It's been a busy month of development for Sabre, and I'm really hoping to leave it sit for six months after this! I had hoped to be working on the Atlas during this time, but Sabre is a demanding beast :) Let's get straight in to this update!
Reverted the Skill Rank system
This was an attempt to make the advancement system more palatable to newer players, who get to see difinitive ranks instead of a wall of skill numbers, but it turns out that it had the opposite effect! So I was able to revert it back to the previous system (pretty sure I got all instances, but there might be a missed item here and there). So, a worthwhile experiment that definitely didn't work :)
Second Profession
I've had people asking for the ability to take more than one profession within the system, and we tried a few variations that were sort of broken, but a couple of weeks ago I finally figured out how to do it, and I'm happy to implement this powerful mechanic into Sabre. You basically choose a 2nd profession during character creation, gain most of that profession's abilities, but your advancement costs are 50% higher. This hasn't been tested yet, but the theory in sound - what could go wrong? :D
Profession overhaul
A number of professions were identified as being either weak or unbalanced, so they've had another pass to improve them:
- Paladin is now a warrior profession with some priest ability, instead of the other way around.
- Dreadnought is much more powerful, able to duel wield two-handed weapons with the full damage bonus you'd get from holding a big weapon with two hands.
- City Watch/Police Officer. I had originally based this one on the Shields skill, because they were about defence in general, but it doesn't work the way I wanted it to. Basically, this is an Investigation oriented profession now, with Streetwise as it's primary skill. I'm really happy with its new abilities!
Dwarf and Escardi improvement
Both of these races were a bit weak, but with the new Hit Point system allowing higher numbers, I've increased this for both races, so they'll have a nice extra chunk of durability in any fight.
Revised 'Impact' trait
There was just too much AP damage in the system, where shields and armour would be shredded within a few rounds of battle. Impact has now been reduced to only happen on a critical hit, greatly reducing the problem and allowing protective devices to last a lot longer in a campaign.
Martial Arts revised
Unarmed combat hasn't been in a good place for a while, with Martial Arts and 'Unarmed' type attacks being a bit murky. Additionally, the damage output hasn't been worth the loss of decent armour, so while it might have been useful for stealth characters, you couldn't play a proper martial arts warrior - until now! The system has been overhauled completely, with more options, less confusion and more power to make up for the lack of armour.
Paid Training Time
It now takes 10 days (80 hours) to learn a new skill, talent, spell or manoeuvre, because it was just too easy to take a couple of weeks downtime in a game and train up like mad, greatly accelerating character levelling beyond what any reasonable GM would agree to. So the time is more than triple before, still allowing the use of money for advancement, but in a more gradual way. The GM can still control this by how much free time is allocated, but it's far easier to grant a couple of weeks between events without the party levelling up so much.
Magic Defence Increase
One of the things we're doing in my campaign is high-level adventure, and it's become obvious that pure spellcasters are weak on defence compared to armour wearing warriors. I've made some adjustments to the defensive spells to improve survivability, especially at higher Threat Levels. They also get access to the 'Iron Will' talent, which works like 'Grit' to allow spellcasters to keep hurling magic when they're below 1 Hit Point and should be unconscious on the ground. Speaking of high level...
Legends
I lament that the Atlas is going to take a lot longer to get done than I'd hoped, not just because I've been overhauling the system, but because our high level campaign is close to capping out the party. Enter the Legends manual! This is going to be a collection of high tier talents, spells, monsters and magic items suitable for truly legendary campaigns. I'm just trying to stay one step ahead of the party, adding new abilities and options before they're ready for them! It won't be a huge manual when it's done, probably just a couple dozen pages (and won't cost much either), but it'll really help cap off the end of any long campaign for Sabre. I've no idea when it'll be ready for release, but it'll be before the Atlas apparently ;)
I still need to update the Encounters manual with templates put onto the new split AP character sheet, but that'll be an ongoing process. It makes it easier to keep track of AP when you've got either Kevlar or plate armour, vs guns or melee.
That's about all for now, I'm going to take a nap for about a week!
v1.10 Premium Fantasy Rulebook
* Reverted the Skill Rank system.
* Adjusted the rarity and quantities on the prospecting table.
* Lowered the damage on Shadow Warrior spell to 1d4, and corrected the language on how it is ordered around (once per turn).
* Items subject to destruction while holding charges from Imbue Divinity no longer explode.
* The Inheritor profession's combat servant adds its damage, AP and HP to the Inheritor's own TL.
* Added spell scrolls to the Magic Services table.
* Fixed the options for the paladin's special ability.
* Revised the 'Duel' talent.
* The paladin loses access to their profession talent abilities if they fall from grace (change philosophy).
* Paladins 'Divine Heritage' talent grants them access to one Divinity Devotion's talents, plus Eclectic.
* Paladin's 'Holy Zeal' talent is now 'Holy Light'.
* Improved the 'Hardy' dwarf trait.
* Improved the 'Massive' and 'Mighty' escardi traits.
* 'Iron Heart' dreadnought talent is now at Artisan rank, also grants immunity to being terrified.
* Replaced 'Indomitable' dreadnought talent with 'Colossus' talent.
* Added the 'Second Profession' talent and removed the Magical Prodigy profession.
* Added 'Iron Will' talent (grit for spellcasters).
* 'Smite' spell can now be cast as a Reaction on your turn.
* 'Planar Guardian' spell now has a duration of Concentration or 1 Hour.
* 'Divine Might' spell correctly lists its duration as 1 minute.
* Escardi 'Massive' trait now grants 2x STR Attribute bonus as extra hit points.
* Undead is now the same value as Grit on the Threat Level table, clarified wording.
* Prospecting for gold now yields a smaller rock worth 100sp instead of 1000sp.
* Revised 'Impact' trait to only work on a critical success.
* Axe 'Cleave Armour' talent is now 'Cleave Shields', deals extra 1d4 AP damage to shields on a critical hit.
* Added a calculation for buying permanently enchanted magical items from stores.
* Changed the Warhorse Command talent to remove the reference to Charge actions (which are no longer a thing).
* The 'Charge' manoevure now says that it can be used while riding a mount.
* The Animal Training skill can now be used to teach a war mount manoeuvres. Revised TL maximums for the skill.
* Animals taught abilities that require Accolades return those Accolades to the trainer when the pet dies.
* Mounts now have a listed Threat Level.
* Removed the 'Trample' warhorse talent.
* Paladin profession revised:
- It is now a warrior profession, with full access to warrior talents.
- It gains Resolve as a resistance skill and loses the ability to choose a free common skill.
- It loses the Divinity skill, but gains the Leadership skill.
- It gains profession talents which grant limited spell ability among other things.
* City Watch profession revised:
- Removed Shields skill from skill list, added Investigation and Navigation (Urban).
- Special abilities have been changed to Enforcer, Beat Cop and Hard-Boiled, with revised bonuses.
- All City Watch talents have been revised, now based on Streetwise skill.
- 'Reciprocating Strike' is now a general shield talent.
* 'Iron Wall' shield talent now requires Expert rank instead of Master.
* Martial Arts revised:
- 'Brawler' talent is now 'Lethal Weapons', increases damage dice for all martial arts weapon types.
- Added two 'stance' manoeuvres: Forward Stance and Balanced Stance.
- Added 'Blookstrike' martial arts manoeuvre.
- Removed 'Martial Warrior' talent.
- Martial Style talent now has 3 options: Dragon Style (weapons), Tiger Style (unarmed), Crane Style (crit range), each granting a specific type of bonus.
- Added 'Flurry' talent.
* Unarmed manoeuvres removed, with 'Flying Tackle' moved to Brawn.
* Duel Wielding talent is no longer restricted by armour type.
* It now takes 10 days (80 hours) to learn a new skill, talent, spell or manoeuvre.
* The 'Renowned Musician' talent is now 'Renowned Performer', allows you to choose the style of performance you gain money from.
* Removed 'Duel' divinity spell (just use taunt!)
* 'Taunt' manouevre can now apply its effect to multiple targets at higher skill rank.
* Magic Defence Increase
- Increased the benefit from magic armour spells such as Spectral Armour.
- Shamanic Spectral Armour spell now correctly lists its duration as 1 hour.
- Shield spells such as Force Barrier now begin at +5 AP, and increase to +20 AP at Master Rank.
* 'Danger Sense' talent now only grants a free Move action.
* 'Backstab' manoueuvre can also be used with the Martial Arts skill.
* The 'Armour Breaker' talent's AP damage is reduced to 2 points.
* The 'Sunder' manoeuvre can now be applied to shields, revised damage output.
* Exotic swords are now correctly listed as having either S or P damage types.
* The Tanto is now a concealed weapon.
* Doubled the bonus from the 'Transcendent' talent.
* Cover from smoke and fog now gives anyone into (or attacking/looking into) the cloud the Blind condition.
* 'Arc Lightning' spell now stipulates at Master rank that tagets cannot be hit more than once.
* Summoning spells now mention that if used more than once in a day, they summon the same creature as previously which has not had a chance to rest.
* Improved the 'Force Bolt' and 'Wand of Force Bolt' spells.
* 'Bone Cruncher' clubs talent has been replaced by 'Forceful Impact'.
* 'Joint Lock' Martial Arts manoevure has been modified.
* Added 'Solid Stance' Brawn manoeuvre.
v1.10 Basic Fantasy Rulebook
* Reverted the Skill Rank system.
* Improved the 'Hardy' dwarf trait.
* Added the 'Second Profession' talent.
* Items subject to destruction while holding charges from Imbue Divinity no longer explode.
* 'Smite' spell can now be cast as a Reaction on your turn.
* 'Planar Guardian' spell now has a duration of Concentration or 1 Hour.
* 'Divine Might' spell correctly lists its duration as 1 minute.
* Undead is now the same value as Grit on the Threat Level table, clarified wording.
* Revised 'Impact' trait to only work on a critical success.
* Axe 'Cleave Armour' talent is now 'Cleave Shields', deals extra 1d4 AP damage to shields on a critical hit.
* Removed mounted warfare talents, as they have been updated to use the Animal Training skill (not present in the basic system).
* The 'Charge' manoevure now says that it can be used while riding a mount.
* Mounts now have a listed Threat Level.
* City Watch profession revised:
- Removed Shields skill from skill list, added Investigation and Navigation (Urban).
- Special abilities have been changed to Enforcer, Beat Cop and Hard-Boiled, with revised bonuses.
- All City Watch talents have been revised, now based on Streetwise skill.
- 'Reciprocating Strike' is now a general shield talent.
* 'Iron Wall' shield talent now requires Expert rank instead of Master.
* Martial Arts revised:
- 'Brawler' talent is now 'Lethal Weapons', increases damage dice for all martial arts weapon types.
- Added two 'stance' manoeuvres: Forward Stance and Balanced Stance.
- Removed 'Martial Warrior' talent, replaced with 'Martial Style'.
- Martial Style talent has 3 options: Dragon Style (weapons), Tiger Style (unarmed), Crane Style (crit range), each granting a specific type of bonus.
- Added 'Flurry' talent.
* Unarmed manoeuvres removed, with 'Flying Tackle' moved to Brawn.
* Duel Wielding talent is no longer restricted by armour type.
* It now takes 10 days (80 hours) to learn a new skill, talent, spell or manoeuvre.
* The 'Renowned Musician' talent is now 'Renowned Performer', allows you to choose the style of performance you gain money from.
* 'Taunt' manouevre can now apply its effect to multiple targets at higher skill rank.
* Magic Defence Increase
- Increased the benefit from magic armour spells such as Arcane Armour.
- Shield spells such as Holy Aegis now begin at +5 AP, and increase to +20 AP at Master Rank.
* 'Danger Sense' talent now only grants a free Move action.
* 'Backstab' manoueuvre can also be used with the Martial Arts skill.
* The 'Armour Breaker' talent's AP damage is reduced to 2 points.
* The 'Sunder' manoeuvre can now be applied to shields, revised damage output.
* The Tanto is now a concealed weapon.
* Doubled the bonus from the 'Transcendent' talent.
* Cover from smoke and fog now gives anyone into (or attacking/looking into) the cloud the Blind condition.
* Improved the 'Force Bolt' spell.
* 'Bone Cruncher' clubs talent has been replaced by 'Forceful Impact'.
* 'Joint Lock' Martial Arts manoevure has been modified.
* Added 'Solid Stance' Brawn manoeuvre.
v1.10 Scifi Core Rulebook
* Increased the ENC of Large and Huge chemical explosives.
* Adjusted the rarity and quantities on the prospecting table.
* The Inheritor profession's combat servant adds its damage, AP and HP to the Inheritor's own TL.
* Added the 'Second Profession' talent and removed the Prodigy profession.
* Prospecting for gold now yields a smaller rock worth 100sp instead of 1000sp.
* Revised 'Impact' trait to only work on a critical success.
* Axe 'Cleave Armour' talent is now 'Cleave Shields', deals extra 1d4 AP damage to shields on a critical hit.
* Changed the Warhorse Command talent to remove the reference to Charge actions (which are no longer a thing).
* The 'Charge' manoevure now says that it can be used while riding a mount.
* The Animal Training skill can now be used to teach a war mount manoeuvres. Revised TL maximums for the skill.
* Animals taught abilities that require Accolades return those Accolades to the trainer when the pet dies.
* Mounts now have a listed Threat Level.
* Removed the 'Trample' warhorse talent.
* Police Officer profession revised:
- Removed Shields skill from skill list, added Investigation and Navigation (Urban).
- Special abilities have been changed to Enforcer, Beat Cop and Hard-Boiled, with revised bonuses.
- All City Watch talents have been revised, now based on Streetwise skill.
- 'Reciprocating Strike' is now a general shield talent.
* 'Iron Wall' shield talent now requires Expert rank instead of Master.
* Martial Arts revised:
- 'Brawler' talent is now 'Lethal Weapons', increases damage dice for all martial arts weapon types.
- Added two 'stance' manoeuvres: Forward Stance and Balanced Stance.
- Added 'Blookstrike' martial arts manoeuvre.
- Removed 'Martial Warrior' talent.
- Martial Style talent now has 3 options: Dragon Style (weapons), Tiger Style (unarmed), Crane Style (crit range), each granting a specific type of bonus.
- Removed Body Throw, it's just a copy of Body Slam from Brawn.
- Added 'Flurry' talent.
* Unarmed manoeuvres removed, with 'Flying Tackle' moved to Brawn.
* Duel Wielding talent is no longer restricted by armour type.
* It now takes 10 days (80 hours) to learn a new skill, talent, spell or manoeuvre.
* The 'Renowned Musician' talent is now 'Renowned Performer', allows you to choose the style of performance you gain money from.
* 'Taunt' manouevre can now apply its effect to multiple targets at higher skill rank.
* 'Danger Sense' talent now only grants a free Move action.
* Exotic swords are now correctly listed as having either S or P damage types.
* The Tanto is now a concealed weapon.
* Doubled the bonus from the 'Transcendent' talent.
* 'Martial Style' talent loses its result bonus, but the damage is increased.
* Cover from smoke and fog now gives anyone into (or attacking/looking into) the cloud the Blind condition.
* 'Bone Cruncher' clubs talent has been replaced by 'Forceful Impact'.
* Added 'Combat Stance' Martial Arts manoevures.
* Added 'Martial Style' Martial Arts talent.
* 'Joint Lock' Martial Arts manoevure has been modified.
* Added 'Body Throw' Martial Arts manoevure.
* Added 'Solid Stance' Brawn manoeuvre.
