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Lysander
2009-07-06, 12:50 PM
Here's a fun little prestige class based on a Spanish bull fighter. The idea of this class is to be very flashy, and distract and bluff enemies.

Bullfighter
Prerequisites: Weapon Finesse, Improved Feint, Bluff 5 ranks

Hit Die: d8

Class Skills
Bluff, Hide, Perform (Bullfighting), Handle Animal, Intimidate

Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier.

Bullfighters are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. They are proficient with simple weapons and rapiers.

{table=head]Level|Bab|Fort|Reflex|Will|Special
1|+1|+2|+2|+0|Misleading Cape, Distracting Dance
2|+2|+3|+3|+1|Sidestep
3|+3|+3|+3|+1|Double Distracting Dance, Harass Wild
4|+4|+4|+4|+1|Mocking Blow
5|+5|+4|+4|+2|Swift Distracting Dance, Obscuring Cape[/table]

The Bullfighter's Cape
Many Bullfighter abilities require a brightly colored cape. They are skilled at moving the cape to avoid damaging effects - only effects that can kill the Bullfighter can damage their cape beyond use. When wearing their cape they suffer -2 to all Hide Checks, but can remove the cape and stow it away to lose this penalty.

Performing Bullfighting
Perform (Bullfighting) allows a bullfighter to earn money by artfully dodging an enraged bull, just as any other perform skill can provide income. They don't necessarily need to kill or injure the bull to put on a performance. When fighting a single bull under ordinary circumstances their Perform Bullfighting skill can be used instead of rolling normal combat, though a bad enough Peformance may require combat rolls.

Misleading Cape
When wearing a cape, in light armor or unarmored and unencumbered, and not using a shield, a bullfighter adds her charisma bonus (if any) to her AC.

Distracting Dance
When wearing a cape, in light armor or unarmored and unencumbered a bullfighter can perform a complicated and flashy dance as a move action to distract opponents for the duration of the dance. Everyone who can observe the dance (including allies) suffers a -2 penalty to their spot checks. It also forces spellcasters who can observe the dance (including allies) to succeed on a concentration check with a DC equal to one quarter the Bullfighter's Perform (Bullfighting) roll. At level 3 the DC increases to one half the Bullfighter's roll. At level 5 the dance can be performed as a swift action during combat.

Sidestep
A Bullfighter gains an additional +2 to AC when using the Total Defense action. On the round immediately following the use of Total Defense a bullfighter gains +4 to their melee attack roll against any opponent that missed them with a melee attack last round. At fourth level this attack also deals an additional 1d6 damage.

Harass Wild
At will, a Bullfighter can use a cape to make almost any animal or unintelligent magical beast they choose hostile towards them. Any animal enraged this way suffers a -1 penalty to its attack roll against the Bullfighter. It does not affect creatures that are already hostile, nor can it force non-violent creatures to attack.

Mocking Blow
A Bullfighter can perform a melee attack when using the Total Defense action, but a successful attack only deals one point of damage. Any opponent that takes damage this way however must succeed a DC10 reflex save or be dazed the next round.

Obscuring Cape
When wearing a cape, in light armor or unarmored and unencumbered a Bullfighter can easily avoid charges. Instead of receiving a bonus, an enemy charging a Bullfighter receives a -2 penalty to their attack roll and no bonus to any Bull Rush. If an enemy attempts to Bull Rush a Bullfighter can force both parties to make Dexterity checks rather than Strength checks to determine success. If the enemy fails the Bullfighter dodges the rush, and their enemy moves to the square behind them.

PairO'Dice Lost
2009-07-06, 01:35 PM
Very nice! I like the mechanics, and the flavor is spot-on. The prerequisite should be Bluff 5 ranks, not Bluff +5, though; otherwise, this could be picked up at 2nd level--which isn't necessarily bad, it just doesn't mesh with the usual PrC format.

ScIaDrd
2009-07-06, 01:51 PM
This class is quite good, as far as I can tell, but I have a couple nitpicks. Firsty the nam wild anitypathy, feels kinda odd, even if you were tryibg to esdablish a coneection to the druid ability, I would remame it something like , Harass, Irritate, maybe it can also scale with the Bullfighter´s class level say additonal -1 per level.
And because there is no Perform (bullfigting) may i suggest changing the DC for distracting cape to Charisma based (10+1/2 user´s HD+ Cha modifier) This way you can sapre yourself the hasle of making a new skill and the ability will be more powerful, too.

mikeejimbo
2009-07-06, 03:26 PM
Prestige classes also don't get x4 skill points at first level, only base classes. Well, I guess you can't be a first level of that class anyway, since you couldn't fit the prerequisite. Just a nitpick.

Debihuman
2009-07-06, 04:55 PM
I think Sense Motive would be another good class skill as this class has very few class skills. Spot and Listen wouldn't be bad either.

Debby

Ascension
2009-07-06, 07:39 PM
Actually, you'd need to up it to 8 ranks of Bluff if you want to force a character to be 5th level before taking Bullfighter, which is the usual procedure for PrCs.

I'd add at least Spot and Listen to the class skills there. I'd probably extend Obscuring Cape to give concealment vs. charges, too, just to help with the bullfighter flavor... they're trained to avoid charging bulls, not arrows. Concealment vs. ranged attacks isn't a bad feature, but unless you have something that links it back to the bullfighting ring it feels a bit odd. Also, and this is a big thing, Distracting Dance should never become a free action. Make it a swift action instead, because otherwise it could theoretically be spammed infinitely. Swift preserves your intent (to make it less than a move action) without allowing an infinite exploit.

I don't think you necessarily have to change it to a skill other than Perform (Bullfighting). Technically the list of subskills for Perform is just a suggestion, same with Knowledge skills. There are as many perform skills as there are hypothetical performances. And believe me, skill checks can be boosted way, way past 10+1/2 HD+CHA. That being said, I think it'd work just as well with Bluff, or even with Perform (Dance).

Lysander
2009-07-08, 08:39 AM
A few changes:

I changed Obscuring Cape to make it effective against charges and bull rushes, rather than ranged attacks. I added some information about their Peform Bullfighting skill. Distracting Dance is now a swift action rather than free action. I added Hide as a class skill as well.

Keshay
2009-07-08, 10:38 AM
Would any potential enemy have to be rendered half-dead and crippled prior to the Bullfighter actually engaging the enemy in order for the special features of the class to be effective?

Throw a Torero into a ring with an uninjured bull and you'll get a very injured or dead bullfighter 100% of the time. Most of the mork is done by guys on horseback with lances prior to the entrance of the executioner.

The Dark Fiddler
2009-07-08, 10:54 AM
Harass Wild seems like it would be near useless at higher levels... unless my sense of higher level balance is way off.

Also, the flat 10 DC for Mocking Blow seems a bit odd... maybe handle it more like spellcaster DCs; something like DC (10+Bullfighter level+Charisma modifier).

Debihuman
2009-07-08, 12:30 PM
Perform (Bullfight) isn't required of the class although you can take it as a Class skill. This strikes me as odd. In fact, you don't need this skill at all as you can substitute normal combat for it, except for Distracting Dance where you mention it briefly but Distracting Dance has other problems as well. BTW, You make a living from Profession (Bullfighter) rather than from Perform (Bullfight) as with other Profession skills.

Moreover, anyone can take this class at 3rd level (a some qualify at 2nd), which is a tad low for a prestige class. Most Prestige Classes can't be taken until 5th level.

As ScIaDrd mentioned, a better mechanic for the DC check for Distracting Dance is 10 + 1/2 Level of Bullfigter + Charisma modifier rather than the awkward mechanic you suggested. Why should you roll for Perform (Bullfight) before using Distracting Dance? What happens if you roll a 1?

I think you could lose Perform (Bullfight) as a skill altogether. Making up new Perform skills for a niche class is never a good thing. A better skill would be Profession (Bullfighter) and the prestige class should require ranks of that rather than ranks in Bluff. After all, this is a Prestige Class Bullfighter not a run-of-the-mill bullfighter.

Debby

Ascension
2009-07-08, 01:26 PM
Would any potential enemy have to be rendered half-dead and crippled prior to the Bullfighter actually engaging the enemy in order for the special features of the class to be effective?

Throw a Torero into a ring with an uninjured bull and you'll get a very injured or dead bullfighter 100% of the time. Most of the mork is done by guys on horseback with lances prior to the entrance of the executioner.

Though this is true, you've got to admit that this makes a better D&D class than a picador would. Plus, it's heroic fantasy, you've got to figure that a matador here is more effective than in real life.