Perk Suggestion Thread

[Electrohydra]

I was talking to people the other day about how it would be nice if more classes had access to perks letting them use the crafting system. Here is my idea that came out of that, a perk for more clever Fighters...


MILITARY ENGINEER

Fighter Perk "/c fighter_perk"

Equiped weapon gains an Enhancement bonus equal to half your INT modifier. Lasts 1 turn.

Level 1

+10 EFUSS Tinkering
Create a set of random dissipating siege weapon ammunition each rest.

Level 5

+4 Set Trap
+4 Dissable Trap

Level 8

+2 INT

[RedMoney]

Some tweaks to Maiden of Woe that I think would make the class more on par with the corpse animator style necrosorcs:

Revamp the entire passive spirit calling. Its honestly near useless as it is now especially compared to the megaundead that can be made with animate and experimenting.  Instead it should function as follows:

Whenever a Maiden of Woe kills a living creature, she has a % chance (spellcraft/2) to gain a soul fragment of varying quality. These fragments can be used to conjure spirits of varying power. The higher level the maiden, the better quality spirit shards she can gain. These shards are temporary and last until reset. The spirits summoned by these shards can be enhanced similar to the creations of the animate dead spell. I think this will be a nice balance and RP effect since you can actively go hunt souls just like you can with corpses. It would be good to see both Spirits and Shadows instead of just spirits.

The spirits need HD to avoid being blasted with Turn Undead. Right now all summons are 1 HD for some reason, meaning even a summon monster 5 spirit can be obliterated by a rather weak paladin.

While amusing, the Curse on Death effect of Lvl 8 is not really worth using. It should be replaced with a Consume Sorrow player tool that uses a soul fragment to grant a random boon to the Maiden. Effects can include any of several buff spells or a tiny amount of xp. And/or the lvl 8 maiden of woe absorbs lvl 3/4 and lower necromancy spells.

I feel the negative ray 5 per day tool is lackluster with all the items available to do neg rays with. Being able to use something like ghostly visage 3/day or displacement 1/day would be more useful. The neg ray could also just be taken out if the soul fragment and experimentable spirits are added.

Other improvements could involve some spell changes such as:

Spells that grant concealment grant additional concealment.

Invisibility grants additional movement speed when cast on self.

Spells that grant concealment also cause Jump to be cast on the Maiden.

See invisibility is extended or perhaps gain as a passive power.

Flame weapon converts to negative energy.

Disrupt undead functions on living targets dealing d6 negative dmg.

[Hierophant]

Some additions to the different Rogue Perks.

Locksmith
Bonus: +3 Open Lock.
Pure Bonus: +1 Thieves' Tools each reset & 15 XP for every door unlocked.

Smuggler
Bonus: +3 Pick Pocket
Pure Bonus: Able to better hide items when being searched & receive one magical bag with reduced weight.

Trapsmith
Bonus: +2 Disable Trap, +2 Set Trap, +2 Search
Pure Bonus: 1 random trap each reset & 15 XP for each trap disabled.

Knifemaster

Bonus: 5% Immunity Slashing.
Pure Bonus: Random set of throwing knives each rest & receive Weapon Finesse feat for free.

Diplomat

"You have made a living of moving in diplomatic circles, adapting to the social climate and improving your own skills in the same."
Bonus: +2 Bluff, Intimidate, Persuade

Pure Bonus: Receive Silver Palm feat for free.

[whyemmdee]

I would suggest that the Tribal Shaman perk for sorcerer receives the same +1 Healing per tick with medicinal herbs as does the rogue's Physician perk at level 5 to keep with the theme of a tribal witch. This gives sorcerers a fitting option if they'd like to play a heal oriented character.

[Jello!]

Dirty Fighter

"Whether it is biting, a sharp elbow to the side or cheap punches you have done it all and will do it again in order to win a fight."

Bonus: Dirty Fighting feat.

Suggestion: Remove this and replace with a perk that gives called shot as a pure bonus as this seems more useful. 

Educated

"Always studious, you received an extensive and well-rounded education."

Bonus: +3 Lore. Gain XP for translating ancient texts.

Pure bonus: Feat added: Courteous magocracy

Fencing Lessons

"Classical swordsmanship was an aspect of your early training."

Bonus: +2 Parry, +2 Discipline, +2 Concentration.

Pure bonus: Feat added: Improved parry

Forger

"From falsified receipts to false orders a Forger's work in crime is unprecedentedly useful. A clerk in your youth or simply a dedicated criminal you have found that personal business brings far more wealth than public office."

Bonus: May forge a copy of a license in someone else's name. Player tool 2/day. Target first the license to forge, then the PC whose name it should be forged in.

Suggestion: Add the ability to write on stronghold signs. Example: Joe forges a sign for the adventure Mart controlled by Ted. Also, the ability to create Ticker square protection papers and Peerage veteran retainer badges (In name only)

Fortune Teller

"In the uncertain times when even gods perish, the frightful commoner seeks ways to ensure there is a tomorrow. Hidden in dark corners and covered in mystical symbols are the fortune tellers responding to this need; holding the answers to the future in a deck of cards, the posing of a question and, of course, a bit of gold."

Bonus: Special tarot card draws and interpretations. Tarot deck given PC.

Pure bonus: 2+ bluff and persuade 

Ironmind

"Whether a stubborn personality trait or practice through hard lessons, people have a hard time with changing your mind."

Bonus: +2 Concentration. +1 save vs Mind Affecting.

Pure bonus: +1 will

Thief

"Personal property is a foreign word to you and so you pay it no heed. Whether a two-story man, cutpurse or enterprising looter, you know how to open locks people make much effort to keep locked and get away with the contents."

Bonus: +2 Open Lock, +1 Hide and Move Silently

Pure bonus: An additional +1 to Hide and move silently 

Rogue Major Perks

Politician

"Your character's ordeals and trials in the game of politics have paid off, giving you increased presence. Your character receives +2 charisma to represent his force of personality."

Perk bonus: +2 will, +2 Charisma, +3 Bluff, +3 Persuade, re-roll failed Bluff/Persuade checks. 3/day charm spell (if possible, a charm spell equal to that of a level 7 caster)

Thug

"Your character has survived a tough life in the streets and the fights have paid off. You are able to shrug off some damage and strike with more precision."

Perk bonuses: +1 AB, 2/- Physical Damage Resistance, +3 Taunt, +3 Intimidate, +2 Constitution. Feat: dirty fighting

[Poolson]

Simply Trained perk for Rogue

"Whether you were recruited (or conscripted) into the local Lord's army, fished at the local creek by spear point for the water's bounty or found yourself having a knack for threshing grain, you're a little more familiar with the common tools and weaponry of the simple masses."

BONUS FEAT:

Proficiency: Simple weapons.

[Misas]

Major rogue perk: Combat medic
+ 6 Heal, 5/1 damage reduction

You aren't magic fiddler, nor divine errand boy. Nevertheless, your companions rely on you and you won't disappoint them. When the battle rages their lives are literally in your hands.

[SunrypeSlim]

Rogue Minor Perk:

Fence
Legitimate goods and fair prices are for suckers. You'll fleece the market for everything it's worth, and make your suppliers happy in the process.

Bonus: +1 Pickpocket, +2 Appraise, +1 Bluff, +1 Persuade.
Pure Bonus: Doubled duration for merchant stall rentals.

[Electrohydra]

Just a little something I thought about the other day, as a way to give an extra use to all these cool relics. Would be a rogue major perk (Though you could also nerf it a lot and make it a minor perk).

LIP SERVICE
Your ability to deceive magic has reached such a point that you are able to fake Faith itself and steal the divine energies of holy relics.
+3 Use Magic Device, +3 Bluff
10% divine damage immunity
Bless 3/day, Bane 3/day
You can attune to a relic as if you where a cleric of a level equal to your Rogue level.

[RedMoney]

Aracnomancer Sorcerer Perk

Base power: familiar override, Juvenile Aranea (some combat potential at lower levels, can cast web bolt, cat's grace, greatly diminished familiar death penalty)

Lvl 1:
Summon monster functions at +1 level (as animal domain) but the caster cannot change from Spiders theme.
Use Poison Feat
+2 saves vs poison

Lvl 5:
Creatures caught in a Web spell cast by the Aracnomancer are affected by giant spider venom
immune to Web effects
familiar gains awakened effect on summon

Lvl 8:
Casting web also summons a spider
Poison immunity
Aranea familiar gains size/power

[Egon the Monkey]

Give Bards a choice of Spell Focus as a L4 Perk
I've been trying to roll a future Bard, and I find that any pure bard concept based around combat rather than being a buff dispenser gets a bit samey. Because in order to feel useful, some feats are head and shoulders above the rest.
- I probably want Toughness if I'm not a Gnome or Dwarf, because I have very poor HP for a combat class and don't have as many medium term defensive buffs as a cleric.
- I want Blind Fight so I can hit annoying things like ghosts and "whatever just drank displacement". Because I can't realistically use my spells as my primary means of damage.
- At this point I could take SF and GSF on a human or gnome, but I have so few spells a day and such a limited spell list it probably won't give me much fun. As it only helps if the spell has either a DC or an EFU boost from SF.
- So let's just fall back on Curse Song and Extra Music because that's like an extra pile of spell slots and a new known spell, and it's a thematic bard thing too.

I could drop the combat feats and go full spells, except I don't have any damage spells except Sound Burst. About the only SFs that have enough spells to show them off well are Necromancy (For Scare, Fear and buffing your undead) and Enchantment (because there's a lot of Enchantment). Even so, pretty much all you have is Mind-Affecting. So a lot of things ignore you, and you want the highest possible DC as its' not "save for half" it's "save negates it completely".

And with all the dispel that even monsters put out now, having few spells means you're unlikely to be able to reapply buffs if you lose them. So the bard song feats stand out even more because you can't dispel Bard song or Spell Resist Curse Song.

EFU gave Bards some nice bonuses to spells based on having SF and GSF. For example, Wounding Whispers. But a lot of these are L3 spells, and I don't feel that spending 2 Feats on a bit of a gimmick build is worth it. Yes, GSF Transmutation +Slow is nasty, but it's one spell (along with whatever L2 Ability buff you pick).

So, I think what would make caster bards more useful, and pure bards a bit more varied, is to let them take a Spell Focus as a L4 Perk. The current perks are a bit lacklustre, especially as you can get away without spellfail in light armour now, which is most of what Spellsinger gave you. For me, it's a toss up between "Martial Weapons" or "Move speed". Other than Cantor, Barreller and Spellsinger, the rest's all stuff that saves you a little bit of money or is really situational.  If you got a spell school, it would encourage you to take more of the offensive spells, which are otherwise too low DC to be worth bothering with. Especially if you're only running 14-16 CHA because you can't get away with 10 DEX like a Cleric can.

Bard stretches you thin on attributes and feats if you want to be useful, and currently I don't see the Perks as being as good as multiclassing a full BAB class for some hits, AB and feats. Whereas multiclassing a rogue means I give up on a load of thematic and useful abilities that make my Rogue look and feel very different to someone else's. And Ranger FE bonuses are a very significant change to what you can do in some cases.

[sirTouchington]

Dream Eater Rework:

Lvl 1- gain nightmare tool that is useable every 60 seconds, immunity to sleep, sleep DC +1, gain Spell token with sleep 3/day

Lvl 5 - sleep and slumber both affect x2 HD, sleep DC +1, Slumber DC +1, Nightmare useable every 40 second, spell token upgraded to sleep 5/day and Slumber 1/day

Lvl 8 - Sleep and slumber DC +1, nightmare useable every 20 Seconds, +2 cha, Sleep Token upgraded to Slumber 2/day

Remove the crappy dream eater summon from the nightmare pool. It isn't even immune to sleep and will knock itself out, it's also incredibly useless against anything that's not rats.

[Fuzz]

Quick suggestion:

Allow Forger perk rogues to forge notes using the new note system, but in the name of other PCs. They would need a note of some sort that the PC signed with their name, and they could use their forging skill on it to write a new note with the option to sign it with that PC's name. For the lay person this would effectively look like that other PC wrote the note.

[sinclairlim]

Rogue perk (Minor)

Pocket Sand!

1 use/day. Target makes a reflex save with a DC of 10 + half the rogue's level, or becomes blinded by 1d3 rounds.

[Egon the Monkey]

Rogue L4 Perk: Sapper.
+2 Craft Trap., +1 Set/Disable Trap
Gain a random Catapult Ammunition or set of ballista bolts each time you rest.

This would be a very niche perk, but the problem with siege engines is that you can't construct enough ammo to get you through a quest, as you can only build Schematics once a day. Honestly I just want to make a 18 STR Rogue who would prefer horrendous ballista overkill to Sneak Attacks :P,