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[lawastooshort]

Yes, sorry, I was being facetious.

But as long as your character was nice to my character I wouldn't object to him or her.


But now I have a serious question: can you be a healer with just the heal skill and actually be any use?

[Remuthra]

Depends on your definition of healer. You can't do any healing mid combat with just the heal skill, and you won't really be able to replenish hp at all (With 24 hours straight bedrest, you still only recover 4 hp per level). Really, the heal skill is for stabilizing dying party members and for treating diseases.

[lawastooshort]

So playing a pre-modern doctor (a physician) wouldn't really be very useful? But really, I'd just want that as a cover for being a sneaky type (so maybe it'd work as a character, just not as a healer).

[Dwarmin]

Yeah, having heal skill as a backup is much more useful in the low levels, before you get all the magic jigglydoos.

Not that homebrew isn't possible...check the rules for healing in D20 modern, which would probably be easy to convert to D&D in some way.

Surgery (DC 20): With a surgery kit, a character can conduct field surgery. This application of the Treat Injury skill carries a –4 penalty, which can be negated with the Surgery feat. Surgery requires 1d4 hours; if the patient is at negative hit points, add an additional hour for every point below 0 the patient has fallen.

Surgery restores 1d6 hit points for every character level of the patient (up to the patient’s full normal total of hit points) with a successful skill check. Surgery can only be used successfully on a character once in a 24-hour period. A character who undergoes surgery is fatigued for 24 hours, minus 2 hours for every point above the DC the surgeon achieves. The period of fatigue can never be reduced below 6 hours in this fashion.

That's fairly realistic for healing without magic.

[thatkid]

Hmm...

I ask because one of my two prospective character setups, my Paladin build, hinges around using the +1 LA Half Giant race and using a trait or homebrewed feat to increase my size class by one.

I'd be ok with players starting as high as level 3, I suppose. Depending on what the other GMs think- again- but I feel pretty strongly against people starting higher than that. I am not opposed to LA Buy-off.
As far as traits go, I'm still kind of against them. I'm considering it at the moment, though. It all depends on how minxmaxy it can actually be, and in what way; something that helps only melee characters cheese out is way more OK than something that will help casters stay ahead, too. If we start at level 3, have you considered the Half-Ogre template from Savage Species? You could also always befriend someone who can cast Enlarge Person.

So playing a pre-modern doctor (a physician) wouldn't really be very useful? But really, I'd just want that as a cover for being a sneaky type (so maybe it'd work as a character, just not as a healer).

Between Healing and Craft (Alchemy) or something similar, you might be able to work something out. I can't imagine Joe the Farmer can afford to have Cleric McHoly to cast Cure Light Wounds every time his horse kicks him in the head, even in the most magic heavy of settings.

[Remuthra]

Hmm...

I ask because one of my two prospective character setups, my Paladin build, hinges around using the +1 LA Half Giant race and using a trait or homebrewed feat to increase my size class by one.

I'd be ok with players starting as high as level 3, I suppose. Depending on what the other GMs think- again- but I feel pretty strongly against people starting higher than that. I am not opposed to LA Buy-off.
As far as traits go, I'm still kind of against them. I'm considering it at the moment, though. It all depends on how minxmaxy it can actually be, and in what way; something that helps only melee characters cheese out is way more OK than something that will help casters stay ahead, too. If we start at level 3, have you considered the Half-Ogre template from Savage Species? You could also always befriend someone who can cast Enlarge Person.

I'll look into it. The real core of the setup is a trait called "Big" (Or- Giantism) which increases size class by one, which allows a melee character to wield a bigger weapon. Combined with a racial feature called Powerful Build, which is essentially a pseudo-size class bonus, I can create a warrior who, for x4 weapon and x2 armor cost, can wield Huge size weapons, which deal significantly more damage. Extra strength from the Half-Ogre would definitely increase raw power, though, and if I can find a way to increase my size to Huge, I'd have to find something else to use for the other component.

[lawastooshort]

That'd be sweet. Would you consider letting a rogue take Heal as a class skill for RP reasons? At the expense of something else if necessary of course.

[GiglameshDespair]

I'll look into it. The real core of the setup is a trait called "Big" (Or- Giantism) which increases size class by one, which allows a melee character to wield a bigger weapon. Combined with a racial feature called Powerful Build, which is essentially a pseudo-size class bonus, I can create a warrior who, for x4 weapon and x2 armor cost, can wield Huge size weapons, which deal significantly more damage. Extra strength from the Half-Ogre would definitely increase raw power, though, and if I can find a way to increase my size to Huge, I'd have to find something else to use for the other component.

Well, as long as you never need to go inside anywhere.

[Dwarmin]

That'd be sweet. Would you consider letting a rogue take Heal as a class skill for RP reasons? At the expense of something else if necessary of course.

If I was gming (And I would) I'd let anyone take a skill as a class skill they could justify in RP, no penalties required.

[Remuthra]

I'll look into it. The real core of the setup is a trait called "Big" (Or- Giantism) which increases size class by one, which allows a melee character to wield a bigger weapon. Combined with a racial feature called Powerful Build, which is essentially a pseudo-size class bonus, I can create a warrior who, for x4 weapon and x2 armor cost, can wield Huge size weapons, which deal significantly more damage. Extra strength from the Half-Ogre would definitely increase raw power, though, and if I can find a way to increase my size to Huge, I'd have to find something else to use for the other component.

Well, as long as you never need to go inside anywhere.

Heheh, that's the catch. Especially since the rest of the build is to buy a lance of largest size and use mounted combat feats, then lance charge into battle from atop an elephant (Or other creature one size above my size modifier. Which when you're large enough is hard to find.).

[thatkid]

Hmm...

I ask because one of my two prospective character setups, my Paladin build, hinges around using the +1 LA Half Giant race and using a trait or homebrewed feat to increase my size class by one.

I'd be ok with players starting as high as level 3, I suppose. Depending on what the other GMs think- again- but I feel pretty strongly against people starting higher than that. I am not opposed to LA Buy-off.
As far as traits go, I'm still kind of against them. I'm considering it at the moment, though. It all depends on how minxmaxy it can actually be, and in what way; something that helps only melee characters cheese out is way more OK than something that will help casters stay ahead, too. If we start at level 3, have you considered the Half-Ogre template from Savage Species? You could also always befriend someone who can cast Enlarge Person.

I'll look into it. The real core of the setup is a trait called "Big" (Or- Giantism) which increases size class by one, which allows a melee character to wield a bigger weapon. Combined with a racial feature called Powerful Build, which is essentially a pseudo-size class bonus, I can create a warrior who, for x4 weapon and x2 armor cost, can wield Huge size weapons, which deal significantly more damage. Extra strength from the Half-Ogre would definitely increase raw power, though, and if I can find a way to increase my size to Huge, I'd have to find something else to use for the other component.

Half-ogre would increase your size to large, since Half-giants are medium. I can't check the books right now, but afaik that will stack with powerful build.
EDIT: Just realized half-ogre isn't a template. Which is odd. I swore it was like Half-Dragon or such. You could always use the Monkey's Grip feat, though.

I keep saying I need to discuss things with the other GMs. If you intend to GM: Do you use IRC? If so, what's a good time to drag you all into a channel so we can hash things out from our side and get this on the road?

[Dwarmin]

@Thatkid: I use a sort of thing.

http://webchat.freenode.net/
Go to channel '#Living'

[GreatWyrmGold]

...then make a magic character who isn't a snob? And I think it's wizards gain their abilities through study. Sorcerers are those with an innate gift.

+1
And Warlocks are the ones who got powers through dark deals. Well, them and clerics.

Q: What's the setting?
A: I'd need to talk this over with anyone else who wants to be a GM. It's no fun running a setting you don't like. Personally, I'm partial to Forgotten Realms. It's one of the better known D&D settings, and it's generic enough in form and function that new(er) players don't really need to be familiar with it. So it's accessible. I'm not set in stone on that, though, so I'm going to pose my own question in this answer:
Dwarmin, GWG, and anyone else who is interested in a GM slot-- Is there anything you prefer? Should this just be put to vote?

I don't know much specifically about the Forgotten Realms setting; my only exposure to it has been through the Icewind Dale trilogy. What's special about it?

I keep saying I need to discuss things with the other GMs. If you intend to GM: Do you use IRC? If so, what's a good time to drag you all into a channel so we can hash things out from our side and get this on the road?

I don't usually use it. My time online is kind of easily-interruptable by me realizing I should work on other stuff, or deciding I want to read a bit of Worm, or whatever.

[GiglameshDespair]

Looking at the conversation about huge-sized fighters and whatnot, I wonder if the opposite would be possible? Create a tiny fighter, like a faery or something, that wouldn't be absolute rubbish? I imagine their evasion would be absolutely massive due to their tiny size, and with some decent armour, they'd pretty much be unhittable.
Wouldn't do a huge amount of damage, but a decent enhancement to their weapon could fix that.

[Remuthra]

Looking at the conversation about huge-sized fighters and whatnot, I wonder if the opposite would be possible? Create a tiny fighter, like a faery or something, that wouldn't be absolute rubbish? I imagine their evasion would be absolutely massive due to their tiny size, and with some decent armour, they'd pretty much be unhittable.
Wouldn't do a huge amount of damage, but a decent enhancement to their weapon could fix that.

The real problem there is reach. A larger creature can outreach a smaller one. A creature tiny or smaller typically has a same-space reach, so you provoke an attack of opportunity whenever you engage with almost any enemy.

Generally, smaller size class is better for ranged fighters and magic users, due to increased AC and To Hit bonus, while larger classes are better for melee fighters only, because the reach and extra damage is worth the cost and penalties. (Larger creatures are better at grappling, too, and can carry more) However, some sort of high-AC cheap militia fighter of a small size class which could swarm enemies, trusting in natural AC advantages to avoid Attacks of Opportunity (Or just overwhelming the enemy reaction shots per round) might be pretty formidable.

Size class advantages are really all dependent on your preferences for stats, honestly.