Ziegander
2012-03-21, 11:27 AM
The Marshal
Designer's Notes
So, the idea here is a character whose full power is realized through the actual command of a small army of followers. He gains a large number of commoners as he gains levels, he gains six "cohorts" as he gains levels, and his commoners gain levels as he gains levels! I'm not quite getting the class to where I wanted it yet, and obviously the Auras are where most of the power will be, but I wanted to post it so I could get people's opinions and suggestions. The auras should be powerful enough to transform a ragtag group of 3rd level Commoners into a fearsome fighting force. I'm also considering giving the Marshal a number of "Orders" which would be active abilities that he uses to perform special actions with his followers, things like Suppressive Volley and Focus Fire, heck maybe even one that grants a number of contiguous followers abilities similar to Swarm traits. Any thoughts would be helpful, guys, and thanks for reading.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dnd_frcc_20070613_marshal.jpg
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d10
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |
Auras Known
1st|+1|+2|+0|+2|Auras (1), Rally the Peasants|
1
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+3|Legendary Leader|
1
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+3|Promotion|
2
4th|+4|+4|+1|+4|Extra Aura (2)|
3
5th|+5|+4|+1|+4|Rally the Peasants +1|
3
6th|+6/+1|+5|+2|+5|Promotion|
4
7th|+7/+2|+5|+2|+5|Extra Aura (3)|
5
8th|+8/+3|+6|+2|+6|Rally the Peasants +2|
6
9th|+9/+4|+6|+3|+6|Promotion|
6
10th|+10/+5|+7|+3|+7|Extra Aura (4)|
7
11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+3|+7|Rally the Peasants +3|
8
12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+4|+8|Promotion|
9
13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+4|+8|Extra Aura (5)|
9
14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+4|+9|Rally the Peasants +4|
10
15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+5|+9|Promotion|
11
16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+5|+10|Extra Aura (6)|
12
17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+5|+10|Rally the Peasants +5|
12
18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+6|+11|Promotion|
13
19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+6|+11|Extra Aura (7)|
14
20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+6|+12|Rally the Peasants +6|
15
[/table]
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier): Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Forgery, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Any), Listen, Perform, Ride, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spot, and Swim.
Weapon & Armor Proficiencies
A Marshal is proficient with all simple and martial weapons; with light, medium, and heavy armors; and with all shields (including Tower Shields).
Auras
To be continued...
Rally the Peasants (Ex): At every level, a Marshal acquires the service of five 1st level Commoners as followers. These followers obey the Marshal's every command and serve with a Helpful (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/diplomacy.htm) attitude (which can temporarily be inflamed to Fanatic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#diplomacy) if the Marshal makes a successful Diplomacy check). These followers act during the Marshal's turn and, unless directed, will take no actions except to directly protect the Marshal.
The Marshal gains the service of his first 5 followers as he enters play; however each new set of 5 followers requires that he spend 24 hours within a settled civilization (a village, town, small city, large city, or metropolis), after which time his new followers make themselves available to him.
These Commoner followers do not gain experience points. When the Marshal reaches 5th level and once every three levels after 5th, the Marshal's followers each gain one level, bringing his followers to a maximum level of 7th when the Marshal reaches 20th level. Each follower gains its own supply of NPC wealth determined by its level.
If any of the Marshal's followers dies he suffers the loss of 5xp per Marshal level, per follower death. This loss of xp cannot reduce him below 1st level, nor can it cause him to lose a level; however, if any of his followers die and he cannot lose any further xp he suffers a -1 penalty to all d20 rolls for each such death which lasts for 24 hours.
A Marshal can replenish the ranks of his followers with a Diplomacy skill check, DC 15, that requires at least 4 hours of effort. The amount of followers he is able to regain depends upon the quality of his skill check and the size of the settlement in which he makes the check (he may not make this check outside of settled civilization). From a successful check, the Marshal regains 1 follower in a Village, 2 followers in a Town, 3 followers in a Small City, 4 followers in a Large City, and 5 followers in a Metropolis. For every five points by which the Marshal exceeds the check DC he regains additional followers of the same number (for example, if Marshal that rolls a 27 Diplomacy check while in a Small City could replenish up to 9 lost followers). The replenished followers enter the Marshal's service 24 hours after his Diplomacy check in waves, such that for each wave of additional followers regained by a high Diplomacy check, those waves take another 24 hours to enter the Marshal's service.
Legendary Leader (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Marshal is immune to fear and adds his Charisma modifier to all of his saving throws.
Promotion (Ex): At 3rd level, and once every three levels thereafter, a Marshal chooses one of his followers. That follower's level increases by any number necessary so that it always equals the Marshal's level -2 and that follower's class levels in Commoner are replaced by an equal number of levels in the Marshal's choice of Warrior*, Expert+, or Adept. After promoting a follower to "cohort" status, the Marshal may acquire a new follower to bring his total followers to 5/class level.
*Gains a Fighter bonus feat at 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. Gains +1 to hit and to damage at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.
+Gains the Trapfinding class feature at 1st level, Evasion at 2nd level, Trap Sense +1 at 3rd level (+2 at 6th, +3 at 9th, +4 at 12th, +5 at 15th, +6 at 18th), and a Rogue Special Ability at 12th, 15th, and 18th levels.
These "cohorts" gain the knowledge of half the number of Auras as the Marshal, rounded down, and the ability to project a single Aura. Marshals often make use of these "cohorts" to split their followers into smaller, more manageable squads, each led by a competent captain. Each of the Marshal's "cohorts" also gains an amount of NPC Wealth appropriate to its new level.
If one of the Marshal's "cohorts" dies, he suffers the loss of 200xp per Marshal level. Like with the loss of xp from follower death, this cannot reduce him below 1st level, nor can it cause him to lose a level; however, if he cannot lose any further xp, then he suffers a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls for each "cohort" death which lasts for 24 hours.
As with his followers, a Marshal can replenish the ranks of lost "cohorts" with a successful Diplomacy check. The DC for this check is 30 and can only be attempted while within a Small City, a Large City, or a Metropolis. The check requires 8 hours of effort, and, as with replenishing followers, he obtains the service of a new "cohort" 24 hours after a successful check. The Marshal can never replenish more than a single "cohort" at any given time in this way; however by adding +10 to the check DC he can obtain the service of a new "cohort" immediately after his 8 hours of effort, and by adding +20 to the check DC he reduces the required effort to 4 hours (and can obtain the new "cohort" immediately after those 4 hours).
Designer's Notes
So, the idea here is a character whose full power is realized through the actual command of a small army of followers. He gains a large number of commoners as he gains levels, he gains six "cohorts" as he gains levels, and his commoners gain levels as he gains levels! I'm not quite getting the class to where I wanted it yet, and obviously the Auras are where most of the power will be, but I wanted to post it so I could get people's opinions and suggestions. The auras should be powerful enough to transform a ragtag group of 3rd level Commoners into a fearsome fighting force. I'm also considering giving the Marshal a number of "Orders" which would be active abilities that he uses to perform special actions with his followers, things like Suppressive Volley and Focus Fire, heck maybe even one that grants a number of contiguous followers abilities similar to Swarm traits. Any thoughts would be helpful, guys, and thanks for reading.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dnd_frcc_20070613_marshal.jpg
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d10
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |
Auras Known
1st|+1|+2|+0|+2|Auras (1), Rally the Peasants|
1
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+3|Legendary Leader|
1
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+3|Promotion|
2
4th|+4|+4|+1|+4|Extra Aura (2)|
3
5th|+5|+4|+1|+4|Rally the Peasants +1|
3
6th|+6/+1|+5|+2|+5|Promotion|
4
7th|+7/+2|+5|+2|+5|Extra Aura (3)|
5
8th|+8/+3|+6|+2|+6|Rally the Peasants +2|
6
9th|+9/+4|+6|+3|+6|Promotion|
6
10th|+10/+5|+7|+3|+7|Extra Aura (4)|
7
11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+3|+7|Rally the Peasants +3|
8
12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+4|+8|Promotion|
9
13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+4|+8|Extra Aura (5)|
9
14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+4|+9|Rally the Peasants +4|
10
15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+5|+9|Promotion|
11
16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+5|+10|Extra Aura (6)|
12
17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+5|+10|Rally the Peasants +5|
12
18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+6|+11|Promotion|
13
19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+6|+11|Extra Aura (7)|
14
20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+6|+12|Rally the Peasants +6|
15
[/table]
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier): Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Forgery, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Any), Listen, Perform, Ride, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spot, and Swim.
Weapon & Armor Proficiencies
A Marshal is proficient with all simple and martial weapons; with light, medium, and heavy armors; and with all shields (including Tower Shields).
Auras
To be continued...
Rally the Peasants (Ex): At every level, a Marshal acquires the service of five 1st level Commoners as followers. These followers obey the Marshal's every command and serve with a Helpful (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/diplomacy.htm) attitude (which can temporarily be inflamed to Fanatic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#diplomacy) if the Marshal makes a successful Diplomacy check). These followers act during the Marshal's turn and, unless directed, will take no actions except to directly protect the Marshal.
The Marshal gains the service of his first 5 followers as he enters play; however each new set of 5 followers requires that he spend 24 hours within a settled civilization (a village, town, small city, large city, or metropolis), after which time his new followers make themselves available to him.
These Commoner followers do not gain experience points. When the Marshal reaches 5th level and once every three levels after 5th, the Marshal's followers each gain one level, bringing his followers to a maximum level of 7th when the Marshal reaches 20th level. Each follower gains its own supply of NPC wealth determined by its level.
If any of the Marshal's followers dies he suffers the loss of 5xp per Marshal level, per follower death. This loss of xp cannot reduce him below 1st level, nor can it cause him to lose a level; however, if any of his followers die and he cannot lose any further xp he suffers a -1 penalty to all d20 rolls for each such death which lasts for 24 hours.
A Marshal can replenish the ranks of his followers with a Diplomacy skill check, DC 15, that requires at least 4 hours of effort. The amount of followers he is able to regain depends upon the quality of his skill check and the size of the settlement in which he makes the check (he may not make this check outside of settled civilization). From a successful check, the Marshal regains 1 follower in a Village, 2 followers in a Town, 3 followers in a Small City, 4 followers in a Large City, and 5 followers in a Metropolis. For every five points by which the Marshal exceeds the check DC he regains additional followers of the same number (for example, if Marshal that rolls a 27 Diplomacy check while in a Small City could replenish up to 9 lost followers). The replenished followers enter the Marshal's service 24 hours after his Diplomacy check in waves, such that for each wave of additional followers regained by a high Diplomacy check, those waves take another 24 hours to enter the Marshal's service.
Legendary Leader (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Marshal is immune to fear and adds his Charisma modifier to all of his saving throws.
Promotion (Ex): At 3rd level, and once every three levels thereafter, a Marshal chooses one of his followers. That follower's level increases by any number necessary so that it always equals the Marshal's level -2 and that follower's class levels in Commoner are replaced by an equal number of levels in the Marshal's choice of Warrior*, Expert+, or Adept. After promoting a follower to "cohort" status, the Marshal may acquire a new follower to bring his total followers to 5/class level.
*Gains a Fighter bonus feat at 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. Gains +1 to hit and to damage at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.
+Gains the Trapfinding class feature at 1st level, Evasion at 2nd level, Trap Sense +1 at 3rd level (+2 at 6th, +3 at 9th, +4 at 12th, +5 at 15th, +6 at 18th), and a Rogue Special Ability at 12th, 15th, and 18th levels.
These "cohorts" gain the knowledge of half the number of Auras as the Marshal, rounded down, and the ability to project a single Aura. Marshals often make use of these "cohorts" to split their followers into smaller, more manageable squads, each led by a competent captain. Each of the Marshal's "cohorts" also gains an amount of NPC Wealth appropriate to its new level.
If one of the Marshal's "cohorts" dies, he suffers the loss of 200xp per Marshal level. Like with the loss of xp from follower death, this cannot reduce him below 1st level, nor can it cause him to lose a level; however, if he cannot lose any further xp, then he suffers a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls for each "cohort" death which lasts for 24 hours.
As with his followers, a Marshal can replenish the ranks of lost "cohorts" with a successful Diplomacy check. The DC for this check is 30 and can only be attempted while within a Small City, a Large City, or a Metropolis. The check requires 8 hours of effort, and, as with replenishing followers, he obtains the service of a new "cohort" 24 hours after a successful check. The Marshal can never replenish more than a single "cohort" at any given time in this way; however by adding +10 to the check DC he can obtain the service of a new "cohort" immediately after his 8 hours of effort, and by adding +20 to the check DC he reduces the required effort to 4 hours (and can obtain the new "cohort" immediately after those 4 hours).