ZEITGEIST Paragon Paths in Zeitgeist

[Isklexi]

I was wondering if you guys are planning to make paragon paths (or prestige classes for our pathfinder counterparts) for Zeitgeist?

 

[RangerWickett]

I admit it's not high on my agenda. Pathfinder seems to favor primary-classing, and 4e's online character builder makes custom paragon paths hard to implement. I've already had a hard time getting my 4e players to remember that they have theme powers.

If you can make a strong case for a particular group that needs a mechanical schtick, I'd consider it.

 

[Morrus]

The thing with paragon paths and the like is that there are already so darn many of them, it's hard to make anew, completely unique one which fills its own niche. 99% of one's needs can be covered by existing material.

I was wondering if a sidebar listing especially appropriate paragon paths and how they'd fit in would be useful.

 

[Redbadge]

We have some ideas about which paragon paths we want, but we just aren't particularly excited about them.

I was hoping for a side bar or something similar on how best to expand the existing themes (with which we identify almost as strongly with as class or race and many times moreso) into paragon tier.

The paragon paths for our group might look like:

Martial Scientist --> Renowned Professor
Yerasol War Veteran --> Living Legend
Vekeshi Mystic --> Vekeshi Leader
Gunsmith --> Master Gunsmith
Docker --> Voice of the Masses

For example, the Master Gunsmith entry would talk about how the Gunsmith has taken firearms to an artform. The features might look something like:

L11 Feature: When you use the action from your action point to use your Man with Two Guns is God power, the power is not expended.
L11 Feature: You may use your highest ability score modifier when making ranged basic attacks with firearms. In addition, when an adjacent creature provokes an opportunity attack from you while you are wielding a firearm, you can make a ranged basic attack against the provoking creature as an opportunity action. This attack does not provoke opportunity attacks.
L11 Encounter Power: Rapid Fire (Make 3 ranged basic attacks).
L12 Utility: Battlefield Alterations (Daily, Minor Action) Target: 1 or 2 firearms. Effect: You alter the firing mechanism, firedust, and ammunition of the firearm with alchemical alterations of your own devising. Choose a damage type. The target deals extra damage of this type equal to your highest ability score modifier until the end of the encounter. Until the end of the encounter, whenever the target’s wielder scores a critical hit with the weapon, the target of the attack gains 10 ongoing damage of the damage type you chose (save ends).
L16 Feature: When you use Enchant magic item to create firearms or firearm ammunition, you use 20% fewer Ritual Components.
L20 Daily: Master Modifications: 3[W] + ability score modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: If you used magical firearm ammunition of your level or lower created by you for this attack, all attacks made by the firearm you used this power with gain the properties of the expended ammunition until the end of the encounter.

Edit: I just made up these features from the top of my head (though most of them are based off of real PP features, such as Sharpshooter and Battlefield Engineer). However, now that I really start looking at the Level 16 and 20 features, the more I'm sure that they would really resonate with our party's gunsmith. The level 20 attack, for example, would give him an excuse to make new magical ammunition pretty much every night (since he has to expend bullets he's created to most effectively use his power). If it were cheaper for him to tinker around with making his own ammunition, and if that ammunition were even more synergistic with his other powers and attacks, I'm thinking he'd embrace his theme even more than he already has. The same is pretty much true of all of us, hence why we were asking about PP in the first place.

Thoughts @Morrus or @RangerWickett ?