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- Dec 16, 2019
Minor detour, but didn't the Arcanum video game have major balance issues with magic being blatantly OP compared to the ability to shoot a guy in the face?
Tabletop Roleplaying Games (D&D, Pathfinder, CoC, ETC.)
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Yep, Arcanum was a mess balance-wise.
If you ask me, guns are cool but just not worth the cost of raising your INT and leveling Gunsmithy (if you want to craft the good shit yourself), or raising Perception, Guns and Dexterity if you're gonna steal or buy the guns. The bullets must be crafted or bought as well, which adds either another crafting discipline (Explosives) or the need to haul around an expensive and heavy crafting manual to raise your Explosives so you can make the fucking bullets in the first place. Hope you like running around to various stores to score saltpeter, and heaven help you if you have a fast-firing gun...
Same with all the crafting really, save for maybe Healing Salves and Fatigue Restorers (level 1 and 2 Pharmaceuticals). running around buying components is a fucking chore, and all the stuff you really need is available either from some shops, quests or from followers who will be able to craft it for you. Crafting is ultimately not all that necessary
Magic on the other hand requires no schematics, no ingredients, just a full Fatigue bar and the ability to point and click. Some technological beings can resist some of your spells, but that's what a high affinity's for. load up on fatigue potions and let it rip. It's cheaper points-wise, money-wise and much much faster. While Mr. Engineer runs around buying small springs, nerve pills, cogs and capacitors, you are blowing shit up with necromancy or erasing people from existance with Disintegrate
I can't claim to be an expert or anything, but most of the game is a cakewalk with one of these three methods:
1: make a stupid punchbot (Half-ogre or Orc with the Insane background for a flat 25% damage reduction buff, max STR, DEX and Melee, pick up Dog from Ashbury, get a pair of decent gauntlets and run around punching lava golems, demons and the final boss to death. Your fists are all you need
2: max out Willpower and Force magic. Put one point in Black Necromancy, use Harm until you can delete EVERYTHING with Disintegrate at level 15. pick up Conveyance for Teleportation. get Dog because everyone needs a mascot. learn to punch stuff as well because you have skillpoints to spare and the other spell colleges aren't really worth it
3: max Charisma, max Persuasion. Get Dog, Sogg, Torian and Chukka. You now have four punchbots who can apply the lessons from point 1. talk the final boss into letting you kill him, or have your punchbots pulp him in seconds
Fuck, i wish Arcanum could live up to the immense potential it had
Same with all the crafting really, save for maybe Healing Salves and Fatigue Restorers (level 1 and 2 Pharmaceuticals). running around buying components is a fucking chore, and all the stuff you really need is available either from some shops, quests or from followers who will be able to craft it for you. Crafting is ultimately not all that necessary
Magic on the other hand requires no schematics, no ingredients, just a full Fatigue bar and the ability to point and click. Some technological beings can resist some of your spells, but that's what a high affinity's for. load up on fatigue potions and let it rip. It's cheaper points-wise, money-wise and much much faster. While Mr. Engineer runs around buying small springs, nerve pills, cogs and capacitors, you are blowing shit up with necromancy or erasing people from existance with Disintegrate
I can't claim to be an expert or anything, but most of the game is a cakewalk with one of these three methods:
1: make a stupid punchbot (Half-ogre or Orc with the Insane background for a flat 25% damage reduction buff, max STR, DEX and Melee, pick up Dog from Ashbury, get a pair of decent gauntlets and run around punching lava golems, demons and the final boss to death. Your fists are all you need
2: max out Willpower and Force magic. Put one point in Black Necromancy, use Harm until you can delete EVERYTHING with Disintegrate at level 15. pick up Conveyance for Teleportation. get Dog because everyone needs a mascot. learn to punch stuff as well because you have skillpoints to spare and the other spell colleges aren't really worth it
3: max Charisma, max Persuasion. Get Dog, Sogg, Torian and Chukka. You now have four punchbots who can apply the lessons from point 1. talk the final boss into letting you kill him, or have your punchbots pulp him in seconds
Fuck, i wish Arcanum could live up to the immense potential it had
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2019
Man, that feels bad merely to read, and reminds me of the immense pain and agony of trying to run a Gunslinger in Pathfinder. Short ranges, expensive-as-fuck ammo, and the good stuff for guns doesn't even kick in until like level 6, so you're basically stuck using a bow-and-arrow or crossbow until then. But hey, you get to roll against touch AC before you get charged during your several-turn reload.Yep, Arcanum was a mess balance-wise.
If you ask me, guns are cool but just not worth the cost of raising your INT and leveling Gunsmithy (if you want to craft the good shit yourself), or raising Perception, Guns and Dexterity if you're gonna steal or buy the guns. The bullets must be crafted or bought as well, which adds either another crafting discipline (Explosives) or the need to haul around an expensive and heavy crafting manual to raise your Explosives so you can make the fucking bullets in the first place. Hope you like running around to various stores to score saltpeter, and heaven help you if you have a fast-firing gun...
Same with all the crafting really, save for maybe Healing Salves and Fatigue Restorers (level 1 and 2 Pharmaceuticals). running around buying components is a fucking chore, and all the stuff you really need is available either from some shops, quests or from followers who will be able to craft it for you. Crafting is ultimately not all that necessary
Magic on the other hand requires no schematics, no ingredients, just a full Fatigue bar and the ability to point and click. Some technological beings can resist some of your spells, but that's what a high affinity's for. load up on fatigue potions and let it rip. It's cheaper points-wise, money-wise and much much faster. While Mr. Engineer runs around buying small springs, nerve pills, cogs and capacitors, you are blowing shit up with necromancy or erasing people from existance with Disintegrate
I can't claim to be an expert or anything, but most of the game is a cakewalk with one of these three methods:
1: make a stupid punchbot (Half-ogre or Orc with the Insane background for a flat 25% damage reduction buff, max STR, DEX and Melee, pick up Dog from Ashbury, get a pair of decent gauntlets and run around punching lava golems, demons and the final boss to death. Your fists are all you need
2: max out Willpower and Force magic. Put one point in Black Necromancy, use Harm until you can delete EVERYTHING with Disintegrate at level 15. pick up Conveyance for Teleportation. get Dog because everyone needs a mascot. learn to punch stuff as well because you have skillpoints to spare and the other spell colleges aren't really worth it
3: max Charisma, max Persuasion. Get Dog, Sogg, Torian and Chukka. You now have four punchbots who can apply the lessons from point 1. talk the final boss into letting you kill him, or have your punchbots pulp him in seconds
Fuck, i wish Arcanum could live up to the immense potential it had
Fictional Character
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2020
You can have a tech melee weapon, but then you'll get to the part of the game where you're supposed to fight a ton of enemies that massively lower your weapon's durability every time you hit them and then you'll cry.
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2019
Jeez, no wonder Erinys over at Kerberos loved that game so much. "Ha ha, fuck you player" moments like that are her bread and butter.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2018
Well, Wizards of the Coast just decided to nuke all the problematic lore from orbit.
Link | Archive
Reddit sperging
Most of these expurgations aren't being replaced, either. Commentary I'm seeing is that it guts the Volo's Guide to Monsters rulebook. It also completely retcons the drow, and neatly fucks over the poster boy for 'misunderstood token good member of an evil race', Drizzt the drow ranger.
I mean, wow. Just fucking wow. Even if you detest R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt, that's pretty stunning.
Also, it seems terrible things like slavery, ransoms, paranoia/xenophobia, and cannibalism are now verboten traits in monsters. Mind you, not PCs; monsters.
Jesus fuckin' Christ.
Link | Archive
Reddit sperging
Most of these expurgations aren't being replaced, either. Commentary I'm seeing is that it guts the Volo's Guide to Monsters rulebook. It also completely retcons the drow, and neatly fucks over the poster boy for 'misunderstood token good member of an evil race', Drizzt the drow ranger.
I mean, wow. Just fucking wow. Even if you detest R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt, that's pretty stunning.
Also, it seems terrible things like slavery, ransoms, paranoia/xenophobia, and cannibalism are now verboten traits in monsters. Mind you, not PCs; monsters.
Jesus fuckin' Christ.
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2020
Unless I'm mistaken, on Krynn being a Drow was a social designation for outcasts, not even a race.
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Jesus fucking Christ indeed. They took out all good shit.
"Gnolls have little variation in personality and outlook. They are collectively an elemental force, driven by a demon lord to spread death and destruction. The only real opportunity for interaction with gnolls is provided by the cultists that sometimes accompany a war band. This humanoid rabble might have information the characters need or could even be former friends corrupted to the worship of Yeenoghu. To portray a gnoll that is more intelligent or social than the usual, you can give it characteristics similar to Yeenoghu cultists."
That's a Gnoll.
"A kobold acknowledges its weakness in the face of a hostile world. It knows it is puny, bigger creatures will exploit it, it will probably die at a young age, and its life will be full of toil. Although this outlook seems bleak, a kobold finds satisfaction in its work, the survival of its tribe, and the knowledge that it shares a heritage with the mightiest of dragons. A kobold isn’t clever, but it isn’t as stupid as an orc. Someone can fool a kobold with smooth words or a quick wit, but when the kobold figures out it has been tricked, it remembers the affront. If it gets an opportunity to do so, it will retaliate against that person somehow, even if in merely a petty way. A kobold doesn’t like being cornered or alone. It wants to know it has a safe path for escape, or at least an ally nearby to improve its chances. A kobold without either of these options will be nervous, its behavior alternating between meek silence and hysteria."
That's a fucking Kobold.
This is the gayest shit.
Worst thing about this Volo's Guide to Monsters sounds like (pre-errata) a good resource.
Andthensomeguy
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2019
Them changing the Drow to appease the pearl clutchers on social media isn't even what bothers me the most. Don't get me wrong, it does bother me, but what get's me just a bit more is the sheer laziness they went about with it.
If they really wanted to change the Drow, why not make a story/ module that revolves around a band of adventurers, probably with more then a little help from Drizzt, rallying a sizable group of Drow and striking against the Spider Queen to free them from her shackles? It'd be a lot cooler and give fans a bit more then just an ill-explained retcon of decades old lore.
I mean, it might just be me, but rallying an army to cast down their oppressor's and vanquish an evil goddess kinda sounds like it'd make for a fun campaign, plus, everyone's happy (or at least placated). WotC gets their family friendly approved lore change while making a bit of money as well, the fans get a (preferably) exciting adventure that adequately explains the change in the status quo, and the people who complain about the game but don't actually play it have one less thing to bitch about (granted, they'll find something new to bitch about before long, but at least it'll shut them up for 5 minutes).
That sounds like everyone wins to me. But nope, that would require work and actually stringing together a plot-line that would have to involve *gasp* combat!?! Why do that when we can make a our Harry Potter/MTG knock-off module where we can literally be a slice of life anime. Because that's the first thing I think about when I get ready for a tabletop game.
Johan Schmidt
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2020
Who is this for? People that don't - and won't ever - play your games? Why?
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2017
lol the reddit janny's closing the thread because they don't want their WOTC overlords cracking the whip.
Also, Illithids are just, you know, misunderstood. How dare you assume they're inherently evil??
The changes are utterly retarded and just another blow in the race to reduce everything into a grey, morally ambiguous, and thematically bland sludge. The critical role fags will eat this up and give some good asspats on twitter, which we all know is the true currency. They'll release the updated editions and those will sell just as well and anyone who complains about how there are giant jagged chainsaw holes in the drywall of D&D will be called a chud and ignored.
Don't give money to people that hate you.
anti SJW
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2016
Was talking to a friend about all these changes. He said this, I agree 100%
"Yeah.. this pc crap is honestly just so bad for young people.
The world isn't perfect, sometimes it's offensive, and even evil.. Not accepting that, and learning how to deal with reality just creates entire generations of young people who can't deal with everyday life in a competent manner."
"Yeah.. this pc crap is honestly just so bad for young people.
The world isn't perfect, sometimes it's offensive, and even evil.. Not accepting that, and learning how to deal with reality just creates entire generations of young people who can't deal with everyday life in a competent manner."
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2019
I saw some sperging on discord and was trying to figure out what did they change but didn't want to go through hours worth of autistic screeching and defending wotc.
I am gonna echo what others have said and wow, this is beyond lazy since they didn't even attempt to replace stuff and just outright removed it.
Way to go WotC, just when I thought they couldn't further pisstheir fans off but they found a way.
Honestly, I stopped caring about new content for 5e ever since mordekaisen tome of foes: I don't use their adventures (every single one gets the same complaints about being laid out and organized like shit, plus most plots are mediocre at best)
The nerfing of archetypes from their UA versions to final versions just makes me lose interest in them since you end up with such ineffective and weak features which makes me think "why bother?"
Guess I lost interest in new content around the same time I rediscovered my love for homebrew (both my own and others).
Ultimately official content becoming shittier does not affect me but the content getting progressively worse and the state of the hobby still upset me.
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Fictional Character
kiwifarms.net
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- Jun 13, 2020
He should reboot Drizzt as the only evil drow in existence.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2014
HAHAHAHAHAHA the Beholder also is a pretty big fucking winner IMO.
They're literally a race of paranoid xenophobes and narcissists. They legitimately are insane and hate all not of their kind, even their own kind who look too different from them.
I can kind of take or leave evil races, but I make a point that cultures can be quite evil. It's why Drow in this setting I work on still tend towards evil; since they are raised to believe they are entitled to dominate over all life, as their wisdom and longevity entitles them to this role. Even then I'm trying to rework this early industrial age setting to incorporate more alien thinking among the races I use since they'd have different drives and POVs due to their different biology.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2021
No just Wizards but Paizo too:
After the complaint of one AGP tranny they decided to get rid of slavery to... uh... fight slavery. Never mind that there is slavery still going on in the world, like Libya, but who cares about that? How dare slavery be in my Mary Sue OC maker! Get rid of it or else!
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- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
I'm expecting some apologies.