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View Full Version : 3.5 Tome of Battle Prestige Idea: Chosen of Eldenser



Ephiel
2011-06-01, 10:34 PM
Hey Guys. I love these forums, and I've lurked them on and off for quite a while now. I'm a fairly novice DM that's played in several campaigns as a player. The campaign I'm currently hosting takes place in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, and has several players of varying levels of experience. A few of the characters are tier 1 characters, and a few are tier 3 or 4 (per JasonK's tier list).

One of the characters is a Goliath Warblade. He's doing quite well right now with his Large Greataxe, but he's somehow managed to be much less epic than the other characters of his party. To spice up his gameplay, I've designed the following prestige class, based on the idea of Eldenser, the Wyrm who Hides in blades: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wn/20030618a

I realize that with the nature of Eldenser, it might seem to make more sense to simply give him a Legacy Weapon, but I like the idea of allowing him to choose multiple weapons for some situational alacrity as well as flavor, as well as balancing the somewhat powerful abilities of this class by making it overlap the potential Warblade progression that he would have otherwise.

Without further ado, here is the class I have devised!

Flavor
Chosen of Eldenser
“It is not only my blade which should worry you, it is that which hides within it.”
-Smitty, Renowned Swashbuckling Swordsage and Chosen of Eldenser


Eldenser is an ancient dragon in the Forgotten Realms that has learned magic that allows him to extend his life by transferring his essence into bladed weapons while simultaneously placing his body into suspended animation.

Throughout the ages, Eldenser has chosen to reside in blades wielded by particularly adept individuals. Typically, Eldenser lives quietly within the blade at first, not extending any of his influence into the blade or the wielder. Over time though, as he learns the true nature of the character wielding the blade, Eldenser makes himself known to him/her.

Historically, Eldenser's Chosen have performed acts as eclectic as the dragon himself. The first of his chosen went on to drive a mature blue dragon almost single-handedly, liberating a nearby semi-nomadic people from his clutches. A more recent wielder of Eldenser's essence was tasked to delve deep into a forgotten vault occupied by a mad lich, solely to extricate a dusty, half decayed tome.

Only one Chosen of Eldenser exists at any time, and though the elder wyrm is somewhat unfocused, he has traditionally been loyal enough to stay with many of his Chosen so long as they proved loyal enough to begin undertaking his commands within 3 years of issuing them.


Becoming a Chosen of Eldenser

Those chosen by Eldenser are typically chosen without any conscious effort on their part. However, over time, historians have been able to determine various similarities between the Chosen. All of the chosen have been blacksmith with a special focus on blades. Eldenser was always known for his wit, and it's been assumed that he likes the blade he inhabits to be as sharp as his wit. Those known to have been Eldenser's Chosen have all been involved incidents involving bursts of laughter at grossly inappropriate moments.

Beyond this, those lucky enough to be Eldenser's Chosen have been history buffs. Most historians assume that this has to do with the well known fact that Eldenser is undergoing the path to draconic immortality known as Ossavitor's Way. The way is unknown and obscure to most, but the pursuit of Ossavitor's Way doubtlessly requires at least a cursory knowledge of historic sites and places.

All those Chosen of Eldenser who lived in the past have been accomplished contemplatives and meditation enthusiasts. As to why is unknown to historians, and widely debated. Some say Eldenser reveals some of the secrets of Ossavitor's Way to his chosen, allowing Eldenser to simply keep refreshing the same Chosen in new bodies. Some say that Eldenser's essence must be fading, and as such, maintaining a connection to him requires constant meditation and concentration. Others simply believe that Eldenser realizes the faults of his flightiness, and would sooner have someone who can maintain focused.

The most blatant of any of the connections between Eldenser's Chosen is the tattoo they all bear. The tattoo is always on the upper left chest of the Chosen, and it is always the same: A gleaming emerald outline of an Emerald Dragon's silhouette, with a flat, styled E in the center. This tattoo has always been reported on the bodies of those Chosen by Eldenser, but it has never been witnessed on the corpse of one of those known to have been one of Eldenser's Chosen.


Entry Requirements

Alignment: Any non-evil, non-chaotic.
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Skills: Profession (Blacksmith) 8 ranks, Knowledge (History) 8 ranks, Concentration 8 ranks
Feats: Adaptive Style
Special: Character submit to a ritual which brands them with a tattoo of Eldenser's Sigil

Class Features


Chosen of Eldenser Hit Dice: D10
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Class Features

1st|
+1|
+1|
+0|
+1|Maneuvers, Least Voice of the Blade

2nd|
+2|
+2|
+1|
+2|Lesser Voice of the Blade

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Will of the Blade, Breath of the Blade 4d8

4th|
+4|
+4|
+2|
+4|

5th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+5|Voice of the Blade, Shield of the Blade

6th|
+6|
+6|
+3|
+6|Breath of the Blade 6d8

7th|
+7|
+7|
+3|
+7|Mind of the Blade

8th|
+8|
+8|
+4|
+8|

9th|
+9|
+9|
+4|
+9|Breath of the Blade 8d8

10th|
+10|
+10|
+5|
+10|Greater Voice of the Blade, Apprentice of Ossavitor's Way
[/table]

Skills: As Warblade or Swordsage, whichever class was taken prior to choosing this one

Weapon/Armor Proficiencies: The Chosen of Eldenser gains no new armor proficiencies, but gains Weapon Proficiencies with: Bastard Swords, Katanas, and Kukris.

Maneuvers/Stances Known: The Chosen of Eldenser continue to progress in their stances as they would have as a Swordsage or Warblade. A 7th level Warblade, 3rd level Chosen of Eldenser would have Maneuvers and Stances as a 10th level Warblade, with access to the same schools he had while he was a Warblade.

Voice of the Blade: Eldenser's sapience slowly manifests in the blade wielded by his Chosen.
At level 1, this manifestation is present through an Empathetic link between the wielder and the blade within which Eldenser resides.
At level 2, the link becomes more solid, and the wielder can communicate telepathically with Eldenser, so long as he holds the blade or has it on his person.
At level 5, the blade finds a voice. As a typical rule, the larger the blade, the more booming and authoritative the voice is, and the smaller the blade, the more sing-song and whimsical the voice.
At level 10, the blade can communicate with it's wielder telepathically as long as he remains within ten miles of it.

Will of the Blade: At level 3, the Eldenser begins to manifest more powerfully within the blade. Rather than battling with it's wielder for control of his or her sentience, Eldenser simply informs his Chosen that any missions he desires them to undertake must be taken within 3 years of the command, or he will simply leave the blade and find a new Chosen. He also informs his new Chosen of any actions which would grossly violate his ideals (DM's Discretion), and agrees to warn his Chosen before he undertakes any of these actions.

At this point, Eldenser teaches his Chosen that he can manifest within any blade that the wielder chooses, so long as it is capable of dealing slashing damage. To establish a connection with Eldenser requires a DC 15 concentration check, able to be retried once per hour. Once the connection is established, as long as that blade remains on the Chosen of Eldenser's person, the connection need not be re-established. Once the connection is established the for the first time, Eldenser's Sigil (as described above) appears on their chest.

Should Eldenser decide to leave his Chosen, the former chosen loses all of his special abilities granted by this class, but maintains any maneuvers and stances he gained through progressing in this stance. (IE: A 7th level Warblade 4th level Chosen of Eldenser would retain 11 levels of Warblade stances and maneuvers).

Breath of the Blade: In exchange for this agreement, at 3rd level, the wielder gains access to the power of Eldenser's Breath. At 3rd level, this manifests as a 30 ft Cone of 4d8 Concussive Force (Lethal or Nonlethal), DC 16 for half damage. At 6th level, the damage is 6d8, DC 18 for half. At 10th Level, the damage is 8d8, DC 20 for half. This ability is usable up to the user's Chosen of Eldenser level per day, with a 1d4 round delay between uses.

Shield of the Blade: At 5th level, the wielder gains a +4 bonus to resist force based effects such as magic missile.

Mind of the Blade: At 7th level, the Eldenser's Chosen gains access to Body Equilibrium once per day for a duration of 5 minutes, as the power (page 57, Psionics Handbook), Invisibility for up to 1 minute per day, DC 18 to see (activatable as a swift action), and Telekinesis as the power (page 102, Psionics Handbook) as an 8th level psion (200 pounds). Each of these abilities requires a DC 12 concentration check to manifest, to establish a deep enough connection with the Eldenser by way of the Blade. A character must be holding a blade in which Eldenser is manifesting.

Apprentice of Ossavitor's Way: at 10th level, Eldenser's Chosen will have gained enough of Eldenser's trust and knowledge to become an apprentice of Ossavitor's way. This grants the user a second body of his choosing (provided the level adjustment of the other body is no higher than the original body). Should the Chosen of Eldenser perish in battle, or of old age, he or she will have the option to inhabit the new body. The creation of a new body is identical to the Clone spell (page 210, PHB) with the following exceptions:
-The clone doesn't have to be made of the wielder of the Chosen of Eldnser. It can be made of anyone, provided there is enough flesh matter to finish the spell (Eldenser strongly urges his Chosen to come about the flesh lawfully).
-The clone must be tattooed with Eldenser's Sigil. To accomplish this, the clone's creator simply needs to grasp a weapon in which Eldenser is inhabiting, and place the clone's hand on the hilt while the Chosen still holds it.
-The level drain is temporary, and fades away after one year. Should the Chosen of Eldenser occupy a clone that causes him to lose one of his levels of Eldenser's Chosen, he must wait until the level drain fades away before he can grow a new clone.



Please let me know what you guys think. Is it balanced? Is it worth much? What would you change, what do you like?