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Aotrs Commander
2007-10-10, 10:37 AM
Another one of homebrew classes, this one is somewhat different to my others. While the Tracker and Sekkou were designed to be mostly flavour-free and world unspecific, his one - the Intulo Templar - very much isn't.

(I'm not very hopeful anyone will be interested (since it got - unusually - zero feedback on WotC, not even to tell me how crap it is), but what the heck, I figured it'd be worth a try here, right?)

The Intulo Templar is designed as an anti-thesis to the Paladin, but not in the same way as the Blackguard; whereas a Paladin - or Blackguard - is a highly motivated (anti-)hero, the Intulo Templar is an emotionless engines of death. They are designed primarily as villains - in keeping with my current philosophy, they are a base class not a PrC so as to be suitable opposition at all play levels. Originally, I had thought of them as being mechanically like Paladins, but ToB offered me a better way!

So, what we have is a full-BAB martial adept tank, in a similar line to Paladin and Crusader, but with a slightly different (and hopefully unique) twist to the class features. (Why not just use Crusader? Simple; the Crusader's mechanics - never mind the flavour - are a bit too, well, random for what I envisioned the Intulo Templar - not iron-cladly logical.)

As usual, I'm looking primarily for mechanics feedback (though you might find the Intulo entertaining - that's typical of all the flavour text I put in my bestiary entries!) This is still pretty much a work in progress, more so than the other clases I have posted previously. Comments would be welcomed (though I suspect this will have rather less appeal than my others, since it is a much narrower field of usage.)



Power-wise, it doesn't matter if it's on the overpowered end, so long as it's not insane. (Heck, true be known, the Intulo themselves are a bit on the high side for +0LA). Hell, if it's as strong as CoDzilla, that is manageble (though somehow, I find that to be somewhat impossible!)




INTULO TEMPLAR

"You are an inferior combatant. I can predict your every move. It is only logical that will inevitably defeated. "

To speak of the Intulo Templar without first mentioning the Intulo who give it it's name would be foolish.

The Intulo are cold, dispassionate reptilians, favouring logic and reasoning over emotions.

Intulo stand about 6’4” high, and weigh about the same a human of the same size (meaning an average of 220lbs). Intulo show no sexual dimorphism in height or build; in fact, it is often difficult to tell the difference between the two. They are covered with a touch, scaly hide. The colour varies with subspecies, but is most commonly a mid-green. They have a shortish tail that is about a foot longer than their legs, which makes them well-balanced and can be used a support. It is not very flexible, however; it is mobile enough to assist their swimming, but not so much they could use it to grasp anything, not having even as much flexibility as a knee.

Their heads are somewhat saurian, with a pinched, deep snout allowing spectroscopic vision. Their eyes are snake-like and are yellow through brown and red in colour. Despite the fact their jaws are twice the size of a human’s they don’t tend to bite except in similar circumstances to those a human might (e.g. in a brawl). Intulo senses are on a par with humans, but their superior perceptiveness and intelligence gives them a slight edge.

Intulo live 100-200 years, dependant on conditions. They reproduce rarely, and in passing matings driven by either the need to create more young to fill the ranks or to purge their natural urges. Mating is seen as a necessary evil, and most Intulo derive not pleasure from it. The Intulo do not form emotional attachments; such is considered to be an anathema, a sign the Intulo is too weak-willed to overrule emotion and embrace logic. The original Intulo language (Kulobrak) does not even have a word for ‘love’, except as a negative affliction. They are just as dispassionate when it comes to cruelty or hatred; again, both are seldom seen. The Intulo are efficient above all else.

Intulo also match humans in their learning capabilities with their superior intellect. However, despite their sharp minds, Intulo are not especially inventive or imaginative. This is not the same as adaptable – they easily and readily accept change or technology – their mind set is just not good at creating new things themselves (technology, magic or otherwise). In fact, they adapt to new technology and tactics (usually with only one explanation) with alarming alacrity.

They do not tend to question higher authorities (provided the same are not being irrationally emotional), and so their soldiers are superb. They can, however, suffer the problem of being too obedient; however, their own incisive, analytical minds tend to make this much rarer than in humans.

Intulo are also exceptionally strong willed; they are very resistant to mind-affecting spells and attacks.

Unlike many races, the Intulo have no preference for weapons, though they tend to use kukri and scimitars as the normal side arms for their military forces in the way humans use longswords and daggers. They fight with intelligence, and while they may not be innovative tacticians, they certainly are good ones. They will adapt their by-the-book tactics to deal with new threats with speed. A totally new and unfamiliar situation that requires them to develop new tactics as opposed to adapt a current one can and does give them difficulty. Otherwise, the only time their intelligence and logic fails to assist them in battle is when facing an opponent who is basing their strategy on emotions; land-stand heroism is a complete blank to them, for example.

Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Reptilian) type and subtype
• +2 Int, +2 Wis, -4 Cha: Intulo are cold and calculating, but their lack of emotion renders them passionless.
• Base Speed 30’
• Bite: treat this as an unarmed (rather than natural weapon) attack, which deals D4 lethal damage.
• Stability: The Intulo’s tail makes them very stable. +4 on ability checks made to resist bull rushes or trips when standing on the ground or climbing (but not when riding, swimming or flying etc.)
• +2 bonus to Balance, Climb and Swim checks; the tail adds to balance and aids both swimming and climbing.
• +2 Natural Armour: Intulo have a tough, scaly hide.
• +2 to all Will saves: Intulo are very hard to mentally affect.

Intulo Subrace Traits:
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 220lbs
Lifespan: 100; 300
Skin: Dark to mid green
Hair: None
Eyes: Yellow to brown or red
Alignment: Usually Lawful Evil.

Sokuintulo Cultural Traits:
• Use Intelligence bonus instead of Charisma on Handle Animal checks: The Intulo control their mounts as animal servants with scientific precision and techniques, rather than empathy.
• Skill Bonus: +3 to any two Knowledge skills, +2 to any one of the following: Craft (any), Concentration, Knowledge (any), Psicraft, Profession (any), Spellcraft.
• Access to Intulo Templar Class.
• Access to Archmage Prestige class.
Languages: Kulobrak and Linundin.
Bonus Languages: Thuuoonendarr, Tribal (sub-culture), Velinar, Zarrkane
Common Classes: Fighter
Rare Classes: Emotive Arcane Casters, Warlocks


Intulo Templars are feared through Dreemaenhyll. Since the first appearance in the Dark Wars, they have been a sign of impending death. Intulo Templars take the Intulo's most favoured traits - intelligence, lack of emotion and adherance to logic - and magnify them. They are, as it were, the embodiment of the will of Sokointulo, if one could place such an emotional definition onto them.

Intulo Templars fight without mercy, often in complete silence. They are governed by logic so powerful they seem almost telepathic, for they act without communication as one; each one has assessed the situation and come to the same logical conclusion and action. They do not rout, nor can they be intimidated. They will only withdraw when it becomes statistically unviable for them to win and then they will, without a word, withdraw until the instant the odds favour them again.

An Intulo Templar moves with a reptilian air. They are apt to stand totally still for hours on end until it is time for them to move or strike. They will then react with eerie efficency; no wasted motion until they have completed their task, being it striking down a foe or moving to a new position. And then they are still again, like living statues.

This style means they lend themselves well to heavy armour - and in particular, the Intulo Grand Templar Plate which was developed especially for them. The movement restrictions on such heavy armour would be too much for most beings to manage to fight effectively, but it is ideal for the Intulo Templar because it gives them great protection while they stand totally still.



Game Rule Information:

Abilities:Intelligence is paramount for Intulo Templars. Strength and Constitution are important for combat. Because of the heavy armour restrictions of Intulo Templar Plate, Dexterity is not as important.

Races: Typically Intulo, though anyone from Sokointulo's culture could concievably become an Intulo Templar provided they could manage enough seperation from their emotions.

Alignment: Intulo Templars are required to be Lawful Evil, as only a level of cold seperation from emotion and iron self-control allows them focus.

Class Skills: Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Knowledge (Any), Martial Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str)
Skill Points at 1st level: (4+Int mod) x 4
Skill Points at each Additional Level: 4+Int mod

Hit Die: D12



Level Base Attack Fort Reflex Will Manoeuvers
Bonus Save Save Save Known/
Readied Stances Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +2 5/5 1 Adaptive Attack
2nd +2 +3 +0 +3 5/5 2 Analytic Defense
3rd +3 +3 +1 +3 6/5 2 Cold Logic
4th +4 +4 +1 +4 6/5 2 Still to Strike
5th +5 +4 +1 +4 7/5 2
6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +5 7/5 2 Mettle
7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +5 8/5 2
8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +6 8/5 2 Pain is Illogical
9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +6 9/5 3
10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +7 9/6 3 Analytic Assault
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +7 10/6 3
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +8 10/6 3 Still to Strike, Greater
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +8 11/6 3
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +9 11/6 3 Pure Logic
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +9 12/6 4
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +10 12/6 4 Rapid Adaption
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 13/6 4
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 13/6 4 Still to Strike, Supreme
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 14/6 4
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 14/7 4 Perfect Strike


Class Features
Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: An Intulo Templar is proficient with all simple and all martial weapons, all armour and shields (including tower shields) and exotic armour proficiency in Intulo Templar Grand Plate1.

Adaptive Attack (Ex): A Templar learns to rapidly analyse his opponent’s strategy and combat style to optimally eliminate them.

A Templar who spends at least one round studying an opponent (or an unattended object) gains a +1 insight bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls against that foe, +1 insight bonus to Armour Class against attacks from that foe and a +2 insight bonus on any opposed checks against that foe for the remainder of the encounter or until the Templar studies another target.

In order to study an opponent, the Templar must not attack any other targets and the target must remain in the Templer’s line of sight. This is a free action, but may requires a Concentration check in any circumstances that a spell casting would (i.e. entanglement, continuous damage, riding).
For each additional round of study, these bonuses rise by +1 (to a maximum of the Templar’s Intelligence bonus).

Maneovers: At first level an Intulo Templar starts with knowledge of five maneouvers from the Disciplines of Diamond Mind, Eternal Mount, Iron Heart, Stone Dragon and Unquiet Twilight.

Once you know a maneouver, you must ready it before you can use it. A maneuver usable by a Templar is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity when initiated.

When you reach 4th level, and every even numbered level thereafter, you can choose to swap out a maneouver you know and replace it with a new maneouver.

Eternal Mount (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?p=11650916) is here, and can be downloaded here (http://www.wikiupload.com/download_page.php?id=172590)

Unquiet Twilight (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=801933) is here and can be downloaded Here (http://www.inf.ufrgs.br:80/~stsilva/Sublime%20Way/Unquiet%20Twilight/) (with thanks to Flamewarrior.)

Maneovers Readied: You ready your maneuovers by meditating for 5 minutes. You do not need to rest before doing so and can change your readied your maneouvers at at any time by spending 5 minutes in meditiation.

You begin an encounter with all of your readied maneouvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have used them since you readied them.

You regain maneouvers by pausing long enough to refocus your mind. This is a Full-Round action that provokes an attack of opportunity and requires a DC 20 Concentration check. If you are a psionic character, you can simultaneously regain your psionic focus. (However, Psionic Meditation does not reduce the time required to regain your maneuvers in this case.) If succeed on the Concentration check, you regain all of your maneouvers.

Stances: Templars begin with one stance. They gain new stances at higher levels, though they may not swap stances out as with maneouvers.

Analytic Defense (Ex): At 2nd level, a Templar is capable of resisting effects with mathmatic prescision, be it breaking mind control, dodging at exactly the optimum moment, or regulation of their own metabolism. The Templar adds his Intelligence bonus to all saving throws, to a maximum of his Templar class level.

Cold Logic (Ex): At 3rd level, the Templar becomes immune to Fear, morale effects and any other effect that relies on emotion (e.g. Bless, Charm effects, Hideous Laughter, Good Hope or Inspire Courage).

Still to Strike (Ex): At 4th level a Templar can enter a state where he ceases all movement, seeingly frozen as a statue, apparently ignoring all blows, and then striking with sudden force at a precise point, before returning to rest.

On a Templar’s action, before making any attack rolls for a round, he can take a penalty to his Armour Class and Reflex saves of up to his Intelligence bonus. (Both are reduced by the same amount.) He adds a bonus equal to the penalty to his attack rolls and twice the amount to his weapon damage rolls. He cannot move more than a single 5’ step while this ability is active. This ability applies to ranged attacks at a range of less than 30’. These changes last until the start of his next action.

Mettle (Ex): At 6th level, an Intulo Templar’s hard intellect can simply cleave through effects that would stay a lesser mortal. A Templar who succeeds on a Fortitude or Will against an attack that would normally produce a lesser effect (such as a spell with a saving throw of Will half or Fortitude negates), he instead negates the effect. Mettle does not function for an unconcious or sleeping Templar.

Pain is Illogical (Ex): At 8th level, a Templar gains mastery of her body such that sensation is seperated for conciousness. Pain ceases to have meaning; the Templar’s cold mind treats his body as merely another tool to be controlled.

The Templar heals at twice natural rate. He automatically stabilisises and can begin natural healing immediatly. In addition, he becomes immune to any effect that inflicts pain, irritation, sickness or nausea (such as Finger of Agony, Mage Burr or Symbol of Pain).

Analytic Assault (Ex): At 10th level, a Templar applies his Intelligence bonus (if any) as a bonus on all weapon damage rolls.

Still to Strike, Greater (Ex): At 12th level, the Templar’s Still to Strike improves, making a swift attack that catches his foe off-guard. On his first attack of the round, his chosen foe must make a Reflex save (DC 10+˝ the Templar’s class levels + the Templar’s Intelligence bonus) or be denied his Dexterity bonus against the Templar until the end of the Templar’s action. If the Templar makes a sucessful critical hit with the first attack, the foe is rendered flat-footed with surprise until his next action.

Pure Logic (Su): At 14th level, the Templar becomes immune to all mind-affecting effects.

Rapid Adaption (Ex): At 16th level, each round of studying an opponent counts as two (effectively doubling the speed at which the maximum bonus is obtained).

Still to Strike, Supreme (Ex): At 18th level, the Templar may take a penalty of up to his BAB plus his Intelligence bonus to his Armour Class and Reflex saves when using Still to Strike. In addition, any foe struck is rendered flat-footed automatically.

Perfect Strike (Ex): At 20th level, the Templar can strike with such terrible, calculated efficency and accuracy that he can fell the mightiest foe in a single perfectly aimed-stroke that resonates through the body, causing the heart to stop, the brain to fail, the structure to shatter or even the very fabric of animating spirit to collapse.

The Templar may declare a Perfect Strike as a Free action on any attack roll against a foe (or unattended object) the Templar has studied for at least one round. He expends two of his readied maneouvers as if he has just used them (they may be regained normally). If the Templar hits, the target creature or object must make a Fortitude save (DC 10+ ˝ the Templar’s class level + Intelligence bonus) or be immediately reduced to -10 hit points. A foe that makes the save takes an additional 5 hits points per Templar class level but is immune to further Perfect Strikes from that Templar for 24 hours. If the Templar misses, the attempt is wasted. A Templar can attempt a Perfect Strike a number of times per day equal to his Intelligence bonus.


Starting Gold: 6D4 x10
Starting Age: As Paladin.



1My campaign world uses nonstandard armour types, so there not a lot of point parroting the mechancis of Templar Plate here, since it's not compatible with core armour. Let's say it's slightly better (to the order of +2 armour) - but much more restrictive - than full plate (-8 ACP, +0 max Dex, 50% Arcane spell failure) and leave it at that!


Edit: Added links to Eternal Mount and Unquiet Twilight, since it tends to help!

Arbitrarity
2007-10-10, 03:42 PM
Recovery is like a swordsage with Adaptive style :smallbiggrin:

Now, what/where are these other schools found?

Intulo seem about maximum for LA+0, tipping significantly into +1. Skill bonus, and the natural armour are very powerful, and they get mental score bonuses, for pretty good casters.

Anyways. I think I'll compare to a warblade, and go from there.

Warblade: Battle clairity, weapon aptitude, uncanny dodge, Battle ardor, 4 bonus feats, improved uncanny dodge, battle cunning, battle skill, Battle mastery, Stance Mastery. Better manuver recovery.

Intulo Templar: Better will save, adaptive attack, one more manuver known, faster stances and manuvers readied, analytic defense, cold logic, still to strike, mettle, pain is illogical, analytic assault, still to strike greater, pure logic, rapid adaption, still to strike supreme, perfect strike. Ranged weapon proficiencies, and heavy armour.

I'll cancel their manuver capabilities, as I'm assuming the new schools are balanced, and warblade recovery is probably worth the faster rate on manuvers readied and known.

So, let's compare similar leveled abilities.

1: Adaptive Attack vs Battle Clairity and Weapon aptitude
Increasing damage, to hit, skill checks, and armour during battle, to maximum int, vs +int to ref saves, starting at 1, only when not flatfooted, as well as being able to change weapon foci and proficiencies, and take fighter only feats.

I'm gonna hand this one to Intulo templar. The bonus, while it requires a decent length fight, is probably more useful than weapon aptitude, and battle clairity, though it's close. The proficiencies help widen the gap though.

2: Analytic defense vs uncanny dodge

INT to all saving throws, vs. never losing dex to AC.

Templar, all the way. You just removed the advantage of Battle clairity, while adding a serious boost, like a paladin, to all saves. While you can be sneak attacked, this defensive boost is HUGE.

3: Cold logic vs Battle ardor

Again, templar wins. Critical confirmation isn't nearly as useful as immunity to emotional effects, though the high will save, and analytic defense make it a bit redundant.

4/5: Still to strike vs a bonus feat.
Templar's still to strike is a level earlier, and is much more useful. You've seen people bitch about shock trooper? While this may reduce his mobility, and already weak reflex save, for only up to +INT, it's still crazy good for the massive initial strike to kill. That ability alone borders on overpowered, as you can basically trade AC and ref saves for +4 to damage. I recommend adding something like provoking attacks of opportunity, and possibly removing the damage boost or somesuch. Bonus feat? Does not compare.

6: Mettle vs Improved uncanny dodge: Immunity to secondary effects of fort and will saves, vs not being flanked for sneak attack? Give me mettle, any day. Already massive saves in those categories makes affecting a templar a foregone conclusion.

7/8: Pain is illogical vs Battle cunning: This is trickier. Immunity to pain effects is only so-so, as the number of those is very finite. Auto-stabilization is decent, not great, though immunity to dying after combat if not dropped into -10 is pretty good. Comparatively, something like sneak attack, up to INT damage. Neither are great, though I’d take the immunities myself. About equal.

9/10: Analytic Assault vs. Bonus feat: Well damn. There goes the equality. Analytic assault is better than battle cunning, and while a bonus feat is all well and good, I’m not seeing, say, Ironheart Aura comparing greatly to Analytic assault.

11/12: Still to Strike, Greater vs Battle Skill: Yeah, OK, rendering your opponent flatfooted with a reflex save. Those who fail, it won’t have much effect on, those who make it are the ones it’s most likely to affect. Battle skill is OK, but similarly not great. Opposing most of those attacks is not the most common thing.

13/14: Pure Logic vs Bonus feat: Pure logic wins, hands down. The sheer power of immunity to everything affecting the mind is immense, as fans of mind blank might recall.

15/16: Rapid Adaption vs Battle Mastery: I’m pretty sure rapid adaption wins out, unless you can kill things very fast. Maximum of INT to damage and attack vs one target, building up, vs INT to damage and hit vs all targets, only on AOO’s? The number of AOO’s you make compared to rounds you spend in combat is pretty variable. But you make more attacks in a full attack than in AOO’s, generally.

17/18: Supreme Still to Strike vs Bonus feat: It hurts! Supreme Still to Strike is just a massive initial hit, and this makes it ridiculous. For a big penalty to AC, I can now hit for, say (28 int, 22 str, +2 weapon), +35/30/25/20 2d6+110….. Whatever I hit is dead already. It’s like shock trooper/leap attack with pounce, except you can’t move, gives penalty to ref saves, but you can dump in even more, at a better ratio.

20: Perfect Strike vs Stance Mastery: Tricky. I’d call Perfect Strike, just because it’s a strike of perfect clarity, that can be made on a full attack, (though only Int/day), and it comes with an instant kill effect, that works on everything including critical immune creatures. It’s just better than a 9’th level maneuver, but limited uses/day, burns through maneuvers twice as fast, BUT, can be used on a full attack. So you still get the extra attacks from BAB. Stance mastery is good, but AOO if opponent drops, and +5 ft reach or somesuch doesn’t compare, IMO.

In short? Better class abilities, better saves, better proficiencies. It’s better at every step compared to the warblade, comes with CRAZY defense, in the form of saves and immunities, and pretty insane offense, in the form of Still to Strike.

Aotrs Commander
2007-10-11, 05:26 PM
First, thanks for the feedback! That was very useful.

In no particular order then:

I forgot that the new schools were in, or I've included links! At current, I'm having problems with logging on to WoC while they frag about migrating the boards, so I can't link them right now!

Eternal Mount, by Magocrat deals with mounted combat and is open to Crusaders and Warblades.

Unquiet Twilight by yours truly, is a school that deals with using negative energy and Undead, available to Crusader and Swordsage.

As and when I can get back to WotC, I'll post the links to the relevant threads and even to the download sites (we've put 'em up, complete with cards in PDF format.) Right now I've got way too much to do to faf about trying to work round the logging in problems!

Edit: Done. Links added to the first post in the maneuvers section.


The Intulo actually come out as low-end LA +1 according to WotC's YabaThe What's feature points system, but I figured they can stand a little stretching (I personally think that his estimates for Natural Armour are a touch too high, but hey, I'm not complaining!)



Okay, not what I expected at all for the Templar. I figured they seemed almost too weak! I did swipe some of the abilities from the Paladin, only tweaked slightly (e.g. Analytic Defense = Divine Grace) and some picnhed from the Crusader (whom I modelled the class around).

Okay then. Given that I may have gone a tad too far (ironically, since my earlier classes tended to be quite underpowered!), what would you suggest to tone it down? Still to Strike (and it's improvements) seems to be the main offender here...

I see several options, some of which could be used simulataneouly.

1) Make it double the penalty (i.e. your bonus is only half your penalty) and leave it as it is otherwise. (-8 AC and Ref save vrs +4 attack and +8 damage)

2) Drop the damage to x1 or drop it altogether.

3) Note that it is physically impossible to use this ability with Power Attack (i.e. that due to the speed of the attack you can't build up the momentum blah blah blah)

4) Drop Still To Strike altogether and come up with something coonsiderably less potent along the same sort of line. (Suggestions here would be welcome!)

What do you think?



The Templar has the same maneuvers readied and known as the Crusader (since that, rather than the Warblade was where I took my cues from). I could see that maybe switching to the Warblade's progression would probably be a good idea, then!

I'm open to suggestions for a better (or at least more balanced!) non-random recovery method for the Templar.

I think maybe I could afford to drop the HD to D10 instead of D12. I figured D12 since the Templar was going to be hit a lot (like the Barbarian) due to heavy Still To Strike use, but that may have been premature. Maybe even D8? Too far?

Analytical Assault I think is fine where it is, since Swashbucklers get a slightly inferior version of this at about a third the level. 10th level prevents it really being a 'dip' to get it. (I wouldn't call ten levels a dip at all!)

Rapid Adaption I easily stand to lose, but I don't want to leave too many dead levels. Any ideas about what might be better for the level instead?

How about adding a note to Perfect Strike such that if the Templar misses, he loses any further attacks that round? Or do you think it should be a standard action instead?

As for the increasing immunities, I think they are okay, since I'd favour them as being the Templar's schtick over Still to Strike et al anyday. (Heck, the latter only came up as a sort of secondary ability I have grossly under-estimated!)

Kai-Palin
2007-10-11, 07:13 PM
I like the concept and the execution, interesting way to phrase a martial adept. One thing does bug me though, and I realize that this is primarily a problem with the existing system of alignment. However, it seems to me that a Lawful Evil requirement is counter-intuitive to the logic. Evil tendencies would be something that is not necessarily logical, and might therefore be regarded as emotional. It seems to me that Lawful Neutral would work better for this kind of a species/class: No preference for either good or evil acts, with an identity built on unswerving obedience to the law and logic.

Aotrs Commander
2007-10-12, 02:14 PM
Well, I always imagined the Intulo less as Vulcans and more as evil Vulcans. Closer to Darlek or Borg mentality - or Shockwave of the Decepticons. Rather than a simple devotion to logic, the Intulo have a cold, dispassionate disregard for life. Like all the big robotic/computer bad guys that are scattered throughout fiction. The Intulo mindset is one admittedly twisted further still by the influence of the Dark Lord the world's primary BBEG and the guy whom the Dark Wars are named after), who has lived among them for about three thousand five hundred years. Basically, in their world view, the most efficient and logical way for the world to work is for them - with the Dark Lord as their head - to be in control of it. To allow lesser beings who are not so enlightened do continue to do so would be...illogical.

Futhermore, their total lack of compassion or higher traits means they naturally will tend to evil actions in many regards because the latter is simply more 'efficient'. The Intulo do not think twice about killing people or commiting an atrocity if it seems logical at the time.

Remember as well, what the Intulo's version of logic is may or may not be quite the same as others. Logic is a bit subjective sometimes, and the Intulo can hardly claim to be able to compute the most efficient course of action every time becuase their not computers. (An alien race that does do that is something I intend to do in sci-fi one day, however!)



To be honest, I can't really see how anyone who relys purely on what they percieve as 'logic' can not have a tendancy to evil. The Vulcans got away with it because they did have emotions and their culture just repressed them. But they still do have occasional flares of compassion or love (or anger) which guide them to make the 'right' (in the non alignment moral snse of the word) descisions. And even the Vulcans admitted that logic was only the start of wisdom.

Almost all the other big, emotionless crowds of aliens (etc) that I have witnessed tend to be the bad guys, simply because they have no regard for life, sometimes not even their own.



I hope that brings some enlightenment to my rationale!