Elemental Affinity (NXT)
Posted: February 7th, 2017, 8:13 pm
Elemental Affinity
What is an Elemental Affinity?
The natural universe is made up of what are called 'elements.' These elements, while sounding like something you may find on a periodic table, are the parts that make up the universe as it is perceived by nature and life itself. There are very special cases in which sentient creatures are somehow connected to these elements in a stronger fashion that the rest of the universe; they are actually able to control the element in aspects and ways that may seem impossible to others. These beings are relatively very rare, and even more rare outside of specific groups and species.
Elemental Affinities, as they are called in Dimensional War, are extremely special properties that reside with characters who have reason with them. They are NOT something to be taken lightly, as they are both a great advantage and an even greater hindrance at times. Characters with Elemental Affinities are subject to great supervision by the Game Masters and misuse of them has consequences.
How do Elemental Affinities work on a character sheet?
Element Affinities are Feats taken. If your character has one Element Affinity, it must take up a Feat slot. If there are more than one, each one must take up its own Feat slot. Element Affinities grant people powers with the elements innately and can boost magical abilities or spells that contain the said Elements. They also can be used against bosses with weaknesses to the element you wield.
Each time you want to raise the level of a current Element Affinity you possess, you must pay for it by using another Feat slot. This means if you want to have Fire at 2nd level, you must take up two Feat slots for it. The max you can go is to level 5 in any Element.
Multiple Affinities: It is possible for a character to have more than one elemental affinity; however, regardless of how many affinities a character has, the maximum level of "total affinity" that can be gained is 5; that is, a character can only have affinity levels that are less than or equal to 5.
Example: I want to make a character with Fire and Shadow affinities. The highest level he can have in one of them is 4, but the other must be 1. He can have 2 in one and 3 in the other, but he cannot have Level 5 in either.
Cross Affinities: A person can in theory mix two elements of opposing type. For example, someone can have both fire and water affinity, however, doing so severely limits the power they may obtain from either affinity, limiting them to 1 level in both affinities (Level 1 Fire/Water, but not Level 2). In this case, a person is not considered weak to either element.
__________________________________________________________________________
How are Elements used in the game itself?
Magic Enhancement
When casting magic or using some types of special physical abilities, elements can be assigned to them. These magics can be enhanced by the user's elemental affinity level, but only once that character has been inundated in the element's power at Level 4, when they are also unable to cast magics of the opposite element at all.
Damage reductions for attack with same element (Fire vs. Fire, Dark vs. Dark)
If you are struck by an elemental attack that matches your affinity, take the following (Please note these apply AFTER applying soak):
If you possess an elemental affinity that matches the element of the attack you used, add that affinity level to the enemy's elemental affinity level to determine the bonus level (L2 water affinity vs L3 fire affinity = L5 bonus). If you don't possess that elemental affinity, then just use the enemy's affinity level (L3 bonus in the previous example).
Earth <--> Air
Shadow <--> Light
Force <--> Time
Darkness <--> Holy
Examples
Sydney has Level 2 Shadow Affinity and does 1200 base magical damage.
Akio has Level 2 Light Affinity and does 1000 base magical damage.
Midas has Level 4 Darkness Affinity and does 1500 base magical damage.
Osiris has Level 1 Water Affinity and does 500 base magical damage.
Aaliyah has Level 2 Water Affinity and does 800 base magical damage.
Sydney uses a Level 2 Shadow-based spell vs. Akio. He does 1,600 damage normally, but since Akio has Level 2 Light Affinity as well, Akio takes +2000 damage, so the 1,600 becomes 3,600.
Sydney uses a Level 2 Shadow-based spell vs. Midas. He does 1,600 damage normally, and since Midas does not have Shadow or Light affinity, that number is unchanged.
Osiris uses a Level 3 Water-based spell vs. Aaliyah. He does 1,100 damage normally, but since Aaliyah has Level 2 Water Affinity, she is able to reduce the damage by *0.5, so she takes 550.
Abilities
Elemental Affinities themselves, without any other influence, also bring with them access to elemental powers. These are not powers of grand epic scale, rather they are small to moderate abilities which often require spiritual power by the character to do.
As a character acquires Levels in their specific Affinities, they gain access to more elemental abilities. When a character acquires Level 1, they have access to all Level 1 abilities; when they acquire Level 2, they earn the Level 2 abilities, and so on.
To use an Elemental Affinity ability, consider each Elemental Affinity level to be equal to 2 Skill Levels -- that is, each EA level goes up 1 dice "step", and add a bonus of (Elemental Affinity * 10)
Here's quick reference:
Level 1 - 1s2+10
Level 2 - 1s4+20
Level 3 - 1s6+30
Level 4 - 1s8+40
Level 5 - 1s10+50
When an ability deals or restores damage, the Elemental Affinity level corresponds to 2 spell levels; that is, a Level 2 Affinity ability has a natural damage bonus of +800.
Here's quick reference:
Level 1 - +400
Level 2 - +800
Level 3 - +1,500
Level 4 - +2,500
Level 5 - +4,000
__________________________________________________________________________
So is that it about Elements? That's not so bad.
Slow your roll, chief. That's not all yet.
Please take very special note that at Elemental Affinity Level 4, a character is irreversibly locked into that element. At that point, the character is unable to cast spells of the opposing element (although the powers associated with yours become much more powerful, as well as the fact that you may gain access to powers only accessible to your element). For example, a person with Elemental Affinity: Fire Level 4 will not be able to cast ANY Blizzard, Water, or related spells at all; inversely however, this character will be able to gain access to the ultimate Fire spell, Volcano, while a character without it will otherwise not be able to.
Furthermore, there are several higher power non-elemental spells that are ONLY available to people who do not have an affinity. The choice to take an affinity is a serious choice, and should be taken because it fits the character, NOT because it is a player preference. This will be strictly observed.
So how does this affect my character outside of combat?
Elemental Affinity means that a character is linked to a particular element and can utilize it to a degree or have some control over it. This does NOT mean that the element controls or influences the mentality or emotional state of the character; it is in fact the opposite that is true.
Physical manifestations of an element will occur when a character with it is under severe duress or is considered 'unstable,' and as a result, not controlling it at the time. When this occurs, those who are linked to a specific element take less damage from the presence of that element than a normal person would; however, on the other hand they take more damage from the presence of the opposite element they are linked than would a normal person.
__________________________________________________________________________
Elemental Domains
The four "nature"-based elements -- Fire, Water, Air, and Earth -- are each divided up into 2 domains, or areas in which that element can dominate. When a character chooses one of these Elemental Affinities, they also have the choice of selecting one of the two domains to specialize in OR choose a blending of the two for a "general" domain.
For example, a character who selects Fire as an elemental affinity may choose Flame or Heat as a domain, or simply choose Fire as their domain, which gives them a blending of Flame and Heat Abilities. When a character selects a domain, they are locked into that elemental domain, and cannot select one of the other two even with more purchases of the elemental affinity.
Note that selecting a domain does not change anything about the Affinity aside from the abilities characters are given. Flame and Heat are just as weak to Water, Ice, and Vapor as ever, and a character with Flame domain can still reduce the effects of Heat-based effects.
The other six elements -- Light, Shadow, Force, Time, Darkness, and Holy -- do not have separate Domains.
__________________________________________________________________________
So tell me more about the actual Elements themselves already.
Pushy, pushy. Alright, below is a list of the elements present in the Dimensional War RPG, along with descriptions of them.
Wait! Tony, help! I don't understand what some of this means!!!
Don't worry, champ. Affinity abilities, moreso than most other spells, are designed to grow with the user, which means that a few clever terms were needed to ensure this happened. Here's a quick once-over of some of the common phrases used in the Affinity abilities.
per diem - each day.
Affinity bonus - The character's Elemental Affinity bonus as determined by his/her Elemental Affinity level; +10 per level (+10, +20, +30, +40, +50).
Affinity damage - The character's Elemental Affinity damage as determined by his/her Elemental Affinity level. The Elemental Affinity level corresponds to 2 spell levels; that is, a Level 2 Affinity ability has a spell modifier of +800, and the "magic school" is replaced by (Affinity Level * 2). That means a character's base Elemental Affinity damage is calculated using the following formula:
Spirit * (Elemental Affinity * 2)
Here are a couple examples:
Level 1 Affinity - Spirit * 2
Level 2 Affinity - Spirit * 4
Level 3 Affinity - Spirit * 6
Level 4 Affinity - Spirit * 8
Level 5 Affinity - Spirit * 10
So when you have your base damage, you then add the ability modifier (which is determined by the ability's EA level).
Example:
Aaliyah, with Level 2 Affinity and 300 Spirit, deals 1,200 base EA damage. She uses a Level 2 Ability, which adds +800 to her damage, so she deals 2,000 magical, elemental damage with that particular ability.
+1 Severity/Affinity Level - Status Effects come in "Families", and each "Family" has at least 5 "Severity Levels" to them - Mild, Moderate, Acute, Chronic, and Terminal. So, an ability that does +1 severity/affinity leve of a family of status effects means it inflicts Mild at Level 1, Acute at Level 3, and Terminal at Level 5.
+ or -[penalty]/Affinity level - This means that a spell buffs or removes either a statistic bonus/penalty or a roll bonus/penalty per Affinity level. If a character has a +5/Affinity Level ability, at Level 3 it grants +15, and at Level 5 it grants +25.
(Affinity Level) Areas - This wide-area spell has the ability to extend outwards from the caster up to great distances. Each level in Elemental Affinity extends that range in "Area" units, which are variable units of measurement in DW.
(Affinity Level) rounds - This ability has a lingering duration that grows as the caster's Elemental Affinity level grows.
You should be ready to proceed. Make sure to use this as a reference if you get confused, tho!
__________________________________________________________________________
MP Costs
Level 1: 40
Level 2: 160
Level 3: 360
Level 4: 640
Level 5: 1000
What is an Elemental Affinity?
The natural universe is made up of what are called 'elements.' These elements, while sounding like something you may find on a periodic table, are the parts that make up the universe as it is perceived by nature and life itself. There are very special cases in which sentient creatures are somehow connected to these elements in a stronger fashion that the rest of the universe; they are actually able to control the element in aspects and ways that may seem impossible to others. These beings are relatively very rare, and even more rare outside of specific groups and species.
Elemental Affinities, as they are called in Dimensional War, are extremely special properties that reside with characters who have reason with them. They are NOT something to be taken lightly, as they are both a great advantage and an even greater hindrance at times. Characters with Elemental Affinities are subject to great supervision by the Game Masters and misuse of them has consequences.
How do Elemental Affinities work on a character sheet?
Element Affinities are Feats taken. If your character has one Element Affinity, it must take up a Feat slot. If there are more than one, each one must take up its own Feat slot. Element Affinities grant people powers with the elements innately and can boost magical abilities or spells that contain the said Elements. They also can be used against bosses with weaknesses to the element you wield.
Each time you want to raise the level of a current Element Affinity you possess, you must pay for it by using another Feat slot. This means if you want to have Fire at 2nd level, you must take up two Feat slots for it. The max you can go is to level 5 in any Element.
Multiple Affinities: It is possible for a character to have more than one elemental affinity; however, regardless of how many affinities a character has, the maximum level of "total affinity" that can be gained is 5; that is, a character can only have affinity levels that are less than or equal to 5.
Example: I want to make a character with Fire and Shadow affinities. The highest level he can have in one of them is 4, but the other must be 1. He can have 2 in one and 3 in the other, but he cannot have Level 5 in either.
Cross Affinities: A person can in theory mix two elements of opposing type. For example, someone can have both fire and water affinity, however, doing so severely limits the power they may obtain from either affinity, limiting them to 1 level in both affinities (Level 1 Fire/Water, but not Level 2). In this case, a person is not considered weak to either element.
__________________________________________________________________________
How are Elements used in the game itself?
Magic Enhancement
When casting magic or using some types of special physical abilities, elements can be assigned to them. These magics can be enhanced by the user's elemental affinity level, but only once that character has been inundated in the element's power at Level 4, when they are also unable to cast magics of the opposite element at all.
Damage reductions for attack with same element (Fire vs. Fire, Dark vs. Dark)
If you are struck by an elemental attack that matches your affinity, take the following (Please note these apply AFTER applying soak):
- Level 1 - Damage*0.75
- Level 2 - Damage*0.5
- Level 3 - Damage*0.33
- Level 4 - Damage*0.2
- Level 5 - 0 Damage
If you possess an elemental affinity that matches the element of the attack you used, add that affinity level to the enemy's elemental affinity level to determine the bonus level (L2 water affinity vs L3 fire affinity = L5 bonus). If you don't possess that elemental affinity, then just use the enemy's affinity level (L3 bonus in the previous example).
- Level 1 - Damage+500
- Level 2 - Damage+1000
- Level 3 - Damage+1500
- Level 4 - Damage+2000
- Level 5 - Damage+2500
- Level 6 - Damage+3000
- Level 7 - Damage+3500
- Level 8 - Damage+4000
- Level 9 - Damage+4500
- Level 10 - Damage+5000
Earth <--> Air
Shadow <--> Light
Force <--> Time
Darkness <--> Holy
Examples
Sydney has Level 2 Shadow Affinity and does 1200 base magical damage.
Akio has Level 2 Light Affinity and does 1000 base magical damage.
Midas has Level 4 Darkness Affinity and does 1500 base magical damage.
Osiris has Level 1 Water Affinity and does 500 base magical damage.
Aaliyah has Level 2 Water Affinity and does 800 base magical damage.
Sydney uses a Level 2 Shadow-based spell vs. Akio. He does 1,600 damage normally, but since Akio has Level 2 Light Affinity as well, Akio takes +2000 damage, so the 1,600 becomes 3,600.
Sydney uses a Level 2 Shadow-based spell vs. Midas. He does 1,600 damage normally, and since Midas does not have Shadow or Light affinity, that number is unchanged.
Osiris uses a Level 3 Water-based spell vs. Aaliyah. He does 1,100 damage normally, but since Aaliyah has Level 2 Water Affinity, she is able to reduce the damage by *0.5, so she takes 550.
Abilities
Elemental Affinities themselves, without any other influence, also bring with them access to elemental powers. These are not powers of grand epic scale, rather they are small to moderate abilities which often require spiritual power by the character to do.
As a character acquires Levels in their specific Affinities, they gain access to more elemental abilities. When a character acquires Level 1, they have access to all Level 1 abilities; when they acquire Level 2, they earn the Level 2 abilities, and so on.
To use an Elemental Affinity ability, consider each Elemental Affinity level to be equal to 2 Skill Levels -- that is, each EA level goes up 1 dice "step", and add a bonus of (Elemental Affinity * 10)
Here's quick reference:
Level 1 - 1s2+10
Level 2 - 1s4+20
Level 3 - 1s6+30
Level 4 - 1s8+40
Level 5 - 1s10+50
When an ability deals or restores damage, the Elemental Affinity level corresponds to 2 spell levels; that is, a Level 2 Affinity ability has a natural damage bonus of +800.
Here's quick reference:
Level 1 - +400
Level 2 - +800
Level 3 - +1,500
Level 4 - +2,500
Level 5 - +4,000
__________________________________________________________________________
So is that it about Elements? That's not so bad.
Slow your roll, chief. That's not all yet.
Please take very special note that at Elemental Affinity Level 4, a character is irreversibly locked into that element. At that point, the character is unable to cast spells of the opposing element (although the powers associated with yours become much more powerful, as well as the fact that you may gain access to powers only accessible to your element). For example, a person with Elemental Affinity: Fire Level 4 will not be able to cast ANY Blizzard, Water, or related spells at all; inversely however, this character will be able to gain access to the ultimate Fire spell, Volcano, while a character without it will otherwise not be able to.
Furthermore, there are several higher power non-elemental spells that are ONLY available to people who do not have an affinity. The choice to take an affinity is a serious choice, and should be taken because it fits the character, NOT because it is a player preference. This will be strictly observed.
So how does this affect my character outside of combat?
Elemental Affinity means that a character is linked to a particular element and can utilize it to a degree or have some control over it. This does NOT mean that the element controls or influences the mentality or emotional state of the character; it is in fact the opposite that is true.
Physical manifestations of an element will occur when a character with it is under severe duress or is considered 'unstable,' and as a result, not controlling it at the time. When this occurs, those who are linked to a specific element take less damage from the presence of that element than a normal person would; however, on the other hand they take more damage from the presence of the opposite element they are linked than would a normal person.
__________________________________________________________________________
Elemental Domains
The four "nature"-based elements -- Fire, Water, Air, and Earth -- are each divided up into 2 domains, or areas in which that element can dominate. When a character chooses one of these Elemental Affinities, they also have the choice of selecting one of the two domains to specialize in OR choose a blending of the two for a "general" domain.
For example, a character who selects Fire as an elemental affinity may choose Flame or Heat as a domain, or simply choose Fire as their domain, which gives them a blending of Flame and Heat Abilities. When a character selects a domain, they are locked into that elemental domain, and cannot select one of the other two even with more purchases of the elemental affinity.
Note that selecting a domain does not change anything about the Affinity aside from the abilities characters are given. Flame and Heat are just as weak to Water, Ice, and Vapor as ever, and a character with Flame domain can still reduce the effects of Heat-based effects.
The other six elements -- Light, Shadow, Force, Time, Darkness, and Holy -- do not have separate Domains.
__________________________________________________________________________
So tell me more about the actual Elements themselves already.
Pushy, pushy. Alright, below is a list of the elements present in the Dimensional War RPG, along with descriptions of them.
Wait! Tony, help! I don't understand what some of this means!!!
Don't worry, champ. Affinity abilities, moreso than most other spells, are designed to grow with the user, which means that a few clever terms were needed to ensure this happened. Here's a quick once-over of some of the common phrases used in the Affinity abilities.
per diem - each day.
Affinity bonus - The character's Elemental Affinity bonus as determined by his/her Elemental Affinity level; +10 per level (+10, +20, +30, +40, +50).
Affinity damage - The character's Elemental Affinity damage as determined by his/her Elemental Affinity level. The Elemental Affinity level corresponds to 2 spell levels; that is, a Level 2 Affinity ability has a spell modifier of +800, and the "magic school" is replaced by (Affinity Level * 2). That means a character's base Elemental Affinity damage is calculated using the following formula:
Spirit * (Elemental Affinity * 2)
Here are a couple examples:
Level 1 Affinity - Spirit * 2
Level 2 Affinity - Spirit * 4
Level 3 Affinity - Spirit * 6
Level 4 Affinity - Spirit * 8
Level 5 Affinity - Spirit * 10
So when you have your base damage, you then add the ability modifier (which is determined by the ability's EA level).
Example:
Aaliyah, with Level 2 Affinity and 300 Spirit, deals 1,200 base EA damage. She uses a Level 2 Ability, which adds +800 to her damage, so she deals 2,000 magical, elemental damage with that particular ability.
+1 Severity/Affinity Level - Status Effects come in "Families", and each "Family" has at least 5 "Severity Levels" to them - Mild, Moderate, Acute, Chronic, and Terminal. So, an ability that does +1 severity/affinity leve of a family of status effects means it inflicts Mild at Level 1, Acute at Level 3, and Terminal at Level 5.
+ or -[penalty]/Affinity level - This means that a spell buffs or removes either a statistic bonus/penalty or a roll bonus/penalty per Affinity level. If a character has a +5/Affinity Level ability, at Level 3 it grants +15, and at Level 5 it grants +25.
(Affinity Level) Areas - This wide-area spell has the ability to extend outwards from the caster up to great distances. Each level in Elemental Affinity extends that range in "Area" units, which are variable units of measurement in DW.
(Affinity Level) rounds - This ability has a lingering duration that grows as the caster's Elemental Affinity level grows.
You should be ready to proceed. Make sure to use this as a reference if you get confused, tho!
__________________________________________________________________________
MP Costs
Level 1: 40
Level 2: 160
Level 3: 360
Level 4: 640
Level 5: 1000