The relationship between D&D characters and animals is well established in many parts of the game; there are animal companions for druids and rangers, wild shape, handle animal skills, nature summoning spells, and lots more. It all makes sense since there is a long history of this type of relationship existing in fantasy stories and lore. But for some characters it’s not enough to merely be friends with animals and summon them to do their bidding. No, other characters really intend to take it too far and cross some sort of line and maybe become an animal. Kind of? And it is for these characters that the Animal Lord was born! The Animal Lord is similar to other prestige classes in that a character gives up progressing in their previous class, however it differs because it also seems like you get nothing in return for it. Seriously, unless your idea of a new power is a claw attack that does 1d4 damage or the ability to detect horses. And if it is, then this is totally the class for you.
The thing I like most about the Animal Lord is the great degree of variety that you can find in them. There are eight different Animal Lords listed (each one connected to a specific animal type) and the requirements are pretty wide open, so all sorts of builds can get into them. Generally, any sort of warrior type makes the most sense. The majority of Lords will be rangers and barbarians. So really any character can wind up as a Horselord as long as they take Run as a feat. Fifth level is the earliest point of entry.
As I understand it, Animal Lords are essentially animals in their soul but were unfortunately born into some sort of humanoid form. The prestige class is a way for them to get closer to who they feel that they really are. In a way that’s really sad. I feel bad for them, they just want to be accepted by their animal brethren. I feel even worse for them when they begin to acquire the shitty abilities that go with their search for identity. At first level they get the ability to Detect Animals at will, but limited to the type that they are connected to. I guess this is how they make friends in the animal world, especially when coupled with the Animal Bond that they have with the animal type as well (giving them a bonus to handle animal). A 4th level they can Speak with Animals, but only once a day so I don’t think they are going to form any lasting friendships. It just seems so desperate. They need to use magic to make friends. Who would want to adventure with one of these weirdos?
The definitive trait of the class comes at third level and is called Wild Aspect, which is when the Lord actually begins to take on characteristics of their animal type. Specific to each animal type, the abilities are an all around plethora of actual garbage. Now, these are characters that are at a minimum eight level. You know what’s really useless for that character? A claw attack that does 1d4 damage. Its cool to fight like an animal, except that these characters can actually use weapons. Do you think that a cat chooses to use his claws because they are awesome? No, it’s because they can’t hold a sword. If they could they would happily abandon their claws for it. (Maybe there is a Human Lord prestige class available to animals?) The sample character presented in the book is a barbarian/Apelord with the following attacks listed in it’s stat block: +14 melee (1d12+7/x3 with a greataxe) or +13 melee (1d4+5 with a claw). Hmm...which should I attack with?
And these crappy powers aren’t even active all the time! They start off at once a day for a minute a level. I get it, having that claw attack all the time is way too powerful. The wizard would definitely get jealous. Other examples are the Sharklord’s 1d8 bite attack, the Horselord runs faster, and the Snakelord gets a weak poison bite.
Fifth level’s Summon Animal is probably the only ability that is actually good. The Lord can summon some animals to help him out, or maybe to just bullshit and have a conversation for a couple of minutes. There are some decent options like a polar bear or a dire lion.
There is also a bonus feat at sixth level and an attribute increase (+2!) at tenth level, but that’s about it. The bonus feat is predetermined and features such stellar options as Trample for the Horselord. The winner has got to be the Apelord’s Brachiation, one of the weirdest feats in the game. It’s actually pretty cool, but I’m not sure how good it is.
I’ve only seen one actual Animal Lord in play, a strange Cat Lord (read more about his untimely demise here), but I think that’s enough. There just isn’t really anything going on with them. If you really like birds you can still dress up like one and act like one if thats what your character wants to do. The best of the bunch is the Wolflord, which is halfway decent though still subpar. It gets scent and Improved Trip, but that’s not much for the level investment. I think that any character is better off staying with their original class.
Showing posts with label prestige class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prestige class. Show all posts
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Suel Arcanamach prestige class
The world of Dungeons and Dragons certainly has no shortage of character classes that blend magic and melee. The Abjurant Champion, Eldritch Knight, and Spellsword are just a few of the many masters of the martial and magical mixture. However, only one of this archetype is good at jumping, tumbling, and speaking some strange language that is the D&D equivalent of ancient Latin. That’s right, the somewhat odd, but actually really cool Suel Arcanamach. The prestige class has it’s roots in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, where the Suel are some sort of something or other. Honestly, I’m not sure and I don’t think it’s all that relevant. Not because I don’t like the fluff of the character (I actually really like it) but because I usually just don’t really care about the history of fantasy worlds. I like to live in the present of made up worlds. All that being said, the Suel Arcanamach is an interesting class and a real good approach to the fighting spellcaster concept, but an even more interesting approach to prestige classes in general.
See, the unique thing about the class is that they are a spellcasting prestige class that does not need to know how to cast spells to get into the class. It’s probably a waste if your character can already sling spells, actually. The entry requirements for the Arcanamach (I’m making it campaign setting neutral and dropping the Suel) are a decent bunch, but more than anything they take an approach to prestige classes that I rarely see. One of the major problems that I have with a lot of classes is that you just fill some random requirements and then, suddenly, your character begins to develop an entirely new set of abilities. The same is also true of multiclassing into a new base class. Wait, how did my rogue learn to spontaneously cast Grease? But the Arcanamach actually resembles a character that is learning something, that is breaking away from just being a martial character and moving in the direction of acquiring some new skills.
They need a +6 Base Attack, proficiency with at least four martial weapons, four ranks in tumble and jump, and Iron Will. That seems like a somewhat standard, mobile combat build to me. However, they also need (and this is where is gets interesting) Combat Casting, five ranks in concentration and spellcraft, be able to speak Ancient Suloise, and must have read the Grimoire Arcanamacha or studied with someone who knows it really well. Remember, this is not a spellcaster to begin with. You’ve got to take Combat Casting without being able to cast spells! Awesome. Speaking some weird ancient language is sort of a throwaway for flavor, it’s not like it costs a feat, it’s just a language. And since most D&D characters seem to have ability to be tri-lingual or so, it’s not that big of a deal. The spellcraft ranks are a bit tough to swallow for a lot of martial characters, it’s just that very few of them have it as a class skill. And since it will probably be cross class it will also slow down the entry into the class by a level or two.
So what martial class makes the best Arcanamach? The natural assumption is that a character that already has some magic would be the best, something like the Hexblade or Duskblade. The catch is that the Arcanamach does not advance casting the way that most prestige classes do, but rather has it’s own spell list. Therefore, the mediocre casting of the Hex-and Dusk-blades will never get any better. The character that seems to make the most sense, to me, is the Swashbuckler. It has good fighting, doesn’t use heavy armor (which will interfere with the Arcanamach spellcasting), access to some Charisma skills, and also those physical skills that the class needs. The problem is that the Swashbuckler sucks after three levels, so what to fill those other levels before qualifying? This is where the Hexblade comes in.
Swashbuckler 3/Hexblade 3 makes a real good entry into the Arcanamach. For one it can easily meet all of the requirements by 6th level, allowing access to the class at 7th level. But more than that I see this combo making sense. A physical, swashbuckling character adventures for a little while and gets exposed to some of the more magical aspects of the world and begins to develop a taste for magic (i.e. he becomes a Hexblade). Some magical abilities begin to develop but it isn’t until he discovers an ancient tome that teaches him to blend magic and melee that he actually learns the skill himself. And if you wanted to take it one more level in Hexblade you could get a familiar and some first level spells. Not a bad option.
Okay, you’ve finally found a logical way to get your character to be an Arcanamach. After all this, was it worth it? D8 Hit die, medium base attack, two good saves, and 4+ skill points are a nice start. They also receive Charisma based spontaneous casting that advances slightly quicker than a normal progression, which is a good way to make up for the late entry. The spells they get come from the wizard list, but are restricted to Abjuration, Divination, Illusion, and Transmutation. It’s not everything, but there are plenty of awesome options contained within those schools. After a couple of levels your Arcanamach can be casting Shield, True Strike, Protection from Arrows, Blur, Haste, and many others.
They also get a handful of other abilities, none of which are great but all have their uses. Some extended spells, dispelling strikes, and the ability to reduce spell failure in armor.
At the end of the day the Arcanamach lags behind classes like the Abjurant Champion and the Duskblade in terms of power. But it is so much cooler than those, because it actually makes sense as an example of a character growing into a new type of power, which is what prestige classes should be. It’s not overpowered, it lets a character do something that a base class build can’t do, and the requirements mean that you actually need to commit to the build by making some not so great choices. I also really like classes that are self reliant and can actually do the things that they are supposed to do, as opposed to relying on magical items and the party cleric to buff them up. The backstory of the Arcanamach is that they originally started off as bodyguards and assassins, particularly ones that were experts at killing mages. This class seems capable of doing those duties.
See, the unique thing about the class is that they are a spellcasting prestige class that does not need to know how to cast spells to get into the class. It’s probably a waste if your character can already sling spells, actually. The entry requirements for the Arcanamach (I’m making it campaign setting neutral and dropping the Suel) are a decent bunch, but more than anything they take an approach to prestige classes that I rarely see. One of the major problems that I have with a lot of classes is that you just fill some random requirements and then, suddenly, your character begins to develop an entirely new set of abilities. The same is also true of multiclassing into a new base class. Wait, how did my rogue learn to spontaneously cast Grease? But the Arcanamach actually resembles a character that is learning something, that is breaking away from just being a martial character and moving in the direction of acquiring some new skills.
They need a +6 Base Attack, proficiency with at least four martial weapons, four ranks in tumble and jump, and Iron Will. That seems like a somewhat standard, mobile combat build to me. However, they also need (and this is where is gets interesting) Combat Casting, five ranks in concentration and spellcraft, be able to speak Ancient Suloise, and must have read the Grimoire Arcanamacha or studied with someone who knows it really well. Remember, this is not a spellcaster to begin with. You’ve got to take Combat Casting without being able to cast spells! Awesome. Speaking some weird ancient language is sort of a throwaway for flavor, it’s not like it costs a feat, it’s just a language. And since most D&D characters seem to have ability to be tri-lingual or so, it’s not that big of a deal. The spellcraft ranks are a bit tough to swallow for a lot of martial characters, it’s just that very few of them have it as a class skill. And since it will probably be cross class it will also slow down the entry into the class by a level or two.
So what martial class makes the best Arcanamach? The natural assumption is that a character that already has some magic would be the best, something like the Hexblade or Duskblade. The catch is that the Arcanamach does not advance casting the way that most prestige classes do, but rather has it’s own spell list. Therefore, the mediocre casting of the Hex-and Dusk-blades will never get any better. The character that seems to make the most sense, to me, is the Swashbuckler. It has good fighting, doesn’t use heavy armor (which will interfere with the Arcanamach spellcasting), access to some Charisma skills, and also those physical skills that the class needs. The problem is that the Swashbuckler sucks after three levels, so what to fill those other levels before qualifying? This is where the Hexblade comes in.
Swashbuckler 3/Hexblade 3 makes a real good entry into the Arcanamach. For one it can easily meet all of the requirements by 6th level, allowing access to the class at 7th level. But more than that I see this combo making sense. A physical, swashbuckling character adventures for a little while and gets exposed to some of the more magical aspects of the world and begins to develop a taste for magic (i.e. he becomes a Hexblade). Some magical abilities begin to develop but it isn’t until he discovers an ancient tome that teaches him to blend magic and melee that he actually learns the skill himself. And if you wanted to take it one more level in Hexblade you could get a familiar and some first level spells. Not a bad option.
Okay, you’ve finally found a logical way to get your character to be an Arcanamach. After all this, was it worth it? D8 Hit die, medium base attack, two good saves, and 4+ skill points are a nice start. They also receive Charisma based spontaneous casting that advances slightly quicker than a normal progression, which is a good way to make up for the late entry. The spells they get come from the wizard list, but are restricted to Abjuration, Divination, Illusion, and Transmutation. It’s not everything, but there are plenty of awesome options contained within those schools. After a couple of levels your Arcanamach can be casting Shield, True Strike, Protection from Arrows, Blur, Haste, and many others.
They also get a handful of other abilities, none of which are great but all have their uses. Some extended spells, dispelling strikes, and the ability to reduce spell failure in armor.
At the end of the day the Arcanamach lags behind classes like the Abjurant Champion and the Duskblade in terms of power. But it is so much cooler than those, because it actually makes sense as an example of a character growing into a new type of power, which is what prestige classes should be. It’s not overpowered, it lets a character do something that a base class build can’t do, and the requirements mean that you actually need to commit to the build by making some not so great choices. I also really like classes that are self reliant and can actually do the things that they are supposed to do, as opposed to relying on magical items and the party cleric to buff them up. The backstory of the Arcanamach is that they originally started off as bodyguards and assassins, particularly ones that were experts at killing mages. This class seems capable of doing those duties.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Street Fighter prestige class
In the exciting world of medieval fantasy role playing games, players can choose to be such heroic characters as dragon slaying cavaliers, wizards that bend the very fabric of the universe, priests who literally commune with their deities, and common street thugs. Hmmm…the thug does not sound so appealing in comparison to the others, which is the part that has always thrown me off about the Street Fighter prestige class. Not to be confused with Ryu or Zangief, the Street Fighter specializes in nothing in particular. But he is always spoiling for a good fight! Preferably in the street.
I like characters that are not really powerful, that’s not the issue. As long as the whole party is on board with it, it’s fun to be a group of rogues looking to run a criminal cartel. Not every party is striving to seal off extra-dimensional portals to prevent the hordes of the netherworld from overrunning a village of orphans and widows. Some people would rather extort money from those same orphans and widows. What I’m saying is that there is a place for the street fighter, I’m just not sure that they need to be a Street Fighter.
The Street Fighter is essentially a Fighter/Rogue hybrid, with the emphasis being on the martial aspect of the two. D8 hit die, 4 skill points a level, full base attack and a good fortitude save. And it goes for five levels. Nothing special, but not bad either. The requirements are also pretty straightforward and allow for several types of characters. To get into this prestigious class one must have a BAB of +5, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint and five ranks of Bluff, Intimidate, and Knowledge (Local). I think that the best approach to this is some sort of Rogue and Swashbuckler combo. The Swashbuckler has those loaded early levels which make it ideal to switch out of and this class screams out to be lightly armored. I just can’t picture the thug on the corner wearing platemail. It seems a bit out of place. Swashbuckler 3/Rogue 3? That seems to work pretty well.
If the class has a signature ability I suppose that it is Always Ready, because this guys is well, always ready. For mediocre combat I guess, but at least he is ready for it. Always Ready is an initiative bonus (starts at +1, goes up every other level) which certainly works well with any sneak attack, but it’s pretty weak for a key class feature. There aren’t many initiative boosting abilities so it has rarity on it’s side, and combined with a high Dex and Improved Initiative the Street Fighter can get the drop on opponents pretty regularly. At 2nd level they get Streetwise, which is nothing other than one of those feats that gives +2 to two skills. In this case Gather Information and Knowledge (Local). It is what it is.
Stand Tough is one of those class features that sounds real good when you first read it, but then you think about it a little and it gets worse and worse. It’s supposed to make the character a little more resilient and street tough, and it sort of does. But not really. For starters, the name is real lame. When the Street Fighter takes physical damage they can attempt to take half the amount of non-lethal damage by making a fort save against the total damage. So, let’s see. It is usable once a day (twice a day at fourth level) so it’s the sort of thing you want to save for when you really need it. Maybe. At 8th level (around when they first get it) it’s very feasible to be dealt 30 points of damage (actually, that’s on the low end). With a base fort save of, say, +11 that still means you need to roll a 19 or higher. That’s not too good. It’s probably better used for some low damage when it will actually have a better chance of succeeding.
The best thing that this class gets may actually be the +1d6 sneak attack at 4th level. Sneak attack is a great ability, but once in five levels is pretty weak. It does mesh nicely with the required Improved Feint. Uncanny Dodge at 5th level is a nice little reward for sticking it out until the end of the class.
An ability that would work really well for this class is the improvised weapons skills possessed by the Drunken Master prestige class. It's more cool that powerful, so it is certainly not game breaking by any means. And what says street fighter more than swinging a bench as a club or gutting an adversary with a mead bottle? Of course, I never really understood what kind of adventurer doesn't have a weapon, but maybe they ran into one of those awful sunder based builds.
The Street Fighter is not altogether useless, but it falls into the category of something that is easily replicated by a base class. Want to be a tough, street level character? Rogue with a little Fighter works great for that. The full base attack is nice for this character, it certainly makes him a little more lethal than his rogue brethren, but this guy is going to live and die by getting the drop on his adversaries not by out slugging them. I could see some uses as opponents to a party. If they can successfully Stand Tough against a PC they could at least scare them for a moment, unless the non lethal damage knocks them out anyway. Which would be very funny.
I like characters that are not really powerful, that’s not the issue. As long as the whole party is on board with it, it’s fun to be a group of rogues looking to run a criminal cartel. Not every party is striving to seal off extra-dimensional portals to prevent the hordes of the netherworld from overrunning a village of orphans and widows. Some people would rather extort money from those same orphans and widows. What I’m saying is that there is a place for the street fighter, I’m just not sure that they need to be a Street Fighter.
The Street Fighter is essentially a Fighter/Rogue hybrid, with the emphasis being on the martial aspect of the two. D8 hit die, 4 skill points a level, full base attack and a good fortitude save. And it goes for five levels. Nothing special, but not bad either. The requirements are also pretty straightforward and allow for several types of characters. To get into this prestigious class one must have a BAB of +5, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint and five ranks of Bluff, Intimidate, and Knowledge (Local). I think that the best approach to this is some sort of Rogue and Swashbuckler combo. The Swashbuckler has those loaded early levels which make it ideal to switch out of and this class screams out to be lightly armored. I just can’t picture the thug on the corner wearing platemail. It seems a bit out of place. Swashbuckler 3/Rogue 3? That seems to work pretty well.
If the class has a signature ability I suppose that it is Always Ready, because this guys is well, always ready. For mediocre combat I guess, but at least he is ready for it. Always Ready is an initiative bonus (starts at +1, goes up every other level) which certainly works well with any sneak attack, but it’s pretty weak for a key class feature. There aren’t many initiative boosting abilities so it has rarity on it’s side, and combined with a high Dex and Improved Initiative the Street Fighter can get the drop on opponents pretty regularly. At 2nd level they get Streetwise, which is nothing other than one of those feats that gives +2 to two skills. In this case Gather Information and Knowledge (Local). It is what it is.
Stand Tough is one of those class features that sounds real good when you first read it, but then you think about it a little and it gets worse and worse. It’s supposed to make the character a little more resilient and street tough, and it sort of does. But not really. For starters, the name is real lame. When the Street Fighter takes physical damage they can attempt to take half the amount of non-lethal damage by making a fort save against the total damage. So, let’s see. It is usable once a day (twice a day at fourth level) so it’s the sort of thing you want to save for when you really need it. Maybe. At 8th level (around when they first get it) it’s very feasible to be dealt 30 points of damage (actually, that’s on the low end). With a base fort save of, say, +11 that still means you need to roll a 19 or higher. That’s not too good. It’s probably better used for some low damage when it will actually have a better chance of succeeding.
The best thing that this class gets may actually be the +1d6 sneak attack at 4th level. Sneak attack is a great ability, but once in five levels is pretty weak. It does mesh nicely with the required Improved Feint. Uncanny Dodge at 5th level is a nice little reward for sticking it out until the end of the class.
An ability that would work really well for this class is the improvised weapons skills possessed by the Drunken Master prestige class. It's more cool that powerful, so it is certainly not game breaking by any means. And what says street fighter more than swinging a bench as a club or gutting an adversary with a mead bottle? Of course, I never really understood what kind of adventurer doesn't have a weapon, but maybe they ran into one of those awful sunder based builds.
The Street Fighter is not altogether useless, but it falls into the category of something that is easily replicated by a base class. Want to be a tough, street level character? Rogue with a little Fighter works great for that. The full base attack is nice for this character, it certainly makes him a little more lethal than his rogue brethren, but this guy is going to live and die by getting the drop on his adversaries not by out slugging them. I could see some uses as opponents to a party. If they can successfully Stand Tough against a PC they could at least scare them for a moment, unless the non lethal damage knocks them out anyway. Which would be very funny.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Mindbender prestige class
Similar in ability and methods to the Cobra villain of the same name, the Mindbender prestige class puts an emphasis on manipulation of all sorts. It is certainly not the most powerful class out there, but damned if it is not one of the coolest.
Gaining to access and unlocking the secrets of the Mindbender is not all that difficult, especially for a character that has an interest in what they have to offer. Non good alignment is a must, as are four ranks in Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive. It is also required that the prospective Mindbender be able to cast Charm Person and have a caster level of 5th. The obvious choice here appears to be the Beguiler since they actually have the skill points to get what is required, however they actually make pretty poor Mindbenders. Truthfully all full casters do, which we will discuss below in a moment.
I really like this class a lot, but it would require a Mindbender to convince me that the vitals of this class are not among the worst in the game. Ready for this? Poor base attack, two good saves, 2+ skill points, d4 hit points, and spell casting advanced at every other level. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially the spell casting. (This is the best class that there is, trust me.) Powerful class features can certainly make up for this, the problem is that everything that the Mindbender gets is not as good as the Enchantment spells they are missing out on by losing the spell levels. (High levels spells are a waste of your time.)
At 1st level the Mindbender gets telepathy, usable as much as they want. Awesome. Telepathy is a powerful ability (though not over the top) and in the hands of the right player/character can be a lot of fun and really enhance some role playing. Unfortunately the lure of this at 1st level seems to make this class a one level dip for that ability. Which is too bad because there are some good opportunities for the right character at higher levels. The Mindbender has two signature abilities, the first of which comes at 2nd level and is called Push the Weak Mind. It is essentially Suggestion which a longer range and duration that can be communicated telepathically. Now we are getting into some serious Jedi type stuff. (Like I said, it’s a phenomenal class.) That is actually pretty powerful since it has long range and can be sent right into their head it allows the Mindbender to stay hidden and work their manipulations from afar, free from danger. Or from a crowd. Or from right next to the person. 2nd level also brings a skill boost of ½ the Mindbender level to Buff, Intimidate, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive. It’s good to see that they are not relying solely on their magic as their power grows. I know that the bonus is not huge, but Bluff and Diplomacy are two of the very best skills in the game, so who wouldn’t want some free points in them?
The other signature ability is Eternal Charm at 4th level, which is Charm Person with no duration. In a heavy role playing game, or one in which the PC’s return to areas and deal with NPC’s repeatedly this is a cool ability. Knowing that someone in town is always on your side is nice. Especially if it’s a shopkeeper or an informant, someone who can help out. As the levels increase the Mindbender can have more and more people under his influence. (Like you.) The bottom line is that Charm Person is not all that strong though. I sort of think that at this level a good Diplomacy check can probably accomplish the same thing. I do really like the somewhat arrogant and aggressive name of the ability though.
Other abilities come as well. Mindread, some Dominate, increased caster level for enchantments. (What a plethora of incredible powers. I’m impressed.) But ultimately the lost caster levels rule this out for anyone wanting a real powerful character. So, is the Mindbender doomed to be a one level dip or an NPC, or can it fit into the role of a PC? In the game I am currently playing I am a Hexblade, serving as the secondary melee combatant for the group, as well as the primary “face.” I still have a couple of levels to go before I qualify (caster level 5th is a drag) but I am considering (will be) taking a couple of levels of it. The way that I look at it is that the lost caster levels aren’t going to kill me since the Hexblade casting is so crummy to begin with, and by the time I reach 10th I will have pretty respectable combat skills and can afford to lose a little base attack. I really like the telepathy, the skill boost, and all the charms should work well for me once I use the Hexblade curse on unsuspecting villagers. If I was the main melee character or a full caster I’m not sure I would consider it, but it works with the role that my character seems to be taking on in the party.
In conclusion I think that the Mindbender is a tricky class but also (the best prestige class available to anyone. Why would someone play something else? I have no idea.) one that seems like a ton of fun to play. Much like the Green Star Adept and Duskblade synergizing so well, I think that the same can be true of Hexblade and Mindbender. They just sort of blend well together.
Gaining to access and unlocking the secrets of the Mindbender is not all that difficult, especially for a character that has an interest in what they have to offer. Non good alignment is a must, as are four ranks in Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive. It is also required that the prospective Mindbender be able to cast Charm Person and have a caster level of 5th. The obvious choice here appears to be the Beguiler since they actually have the skill points to get what is required, however they actually make pretty poor Mindbenders. Truthfully all full casters do, which we will discuss below in a moment.
I really like this class a lot, but it would require a Mindbender to convince me that the vitals of this class are not among the worst in the game. Ready for this? Poor base attack, two good saves, 2+ skill points, d4 hit points, and spell casting advanced at every other level. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially the spell casting. (This is the best class that there is, trust me.) Powerful class features can certainly make up for this, the problem is that everything that the Mindbender gets is not as good as the Enchantment spells they are missing out on by losing the spell levels. (High levels spells are a waste of your time.)
At 1st level the Mindbender gets telepathy, usable as much as they want. Awesome. Telepathy is a powerful ability (though not over the top) and in the hands of the right player/character can be a lot of fun and really enhance some role playing. Unfortunately the lure of this at 1st level seems to make this class a one level dip for that ability. Which is too bad because there are some good opportunities for the right character at higher levels. The Mindbender has two signature abilities, the first of which comes at 2nd level and is called Push the Weak Mind. It is essentially Suggestion which a longer range and duration that can be communicated telepathically. Now we are getting into some serious Jedi type stuff. (Like I said, it’s a phenomenal class.) That is actually pretty powerful since it has long range and can be sent right into their head it allows the Mindbender to stay hidden and work their manipulations from afar, free from danger. Or from a crowd. Or from right next to the person. 2nd level also brings a skill boost of ½ the Mindbender level to Buff, Intimidate, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive. It’s good to see that they are not relying solely on their magic as their power grows. I know that the bonus is not huge, but Bluff and Diplomacy are two of the very best skills in the game, so who wouldn’t want some free points in them?
The other signature ability is Eternal Charm at 4th level, which is Charm Person with no duration. In a heavy role playing game, or one in which the PC’s return to areas and deal with NPC’s repeatedly this is a cool ability. Knowing that someone in town is always on your side is nice. Especially if it’s a shopkeeper or an informant, someone who can help out. As the levels increase the Mindbender can have more and more people under his influence. (Like you.) The bottom line is that Charm Person is not all that strong though. I sort of think that at this level a good Diplomacy check can probably accomplish the same thing. I do really like the somewhat arrogant and aggressive name of the ability though.
Other abilities come as well. Mindread, some Dominate, increased caster level for enchantments. (What a plethora of incredible powers. I’m impressed.) But ultimately the lost caster levels rule this out for anyone wanting a real powerful character. So, is the Mindbender doomed to be a one level dip or an NPC, or can it fit into the role of a PC? In the game I am currently playing I am a Hexblade, serving as the secondary melee combatant for the group, as well as the primary “face.” I still have a couple of levels to go before I qualify (caster level 5th is a drag) but I am considering (will be) taking a couple of levels of it. The way that I look at it is that the lost caster levels aren’t going to kill me since the Hexblade casting is so crummy to begin with, and by the time I reach 10th I will have pretty respectable combat skills and can afford to lose a little base attack. I really like the telepathy, the skill boost, and all the charms should work well for me once I use the Hexblade curse on unsuspecting villagers. If I was the main melee character or a full caster I’m not sure I would consider it, but it works with the role that my character seems to be taking on in the party.
In conclusion I think that the Mindbender is a tricky class but also (the best prestige class available to anyone. Why would someone play something else? I have no idea.) one that seems like a ton of fun to play. Much like the Green Star Adept and Duskblade synergizing so well, I think that the same can be true of Hexblade and Mindbender. They just sort of blend well together.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Green Star Adept review
I’ve thought for a while about how to say something positive about the Green Star Adept, the much maligned and very bizarre prestige class that slowly transforms the character into some sort of weird green robot like monster. It has awful requirements, an odd assortment of abilities, and really does not do anything all that well. It’s not a full caster, has virtually no skill points, and does not particularly excel at combat. As far as I can tell it’s pretty good defensively, so at least it has that going for it. And it gets to turn green by eating metal.
My biggest issue with the Green Star Adept is that I just think it is really lame. Who would want to be this character? I suppose that if you have played every other type of character it would be an interesting role to get into, but other than that? I just don’t know. Eating metal? I think that it just falls very far from the realm that I view as medieval type fantasy. Then again I also do not understand why anyone would want to be a Warforged either.
The requirements at first seem like standard fare for a caster/melee gish; +4 base attack, Combat Casting, and Arcane caster 1st. Just like the Abjurant Champion! Unfortunately the similarities end there. It also requires 2 ranks of Decipher Script, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering), Knowledge (Geography), and Knowledge (History). Plus, 8 ranks of Knowledge (Arcana). Seriously, this is one knowledgeable character. But to what end I have no idea since the class has nothing to do with any of those skills. Especially Decipher Script. You would think that such a wordly individual would know to not each metal. The tough thing here is finding a class that can get into at a reasonable level. A wizard seems like the best choice, except taking this class as a caster is a horrible waste of time. It’s not as bad as a melee class, but which one? Since it requires arcane casting the options are really Hexblade and Duskblade. Dipping into another class to meet the requirements really seems like going down the wrong path. Duskblade has all those skills as class skills so it probably makes the most sense (we will just pretend that taking this class makes some sense), unless your human Hexblade has a high intelligence. Our earliest entry is looking like Duskblade 5.
The other strange requirement is consuming several ounces worth of Starmetal, a magical metal infused with power and the source of the Green Star Adept’s myriad of mystical abilities. I would hope that any DM running a game with a Green Star Adept would make sure that the metal is obtainable, especially since the character needs to continue to consume Starmetal in order to level up. Though it would be really funny if a character got all the requirements for the class only to find that they existed in a world devoid of Starmetal. Sounds like the basis of a great campaign.
Now that we’ve navigated the treacherous waters of class entry, what happens now that we’re there? In general not too much, but paired with the right class it is much better than I had initially given it credit for. As a class the Duskblade is a front loaded powerhouse with fragility problems. The Green Star Adept matches up pretty well with it, really the only good match that it has. Our green friend has a medium Base Attack, d8 hit die, a good Will Save, increased casting at every other level, and 2+ skill points. It’s like a lot of other classes, nothing special there. It also receives a slew of other abilities that continue to scale upwards as the character grows in power.
The best of them is probably Damage Reduction/Adamantine equal to the class level. That’s pretty solid, no pun intended. For a “glass cannon” style class like the duskblade it becomes even more valuable. At 1st level it also adds it’s entire GSA level to it’s caster level, which is very nice for some of the variable effects that go along with spells. It sort of softens the blow of losing five caster levels in order to turn into a statue.
Star Metal Rigor has the character trading some agility as they slowly transform into a construct. Basically dexterity goes down while both strength and natural armor go up. It caps at 10th level with a total gain of 6 strength and natural armor, and dexterity decreased by 3. Unless you are a ranged character or a rogue that’s a pretty fair trade. It also makes up for the loss of a couple points of base attack.
The other really nice class skill is the fortification which gives immunity to sneak attacks and criticals. It starts at 25% and moves up over the levels. Both sneak attack and criticals can mess a character up in a hurry so it’s a bonus to not have to worry about those all that much, especially since I think that the awkward green man is not going to be hiding from many rogues. They also get something called Unnatural Metabolism which gives a +2 saving throw bonus to a variety of effects. Among these poison and death effects are the best. The bonus increases to a maximum of +6.
Additionally there are also some other perks that they get along the way; a natural slam attack, darkvision, immunity to sleep and drowning, and no longer needing to sleep, eat and breathe. The slam attack is totally worthless but the others have some use in game. But mostly they just add to the whole living statue gimmick that the class has going on.
At 10th level the Green Star Adept receives it’s capstone ability Emerald Perfection. This ability is not just useless, but it has a negative effect on the character. Really, this class should be looked at as a 9 level prestige class. At 10th level the transformation has been complete and the character is now fully a construct. It gets immunity to all of the same effects that tie into Unnatural Metabolism (which is like taking a retroactive dump on that class feature), fortification becomes 100%, immunity to any Fort saves, and no longer ages. That’s an allright set of class features. However an equal amount of horrible things happen as well. They lose their constitution score (and all associated hit points), die immediately if reduced to 0 hit points and can’t be healed by cure spells. No thanks.
The Green Star Adept is not as bad as I initially thought it was, but it is still completely uncool. I could see it as an NPC, maybe some sort of guardian keeping an engineering ancient artifact safe in exchange for a steady diet of Starmetal. Or an obsessed artist looking to create the ultimate artwork…himself! But as a PC? I don’t think I could do it.
My biggest issue with the Green Star Adept is that I just think it is really lame. Who would want to be this character? I suppose that if you have played every other type of character it would be an interesting role to get into, but other than that? I just don’t know. Eating metal? I think that it just falls very far from the realm that I view as medieval type fantasy. Then again I also do not understand why anyone would want to be a Warforged either.
The requirements at first seem like standard fare for a caster/melee gish; +4 base attack, Combat Casting, and Arcane caster 1st. Just like the Abjurant Champion! Unfortunately the similarities end there. It also requires 2 ranks of Decipher Script, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering), Knowledge (Geography), and Knowledge (History). Plus, 8 ranks of Knowledge (Arcana). Seriously, this is one knowledgeable character. But to what end I have no idea since the class has nothing to do with any of those skills. Especially Decipher Script. You would think that such a wordly individual would know to not each metal. The tough thing here is finding a class that can get into at a reasonable level. A wizard seems like the best choice, except taking this class as a caster is a horrible waste of time. It’s not as bad as a melee class, but which one? Since it requires arcane casting the options are really Hexblade and Duskblade. Dipping into another class to meet the requirements really seems like going down the wrong path. Duskblade has all those skills as class skills so it probably makes the most sense (we will just pretend that taking this class makes some sense), unless your human Hexblade has a high intelligence. Our earliest entry is looking like Duskblade 5.
The other strange requirement is consuming several ounces worth of Starmetal, a magical metal infused with power and the source of the Green Star Adept’s myriad of mystical abilities. I would hope that any DM running a game with a Green Star Adept would make sure that the metal is obtainable, especially since the character needs to continue to consume Starmetal in order to level up. Though it would be really funny if a character got all the requirements for the class only to find that they existed in a world devoid of Starmetal. Sounds like the basis of a great campaign.
Now that we’ve navigated the treacherous waters of class entry, what happens now that we’re there? In general not too much, but paired with the right class it is much better than I had initially given it credit for. As a class the Duskblade is a front loaded powerhouse with fragility problems. The Green Star Adept matches up pretty well with it, really the only good match that it has. Our green friend has a medium Base Attack, d8 hit die, a good Will Save, increased casting at every other level, and 2+ skill points. It’s like a lot of other classes, nothing special there. It also receives a slew of other abilities that continue to scale upwards as the character grows in power.
The best of them is probably Damage Reduction/Adamantine equal to the class level. That’s pretty solid, no pun intended. For a “glass cannon” style class like the duskblade it becomes even more valuable. At 1st level it also adds it’s entire GSA level to it’s caster level, which is very nice for some of the variable effects that go along with spells. It sort of softens the blow of losing five caster levels in order to turn into a statue.
Star Metal Rigor has the character trading some agility as they slowly transform into a construct. Basically dexterity goes down while both strength and natural armor go up. It caps at 10th level with a total gain of 6 strength and natural armor, and dexterity decreased by 3. Unless you are a ranged character or a rogue that’s a pretty fair trade. It also makes up for the loss of a couple points of base attack.
The other really nice class skill is the fortification which gives immunity to sneak attacks and criticals. It starts at 25% and moves up over the levels. Both sneak attack and criticals can mess a character up in a hurry so it’s a bonus to not have to worry about those all that much, especially since I think that the awkward green man is not going to be hiding from many rogues. They also get something called Unnatural Metabolism which gives a +2 saving throw bonus to a variety of effects. Among these poison and death effects are the best. The bonus increases to a maximum of +6.
Additionally there are also some other perks that they get along the way; a natural slam attack, darkvision, immunity to sleep and drowning, and no longer needing to sleep, eat and breathe. The slam attack is totally worthless but the others have some use in game. But mostly they just add to the whole living statue gimmick that the class has going on.
At 10th level the Green Star Adept receives it’s capstone ability Emerald Perfection. This ability is not just useless, but it has a negative effect on the character. Really, this class should be looked at as a 9 level prestige class. At 10th level the transformation has been complete and the character is now fully a construct. It gets immunity to all of the same effects that tie into Unnatural Metabolism (which is like taking a retroactive dump on that class feature), fortification becomes 100%, immunity to any Fort saves, and no longer ages. That’s an allright set of class features. However an equal amount of horrible things happen as well. They lose their constitution score (and all associated hit points), die immediately if reduced to 0 hit points and can’t be healed by cure spells. No thanks.
The Green Star Adept is not as bad as I initially thought it was, but it is still completely uncool. I could see it as an NPC, maybe some sort of guardian keeping an engineering ancient artifact safe in exchange for a steady diet of Starmetal. Or an obsessed artist looking to create the ultimate artwork…himself! But as a PC? I don’t think I could do it.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Black Flame Zealot prestige class
There are a whole series of prestige classes that are really nothing other than the marriage of the abilities of two classes. At least in my opinion it seems like the creators went through all the classes and bred them with one another and tried to make some sort of prestige class about them. (How else can you explain something like the Daggerspell Shaper or the Shadowstriker?) A lot of them are very dumb and cumbersome, however one that does sort of interest me is the Blake Flame Zealot, a mixture of Rogue and Cleric that is part of some sort of evil society of assassins that really like kukris and fire. I could get into that. They sit around in abandoned temples, sharpening their curved blades over an open flame and plot the doom of PC’s.
So who does this society attract as devotees? Well, most likely Clerics and Rogues. The requirements are non good alignment, 8 ranks of Hide, Knowledge (Religion) and Move Silently, 2nd level divine spells, +1d6 sneak attack, Iron Will and proficiency with a Kukri. The easiest route seems to be Cleric 3/Rogue 2, though I think it might be worth taking another level of Rogue to get the extra sneak attack at 3rd level. This actually isn’t a bad character as is. Not going to be the star of any party, but enough resources to buff up for a fight and be useful outside of it. I suppose that Druid could also be an option, but since they will probably never get any Wildshape and the companion will stay weak, Cleric is the better choice. And flavor wise Cleric always gets the edge when the occult is involved. I do think that it should have a Profession (something related to fire) as a requirement, but I sort of think that everything should have ranks in Profession as a requirement, or Fire Domain if they are a cleric.
The vitals of the class are about average. D6 hit die, good Reflex and Will saves, medium Base Attack, 4+ skill points. It also advances spellcasting at every other level and sneak attack every third level. It has several class features seen in assassins, such as Poison Use and Death Attack. Both are okay, but nothing to go crazy over. Immunity to Fear (Zealous Heart!) is also nice, but it seems like every other class has that feature.
The signature ability of the Blake Flame Zealot is the supernatural power to make any weapon of their’s (presumably a kukri, you don’t want to anger the cult) burn with a…black flame! The weapon is treated as Flaming (+1d6 damage) and it lasts all day, which is pretty cool. Additionally, once a day for a minute it can be treated as a flaming burst weapon (which actually meshes very nicely with a kukri). The problem with this ability is that it is not available until 6th level. Which is actually more like 11th or 12th level. That is a long time to wait for an ability that is good, but not great.
The other primetime ability is Fateful Stride, which is just a once a day Dimension Door. I sort of have a thing for Dimension Door so I find this to be great. The Black Flame Zealot gets it at 5th level, so about the time that regular casters will be getting it as well. The final ability at 10th level is called Unholy Immolation and is not nearly as awesome as it sounds. All this does is that anyone slain by the zealotry of the black flame can only be brought back by a True Resurrection. If this class did not already scream out to be an NPC, it certainly does now. I mean, do any PC’s worry about foes coming back to life? I’m sure that it happens occasionally, but that is what ghosts are for.
I think that the reason that I like this compared to so many of those other awful hybrid classes is that it has a little bit of personality and makes sense. I can easily envision some rogues getting mixed up in a death cult and performing rituals, practicing unholy rites, etc…The opposite is true as well. Some evil death worshippers need to hone their skullduggery in order to kill the infidels on their list or procure body parts from graveyards. Whatever, it is usable in a campaign. Another aspect that I like in this class (and what I really see as the point of prestige classes) is that it creates a character that is otherwise hard to be. A sneaky cleric is hard to come by. This class is a reason to ditch the heavy armor and the mace and develop some other abilities. And seriously, if a group of these guys Dimension Door in somewhere an start flanking and stabbing they can do some damage in a hurry.
So who does this society attract as devotees? Well, most likely Clerics and Rogues. The requirements are non good alignment, 8 ranks of Hide, Knowledge (Religion) and Move Silently, 2nd level divine spells, +1d6 sneak attack, Iron Will and proficiency with a Kukri. The easiest route seems to be Cleric 3/Rogue 2, though I think it might be worth taking another level of Rogue to get the extra sneak attack at 3rd level. This actually isn’t a bad character as is. Not going to be the star of any party, but enough resources to buff up for a fight and be useful outside of it. I suppose that Druid could also be an option, but since they will probably never get any Wildshape and the companion will stay weak, Cleric is the better choice. And flavor wise Cleric always gets the edge when the occult is involved. I do think that it should have a Profession (something related to fire) as a requirement, but I sort of think that everything should have ranks in Profession as a requirement, or Fire Domain if they are a cleric.
The vitals of the class are about average. D6 hit die, good Reflex and Will saves, medium Base Attack, 4+ skill points. It also advances spellcasting at every other level and sneak attack every third level. It has several class features seen in assassins, such as Poison Use and Death Attack. Both are okay, but nothing to go crazy over. Immunity to Fear (Zealous Heart!) is also nice, but it seems like every other class has that feature.
The signature ability of the Blake Flame Zealot is the supernatural power to make any weapon of their’s (presumably a kukri, you don’t want to anger the cult) burn with a…black flame! The weapon is treated as Flaming (+1d6 damage) and it lasts all day, which is pretty cool. Additionally, once a day for a minute it can be treated as a flaming burst weapon (which actually meshes very nicely with a kukri). The problem with this ability is that it is not available until 6th level. Which is actually more like 11th or 12th level. That is a long time to wait for an ability that is good, but not great.
The other primetime ability is Fateful Stride, which is just a once a day Dimension Door. I sort of have a thing for Dimension Door so I find this to be great. The Black Flame Zealot gets it at 5th level, so about the time that regular casters will be getting it as well. The final ability at 10th level is called Unholy Immolation and is not nearly as awesome as it sounds. All this does is that anyone slain by the zealotry of the black flame can only be brought back by a True Resurrection. If this class did not already scream out to be an NPC, it certainly does now. I mean, do any PC’s worry about foes coming back to life? I’m sure that it happens occasionally, but that is what ghosts are for.
I think that the reason that I like this compared to so many of those other awful hybrid classes is that it has a little bit of personality and makes sense. I can easily envision some rogues getting mixed up in a death cult and performing rituals, practicing unholy rites, etc…The opposite is true as well. Some evil death worshippers need to hone their skullduggery in order to kill the infidels on their list or procure body parts from graveyards. Whatever, it is usable in a campaign. Another aspect that I like in this class (and what I really see as the point of prestige classes) is that it creates a character that is otherwise hard to be. A sneaky cleric is hard to come by. This class is a reason to ditch the heavy armor and the mace and develop some other abilities. And seriously, if a group of these guys Dimension Door in somewhere an start flanking and stabbing they can do some damage in a hurry.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Hospitaler Prestige Class- Like a Paladin...but worse!
One of the aspects of D&D that makes it so appealing to so many people, myself certainly included, is how many options there are available, so many ways to create a character and outfit them with all sorts of gear and abilities. That being said, some are just totally unnecessary. Such as the Hospitaler. One of the problems with a lot of prestige classes is that they don’t do anything new, whatever they bring to the table can easily be recreated in core so I don’t really see the point of them. The Hospitaler is a good example because as far as I can tell it is a Paladin, however one that is a little bit worse. Sounds great, right?
In theory the Hospitaler is some sort of traveling knight who is obligated to provide protection to travelers. In reality it is a paladin who gives up some abilities for a reduction in their normal abilities. So awesome. In order to get into this prestige class a character needs a Base Attack of +5, 5 ranks of ride and handle animal, the Mounted Combat and Ride By Attack feats, an ability to cast 1st level divine spells, and a non chaotic alignment. A 5th level Paladin easily qualifies for all of this, a Ranger could as well but based on some of the abilities the Hospitaler receives it is clearly intended for the Paladin. So the question really is, what does a character gain by giving up future levels of Paladin for this nifty prestige class? Let’s break it down.
Both classes have full base attack, good Fort saves, and 2+ skill points a level. Both also receive the Lay on Hands ability, which stacks if the character already had it, so that too is a wash. Remove disease? Ditto, they both get it. The Paladin has a d10 Hit Die, whereas the Hospitaler inexplicably gets a d8. The Hospitaler also has reduced spellcasting, only getting an increased caster level for 7 of 10 levels. The paladin has slow casting to begin with and this only makes them a poorer user of magic. The other thing that really strikes me as odd is the lack of focus on mounted combat. The only feat requirements for this class are both related to mounted combat, so it seems obvious that this class would give them some advantages there. It sort of does in a very roundabout way (we will get to that in a moment), but what it does not do it make the mount any better. A Paladin’s special mount is actually pretty good but class levels do not stack for the two classes, essentially leaving the mount in a state of stasis as they get no new abilities. Likewise, the smite ability is left behind.
So what does the Hospitaler get? A couple of bonus feats. At 1st, 5th, and 9th level they get an extra feat from the fighter bonus feat list. That’s it. At least with this they can improve on their mounted combat skills with some feats, but there really aren’t that many available. They already have two of them, Spirited Charge and Trample are nice but a normal progression of levels will get them soon enough. A human could have them both by 6th level. The other aspect of the class that deserves mentioning is that a Paladin can take levels of Hospitaler and return to Paladin levels, which I guess counts for something. You can dip in for the free feat and then return to the holy warrior that is the Paladin. It’s nice that you can go back to the Paladin once you realize how poor of an option this prestige class is. The better option would be to have Fighter be the 1st level, and then take Paladin but whatever.
The other great thing about Hospitalers is the Code of Conduct that they have to adhere to. They must swear an oath of poverty, obedience, and defense of those in their care. As if being a Paladin wasn’t enough fun, you now have to be a poor Paladin.
And where are the abilities related to protecting people? I fail to see them. A straight Paladin, or even a Knight, would fill the intended role of this class much better than the Hospitaler does. Some classes are clearly meant to fill pages in a book, rather than a role in a campaign and this is certainly one of them. Thumbs down.
In theory the Hospitaler is some sort of traveling knight who is obligated to provide protection to travelers. In reality it is a paladin who gives up some abilities for a reduction in their normal abilities. So awesome. In order to get into this prestige class a character needs a Base Attack of +5, 5 ranks of ride and handle animal, the Mounted Combat and Ride By Attack feats, an ability to cast 1st level divine spells, and a non chaotic alignment. A 5th level Paladin easily qualifies for all of this, a Ranger could as well but based on some of the abilities the Hospitaler receives it is clearly intended for the Paladin. So the question really is, what does a character gain by giving up future levels of Paladin for this nifty prestige class? Let’s break it down.
Both classes have full base attack, good Fort saves, and 2+ skill points a level. Both also receive the Lay on Hands ability, which stacks if the character already had it, so that too is a wash. Remove disease? Ditto, they both get it. The Paladin has a d10 Hit Die, whereas the Hospitaler inexplicably gets a d8. The Hospitaler also has reduced spellcasting, only getting an increased caster level for 7 of 10 levels. The paladin has slow casting to begin with and this only makes them a poorer user of magic. The other thing that really strikes me as odd is the lack of focus on mounted combat. The only feat requirements for this class are both related to mounted combat, so it seems obvious that this class would give them some advantages there. It sort of does in a very roundabout way (we will get to that in a moment), but what it does not do it make the mount any better. A Paladin’s special mount is actually pretty good but class levels do not stack for the two classes, essentially leaving the mount in a state of stasis as they get no new abilities. Likewise, the smite ability is left behind.
So what does the Hospitaler get? A couple of bonus feats. At 1st, 5th, and 9th level they get an extra feat from the fighter bonus feat list. That’s it. At least with this they can improve on their mounted combat skills with some feats, but there really aren’t that many available. They already have two of them, Spirited Charge and Trample are nice but a normal progression of levels will get them soon enough. A human could have them both by 6th level. The other aspect of the class that deserves mentioning is that a Paladin can take levels of Hospitaler and return to Paladin levels, which I guess counts for something. You can dip in for the free feat and then return to the holy warrior that is the Paladin. It’s nice that you can go back to the Paladin once you realize how poor of an option this prestige class is. The better option would be to have Fighter be the 1st level, and then take Paladin but whatever.
The other great thing about Hospitalers is the Code of Conduct that they have to adhere to. They must swear an oath of poverty, obedience, and defense of those in their care. As if being a Paladin wasn’t enough fun, you now have to be a poor Paladin.
And where are the abilities related to protecting people? I fail to see them. A straight Paladin, or even a Knight, would fill the intended role of this class much better than the Hospitaler does. Some classes are clearly meant to fill pages in a book, rather than a role in a campaign and this is certainly one of them. Thumbs down.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Fochlucan Lyrist prestige class
When I first read about the Fochlucan Lyrist I thought it was about the most powerful prestige class I had seen. I mean really, it has a ton of stuff going for it. But then I looked into it some more and thought that it was actually one of the worst because of the requirements to get into it. Now? I’m not so sure what to think about it. For starters, what is this class? It appears to be some sort of nature bard that is skilled in the social arts. A lot of times I like to look at a class and try to find an example of it from history, literature, film, or whatever. The best comparable I could come up with for the Fochlucan Lyrist is Tom Bombadil. Diplomat, warrior, and all around nature expert. Seems like a pretty good fit, so that is kind of what I have in mind when picturing this class. Bombadil was quite the enigma, so how does this play out as a D&D character. Let’s take a look.
The vitals for the class are the best in all of D&D, I’m pretty certain of this. Two good saves (Will and Reflex), full Base Attack, 6+ skill points a level, and a d6 Hit Die. The Hit Die is really the only non awesome part of that. But it gets better. It also has full advancement of both arcane and divine magic, and advances Bardic Music and Bardic Knowledge. Wow, that is a ton of features for one class. It excels in every aspect of character development and, as a ten level prestige class, there is plenty to go around. The only ability it gets (aside from the above) is Unbound at 1st level, which allows them to look past the druids non metal armor taboo, letting them where light metal armor with no spell failure. So what’s the downside?
The requirements for the Lyrist are very demanding, but they are actually a good set of skills to have. There are just a lot of them. Unlike some other classes that essentially have some requirements that are a throwaway to just get into the class, all of the prerequisites for the Lyrist are worthwhile, just very spread out and require multiple sources. To enter into the esteemed Fochlucan College a character must be able to cast 1st level arcane and divine spells, have bardic knowledge, evasion, a neutral alignment (but not LN), seven ranks of Decipher Script (that may be the only clunker), Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge (Nature), and Sleight of Hand, 13 ranks of Perform (Stringed), and speak Druidic. That is a ton of stuff and, while individually all good, they don’t happen to synergize all that well as far as source is concerned. So what are we looking at here? At least one level of bard and druid, plus two levels of rogue for evasion (though I suppose you could also take nine levels of ranger, though that seems weird). However, since the Perform needs 13 ranks a character can’t get into the class until their 11th level, so that leaves six levels to play around with. This character is sort of rooted in a well rounded concept, so I think that spreading it around may be the best option. My favorite would be Rogue 3/Bard 4/Druid 3 before entering. In the end that would wind up with a +17 Base Attack, 5th level Bard spells, 7th level Druid spells, and a ton of skill points. That’s a nice character who probably has a trick for all situations, though it lacks a real niche that lets it dominate situations.
The other big issue with the Lyrist is what to do with your attributes? Charisma and Wisdom probably get the two highest for the spell casting and the skill bonuses, though I see why someone would want to emphasize Dexterity as well. This character seems like they should be brilliant because of all their abilities, so Intelligence seems like it should be high as well. But from a mechanical standpoint it is not nearly as important because of all the skill points it has to play with. As with all characters Con would be great to have, especially due to the poor hit die. Strength would probably wind up on the bottom, though some buff spells are readily available to the Lyrist. If your DM lets you trade out the Druid’s companion it’s probably a good option, since it’s not going to get real powerful. If you’re stuck with it Natural Bond is probably a good feat. Anything that can capitalize on a high Wis or Cha is also a good choice.
Ultimately I think that this class is really fun because it has so many options, there are very few things that it can’t do. However, in a high powered game it will be probably be outclassed by the full casters and the hardcore melee builds. The smaller the party the more useful this class is though, since it can fill so many roles. The Lyrist makes a good healer, scout, party face, support combatant, and buffer of allies. In a heavy role play game it will frequently find itself as a focal point. It also seems to not be a great choice for a game that begins at low levels because of how spread out the abilities are and how long it takes to qualify for the class. Not sure how fun it is to have all of your skills be spread out and casting 2nd level spells when your allies are casting 5th. As an NPC or a villain it also has real issues, so much of it’s strengths are related to depth and having a ton of options, things that don’t necessarily add up to a great challenge for the PC’s. I like this class for a couple of reasons and feel that it brings a bunch to the table. I also think that the requirements for entry do a good job of balancing the power of the class; it can’t get to 9th level casting, suffers in Base Attack a bit, and has hit points on the low end.
The vitals for the class are the best in all of D&D, I’m pretty certain of this. Two good saves (Will and Reflex), full Base Attack, 6+ skill points a level, and a d6 Hit Die. The Hit Die is really the only non awesome part of that. But it gets better. It also has full advancement of both arcane and divine magic, and advances Bardic Music and Bardic Knowledge. Wow, that is a ton of features for one class. It excels in every aspect of character development and, as a ten level prestige class, there is plenty to go around. The only ability it gets (aside from the above) is Unbound at 1st level, which allows them to look past the druids non metal armor taboo, letting them where light metal armor with no spell failure. So what’s the downside?
The requirements for the Lyrist are very demanding, but they are actually a good set of skills to have. There are just a lot of them. Unlike some other classes that essentially have some requirements that are a throwaway to just get into the class, all of the prerequisites for the Lyrist are worthwhile, just very spread out and require multiple sources. To enter into the esteemed Fochlucan College a character must be able to cast 1st level arcane and divine spells, have bardic knowledge, evasion, a neutral alignment (but not LN), seven ranks of Decipher Script (that may be the only clunker), Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge (Nature), and Sleight of Hand, 13 ranks of Perform (Stringed), and speak Druidic. That is a ton of stuff and, while individually all good, they don’t happen to synergize all that well as far as source is concerned. So what are we looking at here? At least one level of bard and druid, plus two levels of rogue for evasion (though I suppose you could also take nine levels of ranger, though that seems weird). However, since the Perform needs 13 ranks a character can’t get into the class until their 11th level, so that leaves six levels to play around with. This character is sort of rooted in a well rounded concept, so I think that spreading it around may be the best option. My favorite would be Rogue 3/Bard 4/Druid 3 before entering. In the end that would wind up with a +17 Base Attack, 5th level Bard spells, 7th level Druid spells, and a ton of skill points. That’s a nice character who probably has a trick for all situations, though it lacks a real niche that lets it dominate situations.
The other big issue with the Lyrist is what to do with your attributes? Charisma and Wisdom probably get the two highest for the spell casting and the skill bonuses, though I see why someone would want to emphasize Dexterity as well. This character seems like they should be brilliant because of all their abilities, so Intelligence seems like it should be high as well. But from a mechanical standpoint it is not nearly as important because of all the skill points it has to play with. As with all characters Con would be great to have, especially due to the poor hit die. Strength would probably wind up on the bottom, though some buff spells are readily available to the Lyrist. If your DM lets you trade out the Druid’s companion it’s probably a good option, since it’s not going to get real powerful. If you’re stuck with it Natural Bond is probably a good feat. Anything that can capitalize on a high Wis or Cha is also a good choice.
Ultimately I think that this class is really fun because it has so many options, there are very few things that it can’t do. However, in a high powered game it will be probably be outclassed by the full casters and the hardcore melee builds. The smaller the party the more useful this class is though, since it can fill so many roles. The Lyrist makes a good healer, scout, party face, support combatant, and buffer of allies. In a heavy role play game it will frequently find itself as a focal point. It also seems to not be a great choice for a game that begins at low levels because of how spread out the abilities are and how long it takes to qualify for the class. Not sure how fun it is to have all of your skills be spread out and casting 2nd level spells when your allies are casting 5th. As an NPC or a villain it also has real issues, so much of it’s strengths are related to depth and having a ton of options, things that don’t necessarily add up to a great challenge for the PC’s. I like this class for a couple of reasons and feel that it brings a bunch to the table. I also think that the requirements for entry do a good job of balancing the power of the class; it can’t get to 9th level casting, suffers in Base Attack a bit, and has hit points on the low end.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Invisible Blade
When I first saw the Invisible Blade listed in Complete Warrior I assumed that it was some sort of assassin class focused on sneaking and using blades. Well, we know what happens when one assumes. What I instead found was a bizarre punching dagger wielding character who is supposed to be a gladiator, or at least the master of one on one combat. What I did not find was a character who can turn invisible. Or even turn his blade invisible. It’s really a misleading name.
Invisible Blades are drawn from the ranks of rogues or fighter/rogues, though I actually think that a ninja is the best fit for the class (and they can actually turn invisible!). The requirements are 8 ranks of Bluff, 6 ranks of Sense Motive, Far Shot, Point Blank Shot, and Weapon Focus with a dagger, kukri, or punching dagger. And they also have to defeat a worthy opponent in one on one combat using daggers, or the other weapon options. Aside from the Weapon Focus (Punching Dagger) the requirements are not awful, though Far Shot strikes me as an odd one for this character. Rogue 6 (or human Rogue 5) is probably the most common way to get into it.
The basics for the Invisible Blade are a somewhat subpar offering; d6 Hit Die, Full Base Attack, one good save (Reflex), and 4+ skill points a level. Compared to the fighter they have less HD and 2 more skill point. Compared to the rogue they have 4 less skill points and a better base attack. Honestly, that is one of the weaker arrangements in the game, so at least they must have excellent class abilities to make up for that array. Right? Not so much. At least not until the fifth level of this five level class.
At first level and every other after that the Invisible Blade progresses it’s sneak attack. More sneak attack is always a good thing, even if it is restricted to daggers, kukris, and punching daggers. I assume the character is pretty committed to that arsenal by this point so the restriction isn’t that much of a handicap. They also get one of the most useless abilities around; unfettered defense. At first it seems okay. Add your Int bonus to your AC (to a maximum of the Invisible Blade class level). However, it only works if the character is unarmored. Yeah, no armor at all. This is one of the reasons why I think a ninja is better suited to this class. The Blade was most likely a rogue before coming into the class so there is no reason why they would not be wearing at least leather armor. Let’s do the math and see what needs to happen for unfettered defense to be worth anything. Plain old leather armor has an AC bonus of +2, which means there is no reason to give it up unless something better comes along (especially since it has no armor check penalty). So this character would have to have an Intelligence of at least 16 and be third level as a Blade to take advantage of this. Doesn’t really seem worth it. Any sort of magical armor only makes it worse. I suppose that it would work with Bracers of AC so it at least has that going for it.
Bleeding wound is the focal point of the 2nd level Invisible Blade. By sacrificing 1d6 of sneak attack on a hit the Blade can use their blade to create a wound that bleeds, doing an additional 1 point each round until a heal check or a cure spell. It’s alright if you expect combat to go for a while, but otherwise the sneak attack may be the better option. Coupled with Far Shot and Point Blank it seems as if the Blade should really be used in close ranged combat. It could actually be effective throwing daggers, moving around, and letting the enemy bleed out. If combat goes ten rounds or more then this might be the class for you.
At third level they receive what is essentially Improved Feint, allowing them to feint as a move action rather than a standard. This is a good ability for this type of character, allowing them to sneak attack when not flanking. At least they feel a little bit like a one on one combatant with this one. I do not understand why they call this ability uncanny feint and not just give them the Improved Feint feat, but whatever. When fourth level is reached the Blade can now take ten on a feinting attempt. And at fifth level they finally get a really good class skill, the ability to feint as a free action. I’m not sure that it is worth taking five levels of a below average class to get to, but they can mess up some enemies with that. I also feel that two weapon fighting is probably something that this class should have, especially if they really want to take advantage of all that sneak attack dice.
In the end I think that the Invisible Blade falls pretty flat as a class. There is really nothing that this class can do that a fighter/rogue can’t do, it doesn’t need it’s own prestige class. And seriously, what is up with the name? There is nothing invisible about this joker. If you really wanted to make a build with it I could see some sort of rogue/invisible blade/assassin as a sneak attacking machine, but other than that what is the point of it.
Invisible Blades are drawn from the ranks of rogues or fighter/rogues, though I actually think that a ninja is the best fit for the class (and they can actually turn invisible!). The requirements are 8 ranks of Bluff, 6 ranks of Sense Motive, Far Shot, Point Blank Shot, and Weapon Focus with a dagger, kukri, or punching dagger. And they also have to defeat a worthy opponent in one on one combat using daggers, or the other weapon options. Aside from the Weapon Focus (Punching Dagger) the requirements are not awful, though Far Shot strikes me as an odd one for this character. Rogue 6 (or human Rogue 5) is probably the most common way to get into it.
The basics for the Invisible Blade are a somewhat subpar offering; d6 Hit Die, Full Base Attack, one good save (Reflex), and 4+ skill points a level. Compared to the fighter they have less HD and 2 more skill point. Compared to the rogue they have 4 less skill points and a better base attack. Honestly, that is one of the weaker arrangements in the game, so at least they must have excellent class abilities to make up for that array. Right? Not so much. At least not until the fifth level of this five level class.
At first level and every other after that the Invisible Blade progresses it’s sneak attack. More sneak attack is always a good thing, even if it is restricted to daggers, kukris, and punching daggers. I assume the character is pretty committed to that arsenal by this point so the restriction isn’t that much of a handicap. They also get one of the most useless abilities around; unfettered defense. At first it seems okay. Add your Int bonus to your AC (to a maximum of the Invisible Blade class level). However, it only works if the character is unarmored. Yeah, no armor at all. This is one of the reasons why I think a ninja is better suited to this class. The Blade was most likely a rogue before coming into the class so there is no reason why they would not be wearing at least leather armor. Let’s do the math and see what needs to happen for unfettered defense to be worth anything. Plain old leather armor has an AC bonus of +2, which means there is no reason to give it up unless something better comes along (especially since it has no armor check penalty). So this character would have to have an Intelligence of at least 16 and be third level as a Blade to take advantage of this. Doesn’t really seem worth it. Any sort of magical armor only makes it worse. I suppose that it would work with Bracers of AC so it at least has that going for it.
Bleeding wound is the focal point of the 2nd level Invisible Blade. By sacrificing 1d6 of sneak attack on a hit the Blade can use their blade to create a wound that bleeds, doing an additional 1 point each round until a heal check or a cure spell. It’s alright if you expect combat to go for a while, but otherwise the sneak attack may be the better option. Coupled with Far Shot and Point Blank it seems as if the Blade should really be used in close ranged combat. It could actually be effective throwing daggers, moving around, and letting the enemy bleed out. If combat goes ten rounds or more then this might be the class for you.
At third level they receive what is essentially Improved Feint, allowing them to feint as a move action rather than a standard. This is a good ability for this type of character, allowing them to sneak attack when not flanking. At least they feel a little bit like a one on one combatant with this one. I do not understand why they call this ability uncanny feint and not just give them the Improved Feint feat, but whatever. When fourth level is reached the Blade can now take ten on a feinting attempt. And at fifth level they finally get a really good class skill, the ability to feint as a free action. I’m not sure that it is worth taking five levels of a below average class to get to, but they can mess up some enemies with that. I also feel that two weapon fighting is probably something that this class should have, especially if they really want to take advantage of all that sneak attack dice.
In the end I think that the Invisible Blade falls pretty flat as a class. There is really nothing that this class can do that a fighter/rogue can’t do, it doesn’t need it’s own prestige class. And seriously, what is up with the name? There is nothing invisible about this joker. If you really wanted to make a build with it I could see some sort of rogue/invisible blade/assassin as a sneak attacking machine, but other than that what is the point of it.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Fatespinner prestige class
What an awesome concept; a wizard who harnesses his natural arcane talent to manipulate the forces of fate and luck. Of course I speak of the Fatespinner prestige class from Complete Arcane. Obviously. Unfortunately the actual mechanical execution of the class seems a bit on the weak side, sure it has some luck based powers but I’m not sure it’s enough to warrant an entire prestige class around it. The requirements for entry are pretty simple. Ability to cast 4th level spells (including at least one divination spell), 10 ranks of Knowledge (Arcana), and five ranks of Profession (Gambler). I love the gambler requirement. Seriously, I do. The class vitals are standard wizard; poor BAB, good Will, d4 HD, and 2+ skill points. Spell level advances at all levels except 5th.
The Fatespinner is only a five level class so I wouldn’t expect it to be loaded with goodies. And it is not. In fact, it’s a bit underwhelming. At first level they get what amounts to their signature ability Spin Fate. A Fatespinner has a number of “spin” points equal to their fatespinner class level. So at most they have five points of spin. Spin allows them to raise the DC of a spell by the number of spin points spent. Really? That’s it? A third level Fatespinner can increase a DC from 15 to 18! It’s a wonder that they haven’t taken over the world yet with that ability. At 2nd level they receive Fickle Finger of Fate which, as a free action, allows them to make any other creature reroll any roll they just made. This is usable once a day and it never improves. A 1st level Cleric with the Luck Domain has a similar power but it only affects the cleric. The Fatespinner is probably level 9 by now.
Spin Destiny comes into play at 3rd level. Identical to Spin fate but can also be used to alter skill, attack, or saving throw rolls. Unfortunately the spin points come from the same limited pool, severely placing limitations on the use of this ability. A Fatespinner automatically succeeds on a roll to become stable when placed into negative hitpoints at 4th level, this mighty ability is called Deny Fate. The capstone ability at 5th level is Seal Fate, appropriate because any PC foolish enough to go 5 levels in this class has sealed their fate as a mediocre character. Once a day as a free action the Spinner can grant a -10 or +10 on a targets next save. However, it does not work on any creature with more HD than the fatespinner, meaning that it will never be useful in a really tough battle. I see how it could work well with Spin Fate. Jack up the DC of a spell, Seal Fate, and watch the creature fail. But it that really necessary for something weaker than the character? And the fact that no new spells are gained at 5th level is sort of weird. It’s like the folks over at Wizards are trying to talk you out of this class. I don’t get it.
I do think that the idea is very cool, but the class is sort of lame. I would rather see more random effects or more rerolls. Increasing the DC of a spell doesn’t seem all that fate related. And honestly any wizard casting Fox’s Cunning on himself before a fight has already done more for himself than the Fatespinner, especially since it will last the entire battle.
The Fatespinner is only a five level class so I wouldn’t expect it to be loaded with goodies. And it is not. In fact, it’s a bit underwhelming. At first level they get what amounts to their signature ability Spin Fate. A Fatespinner has a number of “spin” points equal to their fatespinner class level. So at most they have five points of spin. Spin allows them to raise the DC of a spell by the number of spin points spent. Really? That’s it? A third level Fatespinner can increase a DC from 15 to 18! It’s a wonder that they haven’t taken over the world yet with that ability. At 2nd level they receive Fickle Finger of Fate which, as a free action, allows them to make any other creature reroll any roll they just made. This is usable once a day and it never improves. A 1st level Cleric with the Luck Domain has a similar power but it only affects the cleric. The Fatespinner is probably level 9 by now.
Spin Destiny comes into play at 3rd level. Identical to Spin fate but can also be used to alter skill, attack, or saving throw rolls. Unfortunately the spin points come from the same limited pool, severely placing limitations on the use of this ability. A Fatespinner automatically succeeds on a roll to become stable when placed into negative hitpoints at 4th level, this mighty ability is called Deny Fate. The capstone ability at 5th level is Seal Fate, appropriate because any PC foolish enough to go 5 levels in this class has sealed their fate as a mediocre character. Once a day as a free action the Spinner can grant a -10 or +10 on a targets next save. However, it does not work on any creature with more HD than the fatespinner, meaning that it will never be useful in a really tough battle. I see how it could work well with Spin Fate. Jack up the DC of a spell, Seal Fate, and watch the creature fail. But it that really necessary for something weaker than the character? And the fact that no new spells are gained at 5th level is sort of weird. It’s like the folks over at Wizards are trying to talk you out of this class. I don’t get it.
I do think that the idea is very cool, but the class is sort of lame. I would rather see more random effects or more rerolls. Increasing the DC of a spell doesn’t seem all that fate related. And honestly any wizard casting Fox’s Cunning on himself before a fight has already done more for himself than the Fatespinner, especially since it will last the entire battle.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Abjurant Champion
A while back one of the player’s in our campaign was looking to make a character that was primarily a martial type, but could augment their fighting with some magical ability. She ultimately wound up settling on a Elven Hexblade (which turned out to be an awful choice), but looking back I think what she was sort of describing as wanting was the Abjurant Champion. The Abjurant Champion has to be one of the most powerful prestige classes in the game, it’s almost stupid how good it is. Not only does it have obscene amounts of power, but also really has no downside. It’s supposed to be a fighting type who has some magic to help out, but it really has so much more going for it. It’s the kind of character that, unless everyone else in the game also makes high powered characters, will completely outshine the rest of the party.
So why is this class so good? For starters it is extremely easy to get into. All it takes is a Base Attack of +5, 1st level of Arcane spells, Combat Casting, and proficiency with one martial weapon. The weapon proficiency is a throw away, one level of a whole bunch of classes will get that. Combat Casting is exactly the feat that this character should have, of course a character that casts spells in combat would have it. The base attack means that this character is going to be a semi accomplished warrior by the time they enter the class, it’s really the only thing that even remotely balances the class by delaying how long it takes to get into it. Many other prestige classes use bizarre requirements to get into them (like the Frenzied Berserker or Fochluchan Lyrist) in order to balance them out a bit. No such tactic with the Abjurant Champion. My personal favorite entrance is a Ranger 4/Wizard 2, but really a whole bunch of options can work. One of the few things that limits the class is that it only runs for five levels, so at some point the character will have to switch to a non Abjurant Champion class.
Once the character walks through the entrance door into the class they are literally showered with abilities, some of which are the better ones in the game. Full base attack and full spell casting progression are enough to carry most classes and are certainly the focal point of the Champion. In addition they get a d10 hit die and a good Will save. (By comparision the Eldritch Knight is much harder to get into, also has a full base attack, loses a level of spell casting, and has a d6 for hit die.) The abjurant armor ability helps shore up the biggest kink in the (non)armor of the class and it increases as they get better. Extended abjuration makes it even better.
Swift abjuration is totally out of control. Champions get it at 3rd level and it allows them to Quicken any abjuration at no additional level cost. Wow. One of the things about this ability that is really strange is that the maximum level spell that can be quickened is half the class level rounded up. Nothing in D&D is rounded up, numbers are always rounded down. It’s like they were rewriting the rules to make this class even better. As for the actual ability itself; quickened Dispel Magic during combat is pretty awesome. The low level abjuration spells as a whole are not the best options for quickened combat spells, but it is a real nice feature. And I’m sure that the non core books offer a bunch of nice spells for this ability. To balance the class a little bit it would make more sense if the class granted abjuration and one or two other schools, instead of all of them. Transformation would work great for this. How can a character find time to excel at fighting, spellcasting, and other handy tricks? Perhaps an Intelligence minimum to get into the class? 18? A really corny feat like Brachiation? Something?
It’s not so much that the class is just sheer power manifested into a D&D character, it’s that it is so much better than the characters that came before it that are supposed to do similar things. Though it makes a hell of an opponent.
So why is this class so good? For starters it is extremely easy to get into. All it takes is a Base Attack of +5, 1st level of Arcane spells, Combat Casting, and proficiency with one martial weapon. The weapon proficiency is a throw away, one level of a whole bunch of classes will get that. Combat Casting is exactly the feat that this character should have, of course a character that casts spells in combat would have it. The base attack means that this character is going to be a semi accomplished warrior by the time they enter the class, it’s really the only thing that even remotely balances the class by delaying how long it takes to get into it. Many other prestige classes use bizarre requirements to get into them (like the Frenzied Berserker or Fochluchan Lyrist) in order to balance them out a bit. No such tactic with the Abjurant Champion. My personal favorite entrance is a Ranger 4/Wizard 2, but really a whole bunch of options can work. One of the few things that limits the class is that it only runs for five levels, so at some point the character will have to switch to a non Abjurant Champion class.
Once the character walks through the entrance door into the class they are literally showered with abilities, some of which are the better ones in the game. Full base attack and full spell casting progression are enough to carry most classes and are certainly the focal point of the Champion. In addition they get a d10 hit die and a good Will save. (By comparision the Eldritch Knight is much harder to get into, also has a full base attack, loses a level of spell casting, and has a d6 for hit die.) The abjurant armor ability helps shore up the biggest kink in the (non)armor of the class and it increases as they get better. Extended abjuration makes it even better.
Swift abjuration is totally out of control. Champions get it at 3rd level and it allows them to Quicken any abjuration at no additional level cost. Wow. One of the things about this ability that is really strange is that the maximum level spell that can be quickened is half the class level rounded up. Nothing in D&D is rounded up, numbers are always rounded down. It’s like they were rewriting the rules to make this class even better. As for the actual ability itself; quickened Dispel Magic during combat is pretty awesome. The low level abjuration spells as a whole are not the best options for quickened combat spells, but it is a real nice feature. And I’m sure that the non core books offer a bunch of nice spells for this ability. To balance the class a little bit it would make more sense if the class granted abjuration and one or two other schools, instead of all of them. Transformation would work great for this. How can a character find time to excel at fighting, spellcasting, and other handy tricks? Perhaps an Intelligence minimum to get into the class? 18? A really corny feat like Brachiation? Something?
It’s not so much that the class is just sheer power manifested into a D&D character, it’s that it is so much better than the characters that came before it that are supposed to do similar things. Though it makes a hell of an opponent.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Dread Pirate prestige class
All of the talk of piracy in the news these days, as well lots of games of Pirates Cove, has led me to including some pirates in the current D&D campaign. The PC’s were recently attacked by some pirates, who naturally needed some sort sea faring, swash buckling Captain. So I took a look at the Dread Pirate prestige class in Complete Adventurer and I found it to be a very cool, well balanced class. Since so much of it is suited for sea travel it probably is not the most versatile class for a PC, but it works great for an NPC as it equally balances skills and both combat and non combat abilities. Of course, in any sort of nautical themed campaign this would work great for a PC.
The requirements are pretty straightforward and offer a couple of options for getting in; +4 Base Attack, non-lawful, 8 ranks of Appraise and Profession (Sailor), 4 ranks of Swim and Use Rope, Quick Draw, Weapon Finesse, and ownership of a boat worth 10,000gp. The ideal class for this would be the Swashbuckler if the character plans on mixing it up in melee a bunch, but a Bard also works great due to the synergy of Inspire Courage and the Dread Pirate’s Rally the Crew. Some Rogue is also a great fit. I love that a wide variety of pirating types can be produced with the class.
Once the requirements are met the class offers full Base Attack, good Reflex, d8 Hit die, and 6 skill points. That’s a decent offering. Seamanship is a nice 1st level ability that will continue to improve, but Two Weapon Fighting is even better. A Rogue or Swashbuckler can take real advantage of two weapon benefits, they just need to resist the temptation to take it before going into the class. At 2nd level the Pirate is given a choice between being an honorable or dishonorable Pirate, the decision effects whether they receive a bonus to Diplomacy or Intimidate, and other abilities at higher levels.
The honorable or dishonorable feature of the class is a neat mechanic and I’m glad it was included. It’s just another step in giving the class options and something to differentiate one pirate or another. I just don’t see how it meshes with the alignment restriction for the class. The description makes a point to show how this class could also used for an honorable type of seafarer (the example given is a pirate who honors flags of truce) as well as the ruthless marauder and profiteer. So my question is, why limit the alignment? Honoring flags of truce seems very lawful. Perhaps lawful evil in the case of a pirate, but lawful nonetheless. As a DM I would gladly look past the alignment issue.
At 3rd level the dishonorable pirate receives 1d6 Sneak Attack, while his honorable brethren gets the Rally the Crew ability. Rally the Crew is a free action that gives +1 to attack, damage, and saves versus fear to all the Pirates allies. It also lasts for minutes per level and continues even if the Pirate is unconscious, and the range is any ally who can hear it. That’s not good enough? It also stacks with the Bard’s Inspire Courage. Excellent ability all around. At 7th level the bonus becomes +2, and the sneak attack goes up by another 1d6. Advantage honorable Pirate.
At 5th level Luck of the Wind and Scourge of the Seas are given to the honorable and dishonorable pirates, respectively. Luck of the Wind allows a 1/day reroll on most failed rolls, while Scourge of the Seas allows Intimidate to affect all within 30 feet. Both of these are pretty good, but nothing game breaking. The final pair comes at 9th level with Fight to the Death and Motivate the Scum. Fight to the Death grants the allies of an honorable Pirate temporary hit points (10+Pirates Cha modifier), the Diehard feat, and a bonus to AC equal to the Pirates Cha modifier. For a Bard based Dread Pirate this can be extremely powerful. Since we are looking at a character that is probably going to be around 15th level it’s not unreasonable to think that the Cha bonus may be as high as +6. That’s a huge AC bonus and the hit points are pretty nice too. If a dishonorable Pirate kills a helpless individual in front of his allies it will activate the Motivate the Scum ability, such is their fear of the Pirate that they are motivated to do an extra 2 points of damage on each attack for the next 24 hours. If the killed individual is a member of the crew the bonus is +4, though a -2 to Will saves also applies. The real key here is the 24 hour duration, which can certainly lead to a day long orgy of murder and looting.
At 10th level all Pirates gain the Pirate King ability which is essentially the Leadership feat.
I think that I would just remove the alignment from the class and allow the player to decide which type of Pirate they would like to be. A high level Dread Pirate with a large crew is indeed a fearsome opponent. And probably a very fun class to be as well.
The requirements are pretty straightforward and offer a couple of options for getting in; +4 Base Attack, non-lawful, 8 ranks of Appraise and Profession (Sailor), 4 ranks of Swim and Use Rope, Quick Draw, Weapon Finesse, and ownership of a boat worth 10,000gp. The ideal class for this would be the Swashbuckler if the character plans on mixing it up in melee a bunch, but a Bard also works great due to the synergy of Inspire Courage and the Dread Pirate’s Rally the Crew. Some Rogue is also a great fit. I love that a wide variety of pirating types can be produced with the class.
Once the requirements are met the class offers full Base Attack, good Reflex, d8 Hit die, and 6 skill points. That’s a decent offering. Seamanship is a nice 1st level ability that will continue to improve, but Two Weapon Fighting is even better. A Rogue or Swashbuckler can take real advantage of two weapon benefits, they just need to resist the temptation to take it before going into the class. At 2nd level the Pirate is given a choice between being an honorable or dishonorable Pirate, the decision effects whether they receive a bonus to Diplomacy or Intimidate, and other abilities at higher levels.
The honorable or dishonorable feature of the class is a neat mechanic and I’m glad it was included. It’s just another step in giving the class options and something to differentiate one pirate or another. I just don’t see how it meshes with the alignment restriction for the class. The description makes a point to show how this class could also used for an honorable type of seafarer (the example given is a pirate who honors flags of truce) as well as the ruthless marauder and profiteer. So my question is, why limit the alignment? Honoring flags of truce seems very lawful. Perhaps lawful evil in the case of a pirate, but lawful nonetheless. As a DM I would gladly look past the alignment issue.
At 3rd level the dishonorable pirate receives 1d6 Sneak Attack, while his honorable brethren gets the Rally the Crew ability. Rally the Crew is a free action that gives +1 to attack, damage, and saves versus fear to all the Pirates allies. It also lasts for minutes per level and continues even if the Pirate is unconscious, and the range is any ally who can hear it. That’s not good enough? It also stacks with the Bard’s Inspire Courage. Excellent ability all around. At 7th level the bonus becomes +2, and the sneak attack goes up by another 1d6. Advantage honorable Pirate.
At 5th level Luck of the Wind and Scourge of the Seas are given to the honorable and dishonorable pirates, respectively. Luck of the Wind allows a 1/day reroll on most failed rolls, while Scourge of the Seas allows Intimidate to affect all within 30 feet. Both of these are pretty good, but nothing game breaking. The final pair comes at 9th level with Fight to the Death and Motivate the Scum. Fight to the Death grants the allies of an honorable Pirate temporary hit points (10+Pirates Cha modifier), the Diehard feat, and a bonus to AC equal to the Pirates Cha modifier. For a Bard based Dread Pirate this can be extremely powerful. Since we are looking at a character that is probably going to be around 15th level it’s not unreasonable to think that the Cha bonus may be as high as +6. That’s a huge AC bonus and the hit points are pretty nice too. If a dishonorable Pirate kills a helpless individual in front of his allies it will activate the Motivate the Scum ability, such is their fear of the Pirate that they are motivated to do an extra 2 points of damage on each attack for the next 24 hours. If the killed individual is a member of the crew the bonus is +4, though a -2 to Will saves also applies. The real key here is the 24 hour duration, which can certainly lead to a day long orgy of murder and looting.
At 10th level all Pirates gain the Pirate King ability which is essentially the Leadership feat.
I think that I would just remove the alignment from the class and allow the player to decide which type of Pirate they would like to be. A high level Dread Pirate with a large crew is indeed a fearsome opponent. And probably a very fun class to be as well.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Introducing the Ghost...Faced...Killer
Now, the Ghost-Faced Killer is a prestige class that I can get into. Unlike a lot of prestige classes it actually makes sense and does what you want it to. It just takes a simple character idea, a stealthy yet still powerful in melee character, and progresses it by throwing in a couple of neat tricks. The requirements work nicely with the flavor and all of the abilities work well together. And it is named after a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
The requirements are Base Attack of +5, evil, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, 6 ranks Hide, 4 ranks concentration, 8 ranks Intimidate, and 6 ranks Move Silently. Really, concentration is the only loser here. And it’s actually a pretty good build, we’ve had many characters in our campaigns who would qualify for it just in the natural progression of the character. Except for the concentration. The best way seems to be Rogue 2/Fighter 2/Ranger 2. At least that’s what I would go with. As a class it gets d8 Hit Die, 4 skill points, full Base Attack, and one good save (Fort, which I think is a little odd). All in all I would say it’s vitals are average, maybe a little better.
The abilities are cool and for a character that wants to be sneaking around and killing things they offer some options that would otherwise not be available. The signature ability is Ghost Step, which allows the G-FK to turn invisible for one round as a swift action. Being invisible works well with the Sudden Strike they get and whatever Sneak Attack they may have, but its duration really only makes it useful for combat. 6 seconds of invisibility doesn’t have a ton of utility uses. Frightful Attack is cool, but not much better than the Assassin’s Death Attack, and has the added advantage of panicking onlookers unfortunate enough to see the Killer in action. The fact that it is Charisma based seriously weakens it though, I don’t see many characters with this build having a high Charisma. Being able to see ethereal and invisible creatures at will is very nice, even if it does take 7 levels to get Ghost Sight.
The Ghost-Faced Killer is by no means an uber-powerful class, but it does what I think a prestige class should. It’s power level is on par with the base classes, but it allows a more narrow field of specialization at the cost of some of the more general class abilities. It also makes for a pretty fearsome villain for the PC’s to run into.
The requirements are Base Attack of +5, evil, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, 6 ranks Hide, 4 ranks concentration, 8 ranks Intimidate, and 6 ranks Move Silently. Really, concentration is the only loser here. And it’s actually a pretty good build, we’ve had many characters in our campaigns who would qualify for it just in the natural progression of the character. Except for the concentration. The best way seems to be Rogue 2/Fighter 2/Ranger 2. At least that’s what I would go with. As a class it gets d8 Hit Die, 4 skill points, full Base Attack, and one good save (Fort, which I think is a little odd). All in all I would say it’s vitals are average, maybe a little better.
The abilities are cool and for a character that wants to be sneaking around and killing things they offer some options that would otherwise not be available. The signature ability is Ghost Step, which allows the G-FK to turn invisible for one round as a swift action. Being invisible works well with the Sudden Strike they get and whatever Sneak Attack they may have, but its duration really only makes it useful for combat. 6 seconds of invisibility doesn’t have a ton of utility uses. Frightful Attack is cool, but not much better than the Assassin’s Death Attack, and has the added advantage of panicking onlookers unfortunate enough to see the Killer in action. The fact that it is Charisma based seriously weakens it though, I don’t see many characters with this build having a high Charisma. Being able to see ethereal and invisible creatures at will is very nice, even if it does take 7 levels to get Ghost Sight.
The Ghost-Faced Killer is by no means an uber-powerful class, but it does what I think a prestige class should. It’s power level is on par with the base classes, but it allows a more narrow field of specialization at the cost of some of the more general class abilities. It also makes for a pretty fearsome villain for the PC’s to run into.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
This Spell Makes Me Angry!!
There are a lot of dumb prestige classes, but I usually can at least imagine some use for them in a campaign world or see why someone would want to play one. And then there is the Rage Mage from the Complete Warrior. Really, what is the use of this and how does it make any sense? Let’s take a look.
The requirements are sort of all over the place; must be able to rage, cast 2nd level arcane spells, have Combat Casting, and a Base Attack Bonus of +4. So a character must be a barbarian and most likely a sorcerer (I am going to rule out a wizard, it just makes no sense to have a wizard that rages, I think they would tear apart their spellbook). Generally a character that rages is up front charging and cleaving, while the spellcaster hangs back. So this is an unnatural marriage to begin with. To get into the class it takes a Sorcerer 4/Barbarian 2 (that seems to be the quickest route) that has used one it’s three feats on Combat Casting. That in itself is a pretty weak class, but it gets worse with the prestige class.
The basics of the class are d8 Hit Die, 2+ skill points, 1 good save, and BAB as a rogue. Overall that is pretty weak, so I expect the class features to make up for it. Not the case. Spells advance every other level (starting at level 2! I assume to prevent people dipping in for 1 level to get the powerful Spell Rage) so it is a weak caster. It’s main ability is the Spell Rage, which allows the character to cast a spell while raging using their full character level (this ability is limited to 5 schools of magic). As they advance they get a small ability to overcome spell failure for using armor (10%, so they can safely wear leather!) and an increased DC of 2 for some spells. The latter is the awesomely named Angry Spell. At 10th level they can cast Tenser’s Transformation as a free action. Remember this is at least a 16th level character. A wizard could cast that at 11th level.
As a DM I like the image of a spell caster rolling with a band of barbarians, killing and looting with reckless abandon. In fact, I have even used this type of NPC. It’s called a Neutral or Chaotic Evil sorcerer. I don’t need a prestige class for that. Instead of a rage he can just get drunk or crazy and not involve a game mechanic at all.
The requirements are sort of all over the place; must be able to rage, cast 2nd level arcane spells, have Combat Casting, and a Base Attack Bonus of +4. So a character must be a barbarian and most likely a sorcerer (I am going to rule out a wizard, it just makes no sense to have a wizard that rages, I think they would tear apart their spellbook). Generally a character that rages is up front charging and cleaving, while the spellcaster hangs back. So this is an unnatural marriage to begin with. To get into the class it takes a Sorcerer 4/Barbarian 2 (that seems to be the quickest route) that has used one it’s three feats on Combat Casting. That in itself is a pretty weak class, but it gets worse with the prestige class.
The basics of the class are d8 Hit Die, 2+ skill points, 1 good save, and BAB as a rogue. Overall that is pretty weak, so I expect the class features to make up for it. Not the case. Spells advance every other level (starting at level 2! I assume to prevent people dipping in for 1 level to get the powerful Spell Rage) so it is a weak caster. It’s main ability is the Spell Rage, which allows the character to cast a spell while raging using their full character level (this ability is limited to 5 schools of magic). As they advance they get a small ability to overcome spell failure for using armor (10%, so they can safely wear leather!) and an increased DC of 2 for some spells. The latter is the awesomely named Angry Spell. At 10th level they can cast Tenser’s Transformation as a free action. Remember this is at least a 16th level character. A wizard could cast that at 11th level.
As a DM I like the image of a spell caster rolling with a band of barbarians, killing and looting with reckless abandon. In fact, I have even used this type of NPC. It’s called a Neutral or Chaotic Evil sorcerer. I don’t need a prestige class for that. Instead of a rage he can just get drunk or crazy and not involve a game mechanic at all.
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