A question and a couple of idea inspired by the new EA.
First the question:
I'm not sure if I've understood correctly what's written on page 2:
It is strongly recommended that if you are using Gifts in your game, in any manner, that you do allow or use the Background Options from the core rules.
So, if I want to use Gifts I should also give players the standard Background Options? Seems a little strange to me...
Now my thoughts/impressions:
I've really liked the idea of PPs from various sources. It's a simple idea but I think it could be easly developed, linking each stat to a set of PPs and, in this way, making each stat a "Realm", a source of power usable to activate special abilities (spells, chi-powers, psionics, feats,...).
I know I'm basically describing how Gifts work, but I think that the concept could be expanded to create something new. How? This brings me to my second thought on EA11
The other thing I've liked in EA11 are the Power Sets. When I saw them I thought "cool, they're the equivalent of Spell Lists for Gifts!"
Then I thought "hey, couldn't a similar mechanic be used to make Spell Lists?" This way everyone could develop his own personal spell lists: all you have to do is tying together a certain number of Gifts, each activable spending a certain amount of PPs.
So I came up with this idea:
- Add an option for each Gifts that doesn't require PP to work: this option will reduce by a certain amount the cost of the Gift, but it will make the Gift use PP dependant (the character must spend xPPs to activate it for a certain period of time).
- Add 1 or more Sources to all Gifts: this will show which stats you can use as a source of PPs to activate that Gift (for example: Accelerated Mending sources could be: Co/In/SD, meaning the you can link this Gift to one of those stats). When selecting a Gift you must choose which of the listed stat you'll use as the PPs Source for that Gift (if you want to be able to use more sources you must learn the Gift multiple times).
- Insert the concept of Power List: a Power List is basically like a Power Set (maybe with a slightly reduced DP cost), but it's composed only of "activable" Gifts. All Gifts in a Power List must use the same stat as Source.
- Power Lists would basically replace Spell Lists and Sources would replace Realms.
Obviously the idea is still at an embyonal stage: I haven't taken into consideration some things (skills used for activation of Power Lists, armor restrictions, etc...), plus it's clear that only the Gifts in EA11 cannot replace all the Spell Lists from Spell Law + Companions. Still, I thought that it could be an interesting idea, what do you think? Do you forsee any problem I've missed? Do you think it would be possible to do something like that?
