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Dralnu
2011-05-20, 03:45 AM
Indigo Trickster


"Are you sure you want to attack me, and not the 'me' over there?"
-- An illusory duplicate of Ezreal Drillun, an indigo trickster.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8910/indigotrickster2smaller.jpg

Indigo Tricksters combine skill, arcane magic, and deadly fighting technique to catch their opponents off-balance and capitalize their foes' lapse in defense to deliver a deadly flurry of blows. Indigo Tricksters love the challenges that adventure brings, and they relish finding unique and inventive ways to use their abilities. Their cunning use of illusion magic sets their opponents up, only to knock them down with a devastating onslaught of steel and arcane might.

If you like the idea of playing a dual-wielding roguish fighter with a synergistic arsenal of sneaky illusion magic, then the Indigo Trickster is for you.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Indigo Tricksters have the following game statistics.
Abilities: High Dexterity is most important for an indigo trickster, as the AC, Initiative, and Reflex boosts all greatly synergize with class abilities. A high Strength is also important for indigo tricksters that rely on the stat to hit and deal damage. A good Intelligence makes your invocations harder to resist and also improves your AC. As usual, good Constitution greatly helps an otherwise squishy melee class.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: As rogue.
Starting Gold: As rogue.

Class Skills
The Indigo Trickster's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

INDIGO TRICKSTER
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Invocations Known

1st|
+1|
+0|
+2|
+0|
Arcane Surge, Invocation (least), Quick To Act +1|1

2nd|
+2|
+0|
+3|
+0|
AC Bonus|2

3rd|
+3|
+1|
+3|
+1|
Two-Weapon Fighting|3

4th|
+4|
+1|
+4|
+1|
Lowered Guard -1|4

5th|
+5|
+1|
+4|
+1|
Arcane Fission, Quick To Act +2|4

6th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+5|
+2|
New Invocation (least or lesser), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting|5

7th|
+7/+2|
+2|
+5|
+2|
Trickster's Savvy, Evasion|6

8th|
+8/+3|
+2|
+6|
+2|
Lowered Guard -2|7

9th|
+9/+4|
+3|
+6|
+3|
Uncanny Agility|8

10th|
+10/+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|
Quick To Act +3|8

11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+3|
+7|
+3|
New Invocation (least, lesser, or greater), Greater Two-Weapon Fighting|9

12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+4|
+8|
+4|
Lowered Guard -3|10

13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+4|
+8|
+4|
Impenetrable Illusions|11

14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+4|
+9|
+4|
Improved Evasion|12

15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+5|
+9|
+5|
Quick To Act +4|12

16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+10|
+5|
New Invocation (least, lesser, greater, or dark), Lowered Guard -4|13

17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+5|
Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting|14

18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+11|
+6|
Unseen Steps|15

19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+6|
Arcane Alarcity|16

20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+6|
Limit Break, Lowered Guard -5|16[/table]

CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the Indigo Trickster:

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: As an indigo trickster, you are proficient with simple weapons, martial melee weapons (including those that can be used as thrown weapons), and light armor, but not with shields.

Invocations: You do not prepare or cast spells as other wielders of arcane magic do. Instead, you possess a repertoire of arcane-based attacks, defenses, and abilities known as invocations. You can use any invocation that you know at will. Unlike the invocations wielded by the warlock or dragonfire adept, your indigo trickster invocations are considered supernatural abilities unless otherwise noted in their description. They are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one.

The save DC for an invocation (if it allows a save) is 10 + half your class level + your Intelligence modifier. Your caster level with invocations is equal to your class level. Each invocation has a spell level equal to half your class level.

The four grades of invocations, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater, and dark. You begin with knowledge of one invocation, which must be of the lowest grade (least). As you gain levels in this class, you learn new invocations, as summarized on the Table and described below. A list of available invocations, along with their complete descriptions, can be found in the post following this class description.

At any level when you learn a new invocation, you can also replace an invocation you already know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade. At 6th level, you can replace a least invocation you know with a different least invocation. At 11th level, you can replace a least or lesser invocation you know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade. At 16th level, a you can replace a least, lesser, or greater invocation you know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade.

Arcane Surge: The faint blue glow surrounding your weapons begin to grow larger and brighter with each successful strike. As your weapons become engulfed with arcane energy, you suck in the power from them to fuel your devastating attack.

Some of the invocations have two versions: a regular form and a stronger "surge" version. The surge version of an invocation costs a number of surge points to use and adds an extra effect to the invocation. Invocations with a surge cost of X require that you spend a minimum of 1 surge point to activate.

You acquire a surge point with each successful attack that you make against a creature with a melee or thrown weapon in combat, which you can then use to fuel your surge invocations. These points are stored until you either expend them or until the end of the encounter, whichever comes first. The maximum number of surge points that you can store at a time is one per class level.

Example: Ezreal is a level 6 indigo trickster and is fighting an orc. He is currently storing 4 surge points. He makes makes a full attack with two daggers against an orc. Three attacks hit, earning him 3 surge points, but he can only store up to 6 points at a time, so he only gains 2 to bring him to 6.

Quick To Act (Ex): You gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks. This bonus increases by 1 at 5th, 10th, and 15th level.

AC Bonus: Starting at 2nd level, you can add your Intelligence modifier as a bonus to Armor Class, so long as you wear light armor, are unencumbered, and do not use a shield. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed. However, you lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless.

Two-Weapon Fighting (Ex): The path of the indigo tempest teaches how to effectively wield two weapons at once. At 3rd level, you gain Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat. If you already have Two-Weapon Fighting, you may take a feat listed as a fighter bonus feat, so long as you meet all the prerequisites for that feat.

At 6th level, you gain Improved Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat.

At 11th level, you gain Greater Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat.

At 17th level, you gain Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat.

The benefits of these bonus feats apply only when you wear light or no armor. You lose all benefits of these bonus feats when wearing medium or heavy armor.

Lowered Guard (Ex): Cracks in your enemies' defences appear when you surprise them, which you and your allies can further exploit. Starting at level 4, when you actively deny an opponent of its Dexterity bonus or strike an opponent currently denied its Dexterity bonus, it takes a -1 penalty to its AC until the beginning of your next turn. This penalty takes effect before resolving your attack and is not cumulative. This penalty increases by 1 at level 8, 12, 16, and 20.

Arcane Fission (Su): Your battle-focused arcane abilities allow you to wield your favored weapon in both hands by splitting it into two identical weapons. At level 5, if you're holding a melee or ranged weapon you are competent with in one hand and nothing in an empty hand, you may create a duplicate of the weapon that forms in your empty hand. This duplicate is made of pure arcane energy but otherwise acts identically like the original weapon, including any enchantments and effects the original weapon has except for any limited use abilities or material properties. The weapon is treated as a light weapon when wielded in your off hand. The duplicate weapon dissolves into nothing if it's not in your hand by the end of your round, or immediately if anyone else holds it. Creating a duplicate weapon is a free action.

Trickster's Savvy (Ex): Starting a 7th level, your Indigo Trickster level is equivalent to a rogue's for determining whether or not you can flank a creature with the Improved Uncanny Dodge ability (see barbarian PHB p26). If you have Rogue levels, they stack for the purpose of this ability.

Evasion (Ex): At 7th level, you can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If you make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals damage on a successful save, you instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if you are wearing light armor or no armor. If you are helpless, you do not gain the benefit of evasion.

Uncanny Agility (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, you may spend 2 surge points to take an additional swift or immediate action. This additional immediate action does not count against your swift actions on your next turn. You may only use this ability once per round.

Impenetrable Illusions (Su): At 13th level, you've developed such skill with the arcane arts that it's nearly impossible to detect your invocations with divination magic. When anyone employs a divination spell, spell-like ability, or magic item (such as detect magic) that may detect the magical aura of one of your invocations, the wielder must make a character level check (DC 11 + your class level) to successfully detect your invocations. Similarly, anyone attempting to use a divination such as see invisibility to reveal the effects of one of your invocations must make a level check to reveal your spell's effects. The divination user can only check once for each diviniation spell used, no matter how many of your invocations are operating in an area.

Improved Evasion (Ex): From 14th level on, you gain the benefit of improved evasion. You still take no damage if you make a successful Reflex save against an attack, and even if you fail the Reflex save, you take only half damage from the attack. If you are helpless, you do not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Unseen Steps (Ex): As you near the end of your path, your arcane magics become so seamlessly tied to your fighting style that the mundane has become magic. Starting at 18th level, for every two successful attacks that you make in a round, you may teleport yourself 5 feet in any direction as by greater teleport at the end of the attack.

Arcane Alarcity (Su): Beginning at 19th level, you learn that energy and speed are one in the same, and apply that knowledge to your invocations. By spending an amount of surge points based on the invocation's grade, you may change the invocation's casting time to a free action. Least cost 4, Lesser 8, Greater 12, and Dark 16.

Limit Break (Ex): At 20th level, you can supercharge your nerves with arcane power, allowing you to react at unthinkable speed. You may activate this ability to take additional swift or immediate actions this round. The first additional swift or immediate action costs 2 surge points, with a cumulative cost of 1 surge point per further use of this ability (3 surge points for the second swift immediate action, 4 for the third, etc.). This additional immediate action does not count against your swift actions on your next turn. You may only use this ability once per encounter.


MULTICLASS CHARACTERS
You may benefit from prestige classes in the same manner as warlocks. Taking levels in a prestige class that have have “+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class” or “+1 level of existing spellcasting class” grants new invocations known and an increased caster level when using your invocations as though you had gained a level in the indigo trickster class. You do not, however, gain any other indigo trickster class abilities.

You cannot qualify for prestige classes with spellcasting level requirements, as you never actually learns to cast spells. However, prestige classes with caster level requirements are well suited to you. Your caster level for your invocations fulfills this requirement.

Even when you gain levels in a different class, the amount of Arcane Surge points that you can hold grows larger. Determine the maximum number of Arcane Surge points that you can hold at a time by adding your indigo trickster levels + 1/2 your levels in all other classes.




Designer's Notes:
I'm aiming for low/mid tier 3 twf'ing base class. From the standard dual shortswords to the multiple dagger thrower, I feel dual-wielders shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops just to be somewhat comparable to the guy wielding a greatsword.

As it stands, Two Weapon Fighting is almost always a worse option than Two-Handed Weapons. I wanted to fix that by addressing what I feel are key problems with the fighting style:
1) Way too feat intensive. Power Attack > TWF + ITWF + GTWF and is less stat-intensive while doing it. So I made those feats free.
2) You have to pay double for magic weapons. You only invest in one two-handed weapon but you gotta pay for both of those one-handed weapons. So I made the second one free.
3) No incentive to go for two-weapon fighting. Almost nothing out there encourages it, aside from some sneak attack builds that end up being subpar anyway. So I added a mechanic that promotes hitting a lot.

My second goal was to make a fun, fluid class that had interesting abilities which synergized well with each other. A common theme that I've come up with is "Denied Dexterity bonus to AC." This element is keyed to many abilities of the class. The Indigo base classes are basically fighters wielding "blue magic" from Magic the Gathering. They specialize in trickery, and they gain power over opponents when they fall into their traps.

The classes that I mostly compared with were the Duskblade, Warlock, and ToB classes. I immediately knew that I wanted this class to have more invocations known than a warlock -- the base warlock class just has too few currently, as most would agree (though the warlock still has an overall better selection). I didn't want to outdamage a Duskblade, and indeed the Trickster will not do that, as any Duskblade with Power Attack and Arcane Strike will prove. Finally, ToB classes are, generally speaking, have more powerful tools at their disposal for pure combat. In addition, they all hold qualities that the Trickster cannot surpass: Crusader will always be the better tank, Warblade will always be the better damage dealer, and the Swordsage will always be more versatile. On the other hand, the Trickster brings utility abilities that ToB classes cannot replicate. In short, the Trickster is meant to be roughly on par with the ToB classes -- more on the low-end (Swordsage) than the high-end (Warblade) -- but not surpass them.

Credits:
The image for this class is adapted from Amaranth - Commission (http://shirotsuki.deviantart.com/art/Amaranth-Commission-44218289) by shirotsuki. All credit goes to her for this excellent image.

I used DragoonWrath's excellent Invoker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153863) class invocation table for the formatting, and used his new invocation, Falling Dream (though I swapped it to Greater Invocation instead of Lesser).

Sample Playtest:
You can check it out here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201234)

Tips And Tricks:
- The feats Indigo Aptitude (new feat) and Extra Invocation (Complete Arcane) can greatly boost your versatility
- At the beginning of combat, enemies are flat-footed until their turn, so if you're before your target's initiative you can Indigo Jaunt to them
- Phantom Assailant only disappears when it successfully attacks, so you can choose for it not to attack immediately for different results
- Invocations like Bait n' Switch and Arcane Detonation (and combinations thereof) are begging to be used creatively for great results!
- Arcane Detonation can explode any figment you create, including Silent Image

Dralnu
2011-05-20, 03:48 AM
Invocations:

Invocation List
1 Originally printed as a Warlock Invocation in Complete Arcane.
2 Originally printed as a Warlock Invocation in Complete Mage.
3 Originally printed as a Warlock Invocation in Dragon Magic.
4 Originally printed as a Dragonfire Adept Invocation in Dragon Magic.
N New Invocation described below.

Least Invocations
All-Seeing Eyes2 - As Comprehend Languages on written material, plus bonus on Search and Spot checks.
Aquatic Adaptation4 - Breathe underwater; gain swim speed.
Arcane Knowledge4 (as Draconic Knowledge) - Gain bonus on Knowledge and Spellcraft checks.
Arcane SurpriseN - Detonate an attacked figment, anyone caught in radius is denied Dexterity bonus.
Beguiling Influence1, 4 - Gain bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks.
BlurN - Gain Blur, as the spell.
Cat BurglarN - Use Dispel Ward, Instant Locksmith, Instant Search, and Spontaneous Search, as the spells.
DistractionN - Use Distract, Distract Assailant, and Distracting Ray, as the spells.
Go When I Tell YouN - Use Incite, Inhibit, and Shock and Awe, as the spells.
Indigo JauntN - Appear adjacent to a target that is denied their Dexterity bonus as a swift action.
Indigo SparkN - Your attacks deal extra damage until end of turn.
Leaps and Bounds1 - Gain bonus on Balance, Jump, and Tumble checks.
Magic Insight4 - Use Detect Magic and Identify as the spells.
Make Your Own Luck1 (as Dark One's Own Luck) - Gain a luck bonus on one type of saves.
MisleadN - Use Cloak Pool, Discolor Pool, Dead End, and Remove Scent, as the spells.
Phantom AssailantN - Illusory double appears, target denied Dexterity bonus if successfully attacked.
Rogue's CunningN - Permanently gain Trapfinding ability and Disable Device as a class skill.
Rogue's GuileN - Use Accelerated Movement, Cheat, Insightful Feint, and Sticky Fingers, as the spells.
See the Unseen1, 4 - Gain See Invisibility, as the spell, and darkvision.
Silent ImageN - Use Silent Image, as the spell.
Stop Hitting YourselfN - Use Backbiter, Backlash, and Slapping Hand, as the spells.
Trick of the EyeN - Instantly swap positions with ally or figment as standard or swift action.

Lesser Invocations
Arcane DetonationN - Detonate an attacked figment, anyone caught in radius is denied Dexterity bonus and dealt damage.
Bait n' SwitchN - Instantly swap positions with ally or figment as a swift or immediate action.
Charm1, 4 - Cause a single creature to regard you as a friend.
Cheat GravityN - Use False Gravity as the spell.
Crashing WaveN - Gain Pounce as part of a charge.
DecoysN - Use Mirror Image, as the spell, except shorter duration and fewer figments.
DeflectionN - Gain AC bonus against a single attack.
DisappearN - Use Invisibility, as the spell, or its swift version.
Find the GapN - Your attacks are resolved as touch attacks until end of turn.
Fleeting TargetN - Use Displacement, as the spell.
Flee the Scene1 - Use short-range Dimension Door as the spell, and leave behind a major image.
Fool You TwiceN - Use Explosive Runes, Illusory Script, Magic Aura, and Misdirection, as the spells.
Indigo FlameN - Your attacks deal extra damage until end of turn.
Indigo StrideN - Appear adjacent to a target that is denied their Dexterity bonus as a swift action.
Major ImageN - Use Major Image, as the spell.
Master of DisguiseN - Use Disguise Self and Tongues, as the spells.
Mind TrickeryN - Use Delusions of Grandeur, Mindless Rage, Entice Gift, and Miser's Envy, as the spells.
Phantom DuoN - Two illusory doubles appear, target denied Dexterity bonus if successfully attacked.
Rogue's PrecisionN - Gain +1d6 sneak attack dice.
Voidsense1, 4 - Gain blindsense 30 feet.

Greater Invocations

Dispelling VeilN - Use Wall of Dispel Magic as the spell.
Falling DreamN - Use Illusory Pit, as the spell.
Indigo BlinkN - Appear adjacent to a target that is denied their Dexterity bonus as a free action.
Indigo InfernoN - Your attacks deal extra damage until end of turn.
Nightmares Made Real2 - Create illusory terrain that damages foes and allows you to hide.
PhantasmsN - Use Phantasmal Assailant, Phantasmal Decoy, Phantasmal Disorientation, and Phantom Foe, as the spells.
Phantom MobN - Three illusory doubles appear, target denied Dexterity bonus if successfully attacked.
ReflectionN - Gain AC bonus against a single attack, send the attack back at foe.
Trickster's DelightN - Use Translocation Trick as the spell, silence the target.
Wave of ConfusionN - Launch spectral daggers at targets that are denied their Dexterity bonus, they are affected by confusion, as the spell.
Unseen AssailantN - Use Greater Invisibility, as the spell, or its swift version.

Dark Invocations

Cloak and DaggerN - Use Dominate Person, as the spell, against target currently denied their Dexterity bonus.
Enemy Of My EnemyN - Create illusory duplicate of target that fights using the some of the original's statistics.
Fool's BaneN - Summon illusory duplicates of yourself to full attack foes that are currently denied their Dexterity bonus.
Perilous Veil1 - Use Veil as the spell; anyone succeeding on the Will save to negate the illusion takes damage.
Phantom FuelN - Three illusory duplicates appear, each of their successful attacks deny the target of their Dexterity bonus and award you with 1 surge point.
Polyscient1 (as Dark Foresight) - Use Foresight as the spell, and communicate telepathically with a close target of the effect.
RetaliationN - Gain AC bonus against a single attack, launch devastating wave that deals damage and stuns all in its path.
Supreme InvisibilityN - Use Superior Invisibility as the spell.
Ten-Place TricksterN - Nine illusory doubles appear, target denied Dexterity bonus if successfully attacked.
The Greatest IllusionN - Use Solipsism as the spell.



New Least Invocations

Arcane Surprise
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 60ft.
Target: Your figment
Duration: Instantaneous

You charge your illusion with volatile arcane power just as your opponent destroys it, causing it to explode in a dazzling display of blue energy.

You may use this invocation when one of your figments have been attacked. The illusion creates an explosion with a radius of 10ft. Anyone within this radius is denied their Dexterity bonus to their AC until the beginning your next turn. You and your allies are immune to this effect.

Surge X: The blast radius is increased by X feet , where X is equal to ten times the number of surge points used.


Blur
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1min./level

This invocation works as blur (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blur.htm), except the range is personal.


Cat Burglar

This invocation grants you Dispel WardSpC p67, Instant LocksmithSpC p124, Instant SearchSpC p124, and Spontaneous SearchSpC p204, as the spells.


Distraction

This invocation grants you DistractSpC p69, Distract AssailantSpC p69, and Distracting RaySpC p69, as the spells.

Surge 1: The saving throw DC is increased by 2.


Go When I Tell You

This invocation grants you InciteSpC p121, InhibitSpC p123, and Shock and AweSpC p189, as the spells.

Surge 1: The saving throw DC is increased by 2.


Indigo Jaunt
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 15ft.
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

Taking advantage of your opponent's moment of weakness, your image flickers and disappears, only to reappear directly beside him.

You instantly appear in a square adjacent to a creature that is currently denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. You cannot move into a space that is occupied by a creature or object. If you cannot move adjacent to the target, this invocation fails to function but is considered used.

Surge 1: The range is increased to 30ft.


Indigo Spark
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: End of turn

Your weapon bursts into blue arcane flames as it sweeps towards your foe in an elegant arc.

When you initiate this invocation, your weapon is engulfed in arcane flames. For the rest of your turn, your attacks deal an extra +1 point of damage per half your class level (minimum +1).

Surge X: Your attacks deal an extra +1 points of damage, where X is equal to the number of surge points used.


Mislead

This invocation grants you Cloak PoolSpC p48, Discolor PoolSpC p66, Dead EndSpC p59, and Remove ScentSpC p173, as the spells.


Phantom Assailant
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Target: You
Duration: 1 round

A duplicate of you exits your body. With a grin, it charges at the enemy.

An illusory duplicate of you springs into being, starting in a square adjacent to yours by "leaving" your body. It acts similarly to a summoned monster, acting immediately, on your turn. You can mentally command it as a free action. The figment can perform any number of basic actions that your character could perform during this round, such as attacking. It cannot, however, mimic any invocations or special class abilities that you may have.

The image uses your land speed for movement and uses your current total attack bonus when attacking. The figment can only make one attack against the target's touch AC. If it hits an opponent with an attack, the attack deals no damage but the opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus to its AC until the beginning of your next turn and the image immediately disappears.

Any successful attack against the image destroys it. The image’s AC is 10 + your size modifier + your Dex modifier. It seems to react normally to area spells (such as looking like it's burned or dead after being hit by a fireball).

Surge 1: The initiation action is instead a swift action.


Rogue's Cunning
Initiation Action: Instantaneous
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 24 hours

When you use this invocation, you gain the trapfinding (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/rogue.htm#trapfinding) ability and Disable Device as a class skill. This is an extraordinary ability.

Unlike other invocations, you cannot replace this invocation once you have learned it.


Rogue's Guile

This invocation grants you Accelerated MovementSpC p7, CheatSpC p46, Insightful FeintSpC p124, and Sticky FingersSpC p206, as the spells.


Silent Image
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 400ft. +40ft./level
Effect: Visual figment that cannot extend beyond four 10-ft. cubes + one 10-ft. cube/level (S)
Duration: Concentration
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)

This invocation works as silent image (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/silentImage.htm).


Stop Hitting Yourself

This invocation grants you BackbiterSpC p23, BacklashSpC p23, and Slapping HandSpC p191, as the spells.

Surge 1: The saving throw DC is increased by 2.


Sudden Opportunity
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: End of turn

You time your strike just when the opponent is caught off-balance, easily piercing his defenses.

For the rest of your turn, you have a +Intelligence modifier attack bonus to attacks against opponents that are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC.

This invocation is an extraordinary ability.


Trick of the Eye
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 30ft.
Target: You and one other creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Will negates (harmless)

In the blink of an eye, you and your ally seamlessly swap places.

You and a willing ally instantly switch positions. You may also switch positions with one of your figments. If you swap with a figment that is a duplicate of you, the swap is impossible for onlookers to detect.

Surge 1: The initiation action is instead 1 swift action.



New Lesser Invocations

Arcane Detonation
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 60ft.
Target: Your figment
Duration: Instantaneous

You charge your illusion with volatile arcane power just as your opponent destroys it, causing it to explode in a dazzling display of blue energy.

You may use this invocation when one of your figments have been destroyed. The illusion creates an explosion with a radius of 10ft. Anyone within this radius take 3d6 damage and is denied their Dexterity bonus to their AC until the beginning of your next turn. Reflex save halves this damage. You and your allies are immune to this effect.

Surge 2+: For every 2 surge points spent, the blast damage is increased by +1d6 and the radius is increased by +10ft.


Bait n' Switch
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 60ft.
Target: You and one other creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Will negates (harmless)

In the blink of an eye, you and your ally seamlessly swap places.

This ability works as Trick of the Eye, except the range is 60ft. and the initiation action is 1 swift action.

Surge 1: The initiation action is instead 1 immediate action.


Cheat Gravity
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1min/lvl

This invocation grants you False GravitySpC p87, as the spell, except as noted above.


Crashing Wave
Initiation Action: 1 full round action
Range: Special
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

Arcane power engulfs and blurs your body as you charge forward in the form of a wave of blue energy crashing down on your opponent.

You initiate this invocation as part of a charge attack. Instead of making a single attack at the end of your charge, you can make a full attack. The bonus on your attack roll for making a charge attack applies to all your attacks.

You cannot use a swift action in the same turn that you use this invocation.

Surge X: Your charge is not impeded by difficult terrain, or even other creatures, as you crash through any opposition in your pure arcane form. Any creature whose square you enter during the charge are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC until the beginning of your next turn and take Xd6 damage, where X is equal to the number of surge points used. Reflex save DC halves this damage and negates the Dexterity loss.


Decoys
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 2rounds/level

This invocation works as the mirror image (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mirrorImage.htm) spell with the following differences: it creates images equal to one plus half your class level and the duration is 2 rounds/level.


Deflection
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

You quickly summon a disc of arcane energy in front of you, knocking away the oncoming attack.

You gain a +3 deflection bonus to AC against a single attack, regardless of the source (physical, magical, psionic, etc.), that is targeting you. This bonus applies even against touch attacks or if you're flat-footed. You can choose to use this invocation after an opponent resolves his attack but before he determines damage.


Disappear
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1min./level

This invocation works as the invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/invisibility.htm) spell, except that it can only be used on yourself.

Surge 1: The initiation action is instead a swift action and the duration is instead 1 round.


Find the Gap
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: End of turn

You time your strike just when the opponent is caught off-balance, easily piercing his defenses.

For the rest of your turn, you have a +Intelligence modifier attack bonus to attacks against opponents that are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC. In addition, these attacks are also resolved as touch attacks.

This invocation is an extraordinary ability.


Fleeting Target
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1round/level

You wink in and out of reality quickly at random, keeping your opponents guessing where you'll appear next.

This invocation works as displacement (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/displacement.htm).


Fool You Twice

This invocation grants you explosive runes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/explosiveRunes.htm), illusory script (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/illusoryScript.htm), magic aura (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicAura.htm), and misdirection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/misdirection.htm), as the spells, with the following exception: illusory script does not require a material component.


Indigo Flame
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: End of turn

Your weapon bursts into blue arcane flames as it sweeps towards your foe in an elegant arc.

When you initiate this invocation, your weapon is engulfed in arcane flames. For the rest of your turn, your attacks deal an extra +1 point of damage per half your class level (minimum +1).

Surge X: Your attacks deal an extra +1d4 points of damage, where X is equal to the number of surge points used.


Indigo Stride
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 50ft.
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

Taking advantage of your opponent's moment of weakness, your image flickers and disappears, only to reappear directly beside him.

You instantly appear in a square adjacent to a creature that is currently denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. You cannot move into a space that is occupied by a creature or object. If you cannot move adjacent to the target, this invocation fails to function but is considered used.

Surge 1: The range is increased to 100ft.


Major Image
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 400ft. +40ft./level
Effect: Visual figment that cannot extend beyond four 10-ft. cubes + one 10-ft. cube/level (S)
Duration: Concentration +3
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)

This invocation works as major image (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/majorImage.htm).


Master of Disguise
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10min/level

This invocation works as disguise self (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/majorImage.htm). In addition, while under this effect you also gain tongues (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/tongues.htm).


Mind Trickery

This invocation allows you to use Delusions of GrandeurSpC p63, Mindless RageSpC p142, Entice GiftSpC p83, and Miser's EnvySpC p142 as the spells.

Surge 2: The saving throw DC is increased by 4.


Phantom Duo
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Target: You
Duration: 1 round

Two duplicates of you exit your body. With a grin, they charge at the enemy.

This invocation works as Phantom Assailant, except two figments are produced instead of one. These figments may also use your BAB to determine how many attacks they can make, instead of being limited to just one.

Surge 1: The initiation action is instead a swift action.


Rogue's Precision
Initiation Action: Instantaneous
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 24 hours

When you use this invocation, you gain +1d6 sneak attack dice. This is an extraordinary ability.

Unlike other invocations, you cannot replace this invocation once you have learned it.


New Greater Invocations

Dispelling Veil
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: A straight wall whose area is up to one 10-ft. square/level
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None

This invocation functions as Wall of DispellingSpC p233.


Indigo Blink
Initiation Action: 1 free action
Range: 50ft.
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

Taking advantage of your opponent's moment of weakness, your image flickers and disappears, only to reappear directly beside him.

You instantly appear in a square adjacent to a creature that is currently denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. You cannot move into a space that is occupied by a creature or object. If you cannot move adjacent to the target, this invocation fails to function but is considered used. You may only use this invocation once per round.

Surge 1: The range is increased to 100ft.


Indigo Inferno
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: End of turn

Your weapon bursts into blue arcane flames as it sweeps towards your foe in an elegant arc.

When you initiate this invocation, your weapon is engulfed in arcane flames. For the rest of your turn, your attacks deal an extra +1 points of damage per class level (minimum +1).

Surge X: Your attacks deal an extra +1d6 points of damage, where X is equal to the number of surge points used.


Phantasms

This invocation allows you to use Phantasmal AssailantSpC p154, Phantasmal DecoySpC p155, Phantasmal DisorientationSpC p155, and Phantom FoeSpC p156, as the spells.

Surge 2: The saving throw DC is increased by 4.


Phantom Mob
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Target: You
Duration: 1 round

Three duplicates of you exits your body. With a grin, they charge at the enemy.

This invocation works as Phantom Duo, except three figments are produced.

Surge 1: The initiation action is instead a swift action.


Reflection
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

You quickly summon a disc of arcane energy in front of you, knocking away the oncoming attack.

You gain a +6 deflection bonus to AC and a +3 luck bonus to your Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saves against a single attack, regardless of the source (physical, magical, psionic, etc.), that is targeting you. This bonus applies even against touch attacks of if you're flat-footed. You can choose to use this invocation after an opponent resolves his attack but before he determines damage.

Surge 3: If you avoid the attack, you instead redirect the attack back at the opponent with an additional +4 attack bonus to hit. Use the same attack roll that was used against you to resolve this attack.


Trickster's Delight
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 100 ft. + 10 ft./lvl
Target: You and target creature
Duration: 10min/lvl
Saving Throw: Will negates

This invocation allows you to use Translocation TrickSpC p222, as the spell.

Surge 3: In addition, the target that you swapped with is silenced (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/silence.htm).


Unseen Assailant
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Duration: 1round/level

This invocation as greater invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/invisibilitygreater.htm), except that it can only be used on yourself.

Surge 2: The initiation action is instead a swift action.


Wave of Confusion
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 25ft. +5ft./lvl
Effect: One or more knives
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: Will negates

With one fluid sweep of your hands, you send spectral daggers hurtling towards your foes' minds and infecting them with madness.

An spectral dagger materializes in front of you before you send it flying at your off-balanced foes. You may only use this ability on targets that are currently denied their Dexterity bonus to AC.

The dagger requires a ranged touch attack to hit. If it hits, the target must make a Will save or be affected as the confusion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/confusion.htm) spell.

Surge X: You may fire an additional spectral dagger per surge point used. Each dagger requires its own ranged touch attack. The daggers may be fired at the same or different targets, but all daggers must be aimed at targets within 30 feet of each other and fire simultaneously.





New Dark Invocations

Cloak and Dagger
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 25ft. +5ft./lvl
Effect: One knife
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: Will negates

With one fluid sweep of your hands, you send a spectral dagger hurtling towards your foe's mind, crushing his will with your own.

An spectral dagger materializes in front of you before you send it flying at your off-balanced foe. You may only use this ability on targets that are currently denied their Dexterity bonus to AC.

The dagger requires a ranged touch attack to hit. If it hits, the target must make a Will save or be affected as the dominate person (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dominateperson.htm) spell.

Surge 2: You gain a +4 bonus to your ranged touch attack and the saving throw DC is increased by 4.


Enemy Of My Enemy
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 25ft. + 5ft. /2 levels
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round / level

Your foe charges towards you, only to come face to face with its own image charging back at him.

You create a pseudo-real duplicate of your target. The illusion is an exact copy of the original (at the time of casting) in all regards except otherwise noted here: It does not retain any supernatural abilities or class abilities, though it does retain any extraordinary abilities that the original has. The illusion's AC is 10 + your size modifier + your Dex modifier. It has half the total HP of the original.

The illusion appears where you designate and acts immediately, on your turn. It attacks your opponents to the best of its ability. You can mentally command it as a free action and, therefore, you can direct it not to attack, to attack particular enemies, or to perform other actions.

You can never have more than one figment created by this invocation at a time. If a second figment is created with his invocation, the first figment disappears.

Surge 4: The figment instead uses the same AC and HP as the original. In addition, it gains a bonus to its attack and damage rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier.


Fool's Bane
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: see text
Target: One or more creatures
Duration: Instantaneous

An illusory duplicate of you appears beside each of your off-balanced foes, mercilessly cutting them down while they're vulnerable.

For each opponent currently affected by your Lowered Guard ability, a figment appears anywhere within a 20ft. radius of them and immediately makes a full attack against your target. The figment uses your gear and statistics to determine what weapons it uses for this attack, how many attacks are made, what attack bonus it uses, and how much damage is dealt. The damage is resolved as pure arcane damage, which is not subject to any resistances, immunities, or DR. The figments disappear immediately after completing their attack.

Surge 10: The initiation action is instead a swift action.


Phantom Fuel
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Target: You
Duration: 1 round

Three duplicates of you exits your body. With a grin, they charge at the enemy.

This invocation works as Phantom Mob, except the figments do not immediately disappear after successfully hitting a target

Surge 4: Until end of turn, for every successful attack your figments make, you gain 1 surge point. Only figments created with this invocation may grant surge points.


Retaliation
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

You quickly summon a disc of arcane energy in front of you, knocking away the oncoming attack.

You gain a +12 deflection bonus to AC and a +6 luck bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saves against a single attack, regardless of the source (physical, magical, psionic, etc.), that is targeting you. This bonus applies even against touch attacks of if you're flat-footed. You can choose to use this maneuver after an opponent resolves his attack but before he determines damage.

Surge 4: If you avoid the attack, you retaliate against the assailant with an onslaught of arcane power. A downward slash through the air at your opponent sends a tidal wave of blue arcane energy towards him. This tidal wave is a line whose length reaches from you to the opponent. The target, along anything in the way of the line's path, takes 15d6 damage and is stunned for 1d4 rounds. A successful Reflex save halves this damage and negates the stun.


Supreme Invisibility
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal or touch
Target: You or a creature or object weighing no more than 100 lb./level
Duration: 1 minute/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)

This invocation allows you to use Superior InvisibilitySpC p125, as the spell.

Surge 2: The initiation action is instead a swift action.


Ten-Place Trickster
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/lvl

Nine duplicates of you exits your body. With a grin, they charge at the enemy.

This invocation works as Phantom Mob, except nine figments are produced and the duration for the figments are increased to 1 round per class level.

Surge 1: You may swap places with any of your figments as a free action.


The Greatest Illusion
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 100 ft. + 10 ft./lvl
Target: One creature
Duration: 1round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates

This invocation allows you to use SolipsismSpC p194, as the spell.

Surge 2: The saving throw DC is increased by 4.


Credits:
I used DragoonWrath's excellent Invoker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153863) class invocation table for the formatting, and used his new invocation, Falling Dream (though I swapped it to Greater Invocation instead of Lesser).

Dralnu
2011-05-20, 05:14 PM
Feats

Indigo Aptitude
You learn an additional least invocation.
Prerequisite: Ability to use least invocations.
Benefit: You learn one additional least invocation from the list available to you.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time, you gain an extra least invocation.


Sample Encounter

Indigo Tricksters can be encountered anywhere, but are more likely to be found in large cities where their impressive stealth abilities can be used to great effect.

EL 9: The thief known as Ezreal plagues the wealthy and powerful citizens of Free City. It's rumored that there is no building that he cannot break into and, though many have tried, he can never be caught. His affiliation with the local thieves' guild has made the guild powerful players on the scene, with almost everyone paying them for "protection insurance."

Ezreal
Human Indigo Trickster 9
CN Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 9d8+18 (58hp)
Initiative: +9 (+3 DEX +2 Quick to Act, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft
Armour Class: 22 (+3 Dex, +6 armor, +3 AC Bonus), touch 16, flat-footed 19
Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +9/+11
Attack: +1 scimitar +12 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
Full Attack: +1 scimitar +10/+5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2) and +1 scimitar +10/+5 (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
Ranged Full Attack: +1 dart +11/+6 (1d4+3, x2) and +1 dart +11/+6 (1d4+3, x2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Qualities: Invocations, AC Bonus, Quick to Act +2, Evasion, Lowered Guard -2, Arcane Fission, Uncanny Agility
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +2
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 8 (28pb)
Skills: Bluff +4, Concentration +7, Disable Device +15, Escape Artist +8, Gather Information +4, Hide +15, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (local) +8, Listen +11, Move Silently +15, Open Lock +6, Search +8, Sense Motive +4, Spellcraft +8, Spot +11, and Tumble +15
Feats: Improved Initiative (human), Indigo Aptitude (1), Quick Draw (3), Two Weapon Fighting (indigo trickster), Extra Invocation (6), Improved Two Weapon Fighting (indigo trickster), Extra Invocation (9)
Treasure: +1 scimitar, +1 mithril breastplate, +1 darts (x50)

Invocation list: Least: 7 Lesser: 4 (DC 17 for all)

Least: Rogue's Cunning, Indigo Jaunt, Indigo Spark, Blur, See the Unseen, Sudden Opportunity, Silent Image

Lesser: Arcane Detonation, Bait n' Switch, Crashing Wave, Phantom Duo

Tactics:
Ezreal pre-buffs with Blur if given the opportunity. He prefers to ambush his target if possible, employing his impressive stealth skills to gain a surprise round.

Getting off full attacks for surge points is the name of the game. Ezreal usually starts combat with Sudden Opportunity activated if the target is denied their DEX (for example, if they haven't acted yet (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#flatFooted)) and Crashing Wave for a pouncing full attack. If that's not possible, he'll use Indigo Jaunt to get a full attack off. If he has surge points available, he uses a surge'd Phantom Duo and move them adjacent to other opponents but not immediately attack (delaying until right before it expires works best).

Ezreal makes liberal use of Bait n' Switch to keep opponents guessing on his true location, to avoid attacks against him as an immediate action, or to get beside a target for a full attack. Whenever an opponent attacks one of his figments he'll try to punish it with an Arcane Detonation.

Kellus
2011-05-20, 10:46 PM
These are some very interesting classes, and quite well done in general. That being said, I'm got some things to mention.

First the stuff I like: It's nice to see two-weapon fighting get some use, definitely. I also like the surge point mechanic, since it simultaneously encourages you to make use of your arcane abilities and also get into combat. It lets you have at-will powers that are more powerful than a warlock's which require you to be in combat. I also like seeing illusion magic being used my a melee class, that's just cool.

Arcane Fission is an excellent idea, and something that TWF can really make use of. That's just a great idea all around.

Now the other stuff:

• For starters, the biggest thing, I don't understand why these are two separate classes. They're incredibly similar, with the same supernatural ability list (and rate of acquisition) as well as many of the class features. It's also worth mentioning that it's a very bad idea to give 3/4 BAB to a class focused on two weapon fighting. As someone that's played several TWF characters in the past, I can tell you that hitting the target is much much harder because of the off-hand penalties. It's hard enough to set up a full attack in the first place to take advantage of it. I actually see no reason not to consolidate the two classes into one single class, the indigo. As a tricky magic warrior character there's really nothing wrong with giving them 6 skill points as well as full BAB. I mean, the ranger has that chassis, and nobody complains. Both classes are also a little thin on class features otherwise, and by folding the two together you could have more cool stuff for them to do.

• Speaking of which, I assume there are more invocations coming since there aren't even 15 of them as of the time of writing. When you're writing more of them, you should think about some noncombat invocations, which would really help with the trickster feeling you're going for. I'd also move away from explicitly using wording like "at the start of every encounter...". You can accomplish the same thing by saying "surge points fade five minutes after you acquire them", and you don't have legions of people arguing what constitutes an encounter like the factotum.

• There's seriously no reason not to just let them cast detect magic at will. The nebulous balancing of such a lackluster spell is hardly enough to justify making people track how many times they've used it.

• You should think about having class features which are powered by surge points as well. This would let you have cool features earlier on, like the current capstone for the tempest. Being able to make a full attack as a standard action is amazing for this kind of character, and should be the sort of thing you can actually do in play. Nobody plays at level 20, so the ability is useless, as cool as it is. By having it lower and require, for example, three surge points to activate, you can turn it into a risk/reward question for the player where they have to gamble whether to go with a single attack for a surge point or a flurry of attacks which might make back the surge points they needed to power it or might end up costing them big.

• Uncanny Agility is another example of a class feature which would make more sense to power off of surge points. Spending a surge point to take an extra swift or immediate action is way more useful than making people only able to use it once per "encounter".

• Same with Arcane Alacrity. By dropping these abilities in level and requiring surge points to activate, you would not only integrate the class features with the way the class works mechanically, you can easily justify combining the two classes as described above since you don't have to worry about it being overpowered. After all, there's only one pool of surge points, so it's okay to have lots of cool abilities that trigger off of them.

• Impenetrable Illusion needs some clarification. The way it's written, it's absolutely impossible to ever see through your illusions. I think what you want is to stop people from magically seeing through them, which is cool. But make sure to mention that people can still see through them with Spot checks and interaction and so on. Because the wording is really bad right now.

• The rate of acquisition of surge points is weird. Please make it predictable like (+1, +0, +1, +0...), (+1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +0...) instead of (+1, +0, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1). That's just counter-intuitive to change rates like that in the middle of the class. It seems like it was only written like that to fill dead levels. The correct solution is to write class features for the dead levels and stick with a predictable rate of gain for invocations.

• Indigo flames describes fire covering your weapon, but just increases the regular damage. It should probably do extra fire damage.

• There's no reason for deflection to have a cap on it. Having a +6 to AC at level 12 against a single attack is not a problem at all, nor is a +10 to AC at level 20.

• Please alphabetize your invocations and have a list at the start with a description of each for reference. In addition, you might want to think about having different levels of invocations, even using the same divisions as a warlock's invocations if you write enough of them. That lets you write more interesting and relevant ones at higher levels (least, lesser, greater, dark).

• Also, as a general rule you should aim for three possible options for every choice the character makes (that lets you have two characters of the same class with no overlapping abilities who aren't forced into any choice by default). That means you should be aiming for 45 different invocations. Again, separating them into different tiers will make it a lot easier to write them.

• I'm also kind of really disappointed that you don't get any abilities to make standard illusions. Everything is focused relentlessly on combat applications, which is kind of a shame. Illusion magic is some of the coolest in the game to use outside of combat, and there's really nothing here to let you do that. Even something as mundane as silent image is awesome because there are so many applications for it.

• You've got at least one instance of 'Blue Flame Tempest', presumably from an older version.

[hr]

As I mentioned above, I love the idea and think it's got lots of possibilities. I hope my suggestions are helpful.

Nice work! :smallsmile:

Dralnu
2011-05-21, 02:36 AM
These are some very interesting classes, and quite well done in general. That being said, I'm got some things to mention.

First the stuff I like: It's nice to see two-weapon fighting get some use, definitely. I also like the surge point mechanic, since it simultaneously encourages you to make use of your arcane abilities and also get into combat. It lets you have at-will powers that are more powerful than a warlock's which require you to be in combat. I also like seeing illusion magic being used my a melee class, that's just cool.

Arcane Fission is an excellent idea, and something that TWF can really make use of. That's just a great idea all around.

Thank you! :smallsmile:


• For starters, the biggest thing, I don't understand why these are two separate classes. They're incredibly similar, with the same supernatural ability list (and rate of acquisition) as well as many of the class features. It's also worth mentioning that it's a very bad idea to give 3/4 BAB to a class focused on two weapon fighting. As someone that's played several TWF characters in the past, I can tell you that hitting the target is much much harder because of the off-hand penalties. It's hard enough to set up a full attack in the first place to take advantage of it. I actually see no reason not to consolidate the two classes into one single class, the indigo. As a tricky magic warrior character there's really nothing wrong with giving them 6 skill points as well as full BAB. I mean, the ranger has that chassis, and nobody complains. Both classes are also a little thin on class features otherwise, and by folding the two together you could have more cool stuff for them to do.

Having two similar classes is intentional. One fits the fighter archetype, the other fits the rogue one. I wanted to give people who are interested in this homebrew the option of fulfilling the skillmonkey role if the party requires it. While I certainly could merge the two, and they actually did start as a single class, I think having this option is a good thing.

I agree that 3/4 BAB hurts a TWF, who needs all the attack bonus he can get to offset the penalty. This is generally why the rogue chassis (in particualr rogue and swordsage) can never do TWF'ing as good as the fighter (dervish, revenant blade, invisible blade). I tried to offset this combat penalty by giving the trickster Lowered Defenses, which balances out the lower BAB with an equal AC (and saves) penalty on your target, and is also a debuff that helps the entire party out. It's still not as good as full BAB but, in my opinion, that's a fair trade for being the skillmonkey + trapfinding + UMD role.

The thin class features is also intentional. There were more class features originally, but I felt it just over-complicated things and made the class intimidating to even look at. I wanted the class abilities to be simple to understand, recycling as many useful abilities as I could from Core and some splatbooks, while having the invocations be the "new" stuff the reader has to digest. I wanted to table to look crisp and clear like my favorite classes: spellthief, swordsage, duskblade, beguiler, to name a few. I also made sure that there are no "dead levels." Any level without a class ability gains an invocation, so there's always something new.

On the other hand, in practice, the leveling process may show that the class is indeed a little bland. It's got about as many toys as a psychic warrior but is a great deal behind ToB's versatility. I'm not sure yet. If necessary, I'll raise the number of invocations known.


• Speaking of which, I assume there are more invocations coming since there aren't even 15 of them as of the time of writing.

Yeah, I'm still brainstorming more. I'll try to add a couple each day until the list is full enough.


When you're writing more of them, you should think about some noncombat invocations, which would really help with the trickster feeling you're going for.

This is a very good idea. I honestly don't think I could come up with 15+ unique combat invocations without starting to sound redundant. This would help fill out the classes and give them more utility.


I'd also move away from explicitly using wording like "at the start of every encounter...". You can accomplish the same thing by saying "surge points fade five minutes after you acquire them", and you don't have legions of people arguing what constitutes an encounter like the factotum.

Hmm, I actually wouldn't mind having legions of people arguing about my homebrew... :smallwink:

You're right though. I'll change the wording to avoid confusion.


• There's seriously no reason not to just let them cast detect magic at will. The nebulous balancing of such a lackluster spell is hardly enough to justify making people track how many times they've used it.

You're right. I just blindly copied it from the spellthief. I'll make it at will.


• You should think about having class features which are powered by surge points as well. This would let you have cool features earlier on, like the current capstone for the tempest. Being able to make a full attack as a standard action is amazing for this kind of character, and should be the sort of thing you can actually do in play. Nobody plays at level 20, so the ability is useless, as cool as it is. By having it lower and require, for example, three surge points to activate, you can turn it into a risk/reward question for the player where they have to gamble whether to go with a single attack for a surge point or a flurry of attacks which might make back the surge points they needed to power it or might end up costing them big.

I'm not sure about this. I want the invocations to promote different ways to position yourself for a full attack. Indigo Jaunt, Bait n' Switch, and Indigo Charge are all creative and satisfying (I hope) methods of accomplishing this. I hope to introduce yet more ways to pull this off.

Being able to full attack as a standard action so cut and dry like that kind of ruins the point I think, so I stuck it up there as a capstone. I may even rework it.


• Uncanny Agility is another example of a class feature which would make more sense to power off of surge points. Spending a surge point to take an extra swift or immediate action is way more useful than making people only able to use it once per "encounter".

I like this. Will do.


• Same with Arcane Alacrity. By dropping these abilities in level and requiring surge points to activate, you would not only integrate the class features with the way the class works mechanically, you can easily justify combining the two classes as described above since you don't have to worry about it being overpowered. After all, there's only one pool of surge points, so it's okay to have lots of cool abilities that trigger off of them.

Maybe. I agree it should be based on surge points and not limited by encounters. I'm a little wary of giving such a powerful ability as time stop as a free action earlier than level 20 though. I'll have to think about this.


• Impenetrable Illusion needs some clarification. The way it's written, it's absolutely impossible to ever see through your illusions. I think what you want is to stop people from magically seeing through them, which is cool. But make sure to mention that people can still see through them with Spot checks and interaction and so on. Because the wording is really bad right now.

Hehe yeah, it really is. You got it though, I don't want people to see through the illusions via magic (aka True Seeing) but mundane means are fine. I'll try and reword it.


• The rate of acquisition of surge points is weird. Please make it predictable like (+1, +0, +1, +0...), (+1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +0...) instead of (+1, +0, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1, +0, +1, +1, +1). That's just counter-intuitive to change rates like that in the middle of the class. It seems like it was only written like that to fill dead levels. The correct solution is to write class features for the dead levels and stick with a predictable rate of gain for invocations.

It's actually the 3/4 ratio, with a minor adjustment so that level 1 has an invocation instead of 0. Other than that first level it follows a strict pattern.


• Indigo flames describes fire covering your weapon, but just increases the regular damage. It should probably do extra fire damage.

It's arcane energy so it's not fire damage. I could change the descriptive text to make it more clear though.


• There's no reason for deflection to have a cap on it. Having a +6 to AC at level 12 against a single attack is not a problem at all, nor is a +10 to AC at level 20.

I'm wary of having no cap because, to my knowledge, this class would then have an easy method of boosting its AC higher than any other single class that I know of. I'll change it if I'm mistaken.


• Please alphabetize your invocations and have a list at the start with a description of each for reference. In addition, you might want to think about having different levels of invocations, even using the same divisions as a warlock's invocations if you write enough of them. That lets you write more interesting and relevant ones at higher levels (least, lesser, greater, dark).

I'll alphabetize them, good call.

I guess I could make divisions. I initially wanted to do away with categories for simplicity's sake and make every invocation scale with level but it hampers my ability to churn them out.


• Also, as a general rule you should aim for three possible options for every choice the character makes (that lets you have two characters of the same class with no overlapping abilities who aren't forced into any choice by default). That means you should be aiming for 45 different invocations. Again, separating them into different tiers will make it a lot easier to write them.

I'll aim for that. With your suggestion of non-combat / utility invocations I can really start expanding.


• I'm also kind of really disappointed that you don't get any abilities to make standard illusions. Everything is focused relentlessly on combat applications, which is kind of a shame. Illusion magic is some of the coolest in the game to use outside of combat, and there's really nothing here to let you do that. Even something as mundane as silent image is awesome because there are so many applications for it.

I'll start work on those utility invocations.


• You've got at least one instance of 'Blue Flame Tempest', presumably from an older version.

Fixing!


As I mentioned above, I love the idea and think it's got lots of possibilities. I hope my suggestions are helpful.

Nice work! :smallsmile:

You've helped a great deal! I really appreciate the time you took to make these classes better. Thank you very much! :smallsmile:



I won't have all the changes done tonight, but I'll try to get as much as I can done tommorrow.


EDIT: Initial number crunching shows that my initial surge costs were too high pre ~lvl 16. I lowered them accordingly. Playtesting is the only way to know for sure though.

Tacitus
2011-05-21, 03:50 AM
On Deflection, compare to Wings of Cover, a 2nd level sorcerer spell. Not quite at will, but it grants cover against one attack, essentially making one attack entirely useless. +1/2lvl to AC of a type you are probably going to want to get an item of anyway isn't all that great. Removing the cap actually lets it stay relevant at high levels because it'll surpass your item or that Shield of Faith the cleric gave you.

Hmm... why not keep them as one class with the Full BAB and 6+Skills, but offer two different Paths? I could see one path that uses speed and agility to leave behind after-images and flurries of attack while the other is more of a brute force swarm-monger.

I can totally see sending illusory duplicates to their deaths as a means of trapfinding or staving off vampires (http://flakypastry.runningwithpencils.com/comic.php?strip_id=175). XD

Hmm, I didn't see it, but would you consider an ability that lets you overcome uncanny dodge and other means of becoming immune to flanking? Say add your intelligence to your effective rogue level to bypass the no-flank bit and maybe a surge ability or invocation to negate All-Around Vision and Foresight? Specifically thinking of Lowered Guard with this.

Dead_Jester
2011-05-21, 07:05 AM
Before I start, I have to say that I like this class, and I find to premise very interesting, and it's nice to see some TWF love once in a while.

However. I have to agree with the others here, these could easily be a single without radically shattering the balance, and twf with 3/4 bab almost always degenerates into a flurry of misses. And people don't dislike seeing lots of class features, they dislike dead level. That's why wizard, sorcerer and clerics are never played passed 5th level if one can avoid it, and why fighter is a 4 level class unless one goes the dungeoncrasher route, because people want to get something more than just more/bigger numbers at every level.

Also, the capstone is pretty weak, as pretty much everybody who wants can get pounce (and whirling frenzy/rage while they're at it) for a 1 level dip into barbarian. As written, it is mechanically almost always better to take that 1st level of barbarian instead of a 20th level, and it can be taken at any time.

As for the armor bonus being too high, remember that they can only use light armor (losing more or less 2 to 3 points of AC) and that not only does AC become less and less important as the character levels (more mobs target saves instead), but most monster's attack bonus scales much master than AC reliably can. I'd even recommend adding some source of miss chance (blur like effect maybe?) as an invocation.

And as for arcane alactricity being too powerful with a full attack, warblades can do it at level 17, and with Raging Mongoose added in for even more attacks (or heck, revenant blade gets timestop, but better, at 20th level for one round and still get Raging Mongoose or Time Stand Still).

EDIT: You might also want to let both these classes count as rogues for the purpose of bypassing uncanny dodge.

Dralnu
2011-05-21, 03:17 PM
On Deflection, compare to Wings of Cover, a 2nd level sorcerer spell. Not quite at will, but it grants cover against one attack, essentially making one attack entirely useless. +1/2lvl to AC of a type you are probably going to want to get an item of anyway isn't all that great. Removing the cap actually lets it stay relevant at high levels because it'll surpass your item or that Shield of Faith the cleric gave you.

Good point. Removed the cap.


Hmm... why not keep them as one class with the Full BAB and 6+Skills, but offer two different Paths? I could see one path that uses speed and agility to leave behind after-images and flurries of attack while the other is more of a brute force swarm-monger.

I can totally see sending illusory duplicates to their deaths as a means of trapfinding or staving off vampires (http://flakypastry.runningwithpencils.com/comic.php?strip_id=175). XD

I merged the two classes into one. I've divided the invocations into two categories: combat and utility. I added Silent/Major Image to the utility section to do just that.


Hmm, I didn't see it, but would you consider an ability that lets you overcome uncanny dodge and other means of becoming immune to flanking? Say add your intelligence to your effective rogue level to bypass the no-flank bit and maybe a surge ability or invocation to negate All-Around Vision and Foresight? Specifically thinking of Lowered Guard with this.

Good idea. I added Trickster's Savvy and Supreme Flank to help overcome both of these.


Also, the capstone is pretty weak, as pretty much everybody who wants can get pounce (and whirling frenzy/rage while they're at it) for a 1 level dip into barbarian. As written, it is mechanically almost always better to take that 1st level of barbarian instead of a 20th level, and it can be taken at any time.

You're right, it's weak. I swapped it out for Arcane Alarcity for now until I can think of a better capstone. One of my invocations actually gives pounce to avoid the barbarian dip thing.


And as for arcane alactricity being too powerful with a full attack, warblades can do it at level 17, and with Raging Mongoose added in for even more attacks (or heck, revenant blade gets timestop, but better, at 20th level for one round and still get Raging Mongoose or Time Stand Still).

I should mention that I'm aiming for a middle tier 3 class and want its raw damage output to be lower than what a warblade can do. After all, the warblade does only a single thing (damage) to the exclusion of everything else and it's practically the upper limit of fighter perfection. This class has a bit more tricks and utility.

You're probably right though. The capstone remains there as a placeholder until I can find a suitable replacement.


Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate the help.

EDIT:

I'd even recommend adding some source of miss chance (blur like effect maybe?) as an invocation.

Missed that. Good call! Adding one that gives Blur and, at higher levels, Blink.

Tacitus
2011-05-21, 04:02 PM
Hmm, how about an invocation that duplicates your foes? It might not be quite so deceitful, but pulling a dragon out of your hat to go toe to toe with that Red chasing you doesn't seem like much of a stretch.

Also, no Invisibility invocation?

A Silence invocation might also be useful.

A means by which to gain flight might also be useful. Phantasmal Steed being the easiest, but not everyone wants to be mounted. Phantasmal wings could be interesting.

Phantasmal Killer would probably be too strong, but I could see Color Spray, especially if you broke up the invocations into different grades and made it the second grade or something. Maybe a bigger one for the prismatic line.

Then again, that starts going off into a direction thats more just any illusion and not images and stabbity-fun focused. So, you can probably ignore half of that. >.>

Dralnu
2011-05-21, 05:45 PM
Hmm, how about an invocation that duplicates your foes? It might not be quite so deceitful, but pulling a dragon out of your hat to go toe to toe with that Red chasing you doesn't seem like much of a stretch.

That sounds awesome :smallbiggrin:


Also, no Invisibility invocation?

On it.


A Silence invocation might also be useful.

You just gave me a devious idea for this. Rough idea: baleful transposition + enemy is silenced. Surged, targets swap appearances as disguise self. Enemy wizard is stabbed mercilessly by his buddies.


A means by which to gain flight might also be useful. Phantasmal Steed being the easiest, but not everyone wants to be mounted. Phantasmal wings could be interesting.

It does need some way to hit flyers, yes. Though you could easily make a thrown-weapon fighter with this class, melee would be left out in the cold. I'd like something original and somewhat restrictive if I add flight though. Will brainstorm.


Phantasmal Killer would probably be too strong, but I could see Color Spray, especially if you broke up the invocations into different grades and made it the second grade or something. Maybe a bigger one for the prismatic line.

Then again, that starts going off into a direction thats more just any illusion and not images and stabbity-fun focused. So, you can probably ignore half of that. >.>

I could certainly expand the invocations to encompass all parts of the illusion school of magic. It doesn't even need to stick to just that either, so long as the class keeps its theme.

Thank you for the continued help!


So it seems that I'll inevitably have to go for a grade system with the invocations like the warlock. That means chopping up my current invocations and fitting them in the grades. I'll set to work on that now. Also, I'm merging the invocations back into one category. The line is too blurry between the two for some abilities.

Dralnu
2011-05-22, 12:45 AM
Alright, things are shaping up now! Did a major overhaul, standardized the invocation system, 25+ invocations created. Suggestions to fill out the invocation roster welcomed!

Ravens_cry
2011-05-22, 12:49 AM
With a name like Indigo Trickster, I expected something to do with Incarnum. Intriguing nonetheless.

Dralnu
2011-05-22, 11:54 AM
With a name like Indigo Trickster, I expected something to do with Incarnum. Intriguing nonetheless.

I have very little knowledge about Incarnum, I just added Indigo as a small reference to blue magic from Magic: The Gathering. Is the name easily confused with Incarnum? I could change it.

Tacitus
2011-05-22, 12:26 PM
Need to change it? No. Should you change it? Thats entirely up to you. Though, don't let what has come before stifle your creativity or make you change something you don't want to.

For reference, Incarnum has a really big thing for the color blue. Azure, Cerulean, Indigo, Sapphire. All used in the names of feats, the latter of which is also included in a PrC name. Hell, the Incarnum Humans have blue tinted eyes, the lawful incarnum race has blue spines on their arms and legs, the chaotic incarnum race has blue (or sometimes red) scales on their necks and forearms, and the incarnum fey has blue skin and fur. Everything is blue.

Dralnu
2011-05-24, 01:25 PM
I got my hands on a copy of Magic of Incarnum, and you're right. Everything. Is. Blue. That's a bit unfortunate. I can't think of a suitable replacement name yet. I initially wanted it to be called "Arcane Trickster," but yeeeeah.. If a suitable name comes up then I can change it.

I made a substantial update to the class. The invocation list is now at 51. I added a new feat for the class so they can acquire more least invocations before they can qualify for Extra Invocation. I added some skillmonkey invocations that the player can invest in at the cost of combat options. I pillaged the warlock/DA list for some suitable invocation overlap. I also nerfed "Lowered Guard" ability so it only affects AC. It lets you hit things easier so you get surge points more consistently.

I reworked the capstone. Now, once per encounter, you can take a bajillion swift actions. Congrats at being level 20 and snapping the action economy like a twig!

What do you guys think?

DracoDei
2011-05-24, 02:37 PM
Started to read through the invocations (didn't get further than the bit that gives them invocations in the first post of the class). "Rogues Cunning" could be argued to persist in its effects even after being swapped out for another invocation (but it could be dispelled?). I would say if you swap it out then you keep the disable device ranks (but it doesn't count as a class skill for adding more, meaning you have to double your total class levels before you can add any more skill points), and you lose Trapfinding. Alternatively just say that it CAN'T be swapped out.

Dralnu
2011-05-24, 03:17 PM
Thanks for the feedback!

As a supernatural ability, Rogue's Cunning can be dispelled or suppressed in an Anti-Magic Field. I added this to it:
"Unlike other invocations, you cannot replace this invocation once you have learned it."

Shade Kerrin
2011-05-24, 11:51 PM
One thing I have to note is the 13th level anti-illusion feature. While it is a nice ability, it falls into the field of absolutes that plague D&D(Freedom of movement vs grapplers, normal illusions vs True Seeing)

Somewhat similar abilities may be gained via a feat(Insidious Casting, FRCS), or via 3 levels in a PrC(Wizard of High Sorcery, DRCS, IIRC). In both examples, however, they force a CL that would by default have a 50/50 success rate from an equally powerful opponent(And since both parties are equally capable of pumping CL, it typically remains that way), which would probably be a fairer approach to the ability.

Dralnu
2011-05-25, 03:53 PM
You're right, absolutes are problematic. I changed Impenetrable Illusions to mimic Insidious Casting so it's more fair. I also removed "Supreme Flank" and replaced it with "Supreme Two-Weapon Fighting."

I copied the formatting of DragoonWraith's excellent Invoker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153863) class so there's an easily referenced chart. I also took one of his invocations, Falling Dream, but swapped it from Lesser to Greater for my purposes (I felt it would be too strong as Lesser).

The class isn't done yet, but it's almost there. Probably needs a few more invocations. I just hope it meets my goals of:
1) Fun
2) Not overly complicated
3) Low-to-mid tier 3

normalscreename
2011-05-25, 08:32 PM
If an indigo trickster uses a one-handed weapon and duplicates it with arcane fission, does he take the -4 penalty to attacks due to his off-hand weapon not being light?
Is there any way to get around this short of using only light weapons or buying two different weapons?

Kellus
2011-05-26, 06:33 PM
Your new capstone allows you to use a free action to buy an immediate action. Since free actions can only be used on your turn, that kind of defeats the purpose of getting a new immediate action.

Dralnu
2011-05-26, 08:11 PM
If an indigo trickster uses a one-handed weapon and duplicates it with arcane fission, does he take the -4 penalty to attacks due to his off-hand weapon not being light?
Is there any way to get around this short of using only light weapons or buying two different weapons?

You raise a good issue. I added this sentence to arcane fission:
"The weapon is treated as a light weapon when wielded in your off hand. "


Your new capstone allows you to use a free action to buy an immediate action. Since free actions can only be used on your turn, that kind of defeats the purpose of getting a new immediate action.

Whoops! I switched it from immediate actions to swift actions.

Avalon®
2011-05-27, 11:24 AM
What's the action required to copy a weapon using Arcane Fusion? Is it supposed to be a free action?

Dralnu
2011-05-27, 05:38 PM
What's the action required to copy a weapon using Arcane Fusion? Is it supposed to be a free action?

As the description states, it's a free action to create it. I'm going to move the sentence to be the last one.

Also, I added a badass image to represent the class.

Re'ozul
2011-06-13, 06:04 AM
I like this class very very much an have been trying to play it for a bit now.

However, i am confused by the wording "per half your class level" that turns up several times. From the way it is used i assume it means "per two class levels" aka "times half your class level" but I'd like confirmation.

If this is true, then the indigo Spark/Flame/Inferno line is very very strong (potentially too much). Spark is fine as a damage booster in the lower levels. Flame at level 10 already means a +10 to damage which can be a lot in a full BAB class. Inferno takes the cake for a minimum of 15 damage going as high as 30 at level 20, thats a lot of extra damage.

Other things about invocations:

Least:

Sudden Opportunity: Very strong, but weird. You have full BAB and the enemy has to be dex-less already, and now you get an extra bonus. By that point you probably now have a guaranteed hit.

Lesser:

Arcane Detonation: An immediate action fireball effect, (especially if you use surge and its cheap with required surges) very powerful. The fact that you need to send out the figments before is pretty much the only reason I think this might be still balanced somewhat.

Crashing Wave: Nothing really wrong with this one, but I find it hilarious as i get the image of someone zooming across the battlefield actually leaving trails like a lightbike.

Find the Gap: Yes, yes it appears you just want to have people always hit things. Considering the figments and arcane detonation this will most likely be most enemies on the field unless they have uncanny dodge.

Everything Else looks good, but really the combination of:

FULL BAB
Lowered Guard
Ability to often negate dex
Find the Gap

basically assures a guaranteed hit on nearly every single attack roll (even when dual wielding) later on. It might be a bit much.

Dralnu
2011-06-13, 07:49 PM
I like this class very very much an have been trying to play it for a bit now.

Thanks! I'd love to hear how it goes if you do.


However, i am confused by the wording "per half your class level" that turns up several times. From the way it is used i assume it means "per two class levels" aka "times half your class level" but I'd like confirmation.

This is correct. It's a lingo that is used a lot in WOTC splatbooks, like the warlock.


If this is true, then the indigo Spark/Flame/Inferno line is very very strong (potentially too much). Spark is fine as a damage booster in the lower levels. Flame at level 10 already means a +10 to damage which can be a lot in a full BAB class. Inferno takes the cake for a minimum of 15 damage going as high as 30 at level 20, thats a lot of extra damage.

You're right, that's too much damage. I changed Flame to be +1 per half your class level and Inferno to +1 per class level. Is that still too much?


Sudden Opportunity: Very strong, but weird. You have full BAB and the enemy has to be dex-less already, and now you get an extra bonus. By that point you probably now have a guaranteed hit.

Basically I wanted to give the trickster a method to help guarantee hits because they're taking two-weapon fighting penalties and their invocations depends on hits for fuel. But yeah, it's weirdly worded and almost useless until you can take more than one swift action.



Arcane Detonation: An immediate action fireball effect, (especially if you use surge and its cheap with required surges) very powerful. The fact that you need to send out the figments before is pretty much the only reason I think this might be still balanced somewhat.

I can see how it's pushing it. I don't think the damage is too high, but I removed the ally immunity and lowered the radius to 15ft.


Crashing Wave: Nothing really wrong with this one, but I find it hilarious as i get the image of someone zooming across the battlefield actually leaving trails like a lightbike.

This one's actually my second favorite invocation. TWFs desperately need Pounce so here it is. The second part though is based off some obscure spell that I swear I've seen in some splatbook but cannot for the life of me find. The spell was Sorc/Wiz 4 Evocation (I think) that turned you into a Lightning Bolt and you were instantly transported to the end of the bolt. So stylish!


Find the Gap: Yes, yes it appears you just want to have people always hit things. Considering the figments and arcane detonation this will most likely be most enemies on the field unless they have uncanny dodge.

Everything Else looks good, but really the combination of:

FULL BAB
Lowered Guard
Ability to often negate dex
Find the Gap

basically assures a guaranteed hit on nearly every single attack roll (even when dual wielding) later on. It might be a bit much.


I don't think having a high chance of hitting your target with all of your attacks is overpowered. I'm actually balancing surge activation costs based on the idea that you're hitting very consistently, since it's harder to balance around an inconsistent variable. So with a high hit chance being a given of the class, I want to see if the rest of the abilities are too powerful when added to that.

Thanks for the feedback! I always appreciate it.


EDIT: Hm, fixing up Sudden Opportunity / Find the Gap has me a little stumped. I'll have to think about those.

Dralnu
2011-06-13, 11:52 PM
I nerfed Arcane Detonation further. Tell me what you think of the new version.

Arcane Detonation
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 60ft.
Target: Your figment
Duration: Instantaneous

You charge your illusion with volatile arcane power just as your opponent destroys it, causing it to explode in a dazzling display of blue energy.

You may use this invocation when one of your figments have been destroyed. The illusion creates an explosion with a radius of 15ft. Anyone within this radius take 3d6 damage and is denied their Dexterity bonus to their AC until the beginning of their next round. Reflex save halves this damage. You and your allies are immune to this effect.

Surge 2+: For every 2 surge points spent, the blast damage is increased by +1d6 and the radius is increased by +5ft.

DracoDei
2011-06-14, 02:28 AM
Haven't really looked at the class (yet?), but I would think that the save should negate the "Dex. Denied" thing.

Re'ozul
2011-06-14, 04:18 PM
It looks fine now. The 2 surge points per d6 might have been enough on its own. The increasing area is good but might prove problematic if the DM enforces the weird "area spells cut off at range limit" rule that apparently can create half circle fireballs and such. The area can still be huge, but nearly no one will ever amass that many surge points only to spend them all in one ability, outside of theoretical calculations or to annoy the DM.

That said, I find myself itching to give more of my impressions about the class.
So here goes:

However, I am not particularly experienced in asessing balance and power so my opinion might not be in line with that of the more experienced homebrewers.

Class Role: Controler/secondary fighter
Its hard to figure out for me. There is a d8 and Full BAB but only a good reflex save. Some of the invocations can make you a formidable damage dealer but the low fort and will will temper any dreams about being the big tough guy. Its a very solid support fighter and screams trickster in a good way.

Skills: Virtually everything it gives the impression to need. The absence of Disable device i weird at first, but the mechannic of aquiring it later if you need it is fun and actually makes it have an impact. One thing I find missing is Sense Motive. For a class that is all about breaking the enemies composure, it would make sense to include a way to better analyse their behaviour.
Skillpoints on the other hand are generous considering this is a class that relies on Int as the secondary skill.

Arcane Surge: A fun mechanic, especially since it doesn't need the denied dexmod everything else is all about. With dual wielding and the assorted increases in hit chance you can very much rack up a lot of them easily. I would however confine it to melee weapons or define "attack" more precisely since otherwise you can rack up surge points by shooting things with a splitting bow like crazy.

Invocations: I like the Level scaling as I prefer it over "equivalent" spell levels. It makes least invocations still be effective later on. The amount you get however is a bit weird. you get 4 of each of the higher ones, but only 3 of the least. Personally, I would bump least invocations up to 5 (1 for the first 5 levels each) since rogue-alikes will pay one as a tax already and there are several good utility ones whereas many of the powerful ones will be exchanged later anyway. I don't think it would skew the power much.

Quick to act: Unnamed Initiative bonus on a roguelike class? Very much yes. Its low enough to not be too poerful but enough to make a nice impact.

Detect Magic: I am not really complaining about it, but it feels a bit out of place. Its a remnant of the warlock base concept. But even after several attempts to find something else, I can't think of anything better.

AC Bonus: Great, unnamed Bonus to AC is always welcome. The conditions fit well, but are kind of obviously coincidental with a dex-heavy class.

Two weapon fighting chain: By giving away these feats for free, the decision to use TWF becomes much easier and makes it a lot more fun. Including this was a great decision.

Lowered Guard: This is interesting, but potentially very powerful. It is basically an unnamed penalty to AC, which means it applies always, so also against touch attacks. This will make the character a boon for both the heavy hitters as well as the blasters in a group. But you'll have to keep track which enemies are denied their dex by an effect you did and which by someone else's attack.

Arcane Fission: This is the absolute best thing that can happen for a TWF character. You no longer have to worry about WBL problems, you can just create more weapons. This also makes it an instant possibility to throw weapons without problems. The only weird think is the clause that it becomes a light weapon in the off hand. Can you make a copy of a copy? If you hold a Greatsword (you can hold it just not fight effectively) then copy it into the off-hand (free action) drop the greatsword (free action) and copy the copy into the main hand (free action) you are now wielding two greatswords that count as light weapons.:smallbiggrin:
I know this isn't really possible but the image is hilarious.

Trickster's Savvy: Very nice, but considering how easily you can deny dex-mods at this point its a minor bonus. Still very nice though.

Evasion: Standard and always useful, not much to add here.

Uncanny Agility: Considering this is about the time when you can really do things with immediate actions this is very very good. It can also make the character a frightening thing in-game when he can utterly destroy any plan even when its not his turn, very nice.

Impenetrable Illusions: This one is great especially for the "switch with enemy invocation". It is especially awesome if you use said invocation on allys before a fight and suddenly everyone in the party is someone else as what appears to be the wizard suddenly charges the enemy, confusion ahoy. This increases the trickster appeal by a lot.

Improved evasion: same as with evasion.

Supreme Two-Weapon Fighting: Why does this have its own entry? Still, its awesome, you now have 8 attacks, thats 8 potential surge points before AoOs and figment abuse. You are a whirlwind of activity now.

Arcane Alarcity: Is it swift or immediate? Either way it allows you to spam once per encounter usually to go nova when you hit 20 surge points. Awesome.

I'll go into invocations in the next post.

Dralnu
2011-06-15, 01:32 AM
Haven't really looked at the class (yet?), but I would think that the save should negate the "Dex. Denied" thing.

I'd rather keep it as a guaranteed Dex Denied. It requires someone actively destroying your figment before you can make it explode and then be within the radius, and it eats up your precious swift action for the round.


It looks fine now. The 2 surge points per d6 might have been enough on its own. The increasing area is good but might prove problematic if the DM enforces the weird "area spells cut off at range limit" rule that apparently can create half circle fireballs and such. The area can still be huge, but nearly no one will ever amass that many surge points only to spend them all in one ability, outside of theoretical calculations or to annoy the DM.

I changed the radius to 10ft. with each 2 surge points increasing by +10ft. At level 6, assuming you've successfully hit 6 times previously in the encounter (aka two full attacks most likely), you can use all your points do an immediate action fireball with a radius of 40ft, 6d6 damage, and Dex Denial which you and allies are immune to. That should make the invocation easier to understand and hopefully more balanced. If it's not strong enough I'll make the radius a fixed 30ft. again with surge points only increasing damage.


Class Role: Controler/secondary fighter
Its hard to figure out for me. There is a d8 and Full BAB but only a good reflex save. Some of the invocations can make you a formidable damage dealer but the low fort and will will temper any dreams about being the big tough guy. Its a very solid support fighter and screams trickster in a good way.

That's what I'm going for. A powerful support fighter who is hard to hit, but isn't able to take a beating as well as a frontline fighter or barbarian.


Skills: Virtually everything it gives the impression to need. The absence of Disable device i weird at first, but the mechannic of aquiring it later if you need it is fun and actually makes it have an impact. One thing I find missing is Sense Motive. For a class that is all about breaking the enemies composure, it would make sense to include a way to better analyse their behaviour.

Good call. I've added Sense Motive.


Skillpoints on the other hand are generous considering this is a class that relies on Int as the secondary skill.

I was aiming for a ranger / spellthief / swordsage level of skillmonkey with the option of being more rogue-like at the expense of an invocation slot. None of those have INT as an important stat though. Should I lower it to 4 + INT?


Arcane Surge: A fun mechanic, especially since it doesn't need the denied dexmod everything else is all about. With dual wielding and the assorted increases in hit chance you can very much rack up a lot of them easily. I would however confine it to melee weapons or define "attack" more precisely since otherwise you can rack up surge points by shooting things with a splitting bow like crazy.

I've clarified it so it's either a melee or thrown weapon.


Invocations: I like the Level scaling as I prefer it over "equivalent" spell levels. It makes least invocations still be effective later on. The amount you get however is a bit weird. you get 4 of each of the higher ones, but only 3 of the least. Personally, I would bump least invocations up to 5 (1 for the first 5 levels each) since rogue-alikes will pay one as a tax already and there are several good utility ones whereas many of the powerful ones will be exchanged later anyway. I don't think it would skew the power much.

I followed 3/4 BAB progression with one adjustment for level 1. It's at least one invocation too little though so I made the Indigo Aptitude feat to address that.

EDIT: I decided to change it so you get 5 invocations in the first 5 levels, which brings it in line with the other grades.


Detect Magic: I am not really complaining about it, but it feels a bit out of place. Its a remnant of the warlock base concept. But even after several attempts to find something else, I can't think of anything better.

It's from the spellthief too, and to some extent also the swordsage. It's helpful for parties and fits the arcane fluff.


Lowered Guard: This is interesting, but potentially very powerful. It is basically an unnamed penalty to AC, which means it applies always, so also against touch attacks. This will make the character a boon for both the heavy hitters as well as the blasters in a group. But you'll have to keep track which enemies are denied their dex by an effect you did and which by someone else's attack.

It's a holdover from when the class was two different classes and I merged them. I'm leaning towards removing it entirely because you always get a new invocation on those levels anyway. I'd rather not overcomplicate the class.


Arcane Alarcity: Is it swift or immediate? Either way it allows you to spam once per encounter usually to go nova when you hit 20 surge points. Awesome.

It's actually a mistake on both this and Uncanny Agility. Both are supposed to be another swift or immediate action.


Arcane Fission: This is the absolute best thing that can happen for a TWF character. You no longer have to worry about WBL problems, you can just create more weapons. This also makes it an instant possibility to throw weapons without problems. The only weird think is the clause that it becomes a light weapon in the off hand. Can you make a copy of a copy? If you hold a Greatsword (you can hold it just not fight effectively) then copy it into the off-hand (free action) drop the greatsword (free action) and copy the copy into the main hand (free action) you are now wielding two greatswords that count as light weapons.:smallbiggrin:
I know this isn't really possible but the image is hilarious.

Yeah, I didn't like how little support there is for thrown weapons so I wanted to make sure that your dual wielding dagger throwers got love here. The base class could work well with the Master Thrower PrC.

The clause was made when it was pointed out that if they duplicate their weapon for dual-wielding then they'll be suffering further TWF'ing penalties if it isn't a light weapon. It's not intended to let you copy a copy, though it's not a big deal anyway.


Thanks for the feedback! You have very insightful suggestions.

Dralnu
2011-07-23, 06:31 PM
Did a playtest from level 1 to 3. The Phantom Assailant line now resolves attacks as touch attacks. Added Master of Disguise and Fool You Twice invocations. Clarified the description for Arcane Fission. Added multiclass options.

Any final critiques/suggestions/additions before I call this class finished?

Qwertystop
2011-07-23, 08:55 PM
This looks really interesting. Also, the quote under the picture reminds me of Nanase from El Goonish Shive. That association was actually what got me to read this, and even though it is otherwise very different, it's still great AFAICT.

Amechra
2011-07-23, 08:58 PM
As I have said before, very nice.

Also, can I use a bit of this class in my entry for the current Base Class competition? I have a Discovery (basically an invocation) that grants cross-class Arcane Surge points, and then a later Discovery that grants a single invocation from this class' list.

So can I, please?

Dralnu
2011-07-23, 09:54 PM
Thanks for the compliments. Of course you may use any elements of this class. Best of luck in the competition!

eftexar
2011-07-23, 11:48 PM
Arcane Fission is pretty cool. It beats having to enchant two weapons and is one of the few two-weapon abilities I have seen that are useful.
Arcane surge actually sort of reminds me of an adrenaline feature I created once. I really like the idea of fighting in itself granting power, because, unlike many systems, it means you don't lose power as you continue in a fight, but become more powerful as you get more into the fight.
I do have a question about the surges though. Do you plan on adding surges to the rest of the invocations (including ones that already existed before)? Or were you planning for some invocations to lack surges? I just wonder how useful arcane surge will be if only some effects have surges, especially if a player makes a build that uses more of the invocations without surges than with them.
You might also want to add abilities to the 18th and 19th levels.
Other than that the class seems pretty balanced and is definitely a solid build.

Dralnu
2011-07-24, 06:58 PM
I don't plan on adding the surge option to every invocation. Many of them are direct imports of published invocations and I don't want to mess with them. Others I feel either don't make sense to have a surge option or I simply can't think of one.

Levels 18-19 could have abilities but I'm drawing a blank on what to add. It's not so bad though, because both those levels gain a new dark invocation.

I'll think about new surge options and class abilities. Same goes for new invocation options. Any suggestions are always welcome too.

Hazzardevil
2011-08-06, 02:03 PM
Hers my suggestion for level 17 and 18 ability's.
For level 17, something about Mobility.
How about when you full attack something, for every 2 attacks you succeed on, you can teleport yourself 5 ft at the end of the attack.

For level 18, what about you can spend 2 surge points per effective level of the Invocation to quicken it?
2 elegant, ability's, and seeing as compared to a fighter or Crusader, they can take hits better than the Indigo Trickster, so maybe they should have ability' to help them throw out defensive invocations faster and avoid hits, since part of the reason the Dervish is so powerful is because it can last longer in fights melee-on-melee.

eftexar
2011-08-06, 03:18 PM
I second your teleportation ability hazzardevil, but I would rather have another two-weapon ability of some sort for the other ability, and preferably something as awesome as arcane fission.

Amechra
2011-08-06, 09:24 PM
Twin Dervish: An Indigo Trickster isn't confined to simple tricks with held weapons, not anymore. At 19th level, an Indigo Trickster may spend 4 Surge Points to duplicate the effects of a Steeldance spell, except the swords may make a number of attacks equal to the number they are normally capable of.

(Steeldance effectively makes animates two bladed weapons and has them "Ride" on you. You can wield another pair of weapons, of course.)

eftexar
2011-08-06, 09:33 PM
Its not just duel wielding. Its quad-wielding. Sorry, too awesome to pass up a ridiculous comment.
Anyways it would need some modifications because this is not a sorcerer or a wizard. The question is, is whether or not you treat the attack roll and damage roll like you do in the spell, if you default to the normal method of melee attacks, or if you would tweak that in some other way.

Amechra
2011-08-06, 10:36 PM
Well, my suggestion is have the floating swords attack as if your BAB was reduced by 5, so that the attack sequence would look like:
+20/+20/+15/+15/+15/+15/+10/+10/+10/+10/+5/+5/+5/+5, for a total of 14 attacks.

Either that or, instead of quad-wielding (if that is too silly), how about the following:
Each time you attack, you may spend 1 Surge Point. If you do, roll the attack twice, and consult the following table:

{table]|Didn't Hit|Would Have Hit Touch AC|Hit Target AC|Threatened a Critical|Natural Twenty

Didn't Hit|Miss|Miss|Hit|Hit|Threaten a Critical

Would Have Hit Touch AC|Miss|Hit|Hit|Threaten a Critical|Critical

Hit Target AC|Hit|Hit|Threaten Critical|Critical|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points

Threatened A Critical|Hit|Threaten a Critical|Critical|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points, Attack again at the same bonus (Cannot reuse this ability)

Natural Twenty|Threaten a Critical|Critical|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points, Attack again at the same bonus (Cannot reuse this ability)|Opponent Dies, your Surge Point amount is filled up.[/table]

Basically, you have a potential for AWESOME payout with this ability.

(Yes, Quad-Wielding is probably less powerful)

Hazzardevil
2011-08-07, 04:03 AM
{table]|Didn't Hit|Would Have Hit Touch AC|Hit Target AC|Threatened a Critical|Natural Twenty

Didn't Hit|Miss|Miss|Hit|Hit|Threaten a Critical

Would Have Hit Touch AC|Miss|Hit|Hit|Threaten a Critical|Critical

Hit Target AC|Hit|Hit|Threaten Critical|Critical|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points

Threatened A Critical|Hit|Threaten a Critical|Critical|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points, Attack again at the same bonus (Cannot reuse this ability)

Natural Twenty|Threaten a Critical|Critical|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points|Critical, Gain 1d4 Surge Points, Attack again at the same bonus (Cannot reuse this ability)|Opponent Dies, your Surge Point amount is filled up.[/table]


Bows down and kisses feet of table master.
Can I take Apprentice Tablemaker for Craft (Table-making) as a class skill?

Amechra
2011-08-07, 10:26 AM
Well, I don't know about Apprentice: Tablemaker; I have levels in Expert, so I did take it as one of my class skills...

Dralnu
2011-08-08, 03:33 PM
What I'm aiming for with the class abilities are simple "quality of life" upgrades that don't drastically raise the class' power level. Uncanny Agility (middle) and Limit Break (cap) are the most notable exceptions, but other than that I want the class abilities to be fairly tame while the true power selection is in the invocation list. I'm concerned that the indigo trickster's raw damage potential is getting too close to a warblade's.

All these suggestions are great, but Hazzardevil's fits what I want the most. Amechra's suggestions look like something I can weave into new invocations. I can't let that awesome table go to waste. Where's steel dance from?

EDIT: On second thought, I've decided to leave 18 and 19 "blank." You already get a new dark invocation for both levels and 18 is a new feat which can mean another greater invocation a la Extra Invocation from Complete Arcane. I'm happy with how the table looks right now. Unless the indigo trickster didn't reach my goal of low/mid tier 3, any further additions will be in the form of new invocations.

Amechra
2011-08-08, 04:25 PM
I think Steel Dance is in the Spell Compendium, iirc.

Hazzardevil
2011-08-08, 04:30 PM
EDIT: On second thought, I've decided to leave 18 and 19 "blank." You already get a new dark invocation for both levels and 18 is a new feat which can mean another greater invocation a la Extra Invocation from Complete Arcane. I'm happy with how the table looks right now. Unless the indigo trickster didn't reach my goal of low/mid tier 3, any further additions will be in the form of new invocations.

I would just like to say that's the reasoning that got the bard so many Dead levels.



I second your teleportation ability hazzardevil, but I would rather have another two-weapon ability of some sort for the other ability, and preferably something as awesome as arcane fission.

While my first suggestion isn't two-weapon fighting exclusive, it benefits two-weapon fighting more than two-handed fighting since they get more attacks.

Qwertystop
2011-08-09, 07:35 AM
I would just like to say that's the reasoning that got the bard so many Dead levels.

Yeah, the normal feats everyone gets should not be counted as enough to allow a dead level. I think the bonus of New Dark Invocation should only be counted if its the first Dark one. Otherwise all the levels from 16 on could be dead.

Dralnu
2011-08-09, 03:23 PM
Okay, you're right about normal feats shouldn't count. But Warblade, possibly the best melee class in existence, has 8 dead levels, and he gets 17 maneuvers+stances opposed to the trickster's 16 invocations, and the invocations are stronger on the whole. The trickster only has 2 dead levels so far.

I'll put in the teleport ability but not the quicken one yet. I've been warming up to the teleport idea when a player told me that it would be a really neat for a dual wielding dagger thrower.

I'm also trying to decide whether the invocations should be spell-like abilities or supernatural. I want it to conform as closely with the other invokers as possible and I definitely want the invocations to be dispellable, but on the other hand many of my new invocations are basically ToB maneuvers and would have issues if they were subject to AoO's like normal spell-like abilities. Also, adding all the "SR: Yes/No" will be a pain. :smallsigh:

Hazzardevil
2011-08-09, 04:52 PM
I have a question about one of your lesser invocations, fool you twice.
Would taking ability focus in it give the DC bonus to all of the options?

Dralnu
2011-08-09, 07:10 PM
I have a question about one of your lesser invocations, fool you twice.
Would taking ability focus in it give the DC bonus to all of the options?

Yes it would.

Hazzardevil
2011-08-10, 02:39 AM
Yes it would.

Thanks! That'll throw my party for a loop.

Dralnu
2011-08-20, 01:41 PM
Added Hazzardevil's suggestions with a small twist:

Unseen Steps (Ex): As you near the end of your path, your arcane magics become so seamlessly tied to your fighting style that the mundane has become magic. Starting at 18th level, for every two successful attacks that you make in a round, you may teleport yourself 5 feet in any direction as by dimension door at the end of the attack.

Did you know that the module Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde has a PrC, Serene Guardian, that also has a mechanic based off 2+ attacks? And it's a really cool PrC too.

Arcane Alarcity (Su): Beginning at 19th level, you learn that energy and speed are one in the same, and apply that knowledge to your invocations. By spending an amount of surge points equal to the invocation's grade, you may change the invocation's casting time to a free action. Least cost 4, Lesser 8, Greater 12, and Dark 16.

I have an active playtest (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201234) going on. The party is Trickster, Warmage, Duskblade, Warblade, and Stormwatcher. My hypothesis is that Duskblade and Warblade will do better damage, the Warmage will have more versatile damage and better AOE, and the Stormwatcher will have better battlefield control. I'm hoping the Trickster can fill the skillmonkey niche but still have a defining role in fights. The class may need buffs in the latter department.

Garryl
2011-08-20, 02:25 PM
Added Hazzardevil's suggestions with a small twist:

Unseen Steps (Ex): As you near the end of your path, your arcane magics become so seamlessly tied to your fighting style that the mundane has become magic. Starting at 18th level, for every two successful attacks that you make in a round, you may teleport yourself 5 feet in any direction as by dimension door at the end of the attack.

Did you know that the module Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde has a PrC, Serene Guardian, that also has a mechanic based off 2+ attacks? And it's a really cool PrC too.

Use greater teleport, not dimension door for the teleportation in Unseen Steps. DDoor makes you lose all remaining actions in your turn, so you wouldn't be able to keep attacking after the teleport.

Yeah, the Serene Guardian is pretty cool. It doesn't do all that much until you get 2 resonance/round, but the automatic Moment of Perfect Mind at 9th is excellent and the no save confusion is a potent attack.

Dralnu
2011-08-20, 02:33 PM
Good catch, fixed.

Yeah it has some good stuff. I was also shocked that a monk PrC had (gasp) full BAB! I'd love to play one.

PrinceOfThieves
2011-08-27, 10:47 PM
Out of curiosity, is there any way for this class to gain the Hideous Blow invocation? I was looking around the boards the other day & this http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105313 seems like a really cool character concept to me. If not, I need to find another way to make this work.

Dralnu
2011-08-28, 01:44 PM
Unfortunately this class doesn't have any blast shape invocations so there's no way that I know of to get Hideous Blow. You would likely need a lvl 1 dip in warlock for it. On the flipside, I think I can help with the sneak attack pre-req. An invocation that grants sneak attack could be a fine addition and fits the rogue theme.

I'm also considering giving the class arcane surge points equal to half your class level at the start of combat and/or bumping Uncanny Agility to an earlier level. Not sure yet.

Morph Bark
2011-08-28, 03:49 PM
Congratulations on a very well-made class there Dralnu. I'm actually so interested in this that I am going to test (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10746581) this class in my current campaign (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192028).

If ye dun mind. :smalltongue:


EDIT: This would mean testing it at level 9-10-11 most likely, across three encounters, considering my group's level.

Dralnu
2011-08-28, 07:42 PM
Oh, neato! That'd be great, thank you! Do you want me to whip up an NPC for you or will you make one on your own?

Morph Bark
2011-08-29, 02:45 AM
Considering I don't really have an idea how they'd exactly fit right in my campaign (though it should be easy, since the Las Vegas-like city my party is in right in the middle of the desert is filled with magic-users, desert-sailing pirates, goblin mafia and secretly an assassin's guild), but mostly because you prolly have a way better idea for feats and builds for them, I would appreciate that a lot! If you simply stat one at level 9, I could just update him/her to level 10/11 when the time requires it. It might take a few weeks to round up the testing, but I'll keep you updated. :smallsmile:

PrinceOfThieves
2011-09-01, 10:31 PM
Is it possible to use Arcane Fission to create daggers for use as ranged weapons?

Hazzardevil
2011-09-02, 05:50 AM
Is it possible to use Arcane Fission to create daggers for use as ranged weapons?

Yes, it works, I've done it.

Twin Dragons
2011-09-02, 06:58 AM
Still looking for a new name for this class?

How about 'Teal Trickster' or 'Turquoise Trickster'?

Dralnu
2011-09-02, 02:25 PM
I've clarified Arcane Fission more:

Arcane Fission (Su): Your battle-focused arcane abilities allow you to wield your favored weapon in both hands by splitting it into two identical weapons. At level 5, if you're holding a melee or ranged weapon in one hand and nothing in an empty hand, you may create a duplicate of the weapon that forms in your empty hand. This duplicate is made of pure arcane energy but otherwise acts identically like the original weapon, including any enchantments and effects the original weapon has except for any limited use abilities. The weapon is treated as a light weapon when wielded in your off hand. The duplicate weapon dissolves into nothing if it's not in your hand by the end of your round, or immediately if anyone else holds it. Creating a duplicate weapon is a free action.

I added a sample encounter, a lvl 9 indigo trickster, along with suggested tactics.

Also a new lesser invocation in the works for PrC qualifying and stuff:

Rogue's Precision
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Permanent

When you use this invocation, you permanently gain +1d6 sneak attack. This is an extraordinary ability.

Unlike other invocations, you cannot replace this invocation once you have learned it.


I was looking for a new name because Incarnum has a monopoly on all shades of blue. I'm sticking with Indigo Trickster now though.

Garryl
2011-09-02, 02:41 PM
Make it instantaneous, so it can't be dispelled. Or make it function only as long as you know it, so you lose the effects if you lose the invocation (level loss, Psychic Reformation, other homebrew stuff you don't know about yet that'll temporarily grant an invocation). That would be better. If you have the chance, I'd suggest changing the few other "permanent" invocations to work like that, too.

Alternatively, how about a new subcategory of invocation-like abilities that can be selected as invocations and count as invocations, but function permanently like class features and can't be traded. That way the invocation-like invocations won't get mixed up with ability-like invocation-things. Trading out already happens, but people do crazy things. I know Amechra had a homebrew that traded stances to temporarily gain invocations, and this would be like a free +1d6 sneak attack for a class like that (get it temporarily, use it, then lose it). It's best to nip those potential problems in the bud.

Give them a distinct name (Eldritch/Indigo Talent, maybe?) and rather than directly treating them as invocations, let Indigo Tricksters and other invocation-users select them in place of new invocations. Scratch that, it's too complicated to implement. Better to go with a "while you know it" kind of thing as I mentioned above.

Any reason you can't leave this as a 24 hour kind of thing like most other invocations? If it's a qualification for feats/PrCs issue, that would make sense to leave it as an omnipresent "class feature" instead of a spell effect.

Amechra
2011-09-02, 04:25 PM
If you check the newest update, they no longer swap out for Invocations; instead they swap out for the benefits of certain Soulmelds (Soulspeaker Circlet just felt like an awesome "stance" to me, along with stuff like the Necrocarnum Circlet.)

Just as an FYI.

And, oh, I would suggest "Ten-Place Trickster", you know, because they are so many places at once (from their enemies' perspective, of course.)

Dralnu
2011-09-02, 07:54 PM
Make it instantaneous, so it can't be dispelled. Or make it function only as long as you know it, so you lose the effects if you lose the invocation (level loss, Psychic Reformation, other homebrew stuff you don't know about yet that'll temporarily grant an invocation). That would be better. If you have the chance, I'd suggest changing the few other "permanent" invocations to work like that, too.

From what I understand, labeling it as an extraordinary ability makes it undispellable. Also, rather unfortunately, the indigo trickster's invocations are supernatural instead of spell-like abilities, so they can't be dispelled anyway. I'll make the action instantaneous just in case.


Alternatively, how about a new subcategory of invocation-like abilities that can be selected as invocations and count as invocations, but function permanently like class features and can't be traded. That way the invocation-like invocations won't get mixed up with ability-like invocation-things. Trading out already happens, but people do crazy things. I know Amechra had a homebrew that traded stances to temporarily gain invocations, and this would be like a free +1d6 sneak attack for a class like that (get it temporarily, use it, then lose it). It's best to nip those potential problems in the bud.

I could start splitting the invocations into categories but I'm not sure if it's warranted yet. I only have two permanent invocations so far. Also, permanent duration or no, I would think that if you temporarily gain something, you lose it when the duration is over because it was temporary. I'm not 100% sure though so I'll make changes if I'm wrong on this.


Any reason you can't leave this as a 24 hour kind of thing like most other invocations? If it's a qualification for feats/PrCs issue, that would make sense to leave it as an omnipresent "class feature" instead of a spell effect.

It's this way for PrC qualifications. Now that I think about it though, I guess I could make the duration 24hours and it wouldn't mess things up, would it? Does a swordsage with Assassin's Stance qualify for sneak attack requirement PrCs?


And, oh, I would suggest "Ten-Place Trickster", you know, because they are so many places at once (from their enemies' perspective, of course.)

Could you please elaborate? I'm always open for new invocations ideas.

Garryl
2011-09-02, 10:47 PM
Sorry if I was unclear. I meant that if you have a permanent/instantaneous duration on the invocation, temporarily gain the ability to use it (such as Extra Invocation via the Chameleon's floating bonus feat, or with class levels that are later lost to resurrection or negative levels), use the invocation, and then lose the ability to use it, you would still have the effects of it active on you.

Even as extraordinary abilities, permanent effects can be removed. If nothing else, Iron Heart Surge can let you remove it (and you might, hypothetically, be forced to do so if you are dominated). Instantaneous is better for anything that gives you something that cannot be removed or (directly) undone. Just make sure you make it not stack with the effects of previous uses.

Amechra
2011-09-02, 11:58 PM
Well, I was just commenting on the fact that they make so many mirror images as a matter of course; you can literally look like you are "ten places at once", if you play your cards right and pick the right invocations.

Dralnu
2011-09-03, 02:32 PM
Sorry I misunderstood, it was a name change suggestions not an invocation one. I'm keeping it Indigo Trickster though.

I changed the two invocations to Instantaneous with Duration: 24hours. Does that fix it?

Amechra
2011-09-03, 07:14 PM
Then again, it does sound like it would be cool for an invocation that would let you create a bunch of images and then swapping between them as part of an attack action...

(The name, I mean.)

Morph Bark
2011-09-04, 05:05 PM
Sounds like a good Dark invocation.


I was looking for a new name because Incarnum has a monopoly on all shades of blue. I'm sticking with Indigo Trickster now though.

You're not going to add a minor incarnum ability are you? :smallwink:

Dralnu
2011-09-07, 02:46 PM
Then again, it does sound like it would be cool for an invocation that would let you create a bunch of images and then swapping between them as part of an attack action...

(The name, I mean.)

Well, the Phantom Assailant line of invocations make duplicate images of you as a standard or swift action and you can swap between them with Bait n' Switch as a swift or immediate action. So merging the two as a higher level invocation seems like a natural evolution. Something like this for a dark invocation:


Ten-Place Trickster
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/lvl

Nine duplicates of you exits your body. With a grin, they charge at the enemy.

This invocation works as Phantom Mob, except nine figments are produced and the duration for the figments are increased to 1 round per class level.

Surge 1: You may swap places with any of your figments as a free action.

Good for 16th level?



You're not going to add a minor incarnum ability are you?

This prompted me to look at Magic of Incarnum for the first time. I didn't understand everything, but I did find Wolverine in there:
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1691/incarnumwolverine.png



Balance question: I desire this class to be mid/low tier 3, at the ToB range. At the same time, I don't like levels where you don't get a new invocation, so I'm thinking about bumping the invocations known to 20 (1 per level). Would that push this class higher in tier than my goal?

Amechra
2011-09-07, 03:49 PM
I like the invocation; it makes it a nice little "Oh, you know which one is me, right? NOT!" effect, which is what I really want out of life.

Dralnu
2011-09-17, 08:35 PM
So I was procrastinating in the library today and looked over the Spell Compendium for more invocations. There's a crazy amount of awesome spells in there, but many of them are so situational that they're better off as bundled invocations.

I started bundling them together as invocations and made these:

Least

Cat Burglar

This invocation allows you to use Dispel WardSpC p67, Instant LocksmithSpC p124, Instant SearchSpC p124, and Spontaneous SearchSpC p204 as the spells.


Distraction

This invocation allows you to use DistractSpC p69, Distract AssailantSpC p69, and Distracting RaySpC p69 as the spells.

Surge 1: The spell's saving throw DC is increased by 2.



Go When I Tell You

This invocation allows you to use InciteSpC p121, InhibitSpC p123, and Shock and AweSpC p189 as the spells.

Surge 1: The spell's saving throw DC is increased by 2.


Mislead

This invocation allows you to use Cloak PoolSpC p48, Discolor PoolSpC p66, Dead EndSpC p59, and Remove ScentSpC p173 as the spells.


Rogue's Guile

This invocation allows you to use Accelerated MovementSpC p7, CheatSpC p46, Insightful FeintSpC p124, and Sticky FingersSpC p206 as the spells.


Stop Hitting Yourself

This invocation allows you to use BackbiterSpC p23, BacklashSpC p23, and Slapping HandSpC p191 as the spells.

Surge 1: The spell's saving throw DC is increased by 2.


Lesser


Mind Trickery

This invocation allows you to use Delusions of GrandeurSpC p63, Mindless RageSpC p142, Entice GiftSpC p83, and Miser's EnvySpC p142 as the spells.

Surge 2: The spell's saving throw DC is increased by 4.


Cheat Gravity

This invocation allows you to use False GravitySpC p87 as the spell.


Greater


Phantasms

This invocation allows you to use Phantasmal AssailantSpC p154, Phantasmal DecoySpC p155, Phantasmal DisorientationSpC p155, and Phantom FoeSpC p156 as the spells.

Surge 2: The spell's saving throw DC is increased by 4.


Dispelling Veil

This invocation allows you to use Wall of DispellingSpC p233 as the spell.

Dark


Supreme Invisibility

This invocation allows you to use Superior InvisibilitySpC p125 as the spell.

Surge 2: The initiation action is instead a swift action.


The Greatest Illusion

This invocation allows you to use SolipsismSpC p194 as the spell.

Surge 2: The spell's saving throw DC is increased by 4.


Thoughts?

Qwertystop
2011-09-17, 08:54 PM
(lots of new invocations)

Looks pretty cool, but Phantasmal Thief really isn't anything like any of the other Phantasms, and in fact isn't even a Phantasm. It's more of a kleptomaniac Unseen Servant with infinite-yet-limited movespeed (It can get to anything within Close range, including anything in a Bag of Holding as long as the bag itself is in range (no matter how far you'd have to walk inside the bag to get to the thing).

Dralnu
2011-09-17, 09:08 PM
You're right, it doesn't belong. I took that one out. It's a neat spell though so I'll keep trying to fit it into an invocation.

Other spells I've been considering turning into invocations: Shifting Paths 8 p188, Sensory Deprivation 4 p182, Reflective Disguise 2 p171, Illusory Feast 5 p120, Disguise Undead 2 p66, Decoy Image 3 p61, Daggerspell Stance

Also considering making a Shadow themed PrC, as I've been deliberately avoiding shadow illusions so far. Stuff like Shadow Walk would be neat. Also maybe open it up to Divinations too.

Korney
2012-09-26, 01:30 AM
Well this is like, 1 year later, but I heard someone talk about indigo trickster and I came here to check.

Some details that I did not understand very well:


Arcane Surge: [...]You acquire a surge point with each successful attack that you make with a melee or thrown weapon, which you can then use to fuel your surge invocations. These points are stored until you either expend them or until the end of the encounter. The maximum number of surge points that you can store at a time is one per class level. Surge points disappear after five minutes.[...]

It doesn't said it have to be an attack against a creature, or deal damage, so I could earn surge points by hitting the floor?

The last phrases are a bit odd. The surge points last until the end of the encounter or until you expend them, but as you did not add "whatever happens first" then someone pointed it and you added the 5 minutes limit. But if they dissapear when the encounter is over, why do you need the 5 limit rule? That only helps the first thing I pointed, saying I could earn surge point by hitting the floor.

Here is how I would have wrote it:

You acquire a surge point with each successful attack that you make against a creature using a melee or thrown weapon, and deal at least 1 point of damage,which you can then use to fuel your surge invocations. These points are stored until you either expend them or until the end of the encounter, ehatever happens first. The maximum number of surge points that you can store at a time is one per class level.





AC Bonus: Starting at 2nd level, you can add your Intelligence modifier as a bonus to Armor Class, so long as you wear light armor, are unencumbered, and do not use a shield. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed. However, you lose this bonus when you are immobilized or helpless.

Isn't it easier to make the AC bonus a dodge bonus? I say it because of the last Phrase that pretty much define a dodge bonus.



Lowered Guard (Ex): Cracks in your enemies' defenses appear when you surprise them, which you and your allies can further exploit. Starting at level 4, Enemies that are denied their dexterity bonus by you take a -1 penalty to their AC until the beginning of your next turn. This penalty increases by 1 at level 8, 12, 16, and 20.

Does that mean that if I am invisible for a target, everyone else got +1 to hit it? Even if I don't attack him?

Shouldn't it be: Enemies you attack that have lost their Dex bonus against you suffer a -1 AC penalty until the beginning of your next turn.
Or if you preffer "enemies that you threaten", depending on your idea of the ability.

Some description suggestions:


Arcane Fission (Su): Your battle-focused arcane abilities allow you to wield your favored weapon in both hands by splitting it into two identical weapons. At level 5, if you're holding a melee or ranged weapon you are competent with in one hand and nothing in an empty hand your other hand, you may create a duplicate of the weapon that forms in your empty hand. This duplicate is made of pure arcane energy but otherwise acts identically like the original weapon, including any enchantments and effects the original weapon has except for any limited use abilities or material properties. The weapon is treated as a light weapon when wielded in your off hand. The duplicate weapon dissolves into nothing if it's not in your hand by the end of your round, or immediately if anyone else holds it. Creating a duplicate weapon is a free action.




Unseen Steps (Ex): As you near the end of your path, your arcane magics become so seamlessly tied to your fighting style that the mundane has become magic. Starting at 18th level, for every two successful attacks that you make in a round, you may teleport yourself 5 feet in any direction as by greater teleport at the end of the attack. your turn as a free action.



Two-Weapon Fighting (Ex): The path of the indigo tempest teaches how to effectively wield two weapons at once. At 3rd level, you gain Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat as long as you are wearing light armor or no armor. If you already have Two-Weapon Fighting, you may take a feat listed as a fighter bonus feat, so long as you meet all the prerequisites for that feat.




Supreme Two-Weapon Fighting (Ex): Beginning at 17th level, you've reached the pinnacle of two-weapon fighting. You get a fourth attack with your offhand weapon, albeit at a -15 penalty.

Why use this instead of Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting? Just add "as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat." Wouldn't that work? Or am I missing something about it being epic and then not being able to "even if you do not qualify"?



Trickster's Savvy (Ex): Starting a 7th level, your class Indigo Trickster level is equivalent to a rogue's for determining whether or not you can flank a creature with the Improved Uncanny Dodge ability (see barbarian PHB p26). If you have Rogue levels, they stack.



Uncanny Agility (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, you may spend 2 surge points to take an additional swift or immediate action. You may only use this ability once per round.
I understand that using an immeditate action spends your swift action "slot" for the next turn. What would happen if I use 2 immediate actions thanks to Uncanny Agility? Do I have to use the swift "slot" of my next 2 rounds?

Also, shouldn't Limit Break be an upgrade of Uncanny Agility instead of a new ability?

I hope you understand this is the internet and I don't plan to sound like a jerk :smallfrown:
i really like the class but I see it too abusable as it is writen now. This are of course sugestions and you are free to throw them at my face.
I hope you are still checking this thread :)

Dralnu
2012-09-26, 02:30 AM
Here is how I would have wrote it:

You're right. I'm changing it to this:

You acquire a surge point with each successful attack that you make against a creature with a melee or thrown weapon in combat, which you can then use to fuel your surge invocations.


Isn't it easier to make the AC bonus a dodge bonus? I say it because of the last Phrase that pretty much define a dodge bonus.

I copied the wording of the SRD / Pathfinder Monk ability for consistency. Should I change it to dodge bonus?


Shouldn't it be: Enemies you attack that have lost their Dex bonus against you suffer a -1 AC penalty until the beginning of your next turn.

I changed it to:

Enemies you attack that are denied their dexterity bonus by you take a -1 penalty to their AC until the beginning of your next turn.

I wanted to keep the wording of "denied dexterity" because that specific term comes up so often, but I still want people to know that the trickster has to attack the target first to activate this ability, as you said.


Some description suggestions:

Arcane Fission, I said empty hand for those rare situations where you have more than two hands, like that demon snake chick thing.

Unseen Steps, since at that point you'll have far more than 2 swings in a full attack, I envisioned teleporting in the middle of full attacks after every two hits, not just teleporting once at the end of a turn. More complicated but more awesome? Is the wording still bad?

Not sure why the bonus feat should be tied to an armor restriction. Is there a precedent for this?

The rest I changed as you suggested.


Why use this instead of Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting? Just add "as a bonus feat even if you do not qualify for the feat." Wouldn't that work? Or am I missing something about it being epic and then not being able to "even if you do not qualify"?

I wasn't aware of the epic feat. I'll change it to this.


I understand that using an immeditate action spends your swift action "slot" for the next turn. What would happen if I use 2 immediate actions thanks to Uncanny Agility? Do I have to use the swift "slot" of my next 2 rounds?

From what I understand/intended, the "additional" immediate action from the ability is separate from your normal action economy so you wouldn't have used a second swift "slot."


Also, shouldn't Limit Break be an upgrade of Uncanny Agility instead of a new ability?

It should. I'll fix this when I wake up.


I hope you understand this is the internet and I don't plan to sound like a jerk :smallfrown:
i really like the class but I see it too abusable as it is writen now. This are of course sugestions and you are free to throw them at my face.
I hope you are still checking this thread :)

Doesn't sound mean at all! I'm glad you like the class and always appreciate feedback. Thank you for the suggestions! :smallsmile:

I hope my fixes were actual fixes. I did them in a sleepy state so they might not all make sense.

Garryl
2012-09-26, 07:47 AM
Dralnu! Great to see you here again!

For arcane alacrity, invocation grades are not enumerated (they don't correspond to numbers), so saying a cost "equal" to the invocation's grade makes no sense, especially since you give the costs based on grade immediately afterwards. This should say "based on" the grade instead.



I copied the wording of the SRD / Pathfinder Monk ability for consistency. Should I change it to dodge bonus?


No. Dodge bonuses are also lost whenever you would be denied your Dex bonus to AC, a limitation that the current version does not have.



I wanted to keep the wording of "denied dexterity" because that specific term comes up so often, but I still want people to know that the trickster has to attack the target first to activate this ability, as you said.


Speaking of which, does the AC penalty apply to the attack that caused the penalty, or only afterwards?

I'd suggest the following wording instead:
When you attack an opponent that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC, it takes a -1 penalty to its armor class for 1 round. This penalty takes effect [before/after] resolving your attack.



Not sure why the bonus feat should be tied to an armor restriction. Is there a precedent for this?


Ranger's Combat Style bonus feats.



From what I understand/intended, the "additional" immediate action from the ability is separate from your normal action economy so you wouldn't have used a second swift "slot."


You should specify as such (eg: "This additional immediate action does not count against your swift actions on your next turn."). Otherwise, if you were to gain multiple swift actions (such as with RKV), you'd still lose your 2nd swift action, I think.

Dralnu
2012-09-26, 01:55 PM
Hey Garryl! I'm always here, just less active than I used to be. Though I admit I haven't been keeping up with the brilliantgameologist forums.

I've made the suggested fixes and reworded Lowered Guard:


Lowered Guard (Ex): Cracks in your enemies' defences appear when you surprise them, which you and your allies can further exploit. Starting at level 4, when you actively deny an opponent of its Dexterity bonus or strike an opponent currently denied its Dexterity bonus, it takes a -1 penalty to its AC until the beginning of your next turn. This penalty takes effect before resolving your attack and is not cumulative. This penalty increases by 1 at level 8, 12, 16, and 20.

There are tons of invocations that actively deny Dexterity bonus so I made those relevant to the ability.