Adjusting Maneuverability

[LordFlameStryke]

I'm attempting to port in the Dracha from the Arcana Evolved core book into the Pathfinder setting, but I'm having one small difficulty. I've got everything else working properly, even creating new specials to only add +1 to ability scores (Herolab defaults to +2).

The problem I'm having is that the base race starts with a glide speed of 30', which I've bootstrapped in using the raGlide tag; but as the character takes the Dracha racial class levels it gains full flight at level 2 with clumsy maneuverability, eventually progressing to perfect. I can't figure out a way to replace the raGlide tag with the xFly tag, and adjust the maneuverability. The speed stays the same, at 30' throughout.

I tried creating new class abilities that would be enabled at certain levels and replace the old tag, but it seems you can't set movement speed as a class ability.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[AndrewD2]

OK Based on reading this: http://arcanaevolved.wikia.com/wiki/Dracha

What I would do is create a Dracha Flight class special that bootstraps xFly with the maneuverability set to Clumsy.

You'll bootstrap this ability twice to the class at levels 2 and 3, use xIndex = 1 to set the listname to Flight (Clumsy) and xIndex = 2 to set it to Flight (Average)

Have a script that assigns Helper.SpcDisable and Hide.All tags to raGlide

Have a script that if xCount >= 2 to replace the Maneuverability.Clumsy tag with Maneuverability.Average.

You will also need a bootstrap condition on the bootstrapped fly ability to count:Classes.XXXXXXX where XXXXXXX is the Classes.? tag of the paragon class.

I know I posted this a little vague, but hopefully you can figure it out. Also if you have the Heroes of the Jade Oath or In the Company of Monsters packages from Rite Publishing they have lots of paragon classes to see how some things are handled. I'm the one that wrote them all up so I'll gladly help with further questions.

[LordFlameStryke]

Thanks, I'll see if I can muddle through; I don't have either of those data packages.

My first attempt (which showed me a flaw in the editor) was to create new racial abilities bootstrapping xFly with Clumsy, Average, Good, and the Perfect maneuverability, and had each replace the previous version with the "replaces Thing ID" field, however it replaces the glide and sets the flight maneuverability to Perfect right at the outset, at level 1.

The flaw I found was that until I had added each special ability to the class, the compiler assumed that the special ability didn't exist, and wouldn't compile the game system at all (it defaulted to "safe mode"). I ended up having to delete all of the abilities and add each one individually, test it, add it to the class, test /that/, and then go on to the next one. Which is a pain in the tail.....

[LordFlameStryke]

Well, now something is /really/ screwed up; I'm now getting about a dozen error messages..... I guess I'll have to start over at a later time.....

[Mathias]

Originally Posted by LordFlameStryke

The flaw I found was that until I had added each special ability to the class, the compiler assumed that the special ability didn't exist, and wouldn't compile the game system at all (it defaulted to "safe mode"). I ended up having to delete all of the abilities and add each one individually, test it, add it to the class, test /that/, and then go on to the next one. Which is a pain in the tail.....

In the develop menu, choose "Quick-reload data files" to get a Test Now on everything at once.

[AndrewD2]

Originally Posted by LordFlameStryke

Well, now something is /really/ screwed up; I'm now getting about a dozen error messages..... I guess I'll have to start over at a later time.....

You can right click and copy an error message and then paste it to the forums.

[LordFlameStryke]

@Mathias: that was what I tried that gave me the error of the things not existing, so I had to delete them and try again.

@Andrew, this is the error message I get when trying to add the Dracha class:

Attempt to access non-live linkage pick 'helper' from script
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script '#6') near line 13
- - -
Attempt to access non-live pick via script fails for pick 'cHelpDch'
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script '#6') near line 13
- - -
Attempt to access non-live linkage pick 'helper' from script
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script 'Declare First Level') near line 33
- - -
Attempt to access non-live pick via script fails for pick 'cHelpDch'
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script 'Declare First Level') near line 33
- - -
Attempt to access non-live linkage pick 'helper' from script
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script 'Declare First Level') near line 42
- - -
Attempt to access non-live pick via script fails for pick 'cHelpDch'
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script 'Declare First Level') near line 42
- - -
Attempt to access non-live linkage pick 'helper' from script
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script 'Declare First Level') near line 44
- - -
Attempt to access non-live pick via script fails for pick 'cHelpDch'
Location: 'eval' script for Component 'BaseClLev' (Eval Script 'Declare First Level') near line 44
- - -
Attempt to access non-live linkage pick 'helper' from script
- - -
Attempt to access non-live pick via script fails for pick 'cHelpDch'

When trying to load the race alone, I get:

Attempt to access field 'cTotalLev' that does not exist for thing 'rDracha'
Location: 'field calculate' script for Field 'xTotalLev' near line 132
- - -
Attempt to access field 'cSpcBonLev' that does not exist for thing 'rDracha'
Location: 'field calculate' script for Field 'xTotalLev' near line 132

I only have scripts for the two abilities that add a Strength and Constitution modifier, and none of those os 132 lines long, so I can't see where that's coming from.

The data file is attached if people want to look and see where I broke something.

[Mathias]

You've got an ability called "Clumsy Flight", which is a class special, and it's replacing raGlide, which is a racial ability. So that means, anywhere that it's trying to use the racial ability, what it actually gets is a class ability, and then that class ability can't find the class level of the thing it's attached to, because the thing it's attached to isn't a class - it's a race.

Then there's the weird nesting of your replacements - clumsy is replaced by average, which is replaced by good, which is replaced by perfect. Meaning that once all the replacements are processed, you only have one ability left - perfect, replacing all the others, all the time.

[LordFlameStryke]

You've got an ability called "Clumsy Flight", which is a class special, and it's replacing raGlide, which is a racial ability. So that means, anywhere that it's trying to use the racial ability, what it actually gets is a class ability, and then that class ability can't find the class level of the thing it's attached to, because the thing it's attached to isn't a class - it's a race.

Ok, so that explains why I need to have the new ability added without replacing the other, and just hide all references to glide.

Then there's the weird nesting of your replacements - clumsy is replaced by average, which is replaced by good, which is replaced by perfect. Meaning that once all the replacements are processed, you only have one ability left - perfect, replacing all the others, all the time.

That was my first attempt to replace the abilities. As I had set them to load at a certain level, I had assumed that they would only load at that level, not all at once. I quickly noticed that and that was the basis for my question initially. The error messages I got showed up initially when I tried to what Andrew suggested; before that everything /worked/, just not properly, meaning I was getting the Fly at Perfect maneuverability at level one of the class instead of at level 6.

So, the recommended way would be to add a script that hides (or removes) the raGlide ability and adds the Flight ability, and just adjust the maneuverability based on class level?

[LordFlameStryke]

Ok, I've rebuilt the race and class from scratch, and everything seems to work as intended thus far. The Glide ability doesn't show up in the Special Ability window for the race, although I'm not sure if it actually does.

The Pounce ability I can just create myself, since it's just a text effect and does nothing mechanically. The Bite and Claw attacks, however, I'm not sure where to add. Do I create them as a class special ability? As a weapon?

Also, my code is inefficient, I couldn't figure out how to declare a variable as a text variable to slim it down, but the main thing is that it works!