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Xaotiq1
2013-07-23, 05:00 PM
It's no secret to those that know me that I LOVE the Deadlands RPG by Pinnacle Entertainment group. Even that fine game once crossed over the border and had a d20 version, which was all together terrible. The classes were flat and boring. The hit point system of d20 does not mesh with the deadly kill spree that Deadlands can turn in to.

I'm not claiming that I've fixed anything about that with the class that I've made; but I hope it evokes the charm of the original "Huckster". Or, for those not familiar with Deadlands, is a decent enough class to garner some constructive criticism. Feedback, as always, is prodigiously thanked for in advance!


Colporteur

So this is it. I sold my soul for this. I washed my hands of the gods for this. Fine. Deal 'em up, Angel! - Emmerson Havock, colporteur.

Fluff

Like a strange melange of the binder and warlock, the colporteur gambles with powerful outsiders for power.

Adventures: Maybe you want more power. Maybe the lure of eldritch secrets calls to a deeper part of you. Maybe you're regretting your decision; and seek repentance. colporteurs adventure for all of these reasons and more.

Characteristics: The colporteur is a weilder of eldritch energy. They shape it in to various spells and "tricks". Like other casters, they are usually bookish types; though after getting the hang of their craft, some can become quite devil-may-care.

Alignment: Like wizards, all types of folks become colporteurs, though those with lawful or good alignments tend to find the hubris displayed by the colporteur to be quite distasteful, at best.

Religion: The colporteur has generally no use of traditional religion. It's not that they don't believe in the gods. Actions of blessed and sacrosancts prove that. colporteurs try to best outsiders for power; and even Bahamut hates to lose a game of chance to a mortal.

Background: You loved watching that old man in the inn play cards. Three Dragon Ante, Harrow, Cripple Mr. Onion, he knew them all. On the day of his highest stakes game, you rushed to the inn only to find it empty except for a small notebook.

"It helps me to remember the rules." he'd said. You read til your eyes grew weak. The symbols clicked, and your gambling spirit began burning.

Races: Any race that prizes arcane knowledge can and does produce colporteurs. Races not known for having great minds amongst them tend to have fewer than others.

Other Classes: Even warlocks and binders are put a bit off by the colporteur. At least they're up front about dealing with outsiders, and don't target those that can actually hunt you down. Clerics and other holy types see their methods as disrespectful at best. Evil clerics in particular will target the colporteur with predjudice. Arcane types, though loathe to admit it, are jealous of the ease by which the colporteur seems to gain their power; calling it cheating. Those that have witnessed backlash, though know the stakes by which the colporteur plays their game. Warriors and rogues generally see them as simply another kind of caster.

Role: The colporteur is rather versatile. They can be a sneak. They can be a party face. They can do a fair bit of blasting. Their versaitlity lies in their invocations and tricks; which heavily shape their role.

Adaptation: The colporteur can be used by players who want to play a wizard or sorceror, but don't care to have such a huge spell list. They make great lieutenants for groups of baddies. Generally, they are best used in settings where magic is dangerous and limited.

Crunch
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Colporteur's have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Int/Wis/Cha > Con/Dex > Str.
Alignment: Any (though usually non-lawful/good)
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: As bard
Starting Gold: As cleric

Class Skills
The Colporteur's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

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

CThe Colporteur
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells Known

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Spells, tricks|
1

2nd|
+x1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Deal With the Devil (1)|
2

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Gambler's knack, surprise casting|
3

4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Bonus Trick|
4

5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Deal With the Devil (2)|
5

6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Canny soul (immune to fear)|
6

7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Surprise casting (move action)|
7

8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Bonus Trick|
8

9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Canny soul (Slippery Mind)|
9

10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Deal With the Devil (3)|
10

11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Class Ability|
11

12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8|Bonus Trick|
12

13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8|Canny soul (immune to energy drain and neg. levels)|
13

14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+4|
+9|Unlimited uses of tricks|
14

15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+9|-|
15

16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|Bonus Trick, deal with the devil (4)|
16

17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|Class Ability|
17

18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Class Ability|
18

19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Canny soul (mind blank)|
19

20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Bonus Trick, deal with the devil (5)|
20[/table]

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the colporteur.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Colporteurs are proficient with all simple weapons plus the long swshortbow, and short sword. Colporteurss are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. Colporteurs can cast any spell they know in light armor without incurring arcane spell failure.

Spells: A colporteur casts arcane spells which are drawn from the Sorcerer/wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below).

To learn a spell, a colporteur must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a colporteur’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the colporteur’s Wisdom modifier.

To cast a spell, the colporteur must succeed on a level check (1d20 + class level + Cha mod) DC= 15 + spell's level x 2 (so, to cast fireball, the DC would be 21). Yes, this means that a colporteur of 1st level with an 18 Int could learn an 8th level spell; but casting it is a different matter. Failing the level check results in Backlash (see below).

Unlike other spellcasters, a colporteur can cast any spell they know at will. They do not, however gain any bonus spells from a high ability score.

A colporteur’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A colporteur begins play knowing only one spell; and gains a new spell at each class level, as indicated on Table: colporteur. These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the colporteur has gained some understanding of by study. The colporteur can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered colporteur level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a colporteur can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the colporteur "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell must be of a level the colporteur can lear, based on their Int. A colporteur may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains a new spell known for the level.

Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a colporteur need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level. He does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast.

BACKLASH: If a colporteur fails a level check when casting a spell, based on the amount by which the check failed, they suffer one of the following effects, even if the colporteur is normally immune to that condition. All of the listed effects stack; so if the colporteur fails more than one roll and gets the same result, the severity of the penalty increases.

{table=head]Check Missed By|Effect
1-3|Take 1d6 non-lethal damage and act as if staggered for 2 rounds.
4-6|Take 2d4 non-lethal damage and act as if dazed for 2 rounds.
7-9|Act as if confused for 4 rounds.
10-12|Take 1d4 damage to all mental ability scores and become affected as if exhausted.
13-15|Lose access to spells of 6th level or higher for 24 hours.
16-18|Take 5d6 damage. This damage overcomes all DR and does not reduce temporary hit points first. Additionally, you act as if nauseated for 1d6 rounds
19-21|Lose access to all spells of 4th level or higher for 24 hours.
22+|Lose access to all spells for 24 hours; and take damage to all mental ability scores equal to the spell's level.[/table]

Tricks (Su): Tricks, sometomes called cantrips, are very minor magics that the colporteur picks up while learning how to manipulate greater magics. Any 0th level, arcane spell or any fundamental of shadow (ToM, 112) is viable for the colporteur to learn as a trick. Tricks function as supernatural (Su) abilities useable three times per day. colporteurs begin play knowing 4 tricks of their choice and a new one at 4th level and every four additional ;eve;s beyond 4th. At 14th level, you can use your tricks an unlimited number of times per day. You can, when you are able to swap spells, choose to do the same with a trick as well. When choosing tricks, you can "relearn" a trick to get another set of uses of that trick per day. The save DC for any of your tricks is 10 + your Wis modifier.

Deal With the Devil (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, the colporteur can draw additional power from an outsider when casting a spell. As long as you successfully cast a spell, you can choose one ability from the following list. Each time you cast a new spell, you reselect your Deal with the Devil ability.

Deal With the Devil Effects
+5 hit points
ER 5 (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic)
+1 insight bonus to saving throws
DR1/-
+1 insight bonus to AC
+1 insight bonus on attack rolls
+1 insight bonus on damage rolls
+2 insight bonus on initiative checks

As you attain higher levels, you can make additional selections from the list. You gain additional abilities at 5th, 10th, 16th, and 20th level (to a max of 5 selections). You can choose a single ability multiple times, and their effects stack. For example, at 16th level, you could choose insight bonus to initiative four times for a +8 bonus to initiative.

Gambler's Knack (Ex): colporteur's gamble with their very souls to gain magic power. As such, they have a knack for games of chance and more importantly, how to play their opponents as well as they play the game. The colporteur adds 1/2 their class level to all Bluff, Diplomacy, Profession: Gambler, Sense Motive, and Slieght of Hand checks.

Surprise Casting (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, when you successfully use the Bluff skill to feint in combat, your target is denied its Dexterity bonus (if it has one) to AC for the next melee attack you make against it or the next spell you cast. You must remain in melee with the target, and the attack must be made or the spell cast on or before your next turn. The target is not considered flat-footed and therefore can make attacks of opportunity against you if you do not cast defensively.

At 7th level, you gain the ability to feint in combat as a move action instead of a standard action. If you have the Improved Feint feat, you can now feint in combat as a swift action.

Canny Soul (Su): The mental exercises required to cast spells as huchksters do leads their minds to be as sharp, strong and nimble. Beginning at 6th level, the colporteur is immune to fear effects.

At 9th level, the colporteur gains the slippery mind ability, which allows a person to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a rogue with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.

At 13th level, the colporteur is immune to energy drain and negative levels.

When you attain 19th level, your mind can hide from even the most powerful beings as you gain immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities.
I'm still hemming and hawing over whether or not to do a custom spell list for this class. Any feedback on that would be great!

Yitzi
2013-07-23, 05:46 PM
Shouldn't his bonus on the casting check scale with level?

Xaotiq1
2013-07-23, 07:03 PM
Shouldn't his bonus on the casting check scale with level?

Tee hee, copypasta from a previous version. :smallredface:

Any other thoughts, folks!