[4e] Elemental Savant

[Foxtale]

So here's my homebrew Elemental Savant paragon path. I've tried to keep it balanced and true to the 3.5 version (with some help from the Scion of Flame and Frost Adept templates). What do you think? Balanced enough? Having not played higher levels, I'm not sure about the power levels of those higher attack powers.

Elemental Savant

“I have stared into the Elemental Chaos and it trembled to look back on me.”

Prerequisite: Wizard Class, at least one attack power of your chosen energy type

Arcane energy is just scratching the surface to you. You have studied arcane lore so deeply that you no longer see spells in their whole, but as their individual components. The four elements are second nature to you, though you choose to focus on one specifically. It is this arcane energy that you wield exclusively, and it becomes a part of you as you further your path towards becoming one with it – a powerful elemental spirit in your own right.

Elemental Savant Path Features

Elemental Master (11th level): When you take this Paragon Path, choose an energy type (fire, cold, acid, lightning). In the powers below, all instances of your energy type have been replaced by 'Energy'. Convert all attack powers with one of those four energy damage types to deal damage of your chosen type instead. You gain a +1 power bonus to all spells which are originally of your chosen energy type.

Savant Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also gain Resist Energy 20 until the start of your next turn. This increases to 30 at 21st level.

Body of Energy (16th level): Any creature that hits you with a melee attack takes energy damage of your chosen type equal to your constitution modifier (minimum 1).

Winds of Magic - Elemental Savant Attack 11
You draw the elemental chaos out of your foe. It races across the battlefield, damaging everything in its path.
Encounter <> Arcane, Implement, Energy
Standard Action - Ranged 20
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: 1d8 + Intelligence modifier energy damage. Draw a line from the target to you. Make a secondary attack against each creature the line passes through.
Secondary Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit: Half Intelligence modifier energy damage (minimum 1).
Sustain Standard: Make another secondary attack against all creatures between you and the target.

Elemental Perfection - Elemental Savant Utility 12
With a word, you turn into an elemental, no longer affected by material concerns.
Daily <> Arcane
Immediate Interrupt - Personal
Trigger: You fail a save against a conditional effect (sleep, stun, immobilise, poison, blind).
Effect: You instead pass the save, and are immune to that condition for the remainder of the encounter.

Chaos Unleashed - Elemental Savant Attack 20
Everything around you warps as you open a localised rift to the Elemental Chaos.
Daily <> Arcane, Implement, Energy
Standard Action - Close burst 4
Target: Each enemy in burst.
Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex
Hit: 5d6 + Intelligence modifier energy damage, and the target gains vulnerability 5 energy and takes ongoing 10 energy damage (save ends both).
Miss: Half damage, no ongoing damage, and the target gains vulnerability 5 energy until the end of your next turn.
Special: The ongoing energy damage benefits from the vulnerability to energy granted by this power.

(How do you make tables? O_o And spoiler tags?)

[Shades of Gray]

It seems good, however for its level 16 ability you need charisma, which no wizards need for their implements. Might I suggest Con or Wis?

[1of3]

I like the PrC and what you did with the powers. Winds of Magic is especially interesting.

There's a weird effect, though. Generally a wizard in 4e might like to specialize in one type of energy in order to use one of the feats that increase elemental damage. The problem with that approach is that some monsters might be resistant to your favorite energy.

Elemental Savant now used to be a PrC for such specialists. But your paragon path is bad for specialists! Clever players will take only the one power with that energy type and get as many other elemental effects as possible, because once they qualify they can use all their powers to the chosen type and use them with an elemental feat. But whenever an enemy is resistant to their energy type they can use the powers normally and have the full flexibility.

To solve this problem I'd give them a bonus to attacks with their favored energy and a resistance against it. Then whenever a Savant uses an action point, he can also convert any spell to the favorite type of energy.

[Foxtale]

That's a good point. I'd forgotten that 3.5 forced you to turn all your powers into one elemental type. Would giving a +2 Attack with attacks of that element be balanced though? Or would I need to give a +1, and a corresponding -1 Attack to attacks not of that element? (But then, 4e has no traits that give negatives.)

[1of3]

I'd give them a straight +1. That's what a kensei gets with his favorite weapon.

[DiscipleofBob]

Love this. Few suggestions:

I'd add Thunder to the list of possible energy types. There are a few others (Radiant, Necrotic, Psychic, Poison, Force) but those are less elemental-ey.

Body of Energy would make more sense as Intelligence, as Charisma would just force ANOTHER stat to focus in.

Elemental Perfection seems really broken for an encounter power. I suggest either limiting the duration to until the end of their next turn or making it a Daily.

Chaos Unleashed: Does the ongoing energy damage benefit from the vulnerability? If so, this could be very broken. Otherwise, it's powerful, but appropriate for the level 20 Daily.

[Ealstan]

I like what you've done here Foxtale, this is good stuff. The only thing I would change would be the action point ability. Blanket energy immunities are pretty much gone in 4e. Looking at the monsters out of the MM, even the monsters who in my mind would deserve an energy immunity (Dragons and Elementals) only get up to resist 40 (Ancient Red). I'd suggest making it either a flat amount, like 20 (which is really good for paragon tier) or some level-based thing (like level plus modifier, which at 30th could be close to 40)

[Foxtale]

Okay, I think I've fixed most of the problems with the class.

With the Energy Master ability, I've kept more to the original Savant, and just blanket replaced all elemental types, but given a +1 bonus to powers that are of your type, so as to encourage specialisation. I chose to leave out Thunder, because it seems to be 4e's version of Sonic, rather than being an elemental type.

The Action point ability no longer grants blanket immunity, but a resistance of 20 that increases at epic tier. I think this is closer to the original Savant's slowly increasing immunity anyways.

Body of Energy does Constitution mod damage instead of Charisma now. I don't want to make it Int, because that could well be 7-8 damage at higher levels. Con is at least an ability that is useful to Wizards, and makes sense. You can turn your body into as much energy as your body can safely endure.

Elemental Perfection should have been Daily. :/ That was just a typo on my part. (Most "remainder of encounter" abilities are Daily.)

Chaos Unleashed now grants only 5 ongoing damage, though it benefits from the vulnerability. I'm still a bit iffy on this one. I don't think 10 ongoing damage would be broken. I think I based this one on a spell that did 10 ongoing damage, and stunned them. Because you can save to end the effects (by the way, when it says "Save ends both" does that mean only one save will end both effects, or you save for each?) it isn't entirely broken, especially at level 20.

[Ealstan]

Looking at the other abilities I wouldn't say 10 ongoing and vulnerability 5 would be too much. It would be balanced with other paragon tier attacks. The elemental savant should be a path that focuses on the burn more than anything else, so having some sweet burn at the expense of not getting crippling status effects makes sense. I'd say go for it.

5 ongoing and vulnerability 10 would be unbalanced... and delicious.

*EDIT* Also (save ends both) is one save that ends both effects.

[Lakoda]

Elemental Perfection - Elemental Savant Utility 12
Immediate Action - Personal

This should be an Immediate Interrupt, as it occurs before the triggering action completes.

[Foxtale]

Right, I've put Immediate Interrupt in there. Should I change it from "you fail a save" to "you are affected by a condition"?

Also, churned it back up to 10 ongoing, especially since the same save ends both effects. I'm leaving the 5 vulnerable on a miss, because it means you at least get something out of the power for your next turn, and it helps anyone else in the party with that skill.

I think that's just about done!