SurvivorX
2009-02-13, 03:49 AM
So, who here read Chainer's Torment out of the Magic: The Gathering series? And who else, apart from me, thought that it would be ridiculously cool to make a prestige class out of the dementists they had there?
For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, the book I mentioned has a whole group of people who, in layman's terms, take their mental image of every creature, monster, or nightmare they encounter over the course of their lives; they shape them into corporeal creatures, and summon them to fight their enemies or do other various tasks. They're also invariably mentally disturbed in some manner or another.
So, I just couldn't let it sit. I made a prestige class for this, as well as a creature template to apply to the creatures they summon.
Dementist
Shaping his insanity like a canvas, working his nightmares like clay, a dementist uses the horrific warping of his own mind to bring nightmarish creatures into being. Any creature he's fought and bested becomes his weapons, and he gains the ability to bring these twisted memories of what once was a material creature into the world to fight alongside him. An entire army lies within his brain, just itching to burst out – and further accentuating the distortion in his own mind.
Hit Die: d4.
Requirements
Alignment: Any nonlawful
Spellcasting: Able to cast 2nd-level arcane spells
Spellcasting: Must have access to the
Conjuration and Transmutation schools of magic (must not be prohibited classes)
Knowledge (The Planes): 8 ranks
Special: In addition, the character must undergo a special magical ritual, in which the character's Wisdom score is reduced to 1d4+2.
Class Skills
Balance, Concentration, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Spellcraft
Skill Points at Each Level: 2+Int modifier.
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Dementia Space, Disquieted Mind
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|Dementia Absorption, Dementia Casting
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+3|Expanded Dementia Space
4th|+2|+1|+1|+4|
5th|+2|+1|+1|+4|
6th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Expanded Dementia Space, Nightmare Defences
7th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Dementia Multi-Casting
8th|+4|+2|+2|+6|
9th|+4|+3|+3|+6|
10th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Master Dementist
[/table]
Spells Per Day: +1 level of existing spellcasting class at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th level
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Dementists gain proficiency with all simple weapons, and with light armor.
Dementia Space: Contained within the dementist's mind is a demiplane, called his dementia space, crafted from twisted, warped visual images of the dementist's earliest memories – his birthplace, childhood fears, even dreams or nightmares the dementist might have had as a child. This plane is a 500 square foot area, shaped however the dementist wishes – part this area is a hazy void. At 3rd level, the dementia space expands to an area of 1500 square feet. At 6th level it expands to 3000 square feet.
The dementist can transport himself bodily into his dementia space, as the plane shift spell. He can transport only himself, 50 lbs. of gear, and up to 3 other willing creatures.
Dementia space is hazardous however – many dementists are tempted to stay in their dementia space forever, abandoning the Material Plane to literally live in their own little world. When a character enters his own dementia space, and every minute spent thereafter, he must make a Will save with a DC equal to 10+his dementist level. If this save is failed, the dementist immediately takes 2d6 permanent Wisdom drain, and he remains in his dementia space unless someone else forcibly extracts him from it. Even then, he must take another Will save against the same DC to regain his mental faculties and have the Wisdom drain turn into temporary Wisdom damage that heals at the normal rate. If he fails the save, he will do everything in his power to return to his dementia space. If he is unable to do so (due to a dimensional anchor or similar spell) he may make a new Will save every 1d4 minutes.
Any character in a dementia space that is not his own must make a Will check every turn (DC 10+dementist's level) to avoid taking 1d6 Wisdom damage.
A dementist can leave his dementia space at any time as a free action and be deposited on the Material plane right where he was when he left. Once he does so, any other characters who were in his dementia space with him are also ejected.
All aspects of this ability are supernatural effects.
Disquieted Mind: A dementist's brain is a raging maelstrom, and it is nigh impossible to make sense of anything going on in there. A dementist is immune to mind-influencing effects of all kinds. This is an extraordinary ability.
Dementia Absorption: At 2nd level, a dementist gains the supernatural ability to absorb a living, corporeal creature with negative hit points into his dementia space. He must make a Charisma check (DC 11+the creature's HD).
If he succeeds, the creature is sucked into the dementist's mind, deposited in his dementia space. The creature has the Nightmare creature template applied to it, and is restored to full hit points, with any subdual or ability damage removed. The creature is thenceforth completely under the dementist's control, as a Dominate Monster spell, but completely unbreakable.
The dementia space can hold as many creatures as will fit in its area. Any more creatures are killed and their bodies hurled into the Astral Plane.
A dementist in his dementia space can alter all sorts of cosmetic physical traits of the creatures he's pulled in. Size of limbs, changing skin to scales, adding a tail or nonfunctional wings, or changing a fanged maw into a wicked hooked beak can all be done by the dementist as a standard action.
The dementist should feel free to experiment with the creatures to come up with something that is pleasing to him. He can even change a few minor combat-related things – change a claw attack into a slam attack, or a fire-based breath weapon into a cold-based one, or something to that effect. The DM should decide whether a change is okay, or if it would increase the creature's combat stats too much.
Dementia Casting: At 2nd level, a dementist gains the ability to summon forth, as a standard action, any Nightmare creature in his dementia space. This ability is as a Summon Monster spell of a spell level equal to his dementist level – 1 (For example, a 5th-level dementist would cast it as a Summon Monster IV spell). The creature lasts one round per dementist level, then is returned to its dementia space. He cannot have more HD of monsters outside his dementia space than his total character level at one time.
At 7th level, a dementist can cast multiple copies of a single Nightmare creature. He still cannot have more HD of monsters outside his dementia space than his total character level at one time.
Nightmare Defences: At 6th level, the creatures within a dementist's mind can help him to throw off enchantments and other mind-influencing effects. The dementist adds +1 to his Will save for every 2 HD (round down) of creatures in his dementia space, to a maximum of +10.
Master Dementist: At 10th level, the dementist has demonstrated true mastery over his mind, his dementia space, and his Nightmare creatures. He gains 2d4+4 Wisdom points, becoming lucid once again. He is no longer subject to a Will save to avoid becoming trapped in his own dementia space. He can travel to his dementia space even if under the effects of a dimensional anchor or similar spell, or within an antimagic field. In addition, his dementia space is of unlimited size, and the number of HD of Nightmare creatures he can bring outside his dementia space at one time increases by 50%.
I figured that while the class has a lot of very powerful abilities, just taking a level in the class is risky enough to balance it out (dump your Wis down to 2-5, and have to put what's left at risk just to be able to use your central class ability). Once you hit level 10 though, those risks are pretty much tossed out the window and it's probably broken.
Anyways, I mentioned a Nightmare template. Here is that:
Nightmare
A dementist absorbs creatures into his dementia space, but he does not pull them in as-is. The transition from a material, corporeal creature with thoughts and feelings, into the imaginary friend of a madman is obviously not a kind one, and often creatures are horribly warped and twisted by the experience.
Unlike other templates, the dementist can go into his dementia space and alter the specifics of this template by giving up 300 XP and taking 1 temporary Wisdom damage. For example, he could give a creature damage reduction, but later decide he wanted it to have spell resistance instead, and change it.
Creature Type: Changes to Aberration
Hit Dice: Changed to D8.
AC: The dementist can add up to +1 natural armor for every 2 dementist levels he has, for a maximum of +5. This can also be added on top of the creature's existing natural armor. In addition, if the creature had nonnatural armor (like scale mail or full plate, etc), the dementist can exchange up to +3 of that for natural armor.
Attacks and Damage: The dementist can swap out various attack types – bites for slams, or claws for tentacle rakes, or the like, but otherwise same as the base creature.
Special Qualities: The nightmare gets special immunities and turn vulnerability, plus damage reduction, regeneration, or spell resistance (dementist's choice – but not even a wish spell can allow a creature to have more than one of these abilities at a time).
Damage Reduction: The creature's body seems to shed all sorts of blows, giving it damage reduction 15/+1.
Spell Resistance: The creature gains spell resistance 10 + the base creature's HD.
Regeneration 5: Silver and positive-energy attacks deal normal damage to a Nightmare creature. The creature cannot regenerate lost limbs.
Immunities: Nightmare creatures are immune to mind-influencing affects, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects. Not subject to subdual damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.
Turning Vulnerability: Nightmares can be turned or destroyed just like undead. They can be rebuked, but not commanded.
Abilities: The dementist chooses two out of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution to give +2 to. The creature has no Intelligence score, and its Wisdom score becomes 2.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Same as the dementist
Advancement: None
So, thoughts? I wanted to rename the dementist, dementia space, and nightmares to something a bit less "taken directly from the book", but that's what I got so far. I'm not even sure if they count as copyrighted, which is another reason why I want to change them a bit.
Also, is the class broken, or is the risks inherent in taking the class enough to balance it, or are they too much and it's pointless to even take the class?
EDIT: Meep! How could I have forgotten their semi-signature piece of equipment? :smallbiggrin:
Dementist Goggles
A dementist uses these metal goggles with thin, glass slits in the front to prevent the creatures he has summoned from recognizing him in the Material Plane. This, along with the enchantment over the goggles, can prove to be a vital aid in taming them and controlling them. The number of HD of creatures that a dementist can have outside his dementia space is increased by 2 if he is wearing Dementist Goggles.
Caster level: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, 2 or more levels of the Dementist prestige class, alter self. Market Price: 5,600 GP; Weight: 3 lbs.
For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, the book I mentioned has a whole group of people who, in layman's terms, take their mental image of every creature, monster, or nightmare they encounter over the course of their lives; they shape them into corporeal creatures, and summon them to fight their enemies or do other various tasks. They're also invariably mentally disturbed in some manner or another.
So, I just couldn't let it sit. I made a prestige class for this, as well as a creature template to apply to the creatures they summon.
Dementist
Shaping his insanity like a canvas, working his nightmares like clay, a dementist uses the horrific warping of his own mind to bring nightmarish creatures into being. Any creature he's fought and bested becomes his weapons, and he gains the ability to bring these twisted memories of what once was a material creature into the world to fight alongside him. An entire army lies within his brain, just itching to burst out – and further accentuating the distortion in his own mind.
Hit Die: d4.
Requirements
Alignment: Any nonlawful
Spellcasting: Able to cast 2nd-level arcane spells
Spellcasting: Must have access to the
Conjuration and Transmutation schools of magic (must not be prohibited classes)
Knowledge (The Planes): 8 ranks
Special: In addition, the character must undergo a special magical ritual, in which the character's Wisdom score is reduced to 1d4+2.
Class Skills
Balance, Concentration, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Spellcraft
Skill Points at Each Level: 2+Int modifier.
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Dementia Space, Disquieted Mind
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|Dementia Absorption, Dementia Casting
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+3|Expanded Dementia Space
4th|+2|+1|+1|+4|
5th|+2|+1|+1|+4|
6th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Expanded Dementia Space, Nightmare Defences
7th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Dementia Multi-Casting
8th|+4|+2|+2|+6|
9th|+4|+3|+3|+6|
10th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Master Dementist
[/table]
Spells Per Day: +1 level of existing spellcasting class at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th level
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Dementists gain proficiency with all simple weapons, and with light armor.
Dementia Space: Contained within the dementist's mind is a demiplane, called his dementia space, crafted from twisted, warped visual images of the dementist's earliest memories – his birthplace, childhood fears, even dreams or nightmares the dementist might have had as a child. This plane is a 500 square foot area, shaped however the dementist wishes – part this area is a hazy void. At 3rd level, the dementia space expands to an area of 1500 square feet. At 6th level it expands to 3000 square feet.
The dementist can transport himself bodily into his dementia space, as the plane shift spell. He can transport only himself, 50 lbs. of gear, and up to 3 other willing creatures.
Dementia space is hazardous however – many dementists are tempted to stay in their dementia space forever, abandoning the Material Plane to literally live in their own little world. When a character enters his own dementia space, and every minute spent thereafter, he must make a Will save with a DC equal to 10+his dementist level. If this save is failed, the dementist immediately takes 2d6 permanent Wisdom drain, and he remains in his dementia space unless someone else forcibly extracts him from it. Even then, he must take another Will save against the same DC to regain his mental faculties and have the Wisdom drain turn into temporary Wisdom damage that heals at the normal rate. If he fails the save, he will do everything in his power to return to his dementia space. If he is unable to do so (due to a dimensional anchor or similar spell) he may make a new Will save every 1d4 minutes.
Any character in a dementia space that is not his own must make a Will check every turn (DC 10+dementist's level) to avoid taking 1d6 Wisdom damage.
A dementist can leave his dementia space at any time as a free action and be deposited on the Material plane right where he was when he left. Once he does so, any other characters who were in his dementia space with him are also ejected.
All aspects of this ability are supernatural effects.
Disquieted Mind: A dementist's brain is a raging maelstrom, and it is nigh impossible to make sense of anything going on in there. A dementist is immune to mind-influencing effects of all kinds. This is an extraordinary ability.
Dementia Absorption: At 2nd level, a dementist gains the supernatural ability to absorb a living, corporeal creature with negative hit points into his dementia space. He must make a Charisma check (DC 11+the creature's HD).
If he succeeds, the creature is sucked into the dementist's mind, deposited in his dementia space. The creature has the Nightmare creature template applied to it, and is restored to full hit points, with any subdual or ability damage removed. The creature is thenceforth completely under the dementist's control, as a Dominate Monster spell, but completely unbreakable.
The dementia space can hold as many creatures as will fit in its area. Any more creatures are killed and their bodies hurled into the Astral Plane.
A dementist in his dementia space can alter all sorts of cosmetic physical traits of the creatures he's pulled in. Size of limbs, changing skin to scales, adding a tail or nonfunctional wings, or changing a fanged maw into a wicked hooked beak can all be done by the dementist as a standard action.
The dementist should feel free to experiment with the creatures to come up with something that is pleasing to him. He can even change a few minor combat-related things – change a claw attack into a slam attack, or a fire-based breath weapon into a cold-based one, or something to that effect. The DM should decide whether a change is okay, or if it would increase the creature's combat stats too much.
Dementia Casting: At 2nd level, a dementist gains the ability to summon forth, as a standard action, any Nightmare creature in his dementia space. This ability is as a Summon Monster spell of a spell level equal to his dementist level – 1 (For example, a 5th-level dementist would cast it as a Summon Monster IV spell). The creature lasts one round per dementist level, then is returned to its dementia space. He cannot have more HD of monsters outside his dementia space than his total character level at one time.
At 7th level, a dementist can cast multiple copies of a single Nightmare creature. He still cannot have more HD of monsters outside his dementia space than his total character level at one time.
Nightmare Defences: At 6th level, the creatures within a dementist's mind can help him to throw off enchantments and other mind-influencing effects. The dementist adds +1 to his Will save for every 2 HD (round down) of creatures in his dementia space, to a maximum of +10.
Master Dementist: At 10th level, the dementist has demonstrated true mastery over his mind, his dementia space, and his Nightmare creatures. He gains 2d4+4 Wisdom points, becoming lucid once again. He is no longer subject to a Will save to avoid becoming trapped in his own dementia space. He can travel to his dementia space even if under the effects of a dimensional anchor or similar spell, or within an antimagic field. In addition, his dementia space is of unlimited size, and the number of HD of Nightmare creatures he can bring outside his dementia space at one time increases by 50%.
I figured that while the class has a lot of very powerful abilities, just taking a level in the class is risky enough to balance it out (dump your Wis down to 2-5, and have to put what's left at risk just to be able to use your central class ability). Once you hit level 10 though, those risks are pretty much tossed out the window and it's probably broken.
Anyways, I mentioned a Nightmare template. Here is that:
Nightmare
A dementist absorbs creatures into his dementia space, but he does not pull them in as-is. The transition from a material, corporeal creature with thoughts and feelings, into the imaginary friend of a madman is obviously not a kind one, and often creatures are horribly warped and twisted by the experience.
Unlike other templates, the dementist can go into his dementia space and alter the specifics of this template by giving up 300 XP and taking 1 temporary Wisdom damage. For example, he could give a creature damage reduction, but later decide he wanted it to have spell resistance instead, and change it.
Creature Type: Changes to Aberration
Hit Dice: Changed to D8.
AC: The dementist can add up to +1 natural armor for every 2 dementist levels he has, for a maximum of +5. This can also be added on top of the creature's existing natural armor. In addition, if the creature had nonnatural armor (like scale mail or full plate, etc), the dementist can exchange up to +3 of that for natural armor.
Attacks and Damage: The dementist can swap out various attack types – bites for slams, or claws for tentacle rakes, or the like, but otherwise same as the base creature.
Special Qualities: The nightmare gets special immunities and turn vulnerability, plus damage reduction, regeneration, or spell resistance (dementist's choice – but not even a wish spell can allow a creature to have more than one of these abilities at a time).
Damage Reduction: The creature's body seems to shed all sorts of blows, giving it damage reduction 15/+1.
Spell Resistance: The creature gains spell resistance 10 + the base creature's HD.
Regeneration 5: Silver and positive-energy attacks deal normal damage to a Nightmare creature. The creature cannot regenerate lost limbs.
Immunities: Nightmare creatures are immune to mind-influencing affects, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects. Not subject to subdual damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.
Turning Vulnerability: Nightmares can be turned or destroyed just like undead. They can be rebuked, but not commanded.
Abilities: The dementist chooses two out of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution to give +2 to. The creature has no Intelligence score, and its Wisdom score becomes 2.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Same as the dementist
Advancement: None
So, thoughts? I wanted to rename the dementist, dementia space, and nightmares to something a bit less "taken directly from the book", but that's what I got so far. I'm not even sure if they count as copyrighted, which is another reason why I want to change them a bit.
Also, is the class broken, or is the risks inherent in taking the class enough to balance it, or are they too much and it's pointless to even take the class?
EDIT: Meep! How could I have forgotten their semi-signature piece of equipment? :smallbiggrin:
Dementist Goggles
A dementist uses these metal goggles with thin, glass slits in the front to prevent the creatures he has summoned from recognizing him in the Material Plane. This, along with the enchantment over the goggles, can prove to be a vital aid in taming them and controlling them. The number of HD of creatures that a dementist can have outside his dementia space is increased by 2 if he is wearing Dementist Goggles.
Caster level: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, 2 or more levels of the Dementist prestige class, alter self. Market Price: 5,600 GP; Weight: 3 lbs.