Here is the list of mechanic revisions from this off season. It doesn't constitute other changes I'm still planning, such as new races or high-level Field actions, but it addresses some glaring problems.
Mechanics Dropped
The following mechanics have been dropped because they were overpowered, caused rules problems, or just weren't useful enough to be popular.
- Absorb just wash't a good enough defensive mechanic to warrant preparation. Hell, it wasn't even good enough for consumables. I'll be replacing those with four-hour Immune consumables later on.
- Disguise was one of the least-used story actions and caused nonstop headaches for staff. Uordeq and characters with Disguise items have received Adapt Darkness instead. Characters with the Scoundrel merit have received Tumble instead.
- Exclude wasn't popular even when I made it natively at will. I'd rather just drop it all together.
- Expose was only ever learned by one or two people and I never saw it used in play.
- Redirect was brokenly powerful.
Mechanics Renamed
The following mechanics are fine, but have been renamed.
- Attract is now Pull.
- Empower is now Imbue.
- Escape is now Retreat.
- Predict is now Forecast.
- Repel is now Push. The savage action of the same name is now Clout.
- Rush is now Charge. Running into someone as a safety hazard will now be referred to as trampling.
- Scout is now Explore.
- Stabilize is now Preserve. The Aid action has been changed to an at-will Preserve. Decay has been updated to include Preserve in the list of effects it prevents.
- The Agility variant of Traverse is now Tumble, and the Vigor variant is now Propel.
- For Translate, Pidgin is now Polyglot and Decipher Script is now Explicate.
Mechanics Revised
- Charge no longer requires you to run in a straight line, but you are only immune to attacks from the front and you must move toward an enemy to maintain the effect. The scaling Assault actions used by dervishes have been replaced by Charge + X proficiencies.
- Drain Damage works the same, but the actions using it have been improved. The warlock Reaper's Touch merit and old Drain Life actions have been dropped. Warlocks may still acquire an at-will 1 Drain attack with the Life Leech merit, however, and the associated action is free. In addition, there is now a 9th-level Drain Life action that allows a warlock to add Drain damage to any one spell attack. This action is the prerequisite for the new Life Stealing enchantment, which works the same way.
- Fear no longer forces the affected character to flee. Instead, the character becomes unable to attack, rest, or use actions on others as long as he or she has line of sight on the user. You can flee and rest or stay and rally, effectively cowering, and it ends immediately if you're attacked.
- Meld is now a dual-purpose effect. It can either serve as a Sneak where you must remain in contact with the substance or a Teleport where the end point must place you into contact with it. Sorcerers can now learn Earth Meld with the Earth Glide action.
- Pull and Push effects can now be used to counter one another. Characters undergoing forced movement of either sort must now flail their arms to represent the effect.
- Retreat is now a counterpoint to Charge. Retreating characters may be pursued, but are immune to attack from behind and must move away from an enemy to maintain the effect.
- Share no longer requires a merit to make it at-will. Any theurge of 4th level or higher can pick up the new Martyrdom action as an upgrade to Charity.
- Sleep can no longer be ended by shaking the affected character awake, and the character must close his or her eyes to represent it. Furthermore, characters wearing dream silver are no longer immune to Sleep, but do remain aware while unconscious, may rest while asleep, and may still awaken from Trance at will.
- Teleport now has a proper counter. Other characters can use Seek when a Teleport is used to observe the teleporting character's movement out of play. It doesn't prevent the teleportation, but it significantly limits its usefulness.
- Withstand now reduces a single attack by the indicated amount of damage, to a minimum of zero. Savage Enraged Stamina actions have been updated. Since Withstand is now a counter rather than a buff, shaman Blade Turning actions apply it with the new Grant effect instead.
New Mechanics
- Cloud counters or prevents Sense (see below). Rogues get a Deceive action they can use on themselves, while mages get a Nondetection action they can use on others. These actions are at-will by default. There is also a cheap Nondetection enchantment.
- Consult is a higher-level divination skill in the same vein as Forecast. It allows the user to pose a question to a "higher power" and receive a simple, one-word response. The difference is that Forecast allows you to ask whether something is a good idea, while Consult allows you to ask what would be a good idea. Theurges can get Consult with the Guidance action, while warlocks can get it with the Consort action.
- Dodge counters melee attacks, packets, Bursts, and Sprays, but it can't be used if your mobility is hindered in any way (e.g., confined, unconscious, Maimed leg). Rogues can get Dodge with the Sidestep action, dervishes can get it with Footwork, and elves can get it with Elven Reflexes.
- Grant bestows an action upon another character. For example, a "Grant Rouse" effect grants the affected character a Self, "Rouse" action. The user of a Grant action must give the recipient a tag to represent the effect. The user may not refresh the Grant action until the tag is returned, but the recipient may use and refresh the granted action as if it were prepared normally. Note that the Save mechanic now follows the same methodology.
- Reduce reproduces the monster trait of the same name, allowing the affected character to reduce all of the given damage type to one. The savage Berserk Stamina trump action now calls "Reduce All" instead of what it did before, allowing the savage to reduce all non-critical damage to one.
- Sense forces another character to reveal a vital game statistic. Gauge Strength is available to fighters and uses the Sense Level effect. Detect Life is available to theurges and uses the Sense Health effect. And Diagnosis is available to any character with Aid and uses the Sense Status effect. All of these actions are at-will by default.
Miscellaneous Revisions
The following non-mechanical revisions occurred in the course of making the above revisions.
- The damage progression of savage Crushing Blow actions has been increased. It now scales at the same rate as Precise Strike and Spell Blast.
- The healing progression of Healing Wind actions remains the same, but the odd values have been dropped. This allows theurges to attain more significant healing for the cost of fewer actions (e.g., it now costs four actions to buy up to Healing Wind 10 rather than seven).
- Medium or heavy weapons made of Pale Ivory now give the user a Refresh 2 when performing killing blows. Additionally, the Pale Ivory property now uses the new Kill requirement, which triggers after a killing blow as well as a kill through critical damage.
- The Quick Reflexes rogue merit has been dropped.