Troll Lord Games

This just rubs me the wrong way. I guess I understand it for powerful monsters with magic, but then you come to things that are intricate to them like breath weapon and I don't see it. And when you get to character classes it's laughable. Esp classes like knights and Nobles. I only have it in me to inspire you once per day???

It's the nature of this GAME. You could turn the "number of timers per day" into increments of hours, but that probably won't satisfy you. Perhaps you'll need to rewrite the abilties in question to fit with your idea on how many times your Knight can Inspire, or more precisely, what the ability does now that it is always in effect.

~O

Omote is right. Times per day is just a way to add control and balance. Why can I only attack once per round? Why can't I cast 3 spells on my turn? I mean, it's magic right? There have to be limits and if an ability is of a certain power level, it has to be limited. I like to think that a Knight can be inspiring more frequently, but just not on the level that grants said mechanical effects. Think of it as the kind of rousing speech that a normal man could perhaps only do once in a lifetime. If you're ever done public speaking, you'll know that sometimes you're on and sometimes you're off. As a sales person I can make the same sales pitch 5 times per day but sometimes, for whatever reason, I just really connect and I really nail it. If this happens once per day I consider myself lucky! Knights can inspire, but its only once per day when they really nail it and drive it home so profoundly that its almost magical.

If you wish to increase the number of times per day anything can be used, perhaps consider reducing the effectiveness along with it. For example, an age 12 dragon that can unleash its pent up breath weapon as often as it wants to might not deal double HD (the average) with each release but a measly current HP or lower; a knight that can inspire all the time might give a +1 bonus that randomly targets a different ally each round, or whatever.

I wouldn't waste the effort on it, though.

mbeacom wrote: ... . I like to think that a Knight can be inspiring more frequently, but just not on the level that grants said mechanical effects. Think of it as the kind of rousing speech that a normal man could perhaps only do once in a lifetime. If you're ever done public speaking, you'll know that sometimes you're on and sometimes you're off. As a sales person I can make the same sales pitch 5 times per day but sometimes, for whatever reason, I just really connect and I really nail it. If this happens once per day I consider myself lucky! Knights can inspire, but its only once per day when they really nail it and drive it home so profoundly that its almost magical.

Good point. As a teacher I've had the same thing happen to me. 6 hours of teaching the same info and I have 1 class that gets little out of the class 4 that got a bit, but 1 class that gets it and I seceded in my inspire check so to speak (admittedly some of my students here at TYA won’t get inspired in learning no matter how good my lesson is)

For the knight inspire, I always picture Prince Hennery’s St Chrisper day speech from Shakespeare as the perfect example of the ability. Yes the knight can get the soldiers to go into the breach day after day, but then when needed for one last push, the perfect speech.

If you wish to increase the number of times per day anything can be used, perhaps consider reducing the effectiveness along with it. For example, an age 12 dragon that can unleash its pent up breath weapon as often as it wants to might not deal double HD (the average) with each release but a measly current HP or lower

Serl, I like that idea. maybe to mix it up, the dragon can breathe a puff of fire for as you said "a measly current HP or lower", but it can decide to give a max attack for big damage.

nightstorm wrote:This just rubs me the wrong way. I guess I understand it for powerful monsters with magic, but then you come to things that are intricate to them like breath weapon and I don't see it. And when you get to character classes it's laughable. Esp classes like knights and Nobles. I only have it in me to inspire you once per day???

I do understand where you're coming from, nightstorm. These are cases of game balance, and I know that sometimes this rears its ugly head at the most inopportune of times. But like others have already stated, it comes down to balancing factors. As CK, you're certainly entitled to tweak it to your liking, but keep balance in mind when doing so. mbeacom said exactly what I was thinking when I first read the original post - if nobles and knights were always giving inspiring and rousing rallies, then it wouldn't be as inspiring. There're probably always making profound statements and tossing out bits of wisdom here and there, but they're good for a truly inspirational motivational speech a time or two per day.

I was going to suggest if you make it not times per day, but perhaps, unlimited, that it requires a check to activate, and perhaps it gets cumulative penalties as it goes ... (which is a little circular back to times per day, but still).

Ask yourself this question, "How many times per day can the knight stride onto the battlefield, looking resplendent in his armor, and perhaps give a rousing speech to inspire his companions and men-at-arms..."

"...before that shit starts to get old."

There's a reasonable limit for balance as everyone else has said, but also you can see why this might be the case by imagining what it means to inspire comrades in a fight. Think of William Wallace's Braveheart speech, rallying the undisciplined highlanders to take down the English army. Then think to yourself if such a speech would be effective if William Wallace gave it 2, 3, 4 times per day...

See what I mean?

Inspire: The mere presence of a knight upon the field of battle can alter the mood of armies and change the tide of combat.

Embolden: the knight’s confidence and fearlessness in the face of danger instills courage in their companions and followers.

Demoralize: the knight causes fear and dread in the ranks of foes and enemy forces.

None of that says anything about speeches. Talking is for bards. Knights mere presence is enough to gain advantages.

I require the knight to charge into melee to activate their abilities, and they are only useful against foes in the melee "group" the knight charges into. So it is really only useful against a group of foes bunched together or one large/tougher foe that will be able to last a few rounds. For example if a dozen orcs forms up and attacks the party, if the knight charges aids his allies in fighting that group his bonus applies. If the same group of orcs were spread out hiding behind a trees firing arrows at the party inspire would not work at all since its not really a battle (its a skirmish). I do away with the x times a day and make once per battle. Again not every fight is a battle and the knight has to be able to come to grips with the foe.

It has a great game effect too, knights are always charging headlong into danger, much like the descriptions I have read about the crusades and medieval warfare.

I suspect many of us imagine Embolden to be something like this:

http://youtu.be/ikynTH9oJg8

Whereas both Inspire and Demoralize can be depicted thus:

http://youtu.be/v5e1L5ocXUw

thanks all. I really like what zombiehands and ckdad's links. I like the once per encounter idea.