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View Full Version : [3.5 Prestige Class] The Magebane



SowZ
2011-08-03, 11:39 PM
http://www.warlordccg.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/preview-ogre-mage.jpg

Quote: "Nothing, not steel or spell, will stop me. I have taken the martial and brought it above the arcane and the divine."


Magebane

The Magebane is the master at using physical force to best the unnatural. Extensive research into magic combined with large exposure creates a warrior that knows what tricks to expect from a wizard or its ilk as well as one with a few tricks of their own. Over time, ones body evolves to absorb and even reflect spells while ones mind learns to predict them and will the magic to change. This is the strength of the Magebane.

In play, Magebane are often devoted clergymen dedicated to defending their chapels from rival clerics or hunting down those Wizards and Sorcerers who bend reality in a way to offend their gods. These often have Paladin levels. Just as often, a Magebane is an agent of a government meant to protect the people from rebel spellcasters when regular guardsmen won't do. Occasionally, they are travellers or even mercenaries who will hire themselves out to rich casters with the purpose of eliminating enemy casters.

Magebane rely on physical stats and are commonly Fighters, but to excell they need at least one good mental stat. Because of this, Magebane like to travel in groups of three. Each one has a different mental strength and focuses in a different area of magic countering. It is not rare for these groups to be supplemented by ordinary soldiers.

Preqs: BAB+4 Knowledge (Arcana) 6 Ranks Knowledge (Religion) 6 Ranks

Hit Die: d8
BAB: As Rogue
Good Saving Throw: Reflex and Will

Level BAB Fort Ref Will
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Mage Training
2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Magebane Ability
3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Cancel Magic
4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Magebane Ability
5th +3 +1 +4 +4 Deny Casters
6th +4 +2 +5 +5 Magebane Ability
7th +5 +2 +5 +5 Draining Strike
8th +6/+1 +3 +6 +6 Magebane Ability
9th +6/+1 +3 +6 +6 Silence
10th +7/+2 +3 +7 +7 Magebane Ability

Class Skills (4 +Int. modifier per level)

Climb, Craft, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Move Silently, Knowledge (Arcana),
Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Psionics), Swim, Use Rope, Use Magic Device

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Magebanes are proficient with all simple weapons and light armor.

Magebane Abilities: At every even level, a Magebane learns a new Magebane Ability from the list below. A Magebane can always substitute a Fighter Feat for a Magebane Ability.

Mage Training: Extensive study of magical arts grants the Mage a number of abilities for combating magic including Magical Defenses, Magical Tingle, Channeling, and Anti-Magic Points.

Magical Defenses: A Magebane gets a +2 bonus to all defenses vs. magic. This includes a bonus to saves vs. spells or spell-like abilities and a +2 AC vs. any spell or spell-like ability that has an attack roll. This bonus increases to +3 at four levels of Magebane, +4 at seven levels of Magebane, and +5 at 10 levels of Magebane.

Magical Tingle: The Magebane can always Detect Magic as per the spell passively, but only as if they used Detect Magic for one round.

Channeling: Any Magebane touch attack spell like ability may be channeled through a magical weapon. This is much like a weapon with Spell Storing. The Magebane can use a move action to prepare a weapon for channeling. The Magebane chooses which Magebane touch attack will be channeled and it stays channeled for the channelers Magebane level turns or until the weapon is sundered. Dispel Magic will cancel the Channel. When a Channeled weapon strikes a target, the channeled touch attack may dissipate or activate as if the touch attack struck the target. Damage does not have to be dealt for the channel to count. If the Magebanes unarmed attack counts as a magical weapon, an unarmed attack can channel. A Magebane may never using channeling more than once in a turn. Channeling is a spell like ability, Caster Level as Magebane level.

Anti-Magic Points: All Magebanes have Anti-Magic Points equal to their Magebane levels+Cha Mod. or Int Mod. or Wis Mod., whichever is higher. Whenever a character within 10 feet of the Magebane that has Caster Levels and has been dealt damage from the Magebane since the previous turn or during the current turn drops to 0HP or less, the Magebane instantly gains Anti-Magic Points equal to the targets Caster Level/2 minimum one. This cannot bring the Magebanes Anti-Magic Point total above the Magebanes Magebane levels. Meditating recovers one Anti-Magic Point per ten minutes of meditation and may be done twice per day.

Cancel Magic: Whenever the Magebane becomes the target of a spell or spell-like abilitiy, the Magebane may immediately expend any number of Anti-Magic Points to get +5 to all saves regarding that spell per Anti-Magic Point expended.

Deny Casters: The Magebane gains Spell Resistance equal to 5+HD+the Magebanes Magebane levels or the Magebane can add their Magebane levels to increase SR in a way that stacks with existing SR. Additionally, any single target spell with a duration, (including psionic spells,) that targets the Magebane may have its duration cut in half, rounded down. Compulsion spell are automatically affected by Magical Fortitude.

Draining Strike: A Magebane may spend one Anti-Magic Point to make a touch attack that provokes an AoO a number of times per day equal to their Magebane level. If the attack succeeds, the Magebane has three options. 1. The target immediately loses a prepared arcane spell, (of the targets choice,) of spell level 3+the Magebanes Int. Mod and for each spell level below that. 2. The target immediately loses a spontaneous arcane spell slot, (of the targets choice,) of a spell level 3+the Magebanes Cha. Mod and for each spell level below that. 3. The target immediately loses a divine spell, (of the targets choice,) of a spell level 3+the Magebanes Wis. Mod and for each spell level below that. This counts as a spell-like ability with no save, Caster Level as Character Level. Draining Strike can be channeled.

Silence: The Magebane may spend any number of Anti-Magic Points to make a touch attack that provokes an AoO. The touch attack allows a Will save of 10+the Magebane's Character Levels. For each Anti-Magic Point spent on Silence, the target gets a +1 to their Will save. If Silence suceeds, a field envelops the target preventing them from casting any spells or spell-like abilities for a number of turns equal to the number of Anti-Magic Points spent on the Silence-1. Silence can be channeled.


Magebane Abilities

Arcane Dodge: The Magebane gains a bonus to Reflex saves vs. arcane spells equal to 2+Int. Mod. when not wearing heavy armor. Any temporary Int. bonuses, (from spells with a duration, items, etc.,) do not count towards Arcane Dodge. Whenever the Magebane must make a Reflex save in response to an arcane spell or spell-like ability, the Magebane may spend one Anti-Magic Point to gain Uncanny Dodge until the spell resolves.

Armor Imbuement: Light or medium armor may be ‘imbued’ by the magebane for one Anti-Magic Point. This imbuement takes ten minutes per point of AC the armor provides and can only be active on one piece of armor at a time. As long as the Magebane who imbued it is touching the armor, the imbuement can be dispelled at will as a free action. Only the Magebanes Wis. Mod+3 worth of AC can be imbued this way. If a piece of armor is imbued and its armor bonus exceeds this number, only the imbued points count towards Armor Imbuement. Imbued Armor counts its armor bonus as a deflection modifier against spells and spell like abilities. This counts as a spell-like ability, Caster Level as Magebane level.

Dispel Magic: Magebanes may cast Dispel Magic a number of times per day equal to their Magebane Levels+Int Mod+1, (minimum 1,) as a touch spell that provokes AoO. Dispel Magic can also be activated by channeling it through a magical weapon. Dispel Magic can also be used just as the Wizard spell but doing so not only sbtracts from the number of times per day a Magebane may use Dispel Magic but it also costs an Anti-Magic Point. This counts as a spell-like ability with no save, Caster Level as Character Level.

Disruptive Strike: Anytime a Magebane lands an attack that would cause a concentration check to cast or maintain a spell of any kind, the DC for that check goes up by the attackers Magebane levels times two.

godsbane: The Magebane gains a bonus to Reflex saves vs. Divine spells equal to 2+Int. Mod. when not wearing heavy armor. Any temporary Int. bonuses, (from spells with a duration, items, etc.,) do not count towards godsbane. Whenever the Magebane must make a Reflex save in response to a Divine spell or spell-like ability, the Magebane may spend one Anti-Magic Point to gain Uncanny Dodge for the purpose of the spells save.

Hide Self: The Magebane has a permanent Nondetection on themselves. This is a passive spell-like ability, Caster Level as Character Level.

Master Channeler: Preparing a Magebane touch attack for a Channeling attack is a free action rather than a move action. This does not change the only one Magebane touch attack can be channeled per turn limitation.

Psionbane: Requires 6 ranks in Knowledge (Psion) The Magebane adds 1+Int Mod to any saves against Psionics. Additionally, Draining Strike may be used to target a Psions Power Point pool. Draining Strike works as usual but rather than use up a spell slot, the strike removes Power Points from the Psions pool equal to 2+the Magebanes Int. Mod. This cannot reduce the pool below zero.

Ranged Chaneller: The Magebane may now Channel abilities they could normally channel through melee attacks through thrown weapons. If the weapon is thrown more than one range increment, the Channeled spell fizzles.

Reflection: If the Magebane is dealt damage by a spell, before applying damage reduction, the spells caster immediately takes damage equal to the Magebanes Magebane levels or the amount of damage the spell dealt, whichever is lower. Reflection damage is not a spell and so bypasses any Spell Resistance.

Shrug the Spell: The Magebane gains DR versus damaging spells equal to the Magebane’s Cha Mod+2. (This cannot exceed one half the magebane’s HD.) Weapons that are treated as magical for the purpose of overcoming DR and martial damage from magic weapons are not reduced. This stacks with any other DR.

Spellskinned: A Magebanes Con Mod+1 may be added to his Spell Resistance, (if the Magebane has SR already.) This stacks with any other source of SR. Any temporary Con bonuses, (from spells with a duration, items, etc.,) do not count towards Spellskinned.

Okay, so I just made this tonight and would like some feedback. Areas where it is imbalanced, abilities that suck, abilities I could add, and anything else is appreciated. Due to how specific it is, I know that many PCs would not consider this prestige. That's fine. What I like most about it is how it would give me, the DM, a way to change things up and keep spellcasters on their toes even when they are fighting non-casters without throwing an army at them. At least until the high levels, that is. Plus, it is some fun fluff.

So, anyone care to comment?

Yitzi
2011-08-04, 12:11 AM
You really should give him more powerful defenses against powerful spell types, plus the means to negate a caster's defenses. And definitely give him all good saves. As it stands, he's somewhat in the rough vicinity of the monk (without any fixes) in terms of anticaster ability, and that's just not enough for a dedicated prestige class.

Some ideas that might be worthwhile:
-High resistance or total immunity to major powerful attack types (charm/compulsion, death, polymorph/petrification),
-something to help them disrupt in melee even if the mage decides to move away before casting,
-some real spell resistance (as a prestige class, 10+class levels is roughly equivalent to 5+level, and that's a minor inconvenience at best. Boosting it with CON helps, but usually nowhere near enough. I'd make it 15+character level (max 25+class level) and ignore all boosts to CR that aren't from class levels)
-Something to help them bypass illusion-based defenses
-Serious dispelling ability. 1+Int mod is far too low for something that's often essential in fighting casters (and I don't see what the CL is; presumably that means it's the class level, making it next to useless against casters.) And making it need a melee (touch) attack makes it even more useless. I'd make it 3+int mod+class level, range is normal for dispel, with CL=character level, a natural 11 or higher is always a success, and that's without needing a special ability; the corresponding special ability makes it at-will.
-Spellcasting from a very limited list (major anticaster spells only.)

If he's going to be a magebane, he should be able to beat if not totally destroy, 1-on-1, the most optimized wizards out there (barring cheesy tricks that no sane DM would allow.) If you're concerned about balance, cut his BAB and give him some feat requirements to make him next to useless against martial characters (including tier 4 and 5 martial characters).

SowZ
2011-08-04, 12:19 AM
You really should give him more powerful defenses against powerful spell types, plus the means to negate a caster's defenses. And definitely give him all good saves. As it stands, he's somewhat in the rough vicinity of the monk (without any fixes) in terms of anticaster ability, and that's just not enough for a dedicated prestige class.

Hmmm. I think you are right. I just didn't want to fall into the category of more homebrew classes then not and make him overpowered. Good saves, yeah. What kind of abilities would you, or anyone, suggest to give him that extra oomph.

Yitzi
2011-08-04, 12:29 AM
Answers to your question and concern are in the edited form of the post you responded to.

Remember, if it loses 1-on-1 to a tier 5 class, it can't be overpowered. It might break the tier system (a very good thing anyway IMO), but it's not overpowered.

SowZ
2011-08-04, 12:45 AM
You really should give him more powerful defenses against powerful spell types, plus the means to negate a caster's defenses. And definitely give him all good saves. As it stands, he's somewhat in the rough vicinity of the monk (without any fixes) in terms of anticaster ability, and that's just not enough for a dedicated prestige class.

Some ideas that might be worthwhile:
-High resistance or total immunity to major powerful attack types (charm/compulsion, death, polymorph/petrification),
-something to help them disrupt in melee even if the mage decides to move away before casting,
-some real spell resistance (as a prestige class, 10+class levels is roughly equivalent to 5+level, and that's a minor inconvenience at best. Boosting it with CON helps, but usually nowhere near enough. I'd make it 15+character level (max 25+class level) and ignore all boosts to CR that aren't from class levels)
-Something to help them bypass illusion-based defenses
-Serious dispelling ability. 1+Int mod is far too low for something that's often essential in fighting casters (and I don't see what the CL is; presumably that means it's the class level, making it next to useless against casters.) And making it need a melee (touch) attack makes it even more useless. I'd make it 3+int mod+class level, range is normal for dispel, with CL=character level, a natural 11 or higher is always a success, and that's without needing a special ability; the corresponding special ability makes it at-will.
-Spellcasting from a very limited list (major anticaster spells only.)

If he's going to be a magebane, he should be able to beat if not totally destroy, 1-on-1, the most optimized wizards out there (barring cheesy tricks that no sane DM would allow.) If you're concerned about balance, cut his BAB and give him some feat requirements to make him next to useless against martial characters (including tier 4 and 5 martial characters).

I'll probably do all of those, actually. Yeah, as it stands, it would still take quite a number of Magebane 9/Fighter 4 characters to defeat a single Wizard 13. How about, for one of the fixes, making the SR equal to 5+HD+magebane level rather than straight 15+level? Minimum, it is 19. By the time your character is level twelve, it is twenty five+your con if you choose. By max magebane, with a good Con., you have 30-34SR without too much trouble. Maybe that is too strong. Just HD+Magebane levels?

As for dispelling, I'll still allow it to be chanelled as a touch/melee attack, but give it the range, too. Yeah, Magic Training will somehow resist the major spells. I'll think about it. I'll look for anti-spell effects that work with the theme, too. I'll drop the BAB and add a feat prereq or two.

If the mage moves in melee, won't the AoO help? Or are you saying it won't be enough? Perhaps some way to channel a disrupt through a ranged attack or thrown weapon...

SowZ
2011-08-04, 04:15 PM
Updated. Better?