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Chambers
2010-12-17, 10:23 PM
The Adept

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dmag_gallery/100212.jpg

The Adept (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/npcClasses/adept.htm) is an NPC class that provides the DM with two things. The first is that it isn't as powerful as the standard classes, and the second is that it is supposed to represent an unique style of uneducated nature magic.

I've often wanted to play an adept because of the second aspect of the class but the NPC mechanics of the class really hinder it when used for a character. I decided to revise the class for a number of reasons.

1. While the concept is neat, it doesn't get any class features that help develop it. Summon Familiar is an XP soak and the class doesn't get any of the familiar specific spells that were released in later sourcebooks.

2. There's a lot of great spells that fit with the theme of the class that they didn't put on the spell list. Mainly druid spells, as you'll notice in the expanded spell list on the bottom.

So what does it get? It has a number of minor class features that relate to nature and the wilderness (bonuses on skill checks, speaking with nature animals, etc), it has a basic elemental strike attack which is pretty much a watered down cross between the Warlock's Eldritch Blast and the Dragonfire Adept's Breath Effects, it gains some divination spells as spell-like abilities and it casts off it's spell-list spontaneously like a beguiler or warmage.

This last bit really helps the DM because with the expanded spell list the DM now has an tribal shaman type NPC that has access to the types of spells you'd expect and can cast them when needed without worrying about what is on the NPC's prepared spells for the day.

The class should be Tier 4. It's appropriate for NPC's but it can also work in a low OP game as a PC. If there's a player that wants to play a nature spellcaster and the rest of the party is composed of a fighter, monk and truenamer, the player can use the adept and fit in with the party balance instead of dropping a druid into the game.

Lemme know what you think.

Hit Die: d6
Class Skills: The adept’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Listen (Wis), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).

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

Skill Points at Each Additional Level
4 + Int modifier.

The Adept
{table=head]Level|Bab|Fort|Reflex|Will|Special Ability|0|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th
1st|+0|+2|+0|+2|Nature Sense, Elemental Strike|2|1|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|+1|+3|+0|+3|Summon Familiar|2|1|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|+1|+3|+1|+3|Wild Empathy, Mystic Divinations (Augury)|2|1|1|-|-|-|-
4th|+2|+4|+1|+4|Mystic Insight|3|2|1|-|-|-|-
5th|+2|+4|+1|+4|Bonus Feat|3|2|2|1|-|-|-
6th|+3|+5|+2|+5|Nature's Language|3|2|3|1|-|-|-
7th|+3|+5|+2|+5|Mystic Divinations (Divination)|3|3|2|1|1|-|-
8th|+4|+6|+2|+6|Woodland Stride|4|3|2|2|1|-|-
9th|+4|+6|+3|+6|Mystical Defense|4|3|3|2|1|1|-
10th|+5|+7|+3|+7|Bonus Feat|4|4|3|2|2|1|-
11th|+5|+7|+3|+7|Mystic Divinations (Commune with Nature)|4|4|3|3|2|1|1
12th|+6/+1|+8|+4|+8|Blindsense, Double Strike|4|4|4|3|2|2|1
13th|+6/+1|+8|+4|+8|Strength of Spirit|5|5|4|3|3|2|1
14th|+7/+2|+9|+4|+9|Elemental Adept|5|5|4|4|3|2|2
15th|+7/+2|+9|+5|+9|Bonus Feat|6|5|5|4|3|3|2
16th|+8/+3|+10|+5|+10|Mystic Divinations (Legend Lore)|6|6|5|4|4|3|2
17th|+8/+3|+10|+5|+10|Elemental Admixture|6|6|5|5|4|3|3
18th|+9/+4|+11|+6|+11|Resilient Spirit|6|6|6|5|4|4|3
19th|+9/+4|+11|+6|+11|Mystic Divinations (Vision)|6|6|6|5|5|4|3
20th|+10/+5|+12|+6|+12|Bonus Feat, Mastery of Elements|6|6|6|6|5|4|3[/table]


Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An adept is proficient with all simple weapons and light armor, though he is not proficient with shields. Because the adept's various spell-like abilities come from his divine connection with the natural world, he may ignore the arcane spell failure chance for light armor when using his spell-like abilities, including elemental strike.


Spells: An adept casts divine spells which are drawn from the adept spell list (see below). When the adept gains access to a new level of spells, he automatically knows all the spells for that level on the adept spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. Essentially, his spell list is the same as his spells known.

To cast an adept spell, an adept must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an adept’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the adept’s Wisdom modifier.

Adepts, unlike wizards, do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells, receiving them as divine inspiration or through their own strength of faith. Each adept must choose a time each day at which she must spend an hour in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain her daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on whether an adept can regain her daily allotment of spells.

Like other spellcasters, an adept can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Adept. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.

Each adept has a particular holy symbol (as a divine focus) depending on the adept’s magical tradition.

Sense Elements (Sp): One of the first abilities an adept learns - a magical effect so basic that it becomes a spell-like ability - is the ability to sense elements. As a full-round action, an adept can become aware of all sources of one chosen element (air, earth, fire, or water) within 10 feet of him. The adept learns the size of the objects but not their precise location or actual nature.
By concentrating longer, an adept can either extend his magical sense or gather more information about the elements he has detected. Each additional round spent in concentration allows the adept to add 5 feet to the radius of his sense ability, to a maximum of 5 additional feet per adept level. Alternatively the adaept can focus on one source of the sensed element per round, attempting a Spellcraft check to determine more about that single item. The amount of information he learns depends on his Spellcraft check results:

{table=head]Check Result|Information Learned
20 or higher|Item's general location (square contained it or its nearest boundary if it is larger than a 5ft square
25 or higher|Whether the item is natural or a spell effect
30 or higher|Whether the item is a creature or an object
35 or higher|The exact nature of the item[/table]

In subsequent rounds an adept can retry his Spellcraft check on the same item, shift his attention to a different item, or extend the range of his senses.

An adept can use this ability at will. Like many divination spells, an adepts sense elements ability is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

Nature Sense (Ex): An adept is familiar with the ways of the land and knows how to survive in the wilderness. He gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.

Elemental Strike (Sp): The adept has forged a connection with the land in a way different than the druid, though he shares similar features with him. Where the adept diverges is that he draws on different mystical traditions to create his magic, fueling his powers with the elements of the land.

As a standard action the adept may create a bolt of energy that streaks out and slams into his target. The adept makes a ranged touch attack and Spell Resistance applies against the attack. At first level the adept is able to create a bolt of fire to hurl at his enemies and as he gains levels he learns to channel the other elements into his strike. The adept's elemental strike has a range of 60ft and does 1d6 fire damage at first level, increasing in damage by +1d6 for every other adept level.

At second level the adept learns another type of energy, chosen from the list below. He learns additional energy types at levels 5, 10, & 15. Each energy type has a minimum level requirement before the adept can choose that energy type.

{table=head]Minimum Level|Energy Type
1|Fire
2|Cold
2|Lightning
5|Acid
10|Sonic
15|Force[/table]


Wild Empathy (Ex): Guided by his insight into mystical traditions, an adept can use body language, vocalizations, and demeanor to improved the attitude of an animal. This functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improved the attitude of a person. The adept rolls 1d20 and adds his adept level and Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
To use wild empathy the adept and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minuted. An adept cannot use this ability to influence a magical beast.

Mystic Divinations (Sp): Through his connection to the land the adept draws upon the knowledge and wisdom that
The adept draws upon the knowledge and wisdom that lives in the land. He gains a number of spell-like abilities that he can use once per day, each mimicing a particular spell. At 3rd level he may use Augury once per day and he gains the use of additional divinations at the levels indicated on the table.

Mystic Insight (Ex): The adept combines chants and rituals from many different magical traditions to create his own unique method of magic. As such he learns bits and pieces of seemingly random information about different subjects. An adept may make a special mystic insight check with a bonus equal to his adept level + his wisdom modifier to see whether he knows some relevant information about magic. An adept may use this ability in the place of making a Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), or Knowledge (religion) skill check.

Bonus feat (Ex): At 5th level the adept gains a bonus feat, which may be any feat that he qualifies for. The adept gains additional bonus feats at levels 10, 15, & 20.

Nature's Language (Sp): The adept draws his power from the wild and untamed heart of nature and he has learned to communicate with the creatures of the land. The adept is treated as under the effects of a constant Speak with Animals spell. This gift enhances his ability to influence the attitudes of animals and he can make a wild empathy check in one round with no penalty, instead of the usual 1 minute required.

Woodland Stride (Ex): The briar and thorn patch are the adepts playground and chapel as he communes with the wilds. An adept may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural throsn, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briaris, and overgrown ares that have been magicaly manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

Mystical Defense (Su): The adepts experience with the natural and magical world affords her a measure of protection against magical and supernatural abilities. He adds his Wisdom modifier as a bonus on saving throws against spells, spell-like & supernatural abilities.

Blindsense (Ex): The adept has trained his senses to reach beyond what normal creatures can see and hear. He gains the blindsense abilty out to 30 feet.

Double Strike (Sp): At 12th level the adept may attack twice when he uses his elemental strike. Each attack is rolled separately and the adept may either attack the same target twice or attack different targets. He must use the same type of energy for both attacks.

Strength of Spirit (Su): The adept can overcome and resist fears and enchantments that would break the will of a lesser being. The adept gains the benefits of the Mettle ability when he is subject to a mind-affecting spell, spell-like or supernatural ability.

Elemental Adept (Su): When the adept uses his sense elements ability he may sense elements out to the full extent of his range without needing to spend rounds in concentration to extend his senses. He may also focus on two elements per round instead of one.

Elemental Admixture (Sp): At 17th level the adept may combine two types of energy into a single elemental strike. Each energy type deals the full damage amount of the elemental strike. This is similar to the Energy Admixture meta-magic feat, in that if the adept chose for his strike to deal Fire and Acid damage the strike would deal 8d6 Fire damage and 8d6 Acid damage. The adept may use this ability whenever he makes an elemental strike, including a double strike. This ability also removes the double strike requirement that both strikes be of the same energy type.

Resilient Spirit (Su): When subject to a mind-affecting spell, spell-like or supernatural ability the adept gains the benefits of the Improved Mettle ability.

Mastery of Elements (Su): When the adept uses his sense elements ability he may focus on any number of elements per round. In addition the range of sensing is doubled to 10 feet per class level.

---

Adept Spell List
Spells in bold are not on the original adept spell list. All spells are in the SRD.

[0 Level] create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, ghost sound, guidance, know direction, light, mending, message, purify food and drink, read magic, touch of fatigue.

[1st Level] bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, endure elements, obscuring mist, pass without trace, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law, remove fear, sleep.

[2nd Level] aid, animal trance, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, darkness, delay poison, gust of wind, invisibility, make whole, mirror image, misdirection, obscure object, remove paralysis, resist energy, scare, scorching ray, shatter, see invisibility, soften earth and stone, summon swarm, touch of idiocy, web, whispering wind.

[3rd Level] animate dead, bestow curse, contagion, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, dispel magic, lightning bolt, magic circle against chaos, magic circle against evil, magic circle against good, magic circle against law, magic vestment, neutralize poison, plant growth, quench, remove curse, remove disease, sleet storm, slow, spike growth, suggestion, tongues, water breathing, water walk.

[4th Level] cure critical wounds, fear, flame strike, hallucinatory terrain, lesser geas, minor creation, polymorph, reincarnate, restoration, scrying, spike stones, stoneskin, wall of fire.

[5th Level] awaken, baleful polymorph, break enchantment, commune, greater dispel magic, heal, major creation, mirage arcana, nightmare, overland flight, passwall, raise dead, seeming, sending, slay living, telekinesis, tree stride, true seeing, wall of thorns, wall of stone.

[6th Level] Banishment, Chain Lightning, Control Weather, Earthquake, Geas/Quest, Insanity, Mass Suggestions, Mass Heal, Mass Bears Endurance, Mass Bull's Strength, Mass Cat's Grace, Power Word Blind, Project Image, Regenerate, Resurrection, Stone to Flesh, Storm of Vengeance, Veil, Waves of Exhaustion

Primal Fury
2010-12-17, 10:26 PM
Illiteracy.... What?

Chambers
2010-12-20, 02:36 PM
Illiteracy.... What?

I'm not hard set on it. I could probably be persuaded to drop it. :smallsmile: