My responce to players with broken characters is always the same. "I can always copy your build, give it to an npc, buff it up, then throw it back at you".
Anyway, to respond to the points Irfan made.
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INITIATIVE
Hmmmm...I like that idea. It stays true to the spirit of the system (having how much or little you want to do affect your initiative) but reduces the number of dice needed to be rolled. I'd like to hear what the other players have to say (in case using mods insead of dice is more difficult for them).
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TWF
There are already 3rd party feats, a universal martial archetype and spheres of might that allow you to do that. No need for houserules on that front.
We'll cross the bridge of crafting magic weapons prices if and when we get to it.
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Touch attack spells threaten after the act of spellcasting (which is just silly hand flailing and finger waggling when you get down to it). Meaning, you can 5ft step AFTER casting the spell (assuming all enemies that threaten you are also inside your threat range) but not before.
BTW, if you cast a touch spell but don't or can't touch attack someone immediately (meaning you're holding the charge) you can deliver that spell as an attack of opportunity if an enemy provokes an Aoo.
A Magus has a 1 handed casting tradition as opposite to the 2 handed casting tradition of most other classes (see Spheres of Power Casting Traditions boons and drawbacks for more info, it's explained very well). He is litterally casting a spell with 1 hand while simultaneously fighting with the other so he is allowed to 5ft step before, after and inbetween attack/spellcasting (again, provided all enemies that threaten him are also within his threatened area). He can also benefit from Still spell metamagic since doing so would allow him to wield his weapon with both hands and gain that sweet sweet +50% Str mod bonus to melee attack dmg.
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I concur that durability damage should not be something players should be boggled down with, just be aware that it is happening. I'm trying to implement as much as I know about it in real life. We'll see how it goes.
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Guns and gunslingers do exist but only very recently (as a responce to the Klift incident) and only as special ops of the Kwon-Yuu Reagency (unless some guy who only just retired traded and/or trained some guns/people in secret for some reason to spite the government). It's a new technology (one project among many) that has yet to prove itself to be effective, reliable and economically viable to be mass produced (armor and swords are cheap, easy and quick to make and can be repaired ad infinitum with Mend, and arrows litterally grow on trees but guns...).
Speaking of technology, keep in mind this game takes place in the past and the way I see it there's a adversary relationship between magic and technology/science. The more magic the world has the less need for science there is, and right now, in this time period, there's a lot of magic to go around. It's not mundane, but still pretty common. Any technology that you do see is only there as a support for magic, a 20/80 amalgamation. For example, if you see a car then it's probably a box with wheels that's enchanted with magic to move. Guns might not even be black powder based (find out more in-game).
Alchemy, being partially magical, is widespread as the poor man's magic alternative (so yeah, a tindertwig wouldn't be out of place) and peddlers would sell it, but there isn't any real push to develope it (so don't expect to see a lot of "professional/dedicated alchemists"). Irfan might be a one of the few trailblazers in this regard if you take the alchemy sphere.
Wonderous and other magical stuff are not rare, and a +3 or +4 weapon wouldn't the special/reknowned by virtue of its enchantment level alone. Exp can be used as substitute for gold when crafting (it's part of a greater "Training" system I'm hopping to pitch to you guys.
As for boat travel...you know when Luffy and co. sailed to Wano? That.
I'll explain more in the setting topic.
This takes place in the past so you can only have progenitors to the cartographer and doc, not progeny. And speaking of maps, due to the nature of The Exhalted, important people would give their right arm for any recent map of anywhere (especially the Regeancy and a naval path to it).
About govenments, yup, you hit the nail on the head. But the main government (on both sides) is not to be trifled with for they conduct their business with iron gloves with anyone that allows their squabbling to affect the Main Government's bottom line.
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About PoW and Spheres. I'm sure you're aware of my personal lvl milestone
rule guideline, right? It was inspired by the lvl 6 gestalt concept. Basically, a character's level represents his life's experience and achievements, a testament to his ability to face adversity in whatever form and overcome it, how much of a person he is that "acts when the call is given". Great people don't happen in a vaccum after all.
*Level 1 characters are your rookie soldiers, the apprentice mages, the peasants who haven't experienced hardship yet, ect.. (They are very common)
*Lvl 3 are your average soldiers who've never seen anything worse than a bar fight or a chase theough town or a small skirmish, your average mage that just routinely peddles his craft, the older peasant or just one who's faced a harsh winter or 2, seen and lived through a bad harvest ect... (also very common, usually at the rate of 1 for every 10 level 1 character in the world, in peaceful times)
*lvl 6 are veteran soldiers. They're usually higher ranked (though not necessarily) and have survived a campaign. Mages who take magic as more than just an easy ticket/tool through life. A village elder, an especially gifted individual that simply never cultivated his genius or at least a peasant who's seen some real shit and lived to tell the tale and now knows better. (Lvl 6 are uncommon, usually at the rate of 1 for every 10 level 3 character in the world)
*lvl 8 are your local celebrities. Gifted people who are "cut above the rest", a pillar in the society, a stranger that makes evey head in the bar turn around to regard him when he enters. (Lvl 8 are rare, about 1 for every 10 lvl 6 in the world).
*lvl 11 are your national celebrities. The kind of people bards sing about or names are wispered of in dark corners. (Lvl 11 are extremely rare, about 1 for every 10 lvl 8 in the world)
*lvl 16 are living legends and you'd be hard pressed to find any place on the planet that hasn't heard of them.
*lvl 20 are the kind of people you don't believe exist unless you see one. They are children's stories and the exaggirations of bards for the sake of some extra coin or as a hyperbolic symbol to inspire people.
Now why did I post all this and what does it have to do with PoW and Spheres? Well, in my opinion levels shouldn't necessarily reflect ones actual power. Am I to believe that every single one of the king's elite guards is a former dragon slayer? A famous adventurer that chose to retire as a guard??? That a scholar who was part of an epic quest is stronger than a monk that spent his life training in obscurity behind his monastery's walls?
No. That's where PoW, spheres and basically any class/feat combination/specialization comes in. An average lvl 6 guard won't be as strong as a lvl 6 elite guard (who has PoW and/or Spheres) even though they're both lvl 6 (just as one lvl 6 gestalt won't be as strong as a more experienced lvl 6 gestalt that used the extra exp to buy a bunch of extra feats and abilities).
Here are links to spheres of might and power
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alter...ight/combat-spheres/
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alter...ms/spheres-of-might/
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic...r/using-the-spheres/
I also recommend you read the spellcasting traditions, it's a good read.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic...es/spheres-of-power/