PDA

View Full Version : D&D 3.x Class Cruel Sun Berserker (ToB Barbarian PrC) - PEACH / WIP



Nifft
2017-12-04, 12:43 AM
https://i.imgur.com/xQBldgX.jpg

Prerequisites
- Class feature: Rage or Frenzy
- Skill ranks: Intimidate 8, and either Tumble 8 or Balance 8
- Maneuvers & Stances: one Stance and one Strike from the Desert Wind or Iron Heart disciplines


Table: the Cruel Sun Berserker — HD: d10

LevelBABF/R/WFeaturesStances
KnownManeuvers
KnownManeuvers
Readied

1st+1+2/+0/+0Flame’s Blessing, Bonus Feat
*
1
—

2nd+2+2/+0/+0Burning Focus, Extra Rage
—
1
—

3rd+3+3/+0/+0Inner Flames
—
1
1

4th+4+3/+1/+1Red-Hot Iron, Bonus Feat
—
1
—

5th+5+4/+1/+1Eternal Blessing, Extra Rage
1
1
1


Class Skills (6+Int): Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (local, nature, geography), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Ride, Survival, Swim, and Tumble.


Maneuvers: At each level, you gain a new maneuver known from the Desert Wind or Iron Heart disciplines. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your full Cruel Sun Berserker levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known. At 3rd level and 5th level you gain an additional maneuver readied per day.

Stances Known: At 5th level, you learn a new martial stance from the Desert Wind or Iron Heart disciplines. You must meet a stance's prerequisite to learn it.

Flame's Blessing: The fundamental survival strategy of a desert raider must include a certain tolerance for heat. You learn the Flame's Blessing stance from the Desert Wind discipline. If you already know this stance, you may learn any other stance for which you qualify from the Desert Wind or Iron Heart disciplines.

Bonus Feat: At 1st and 4th levels, you may choose a bonus feat for which you qualify from the following list:
- (SRD) Endurance, Track
- (ToB) Blade Meditation, Desert Fire, Desert Wind Dodge, Ironheart Aura
- (Sandstorm) Heat Endurance, Improved Heat Endurance, Sand Camouflage, Sandskimmer, Sand Dancer, Sand Spinner, Scorpion's Instincts, Scorpion's Resolve, Scorpion's Sense

Burning Focus (Ex): The cruel sun's spiteful fury does not reduce the terrible precision of its gaze. Your rage or frenzy does not hinder the use of any maneuver or stance, and does not impair Tumble or Concentration checks.

Furthermore, when you enter a rage or frenzy, you can enter a Desert Wind or Iron Heart stance as part of the same free action.

Finally, your rage or frenzy duration increaes by a number of rounds equal to your class level.

Extra Rage: At 2nd and 5th levels, you gain an additional usage of your Rage or Frenzy class ability. If you have more than one such ability, pick one to increase.

Inner Flames (Ex): The desert raider must contend with both sweltering days and freezing nights. When you rage, you gain cold resistance equal to your Con bonus plus your class level.

Red-Hot Iron (Su): When you rage, your inner flames leak through to scour your foes. You deal +1d6 fire damage with your unarmed strikes, natural weapons, and any weapon favored by the Desert Wind or Iron Heart disciplines.

Eternal Blessing (Ex): The cruel sun's blessing is always with you. You lose access to the Flame's Blessing stance; instead, whenever you are in any other Desert Wind or Iron Heart stance, you also gain the benefits of the Flame's Blessing stance. You are treated as if you are in both stances for all effects.

Additionally, you can add your Constitution modifier as a bonus on damage rolls whenever you execute a strike from the Desert Wind or Iron Heart disciplines.

Nifft
2017-12-04, 12:44 AM
This is a sketch -- all mechanics, little flavor.

I'm not sure if the mechanics are strong enough, so it's marked as WIP.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

aimlessPolymath
2017-12-04, 01:31 AM
Current status:
Underpowered, but a minor buff to versatility.
Flame's blessing (and energy resistance in general) are niche picks at best in general- almost all of the class features are pretty weak. The most powerful one I can see is Burning Focus, because it lets you use a stance as a free action, but it isn't particularly strong either.

The main draw of this PrC is that it lets a Warbalde take Desert Wind or a Swordsage take Iron Heart. The Swordsage gets a better discipline overall, but loses more readied maneuvers. It does this very well, but the requirement of barbarian levels hurt.

I would trade the capstone for something more powerful, and add one more readied maneuver to help Swordsages with the lost progression.

Nifft
2017-12-04, 02:06 AM
Current status:
Underpowered, but a minor buff to versatility.
Flame's blessing (and energy resistance in general) are niche picks at best in general- almost all of the class features are pretty weak. The most powerful one I can see is Burning Focus, because it lets you use a stance as a free action, but it isn't particularly strong either.

The main draw of this PrC is that it lets a Warbalde take Desert Wind or a Swordsage take Iron Heart. The Swordsage gets a better discipline overall, but loses more readied maneuvers. It does this very well, but the requirement of barbarian levels hurt.

I would trade the capstone for something more powerful, and add one more readied maneuver to help Swordsages with the lost progression.

Thanks for the feedback!

I realized that I'd been neglecting the Barbarian's abilities entirely.

Added:
- Extra Rage usage every 4 levels
- Bonus Feats (from a thematic but kinda garbage list)
- Extend duration of rage or frenzy
- Add Con bonus to Strike damage (now you have a very good reason to act like a Barbarian)