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    MindFlayer

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    Default Re: Base Class Contest XXVI - Flipping the Table

    Rulemaker

    I never much cared for the nature of reality; finally, I can do something about it. You think you're going to stand in the way of that?
    - Tuirgenbrand, one of the first rulemakers

    Rulemakers take the foundation of reality and alter it universally. They do not simply cast spells or produce effects to target creatures or areas; they change the way reality works for a short while.

    Adventures: Rulemakers, once they've had a taste of the power of rules, seem to become easily addicted to it, and so they adventure to seek more and more ancient or secret tomes detailing new rules they can enforce.

    Characteristics: The rulemaker can dramatically alter the way events unfold. Because reality is not selective, all their abilities affect friend and foe alike, and effective enforcement of rules requires some planning. A genius rulemaker is one of the most capable people in creation.

    Alignment: It might seem, by their nature, that rulemakers would be inherently lawful. However, changing the rules to suit your will is just as easily seen as a chaotic by the gods of order. While it is not impossible for good rulemakers to arise, the allure of power and the selfishness of bending reality for your own purposes draws the neutral and, especially, evil to the class.

    Religion: The gods that rulemakers worship rarely connect at all to their choice of class, and tend to more with race and alignment than anything else. Most gods see what rulemakers do as stepping onto their turf, somewhat, and so they are never officially condoned.

    Background: Anyone who's ever felt that "that's just the way it is" wasn't good enough, or those merely seeking power and influence could become a rulemaker. The class requires intense study and is not well suited to meathead types, but anyone who might pursue a career in wizardry could just as easily be a rulemaker.

    Races: Elves, dwarves, and other long-lived races have the flexibility needed to be a truly great rulemaker. Plenty of other races contribute to their ranks, as well, but as rule tomes are few and far between, the only truly successful of these races have a more experienced master to train them in and provide basic rules for them to enforce.

    Other Classes: Wizards and psions possess a sort of begrudging empathy toward rulemakers; like gods, they feel as though the rulemaker steps on their turf with respect to shaping the world, but at the same time they understand all the same desires that lead one to that path. Fighters and barbarians may mock or belittle rulemakers, whose power, while great, is not as obvious as their own, or even that of other spellcasters. Monks and clerics respect the devotion to their craft and studious nature the rulemaker exhibits but resent what they see as an affront against the natural way of the world.

    Role: The rulemaker can dramatically change combat or noncombat situations, but it requires caution and planning to execute properly. They serve primarily as utility and support; there are very few rules that deal damage directly to creatures or objects, but plenty that make it easier to do so.

    Adaptation: Rulemakers could possibly be reflavored to represent the most high-ranked and favored of the gods, sent to the Material Plane to shape it to their masters' desires.

    GAME RULE INFORMATION
    Rulemakers have the following game statistics.
    Abilities: Intelligence is the key ability for rulemakers, being required to learn and enforce their rules. Charisma determines the extent of their influence, and Constitution is always important for classes with smaller hit dice.
    Alignment: Any, but tending toward neutral on the chaos/law axis.
    Hit Die: d6
    Starting Age: As wizard.
    Starting Gold: As wizard.

    Class Skills
    The rulemaker's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (any two) (Int), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Speak Language (n/a), and Survival (Wis).

    Skill Points at First Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4
    Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

    RULEMAKER
    Level Base Atk
    Bonus
    Fort
    Save
    Ref
    Save
    Will
    Save
    Special Guidelines
    per day
    Regulations
    per day
    Edicts
    per day
    Laws
    per day
    Truths
    per day
    1st
    +0
    +0
    +0
    +2
    Rulemaking 4 - - - -
    2nd
    +1
    +0
    +0
    +3
    6 - - - -
    3rd
    +1
    +1
    +1
    +3
    8 - - - -
    4th
    +2
    +1
    +1
    +4
    9 2 - - -
    5th
    +2
    +1
    +1
    +4
    10 4 - - -
    6th
    +3
    +2
    +2
    +5
    10 6 - - -
    7th
    +3
    +2
    +2
    +5
    10 8 - - -
    8th
    +4
    +2
    +2
    +6
    10 9 2 - -
    9th
    +4
    +3
    +3
    +6
    10 10 4 - -
    10th
    +5
    +3
    +3
    +7
    10 10 6 - -
    11th
    +5
    +3
    +3
    +7
    10 10 8 - -
    12th
    +6
    +4
    +4
    +8
    10 10 9 2 -
    13th
    +6
    +4
    +4
    +8
    10 10 10 4 -
    14th
    +7
    +4
    +4
    +9
    10 10 10 6 -
    15th
    +7
    +5
    +5
    +9
    10 10 10 8 -
    16th
    +8
    +5
    +5
    +10
    10 10 10 9 -
    17th
    +8
    +5
    +5
    +10
    10 10 10 10 2
    18th
    +9
    +6
    +6
    +11
    10 10 10 10 4
    19th
    +9
    +6
    +6
    +11
    10 10 10 10 6
    20th
    +10
    +6
    +6
    +12
    10 10 10 10 8

    Class Features
    All of the following are class features of the rulemaker.

    Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Rulemakers are proficient with all simple weapons, one light martial weapon of their choice, light armor, and with shields (except tower shields). They may perform the gestures necessary to enforce a rule in light armor without suffering any chance of failure; for heavier armor, the normal arcane failure chance applies to the process.

    Rulemaking: Rulemakers enforce rules which are drawn from the rule list (see below). A rulemaker can enforce any rule at any time, without specially preparing it in advance, but due to the specific wording of the rules themselves, must have his rulebook handy (see Rulebook, below). Enforcing rules is taxing, and a rulemaker can only enforce so many of each grade before requiring rest, as shown on the table.
    Rules affect a spherical area centered on and moving with the enforcer, equal to 90ft + 10ft per point of Charisma bonus. Enforcing a rule is at least a 1 round action, with the rule coming into effect at the beginning of the rulemaker's next turn after the enforcement time is complete, and requires the ability both to speak and to gesture (just as verbal and somatic components). The enforcement of the rule itself is a supernatural ability that requires uninterrupted concentration, and can be stopped by attacking the rulemaker, just like he was casting a spell; once in place, however, the rule cannot be countered, negated, or ignored in any way, except by other rules. In fact, in any case where two rules would affect a single aspect of reality differently, the most recently enforced rule takes precedence; a rulemaker cannot dismiss a rule he has enforced - once it is in place, the entire duration must expire.
    The five ranks of rules are as follows:
    Guidelines - the lowest level, these are the only rules that can be resisted by individual creatures within the affected area. A successful Will save against the rule save DC (10 + twice rule grade + Charisma modifier; occasionally used by higher-grade rules) exempts that single creature and his or her equipment from the effects of the rule.
    Regulations, Edicts, and Laws - these effects cannot be resisted, and must be obeyed by all creatures, objects, and reality itself within the affected area.
    Truths - the most powerful grade of rules, a truth does not follow the normal rules for area of effect. A truth enforced affects all locations on all planes and demiplanes in the multiverse at once; the subjective effects on planes with different time traits than the plane it is cast on may vary.
    Rulebook: A rulemaker keeps all rules he has discovered or developed recorded in a special book called a rulebook. He must have it available to reference in order to enforce a rule. He begins play with a rulebook containing a number of guidelines equal to six plus his Intelligence modifier. At each level, he learns two new rules of any grade or grades he can enforce, based on the new rulemaker level. At any time, a rulemaker can add rules found in other rulebooks to his own, using the same process as a wizard transcribing spells to a spellbook.
    To learn or enforce a rule, a rulemaker must have an Intelligence score equal to 8 + twice the grade of the rule to be learned. For example, to learn a regulation, he must have an Intelligence score of at least 12. He does not gain additional uses of rules per day based on any ability score.

    Spoiler: RULES
    Show
    Rules sometimes refer to permanent effects; because of the nature of rules, once the rule expires, its text is no longer true and does not apply; thus, 'permanent' effects expire with the rule. All creatures affected by a rule are aware of its details instinctively, just as we are aware of the nature of gravity, night and day, and so forth.
    Because all rules have the same area of effect (except for truths, which affect all places on all planes), the same components, the same area, and the same targets, each rule description lists only the name of the rule, its grade, its enforcement time, its duration, and the rule description; the exception is guidelines, which also list the effect that a successful Will save has in negating the rule.
    Following is the rulemaker rule list; detailed rule descriptions follow.

    Guidelines
    Aligned Elements: The natural elements are aligned with morality and ethics.
    Biomaterials: Inanimate objects have some of the same weaknesses as the living.
    Curved Spacetime: Warp spacetime around itself for all-around perception.
    Free Protection: Armor does not weigh you down
    Hardy Organisms: Creatures can naturally endure harsher environments.
    Heavy Gravity: Increases the effects of gravity.
    Heavy Water: Increases the density of ordinary water.
    Illiterate World: Written language was never invented.
    Immaculate Sustenance: Food is always nutritious and never toxic.
    Inconsistent Geometry: Some directions are shorter than others.
    Life is Light: Living creatures give off a special form of light.
    Light Gravity: Decreases the effects of gravity.
    Magic is Blind: Magic cannot discern between creature types.
    Magic is Visible: Magic naturally produces visible light, corresponding to its strength and school.
    No Color: The world exists in shades of grey.
    No Friction: There is little to no friction in the world, making ordinary tasks much more difficult.
    Peacetime: Creatures cannot attack.
    Pride Is Your Downfall: Creatures with advantages let it go to their head.
    Psionics is Blind: Powers cannot discern between creature types.
    Pyrokinesis: Creatures can control mundane fires with their mind.
    Psychic Energy is Visible: Psionic power natural produces visible light, corresponding to its strength and discipline.
    Superluminosity: Everything in the world produces its own illumination.
    Undead Have Auras: The energy of undeath produces a distinct sensory experience in living creatures.
    Universal Language: There is only one language.
    Untraceable Acoustics: Creatures never evolved to perceive sound directionally.
    Veganism: All creatures are herbivores.
    Vulnerable Vasculature: Living creatures' blood vessels are fragile and close to the surface; nonlethal damage is impossible.

    Regulations
    Barriers: Powerful physical barriers separate discrete regions of gases and liquids.
    Cascading Power: Multiple sources of increased power combine to greater effect.
    Circle of Life: The nearly dead give their remaining to life to their survivors.
    Collective Knowledge: Creatures can make use of their neighbors' feats.
    Combat Sense: Creatures are instinctively aware of the presence of combat.
    Desync, Lesser: Space and time are slightly out of sync with one another; 20% miss chance on all creatures and objects.
    Fast Time: Time flows faster
    Feed to Live: Dying creatures stave off death by absorbing health from those nearby.
    Final Word: The dead will answer one final question after they perish.
    Fixed Body, Fixed Mind: It is impossible to deal or suffer ability damage or drain.
    Flameless: Fire is a strictly magical phenomenon; no mundane fires can exist.
    Healthy World: Creatures are inherently healthy, and cannot suffer conditions.
    Immunodeficiency: Creatures have no defense against disease.
    Martyrs: Creatures can choose to absorb damage their allies would take.
    No Invisibility: There is no such thing as invisibility.
    No Privacy: Creatures automatically broadcast their surface thoughts audibly.
    No Respiration: Creatures need not breathe to function.
    No Sight: Creatures never evolved the ability to perceive light.
    No Sun: The sun does not provide light or heat to the world.
    No Turning: There is no such thing as turning creatures.
    Nontoxic: All poisons are inert.
    Obscurity, Lesser: Scrying is impossible.
    Rejuvenation: Undo the effects of aging.
    Psionics is Normal: All creatures can manifest powers.
    Sanctity of Mind: Attempting to interact directly with another's mind deals 1d4 Wisdom backlash damage.
    Silence: Sound does not propagate through air or water.
    Slow Time: Time flows slower.
    Soul is Fury: Creatures automatically imbue their weapons with the essence of their own alignment.
    Soul is Light: Creatures give off special lights, according to their alignments.
    Sterile Dead: The dead do not decay.
    Subjective Gravity: Intelligent creatures may change the direction of their own personal 'down'.
    Suggestibility, Lesser: All spoken word is magical compulsion.
    Undetectable Alignments: Creatures' alignments are completely private and undetectable by any means.

    Edicts
    A World Without Sin: No action take violates any oaths, codes of conduts, or similar restrictions, and alignments cannot be magically changed.
    All Is Trees: Creatures become plants and root into the ground.
    Alunia: There is no moon.
    Binding Planar Transport: Creatures that use teleporation abilities can only do so once; afterward, they are trapped in their new location.
    Cancel Rule: Ends the effect of any non-truth rule in place.
    Cling to Spells: Creatures can try to hang onto spells, to reuse later.
    Cling to Powers: Creatures can try to hang onto powers, to reuse later.
    Desync, Greater: Space and time are further out of sync; 50% miss chance.
    Fixed Forms: Creatures cannot change shape.
    Fleeting Power: Psionic creatures are constantly losing psychic energy.
    Fragile Steel: Iron and steel weapons break like fine china.
    Freeflowing Power: It is difficult to control the flow of psychic energy.
    Honesty Is the Only Policy: It is impossible to tell lies.
    Immortality: Creatures cannot die.
    Jumpwalking: Creatures can freely jump through the Astral Plane to nearby locations.
    Locational Instability: Creatures and objects constantly change their position in space.
    Magic is Hard: Casting a spell requires a caster level check agains the rule save DC.
    Material Plane Standard: All planes have the same planar traits as the Material.
    Natural Portals: All trees are mystically connected.
    Nature is Sentient: All animals and trees have a basic level of sentience and personality.
    Obscurity: Scrying and magical perception are imposssible.
    Primitive State: Higher cognition never evolved. Creatures' Intelligence becomes 1.
    Psionics is Hard: Manifesting a power requies a manifester level check against the rule save DC.
    Reincarnation: When a creature dies, it is born into a new body somewhere nearby.
    Sealed Dimensions: Interplanar travel, including teleportation, is impossible.
    Spell Recycling: Creatures targeted by spells can harness some of the lingering magical energy for themselves.
    Suggestibility, Greater: All spoken word is powerful magical compulsion.
    Surging Power: Creatures with limited-use abilities gain additional uses of these abilities.
    Telekinesis: All minds are capable of telekinesis.
    Universal Telepathy: Creature's minds are telepathically linked.
    We Are All One: All changes that affect one creature affect all nearby.
    Weapons Are Hungry: Weapons themselves have a bloodlust.

    Laws
    A World Without Death: Living, corporeal creatures who die rise instantly as zombies.
    Ambrosia: All unspoiled food confers great benefits when consumed.
    Anti-Doubles: All living creatures have a duplicate; if the two should touch, both will be annihilated.
    Apocalypse Burst: The universe erupts in a series of unpredictable explosions
    Battle of Wills: Creatures can hijack Concentration-based spell effects.
    Blazing Sun: Direct exposure to sunlight harms all creatures.
    Contingent Magic: All spells must be assigned a trigger condition when cast.
    Contingent Psionics: All powers must be assigned a trigger condition when manifested.
    Effortless Focus: Psionic focus restores itself.
    Fast Healing: All creatures naturally possess fast healing.
    Flammability: Everything is flammable.
    Fleeting Undeath: The energies that animate the undead continually unravel.
    Metal is Wood: Metalsmithing was never developed; all metal objects are instead made of wood.
    Mindless: Creatures never evolved a central nervous system, and are comatose.
    Obscurity, Greater: All divination is forbidden.
    Obedient Undead: The undead will listen to anyone.
    Persistent Magic: Spells are permanent (last as long as the rule).
    Persistent Psionics: Powers are permanent (last as long as the rule).
    Power Cap: No creature can be stronger than 25HD.
    Risky Magic: Spells successfully saved against are reflected upon the caster.
    Risky Psionics: Power successfully saved against are reflected upon the original manifester.
    Second Chance: Each creature gets one freebie when it comes to eath.
    Size Begets Life: All objects of Small size or larger come to life.
    Speech of Paragons: Creatures can utter powerful words, imposing effects against others who do not match their alignment.
    Stones Speak: All natural stone can communicate in a limited capacity.
    Swapping: Any time two willing creatures agree to, they can instantly swap positions.
    Truth Revealed: The true nature of the world is obvious to all.
    Wishes Have (Limited) Power: Creatures can take time to make a wish, with many possible effects.

    Truths

    Apocalypse Reset: Creatures are gradually destroyed; stronger creatures take more damage
    Biomagnetism: Creatures naturally emit either an antipathy or a sympathy effect, at their discretion.
    Chronoscillations: Time oscillates back and forth, allowing sight into the near future and adjustment of plans accordingly.
    Easy Planar Travel: Creatures can step between planes freely (but not precisely).
    Flexible Forms: Creatures can change their shape freely.
    Haunted World: Living creatures slain instantly rise as wraiths.
    Hologram Reality: All of existence is actually a demiplanar construction within the Astral Plane, and all creatures are actually Astral Projections, with invincible silver cords.
    Life Exists Between the Seams: All creatures are incorporeal, as is their equipment.
    Magic is Very Hard: Spellcasters must succeed on a caster level check to cast spell; failure deals backlash damage. Magic items lose all magic properties.
    No Gods: There are no gods (or they are ignorant of mortal affairs).
    Only the Truth Matters: Non-truth rules have no effect.
    Paper Reality: All solid and liquid matter becomes carefully-folded paper.
    Singularity: No biologic life exists, only constructs.
    Soul Transference: The dead bequeath their souls upon nearby inanimate objects.
    The Gods Have Ears But They Demand Sacrifice: Creatures can sacrifice themselves to create a miracle effect.
    Timeless: Time does not flow.
    Unknowable Mind: The mind is sacred ground, and can not be influenced, contacted, or perceived by others.
    Unshakeable/Untouchable: Creatures automatically succeed at one type of saving throw.
    Verify: Enforce a lower-grade rule as a truth.
    Wishes Have Power: Creatures can take time to make a more powerful wish.


    Spoiler: New Magic Items and Feats
    Show
    NEW MAGIC ITEMS

    Decree: A decree functions exactly as a scroll, except that it allows the reader to enforce a rule instead of casting a spell. Minor decrees can hold 1d3 rules, which must be guidelines or regulations; medium decrees hold 1d4 rules, which must be regulations or edicts; major decrees hold 1d6 rules, which are edicts or laws. No decree can hold a truth.

    Gavel: A gavel can be used like a wand, storing 25 uses of a single rule, which must be a guideline or regulation. They can also be used to deal damage as a warhammer sized for a creature two sizes smaller than the wielder.

    Staff: Staves can now contain rules of Law grade or below, alone or alongside spells, as normal.

    NEW FEATS

    New feat category: Rider feats modify the enforcement or effect of rules, in the same way metamagic feats modify spells. A rider increases the effective grade of the spell by one or more, but does not alter it's properties - for example, a modified guideline is always subject to a Will save, and a modified law does not affect the entire multiverse, even though its adjusted grade may be truth.

    Extend Rule [Rider]
    Benefit: An extended rule lasts twice as long as normal, and takes up a grade slot one level higher than the rule's actual level.

    Heighten Rule [Rider]
    Benefit: A heightened rule has a higher grade than normal. All effects dependent on the grade of a rule, such as saving throw DCs, and ability to function alongside only the truth matters are calculated according to the heightened grade. A heightened rule is as difficult to enforce as a rule of its effective grade.

    Overwhelming Guideline [Rider]
    Benefit: Add +6 to the save DC of a guideline enforced with this feat; it uses up a grade slot one level higher than normal.

    Persist Rule [Rider]
    Prerequisite: Extend Rule, enforcer level 6
    Benefit: A persisted rule lasts for 24 hours, instead of the ordinary listed duration. Takes up a grade slot three levels higher than normal.

    Quicken Rule [Rider]
    Benefit: Enforcing a quickened rule takes only a swift action, but uses up a grade slot two levels higher than the rule's actual level.

    Rule Mastery
    Prerequisite: Rulemaker level 1st.
    Benefit: Each time you take this feat, choose a number of rules equal to your Intelligence modifier that you already know. From that point on, you can enforce these rules from memory.
    Normal: Without this feat, you must have your rulebook on hand to enforce a rule.

    Still Rule [Rider]
    Benefit: A stilled rule can be enforced without the need for gestures, and takes up a grade slot one level higher than the rule's actual level.
    Last edited by ezkajii; 2015-02-10 at 04:00 PM.
    Behold! The Monster Compendium

    My Homebrew.

    78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
    Mine started with the intrepid heroes whisked away to a battle gauntlet in the sky by a mystery deity! It was meant to be strictly a playtest but quickly devolved.