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Hannibal
2013-11-19, 06:39 AM
A bloodline themed around movement, teleporting, astral plane familiarity, and the social aspect of traveling. Looking for any critique, especially about balance and lore.

Planar Bloodline

Your ancestors spent a great deal of time traveling the planes, and extradimensional energies laced their blood. As a result, you have singular power over planar magic and fine control over your location in space/time. Planar sorcerers tend to adapt well to new places and people, for traveling and exploration is literally in their blood.

Class Skill: Knowledge (planes)

Bonus Spells: stumble gap (3rd), grace (5th), blink (7th), dimension door (9th), teleport (11th), planar binding (13th), plane shift (15th), maze (17th), astral projection (19th)

Bonus Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Greater Spell Focus (conjuration only), Quicken Spell, Lightning Reflexes, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Knowledge [planes]), Spell Focus (conjuration only)

Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you teleport at least 5 feet using a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability, you increase the save DC of the next spell you cast within one round by 1.

Bloodline Powers: You are as at home on the astral plane as the material one, for you visit often.

Planar Stride (Sp): At 1st level, you can teleport to a nearby space as a move action as if using dimension door. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You must be able to see the space that you are moving into. You cannot take other creatures with you when you use this ability. You can move 5 feet for every sorcerer level you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

Wayfarer's Charm (Ex): By 3rd level you have developed a remarkable knack for social maneuvering. Diplomacy and Sense Motive are now class skills and you gain a +2 insight bonus on each. At 9th level, this bonus increases to +4, and you can use charm person as a spell-like ability at will. At 15th level, you can use charm monster instead.

Unburdened Steps (Su): At 9th level, you may act as though under the effects of freedom of movement for a number of rounds equal to your sorcerer level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. At 17th level, the duration of this effect is no longer limited, and you may remain unburdened as long as you wish.

Walk the Planes (Su): At 15th level, you are under the effects of a constant planar adaptation. When you travel to a new plane, you may change the energy resistance type you gain from this ability as a free action. You gain a +4 bonus on Charisma-based skill checks when dealing with the natives of any plane you visit, including your home plane. In addition, you no longer need line-of-sight for your Planar Stride ability.

Liberated Soul (Su): At 20th level you are truly free to explore the cosmic wilderness. You gain the following abilities.


You may cast any spell of the teleportation subschool as a move action.
You automatically succeed any saving throw against a spell or effect that would move or teleport you against your will.
You are always considered a native of any plane you visit.
When you use astral projection and similar effects you are no longer tethered by a silver cord and may travel into and out of the astral plane as you will.
It is no longer possible for you to arrive off target when casting any spell of the teleportation subschool, though you must have at least a reliable description of the place to which you are teleporting.

Hannibal
2013-11-20, 12:15 AM
Is bumping threads against the rules? I'd really like to get everyone's thoughts.. :/

Edit: One specific thought I have is the "auto save vs move/teleporting effects" component of the capstone ability. Originally I worded it, "You are immune to..." but thought that created interpretation problems. Are you immune to a dragon eating you, because his digestive system will "move" you to his gullet?

That's why I changed it to refer only to saving throws. However, that presents a new problem. What about spells and effects that definitely fall under the ability's scope, but don't allow saving throws? Maze comes to mind. How can I word the ability to protect against those and still avoid the danger of rule-lawyering arguments?

Sir_Thaddeus
2013-11-20, 01:54 AM
You may cast any spell of the teleportation subschool as a move action.


This clearly means that when you cast a spell of the teleportation subschool, its casting time is shortened to a move action; however, the wording is a bit vague, and there may be some who interpret it as: As a move action, you can cast ANY spell of the teleportation subschool. It might be a good idea to tighten the wording.

Another question on this ability: are there any teleportation spells in Pathfinder, the casting times of which are less than a move action? That might be an unwanted nerf, if such spells exist.

Hannibal
2013-11-20, 02:17 AM
Both great points. Spells cast as less than Standard actions are pretty rare in PF, and I can't think of a single example from teleportation. Maybe some third party gimmick spells, but I wouldn't know, as my group tends to avoid third party stuff.

"When you cast any spell of the teleportation subschool that normally takes a standard action, you may instead cast it as a move action."

Also prevents silly abuses like move-casting teleport spells that are designed, for balance reasons, to be cast in 10 minutes (or whatever).

psi51
2014-02-28, 12:50 AM
This is an excellent idea for a bloodline, I think that an at will charm person or charm monster is a bit too powerful, perhaps add to your spells and add 1/2 your level to diplomacy and sense motive as well, perhaps dimensional agility added as a feat.