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Crafting Rods, useable by any class, would allow non-casters access to the wide range of utility spells that make adventuring more exciting.

Anyone who crafts Wands could craft Rods as well by simply buying a blank one anywhere wands are sold.

The cost would drop by half relative to wands, but the charges would drop from 25 to 10.

Making these spells available to every class through potions solves several problems:

-Improved Invisibility in a bottle is a costly but viable alternative to having an ideal party composition.
-Divine Power can let a flimsy mage save themselves, or enhance the damage output of Dex builds against bosses.
-Sludge drinks already exist; this normalizes their presence.
-Death Ward allows crusaders to address a very common threat when facing Undead.

300gp+ is a good starting point.

I would also suggest that, to balance this, 4th circle potions add a significant dose of Seam Sickness.

Ideally, all player-crafted potions should add a degree of seam sickness relative to their GP cost, whether they came from seams/wizards or not; BUT 4th circle potions specifically ought to have a prohibitive cost beyond GP.

I politely disagree that this needs changing.

Firstly,  not all spells need to be as strong as other spells. Secondly, Blindfight.

Thirdly, if II is necessary in PvE, it sounds like PvE needs the rebalancing.

Wah wah wah

Over-reaction and blame

Leaving for a good long while to work on my mental health. Thought I could do both; clearly can't.

Sorry

Here's my thoughts:

-Could Positive Energy Protection be its own custom spell?

-or Could the Divine Immunity be less than 100%?

-or Could NEP itself be turned into ablative damage resistance, like the * Elements spell line?

-I am afraid of 100% divine immunity for turn/level and would run away every time.

[when the unexpected quests lie outside the group's level range]

Hi folks! I was curious if there is an audience for discussion of quest level ranges.

So here's what I understand about quests:
-Quests can be taken once per reset.
-Some of them are static; some move around.
-The level requirements (min and max) vary.
-Rewards, be they XP or loot, vary in scale and scope.

In general, this has a few effects on the quest loop:
-There is a niche for prospecting non-static quests on behalf of other characters.
-There is uncertainty at the outset about what will be encountered.
-The distance between static quests increases the odds of encountering random ones.

In previous chapters, it was easier to plan a route for what is colloquially referred to as the 'quest train'. In the City of Rings, however, the 'quest train' is usually more variable. The variety should make it more rewarding, both in terms of loot and roleplaying. However, I think there are some impediments to achieving the full potential of the scripted quest system as a whole:

First: when the unexpected quests lie outside the group's level range. Typically, this excludes the high-level characters from a quest with a lower maximum level requirement. Apologies to the nameless few who have had to sit outside and type ^{ugh miss me with that noise}. It's awkward out-of-character, and feels bad to exclude for a mechanical detail.

Second: Lower-level characters will join groups high above their level range, not anticipating the spike in difficulty. Example: Quests with deadly traps, close spawns, or ranks of ranged attackers. In many cases, these challenges require subtle metagaming of spawn triggers and cover to avoid the full consequences. New players can end up walking right into these traps.

Third: There is a chance these first two issues might discourage smaller groups from questing at all, due to a gulf in level range/ability.

My personal opinions are thus:
-The randomness of quests is a positive change. It adds replayability that outweighs the time/risk costs.
-Temporary negative levels could be used to allow higher-level characters to support lower-level ones.
-Awareness of the exploitability of spawn triggers going forward can inform more insidious quest design.
-Veterans should be mindful of the experience of players, and slowing down where necessary solves a lot of this.

-

I'd like to know what my fellow players think about these observations. Am I out of touch? Am I on to something? What solutions are available or desirable?

It makes a ton of sense to have cooking/fishing pay off in some mechanical way, but simply replacing or overshadowing the present balance of consumables with a low-risk grindable system is less than ideal.

The solution could be that player-made food can be used to offer buffs to animal companions, familiars, summons, and henchmen. These could be basic stat increases, regen, temporary immunities, or other properties based on how complicated the food was to make. Continuous bonuses should only be equivalent to Magic Fang or Endure Elements. Immunities (like poison, fire, etc.) should last for less than a turn at most, and require advanced cooking with multiple steps.

This could carve out a niche that adds to the player economy without replacing it. Cheaper than potions, but only useful if you also manage NPC allies, which fits the communal theme of cooking.

[Jinx]

Rogue Major Perk:

Jinx

Whether by your own deliberate actions or sheer misfortunate, you always seem to be around when things go wrong. You have developed a sixth sense for trouble, whether or not you can do anything to forestall it.

Perk Bonuses: Gain 'Aura of Menace' player tool that can be toggled; increased chances of Hero spawns in your vicinity; +3 Spot, Listen, Taunt; +2 reflex.

I'd like to see Crimson Brews, Potions of Discipline, and certain other unique potions be made into spells!

I agree with Sem above: animated weapons are cool. As long as they don't outclass animated corpses I love it.

-

Transmutation [Fire]
Level:   Drd 2, Sun 2
Components:   V, S, DF
Casting Time:   1 standard action
Range:   Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target:   Metal equipment of one creature per two levels, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart; or 25 lb. of metal/level, all of which must be within a 30-ft. circle
Duration:   7 rounds
Saving Throw:   Will negates (object)
Spell Resistance:   Yes (object)
Heat metal makes metal extremely warm. Unattended, nonmagical metal gets no saving throw. Magical metal is allowed a saving throw against the spell. An item in a creature's possession uses the creature's saving throw bonus unless its own is higher.

A creature takes fire damage if its equipment is heated. It takes full damage if its armor is affected or if it is holding, touching, wearing, or carrying metal weighing one-fifth of its weight. The creature takes minimum damage (1 point or 2 points; see the table) if it's not wearing metal armor and the metal that it's carrying weighs less than one-fifth of its weight.

1   Warm   None
2   Hot   1d4 points
3-5   Searing   2d4 points
6   Hot   1d4 points
7   Warm   None

On the first round of the spell, the metal becomes warm and uncomfortable to touch but deals no damage. The same effect also occurs on the last round of the spell's duration. During the second (and also the next-to-last) round, intense heat causes pain and damage. In the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, the metal is searing hot, causing more damage, as shown on the table below.

Any cold intense enough to damage the creature negates fire damage from the spell (and vice versa) on a point-for-point basis. If cast underwater, heat metal deals half damage and boils the surrounding water.

I like this immensely!

Tie it to Spellcraft so for every 3 points you can do a higher spell level VFX, whether you can cast it or not.

At 27 Spellcraft you could type /e casts Weird.

It would be cool if Improved Unarmed Strike gave +2 bludgeoning damage when wielding a holdable tool.

It would also be cool as a Bard/Rogue minor perk.

...Oliver Klitch?

Oliver Klitch

I agree.

It should be a vine.

Vines are cool.