Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[Yondalor]

Okay, so Arcane Background (Templar) could be something like this:

Arcane Background (Templar)
Requirements: Faith d6, Fighting d8, Healing d4, Knowledge (Occult) D4, Survival d4
Your character is one of the Templars. She gains access to Templar Rewards, and the Healing power, with the following changes: Healing doesn't require power points to use, but can only be used on any particular victim (including the Templar herself) once per day.

That sound any better? I realized I'd completely forgotten about the wild die, which Classic HoE didn't have, so the requirements can be much lower.

[ScooterinAB]

The skill requirements look fine. Although the wild die will buff the character a bit, I recall the skill requirements in Classic being fairly high anyways.

I like that Healing is a part of the edge. Again, pretty accurate to Classic. Are you still looking at edges for Rewards? And how many does the Templar get to start?

Another thought that doesn't seem to have come up yet is the blessed sword. When I was running an NPC Templar (plot reasons), I gave him Trademark Weapon for free. That seemed to cover that issue. What are your guys' thoughts? It's not terribly powerful, but it does mean that the Templar starts with a few more edges than other arcaners. That said, Templars have a lot more to put up with.
_________________
28/12/09 Scooter just bought a Deadlands book... In a Japanese Gaming store... And the clerk knew what it was. Awesome.

[ValhallaGH]

[ScooterinAB]

I disagree. A +1 in classic was still a pretty big deal. I've seen it make the difference between hitting and missing too many times to discount it. Beside. We;re talking about a Templar here. A Classic Templar was hitting his opponents just as often as your example. While I agree that the scale is a tiny bit off, it's really not that different. In converting other material, I've found that the penalties and bonuses listed in Classic are almost the same as those listed in Savage Worlds.
_________________
28/12/09 Scooter just bought a Deadlands book... In a Japanese Gaming store... And the clerk knew what it was. Awesome.

[ValhallaGH]

[Yondalor]

Alright, fellas. Here's some more Templar Rewards:

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Templar Edges

Arcane Background (Templar)
Requirements: Faith d6, Fighting d8, Healing d4, Knowledge (Occult) D4, Survival d4
The character is a Templar. She gains access to Templar Edges, as well as the Healing Power, with the following exceptions: The power doesn't require power points to cast, but can only be used on any particular victim once per day. When the Templar is eligible for a Greater Reward, she can take the Greater Healing power instead. This power is subject to the same exceptions as the Healing power.

Armor of the Saints
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Saints look after their own. Ignore two points of AP when rolling for damage against the Templar.
Greater reward: The Templar becomes Hardy.

Beast Friend
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Wasted West is a fearful place for critters as well as people. Templars with this edge seem to have as comforting an effect on animals as they do on people. The Templar gains +2 on Riding rolls and +2 on Healing and Persuasion rolls when dealing with animals.
Greater Reward: The Templar gains an animal companion as per the Beast Master edge.

Celerity
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
By clearing their thoughts of distractions and excercising their incredible wills, Templars can increase their effectiveness in stressful situations, such as combat. The Templar may discard her action card and draw a new one in its place once per round. Jokers may not be discarded.
Greater Reward: The Templar may draw two action cards per round, acting on both of them.

Command
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
Templars are stern taskmasters. Your templar gains +2 on Intimidation and Persuasion rolls.
Greater reward: Same as in Classic.

Deadeye
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
Deadeye negates one point of range modifiers.
Greater Reward: The Templar gains the ability to pull off trick shots. By using the aim action, she can use her next action to take a bizarre shot. The modifier for this shot is -6, and it's further modified by range and other circumstances. Deadeye negates one point of range modifiers as normal, though.

Deflection
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar), Wild Card
When targeted by an arcane power, the Templar may roll his Faith against the caster's casting roll. If succesful, the power affects the original caster, instead.
Greater Reward: The Templar may deflect any powers cast within her line of sight.

Endurance
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Templar gains +2 on Vigor rolls to resist Fatigue
Greater Reward: The Templar's Vigor raises a die type permanently.

Fury of the Saints
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Templar can use her Wild Dice with her damage rolls.
Greater Reward: The Templar gains an additional die to all her damage rolls with her primary hand weapon.

Gallantry
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Templar gains +1 to her Guts rolls.
Greater Reward: Whenever the Templar has to roll on the Fear Effects table because of a failed Guts roll, she can reroll the Guts roll, but without the bonus granted by Gallantry.

Guardian Angel
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
Reduce all ranged attack rolls against the Templar by 1.
Greater Reward: The Templar can cancel Fate Chips used on attack rolls against herself by using an equal amount of chips.

Guise
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Templar gains +2 on Stealth rolls while trying to blend into crowds or appear indescript.
Greater Reward: The Templar can change her appearance at will, creating an illusion to suit her needs.

Inner Strength
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Templar gains +1 to Strength rolls, including those made to cause damage
Greater Reward: The Templar's Strength raises by die type permanently.

Persuader
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Templar gains +2 on Notice rolls to see if someone is lying
Greater Reward: As in Classic

Magic Resistance
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
The Templar gains +1 on all rolls to resist arcane powers. If the power deals damage, this reward works as one point of armor. Finally, is the power doesn't deal damage but otherwise affects the Templar, the caster suffers a -1 penalty on his casting roll.
Greater Reward: The Templar can automatically redirect any power cast in sight to affect herself instead of its intended target.

Manna
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
Manna allows the Templar to go without eating or drinking for a number of days equal to half her Spirit die type.
Greater Reward: As in Classic

Survivor
Requirements: Arcane Background (Templar)
When the Templar dies, shuffle up the Action Deck and deal one card per point of Grit the Templar has, plus one additional card for this reward. If a red Joker comes up, the hero survives and lives to fight another day. If a black Joker comes up, he's becomes Harrowed as usual.
Greater Reward: When first incapacitated in combat, the Templar can ignore the incapacitation roll by making a Vigor roll with a -6 penalty. At the beginning of her every following turn, she must make another Vigor roll with -6, or immediately roll on the Incapacitation Table. Ignore the hero's wound modifiers for these Vigor rolls.

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So there. Comments are welcome, and I'd like some suggestions on how to rank the edges. Novice, Seasoned etc. I'll write some fluff for them as the crunch is ironed out.

[ValhallaGH]

Commentary! Hopefully helpful. (If I don't comment on it then I didn't see anything notable about it.)

AB: Templar - good but expensive requirements. Between 8 and 12 skill points, but that seems pretty fitting of the devotion it takes to be a true Templar.

Armor of the Saints - Cool ability but provides ZERO protection on it's own, reducing one of the best powers to "meh" status. The Greater Reward is awesome, and this is almost worth picking up just for the chance of that.

Celerity - The Greater Reward is awesome, probably too awesome. It provides two complete action cards per round, and I know of nothing else in Savage Worlds that compares (including the Super Powers Companion).

Deadeye - Reducing 1 point of an uncommon penalty, a penalty that only comes in -2 or -4 intervals? Lame and totally not worth an edge.
The Greater Reward is worse since you have to take the Aim action and then make your "bizarre shot" at a -6 on top of the normal penalties.
"I use my Deadeye greater reward to shoot the Devil Bat in the eye. Huh, I'm at a -15 (-6 eye, -6 GR, -3 range, -2 multi-action, +2 Aim) instead of the -9 I had before I got this Greater Reward. I want to swap edges."
I'd change it to "negate 2 points of Shooting / Throwing penalties", and an "Impossible Shot" at a -4 that ignores cover and deflection, but includes other penalties like range, lighting, and injury.

Deflection - I just need to win!? I don't need a Raise!? Hell Yes! Best. Edge. Ever.

Endurance - Maybe add a +1 to Vigor rolls to Soak wounds? Otherwise it feels a little flat. (Of course, that may be my bias; I've always liked this power.)

Fury of the Saints - Melee only. As is, I get a wild die on my gun damage, which is a bit much.

Guardian Angle - Ranged only? That's a nerf. Might as well take Dodge.
With Improved Dodge, foes are at a -3 to shoot you (effective TN 7), which is really stout.

Inner Strength - Hand-weapon damage isn't a Strength roll in SWEX, it's Strength-based. I'd suggest making it all "Strength-based rolls, including skills and hand-weapon damage". That +1 to Climbing won't break anything.

Magic Resistance - Arcane Resistance is better. Similarly steep requirements, and a +2 instead of +1. Also, no fear of pulling that Greater Reward and becoming a Nuke magnet.

Survivor - +1 on the Harrowed draw, and you might still be alive, for an Edge? Really? Weaksauce. If it was half-Spirit die then it would be good as-written (2 to 6 extra cards, 7 if Legendary) .
The Greater Reward is inferior to the Hard to Kill edge. I'm not sure what to suggest in it's place, but I'll think about it and get back to you.


Excellent start. I hope this has been helpful.

[Yondalor]

Thanks for the advice! Let's see what we've got here...

[ValhallaGH]

[ValhallaGH]

I had an idea for Survivor's greater reward:
When Incapacitated, the Templar must make a Vigor roll as normal, however a success on this roll counts as a raise for determining effects. If he actually gets a raise then he is not Shaken.

Thoughts?
_________________
"Got a problem? I've got the solution: Rocket Launcher."
"Not against a Servitor."
"... We're all gonna die."

[Yondalor]

Sounds good, but I think Endurance is a better fit. It helps the Templar stay in the fight longer, while Survivor is more like a heroic last stand. A flat +1 to Vigor rolls while incapacitated, perhaps? To make it more in line with the other "basic" rewards.

[ValhallaGH]

[Yondalor]

Sorry for not being clear. I was trying to say that if a character succeeds with a raise on the Incapacitation roll, he gets to fight on like nothing's happened. Well, almost like nothing's happened. The problem with this is that the greater reward of Survivor lets you fight on when it's certain you're dead, and then collapse when the fight's over. With your suggestion there's no collapse at the end.

Now, success on the Incapacitation roll means your character is unconscious, just like when he's winded in Classic HoE. If we follow this train of thought, failure and critical failure on the same roll is like getting Maimed on the guts or head in Classic. So if the regular version of Endurance was like the greater reward you suggested, it would be more in line with the Classic version: The Templar gets to fight on when others would fall unconscious. I only suggested the change to +1 because I suspected an automatic raise might be overpowered as a regular reward.

This gives me another idea, though. What if we changed your proposition to work when the templar fails an Incapacitation roll? I'm too tired to work out the specifics right now, but something like changing the failure to a raise on a succesful Vigor roll? Only withouth the Shaken part?

[ValhallaGH]

[chillburn]

For Celerity
Greater Reward - the Templar can ignore the first multi-action penalty each round. So they can do two things at once better, but can't do things twice as often. Not quite the same as the classic version, but more balanced?