies.
Encounter ♦ Acid
Move Action Personal
Attack: Your highest ability modifier +3 vs. Reflex.
Increase to +6 bonus at 11th level, and to +9 at 21st level.
Effect: You shift half your speed over ground or liquid terrain and through squares occupied by enemies. You must end your movement in an unoccupied square. You make the attack against each creature whose space you enter.
Hit: 1d8 + highest ability modifier acid damage.
Level 11: 2d8 + highest ability modifier acid damage.
Level 11: 3d8 + highest ability modifier acid damage. (Not a bad attack. Do you think there could be any improvements on this or is it fine as is?)
CinderSoul
Speed: (?) squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 skill choice or +2 skill choice. This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
Born of (?): You have resist fire 5 + one-half your level. (For this I feel the name should emphasize the corrupted nature of the element it’s based on.)
Firedeath: You have the firedeath power.
Firedeath
As all fires must die out, so does each attack on you dwindle and die.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You take damage.
Effect: All damage dice rolled for the triggering attack are considered to have a result of 1. . (Not bad at all for a power. Although, for attacks that don’t roll damage, this is pretty useless against them. Maybe a few tweaks and it could really shine.)
Plaguesoul
Speed: (?) squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 skill choice or +2 skill choice. This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
Born of (?): You have resist poison 5 + one-half your level. (For this I feel the name should emphasize the corrupted nature of the element it’s based on.)
Plaguebearer: You have the plaguebearer power.
Plaguebearer
The breath you exhale is not a bearer of seeds and scents, but a carrier of poison and death.
Encounter ♦ Poison
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, any creature that starts its turn adjacent to you takes 5 poison damage.
Level 11: 10 poison damage.
Level 21: 15 poison damage. . (This power is ok, but it’s a little uninspiring. We can do better than this can’t we? >=P)
(I feel keeping this would be suitable for this manifestation) a +5 racial bonus to saving throws against disease
Voidsoul
Speed: (?) squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 skill choice or +2 skill choice. This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
Born of (?): You have resist psychic 5 + one-half your level. (For this I feel the name should emphasize the corrupted nature of the element it’s based on.)
Void Assumption: You have the void assumption power.
Void Assumption
You become the void, the absence of all for just long enough.
Encounter
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You cease to exist and can take no actions until the start of your next turn. You have line of sight and line of effect to no creature, and no creature has line of sight or line of effect to you. At the start of your next turn, you reappear in the square of your choice within 3 squares of the square you left. . (I feel that this could be adapted to be usable also as an immediate interrupt. It would make it a very useful defensive power.)
A derail is one thing, this feels rude.
I noticed a trend in the encounters powers - the characters takes elemental form of air and flies or turns to water and squeezes through a tight space - and thought they would all do well to do that.
That's a very interesting interpretation that the Air-Soul actually takes the form of air in order to fly; I've never actually considered that. The way I conceptualize them working, the Air-Soul is the only one that doesn't actually take the form of its element through its features. I just pictured it as flying. The Water-Soul is the only one that takes on the form of its element for it's power, but the Rugged Form feature and Ignite power were exactly intended to convey some aspects of the Earth and Fire elements to the physical forms of the Earth- and Fire-Souls. Creating entirely new racial powers could be interesting, but I actually sort of like the existing powers thematically, or at least now I do since I've fixed Fire-Pulse.
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 History or +2 Intimidate. This choice can be retrained (why is it retrainable?).
There's no particular reason for the racial skill bonuses being retrainable other than that I felt like making them retrainable. They'd be fine not being retrainable.
Fire Element: You are tied to the fire element, so you are treated as having the Fire keyword for the purpose of effects that relate to a creature’s subtype. Unlike other Fire creatures, you do not shed light by default (why is this clarification necessary?).
The clarification is necessary because otherwise creature with the Fire subtype do shed light by default. It would be a shame for Fire-Soul Rogues never to be able to hide in the darkness. I could have let them shed light by default as normal and simply include the ability to extinguish this fire some way, but I actually did try that initially and it was just too complicated.
(can this fit in here or in another genasi? Perhaps it would be suitable as a feat.) a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage
I wouldn't do that, for a couple of reasons:
1) There's no design space left for it in the race itself, in my opinion. It may make the race a bit too powerful.
2) The Warforged already does this in a way that's much more thematically appropriate. Reusing the same feature over and over again is sort of unoriginal.
3) It would be very weak as a racial feat. Even made more powerful, however, it runs into another problem, and that's the problem that it's the sort of feat that people will look at and wonder why it's a racial feat at all and why anybody can't take it. In my opinion, unless a feat directly relates to a feature that the race already has, it shouldn't be restricted by race.
At-Will ♦ (Fire or Evocation?)
Fire is a damage type keyword. The power does not deal fire damage, so it's sort of weird to include it. I suppose that you could, though. Either way, Evocation definitely should not be included as a keyword. That's like including a power source keyword.
Born of Earth: You have resist 5 force + one-half your level. (I’m not sure about this. Would thunder resistance fit an earthsoul better?)
Born of Water: You have resist cold 5 + one-half your level.
Born of Wind: You have resist thunder 5 + one-half your level. (I’m not sure about this. Would force resistance fit a Windsoul better?)
Honestly, I don't think any of those fit thematically. I don't know why so many people feel it necessary to corrolate an element to a damage type keyword, but I don't feel that need at all. Earth, Water, and Wind just aren't damage type keywords, and I see no reason for them to be one.
(can this fit in here or in another genasi? Perhaps it would be suitable as a feat.) a +1 racial bonus to saving throws
There was a reason that I removed this to begin with. It's just really thematically weak and mechanically boring, and after giving the Earth-Soul so many features that are thematically fitting and mechanically unique, there just isn't any design space left for it anyway. See the above comment about your propoed Fire-Soul feature for why I don't think that it should be a feat either.
Stormsoul
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 (skill choice) or +2 (skill choice).
I have done some work on this one, actually. I selected Athletics and Intimidate.
Lightning Element: You are tied to the lightning element, so you are treated as having the Lightning keyword for the purpose of effects that relate to a creature’s subtype.
No such thing. Lightning is not a creature subtype.
Promise of Storm
The lightning living within you calls out to its companion, the thunder. Sparks dance across your skin, and the air around you seems to darken and rumble.
Encounter ♦ Lightning, Thunder
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of your next turn you deal 1d8 extra damage when you hit with a thunder or lightning attack.
At 11th level, increase your extra damage to 2d8. At 21st level increase your extra damage to 3d8.
Honestly, I hate this power. This is the only one that I redid entirely. It's just too useless to too many characters. Instead I gave my version an attack power.
Feather Fall: If you don’t end your turn on solid ground, you may descend your speed without taking falling damage. (To be honest the Glide power made little or no sense to me despite my earnest attempt to decipher it. It seems like a neat idea, but it’s too poorly written for me to understand in any short amount of time. Which is important as the idea is to spend more time actually using the power than reading it.)
It's been tried repeatedly, but there's just no simpler way to write what it does. If you don't understand it, the best option is probably just to ask, because this feature that you have right here (A) is pretty much useless and (B) doesn't at all do what people wish the Wind-Soul could do: Fly, or at least do something close to it. That was the point of writing Glide the way that it's written.
I'm grateful you've taken the time to punch holes in my ideas Crimson_Concerto. I'll keep them in mind, when I continue working on my vision for the race, which you've been a big help with already.
I feel that the Genasi could really embody all of the damage types in the game so I gave them the racial resistances with that idea in mind. However, I do concede that not all of them quite fit, so it might be appropriate to replace a few with better features.
I feel that the Genasi could really embody all of the damage types in the game...
Oh, I agree that they could, but not all of their manifestations need to contribute. We could certainly have a genasi with cold resistance, but I just don't see why the water-soul or wind-soul should be it when those souls have more important things that they could be doing more iconic to and evocative of their element. Let the cold-soul genasi do it (which I have worked on some, by the way... maybe I should put it up).
I've come up with some ideas of my own you might like consider.
Causticsoul
Speed: (?) squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 skill choice or +2 skill choice.
Born of (Acid?): You have resist acid 5 + one-half your level. (For this I feel the name should emphasize the corrupted nature of the element it’s based on. Or maybe it should have a more primordial slime feeling)
Ooze: While squeezing, you move at your full speed rather than half speed, you don’t take the -5 penalty to attack rolls, and you don’t grant combat advantage for squeezing. You are considered an ooze for powers that relate to creature subtype.
Acid Surge: You have the acid surge power.
I feel the default power is nice, but you could probably think of something better. I especially like the ooze trait. Hmmm...if I made a character with this maifestation would I want to name him Ivan?
As for the cindersoul I was wondering what you think of the additions I've made.
CinderSoul
Show
Speed: (?) squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 skill choice or +2 skill choice.
(I feel some racial feature here would be more appropriate for this manifestation rahter than elemental resistance.)
Extinguish: You have the extinguish power.
Firedeath: You have the firedeath power.
Extinguish
Flavor goes here. (What to write?..Hmmm)
At-Will ♦ (?)
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You absorb dim light up to 2 squares, or dim bright light up to 5 squares.
Special: You can cease to absorb or dim light with this power as a free action. Otherwise it lasts either until you use this power again or until you fall unconscious. While you are absorbing or dimming light with this power you may use the following actions.
♦ Minor Action Touch
Requirement: You are absorbing dim light with this power.
Target: One unattended object up to the size of a small campfire.
Effect: You chill the target or instantly extinguish it.
♦ Minor Action Ranged 5
Requirement: You are absorbing bright light with this power.
Target: One unattended lit or burning object up to the size of a small campfire.
Effect: You instantly extinguish the target. (I’m not sure if absorbing or dimming light is balanced, but the idea is pretty neat. If this doesn’t work out, then I want to at least keep the ability to extinguish light sources up to the size of a small campfire.
Firedeath
As all fires must die out, so does each attack on you dwindle and die.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You take damage.
Effect: All damage dice rolled for the triggering attack are considered to have a result of 1.
Not bad at all for a power. Although, for attacks that don’t roll damage, this is pretty useless against them. Maybe a few tweaks and it could really shine. If not, then a racial feature might work well instead as I feel the original fire resistance was inappropriate.
Speed: (?) squares
Skill Bonus: When you first gain this manifestation, select either +2 skill choice or +2 skill choice.
(I feel some racial feature here would be more appropriate for this manifestation rahter than elemental resistance.)
Extinguish: You have the extinguish power.
Firedeath: You have the firedeath power.
Extinguish
Flavor goes here. (What to write?..Hmmm)
At-Will ♦ (?)
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You absorb dim light up to 2 squares, or dim bright light up to 5 squares.
Special: You can cease to absorb or dim light with this power as a free action. Otherwise it lasts either until you use this power again or until you fall unconscious. While you are absorbing or dimming light with this power you may use the following actions.
♦ Minor Action Touch
Requirement: You are absorbing dim light with this power.
Target: One unattended object up to the size of a small campfire.
Effect: You chill the target or instantly extinguish it.
♦ Minor Action Ranged 5
Requirement: You are absorbing bright light with this power.
Target: One unattended lit or burning object up to the size of a small campfire.
Effect: You instantly extinguish the target. (I’m not sure if absorbing or dimming light is balanced, but the idea is pretty neat. If this doesn’t work out, then I want to at least keep the ability to extinguish light sources up to the size of a small campfire.
Firedeath
As all fires must die out, so does each attack on you dwindle and die.
Encounter
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You take damage.
Effect: All damage dice rolled for the triggering attack are considered to have a result of 1.
Not bad at all for a power. Although, for attacks that don’t roll damage, this is pretty useless against them. Maybe a few tweaks and it could really shine. If not, then a racial feature might work well instead as I feel the original fire resistance was inappropriate.
EDIT: In case it's not clear, what I'm trying to say is that it's okay for the power to be complex as long as it is understandable enough. Complexity and understandability are not mutually exclusive ideas, so there are other ways to alter understandability without needing to alter complexity.
Maybe it would help if you could show me how you would do it?
Here's how I would approach the problem of gliding:
Glide
At-Will
No Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 2 squares.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall. For each square that you fall, you may fall diagonally (one square downward and one square horizontally) instead of directly downward. You must land on a square no farther than your move speed from the square you fell from.
This allows genasi to traverse short distances as they fall safely, and even tumble around small obstacles as they do so, without permitting them to accelerate excessively when falling off high points, so you can't trivially build some kind of dive-bomb genasi who climbs trees and jumps onto anyone on the battlefield.
No Action
The problem with making it No Action is that then characters can use it while they're stunned, unconscious, petrified, etc., which makes little to no sense.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall. For each square that you fall, you may fall diagonally (one square downward and one square horizontally) instead of directly downward. You must land on a square no farther than your move speed from the square you fell from.
The problem with this is that it simply allows for too much movement. If I fall 20 squares, then I also get 20 squares of horizontal movement, it doesn't cost me a single action, and I still somehow have no ability to hover. This is simple, yes, but it's also much more mechanically and thematically questionable. This was the problem with the Winged Bracers.
No Action
The problem with making it No Action is that then characters can use it while they're stunned, unconscious, petrified, etc., which makes little to no sense.
Refluff it as "you're lightweight" and it's fine.
The problem with this is that it simply allows for too much movement. If I fall 20 squares, then I also get 20 squares of horizontal movement, it doesn't cost me a single action, and I still somehow have no ability to hover. This is simple, yes, but it's also much more mechanically and thematically questionable. This was the problem with the Winged Bracers.
Actually that is a wording problem on my part, combined with your entirely ignoring the last sentence of the power. The last sentence should read, "The horizontal distance between the square you fell from and the landing square cannot be greater than your speed." It intentionally permits you to flutter haphazardly in a narrow vertical column (which you could reduce farther by, say, defining a Burst n that limits the landing square instead) as long as you don't exceed some speed.
I'm not entirely convinced that it's more thematically questionable than providing the ability to hover, which is a lot more difficult than gliding, and I'm certainly not convinced that this approach is less mechanically questionable than the bizarre and obviously confusing timing shenanigans you suggested.
Refluff it as "you're lightweight" and it's fine.
It still doesn't make sense, though, in that you're still deciding where to move. If it were just that you were light weight, then you wouldn't move at all and would just fall and take no damage. Adding the movement to that makes it make no sense.
Actually that is a wording problem on my part, combined with your entirely ignoring the last sentence of the power. The last sentence should read, "The horizontal distance between the square you fell from and the landing square cannot be greater than your speed."
Ah, well then that's just not very good. Falling 20 squares and only getting to move 6 or so is pretty crappy.
I'm not entirely convinced that it's more thematically questionable than providing the ability to hover, which is a lot more difficult than gliding...
By "hover", I just mean falling more slowly, which is what the power currently does, which is what gliding does thematically.
...and I'm certainly not convinced that this approach is less mechanically questionable than the bizarre and obviously confusing timing shenanigans you suggested.
If the only way to do it well is to make it complicated, then that's the way that it's going to have to be. I don't half-ass stuff just to make it sound simple if that's also going to make it not make any sense. Your mileage may vary, of course. It's really not as complicated as it initially looks, though. It's actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it, as one of my players that tested it out has told me. Really, if you're having trouble understanding it, just ask me about the parts your confused about. It's rather simple to walk through.
Also, it could allow you to suffer no falling damage for distances up to your speed and damage resistance or half damage to falling for distances greater than your speed.
As for the horizontal movement I feel it is allowable if there is a limit put to how far you can go in relation to your falling speed. I think that moving up to half your speed horizontally for distances equal to your speed vertically could be more reasonable, plus this doesn't have to be an at-will power or feature. Limits, limits, limits,... either that or it's written to be a very minor thing with little mechanical impact.
Hmmm...this pseudo-flight is a bit of a headache. Let me try to take another crack at it. I figure it might turn out differently than what you are aiming for, but at least I won't have to read a mini-wall of text to understand it.
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
♦ Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: You fall.
Effect: Reduce the distance fallen that is used to determine falling damage by your speed. You may make a saving throw to stop falling. If you succeed you descend 100 feet (10 squares) and then hover until the start of your next turn.
♦ Free Action Personal
Prerequisite: You fall 5 or more squares during your turn.
Effect: Reduce the distance fallen that is used to determine falling damage by your speed. In addition, you gain a fly speed equal to your speed while you are falling until the end of your turn. You may not use your fly speed to halt or reverse your fall.
Special: You can use this power once per round. This power immediately ends if you stop falling or are knocked prone.
So...what do you think?
Also, I'd really to hear what you thought of my rewrite of the Ignite power into a more organized power block. Did you like it?
Then logically the power would have to be no better than a free action or immediate reaction. I suppose you could make it as some sort of off-turn move power, though that strains my imagination on how to not make that complicated.
Completely agreed. However, immediate causes issues in that it's not usable on your own turn and some other issues about using it otherwise. It's really not powerful enough that I think that it needs to be so limited.
Also, it could allow you to suffer no falling damage for distances up to your speed and damage resistance or half damage to falling for distances greater than your speed.
I honestly don't see why not just go ahead and let it negate all damage, though. Being able to negate all falling damage while able to take actions is not that big a deal of a racial ability.
As for the horizontal movement I feel it is allowable if there is a limit put to how far you can go in relation to your falling speed.
Absolutely. That's why I limited it based on the character's speed.
I think that moving up to half your speed horizontally for distances equal to your speed vertically could be more reasonable...
That seems like far too little to me, though. That barely feels like gliding to me at all.
...plus this doesn't have to be an at-will power or feature.
Yes, it does. That's the whole point of it. If it's not at-will, then the Air-Soul already has an appropriate encounter power allowing it to fly. The whole point of doing this is to offer a form of at-will flight.
... either that or it's written to be a very minor thing with little mechanical impact.
That's what I've been going for.
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
♦ Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: You fall.
Effect: Reduce the distance fallen that is used to determine falling damage by your speed. You may make a saving throw to stop falling. If you succeed you descend 100 feet (10 squares) and then hover until the start of your next turn.
This may have less text, but I'm not sure what it does. It has the immediate action issue I was talking about before... I'm not sure what the first sentence says or why the power shouldn't just go ahead and negate all falling damage if it's supposed to be simpler... 100 feet is 20 squares (5 feet = 1 square)... And "hover" doesn't mean anything in game terms that would be applicable here.
♦ Free Action Personal
Prerequisite: You fall 5 or more squares during your turn.
Effect: Reduce the distance fallen that is used to determine falling damage by your speed. In addition, you gain a fly speed equal to your speed while you are falling until the end of your turn. You may not use your fly speed to halt or reverse your fall.
So if I fall 4 squares on my turn then I'm stuck with the damage but if I fall 4 squares not on my turn then I'm not? That seems rather arbitrary... I really don't know what this does with the "flying while you are falling" thing. That doesn't mean anything in game terms, and it's difficult to decipher what you're trying to say actually happens mechanically...
Special: You can use this power once per round. This power immediately ends if you stop falling or are knocked prone.
I don't understand why this is limited to being used once per round. In fact, that seems very detrimental during a long fall because the character would be able to fly on their own turn with the second part of the power but then not be able to do anything about the remainder of the fall? And why can the character stop the fall not on their turn but not on their turn?
So...what do you think?
I don't understand it at all. Again, less text doesn't not mean simpler. Yeah, I understand that the way my version of the power works is really complicated, but it took a lot of effort to get it working even that well. This is not something that's going to be so trivially easy to simplify further, at least not without making substancial mechanical or thematic concessions that would either strain credibility or defeat the purpose of having the power to begin with.
Hmm...check out Gaseous Form in the compendium or MM if you can for the Air genasi... it has some interesting implecations if you want to use that for the subrace.
I'm not sure what you're getting at here.
Also, I'd really to hear what you thought of my rewrite of the Ignite power into a more organized power block. Did you like it?
Let's see...
Ignite
At-Will ♦ (Fire or Evocation?)
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You shed dim light up to 2 squares, bright light up to 5 squares, or bright light up to 10 squares.
Special: You can cease to shed light with this power as a free action. Otherwise it lasts either until you use this power again or until you fall unconscious. While you are shedding light with this power you may use the following actions.
♦ Minor Action Touch
Requirement: You are shedding dim light with this power.
Target: One unattended object.
Effect: You warm the target or instantly ignite it, causing it to catch fire.
♦ Minor Action Ranged 5
Requirement: You are shedding bright light with this power.
Target: One unattended flammable object.
Effect: You instantly ignite the target, causing it to catch fire.
I already mentioned the issue with the keywords... I personally don't like the language "shedding like with this power" and much prefer "shedding light as a result of this power" because it's more specific, but that may just be me... If you're going to do this and want it to function identically to the original, then the second one should be "Close burst 5", not "Ranged 5", so as not to provoke opportunity attacks... There seems to be a lot of superfluous text in the effects lines, like "you warm the target", and I'm not sure why... However, I do like your use of "unattended object" as opposed to "object that is not carried by another creature".
Maybe consider writing up your Glide as a two-part power with Free and Immediate Action components, each of which governs how the power behaves during those parts of the round.
I will not write any part of it as an immediate action of any kind; there is no good reason to, and I have no idea why anybody is suggesting it at all. I can easily write it out as a series of different free actions, but I did already try doing that (read the first page of the thread) before and people complained that there was no need for it to be different things and that they could be condensed into the same thing. There's no pleasing you people.
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Special: This power can be used in three different ways.
Trigger: You fall at least 2 squares.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
If you use this power not on your turn and fall at least 5 squares, then you can choose to stop falling. You resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
If you use this power on your turn and fall at least 5 squares, then you can choose to stop falling and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn (you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn). However, this flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power to stop falling until after you have landed or until the end of your turn (though you can still use it to not take damage from a fall).
Special: Unlike other free actions, this power can be used at the start of your turn or at the end of your turn. If you use this power at the start of your turn, then you treat it as having been used during your turn. If you use this power at the end of your turn, then you treat it as having been used not on your turn.
Honestly, reading over it again, it just doesn't seem that complicated, just long. All that changing its formatting would do would make it slightly less intimidating maybe, but the actual mechanics wouldn't need to change at all for that. Here are some possibilities:
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Trigger: You fall at least 2 squares.
Effect: You take no damage from the fall. If you fall at least 5 squares, then you can choose to stop falling, and this power has additional effects:
* If you use this power not on your turn, then you resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
* If you use this power on your turn, then then you gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn, and you resume falling immediately after the end of your turn. This flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power to stop falling until after you have landed or until the end of your turn (though you can still use it to not take damage from a fall).
Special: Unlike other free actions, this power can be used at the start of your turn or at the end of your turn. If you use this power at the start of your turn, then you treat it as having been used on your turn. If you use this power at the end of your turn, then you treat it as having been used not on your turn.
Separated out a bit further...
Glide (Air-Soul Genasi Racial Power)
At-Will
Free Action, Personal
Special: This power can be used in three different ways:
* Trigger: You fall at least 2 squares.
* Effect: You take no damage from the fall.
* Trigger: Not on your turn (or at the end of your turn), you fall at least 5 squares.
* Effect: You can choose to stop falling. You resume falling immediately after the start of your next turn. You also resume falling if you are stunned or if you fall prone, as though you were flying.
* Special: Unlike other free actions, this power can be used during the end of your turn.
* Trigger: On your turn (or at the start of your turn), you fall at least 5 squares.
* Effect: You can choose to stop falling and gain a fly speed equal to your speed until the end of your turn. This flight cannot take you upward, and if you fly upward before the end of your turn (such as by using your Wind-Walk power), then you lose this flight and cannot use this power to stop falling again until after you have landed or until the end of your turn (though you can still use it to not take damage from a fall). You resume falling immediately after the end of your turn.
* Special: Unlike other free actions, this power can be used during the start of your turn.
I forgot to remove that keyword...that wasn't supposed to be there.Also, thanks for showing me the holes in the power. If at first I don't succeed...yep I'll think hard about how to fix that. Who knows, we might manage something rather elegant together.