Watcher In Darkness [Prc]

[Illiterate Scribe]

I've been thinking about virtual matter, and other weird scientific things, and I've been thinking about utility warlocks, and antimagic fields.

Combine them together -

The watcher in darkness, a prestige class that allows a character to study the space between planes, the greater infinity unknown by minds mortal and immortal, and live in it. They also gain the ability to coerce threads of virtual matter (matter which springs from the roiling Planck fabric) into real matter, thus making them very useful as utility casters, or they can use this to cancel out real matter in the same way that two waves out of step cancel each other out.

Without further ado, the Watcher In Darkness!

Watcher In The Darkness

Requirements

Great fortitude, survival 9, know (the planes) 12, concentration 12, endurance.
Alignment - true neutral, neutral good, lawful neutral, chaotic neutral.

Class Skills

Autohypnosis (Wis), appraise (Int), concentration (Con), control plane (Wis), craft (Int), diplomacy (Cha), know (the planes) (Int), know (religion) (Int), planar expertise (Wis), sense motive (Wis), survival (Wis).
4+Int modifier skill points per level

Progression

Good Saves - Fortitude, Will
Poor Saves - Reflex
Attack Bonus - as Cleric
Hit Dice - D8

Abilities

1st level - Something from nothing (ex) - as a standard action, the watcher can create up to 1 cubic foot of matter, as per the minor creation spell, but that lasts as long as the watcher can make Concentration checks, at DC 20. More matter can be created at once, but each additional cubic foot created adds +2 to the DC of the concentration check.

2nd level - Nothing from something (ex) - the watcher can create matter using his or her something from nothing ability that is harmful to normal matter. As a ranged touch attack, the watcher can fire matter that it creates at a target. This deals 1d6+class level damage, which is not resistable, or cannot be regenerated, and ignores hardness.

4th level - Outer peace (ex) - the watcher no longer needs to eat, drink, or breathe.?

5th level - Inner peace (ex) - the watcher no longer needs to sleep.

6th level - Peace with oneself (ex) - the watcher stops aging, effectively becoming immortal.

8th level - Something from nothing, greater (ex) - the watcher can use his or her something from nothing ability to create matter as with the major creation spell. The concentration check for this is DC 30, with further increases of +4 to the DC instead of +2.

10th level - Void native: the watcher gains the void subtype (50% concealment, can become invisible as an extraordinary ability with a full round action), but counts as extraplanar on all planes (they are treated as having the void as their home plane). By voluntarily suffering damage equal to half their total remaining hit points, they can shift to the void as a free action. This is a plane, or rather space between planes, of absolute, unchanging darkness, maintained at a constant 6 degrees centrigrade, where there is no movement, no air, and no solid matter but that created by the watchers.

NB. I apologise for the lack of tables; I don't know how to format them. Control plane, and planar expertise, are two skills from the Planescape system to aid planar travel.

What do you think? All comments, especially constructive ripping apart, would be welcome.

[DaMullet]

Well, for starters, it's a 10 level PrC that requires a minimum of level 9 to enter. Also, (and I'm no balance expert, so feel free to disregard this opinion) no longer needing to breathe at what amounts to 13th level? A bit strong. Also, Monks stop aging at level 20- this PrC gives it to someone at level 15. Like I said, I'm no expert, but these are things that strike me as a bit powerful.

[Sage in the Playground]

I like it. But when I first saw the name, brfore reading your post I thought "Sam Vimes."

[Stormthorn]

Lovecraft would be proud, but it think if you allow neutral good you should also allow neutral evil. Also, perhaps rather than stopping aging, they no longer get sick and/or become immune to poison. Also, wouldnt blindsense/sight or darkvision be something that a void traveler would need?

[Illiterate Scribe]

DaMullet: I see what you mean about the early class features - but given that the offensive capability of the character amounts, at 19th level, to that of a level 7 warlock, does not advance caster levels, and would only make a passable skill monkey, I thought it might be justifiable. The main aim of this class was to make a survivor/'enlightened' character, who sits back and watches the aeons go by - bit like an Elan (the psionic race, not :elan:) . It could be a bit overpower in gestalt, however, as it relies on shutting off other class possibilities. Any suggestions on toning down? Maybe replace the capstone with the 'X peace abilities'?

Sage: Believe it or not, I was actually stuck for a name for the character. I was listening to 'Thud' at the time on audiobook, and thus put it in. There are a couple of points of confluence with the watching dark - they're both mysterious protector figures.

Stormthorn: Would Lovecraft be proud? I've never read him, and thus just assumed he was tentacles and nothing more :smalltongue:. I mainly got the inspiration from various philosophical ideas, that there is a great infinity of quiet beyond what we know - anatta in Buddhism, and the 'small quiet wind' heard by Elijah on the mountain. With regard to the not aging thing, that was just so that they could sit there, in the void, in contemplation of stuff. Also, I don't think he/she would need blindsight/darkvision - there's nothing to see/experience there, except what he/she has brought into being.

[Sage in the Playground]

Sage: Believe it or not, I was actually stuck for a name for the character. I was listening to 'Thud' at the time on audiobook, and thus put it in. There are a couple of points of confluence with the watching dark - they're both mysterious protector figures.


Hahahaha. Man, I love irony.

[Stormthorn]

Stormthorn: Would Lovecraft be proud? I've never read him, and thus just assumed he was tentacles and nothing more :smalltongue:. I mainly got the inspiration from various philosophical ideas, that there is a great infinity of quiet beyond what we know - anatta in Buddhism, and the 'small quiet wind' heard by Elijah on the mountain. With regard to the not aging thing, that was just so that they could sit there, in the void, in contemplation of stuff. Also, I don't think he/she would need blindsight/darkvision - there's nothing to see/experience there, except what he/she has brought into being.


He also has a lot about timeless being with agendas that are total obscure to normal folks and the chasing of knowledge. Somehow this class seems to fit, albiet some wierd diviner/necromance class would be truer to the types of folk that usualy do this in his stories.