Troubled Powers (4e Variant Rule)
Troubled Powers[edit]
Essentially, in a world where power sources are disrupted in their flow and normalcy is gone, even the god's powers can fail when one needs it most. Troubled powers applies specifically to arcane and divine, originally, but it can be expanded to pretty much any power source if plot so needs it. Rather than leave it at flavor, these implications have actual mechanical consequences. The drawback tables below show how the different power sources are affected by this rule.
All the detriments on the table below are simultaneously active. Insufficiency essentially makes at-wills nonexistent. This is to replicate the feel of a world without ample divine or arcane power.
Mitigation lowers the power's efficacy by lowering the range, and backlash has you suffer some damage too.
Whiffle, misdirection, and collateral damage are up to DM-fiat.
Because 4e is a system without a major caster-martial disparity, this rule is largely just for world immersion feel.
| Insufficiency | Some arcane powers that are normally at-will now become encounter powers. Encounter powers are now considered daily powers. |
|---|---|
| Mitigation | Damage from some arcane powers decreases by one dice size, and any range, blast, burst or area is decreased by 1 (to a minimum of 1). |
| Backlash | Using some arcane powers results in damage to yourself. You take damage equal to the level of the arcane power you use. |
| Whiffle | Some arcane powers fail to substantiate into anything when used. |
| Insufficiency | Some divine powers that are normally at-will now become encounter powers. Encounter powers are now considered daily powers. |
|---|---|
| Mitigation | Damage from some divine powers decreases by one dice size, and any range, blast, burst or area is decreased by 1 (to a minimum of 1). |
| Misdirection | Divine powers are sometimes subject to having their targeted creature or area changed on a whim, sometimes even to allies. |
| Collateral Damage | When some divine powers are used, their range may suddenly change, from burst to blast, blast to burst, or single target to either, and vice versa. |
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