PDA

View Full Version : [4E] Class-in-Progress: Reaper



Umbra
2008-11-24, 11:52 AM
I've only finished the powers up to 5th Level, so I put the Class-In-Progress tag. Because of that, I've decided to only put up the 1st level powers until I've finished the heroic tier.

And remember, this is my first attempt at homebrewing, so I don't know if this is good or not.




Role
Striker. You are an intense fighter that has taken one step too far into the dark. With your soul weapon, you strike fear and terror into your good-hearted enemies.

Power Source
Arcane. Granted by the Dark Lords, your powers origin from the wicked magic that drifts across the lands of shadow.

Key Abilities
Intelligence, Strength, Constitution

Armor Proficiencies
Cloth, Leather, Hide, Chain, Scale

Weapon Proficiencies
Simple Light Blades, Military Light Blades, Simple Heavy Blades, Military Heavy Blades

Bonus to Defense
+1 Fortitude, +1 Will

Hit Points at 1st Level
15 + Constitution score

Hit Points per Level
6

Healing Surges per Level
7 + Constitution score

Trained Skills
Arcana. From the list below, choose three more skills trained at 1st level.
Class Skills: Arcana (Int), Dungeoneering (Wis) Endurance (Con), History (Int), Religion (Int), Thievery (Dex)

Build Options
Icewall Reaper, Necrology Reaper

Class Features
Soul Weapon, Soul Guard, Harvester Sweep, Runed Blade

Creating a Reaper
The Reaper has two builds to start with: The Icewall Reaper and the Necrology Reaper. Reapers in general rely on Strength for their attacks, and Intelligence for their powers. A Reaper's powers sometimes require a sacrifice of health; a large Constitution should help with that. A Reaper also benefits from a good Dexterity.

Icewall Reaper
Icewall Reapers lean toward the Defender role. You'll be focusing more on protecting yourself - and the rest of your party - from damage than impaling your enemies. If you choose this build, Constitution should be your primary score; You'll be needing it later on. Strength and Intelligence, for melée attacks and powers, should be your secondary and tertiary scores, respectively.

Necrology Reaper
This build focuses much more on your offensive powers as a Reaper, fully channeling your Striker role. You'll still be doing a lot of melée work, but thanks to your powers, you'll be casting as much as any Wizard that sits in the backline. Strength should be your primary score, as you'll focus on fighting, and Intelligence should be your second. As you'll be casting a lot of powers, a good Constitution should be your tertiary.

Reaper Class Features
Reapers are melée combatants which imbue their weapons with dark rituals and magical runes. A typical Reaper wears a two-handed sword in battle, although one-handed swords and other weapons can be seen frequently.

Soul Weapon
Upon becoming a Reaper, a soul weapon is chosen. A dark ritual is cast upon the weapon, embedding it with a part of your soul. Select one melée weapon you are proficient with that you possess; it becomes your soul weapon. The weapon's Proficiency bonus becomes one-fifth your level, the Enhancement bonus to damage rolls becomes one-sixth your level, and it gains +1d6 damage per tier. If your soul weapon should be damaged or broken, you can spend an extra healing surge while taking an extended rest to restore it to perfect condition. If you do not wield the soul weapon at the start of an encounter, you take a -2 penalty to attack rolls until you have acquired the soul weapon again. Any other creature that wields your soul weapon becomes dazed while wielding it.

Soul Guard
Using the soul guard power, the Reaper can aid allies in mortal peril.

Harvester Sweep
The dark wishes of the Reaper's mind awakens when she stands before an horde of enemies. If you are adjacent to four or more enemies, all adjacent creatures take damage equal to your Strength modifier when you succeed on an attack roll.

Runed Blade
The Reaper's Soul Weapon is imbued with a magical rune designed to improve the Reaper's performance and the channeling of their abilities. There are four kinds of runes;
Ice Runes, Necrotic Runes, Arcane Runes and Force Runes. Upon creating your Reaper, you choose one of these runes. Some of your powers are affected by the runes in your blade.

Cold Rune
When you roll a natural 20 on your attack roll, the soul weapon's damage is considered to be cold damage.

Necrotic Rune
When you roll a natural 20 on your attack roll, gain temporary Hit Points equal to half your Constitution modifier.

Arcane Rune
When you roll a natural 20 on your attack roll, select 1 energy type. The attack target takes a penalty equal to your Intelligence modifier to attack rolls made with a power with the selected energy type until the end of it's next turn.

Force Rune
When you roll a natural 20 on your attack roll, you can slide the target 1 square away from you.

Reaper Powers
Your attack powers are known as imbues. Some of them are designed for the icewall reapers, while others work better for necrology reapers.

Class Features

Soul Guard
Reaper Feature
As the orc swings at your friend with his terrible axe and drops her to the ground, you rise your blade into the air and your friend rises again.
Encounter • Martial, Necrotic
Immediate Reaction Close burst 1
Target: One ally within burst
Trigger: Target's Hit Points are reduced to 0
Effect: Spend a healing surge, but do not gain any Hit Points. The target is stabilized and gains temporary hit points equal to your healing surge value.
You can use this power twice per encounter at 11th level and three times per encounter at 21st level, but not more than once in the same turn.

Level 1 At-Will Imbues

Impaling Strike
Reaper Attack 1
You quickly step past the corpse of a fallen enemy, and move on to the next.
At-Will • Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melée Weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier.
Special: If the attack should reduce the target's Hit Points below 0, shift into the target's position and make a secondary attack.
Secondary Target: One creature
Secondary Attack: Strength vs AC
Hit: 1d4 + Strength modifier.

Defensive Strike
Reaper Attack 1
You use your body to your advantage when you strike out.
At-Will • Martial, Weapon, Necrotic
Standard Action Melée Weapon
Target: One Creature
Attack: Constitution vs AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Increase to 2[W] + Strength modifier at 21st level.

Frostwind Breath
Reaper Attack 1
A cold wind suddenly appears, chilling your enemy to the bone.
At-Will • Cold
Standard Action Close blast 2
Target: All creatures within blast
Attack: Intelligence vs Fort
Hit: 1d4 + Intelligence cold damage.
Cold Rune: Deal an extra 3 cold damage.
Increase to 2d4 + Intelligence at 21st level.

Threatening Charge
Reaper Attack 1
You cry out with all your might, and run at the enemy. The enemy staggers backwards, unsure what to do.
At-Will • Arcane, Necrotic
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature within your melee reach.
Attack: Constitution vs Will
Special: You must charge as part of this attack.
Hit: The target is dazed until the end of it's next round.

Level 1 Encounter Imbues

Frostblade
Reaper Attack 1
With a flick of your fingers, your blade is rimmed with a layer of ice.
Encounter • Martial, Cold
Standard Action Melée Weapon
Attack: Strength vs AC
Hit: 2[W]+Strength modifier cold damage.
Miss: Target takes cold damage equal to your Strength modifier.
Cold Rune: If your Intelligence modifier is +6 or higher, once per day, you can use this power as an at-will power.

Dark Deal
Reaper Attack 1
You grin in pain as sharp needles shoot out from the hilt of your blade and drinks your blood. A nearby enemy falls to the ground in agony.
Encounter • Necrotic
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Attack: Constitution vs Fort
Target: One creature
Hit: Inflict 2[W] + Intelligence modifier damage, and target is knocked prone.
Special: Upon using this power, lose Hit Points equal to your surge value.

Terrible Cleave
Reaper Attack 1
Your blade sweeps through flesh and bone alike.
Encounter • Necrotic, Martial
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Attack: Strength vs AC
Target: One creature
Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Special: If the target becomes bloodied by this attack, make a secondary attack.
Secondary Attack: Strength - 4 vs AC
Secondary Target: One creature adjacent to the primary target
Hit: 1d6 + Strength modifier damage.

Vecna's Blade
Reaper Attack 1
Your blade is surrounded by a purple glow, and it roars out a terrible cry. You smile grimly, and slash out.
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Encounter • Necrotic, Weapon, Martial
Attack: Strength vs AC
Target: Two creatures
Hit: 1[W] + Intelligence modifier necrotic damage. If a target's Hit Points are reduced to 0 or lower by this effect, you can spend a healing surge.
Necrotic Rune: The damage is increased to 2[W] + your Intelligence modifier and targets one creature.

Level 1 Daily Imbues

Soulstorm
Reaper Attack 1
Rays of purple light emanate from the edge of your blade. Upon hit, they cause terrible wounds that won't heal.
Standard Action Close burst 1
Daily • Necrotic, Arcane, Weapon
Attack: Intelligence vs Fort
Target: 1d4 creatures in burst
Hit: 2[W]+Intelligence modifier necrotic damage.
Arcane Rune: This power becomes close burst 2 and targets 1d6 creatures in burst.

Chilblains
Reaper Attack 1
The goblin captain screams in terror as his leg turns to ice.
Standard Action Ranged 1
Daily • Cold
Attack: Intelligence vs Ref
Target: One creature within range
Hit: 3[W] + Intelligence cold damage, and the target is stunned (save ends)
Cold Rune: One creature adjacent to the target takes 1d4 + Intelligence modifier cold damage.

Necrotic Leap
Reaper Attack 1
You jump off the ground and strike the werewolf mid-air.
Standard Action Ranged 3
Daily • Necrotic, Weapon
Attack: Strength vs Ref
Target: One creature within range
Hit: 2[W]+Strength modifier damage, and the target is knocked prone.
Special: You can make an Acrobatics check to jump before making the attack.

Shield of Lolth
Reaper Attack 1
By a flicker of your blade, a dark blue shield appears around you and your allies. The foolish soldier that tries to break the barrier is knocked back, touched by frost.
Standard Action Close burst 1
Daily • Arcane
Target: All allies within burst, including you
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, if a target is attacked, the attacker takes 1[W] + your Intelligence modifier cold damage and slides one square in a direction of your choice.
Cold Rune: Add your Intelligence or Constitution modifier, whichever is higher, to the cold damage dealt.

Realms of Chaos
2008-11-24, 11:14 PM
Hmm, lot's to say here.

Allow me to start by saying that material produced for World of Warcraft, despite frequent claims to the contrary, isn't so easily fit into the confines of fourth edition.

The first thing I will say is that it seems a bit odd that a frontline striker should be confined to hide armor. After all, this guy seems like it should be at least a bit better armored than the average barbarian.

Next, I am really tempted to say that your soul weapon is overpowered...by alot. Even under the assumption that the soul weapon is replacing a normal magical weapon, it eventually gains a +17 proficiency bonus, a +7 enhancement bonus, and +7d4 damage, far too much for a class feature. Furthermore, if the swordmage is any indication, simply spending a healing surge to repair your weapon (which I am led to believe can be accomplished within a single round) is a bit extreme. Also, the penalty to others using it seems a bit extreme.

Suggested Rewrite:

Soul Weapon: With one hour of work, you perform a dark ritual on any nonmagical melee weapon with which you possess proficiency, embedding it with part of your soul. That weapon gains a +1 enhancement bonus, +1 per 6 levels. Furthermore, if the soul weapon is broken or damaged, it can be completely repaired by expending a healing surge during your next short rest.
If your soul weapon is destroyed or is further than 10 spaces from your location, you take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls. No other creature is considered proficient in the use of your soul weapon.

As for soul guard, as it has a trigger, I assume that it is meant to be used either as an immediate reaction rather than as a minor action. Consider allowing two uses per encounter at 11th level and three uses per encounter at 21st level.

Reapers spirit is wierd. This is partially because it can only work on one of your at-wills, defensive strike (technically, impaling strike would work as well but that would require you to shift into multiple squares simultaneously). I suggest the below.

Reapers Spirit: If you are adjacent to four or more enemies, all adjacent creatures take Str damage whenever you succeed on an attack roll.

Runed Blade is also far too complicated for fourth edition. First of all, pay attention to divisions within other classes. With the warlock, for example, you gain your choice of pact. With the cleric, you gain your choice of deity. With this thing, however, you are telling characters to mix and match combinations of four runes to get static benefits from each one and variable benefits on your abilities. Furthermore, by allowing the number of runes to increase with larger weapons, bugbear and minotaur death knights are automatically superior. Instead of this huge hubub, why not allow a single choice of a single rune on your weapon (like with every other 4e class so far).

Onto the powers

I think that threatening charge was made to be the following
Threatening Charge
Death Knight Attack 1
You cry out with all your might, and run at the enemy. The enemy staggers backwards, unsure what to do.
At-Will • Arcane, Necrotic
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Target: One creature within your melee reach
Attack: Constitution vs Will
Special: You must charge as part of this attack.
Hit: The target is dazed until the end of its next round.

Dark Deal doesn't need a burst range. Instead, it should have the range of "melee weapon" and should have the target of "one creature"

Old Bones is far too powerful for an encounter power. At the very least, I'd make it a daily, if not cranking up its level. You revive a target to use for your own ends and killing it just bolsters you. That is extremely powerful (and remember, this thing returns minions to full strength.)

With Vecna's blade, much as with dark deal, the range should be "melee weapon" and the target should be "two creatures". This ability also pushes the limits of what should be allowed, if only because it looks as though it is possible to get two healing surges out of the deal.

Chillblains, huh :smallconfused:? In this case, change the range to "range 1" and the target to "one creature". Also, it seems to me that you are handing out the incredibly powerful stunned condition like candycorn on halloween. I suggest changing it so that the target is "stunned (save ends)" instead of giving a set duration. On a failed attack, I wouldn't stun them at all.

Necrotic Leap should not use a skill check against a defense. This is just a general rule. As the current wording makes jumping to your target optional, I would reword it as thus.
Necrotic Leap
Death Knight Attack 1
You jump off the ground and strike the werewolf mid-air.
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Daily • Necrotic, Weapon
Attack: Str vs Ref
Target: One creature
Special: You may make an athletics check to jump before making the attack.
Hit: 2[W]+Strength modifier damage, and the target is knocked prone.

Shield of Lolth is not very clearly written in your description. Keep in mind that will saves no longer exist in 4e. Secondly, as your weapon is not actually being used, basing the damage on your weapon looks a bit wierd. Third, a secondary attack roll may not even be necessary. I believe that you more or less intended the following.
Shield of Lloth
Death Knight Attack 1
By a flicker of your blade, a dark blue shield appears around you and your allies. The foolish soldier that tries to break the barrier is knocked back, touched by frost.
Standard Action Close burst 1
Daily • Arcane
Target: All allies within burst, including you
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, whenever a target is attacked, the attacker takes 1d6 cold damage and slides one square in the direction of your choice.
Cold Rune: Add your intelligence modifier to the cold damage dealt.

Pretty good work for a first homebrew, however. I'll give you that. :smallsmile:

Enlong
2008-11-25, 12:09 AM
Also, the name needs work: Death Knight is a template in 4E.

Umbra
2008-11-25, 02:31 AM
Ok, the changes will be made. I admit that the rune system was a bit too complicated, and I'll probably just stick to one rune for now. I wasn't sure on the Acrobatics check either: Thought it made a nice twist. It'll be gone however.

Any suggestions for other names, then? "Dark Paladin" is not an option. :smallbiggrin:

samurai
2008-11-25, 11:08 AM
This class has potential, there just needs to be some fixes done.

But for now I want to focus on a name here's what I'm thinking you could add any of these words in front of knight and it would sound good and fit the flavor of the class , void, corrupt or forsaken.

Keep up the good work !

Umbra
2008-11-25, 12:37 PM
This class has potential, there just needs to be some fixes done.

But for now I want to focus on a name here's what I'm thinking you could add any of these words in front of knight and it would sound good and fit the flavor of the class , void, corrupt or forsaken.

Keep up the good work !

Void Knight... Maybe.
Forsaken Knight... Eh, too much Warcraft, even for me.
Corrupt(ed?) Knight... Nah, the name points more at moral corruption rather than physical.

"Reaper" came up when I was randomly thinking of a name for this.

EDIT:
One more thing: Realms, the reason why the Shield was based on weapon damage is as the Death Knight's (to be renamed) powers are channeled through the blade, and therefore depends on the weapon's strength.

Siegel
2008-11-25, 12:50 PM
Power source could be shadow maybe ?

Umbra
2008-11-25, 01:08 PM
Power source could be shadow maybe ?

Has Shadow been introduced already? Until it is, I'm sticking with Arcane.

Townopolis
2008-11-25, 01:23 PM
First off, it's my opinion that an anti-paladin should never be called an "Adjective Knight." Not because they can't be cavalier in their fashion, it's just that paladins aren't called "holy knights" or any other adjective-knight combination, they get a unique name all their own. To name something an adjective-knight implies that it's not really a unique thing in and of itself, but a variation on something that already exists. I'd liken it to trying to make a "Tempest Fighter" class, that's not a class, it's a variation.

Blackguard (Pronounced, IIRC, "Blaggard"), would be my name of choice.

Also, D&D is turning into WoW :smallbiggrin:

Yakk
2008-11-25, 01:52 PM
So it is a melee striker. That's acceptable.

Try using bold tags to break up the monotony of the text.

Attributes are:
Intelligence, Strength, Constitution

I'd be tempted to make this a heavy armor class actually.

Getting extra runes on your soul blade for a larger weapon seems questionable.


3 Ice Runes: Deal an extra 3 cold damage.
That means if you have 3 ice runes, you do an extra 3 cold damage?


Hit: 1d4 + Intelligence cold damage.
...
Increase to 2d6 + Intelligence at 21st level.
Your die sized changed?

...

Runes. What if your Daily powers where all Runes. When you invoke a deaily power, the Rune effect stays on your weapon until the end of the encounter, or until you invoke another Rune?

Ie:

Song of the Frost Lich + Death Knight Attack 9
"Come into my icy embrace"
Standard Action + Close Burst 5
Daily + Necrotic, Cold, Weapon, Rune
Rune Effect: Once per turn, you may deal +Rd8 cold damage to a melee damage roll with this weapon.
Attack: Intelligence vs Will
Target: Up to Constituion modifier creatures in burst
Hit: Push or Pull target creature up to 3 squares, and creature is dazed. Then make a basic melee attack against all adjacent targets.

...

Where your Rune power grows from 1 at heroic, 2 at paragon, and 3 at epic tiers.

Umbra
2008-11-25, 02:03 PM
Right now, in the unposted, in-the-middle-of-fixing version, I've decided to give the player one rune, not a number depending on their weapon size.

Scale and Chain are also getting added.

About the 3 Ice Runes: Yes, it would. But it's unnecessary to talk about now.

Yes, the die size changed for some reason. Of course, it would be 2d4 + Intelligence.

Rune powers seem... interesting. I'll think about it.

[HR]

About the Blackguard / Blaggard, possibly. That feels more like a Defender, though. Maybe a possible paragon path?

Yakk
2008-11-25, 02:32 PM
The idea is to have something somewhat mechanically interesting and unifying about your power set for your class.

Heck: your Runes could be your Encounter powers. And the purchase of an Encounter power might determine which Runes you have on your weapons?

Umbra
2008-11-25, 02:42 PM
The idea is to have something somewhat mechanically interesting and unifying about your power set for your class.

Heck: your Runes could be your Encounter powers. And the purchase of an Encounter power might determine which Runes you have on your weapons?

I'm not sure I'm following you here. My powers determining my runes? The runes would change depending on my encounter power?

The very point of having the runes is that they're permanent. The rune is established when you create your character; encounter powers in general are dodgy, seeing as they can be swapped later on.

Townopolis
2008-11-25, 05:35 PM
Not that, despite the spelling, a blackguard has as much to do with guarding as a paladin has to do with being a palace official.

That is, it could happen, but there's no correlational relationship.

Still, if blackguard doesn't suit you, you're the one making the class.

Yakk
2008-11-25, 10:07 PM
I was thinking that tieing your Runes to the rest of the mechanics of the class would make lots of sense: if each of your encounter and daily powers corresponded to a rune, and when activated the rune would generate both an instant effect and an effect that persisted until the end of the encounter, it might give the class some interesting crunch.

If you don't like it, that's acceptable.

And yes, you do change out an encounter power every handful of levels.

You do have to keep your power budget under control, however. And you cannot let your encounter/daily powers be weak: characters can swap out a good chunk of them for other class powers via multiclassing.

That means your Runes are either weak, or they have to draw their power from Encounter/Daily powers. I thought tieing them tightly to those powers gives you some wonderful fluff.

Townopolis
2008-11-25, 10:19 PM
Bards and Barbarians already seem to be using the "rest of encounter bonus effect" mechanic, just food for thought.

You could use the same mechanic as warlock pacts or bard virtues for runes.

That is, at character creation, the player picks a rune. Then, every Daily power has a special ability governed by a rune.

e.g.

Daily du Jours
Daily * Arcane * Melee Weapon
Attack: Awesome VS. Suck
Hit: You Win
Miss: You Lose
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you get cake
- Arcane Rune: You get pie instead

Umbra
2008-11-26, 03:27 AM
Well, as of now, some powers relate to using a rune, but not all of them. Certainly not all of the daily / encounter powers. I'll think about it.

Umbra
2008-11-26, 08:57 AM
Alright, sorry for the double post, but since I just put up a new version, I figured it might be necessary.

Changes made:

Name changed from Death Knight to Reaper
Soul Weapon's bonuses adjusted
Old Bones elevated to Level 3, replaced with Terrible Cleave
Rune information added
Number of runes decreased from 3-5 to one
Powers adjusted
Reaper's Spirit renamed to Harvester Sweep