PDA

View Full Version : Forsaker (Pathfinder Antimagic PrC)



InvisiblePink
2019-02-22, 12:39 PM
Something of a work in progress! Feedback welcome.

The concept that I loved about the deeply flawed original 3.0 Forsaker PrC was that it tried to facilitate a non-gimped antimagic character. That's what this class aims to do. It isn't a "magekiller" in the Test of Spite sense. Even so, this forced me to tackle a few unique design challenges.

Spellcasting and magic items are two of the most complex player-facing systems in Pathfinder. The sheer number of options available means that they can be optimized to wildly varying degrees. The power difference between two fighters, one who spent her entire budget on a +5 shield and another who scoured sourcebooks for a dozen well-picked cheaper items, can be staggering.

The Forsaker class, by its concept, doesn't use either of these systems. As an inadvertent result, the gap between a well-built Forsaker and a poorly-built one is much narrower than with other classes; it has a high optimization floor and a low optimization ceiling. When designing the class, I had to choose where in the spectrum of optimization to place its narrow power band. My goal was for the Forsaker to function as part of a tier 3 character build in a modestly-optimized party, where players make intelligent mechanical decisions (e.g. Gloves of Dueling on a Fighter) but don't entirely crush the CL system.

To put it simply: if your party includes optimized full-casters, the Forsaker is not going to compare. If your party contains Paizo-designed premade martials, the Forsaker is not likely to be a healthy choice for your table either. It will also experience a substantial power boost relative to the rest of the party if you hand out far less loot than the WBL system assumes (and don't use Automatic Bonus Progression by default), or if other PCs aren't receiving buffs or heals either from spellcasters or items.

Lastly, while not all Forsakers need to be opposed to advanced technology, DMs should be aware that giving Forsakers plentiful access to technological items may also substantially increase the class's power beyond what was intended.


Forsaker
[Profile to-be-written]

Role: Forsakers can potentially fill a wide variety of martial or skill-based roles in a party, and are strongly influenced by their choice of background class. They are largely self-sufficient, freeing up limited resources for other party members.

Alignment: Forsakers can be of any alignment, though their strong convictions mean they are rarely true neutral.

Hit Die: d12 (but see Background Class).


Requirements:
To qualify to become a Forsaker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Special: Base Attack Bonus +5, OR Knowledge (Arcana) 5 ranks.
Must not use or directly benefit from spells, spell-like abilities, or magic items.

A Forsaker who uses or is willingly affected by a magic item loses access to their class features for a number of days equal to half the item's CL (minimum 1), as their conviction is compromised. A Forsaker who casts or is willingly subject to a spell or spell-like ability (i.e. voluntarily forfeits their save) loses access to their class features for a number of days equal to its spell level (minimum 1). Their conviction does not begin to recover until they no longer benefit from magic.

Base class levels after 5th may be retrained into Forsaker levels. This is an exception to the general rule that base class levels cannot be retrained into prestige class levels.

When this class refers to "spells", it means spells, spell-like abilities, psionic powers, and the activated powers of magic items and artifacts.


Class Skills
The Forsaker's class skills are Spellcraft, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), and Knowledge (Planes).

Skill Ranks At Each Level: 8 + Int modifier (but see Background Class).


[Table: Forsaker goes here, when I get around to it. Full BAB, good Will and Fort.]


Class Features
All Forsaker class features are Extraordinary unless noted otherwise.

Automatic Bonus Progression
After forswearing the use of magic items, the Forsaker uses the Automatic Bonus Progression optional system and gains bonuses from it as if she were 2 levels higher than her actual character level if she didn't already do so.

Keen Senses
At 1st level the Forsaker's inner purity allows her to sense magic in the world, like an astronomer seeking out dark places from which to see the stars. She can concentrate for one to three rounds to perceive magical auras as per the effect of Detect Magic. At 3rd level, she gains all benefits of Detect Magic with only one round of study.

Purifying Sleep
At 1st level, natural vitality floods the Forsaker's body, helping her to shrug off afflictions. She gains fast healing 1, and when she rests for at least 8 hours she recovers from all ability damage, ability drain, negative levels, and diseases or curses. This also ends any spells currently affecting her, whether or not their duration is permanent.

Forsaker Insights
The Forsaker gains an insight at 1st level, and one additional insight at 4th, 7th, and 10th level. Unless explicitly noted otherwise, an insight cannot be taken more than once. These insights can be changed out after resting for eight hours by shifting her mental focus.

Dedicated Class
As a group defined by what they are not, Forsakers naturally show great variety in what they are. At 2nd level, the Forsaker chooses any base class to be her dedicated class. Every Forsaker level where she does not gain an insight also counts as a level in her dedicated class for the purposes of class features and meeting prerequisites. She uses her dedicated class's hit die, skills per level, and BAB progression for those Forsaker levels. This feature is not lost if the Forsaker violates her code of conduct.

Boons of Purity
The Forsaker gains a boon at 2nd level, and one additional boon at 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th level. Unless explicitly noted otherwise, a boon cannot be taken more than once.


Banishment
The Forsaker can banish summoned, called, or extraplanar creatures with an attack. When she deals damage to such a creature, it must succeed on a Will save or be destroyed if summoned, or returned to its origin if called or extraplanar. If the effect that summoned or called it is of a lower spell level than her Forsaker level, this ability does not allow a save.

Curse-Dodger
The Forsaker gains a +2 insight bonus on all saving throws against spells. When she knows the exact identity of a spell, such as by identifying it as it is being cast with Spellcraft, she increases this bonus by an amount equal to half her Forsaker level (minimum 1). As an immediate action, she may grant an ally who can see or hear her this bonus against a single spell.

Disjoining Strike
In place of an attack, the Forsaker can attempt to strike at an ongoing spell effect or magic item; the spell effect does not need to be tangible. This requires an attack roll against an AC of 15 + the effect's caster level if it is not on a creature or item, or the target's AC + 5 otherwise. If successful, the effect or item is suppressed for one round. If the spell's level or half the item's caster level is less than her Forsaker level, she may instead permanently dispel or destroy it.

Disruptive Presence
The Forsaker gains an aura with a fifteen-foot radius. This aura functions as an anti-magic field except that it does not suppress supernatural abilities or the passive effects of magic items and it cannot be disjoined. She may turn it on or off as a free action.

Equal Reaction
As an immediate action, the Forsaker can prevent a creature within 400 feet from teleporting with a spell, or otherwise moving by magically-aided means such as magical flight. For one round, that creature loses any movement modes or bonuses to movement granted by magic and cannot be moved by a spell again.

Lingering Nullification
When the Forsaker deals damage to a creature with an attack, that damage counts as continuous damage for the purposes of making concentration checks to cast spells.

Mental Redoubt
The Forsaker becomes immune to charms, compulsions, and other attempts to exercise mental control over her. She can still be possessed, but the possessing creature exercises no control over her thoughts or actions.

Returning to Roots
The Forsaker advances her dedicated class by one level, and uses its hit die, skills per level, and BAB progression for this Forsaker level. This insight cannot be changed out or swapped in without proper retraining; it must be selected when the insight choice first becomes available, and it is not lost if the Forsaker violates her code of conduct. She still does not gain a boon for this level. This insight can be taken multiple times.

Secrets of the Earth
The Forsaker learns obscure alchemical processes to sharpen the magic-repelling properties of certain substances. With 10gp of materials and an hour's work, she can give them the following permanent qualities:
Lead: Treated lead blocks Divination spells even in miniscule amounts, and can be powdered and infused into armor, clothing, or tattoos to prevent them from affecting or seeing the wearer. It also prevents spells such as Augury, Contact Other Plane, or even Wish from providing useful information about people, items, or locations so protected.
Iron: Treated iron is soft for a few minutes after being treated, and can be sculpted into various shapes such as bracelets or caltrops without needing any special skill. Spells of a level lower than the Forsaker's level cannot be cast while the caster is in direct, continuous contact with treated iron.
Salt: Treated salt does not change in appearance or taste. It can be used to create lines on the ground that extraplanar or incorporeal creatures cannot disrupt or cross. If eaten, it lets the consumer add their natural armor bonus to their touch AC for 24 hours.

Subtle Signs
The Forsaker learns how to see through even the most convincing magical trickery. She ignores concealment and miss chance provided by magic, sees through magical darkness or fog, invisibility, and illusions, always notices when a creature she can see is casting a spell, always succeeds on Sense Motive checks to notice when creatures are acting under the effects of an enchantment, and can discern when an object or creature has been altered or created by an instantaneous spell effect even if it has no magical aura.

Zeal Finds Means
By spending a full day in obsessive study, deep meditation, or prayer, the Forsaker can uncover a way to reach where she needs to be through nonmagical means where none seemed to previously exist. These means should not require more than a week's travel or work, but are not guaranteed to be safe, easy, or feasible without help. Examples include discovering a guarded naturally-occurring portal to the Abyss, or finding a Merfolk's Comb for sale before exploring a sunken ship.

Adaptable Attunement
The Forsaker can attune herself to weapons, armor, and/or a shield to benefit from Automatic Bonus Progression as a free action once per round. As normal, the previous attunement(s) must be discarded in the process.

Alacrity
When making a full-attack action, the Forsaker makes one extra attack at her full BAB. Additionally, her speed increases by five feet as an enhancement bonus, plus five feet per two levels.

Hardened Resilience
The Forsaker gains resist energy 5 against acid, cold, fire, and electric damage, and suffers no ill effects from very hot or very cold environments. This boon may be taken multiple times and stacks with itself.

Inner Perfection
One of the Forsaker's ability scores increases by 1. This is an untyped bonus. This boon may be taken multiple times and stacks with itself.

Primal Regression
When the Forsaker rests to activate Purifying Sleep, she may also recover from any injuries or deformities such as lost limbs or ruined eyes, and then becomes fatigued for a full day. She may also recover from the effects of instantaneous spells like Flesh to Stone, and is considered "resting" whenever she is not dead but is helpless and unable to act. This ability and Purifying Sleep are not lost as the result of spells like Baleful Polymorph.

Rigorous Training
The Forsaker gains a bonus feat. This boon may be taken multiple times.

Spell Resistance
The Forsaker gains spell resistance equal to her character level + 11. This boon may be taken multiple times. Each time after the first, the Forsaker gains a +2 untyped bonus to her spell resistance.

Titan's Vigor
The Forsaker's weapons deal damage as if they were one size category larger. This stacks with all other size increases. Additionally, her reach improves by 5 feet.

Unclouded Intuition
The Forsaker gains a +4 untyped bonus to one skill, or a +2 untyped bonus to two skills. This boon may be taken multiple times and stacks with itself.

InvisiblePink
2019-02-22, 12:40 PM
Reserved for future post.