[3.5e PrC] Runelord [PEACH]

Runelord
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mo...lery/98233.jpg
Sometimes a plain appearance can hide great powers...

Requirements
Skills: Spellcraft 4 ranks.
Base attack bonus: +5
Special: Must have been under the tutelage of an older Runelord possessing at least 5 levels in the Runelord prestige class.

d10 Hit Die.
{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special
1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Marks of Power, Mark of Sight
2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Mark of Brawn
3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Mark of Grace
4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Mark of Wit
5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Mark of Glamour, Mark of Smell
6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Mark of Metabolism
7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Mark of Voice
8th | +8 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Mark of Hearing
9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Mark of Stamina
10th | +10 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Mark of Will [/table]
Skills: 4+int modifier at each level.
Class skills: Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).

{table="head"]Level|Man. Known|Man. Readied|Stances Known
1st|1|1|0
2nd|1|0|0
3rd|0|0|0
4th|1|0|1
5th|1|1|0
6th|1|0|0
7th|0|0|0
8th|1|0|0
9th|0|1|1
10th|1|0|0
[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Runelords receive no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers: At each level except 3rd, 7th and 9th, a runelord gains new maneuvers known from the Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Stone Dragon, Tiger Claw or White Raven disciplines. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your full runelord levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known. You gain the ability to recover maneuvers as a warblade, if you did not possess levels in an initiator class previously. If you did, you may use the recovery method available to your previous class instead.

At 1st, 5th and 9th levels, you gain additional maneuvers readied per day.

Stances Known: At 4th and 9th levels, you learn a new martial stance from the Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Stone Dragon, Tiger Claw or White Raven disciplines. You must meet the stances prerequisites to learn it.

Marks of Power (Su): You gain powers from the warriors of old, channeled through magical runes burned to your body via brands crafted of a strange metal that is sometimes found under ancient battlefields.

Mark of Sight: At 1st level, you gain mastery over one of the simpler runes grafted unto your body. This mark enhances your eyesight to supernatural heights, granting you low-light vision, darkvision out to 30 feet and +4 to spot checks.

Mark of Brawn: At 2nd level, you add a second rune to your repertoire. This emblem scorched upon your skin symbolises strength, granting you +4 to all strength-based skill checks and ability checks as well as melee damage rolls.

Mark of Grace: At 3rd level, you gain access to the rune of grace. This rune gives you the grace of a dancer or a gymnastic, granting you +4 to all dexterity-based skill checks, as well as +2 dodge bonus to your armor class and reflex saves. This bonus is denied whenever you would be denied of your dexterity bonus to armor class.

Mark of Wit: At 4th level your mastery of the runes extend to the realm of the mind, expanding your memory capacity to a significant degree. You gain +4 bonus to all your intelligence-based skill checks and ability checks and the ability to use them untrained.

Mark of Glamour: At 5th level, you become as charismatic as the great leaders of old by branding the rune of glamour upon your skin. This rune enhances your social skills as well as the force of your personality. You gain +4 to all your charisma-based skill checks as well as a +2 bonus to your will saves.

Mark of Smell: You channel the powers of wardogs that once sprinted across the battlefields. This rune enhances your sense of smell to fabulous heights as well as gives you the feral instincts necessary to track with it. You gain the scent special ability, and you may use it to track as if you had the Track feat. In addition, you gain a +4 bonus to the wisdom checks to track creatures with this ability.

Mark of Metabolism: At 6th level you gain access to one of the greater runes of power, the mark of metabolism that accelerates you to supernatural speeds. When making a full attack action, you may make one extra attack with any weapon you are holding. The attack is made using your full base attack bonus, plus any modifiers appropriate to the situation. (This effect is not cumulative with similar effects, such as that provided by a weapon of speed, nor does it actually grant an extra action, so you can’t use it to cast a second spell or otherwise take an extra action in the round.)

In addition, all of your modes of movement (including land movement, burrow, climb, fly, and swim) increase by 30 feet, to a maximum of twice your normal speed using that form of movement. This increase counts as an enhancement bonus, and it affects your jumping distance as normal for increased speed.

Mark of Voice: This rune enhances the control your profess over your voice, forcing your commands to be heard even in the midst of a raging battle and your whispers unheard for all but those you wish. You also gain the ability to force your will upon people through your voice. At your choice, people making listen checks to hear your voice must either double or halve the DC. You gain the ability to use Command as an at-will supernatural ability that requires you to use your voice. The save DC against this ability is 10+your charisma modifier+half your runelord level.

Mark of Hearing: At 8th level you gain access to the rune of Hearing. You gain +4 to all listen checks as well as Blindsense out to 10 feet.

Mark of Stamina: At 9th level you mark your body with the rune of Stamina, enhancing your regenerative powers greatly. You heal 1 point of damage per level every hour rather than every day. Nonlethal damage heals at a rate of 1 point of damage per level every 5 minutes. If you lose a limb, an organ, or any other body part, you regenerate it as the spell.

Mark of Will: This rune grants you no additional powers, but rather enhances your existing ones to supreme heights. Double all the numerical boni you gain from your other marks.

Since it looks like a PRC designed for a mageknight-type character, and none of the class abilities are too powerful (mostly moderate bonuses on a combat parameter, save, or type of check), maybe have this advance some amount of spellcasting? Perhaps anywhere from 7/10 to 9/10 would be appropriate.

This PrC has a strong lack of 'I can do what nobody else can', but it looks real nice as an enhancement for a fighting character. Some kind of (arcane or even divine) bard-level casting might make it great.

Here are my suggestions:

In a High Magic World- I would attempt to include some ToB stuff, I don't recall quite how it works, but I think it would be iniator levels? Anyway, if it is iniator level I think it could use some. You could also do something like Simba mentioned with making it a half-caster. I don't think it really fits here, but it is an option.

In Normal Magic World- ToB would still be handy, but in a normal magic world most martial classes can still "compare" to non-fully-optimized casters. This would definitely be able to compare.

In low magic world- This is where this class shines, especially in a NO-MAGIC world. In a no-magic world, you could take a bard and then multiclass into this, which with it's 4+ skill points, would still be able to keep his needed skills max'd while the class abilities enhance all of them. Though, in a Low magic world this still shines.

This is not to say your class does not have use in a high-magic world. I'm saying most martial classes have trouble in a High-Magic world, because they are out of their element. ToB fixes that. I also have one last bit of info, fluff mainly. I would suggest switching Mark or Voice/Hearing. Since this class needs a mentor, I would think one would become better at listening and then better at making others listen to him. It's just an opinion, but to me it makes more sense that way. Overall, I think this is a goodway to mesh a skill-monkey into a better BaB, without losing too much skillmonkey-power.

If I sounded rude at all, I apologize.:smallsmile:

I had not thought of ToB, I have to admit. Adding maneuvers, stances and maybe a unique rune-related recovery mechanism would greatly enhance the playability of this class.

I think it adds flavor and a nice bit of power, though you should greatly restrict the available(what are they domains that different moves come from?) domains from which they can choose moves, or you could leave it open. I guess open gives power, but restricted gives flavor. I should read ToB, so I could know a hoot of what I'm trying to talk about....

As this is a PrC, characters could keep the recovery mode they already have if they come from a ToB class. Coming from another class, an interesting mechanism could be implemented.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simba

This PrC has a strong lack of 'I can do what nobody else can'

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Simba's got a real strong point here. It strikes me that this class is still hunting for a purpose. The beefy chassis implies a martial class, but many abilities are useless in a fight. The large skill bonuses would make the Runelord attractive to skill-monkeys who want to be tougher, but the eclectic class skill list and limited skill points make it unsuited for that.

I would encourage you to add considerably more oomph to the Runelord in the form of either a) martial maneuvers, if you have access to Tome of Battle, or b) casting progression, if you envision this class as a gish-type fighter-mage, or c) lots of combat tricks if you lack ToB and see the runelord primarily as a swordslinger.

Overall, this class needs more power. Specifically, it needs additional options and the ability to do things with its runes that can't be duplicated by other classes.

NO NO NO, it's not a caster! Don't try to make it a semi-caster,semi-skillmonkey,semi-warrior. Avoid the casting if you can! Go with the ToB, if you want warrior-ish. If you want it to be skill-monkey-ish, make it a 6+ class and make the class skill list bigger.

Thanks for all the answers and critiques, it's very much appreciated considering this is my first major attempt at homebrewing.:smallbiggrin:

Just implemented maneuvers to the class. What do you think? I've made it pretty much warblade-based, for now, but I'll think about making up a new recovery system for it.

EDIT: Oh, and I originally got the idea from David Farland's Runelords book series - I really loved the idea of endowments, but implementing them directly to DnD would've been too tricky, so I simplified the idea somewhat and removed Dedicates from the equation.

Ok, Glad to see you avoided caster.