Auramancy[PEACH] - In Progress

[Tyndmyr]

Now, out of the box, this will likely be broken as hell, so much feedback shall be needed. It'd intended to support tier 2-3 classes, and be an overall more passive form of casting that isn't so reliant on vancian spell slots. It's most definitely a work in progress.

Notable features of auras....all auras are arcane magic, but are not spells, and thus, cannot be put on scrolls, cast by others, etc by default. Auras all have the same set range(30 feet) unless modified. Auras usually affect friend and foe alike.

Note that I plan for an Auramancer to be most strictly limited in number of auras active at once. Typically, they'll cap out at 4 active auras of a given type. Thus, even the highest of auras must necessarily be significantly weaker than a 9th level spell.

Superior Auras
--------------
Aura of Greater Dispelling - As per greater dispel, roll a dispel check once per round against the highest level magical effect other than Aura of Greater Dispelling within range.
Greater Aura of Impact: +7 competence bonus to damage rolls.
Greater Aura of Protection: DR 7/-

Greater Auras
--------------
Aura of the Maelstrom: Whirling winds hurl any unattended object of less than 5 lbs about(DC 15 reflex to catch). The swirling objects and winds deal 3d6 force damage(reflex for half)/rnd to anyone within.
Aura of the Ages: Time slows within the Aura's effects. All within are subject to a Slow effect[will negates]
Aura of Spell Resistance: Everyone in the aura's range has spell resistance = Auramancer CL + 8.

Moderate Auras
--------------
Aura of Dispelling: As per Dispel Magic, roll a dispel check once per round against the highest level magical effect other than Aura of Dispelling within range.


Lesser Auras
--------------
Lesser Aura of Positive Energy: 1 hp healing/rnd for non undead. Undead or other people injured by positve energy take one hp of damage/rnd instead.
Lesser Aura of Negative Energy: 1 hp damage/rnd. Undead and others healed by negative energy are instead healed for 1 hp damage/rnd.
Lesser Aura of Repair: All constructs within range are healed for 1 hp/rnd.
Lesser Aura of Flame: 3 hp fire damage/rnd
Aura of Timelessness: Creatures within this aura age at half the normal speed. In addition, they are immune to magical aging effects.
Lesser Aura of Impact: +1 competence bonus to weapon damage rolls.
Lesser Aura of Protection: DR 2/-
Lesser Aura of Fire Shielding: The next 20 points of fire damage dealt to targets within the aura is prevented, after which, the aura no longer is up, nor provides any effect.
Lesser Aura of Frost Shielding: The next 20 points of cold damage dealt to targets within the aura is prevented, after which, the aura no longer is up, nor provides any effect.

Least Auras
--------------
Aura of Stealth: +2 hide/move silently.
Aura of Change: constant prestidigitation effect.
Aura of Stabilization: Anyone knocked unconscious but not killed is immediately stabilized.
Aura of Sparks: 2 hp fire damage/rnd.
Aura of Resistance: +2 resistance to one save of choice. Special: Multiple Auras of this may be active at once, with each targeting a different save.
Aura of the Viper: +4 save vs poison
Elven Aura: +2 save vs mind-affecting
Aura of Alertness: +2 spot/listen
Aura of Revealing: As Detect Magic

Base class: The Auramancer
Hit Die: d6
Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana)(Int),Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion)(Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.


{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Aura Knowledge, Least Aura(1).

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3| Least Aura(2)

3rd|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+3| Least Aura(3)

4th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4| Least Aura(4)

5th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4| Lesser Aura(1)

6th|
+3|
+5|
+2|
+5| Lesser Aura(2)

7th|
+3|
+5|
+2|
+5| Lesser Aura(3)

8th|
+4|
+6|
+2|
+6| Lesser Aura(4)

9th|
+4|
+6|
+3|
+6| Moderate Aura(1)

10th|
+5|
+7|
+3|
+7| Moderate Aura(2)

11th|
+5|
+7|
+3|
+7| Moderate Aura(3)

12th|
+6/1|
+8|
+4|
+8| Moderate Aura(4)

13th|
+6/1|
+8|
+4|
+8| Greater Aura(1)

14th|
+7/2|
+9|
+4|
+9| Greater Aura(2)

15th|
+7/2|
+9|
+5|
+9| Greater Aura(3), Aura Manipulation

16th|
+8/3|
+10|
+5|
+10| Greater Aura(4)

17th|
+8/3|
+10|
+5|
+10| Superior Aura(1)

18th|
+9/4|
+11|
+6|
+11| Superior Aura(2)

19th|
+9/4|
+11|
+6|
+11| Superior Aura(3)

20th|
+10/5|
+12|
+6|
+12| Superior Aura(4)[/table]

Aura Knowledge: You know 1+Int Bonus Least Auras at level 1. In addition, you will gain one Aura known at every additional level in any class that advances Auramancy. This Aura may not be of a higher level than you can cast.

Least Aura: you can raise a Least Aura as a standard action or dismiss a Least Aura as a swift action. Initially, you may have a maximum of one Least Aura active at once. At each additional level of Least Aura, this cap increases by one.

Lesser Aura: you can raise a Lesser Aura as a standard action or dismiss a Lesser Aura as a swift action. Initially, you may have a maximum of one Lesser Aura active at once. At each additional level of Lesser Aura, this cap increases by one.

Moderate Aura: you can raise a Least Aura as a standard action or dismiss a Moderate Aura as a swift action. Initially, you may have a maximum of one Moderate Aura active at once. At each additional level of Moderate Aura, this cap increases by one.

Greater Aura: you can raise a Greater Aura as a standard action or dismiss a Greater Aura as a swift action. Initially, you may have a maximum of one Greater Aura active at once. At each additional level of Greater Aura, this cap increases by one.

Aura Manipulation: At 15th level, your understanding of auras is such that you may also raise or lower a least aura whenever raising or lowering any other type of aura without spending additional actions.

Superior Aura: you can raise a Superior Aura as a standard action or dismiss a Superior Aura as a swift action. Initially, you may have a maximum of one Superior Aura active at once. At each additional level of Superior Aura, this cap increases by one.


Note: Currently, known auras is far too low as compared to auras active. I need more choice...and more variety in auras. Much work yet to be done, not least of which is balancing.

[unosarta]

The main problem with auras, and something that this class hasn't fixed really, is that there is nothing for the actual character to do while the auras are active. Yes, they can switch auras around and stuff, but that isn't the most interesting thing to do. Once the auras that they want are active, they have literally nothing to do for the rest of the combat, besides hit monsters with their abysmally low to-hit, and really awful hit dice.

This class needs more to make it really effective. Like, a bit more. I might suggest spellcasting, although that might not be something you want for the class, but you need to add something, or I cannot really imagine playing this class without being bored to tears.

[Seerow]

Your superior auras seem not just weaker than a 9th level spell, but weaker than 6th level spells. Your least and lesser auras are completely weak and useless past a point. Like I'm inclined to call this class weaker than the Marshal.


Consider playing this character, you start at level 1. You have say 4 auras known, and can have 1 least aura projected. You have a +0 BAB, no skills to speak of, low HP, and your major class feature is worse than the majority of core feats. Seriously, 1 damage per round? +1 to saving throw? I may as well be playing a commoner, or even an expert.


I could dissect every aura here and go over why they're too weak for their level even as an at will, and how incredibly boring it would be to play a class with nothing but these extremely weak passive effects... but there's no point in it really. Sit down and take a hard look at the class and tell me that it feels like it is remotely useful in any way. The dispel aura is about the only decent thing, except it's not targetted so you're as likely be to dispelling your own ally's buffs as anything else!




So here's what I have to say:
-Go back to the drawing board. Figure out what you want this class to be capable of doing, and make it actually capable of doing that. If you want it to be a backlines buffer, that's fine, but its effects need to get much stronger. If a lot of your auras are going to focus on melee as they are now, consider bumping up that BAB and HP. If you want him to be a skill monkey, give him some more skills. Right now he has literally the worst of everything, pick something and make him competent at it.

-Give the class some sort of active abilities. Auras are cool, but sitting there as a buffstick is boring for a player. Give the ability to lash out with the auras for increased effect. Like take the aura of sparks, imagine if it had the 1 damage per round effect, but you could choose to lash out with it and have it cause 2d6+int mod fire damage, at the cost of losing access to that aura for a few rounds. This would require a redesign of all your auras, but that's honestly something you need to do anyway.

-Splash in some class features that aren't auras. Yes, auras are the focus of the class, but that doesn't mean it needs to be the whole class. Or you could even make different class features relating to the auras, that aren't just more auras. For example, given the previous suggestion of unleashing auras for more powerful effects, maybe you gain the ability to do that as a swift action a couple times per day. Also consider things like the ability to spend a swift action to increase aura radius for a couple rounds, or an immediate action to switch up auras.

-Maybe give a feature that increases the effect of all the auras, so the lower level ones can be balanced at low level but still relevant at high levels. For example, you get Aura Mastery X at 1st level and every 4 levels after, so it's 1 at first level, 2 at 4th, 3 at 8th, and so on. Now Aura of Stealth rather than providing a +2 bonus to hide/move silently, provides a bonus equal to 3 times your aura master bonus (capping at +18 at level 20, less than you can get from an item, but not bad for a passive effect). This bonus could also be applied to save DCs caused by unleashing your auras.

-When you're done, compare what you have to a decently optimized bard. If your class can't at least match it in buffing capability, go back to the drawing board, because the Bard should be the baseline comparison for any buffer, and it can do more than just buffing besides.

[Tyndmyr]

The main problem with auras, and something that this class hasn't fixed really, is that there is nothing for the actual character to do while the auras are active. Yes, they can switch auras around and stuff, but that isn't the most interesting thing to do. Once the auras that they want are active, they have literally nothing to do for the rest of the combat, besides hit monsters with their abysmally low to-hit, and really awful hit dice.

This class needs more to make it really effective. Like, a bit more. I might suggest spellcasting, although that might not be something you want for the class, but you need to add something, or I cannot really imagine playing this class without being bored to tears.

Yeah, that's an issue I came across when designing stuff. In short, unless you have an aura that needs to be raised, you've got a standard action free. In gestalt, this is fantastic, but in normal play, not so much.

UMD is a class skill for a reason. =)

I plan to give this class some slight bonuses to wand/scroll usage, though I predict a crossbow being used for economy reasons at level 1. Im also thinking of a melee version that uses Auras in addition to melee.

Scaling may have to change somewhat...but be aware that the sheer volume of auras up at once can be a factor as well. +They definitely do have a lot less straight up power than a decently built caster at level one...Im thinking more auras total and more auras known needs to happen right off. In addition, there will be both feats and a theurge class.

[Seerow]

Yeah, that's an issue I came across when designing stuff. In short, unless you have an aura that needs to be raised, you've got a standard action free. In gestalt, this is fantastic, but in normal play, not so much.

UMD is a class skill for a reason. =)

I plan to give this class some slight bonuses to wand/scroll usage, though I predict a crossbow being used for economy reasons at level 1. Im also thinking of a melee version that uses Auras in addition to melee.


UMD does not make up for a lack of things to do in combat, unless you want to be an artificer. Or at least give a ton of free wands/scrolls to the class.



Scaling may have to change somewhat...but be aware that the sheer volume of auras up at once can be a factor as well. +They definitely do have a lot less straight up power than a decently built caster at level one...Im thinking more auras total and more auras known needs to happen right off. In addition, there will be both feats and a theurge class.

I don't care if you have +2 to hide/move silent, +2 vs mind affecting, +1 to all saves, and +2 to spot/listen all at once. It literally doesn't matter. You could give all 4 of those away at level 1, and you're still going to be pretty much inferior to a 1st level rogue at doing anything useful. Boosting those numbers drastically may make a bigger difference, but even if the numbers were all bigger/scaling upwards to remain relevant, you'd still have nothing at all to do. No niche to fill in the party. Nothing to do with your actions. Except burn through your wealth using scrolls/wands you may or may not have. This is BAD.


If you are that worried about tons of small bonuses stacking up and making the class overpowered, then drop the number of auras you can have going at once, so you can make individual auras actually useful.



edit: If you don't mind, I'm going to take a crack at this concept. I'll probably start a new thread when I'm done, but the idea of a guy who fights with auras is cool, I just really can't get behind your implementation like at all.

[Xzoltar]

I intend to add this to our campaign, however it won't be a Core Class, this will be a new skill. If my player's like it enough I could craft some feats, prestige, soulmeld, maneuvers, spells and powers to boost this further.

Thanks for the idea

[Tyndmyr]

edit: If you don't mind, I'm going to take a crack at this concept. I'll probably start a new thread when I'm done, but the idea of a guy who fights with auras is cool, I just really can't get behind your implementation like at all.

Not at all. The concept is one I love, but I acknowledge that the mechanics of it certainly aren't finished yet. Hell, the overall selection of auras is substantially lacking, plenty of numeric tweaks have to happen and when it's done, it'll need feats and items that play well with it.

Xzoltar, I'm glad you enjoy the idea...stay tuned, as many of those things will be coming for this. Def still a work in progress.

[lothofkalroth]

I like the idea of this a lot, but I think it would be solidified by one of two things:

1. Add spellcasting or combat. If you add spellcasting, consider putting it on the level of a bard, where you don't get many spells, but they scale dramatically in power. If you add combat bonuses, maybe throw some extra feats in for customization like a fighter.

or

2. Make the class more focused on support. Give them the ability to alter others' auras or come up with more non-combat auras like one that could function like a constant knock spell. The aura of change is a good place to start for this, since prestidigitation is a good spell out of combat.

Basically I think the problem is that you're trying to build them like a combat character without giving them any combat skills.

To the critics who say the auras aren't powerful enough, bear in mind that they are continuous and permanent until dismissed, and up to four can be active at a time eventually.

Hope this helps!

[Hanuman]

I like this idea, though there might be a few ways to improve this...

This, though while not pointed out is obviously a HD6 magic based marshal, also noted is that the class has low BAB, low HP, low skillpoints and no real features that allow it to do much of anything besides passive party buff.

A way that you could expand this is limit the aura projected back to what marshal has, and instead of BAB have ability usage depending on the aura in effect.

This COULD be solved with spells/day or a daily aura change, but to me it looks like the solution is to instead make this class psionic as to allow power point usage as a flat energy capacity to use abilities. In addition this allows you to augment auras by sacrificing some daily power points, somewhat like an ozodrin. The power usage could be within 30' to cheapen the cost of some spells with longer ranges.

In addition, the flavor of the auras seems to be very D2 paladin, they are mechanically sound but contextually lacking, where as auras should be felt rather than subtracted or added to numbers.

As such, my suggestion is that auras be environmental instead of willful, have them be based on context instead of manifestation of helpful intent. What I mean by this is have the auras effect everyone, not just your party or the enemy. This would make the aura have a double effect as both a buff and debuff to your party and the enemy, this could afford your class more focused utility while still balancing the actual benefit.

This debuff effect, especially on a caster would force you to balance staying back from getting in close and personal, you could try and get within 30' to debuff as more of a hunt, or let them close the gap and be more of a punisher.

Example:

Aura of Silence: +4 to move silently, -4 to listen, +2 saves vs. sonic and language-based attacks.
-Power: Silence (As Spell)

Aura of Will: +2/wismod to Autohypnosis checks (except memorize) +2 to will saves, -4 to bluff checks.
-Power: Force of Will (allow re-check +bonus of enchantments/compulsions/fears)

Aura of Heat: Raise the temperature by 10c/2 class levels, all fire damage deals +1 damage/die per 2 class levels. [Mutable aura, temperature can be turned down in increments of 10c, which limits damage die]
=Aura Activation: 10c and +1DD/round maximum.
-Power: Matter agitation

Aura of Cold: As Aura of Heat but with cold damage and -temp.
-Power: As Matter agitation but cold, freeze, blue, brittle to touch.

Static Aura: As Aura of Heat but with lightning damage, metal objects and water illuminates to provide a 5' light source, this light source strobes as to provide partial concealment to things lit only by it.
-Power: As Matter agitation but lightning.

Aura of Venom: +1DD to a single ability -4 to saves vs. poisons, +8 vs. saves to poisons you have successfully saved against.
-Power: Viperpit (All party members are treated as having previous saves vs. a single poison of your choice, daily duration)

Aura of Judgement: +4 Sense Motive +4 to appraise, -4 charisma-based checks. Creatures of the opposing alignment(s) have a -1AC and saves (does not stack)
-Power: Force of Justice (Up to 4 creates are treated as having the same alignment as you in the aura)
-Power: Ray of Judgement (Deal 1d6NL damage to creature and raise it's position on the diplomacy chart by 1 for one round.)


Augmentations

Flash Aura: If an aura has an activation time, subtract 6 rounds. Cost X