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MundayKnight
2013-09-23, 05:49 AM
Basic idea behind this class is that I was/am tired of the simple fact that casters always out power physical fighters eventually, so a fighter type class capable of engaging in a fair fight with a tier 1/2 class and having a fairly good chance of winning is what I went for with this, its my first class attempt so I apologize if formatting is off.

No image at the moment. (no permission to use any and I have an inability to draw)
Choose child, power unimaginable or magic.
-Claw, a Soldier of the Eightfold Path

In a world where magic trumps all there are those who wish to even the score. These warriors learn to fight magic in all of its forms through the One Truth that magic cannot exist, it is not real. Coming to this conclusion has led Soldiers of the Eightfold Path to have the capacity to challenge those who wield magic on an even playing field, where the only truth is ones tactical abilities and physical prowess.

Abilities:As most melee oriented classes the Soldier of the Eightfold Path (SEP) requires Strength and Constitution, unlike most melee classes SEP's find great power from Wisdom as it modifies many of their powers.

Role: SEP's are focused melee combatants with the ability to counter magic users more effectively than most.

Background: Anyone with the ability to come to realize the One Truth may become a SEP.

Organization: SEP's can be found at the head of armies attempting to overthrow evil wizards, or as the nucleus of a cult intent on killing all of the holy clerics of an order.

Alignment: SEP's can be of any alignment though many find the balance of neutrality to be appealing.

Races: Any race can become an SEP but more are found in races that value practicality over whimsy such as Dwarves and Orcs.

Religion: Many SEP's find the idea of following a deity to be irrational but some follow deities of strength or strategy.

Other Classes: SEP's get along well with non-magical classes like fighters and monks. SEP's find magic users to be of little worth but are usually not openly hostile.

Adaptations: This class has the benefit of being easy to implement in any campaign, though they find more utility in high magic campaigns.

Hit Die: d12

Starting Gold: 6d4x10 (120)


Class Features

Class Skills: The SEP's class skills are: Ride (Dex), Perception (Wis), Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Swim (Str), Craft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Survival (Wis), Escape artist (Dex), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (Int).

Skill Points: 4+int per level

Soldier of the Eightfold Path
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|First step of The Path (Seeing The Truth), One Truth, Bonus feat, disillusioned

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Magic Bane +1d6, Bonus Feat

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Second step of The Path (Knowing The Truth)

4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Bonus Feat

5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Cold Iron, Third step of The Path (Believing The Truth)

6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+5|Magic Bane +2d6, Bonus Feat

7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+5|Fourth step of The Path (Trusting The Truth)

8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+6|Bonus Feat

9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+6|Fifth step of The Path (Holding The Truth)

10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+7|Magic Bane +3d6, Cold Iron Aura, Bonus Feat

11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+7|Sixth step of The Path (Feeling The Truth)

12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+8|Bonus Feat

13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+8|Seventh step of The Path (Touching The Truth)

14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+4|
+9|Magic Bane +4d6Bonus Feat

15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+9|Cold Iron Echo, Eighth step of The Path (Living The Truth)

16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+10|Bonus Feat

17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Exemplar of The Path

18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11|Magic Bane +5d6, Bonus Feat

19th|
+19|
+11|
+6|
+11|Master of The Path

20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+12|Antithesis[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: SEP's are proficent in all weapons, armor, and shields. SEP's are able to use any weapon with the skill of a natural born warrior.

First step of The Path (Seeing The Truth): SEP's make all saving throw checks against illusions at +2 and get to roll twice, taking the better roll, when making saves for illusions. At level 20 there is a 25% chance that any illusion cast within 1000 feet of you will instead become Scintillating Patterns on the caster using the caster's bonuses for DC

One Truth: SEP's have SR=10+class levelx1.5. At level 20 this power instead makes one disenchant attempt on everything that enters the Antithesis field.

Bonus Feat: SEP's get bonus feats off of the fighter bonus feat list.

Disillusioned: SEP's cannot use magical items, weapons, armor, clothes, or shields

Magic Bane: At level 2 and every four levels thereafter SEP's deal extra damage against magical creatures, objects, and magic casters.

Second step of The Path (Knowing The Truth): At level 3 SEP's make all saving throw checks against enchantments at +2 and get to roll twice, taking the better roll, when making saves against enchantment. At level 20 there is a 25% chance that any enchantment spell cast within 1000 feet of you will instead become a binding on the caster using the caster's bonuses for dc.

Cold Iron Touch: At level 5 SEP's gain the power to disbelieve magic with their touch. Cold Iron gives the SEP dispel magic as an extraordinary ability where dispel check=1d20+SEP level+5. At level 20 Cold Iron Touch can make one dispell check per day upon an artifact using the dispel check presented above and treating the caster level of the artifact as 44 (does not require the extraordinary circumstances to destroy).

Third step of The Path (Believing The Truth): At level 5 SEP's make all saving throw checks against divinations at +2 and get to roll twice, taking the better roll, when making saves against diviniations. They also give all divinations used to spot them a 20% chance of failure and a 5% chance of misinformation. At level 20 the chances increase to 40% failure and 10% misinformation.

Fourth step of The Path (Trusting The Truth): At level 7 SEP's make all saving throw checks against Abjurations at +2 and get to roll twice, taking the better roll, when making saves against Abjurations. At level 20 there is a 25% chance that any Abjuration cast within 1000 feet of you will counterspell the next spell cast.

Fifth step of The Path (Holding The Truth): At level 9 SEP's make all saving throws against Transmutations at +2 and get to roll twice, taking the better roll, when making saves against Transmutations. At level 20 there is a 25% chance that any transmutation that is cast within 1000 feet of you will instead become transmute acid to blood on the caster using the caster's bonuses to calculate dc.

Cold Iron Aura: At level 10 SEP's gain an extraordinary ability that functions as antimagic field upon the SEP at all times.

Sixth step of The Path (Feeling The Truth): At level 11 SEP's make all saving throw checks against evocations at +2 and get to roll twice, taking the better roll, when making saves against evocation. At level 20 there is a 25% chance that any evocation spell cast within 1000 feet of you will backfire on the caster.

Seventh step of The Path (Touching The Truth): At level 13 SEP's have a 50% chance of dispelling any conjuration that comes into the area of their Cold Iron Aura. At level 20 there is a 25% chance that any conjuration spell cast within 1000 feet of you will become a SNA IX or SM IX (dependent on which spell the caster can know) that is actively aggressive to the caster.

Cold Iron Echo: At level 15 SEP's aura increases in power, leaving an antimagic trail where they have walked. This trail lasts 1 hour per SEP level.

Eighth step of The Path (Living The Truth): At level 15 SEP's learn the last step of The Path. There is a 50% chance of dispelling any necromancy spell that comes within the Cold Iron Aura. At level 20 there is a 25% chance that any Necromancy spell cast within 1000 feet of you will become Wail of the Banshee targeting the original caster using the casters level for the DC and damage of Wail of the Banshee.

Exemplar of The Path: At level 17 SEP's become exemplars of The Path, giving them an extraordinary ability within the area of their Cold Iron Aura forcing all supernatural creatures (undead, construct, magical beast) to make a dc 10+SEP level+Wisdom modifier will save or simply stop existing.

Master of The Path: At level 19 SEP's become true masters of The Path, all unnatural creatures (extraplanar, abberations, fey, ooze, plant creatures) become subject to their disbelief. If any of the above stated creatures come into the SEP's Cold Iron Aura they must make a dc 10+SEP level+Wisdom modifier will save or stop existing.

Antithesis: At level 20 the SEP becomes the Antithesis to all things magic. The Cold Iron Aura increases to 100 foot radius, affects all magic (including spells not affected by antimagic field) and affects artifacts (though it does not get the free dispell attempt on them).

Leave your comments, suggestions, and complaints below.

Razanir
2013-09-23, 07:52 AM
Well I hate to break it to you, but this is definitely not Tier 1/2. It's high Tier 4, maybe even Tier 3. All I see is a lot of different ways to dispel and resist magic. It seems very good (actually too good) at its schtick. But I see nothing for out of combat versatility, hence why I'm hesitant to give Tier 3. But I certainly don't see any ways to completely break a campaign required for Tier 1/2.

Okay, now for two comments.

1) You gave them fighter bonus feats? Great. Let SEP levels count as Fighter levels for feats.

2) I'm debating suggesting a clause to let you allow spells to be cast on you. On one hand, that'd be good because your party cleric would actually be able to help. But on the other hand, that'd be believing in magic, which wouldn't be allowed fluff-wise...

2b) Also, this sort of makes it impossible to have any magic-users on the team at all. There's no clause to not hurt friendlies when they cast spells.

MundayKnight
2013-09-23, 01:25 PM
I never really wanted it to be tier 1/2, just be able to fight a tier 1/2 and have a decent shot of winning, which I think this accomplishes. Also the bonus feats as fighter bonus feats is to make them competitive as well. Whereas a normal fighter benefits from magic items, potions, and similar effects this class would solely have nonmagical gear to work with. As far as not being buffed and such that is intended to be another portion of the drawback of the class. Lastly for the making magic allies unplayable portion. Only at level 20 would it become difficult to navigate as a caster within the party, also for this idea it would be much more likely to be in a team of martial characters than casters.

Rolep
2013-09-23, 01:34 PM
Conjure a massive rock 1001 feet above your head...shapechange into a melee-based creature...use protection from spells on all the spells that you plan on casting before you cast them to avoid backfiring, then go to town with prismatic sphere/wall of stone/falling rock/whatever...It requires a little imagination, but a mage can still destroy this class. I don't know what to suggest; magic is just that difficult to defeat.

vasharanpaladin
2013-09-23, 01:42 PM
Conjure a massive rock 1001 feet above your head...shapechange into a melee-based creature...use protection from spells on all the spells that you plan on casting before you cast them to avoid backfiring, then go to town with prismatic sphere/wall of stone/falling rock/whatever...It requires a little imagination, but a mage can still destroy this class. I don't know what to suggest; magic is just that difficult to defeat.

This. If you're trying to make a mundane (i.e. non-magic-using) class that can stand on equal footing with a magic-user, give it up. This is D&D. Magic must defeat magic. :smallyuk:

MundayKnight
2013-09-23, 03:59 PM
While the rock may work the others would not due to Antithesis, no spells work within its area even magic generated by artifacts.

vasharanpaladin
2013-09-23, 04:27 PM
...What's hilarious is that you actually think this is anything more than a minor nuisance to anyone capable of using magic.

Rolep
2013-09-24, 01:23 AM
While the rock may work the others would not due to Antithesis, no spells work within its area even magic generated by artifacts.
And which mage would be nice enough to allow such a potential threat to grow to level 20?
Also, those were just examples. I'm not very good at playing a mage, but ask someone who does. They will find a hundred ways to beat this class. I was being semi-rhetorical.
It's not your class that's flawed; it's magic.