[kjd-imc] On Familiar Modifications

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Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Hi All,

This is probably my shortest kjd-imc *evar*.

I was thinking about familiars and how they go squish so easily. I was
browsing the rules on them and noticed that as their master becomes more
powerful, the familiar's natural armor improves.

What if, instead of improving natural armor, the familiar gains a
deflection bonus to AC?

Ramifications:

.. net AC stays the same
.. AC bonus applies to touch attacks and incorporeal attacks

IOW, against mundane attacks nothing changes. Exactly the same chance
of being hit as before.

Against mystical attacks (mostly), he's much better off than a bog
standard creature of his kind... just what you'd expect of the familiar
of a wizard, no?


Thoughts, comments, questions.


Keith
--
Keith Davies "Trying to sway him from his current kook-
keith.davies@kjdavies.org rant with facts is like trying to create
keith.davies@gmail.com a vacuum in a room by pushing the air
http://www.kjdavies.org/ out with your hands." -- Matt Frisch

 

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Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:46:04 GMT, Keith Davies
<keith.davies@kjdavies.org> carved upon a tablet of ether:

> Hi All,
>
> This is probably my shortest kjd-imc *evar*.
>
> I was thinking about familiars and how they go squish so easily. I was
> browsing the rules on them and noticed that as their master becomes more
> powerful, the familiar's natural armor improves.
>
> What if, instead of improving natural armor, the familiar gains a
> deflection bonus to AC?
>
> Ramifications:
>
> . net AC stays the same
> . AC bonus applies to touch attacks and incorporeal attacks
>
> IOW, against mundane attacks nothing changes. Exactly the same chance
> of being hit as before.
>
> Against mystical attacks (mostly), he's much better off than a bog
> standard creature of his kind... just what you'd expect of the familiar
> of a wizard, no?

Nice idea, but I think a luck bonus would be cooler. A deflection
bonus should, IMO, come from some obvious magical source. Also, making
it deflection stops it stacking with some lagical effects that I think
it should stack with (Protection from X, for example).

I'd suggest a dodge bonus, but they don't count vs surprise attacks,
and so won't stop the 'squish' factor as well. Besides, luck seems
appropriate to a high-end familiar - they're just damnably hard to hit
for no apparent reason.


--
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz>
"Just because the truth will set you free doesn't mean the truth itself
should be free."

 

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Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:46:04 GMT, Keith Davies
><keith.davies@kjdavies.org> carved upon a tablet of ether:
>
>> I was thinking about familiars and how they go squish so easily. I
>> was browsing the rules on them and noticed that as their master
>> becomes more powerful, the familiar's natural armor improves.
>>
>> What if, instead of improving natural armor, the familiar gains a
>> deflection bonus to AC?
>
> Nice idea, but I think a luck bonus would be cooler. A deflection
> bonus should, IMO, come from some obvious magical source. Also, making
> it deflection stops it stacking with some lagical effects that I think
> it should stack with (Protection from X, for example).
>
> I'd suggest a dodge bonus, but they don't count vs surprise attacks,
> and so won't stop the 'squish' factor as well. Besides, luck seems
> appropriate to a high-end familiar - they're just damnably hard to hit
> for no apparent reason.

.... I think you're right. A luck bonus would be more appropriate.
Also, they're relatively hard to come by, where -- as you mention --
deflection bonuses aren't, and it'd be nice to have them stack.


Keith
--
Keith Davies "Trying to sway him from his current kook-
keith.davies@kjdavies.org rant with facts is like trying to create
keith.davies@gmail.com a vacuum in a room by pushing the air
http://www.kjdavies.org/ out with your hands." -- Matt Frisch

 

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Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

"Rupert Boleyn" <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
news:0b9lf19m7ovvovetqbu1btcnq865rkt0vk@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:46:04 GMT, Keith Davies
> <keith.davies@kjdavies.org> carved upon a tablet of ether:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> This is probably my shortest kjd-imc *evar*.
>>
>> I was thinking about familiars and how they go squish so easily. I was
>> browsing the rules on them and noticed that as their master becomes more
>> powerful, the familiar's natural armor improves.
>>
>> What if, instead of improving natural armor, the familiar gains a
>> deflection bonus to AC?
>>
>> Ramifications:
>>
>> . net AC stays the same
>> . AC bonus applies to touch attacks and incorporeal attacks
>>
>> IOW, against mundane attacks nothing changes. Exactly the same chance
>> of being hit as before.
>>
>> Against mystical attacks (mostly), he's much better off than a bog
>> standard creature of his kind... just what you'd expect of the familiar
>> of a wizard, no?
>
> Nice idea, but I think a luck bonus would be cooler.

Seconded.

--
^v^v^Malachias Invictus^v^v^

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the Master of my fate:
I am the Captain of my soul.

from _Invictus_, by William Ernest Henley

 

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Malachias Invictus <capt_malachias@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> "Rupert Boleyn" <rboleyn@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
> news:0b9lf19m7ovvovetqbu1btcnq865rkt0vk@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:46:04 GMT, Keith Davies
>> <keith.davies@kjdavies.org> carved upon a tablet of ether:
>>
>>> I was thinking about familiars and how they go squish so easily. I was
>>> browsing the rules on them and noticed that as their master becomes more
>>> powerful, the familiar's natural armor improves.
>>>
>>> What if, instead of improving natural armor, the familiar gains a
>>> deflection bonus to AC?
>>
>> Nice idea, but I think a luck bonus would be cooler.
>
> Seconded.

Already done.


Keith
--
Keith Davies "Trying to sway him from his current kook-
keith.davies@kjdavies.org rant with facts is like trying to create
keith.davies@gmail.com a vacuum in a room by pushing the air
http://www.kjdavies.org/ out with your hands." -- Matt Frisch