COCC - Birthsigns

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• []Birthsigns are balanced better; most birthsigns have a passive ability and a lesser power

  []The powers reflect more zodiac-style character traits rather than supernatural feats

  []No more once-a-day bullshit, all powers are "lesser" but have downsides to balance them

  []All vanilla assets preserved; no birthsigns added or taken away

• Restore attribute effects are now more useful

  Overview

  The vanilla Birthsigns are a mixed bag. A couple of them are so powerful that they're amazing in any build, and others are made obsolete relatively early on. Some of them gave some very useful attribute bonuses, others gave you powers you could only make use of once a day. And, while I respect it was a design choice, many of these powers seemed to be outlandishly "superhuman" for what is essentially a horoscope. I've gone over and redesigned each one with this vision in mind, and hopefully each is viable enough without being too universally powerful.

  1. Most birthsigns now have a simple passive ability and a lesser power. I didn't like the disparity between some perks being completely passive and others only giving powers in some form. For the most part, the permanent increases to attributes and spell absorption (looking at you, Atronach) outweighed even some of the better power-based birthsigns. For those, they would need to be pretty damn good powers to be worth taking, which for the most part they weren't. Some powers even get replaced relatively early in the game and become useless at higher levels. I've rectified this by giving a passive ability to all birthsigns (except Serpent) alongside a lesser power with varying costs, all designed to have situational use and be lore-friendly.

  2. Your birthday doesn't mean you can turn completely invisible. This was more a design choice on my part, but I disliked that picking what is essentially the Elder Scrolls version of a zodiac sign could give you crazy powers. I know this is a world with magic and many gods and demons and all that stuff, I just wanted to tone this down a bit, and provide reusable powers that represent great feats that reflect the character and personality of each sign. Some signs, particularly magic birthsigns, are still intrinsically magical in nature, as this is a fantasy world after all.

  3. Goodbye Greater Powers, once-a-day uses are a thing of the past.  Another personal design choice, but mechanically I don't like powers that can only be used once a day. You could easily lose track of when you last used it (and when it'd be ready again)