Dark Lord wrote:And, I mean, is there anyone on this site who plays and/or GMs a spell-caster that doesn't think carpet of adhesion is broken as hell as written?
"As written" - probably. That's why it's been addressed in the House Rules already - to make it more workable. The same thing happened with Gravity Manipulation and many of the other powers. Palladium's writing is sub-par, and on that, I suspect we
all agree

Dark Lord wrote:If we're going to introduce modifications to make powers like gravity manipulation fallible (and I think we should), we should be even-handed about doing the same to non-super abilities as well. We do have some rules for dodging them in place- why not go a step further and just make it a strike roll to make it consistent with other abilities?
This is where you lose me. Now, admittedly, I'm not well-read on super powers, but my understanding - correct me if I'm wrong here - is that they are effectively unlimited in terms of inherent restrictions; that is, one can use them as often as they like, they are automatic and cannot be interrupted, don't require spoken words, no interaction with things like armor, no "resource cost" like P.P.E./I.S.P., etc. In this regard, they are quite different from magic/psionics, which are
inherently limited as to the above - magic being far more constrained than psionics, which generally only require one to spend the I.S.P.
That doesn't mean that some spells aren't broken (see below). But it
does make the "let's treat them in an even-handed way" angle a bit weaker in my view, because powers don't abide any general constraints or restrictions. Powers are just in a different category altogether, and as such, can - and should - be treated differently than spells or psionics.
Dark Lord wrote:I don't think a comprehensive review of all spells and psionics is feasible or necessary, though we could certainly make that a long-term project if we so choose.
I hereby volunteer to be on the "Spell Review Task Force"

Seriously, though. If it happens, I'm more than willing to be on board with that. Psionics too, though they tend to be
mostly less problematic in my experience.
Dark Lord wrote:Therefore, I would like to introduce two proposals.
Proposal #1: Every spell effect that does not currently require a strike roll or a saving throw now requires a roll to strike to hit a particular target. This includes, off the top of my head, carpet of adhesion and call lightning. PP bonuses, and WP targeting would apply, and we can set a poll for the community to decide whether there should be an inherent strike bonus of +0/+3/+6 (based on other 'point and shoot' type powers).
DIsagree.
Call Lightning's
only advantage is the lack of an attack roll or save, and that's compensated for to some degree by the limited range, casting time (6th level spells take 2 melee actions to cast, and are therefore interruptible), and inherent limitation that the bolt "shoots down from the sky" (implying it cannot be used indoors). Given that there are many ways to be electricity-resistant (or immune) in Palladium, I don't think it's overly powerful. Useful? Sure. Especially when you're behind a (transparent) wall or inside a TK force field or
Energy Field. But overpowered? Nah.
Now, on to one of the more controversial spells: Carpet of Adhesion. Unlike many players who play mages (full disclosure: I play two on this site, and have played many in the past), I'm just not very impressed with CoA (or, as I like to call it, Mystic SuperGlue):
- Very short range: 30 feet + 10 feet / level (though, confusingly, the spell description says there's a hard 90' range limit)
- 10'x20' effective area
- House Rules already address problems with the "as written" version of the spell.
There really aren't many spells at all that don't allow saves or require some sort of strike roll or, at least, the ones which don't require saves or strike rolls are most often the ones that don't directly target an individual or group of living targets. The ones that really tend to stand out as potentially abusive or that need clarification (CoA) can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I don't see any need for a blanket rule on this - especially given that spells are so variable in their effects and uses (which is probably the main strength of magic and is balanced by those pesky constraints).
Dark Lord wrote:Proposal #2: I personally think that the only potentially problematic psionic power is Bio-Manipulation: Paralysis. Yes, it requires a saving throw- but one failed save = a character who is immobilized for an entire battle and then some. Most good GMs would (I think) be loath to use this on players because there's no fun in being completely immobile for an entire battle; players have no such compunction about short-circuiting enemies that don't have a mind block. Therefore, I would like to propose two modifications- first, we change the duration of the entire power. I would offer up a poll with the following options for the community to choose: 4d4 minutes (cannon), 4d4 melees, and 2d4 melees. Second, for the paralytic ability, we introduce a house rule that allows the psychic to target one or more of five body parts: Head, each arm, and each leg. The normal duration of bio-manipulation is divided by the number of body parts selected- so it remains possible to completely paralyze an opponent, but the duration becomes (for example) 4d4/5 melees- on average about two melees. I think that's still enough to be an effective offensive tool in any psychic's arsenal, without completely taking out any opponent who fails their save. Psychics who opt to only paralyze part of an opponent's body can retain a longer duration. Appropriate penalties can be reasonably extrapolated from the Paralysis: Lesser spell (BoM P. 98), with the addendum that paralyzing the head simply makes communication and spell-casting impossible.
I agree. Bio-Manipulation (Paralysis) is, effectively, a "save or die" available to any Master psionic who can choose it - including first level characters- which makes it far too strong as written, in my view. I like the spirit of the proposal, but I think some areas need to be addressed:
- "Human and animal life forms" can be affected by it, so "each arm" and "each leg" may be variably advantageous or disadvantageous (or even unclear - what if used on a snake or fish? does a tail count? etc.) on non-human opponents. I suggest the alternative of limiting the duration based upon the type of bio-manipulation, with paralysis being limited to 2 melee rounds.
- Bio-Manipulation effects should not be extendable for additional I.S.P. without allowing for another save by the victim, and - in my estimation - a bonus equal to the iteration of said save. For example, the second save gets a +2, the third gets a +3, etc. Once a target saves and the effect ends for them, that bonus disappears, so if they are "hit again" with Bio-Manipulation (at another 10 I.S.P. cost), everything starts over.
- Alternatively, one could just use the rules directly from the Paralysis: Lesser invocation. Which, by the way- has anyone ever seen the Paralysis: Greater invocation?
For convenience:
Dark Lord wrote:In addition to feedback on the above, I'd like to invite everyone to add any additional spells or psis they think need our attention. I don't imagine this will be the appropriate thread to comment on the super power changes so I'll just
link that here.
Okay, you asked for it
In my estimation, there is no more clear example of a spell in dire need of revision than
Anti-Magic Cloud:
- 100 foot radius area of effect per level of the caster - this is pretty big. Consider that a level 7 caster could cover a hair shy of an eighth of a mile with this effect - an area larger than the size of the United States Capitol building. This doesn't need to be changed, but is included to put the power of the spell into perspective - it affects a fairly large area.
- 85% chance of completely negating all magic within the AoE. An unmodified, natural 18-20 (+P.E. bonus to save vs.magic) is required to save - and even if one does, her magic is reduced to half strength. Again, included to point out the strength of this spell already.
- The (poorly written) exceptions of "runes and magic weapons" should be clarified. Runes? Do they mean rune weapons? Wards (which are created with runes)? What does "runes" include?
- As written, it "cannot be dispelled magically or by manipulating elemental/atmospheric conditions"- this should be changed, in my opinion. It's a cloud. It should be able to be manipulated in the same way as any other cloud, so yes - if you're an Air Warlock (or have atmospheric spells/powers/abilities etc.) - you're now everyone's best buddy (presuming you made your save. You did make your save, right?). Disperse that bad boy! The cloud could, arguably, get a save to resist said dispersion, but it should not be disallowed outright. No, flying your SAMAS / helicopter / aircraft around won't disperse it.
- By far, the most egregious example of the insanity of this spell is "only the creator of the cloud is not affected". This should be struck entirely from the description. No, you aren't immune as the creator. It's a blanket effect - it works for everyone caught under it, or it doesn't. There's no special exception because you made it - you unleash the AMC, you are subject to its effects. Save like everyone else.
- I also think this spell should run its duration and be unable to be cancelled - further increasing the risk of casting it by the caster. Normally, with a few exceptions, if you cast a spell, you can cancel at any time. In the AMC's case, I say, once you cast it, it will active and there unless dispersed or the duration runs out. That said, like any spell, the duration should be able to be set when cast. A caster isn't required to use the maximum duration for a spell, and AMC should be no exception.