:smallredface: I did, thank you for noticing that when I was blind to it
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2 levels earlier them normal actually (typically 6 level entry for most Prc's). I did it on purpose as it gives a nice progression that you can cast Mass reduce person as a third level spell as soon as you get thord level spell while still leaving 2 levels you can benefit from personal adjustment, as it loses quite a bit of it's appeal when you get mass reduce person.
Fixed that
Meant skim, though i worded the sentence around it poorly. Should be clearer now.
Thats a better way to word it then what I had, except I added a bit that clarifies its a extra copy.
Thats a better formula then the one I was using so i'll use it. Fixed the typo too. Made it so when you have a caster level of 13 (Which should be level 14 assuming no other boosts) the DR becomes DR/-.
Added this
You can now :smalltongue: (was considering making it +8 Dex -8 str and an additional category but being able to give a +12 to dex, +4 str, 10 DR permanently to 2 people at level 9 seems a bit extreme. I might decrease some of the other numbers because its still pretty high numbers
Thanks!
I also added a new Faster, Smaller, Stronger ability, that creates 2 pills that act like a delayed shrink effect (While I wish I made the class use both enlarge and reduce person so I could make a better Blue-Or-Red-Pill joke :smalltongue:.
I'm also thinking of making the Prc 7 levels long, making the 5th level ability make Reduce spelllast 1 hour/level (Increasing Compacted speeds duration to 1 minute/level and Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee 10 minutes/ level) and have Long range, moving back everlasting reduction to level 7 and add some sort of auto Heighten effect for using reduce spells, like maybe being able to heighten reduce spells to up to your highest level while using a slot equal to Heighted spell level-1 for level 6.
Anyway, thanks for your feedback!
Hi all! I think I'll probably throw my hat in the ring tomorrow when I'm not on mobile. I have an idea I like quite a bit, but I had another one I don't plan on using but it might still be interesting to someone: a physicist. They fit the theme because they deal with atoms, but they'd be super powerful what with the radiation and nuclear detonations
Just posted my Dust Devil PRC. My first ever contest entry. Let me know what y'all think. Thanks!
Added my entry, a combat oriented PrC based on firing Fukimi Baris (spitting needles).
Still work in progress, i hope i can complete it soon.
I've been far from 3.5 for quite a long time... i hope i remember how to brew with it :smallbiggrin:
Edit: done! I may have to fix a detail or two but i'm mostly satisfied.
Well, I'm happy, I thought we'd have 3 or 4 entries at best :smallbiggrin:
They look good, I'll peach as I have time (probably this weekend or monday, (have a bunch of quizzes and stuff to do today)
PEACH
Dust Devil
1) Entry Requirements: Seems to me to have too much bold
I would do something like:
Entry Requirements
Spellcasting: Able to cast 5th level spells.
Skills Survival 5 ranks
Special: Fluff
More of a readability thing.
2) I would expand the skill list, at the very least it should be knowledge (All)
3) Energy substitution: I would make this also not increase casting time for spontaneous casters
4) Dust Immunity: I would make this flat out immunity @ 10th.
5) Dust blast: I would make the damage equal to 1d6 per (his class level + motes)/2.
6) Dust to Dust: You do not need to say the lower, you round down unless stated otherwise per RAW
7) Sandman's DR does nothing at the level you can get it, as almost everything will have at least a +1 by then. I would give them vulnerability against wind gust type effects and water.
8) I would give them more motes per day, such as extra motes equal to their wisdom modifier. Thus a druid 10 levels of this and a wis of 20 can use it more without cutting all his higher stuff off.
All in all it looks nice, good job!
Master of Needles
1) Ki needles: the monk's ki is lame, and this is no better... I would give them a +1 bonus equal to 1/4 heir character level.
2) Extended Range: I would condense this to one ability, making them have a range equal to level*10.
3) Precise Spit: first off, precise makes you think attack rolls (just saying) I would make the damage equal to level, I mean +5? and you are using little darts anyhow, which (I think?) deal 1 point of damage.
4) Flurry of needles: seems alright, although they should get rid of the penalty at a higher level.
5) breath of the spined dragon: hmm, interesting. I like it.
6) I would add onto the skill list, and increase the skills to 4+int...
Another good class!
Hehe
No problem, and feel free to expand the conest doesn't end until (goes and looks at previous posts) the 17th and then voting (ooh, that's gonna be hard) begins.Quote:
I'm also thinking of making the Prc 7 levels long, making the 5th level ability make Reduce spelllast 1 hour/level (Increasing Compacted speeds duration to 1 minute/level and Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee 10 minutes/ level) and have Long range, moving back everlasting reduction to level 7 and add some sort of auto Heighten effect for using reduce spells, like maybe being able to heighten reduce spells to up to your highest level while using a slot equal to Heighted spell level-1 for level 6.
Anyway, thanks for your feedback!
Regarding 1, 2 and 6, those are valid objections, i'll think about them. I may move extended range at 4th level leaving precise shot the only ability at 2nd.
About 4, i think i'll leave the penalty where it is. Flurry of needles is gained at 3rd, and on a 5 level prc i feel i have no room to make it disappear... in addition, this ability makes you go against a rule explicitly made for fukimi bari... i think that the penalty is appropriate.
Regarding 3, i rewrote this ability 3 times before coming to what it is now. I already thought about bonus=level but to me it's too much.
At 5th you spit 8 needles (1 damage each), and if you add 5 to each one (5x8=40), you get 48 damage per attack.
Now, this is not too much 'per se', but i think its too much for the type of weapon the fukimi bari is. Its a weapon made for stealth, not to deal huge damage, but to deal enough damage to deliver poisons and such.
As the ability is, you get 24 damage per attack, which is enough to pass through most DR without going against the weapons nature, allowing to always deal that 1 point of damage that you need to deliver poison, sneak attack, or both.
EDIT. Oh, about 5... thanks!
Fixed
I went back and forth on the knowledge skills. I think your right about giving them all. I also added Search to the skill list.
My intent was for this to not be metamagic per se. I added a clause at the end of this ability to make that clearer.
There are only 5 levels :p
They have full immunity when in Sandman form.
Agreed and changed.
The two numbers this compares are totally unrelated. The current mote pool acts as a cap on the ability.
Changed the DR to DR 5/-
Added double damage from water based attacks but given they have an ability calling out resistance to high winds and several abilities that utilize wind, I didn't think vulnerability to wind was appropriate.
This is by design. Each of the base abilities are free so they can spam those All day long. Then they have the choice to give up higher abilities or make certain abilities less effective in exchange for a boost. This is also why every boost costs only 1 mote.
For those craving more power, I have added a feat - Expanded Mote Pool
Thanks!
@MrNobody
Have you considered having the master of needles advance / grant sneak attack?
Well I've made like half of a something. It'll take a while to write up the elite spells but oh well.
any idea what feat I could use for the requirements for a class focused on fungal spores?
The leveler appears to be completely off theme?
You kinda can have an Evil-aligned family heirloom. It's called the Item Familiar variant, where everyone gets a special scaling weapon that eventually starts talking to them. I, and presumably Red Fel, recommend an Axe of Blood, which gets you a +3 bonus on the cheap with the "downside" of shifting your alignment to Chaotic Evil(okay, Fel might not like the Chaotic part...) over time and losing its bonus if it isn't coated in blood regularly. The -2 cursed weapon is an attempt to make an impossible to lose weapon that is bad enough to not keep for the sake of never being unarmed, and still fails when you have enough accuracy, like an 18/18 Str/Int Warblade that has the rest of its stats at a passable amount. Heirloom Relic's biggest draw is the way it gives you a convenient means of applying wealth to magic item power, without needing to find crafters or anything.
...You know what, this is a thing that's bugged me about these contests, but there really needs to be clearer defining of the theme of the contest in them. And that class is largely replaced by a feat and a skill trick. And Arcane Trickster, which can use Slight of Hand checks from a distance a few times per day(I'd personally roll that into Mage Hand, or have it be expending spell slots for it like your slots-for-Slight-of-Hand bonii). A pretty big flaw is how vastly more powerful Wizard entry is than any of the other entry options, because of that quadrupled bonus for using a prepared Illusion spell for Arcane Lifting. If you make a PEACH thread for it, I might proofread it like I (partially) did to a painfully badly worded Pathfinder class based on Fate/Stay Night's Gilgamesh, of all things. Part of the critique side was to suggest changes to it to be more archetype friendly, which is a complaint I levy at any Pathfinder class I see as difficult to archetype for.
By appearances, I'm going to have what is by far the most complicated. Once I figure out what scaling values I want... The issue with figuring it out is that it feeds into itself. The casting per HD of Swarm defines how many HD are needed for the casting progression I want, which in turn informs the tradeoffs of going over the default limit, needed for 9th level spells past a certain level, and the default limit itself. This mess of linked scaling factors then decides how much I can get away with on the other abilities before it goes overboard on power. Then there's the swarms themselves to work out, which I might well end up using the mechanics of in more directly chimeric creation PRCs because composition ratios are easier to work with than actually statting out a bundle of different swarms and working out rules for mixing them.
...HD representing swarm density, with all swarms occupying 5 ft. squares/cubes, solves a lot of the issues with making the class properly function, and allows for relatively easily modelling shifting densities around. Composition can be tracked by HD, fractional when lower end. This makes tracking available insects and arthropods a lot easier, because you then track by relatively small HD numbers, with some fractions, instead of the four and five digit numbers for Fine and Diminutive swarms. This also makes removing a bit of fiat easier by having a means of more easily modelling insect reproduction rates as their rate of HP gain under normal circumstances, and when given accelerating spell slot use. Goodberry and Create Food and Water could work as prerequisite spells for this reason... After all, if you're going to have tens of thousands of insects following you around, you need some way to feed them.
With HD based swarm tracking, ratios can go out the window because you can instead judge it by the HD of the component insect or arthropod. This cuts complexity quite a bit, because you don't need to work out simultaneously increasing numbers with HD and reducing them by ratios. I mean, the math(GiantITP forums still uses hard British English, its spell checker wants Maths, not Math) works out the same either way, but it goes by easier and lets the rules be reused for monoculture swarms with casual ease. Per two HD seems to be the standard, but adjusting that to make the HD control cap of the PRC conform to a useful save progression would be important. Working the numbers for a challenge rating is probably going overboard, all things considered...
The HD tracking does make some things harder, as you don't have room for a convenient scaling by hit dice. Of course, a default Swarm statline that is altered by the insects and arthropods you use with it makes the numbers work out significantly better, and using Size modifiers covers quite a bit of issues with density. The existing Swarm rules cover damage-by-HD, which is automatically applied each round making some of the issues with giving lots of Strength much less of a problem.
Okay, this one is... barely identifiable as being related to the theme, because it's themed on Dust Devils, the dusty whirlwinds. Which are rarely seen as little because they're aggregates of lots of things tiny to the point people rarely think about the individual tiny things. The idea of it is nice, though Desiccation Damage has nasty rules attached and I'm a bit wary of immunity to thirst. Gives nice things for a hardline Evoker to defend themselves with, which is welcome for reducing the need for party resources to be spent on a damage-dealer. Now if only it was a class for Martials...
Personally, I'd make more things scale with Motes instead of level. It makes the class have a higher peak, but Mote scaling makes them more likely to save those abilities for when they're actually pressed. Making fallacies regarding too-grave costs is one of the few ways to balance full casters in 3.5. And it works quite well for making them refrain from high level slot usage. It also makes them more likely to blow a feat on Extra Motes, which is another nice way to make non-optimizers waste character resources for the sake of "safety." Beyond that, I'd make it 3/5 or 4/5 casting, the Concealment and Desiccation resistance is too much for full casting.
Ah, good, another interesting one! I see it as a problem with the class that it's mono-focused on a single weapon with no tangential abilities. Like, if I were making such a class, I'd give it an ability or two relating to gale-force shouts dealing slight Sonic damage(or not-so-slight, if you have it equal Unarmed Strike damage) and causing knockback, getting enemies clear for your needles and giving you something for when you're out of needles entirely. Speaking of Unarmed Strike, the lack of any involvement in it for the damage progression seems... Odd. Like, using the last step of your Unarmed Strike damage for the damage of the needles would make them actually viable, especially with range improvements.
It's a good class, it does what it sets out to do by making a niche weapon useful, but it has the problem of all such classes by making the character tie up even more power in equipment. I'd love it if it had a 2nd or 3rd level ability that acts as a less-powerful version of Breath of the Spined Dragon that doesn't need Needles but benefits from their magic, while also making Breath of the Spined Dragon not require needles, but be made better for having them. Something like 3d6 Sonic damage without needles for the 3rd level and 3d6 Piercing on top from the needles, then 5d6 Sonic and 10d6 Piercing from the capstone. Really just to give the class something to do in the absence of needle supplies. Heck, a capstone to make needles out of Ki-infused breath alone would be appropriate and extremely useful by making basic function independent of needle access.
Elite Spells need to be more like War Spells, being templates that increase the spell level. This is to make it better fit the theme of little things by letting you use Elite Spells to violate restrictions on lower-level spells, making you able to make low level spells into viable high level spells. Turning Fireball into a 9th-level spell by stacking modifiers on it is a strong option. Having it be in the form of an extra spell slot means that Sorcerers love the expansion of their known spells, while Spirit Shamans love having staple spells on a fixed Spells Known list to free up their daily choices for niche spells. The requirement of using an Elite modifier would remove the Elite Cantrips, but that removes some shenanigans and makes it so that there's less shenanigans with using staple spells for your Elite options because they're always at least one level higher.
As-is, it's too much a Rainbow Servant type class. It'll really only be used to expand the spell list, when it could shift some power to actual features for terrain destruction, like expending a spell slot to automatically deal xd6 per slot level divided as desired among walls and objects. At high levels, that would result in being able to just break down a huge area by busting load-bearing walls and obliterating the equipment of large groups of enemies.
Plant Wild Shape, obviously, so the Druid(or Ranger, we shouldn't judge entry method) can turn into a fungus. Maybe make it "Two [Wild] feats, of which one must be Plant Wild Shape." Nine times out of ten, this means Natural Spell, but it allows stuff like Extra Wild Shape instead. Then you can have the PRC expend Wild Shape uses for an ability without being completely silly, because you have two feats from a category almost purely about Wild Shape.
I suppose I'll quickly cram out the basic core of my class "today." It might take long enough to roll over into tomorrow, as there's about 15 minutes until tomorrow while I'm typing this, but having at least the placeholder post with all the columns in place will convince me to work on it more when I get up. Morning, afternoon, my sleep cycle's wound up screwed by late night activities.
I´m already giving it a knowledge (nature) skill rank minimun, I like the great fortitude idea, fits nicely with the class.
that´s what I thought when I saw it, the voting is just getting harder and harder...
btw: are we using the same voting pattern as the other contests? (first place, second place, third place, most likely to be used, best representation of the theme... forgot the last one :smalltongue:)
I´ll think about it, for now I´m looking at the class as more of an specialization for non casters who want to get some plant-based castery stuff under their belt* but trading uses of wild shape for abilities does mean I can go for more power, since you´ll be trading casting for them (even if it´ll sometimes will be ranger casting).
*I know how that sounds but I´m not just going to give them spell-likes a few times a day.
tell me about it
Hmm... If it's not meant for casters, I'm not really sure what to do for it. Skill Focus(Knowledge(Nature)) seems the most likely, because I can't really research properly right now. Too tired. Thankfully, it's the weekend, so I can stay up another hour or two to work out what the heck I want to do for the wording of the core abilities. If you do go down the Wild Shape use route, it should be about as impactful as Wild Shape itself so its not a non-option. So basically a concrete all-day advantage of some kind, preferably one that Wildshape doesn't give itself and that isn't easily covered by an animal companion.
Oh, I've also got the fundamental numbers outline, and image and quote, of mine worked out. Most of it done while this post is being typed. The numbers under Swarm HD right now are the resultant CL of the HD, to be multiplied and rounded later because I need to retrieve my graphing calculator from my room. The online calculators are... not comfortable to use. There'll be more layers of limitation on it, mind you, to force multiple attribute dependence onto the Cleric and Druid entry method. And penalties will also provoke MAD. The intent is to force at least three attribute dependence. Wisdom for casting, Intelligence for some of the limitations and Dexterity or Constitution for penalties. High enough requirements that it needs a significant bonus just to have the baseline 3/5 casting, let alone getting 5/5. Getting the 7/5 or 8/5 should take extreme optimization around the limitations.
Yes; this is even hinted at in the opening. Also, the poem in the intro is about people who think they're mightier than they are.
Turning Fireball into a strong third-level spell by casting elite fireball is also a strong option (and using elite low-level slots also seems to fit the theme better, honestly). I don't see that forcing them to use what are essentially metamagic on an ego trip is really a great thing - metamagic already exists, and maximised widened fireball is already a spell you can cast out of a ninth-level slot if you want to do that.
I don't mind people blowing their spells known on niche spells and then using their elite spells as staples because that's exactly what you're meant to do. If you have one spell that's vastly stronger than the other spells of the same level, why wouldn't you try to use it as often as you can, after all?Quote:
Having it be in the form of an extra spell slot means that Sorcerers love the expansion of their known spells, while Spirit Shamans love having staple spells on a fixed Spells Known list to free up their daily choices for niche spells. The requirement of using an Elite modifier would remove the Elite Cantrips, but that removes some shenanigans and makes it so that there's less shenanigans with using staple spells for your Elite options because they're always at least one level higher.
Well, you could just expend a spell slot to, I dunno, cast earthquake, causing 100 damage to each wall and building in the area, which is more than 8d6 however you swing it. But more to the point, that's just another spell, only with 5e scaling instead of 3.5 scaling for no good reason.Quote:
As-is, it's too much a Rainbow Servant type class. It'll really only be used to expand the spell list, when it could shift some power to actual features for terrain destruction, like expending a spell slot to automatically deal xd6 per slot level divided as desired among walls and objects. At high levels, that would result in being able to just break down a huge area by busting load-bearing walls and obliterating the equipment of large groups of enemies.
I'm considering giving them some "Actual class features" (because you know that the reason that cleric and sorcerer are strong is because of their mighty Turn Undead and Familiar and not because they have spells) but "1.8 spells per level get supercharged" is power enough on its own, especially for a full-casting PrC.
Ok, the Singer of the Forbidden Song is done... honestly had a lot of fun with it. I feel the Forbidden Song ability is a wall of text, however; is it clear, intuitive, and could it be said more succinctly?
Also, I did something a little... weird with the Ex bard thing.
The relation to the theme is contained in a very small detail :biggrin:
The use of the return key and some moving of sentences would help:
"The research, discovery, and use of the Forbidden Song is what makes a Singer of the Forbidden Song. The Song has an insidious effect on all thinking beings, driving them to escape hearing it by any means necessary, up to and including taking their own lives.
A Singer of the Forbidden Song may use the Forbidden Song a number of times per day equal to their class level. Starting the Song is a standard action and so is maintaining it. A Performance check is made as part of this action. The result of this check is the total number of HD of creatures that can be affected by this use of the Forbidden Song. A creature with more HD than the Singer's ranks in Perform cannot be affected by the Song. Creatures who are mindless, deaf, or too powerful do not count against the total HD affected.
Creatures who can be affected make a will save vs a DC equal to the Singer's ranks in Perform plus their Charisma bonus. The range of the Forbidden Song is 60 feet, starting with the closest affectable creature. They do not need line of sight but must be able to hear the Song. Failing the save means fleeing unless they have half as many HD as the Singer or fewer. If they are unable to flee, they cower, taking no action but covering their ears and attackers gain a +2 to hit. The fleeing effect lasts 10 rounds.
Creatures with half as many HD as the Singer or fewer attempt a Coup de Grace on themselves with whatever weapon is handy or no weapon at all if none is available. Creatures who would be affected by the compulsion to Coup de Grace themselves but are immune to Coups de Grace and/or critical hits simply attack themselves with a normal attack (including with ranged weapons if that's what they have in their hands).
The Song allows a save each round it is maintained. The Song's effects are not fear effects and can affect any creature which can hear and has an intelligence score, even those normally immune to mind-affecting effects. It does not count as an enchantment, compulsion, or supernatural ability and functions in an antimagic field."
Someone asked about the methods of voting, we'll be using this:
1st: 3 pts
2nd: 2 pts
3rd: 1 pt
Most Related to Theme: 1 pt
Most original: 1 pt
Most likely to see play: 1 pt
Unless anyone has some objections?
Also, would you all prefer PM votes (as in you do not see other votes) or public?
EDIT: I'll look through the new classes monday.
Most original, Most Likely to See Play and Best Use Of Theme (which is different from "Most related to" because cleverness and artistic license>blind obedience) are usually counted separately.
I hate, odiate, despise, detest, ABOMINATE cloak-and-dagger voting. There is no point in being handed a metaphorical trophy if you can't know why you won it or what thought processes went into the votes. Even a one-line review saying one thing you liked about the class is leagues apart from nothing, and in general, people who PM votes don't provide reasons (and/or chairs don't post those reasons). It's brilliant to get a set of in-depth, thoughtful reviews like these which you just don't get with hidden votes. And as far as I can tell, the argument in favour of cloak-and-dagger is "It's not THAT bad" rather than any genuine reason that it's beneficial.Quote:
Also, would you all prefer PM votes (as in you do not see other votes) or public?
It's not like we're voting for some political office; the numbers matter a lot less than the critique in this case. I'm more interested in the fact that I get critique on the bits of my class that might or might not work right than the voting. I don't come here for the ego boost of knowing that my semiprofessional game design skills and obsessive completionism are able to put out better material than a bunch of people making things in their spare time as a just-for-fun thing. I come here for the critique that you get in the voting thread.
I might drag myself out of retirement for this - looks like a fun theme. And it's been an age and a half since I've done some homebrewing.
Now, how literal do I want to be?
I advocate for private voting, since public voting naturally skews people to follow group-think choices, and strategically sink entries they don't like. It also allows more people to interact with the contest without getting harassed by certain overly aggressive forum members.