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Starting a Planescae Campaign - Bonus Faction Feats?

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Tue, 2010-01-19 06:24
#1
Tim4488
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Starting a Planescae Campaign - Bonus Faction Feats?

I'm planning on starting up a Pathfinder Planescape campaign some time next fall, and am trying to figure out how best to represent Faction abilities. On the one hand, I don't really want to use the Bloodlines offered in the PSCS, not so much because I don't like them, but because Pathfinder's core classes all have impressive capstone abilities that would be denied to them if they took Bloodline levels. On the other hand, i want the PCs to have something that clearly shows their Faction affiliation from 1st level. Mechanically, not just story-wise. After all, in the original presentation, they could take the Kits from the get-go and thus have relevant Faction abilities even at first level, without sacrificing anything else (other than the Faction restrictions, obviously.)

So, would it be completely inappropriate to give each character a bonus feat at 1st level, which must be a Faction feat? I tend to run fairly high-powered games anyway (I like to start low level, but make sure they have good rolls and such), so I don't think it would be too out of line, but I want to hear others' opinions before I decide for sure. Thanks.

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Tue, 2010-01-19 07:29
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Eldan
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Re: Starting a Planescae Campaign - Bonus Faction Feats?

What I did was giving them the bloodline abilities without the bloodline levels.
Instead, different bloodline strengths meant different faction ranks:
Namer/Factotum/Factor or Factol

Tue, 2010-01-19 10:09
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Jem
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Re: Starting a Planescae Campaign - Bonus Faction Feats?

Perhaps make it an RP reward, and have belief points offer faction abilities.

Alternatively, one of the things with the Planescape kits was that you traded something else off. Could be the same with faction abilities; if a Guvner has spent time studying up the necessary laws to gain their "Intuit Pattern" ability so that he can sometimes understand any language, perhaps he lacks the ability to speak a language he would ordinarily have studied up on.

Of course, some of these are really worth full feats to be taken at appropriate levels, but as long as you explain the system upfront and everyone gets the same shake, it should all square.

Tue, 2010-01-19 13:43
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Tim4488
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Re: Starting a Planescae Campaign - Bonus Faction Feats?

Well, most of the restrictions I plan to have in place, and they're aware of that. I basically told them that roleplaying restrictions, such as the Fated, Athar, or Transcendent Order, would be exactly as they were, and mechanical restrictions, such as the Doomguard, I would figure out a way to re-stat for 3.5. If that helps.

That said, I like Eldan's idea.

I'm seriously considering the belief points system, but haven't really made up my mind. It doesn't cover my desire for them to have Faction-related abilities covered from the get-go, though, since having either feats or other abilities as an RP reward requires the RPing to take place first.

The second idea could fit what I want. Sort of like racial substitution levels, only for Factions instead. I wouldn't even have to make up all the different combinations, just the ones my players were interested in. That could work.

EDIT: Just realized I misspelled Planescape in the title... what I get for posting in the middle of the night.

My only concern with Eldan's idea is that not all factions have Major bloodlines statted for them. This wouldn't matter at low levels, but it could later on. I suppose I could extrapolate, but it is a point worth considering.

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