Le Cirque Funeste: Professor Class [Please PEACH]

[Mulletmanalive]

hmmm...while, as you point out, there are only 2 classes with top shelf Sneak Attack in MV [Spy plus Assassin which isn't in the corebook] this is rather powerful. I honestly didn't consider the possibility; to me these are kind of scalable monsters.

How about folding Unexpected Assualt and the Sudden Strike ability into one and maybe just giving a +5 bonus to hit?

[Kallisti]

Well, the fact that Unexpected Assault is Carnival-only helps. If I were you, though, I might either move the ability back or make a rule that prevents it from working with too much precision damage. Putting a precision-damage die cap on an ability feels weird, but that might work...or maybe speicify it only works with precision damage from Carnival sources? So if you make prestige classes for the acrobats later they can still get more sneak attack/sudden strike, but you won't end up with rogue builds that go Acrobat 5/sneak attack class 5/other sneak attack class 10/Ultimate McStabby of Stabbity Death 3.

[Mulletmanalive]

Ringmaster:
The Ringmaster is the heart of any circus. He keeps the show together, negotiates for the fields in which they display, organises the show and distracts the audience while new acts are set up. He is a bright flamboyant figure, dressed in riding gear from the gentry and powerful of voice that draws attention to different things and away from others.

In Le Cirque Funeste, the Ringmaster is the ultimate facilitator between the Lords of Mournful Laughter and the world of the real. He has the ability to manipulate the environment of Carnival and is the only force that can control it; should the Ringmaster be slain, the Carnival will either go berserk, expanding rapidly across boundaries before collapsing under its own weight or it will simply implode over a period of time, sometimes hours, sometimes weeks.

Ringmasters are chosen by the Lords for their manipulative natures and the fact that they have nothing left to lose. Most Ringmasters accepted their new role with trepidation but found that the moral ambiguity and seeming insanity of their new role was rather cathartic, throwing themselves into it with abandon. It should be noted that it is a rare Ringmaster with any particular agenda himself, though those carnivals that did a lot of damage were inevitably led by such individuals who ignored or twisted the orders of their Lords.


Prerequisites:
Ringmasters are not taught, rather they are made, though all of them meet the following minimums:
Skills: Bluff 4 Ranks, Manipulation 4 Ranks, Perform [Oratory] 4 Ranks, Sense Motive 4 Ranks
Feats: Skill Focus [Manipulation]
Special: A prospective Ringmaster must have committed some form of scam that made at least a dozen people intensely miserable and then be run out of town. He must have been wounded while escaping and bled until on his Red threshold, then becoming lost in the forest. If his heart is suitably cold and unsympathetic, then he may be chosen by the Lords of Mournful Laughter.

Ringmaster
{table=head]Level|Base[br]Attack[br]Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Defence|Special

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|"Carnival!", Madames et Messieurs

2nd|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|I AM Carnival, Special Guests

3rd|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+2

|In the Centre Ring [one target]

4th|

+3

|

+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+3

|Send in the Clowns, The Big Tent

5th|

+3

|

+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+3

|Limelight

6th|

+4

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+4

|Aura of Dignity [10ft]

7th|

+5

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|Freakmaker

8th|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|In Centre Ring [Cha Modifier]

9th|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|Aura of Dignity [20ft]

10th|

+7

|

+5

|

+7

|

+7

|

+7

|Mournful Laughter[/table]

Hit Dice: d8
Class Skills: Appraise [Int], Bluff [Cha], Diplomacy [Cha], Gather Information [Cha], Jump [Str], Intimidate [Str/Cha], Knowledge [Europe] [Int], Knowledge [Nature] [Int], Manipulation [Cha], Perform [Cha], Sense Motive [Wis], Swim [Str].

Skill Points per Level: 6 + Int

Class Features:

Spoiler

Show

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: Despite seeming, the Ringmaster is gifted with a great deal of knowledge by the Lords. He is proficient in all Simple and Martial weapons. He is granted a suit of Leafweave armour, a living magical suit of armour [Hardness 4, Max Stat +8, Penalty -1; restores all hp if the wearer stands in water in direct sunlight for one hour; appears to be normal clothing until the wearer is slain]. The suit is usually destroyed by the time he is killed.

"Carnival!" [Su]: The Ringmaster is literally the only being in creation that may declare Carnival. Le Cirque Funeste does not exist without him. The Circus itself is transported in a small number of wagons but sets itself up over the course of eight bewildering minutes and sixteen seconds [no one is sure why this long precisely]. Any non-Carnival character within the circus' area as it unfolds is struck for 1d10 damage. Once a Carnival has remained for the time dictated by the patrons, it can be folded down in much the same manner.

Mesdames et Messieurs [Su]: Each Ringmaster invokes the spell of Carnival by using the same formula of declaration on the viewers. If he can complete the following speech, [a Full action – 12 seconds], he gains a +4 bonus on Bluff, Manipulation and Sense Motive against all those within the bounds of Carnival:

"Mesdames et Messieurs, Wilkommen et Bienvenue, Welcome…au Carnival!
"Les Sieurs Rieur presente, la spectacle plus sombre du la planete."

I AM Carnival [Su]: The Ringmaster is basically the avatar of Carnival in the area. He produces a field of effect around him that bathes a region of 200ft around himself in the energies of Carnival, allowing his abilities and those of other characters of Carnival to function, even outside the area claimed by their Carnival.

Special Guests [Su]: If you think that the only things in the audience at Le Cirque Funeste are humans, think again. If the Ringmaster successfully employs his Mesdames et Messieurs ability, then Fæ flock to the audience, twisting the emotions in the room to greater heights. Usually, this simply makes an enjoyable circus performance into the greatest show of the audience's life, but if things turn dark, things turn really dark.

All Carnival characters in the are gain a +4 bonus on checks and DCs of all emotion affecting abilities that they possess [including the Evoke Emotion use of Manipulation, Intimidate and Perform [Comedy] checks, along with Fear and emotion causing abilities]. This ability must succeed for X and Y to function properly.

In The Centre Ring [Ex]: At 3rd level, the Ringmaster gains the ability to invest additional amounts of the power of Carnival in one of his performers. The targeted individual must be within 60ft and may be the Ringmaster himself. The targeted performer gains a +2 bonus on all Attack, Damage and Save rolls, their Defence and the DCs of all their abilites that require saves. This includes the attack rolls of the Professor's puppets as long as the Professor is the targeted party. Activating this ability costs a Standard action and is sustained as a Swift action each round. Changing the target requires a further Standard action.

At 8th level, the power of this ability increases so that the Ringmaster may grant the +2 bonus provided by this ability to a number of performers equal to his Charisma bonus

Send in the Clowns: Clowns or Merrymen have a strange tendency to materialise at the command of the Ringmaster. As a standard action, a 4th level Ringmaster may summon any number of Merrymen, up to a maximum of his Charisma modifier, from any point within Carnival to a point he designates within 30ft.

The Big Tent [Su]: The Ringmaster gains the bizarre ability to create additional space inside the main tent of the circus at 4th level. When he activates this power [a Full action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity], the effective size of the tent doubles and every creature within the tent is moved away from the Ringmaster until they are twice as far from him as they started [round up]. Additionally, the ranges of all Carnival fuelled abilities double under these circumstances. Some classes such as the Strongman gain additional benefits from this ability.

Additionally, the Ringmaster can briefly double the external size of the big top in order to sweep targets inside the nexus of Carnival. Specifically, he usually uses this to draw aggressors inside it where they can be dealt with easier. Anything engulfed by the expanding tent's "event horizon" is deposited in the seating area of the tent in a comparable position to the location they occupied outside. After this has occurred, a process taking moments, the external dimensions of the tent return to normal.

Limelight [Su]: The Ringmaster has almost total control over the lighting and much of the rest of the environment of his circus. As a Standard action, a 5th level Ringmaster may dictate which areas are in total shadow, which are lit and which are touched by the powerful limelight of the circus. These effects are dictated in 10ft squares and only one 10ft square may be lit by the Limelight itself. Any non-Carnival character that begins its turn lit by the limelight suffers Fire damage equal to 1d6+the Hardness of their armour, with Armour Breaching [ignores hardness].

Aura of Dignity [Su]: Such is the authority of the Ringmaster within his circus that normal people struggle to approach without his permission. At 6th level, mortal creatures [non-Fæ, demon or angel creatures] must make a Will save with a DC equal to the Ringmaster's Manipulation bonus in order to approach within 10ft of him without his permission. Those who leave the aura and attempt to re-enter it must save again.

As of 9th level, this restriction is more vicious, forcing those wishing to approach within 20ft of the Ringmaster without his permission must save once to do so and once more if they wish to approach within 10ft.

Freakmaker [Su]: Circuses usually have monstrous things, malformed beasts and twisted examples of humanity for people to gawp at and be glad that they don't look like that. In most cases, these poor beings are traded from their families or given to the circus. Le Cirque makes its own; as part of a 10 minute ritual, a 7th level Ringmaster lays his hands on a helpless, bound victim [or willing target] and massages their human emotions and mind free. With a flourish, he casts off this ephemeral rag, allowing the Clowns their nourishment.

Creatures subjected to such torture are never the same again. They lose all class levels and gain a number of Humanoid or Monster levels [MV types, in D&D use Humanoid or Monsterous Humanoid] levels equal to the Ringmaster's level -4. A new freak's base intelligence and charisma scores are set to 3 [modified by template] and they gain any one template of the GM's choice. Freaks also gain the ''Sorrowful Horror" ability below. Freaks are obedient to the orders of any Ringmaster and having no soul but what Carnival lends them, die instantly if they leave the aura.

Sorrowful Horror [Su]: A freak in a rage has nothing to lose and a great deal to vent. Once brought below their yellow threshold [half hp or less], the freak enters a maddened rage, lashing out with all the scars of their lost joy. Freaks in a state of Sorrowful Horror gain Fast Healing 2 [or improve their Fast Healing by 2] and once every 1d4 rounds may make a Smite attack against non-freaks, dealing additional damage equal to their HD.

Particularly Suitable templates include: Feral^SS, Insectoid^SS, Reptilian^SS, Multi-headed^SS, Tauric^SS, Winged^SS, Woodling^MM3, Yaun-ti^SS, Yeennoghu-Blooded^MM5.


Mournful Laughter: Upon reaching the 10th level of the Ringmaster class, the tainted individual is more Carnival than man anymore. He ceases to age and becomes one of the Lords of Mournful Laughter. His type changes to Humanoid [Fæ, Augmented Human] and he gains both the Liminal Tweening ability and Damage Reduction against refined materials that are the signatures of the Fæ. As a lord of Mournful Laughter, he gains the ability to create new Ringmasters as long as he can find another two Lords who agree to help. If slain, he collapses into a pile of skinned carrion.

[Owrtho]

Finally the Ringmaster. This isn't the last class I hope. I'm not sure about that ability or the 7th level myself. I could see it fitting there, but as this is a PRC, it could also go earlier. Anyways, are there any classes that will have the role of attracting people to the circus?
Actually though, for 7th level, maybe something that makes the ring master larger. I frequently see the head of circuses portrayed as being tall and lean, always able to somehow tower over anyone else and enforce order within the circus. It wouldn't likely be in as much an issue strength (the way the strong man's is) as personality, but they might gain the reach bonus and bonuses to intimidate and diplomacy. Might also boost some other abilities that are based on his dominating personality.

Owrtho

[Kallisti]

I like the ringmaster. I like it a lot...it could probably have more skill points, though, since it needs four skills to get in, and probably needs those skills, intimidate, and maybe knowledge. And the d10 HD seems rather generous. Of course, the class' abilities are mostly reliant on getting help from other Circus-folks, and a ringmaster caught on his own might be in a lot of trouble unless his Aura of Dignity saved him, so maybe the d10 fits.

As for the seventh-level ability? What Owrtho suggested could work, but I think maybe it should have something about getting a volunteer from the audience. The ability to invest a willing bystander with Carnival-related powers, or maybe the ability to draw a bystander further into the show and make them more susceptible to the power of the Carnival-folks.

[Mulletmanalive]

In reply to both, the size enlargement would work but that would make him more combat orientated than i'm planning with this.

The idea is that he's supposed to be the nexus and anchor of the Carnival...Carnival is more powerful around him and so are its preformers thanks to the magical kudos he gives. He's not supposed to be individually powerful but more resilient than you might expect because of the Fae energy that flows through him.

I'm actually considering reducing the prerequisites even more to 4 ranks in the skills and removing the class feature requirement: it's unlikely that a PC can meet the Roleplaying requirement without either higher scores or GM permission anyway...

I've decided on the 7th level ability, mostly to negate the need for another class, it's Freakmaker, which allows him to turn people that the carnival captures into freaks. I'll add that into the writeup.

I'm thinking level 4 for Send in the Clowns. What you think?

[Kallisti]

I'm thinking level 4 for Send in the Clowns. What you think?

I'd be careful of that, if I were you. I don't know how powerful the clowns are, but one per point of Cha modifier is rather a lot of creatures to summon. A couple of questions:
1. Are the clowns pre-existing Circus denizens, and this power just calls them to the Ringmaster (In which case it's not too powerful, because if he uses the clowns as expendable troops, he'll run out of clowns) or are the clowns truly "summoned" (in which case the ability is relatively balanced, unless the answer to 2 is yes)?
2. Can the Ringmaster use this ability multiple times in succession to get an army of clowns?
3. How long to summoned clowns remain?
4. Does the ability count as a summoning spell for purposes of feats like Augment SUmmoning and Cloudy Conjuration?

[Mulletmanalive]

I'd be careful of that, if I were you. I don't know how powerful the clowns are, but one per point of Cha modifier is rather a lot of creatures to summon. A couple of questions:
1. Are the clowns pre-existing Circus denizens, and this power just calls them to the Ringmaster (In which case it's not too powerful, because if he uses the clowns as expendable troops, he'll run out of clowns) or are the clowns truly "summoned" (in which case the ability is relatively balanced, unless the answer to 2 is yes)?
2. Can the Ringmaster use this ability multiple times in succession to get an army of clowns?
3. How long to summoned clowns remain?
4. Does the ability count as a summoning spell for purposes of feats like Augment SUmmoning and Cloudy Conjuration?

The actual wording of the ability [in the class entry but not in the main lineup] states that the clowns are summoned from any point within Carneval to a point within 30ft of the Ringmaster.

He drags the clowns already extant in his circus to his side, effectively. It isn't "summon creatures from the netherworld" or anything like that, just "Clowns! To me!!"

[Kallisti]

Just making sure. Such an open-ended ability with actual summoning would be...problematic.

[Mulletmanalive]

you think i should make a point of using the word teleport instead?

[Kallisti]

No, since you did say "from any point within Carnival." I'm just careful about stuff like that, because it's surprising the kind of stupidity you get if you follow RAW exactly by the letter.

[Mulletmanalive]

The Merryman [Clowns]:
The clown was actually a fairly late development as circuses go but before this, their role was filled by the similarly attired Merrymen. Merrymen dance, sing, play minor pranks and otherwise attempt to amuse the crowds at the circus before the show. They are also one of the most powerful assets in the Ringmaster's arsenal when things go wrong with other acts; a team of clowns running amok is usually enough to buy time to repair broken trapeze wires or calm a disgruntled elephant.

In Le Cirque Funeste, the clowns are just as playful and are supernaturally gifted at drawing out laughter. The reason for this is actually a little more sinister than one might expect, as merrymen feed on laughter. Both the sound and the small electric charge that is given off by human laughter and joy in general is their primary nutrition.

In the grand scheme of things, they are also the champions of the Lords of Mournful Laughter; they represent their most vicious aspects and their ultimate cruelty when things turn sour and are amongst the most dangerous things that exist within Carnival. The merrymen are effectively the most obvious symptom of Carnival; they are tightly bound to the power of the carnival at any given time, while the Ringmaster is more the vector of the disease, able to rebuild and infect if the current carnival is destroyed.

Effectively, there are two roles that a merryman can take; the scamp, whose antics are harmless and active, and the knave or straightman, the majority of whose humour is much more cruel and often relies on hitting the scamps. These roles are somewhat interchangeable in practice, however.

In practice, becoming a merryman is permanent and the 'class' is actually a pair of 10 level progressions, one for the Scamp and one for the Knave. Once a character begins to advance as a Merryman, he may only choose levels in the two Merryman classes, though he may multiclass freely between them. The single exception is that a Merryman who meets the prerequisites may become a Ringmaster if called upon.

The Scamp:
The Scamp refers to the more comic type of clown, more innocent and harmless; primarily found within the Whiteface tradition, though this is more a role that a Merryman can play rather than a definite type. Scamps run and jump and tumble, all the while performing physical comedy and avoiding direct harm.

Scamps in combat rely on drawing fire and breaking up formations by dint of their annoying abilities and the involuntary laughter than they cause.


Scamp
{table=head]Level|Base[br]Attack[br]Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Defence|Special

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Agile, Humouvore, Tweak

2nd|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Caper, Fæ Phase

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Silly Distraction

4th|

+2

|

+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|Heinous Tweak

5th|

+2

|

+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|Take a Tumble

6th|

+3

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|Buffoonery

7th|

+3

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|Dire Tweak

8th|

+4

|

+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|I am Rubber…

9th|

+4

|

+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|Fæ Lordship

10th|

+5

|

+5

|

+7

|

+7

|

+5

|Ruinous Tweak[/table]

Hit Dice: d6
Class Skills: Balance [Dex], Bluff [Cha], Climb [Str], Disguise [Cha], Escape Artist [Dex], Hide [Dex], Jump [Str], Manipulation [Cha], Move Silently [Dex], Perform [Comedy], Ride [Dex], Slight of Hand [Dex], Spot [Wis], Tumble [Dex]
Skill Points per level: 6 + Int

Class Abilities:

Spoiler

Show

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Scamps gain only very limited proficiency with weapons, gaining access to Simple weapons. They can also use Shields but not armour of any kind.

Agile [Ex]: The Scamp is very adept at bouncing out of the way of blows, mostly thanks to the Knave. As a Swift action, he may add a Dodge bonus to defence equal to his Dex modifier. This is the same action that activates Dodge feats, should he have any.

Humouvore [Su]: Merrymen gain sustenance from laughter around them. For each laughing character within 100ft, the Merryman gains a +1 bonus to Attack and Defence.

If this ability is acquired from another source, the bonus expands to include all Saves and Skill checks.

Tweak [Su]: A Scamp has a limited ability to cause laughter by merely touching a target. As a Standard action, the Scamp makes an Unarmed Attack [targets rarely defend themselves] to lightly brush the target. The target begins to laugh and finds his mood lifted. This has little effect unless the target is in a Rage or Frenzy [or other altered state] where they must make a Will save, DC 10 + Merryman level, or lose the state.

Caper [Su]: At 2nd level, the Scamp's habit of dancing around his victims and dealing wedgies to them becomes more applicable in combat. As long as he is only using his Tweak ability, he counts as having the Spring Attack feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.

Fæ Phase [Su]: At 2nd level, the scamp begins to lose some of his cohesion relative to matter within the Carnival. He may pass through it as though it weren't there. This means that no difficult terrain affects him and he is immune to thrown Carnival objects. Technically, a Scamp can move through walls and the like but will never do so unless the Carnival's cover is completely blown already.

Silly Distraction [Ex]: People have a habit of looking where clowns point, no-one knows why. A 3rd level Scamp can Feint in combat as a Swift action once every 1d4 turns. This is resolved as normal, as a Bluff check against the target's Psyche value.

Heinous Tweak [Su]: The Tweaks of a 4th level Scamp while still mildly amusing to the target, provoke almost unhealthy amounts of Schadenfreude in their friends. Victims of this Tweak suffer 1d6 Subdual damage that ignores armour and all their allies within 10ft must make a Will save, DC 10 + Merryman level or begin laughing as described in Tweak.

Take a Tumble [Su]: A traditional 'bit' with merrymen is for one to strike another, only for the victim to turn a flip and land heavily on his back. The Scamp takes this to a new level. When struck by a melee attack, he may opt to fall prone as a Reaction. If he does so, the damage of the attack is negated.

Buffoonery [Su]: The sheer silliness of a Scamp is capable of overwhelming the minds of the more right-thinking should they pay him too much mind. A 6th level Scamp may commit Buffoonery as a Standard action. All opponents within 30ft of the Scamp must make a Will save, DC 10 + ½ Merryman level or be distracted by this ridiculous behaviour, counting as Flatfooted. Should any other Merryman assist with this [whether they possess this ability or not] the DC increases by +2 per additional Merryman. Traditionally, the buffoonery of a scamp is assisted by the churlish slaps of a Knave. This power has no concentration aspect and applies only for the remainder of the turn.

Dire Tweak [Su]: At 7th level, the Scamp's Tweak ability becomes more potent and actively dangerous. If the Scamp so desires, targets hit by their Tweak ability begin laughing for 1d4 rounds. The target may make a Will save, DC 10 + Merryman level, to reign this in each turn but if they fail, they suffer 1d4 damage per round that they have been laughing uncontrollably and are stunned for the round. Physical injury allows another save.

I am Rubber [Su]: Childish declarations aside, trying to actually get anything to stick to a Scamp can be very difficult. At 8th level, as long as the Scamp is not Flatfooted, when he takes an attack, he may opt to 'bounce' as a Reaction. The damage from the attack is negated but the Scamp is flung 1ft per point of damage dealt by the attack.

The Scamp bounces off the scenery until his movement is complete; the first character struck by his motion suffers 1d6 damage per 5ft that the Scamp was bounced. Each subsequent impact deals 2d6 less damage than the last. Those who would be struck may make a DC 20 Reflex save to get out of the way, in which case they do not count as interrupting the Scamp's motion. If a Scamp hits another Scamp with this ability, it is possible for the big-top to be filled with bouncing Scamps for a brief moment.

Fæ Lordship: At 9th level, a Merryman has become a fundamental part of Carnival and the Fæ, joining the ranks of the Lords of Mournful Laughter. He gains either Liminal Tweening or Fæ Damage Reduction appropriate to his level and is able to anoint new Ringmasters and can counts towards the minimum lords for the absorption of new members.

Should the Merryman gain this ability again from the Knave class, he must choose the other option and becomes a true Fæ. Should he be slain in this form, he explodes into confetti.

Ruinous Tweak [Su]: Causing a 10th level Scamp to wish you harm is foolish in the extreme. The Scamp's Tweak now combines the power of Heinous and Dire Tweak. The primary target begins to laugh for a virtually unlimited duration, while all his allies within 10ft laugh for 1d4 rounds. Each round in their turn, they may make a Will save, DC 10 + Merryman level, to control their breathing somewhat but otherwise take 1d4 damage per round they have taken damage. The primary victim must pass 5 successive saves to escape this effect or have the power magically dispelled. As previously, each time a laughing character is wounded, he may make an additional save [hastening the end of the effect or succeeding where they failed previously that turn].

The Knave:
The knave is partly a representation of the Auguste tradition in western clowning but is primarily derived from the court jester. A knave is a vicious wit, pulling no punches and using the burning knot of rage that he gathers inside himself as ammunition to destroy the egos of those around him. Carnival perverts this further, allowing a knave to literally harm his foes with his meanness.

Knave
{table=head]Level|Base[br]Attack[br]Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Defence|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|

+1

|Bitter [Thrown], Humouvore, Pent Up

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+2

|Fæ Resilience, Mock

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Bitter [Melee]

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+4

|Ridicule

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Bitter [Material]

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+5

|Clown Car

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Lambast

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

|

+7

|Bitter [Words]

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|Fæ Lordship

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

|Killing Joke[/table]

Hit Dice: d10
Class Skills: Balance [Dex], Bluff [Cha], Climb [Str], Disguise [Cha], Escape Artist [Dex], Hide [Dex], Jump [Str], Manipulation [Cha], Move Silently [Dex], Ride [Dex], Slight of Hand [Dex], Spot [Wis], Tumble [Dex]
Skill Points per level: 4 + Int

Class Abilities:

Spoiler

Show

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Far more than Scamps, Knaves are obliged to use weapons in their acts, be they clubs or throwing knives or guns, usually of the 'pop' variety. They are proficient with all Simple and Martial weapons. They gain no proficiency with armour.

Bitter [Su]: The Knave's ability to store and simmer emotion allows them to create weapons from raw feelings. At first level, this allows them to expend an emotional charge [see the Pent Up ability], in order to add a literal blade of emotion to an otherwise harmless thrown object. Such an object has a range increment of 10ft and deals 2d6+Knave level bludgeoning damage.

At 3rd level, the Knave gains the ability to empower its melee attacks with embarrassing force. By expending a charge, he empowers a weapon with emotion, usually hiding it inside a silly glove or the like. This weapon deals +2d6 courier damage and the clown may choose which type of physical damage to deal each time he uses this ability.

At 5th level, the Knave gains the ability to turn water and confetti into hateful parodies of themselves. By expending 2 charges, the Knave turns water [spray flower/seltzer] into acid or confetti into incendiaries. In either case, the attack deals 1d6 damage per 2 Merryman levels the Knave possesses in one 5ft square within 20ft.

At 8th level, the Knave attains a final, powerful level of bitterness, allowing him to turn words into things that can cause literal harm. The Knave spends 2 charges and makes a mean joke at the target's expense. Targets who have experienced this before may make a Reflex save, DC 10 + Merryman level to plug their ears; failure or inexperience deals 3d10 damage [with Armour Breaching] as their ears begin to bleed with the force of hate.

Humouvore [Su]: The Knave eats the joy of others, it is its core sustenance. For each laughing character within 100ft, the Merryman gains a +1 bonus to Attack and Defence.

If this ability is acquired from another source, the bonus expands to include all Saves and Skill checks.

Pent Up [Su]: The Knave has the inner anger of a true straight-man, gathering up emotions and storing them for singular, vicious outbursts. A Knave automatically passes the saves for any emotion inflicting power that he is subject to and gains an 'Emotion Charge.' A Knave may hold a number of Charges equal to half his Merryman level [Min 1]. These charges are used to power other abilities.

Fæ Resilience: The Knave gains a resistance to damage from his rough and tumble life. At 2nd level, he gains DR/Magic within Carnival equal to his Merryman level.

Mock [Su]: Listening to a Knave speak is something of a mistake at the best of times. At 2nd level, it's downright detrimental to your health. When the Knave successfully uses the Evoke Emotions use of the Manipulate skill, the effect is automatically heightened to the next level of effect. This is usually used to provoke rage or despair.

Ridicule [Su]: Being ridiculed by others is never fun. When the attacker has the Fæ ability to make it seem like everyone around you is laughing at you, things get much worse. As a Standard action, a 4th level Knave can verbally assault a target that can hear him [usually about 30ft, 60ft with the Loud Voice feat]. The target must make a Will save, DC 10 + ½ Merryman level or suffer a Morale penalty to all their actions and to Defence equal to the number of laughing individuals within 30ft. Other Merrymen can assist in this power, each adding +2 to the DC, though all must be within range of the target. This power lasts until the Merryman's next turn.

Clown Car [Su]: Despite the mildly technological name, this ability is actually tied closely to one of the original Lords, Toutatis ['the father of the tribe']. Activating this ability costs 3 charges and the Merryman must sacrifice a number of hit points.

When activated [a Standard action], the merryman walks over to a container of some kind, often a carriage or sedan chair and opens the door. From this door pours a number of spawned clowns equal to the number of hp sacrificed, to a maximum of the Knave's class level.

Spawn Clowns have Attack and Defence characteristics equal to the Merryman's own -5 and one hit point each. Should they be damaged, they explode into confetti. Spawn do not have any of the original's special abilities but are more than capable of helping with the execution of other powers.

Lambast [Su]: Being ridiculed is bad enough but having someone attack you for a sustained period with undermining comments can crack the most resilient person. As a Full action, an 7th level Knave may attack a target's morale. He makes both a Manipulation and a Perform [Comedy] check against the target's Psyche score. If one test is passed, the target suffers 1d6 Morale loss [reducing his Psyche by this amount]. If both checks succeed, then the target instead suffers 3d6 Morale loss. This ability may only be used once against a given target each encounter; the Morale loss is recovered after 10 minutes away from combat. Character's with a Psyche of zero collapse comatose.

Fæ Lordship: At 9th level, a Merryman has become a fundamental part of Carnival and the Fæ, joining the ranks of the Lords of Mournful Laughter. He gains either Liminal Tweening or Fæ Damage Reduction appropriate to his level and is able to anoint new Ringmasters and can counts towards the minimum lords for the absorption of new members.

Should the Merryman gain this ability again from the Scamp class, he must choose the other option and becomes a true Fæ. Should he be slain in this form, he explodes into confetti.

The Killing Joke [Su]: Knaves have a horrible talent for twisting the perceptions of their targets. The ultimate expression of this is their 10th level ability, Killing Joke. This ability has a range of 30ft and as it is a manipulation of emotion is considered a Charm effect.

On the first turn, the Merryman must expend an emotional charge and then succeed on a Manipulation check against Psyche to draw the target into the setup of the trap; at this point, the target is completely unaware of the danger and considers the Knave a baffling annoyance.

On the second, he must succeed on a Perform [Comedy] check against Psyche to raise a small amount of laughter around him and enrage the target; by this point, the target considers it an intolerable insult that the Knave still lives.

On the third round, the Merryman makes a final Bluff check against the target. Should this beat the target's Psyche, by the time they realise their mistake, it is likely too late. The victim deals a Critical hit to himself [which ignores armour] with the weapon he is carrying as his confusion causes him to completely misjudge where his blow is going.

This ability is subject to disruption. It requires a Standard action to initiate and the Merryman may not target other opponents with any of its abilities until the effect has played out. They must remain with 30ft of the target for each of the three rounds.

Here we have the Merrymen, the Clowns of Le Cirque Funeste. I'll get around to changing the entry in the Ringmaster to say Merryman rather than clown as soon as i can. The reason for the name is primarily because of historical context; "Clown" was still contextually a Harlequinade character when Le Cirque showed up and the older name of Merryman would still be in use.

Additionally, i wanted to keep it firmly seperate from the Professor puppet of the same name.

Next up, the Beast Tamer!

[The Tygre]

Good lord man! How much evil-circus-awesomeness are you engineering? Are you channeling Ray Bradbury by any chance? Except, y'know, as 3.5 rules? Now all we need are the Autumn People...

[Kallisti]

Hmmm...very interesting. I like it a lot, although Knave has a few copy-paste errors.

One thing, though: Ruinous Tweak strikes me as being a lot more powerful than the Killing Joke, because Ruinous Tweak damages the target a little but takes them out of the fight for a very long time, and affects their allies, too. The Killing Joke only incapacitates the target on the second round, if you're lucky. Sure, the critical-hit damage hurts, but it feels like it's not worth three rounds worth of actions. You'd get more damage over three rounds with Bitter [Melee], and maybe even Bitter [Thrown]. Although, if I read the rules correctly, the killing joke only costs one emotional charge whereas using Bitter three times would cost three, so it does get better economy. The Knave in question would get a new charge pretty much any time the local Scamp uses his powers, though...

[Mulletmanalive]

Good lord man! How much evil-circus-awesomeness are you engineering? Are you channeling Ray Bradbury by any chance? Except, y'know, as 3.5 rules? Now all we need are the Autumn People...

Thanks. There is more to come, including what could turn into a full adventure.

I have no idea who Ray Bradbury is, nor what an Autumn Person is, however...

Edit: Oh, and no, not technically 3.5 but it would probably work without issue.

One thing, though: Ruinous Tweak strikes me as being a lot more powerful than the Killing Joke, because Ruinous Tweak damages the target a little but takes them out of the fight for a very long time, and affects their allies, too. The Killing Joke only incapacitates the target on the second round, if you're lucky. Sure, the critical-hit damage hurts, but it feels like it's not worth three rounds worth of actions.

Average investigators are armed with pistols, which are 4d6 crits, or Tranter heavy revolvers which are 6d8 crits. All that damage in one go is far more likely to cause a Massive Damage save [check your MV rulebook on that one pg 106] and thus seriously inconvenience the target. I might look at making either one better or the other worse.

Damage per round is less important in MV than the maximum damage possible, however.

Knave has a few copy-paste errors.

I'll have a look at that. Gimme a minute, then if they're still there, point the rest out.

Edit: Nope, can't find em, you'll have to show me...

On the power thing, these aren't prestige classes so much as a 20 level base class split into two...if you pick one to begin in and alternate the classes as you progress, i was intending to get a slightly overpowered class combination.

[Kallisti]

Thanks. There is more to come, including what could turn into a full adventure.

Sweet...

I have no idea who Ray Bradbury is

You...don't...

Go to your local library. Now. I'll wait. Put a hold on everything by Ray Bradbury. You're in for a treat, he's a brilliant author.

Average investigators are armed with pistols, which are 4d6 crits, or Tranter heavy revolvers which are 6d8 crits. All that damage in one go is far more likely to cause a Massive Damage save [check your MV rulebook on that one pg 106] and thus seriously inconvenience the target. I might look at making either one better or the other worse.

Damage per round is less important in MV than the maximum damage possible, however.

OK, say he has the Tranter. 6d8 on a crit. That's 6-48, for an average of 27. Ow, ow, ow...there is now a bullet hole where his pancreas was.

But with Bitter, you get 2d6+10+Cha for round. Assuming a 20 Cha, that comes out to 17-27, for an average of 22. Per round. Times three rounds. I think that the Killing Joke is too weak, and needs moar dakka. Especially compared to Ruinous Tweak, which is very powerful. Not completely broken, but a good ability.

On the power thing, these aren't prestige classes so much as a 20 level base class split into two...if you pick one to begin in and alternate the classes as you progress, i was intending to get a slightly overpowered class combination.

I thought that was the case, but it feels to me like, since the Killing Joke is, at minimum, the culmination of ten levels of work, more if you took Scamp levels during that time, it should be more powerful. Although, since as written you could get Ruinous Tweak at character level ten, why bother with Knave at all? I think maybe you should require a minimum number of Knave levels to go Scamp or something, because Ruinous Tweak should not be available until level fifteen or so.

Edit: Nope, can't find em, you'll have to show me...

All right.

[SIZE="3"]The Scamp:
Scamp
{table=head]Level|Base <br> Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Defence|Special

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Agile, Humouvore, Tweak

2nd|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Caper, Fæ Phase

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Silly Distraction

4th|

+2

|

+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|Hideous Tweak

5th|

+2

|

+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|Take a Tumble

6th|

+3

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|Buffoonery

7th|

+3

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|Dire Tweak

8th|

+4

|

+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|I am Rubber…

9th|

+4

|

+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|Fæ Lordship

10th|

+5

|

+5

|

+7

|

+7

|

+5

|Ruinous Tweak[/table]

Hit Dice: d6
Class Skills: Balance [Dex], Bluff [Cha], Climb [Str], Disguise [Cha], Escape Artist [Dex], Hide [Dex], Jump [Str], Manipulation [Cha], Move Silently [Dex], Perform [Comedy], Ride [Dex], Slight of Hand [Dex], Spot [Wis], Tumble [Dex]
Skill Points per level: 6 + Int

Class Abilities:
Heinous Tweak [Su]: The Tweaks of a 4th level Scamp while still mildly amusing to the target, provoke almost unhealthy amounts of Schadenfreude in their friends. Victims of this Tweak suffer 1d6 Subdual damage that ignores armour and all their allies within 10ft must make a Will save, DC 10 + Merryman level or begin laughing as described in Tweak.
The Knave:
The knave is partly a representation of the Auguste tradition in western clowning but is primarily derived from the court jester. A knave is a vicious wit, pulling no punches and using the burning knot of rage that he gathers inside himself as ammunition to destroy the egos of those around him. Carnival perverts this further, allowing a knave to literally harm his foes with his meanness.

Knave
{table=head]Level|Base<br>Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Defence|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|

+1

|Bitter [Thrown], Humouvore, Pent Up

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+2

|Fæ Resilience, Mock

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Bitter [Melee]

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+4

|Ridicule

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Bitter [Material]

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+5

|Clow Car

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Lambast

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

|

+7

|Bitter [Words]

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|Fæ Lordship

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

|Killing Joke[/table]

Hit Dice: d10
Class Skills: Balance [Dex], Bluff [Cha], Climb [Str], Disguise [Cha], Escape Artist [Dex], Hide [Dex], Jump [Str], Manipulation [Cha], Move Silently [Dex], Ride [Dex], Slight of Hand [Dex], Spot [Wis], Tumble [Dex]
Skill Points per level: 4 + Int

Class Abilities:
Clown Car [Su]: Despite the mildly technological name, this ability is actually tied closely to one of the original Lords, Toutatis ['the father of the tribe']. Activating this ability costs 3 charges and the Merryman must sacrifice a number of hit points.
Should the Merryman gain this ability again from the Knave class, he must choose the other option and becomes a true Fæ. Should he be slain in this form, he explodes into confetti.

[The Tygre]

You...don't...

Go to your local library. Now. I'll wait. Put a hold on everything by Ray Bradbury. You're in for a treat, he's a brilliant author.

Especially Something Wicked This Way Comes. You desperately need some Something Wicked This Way Comes.

[Kallisti]

YES! The Dust Witch is like the creepiest fortune teller of all time.

[Mulletmanalive]

You make a good point on the Bitter [Melee], though possibly not the one you were intending. I've been looking at too much overpriced homebrew on here; causing Massive damage every round is ludicrously powerful and needs to be curtailed.

I think i'll eleminate the Merryman level and Charisma components and plump for making it a courier effect on the original attack.

[Kallisti]

My point was that the Killing Joke is significantly--very significantly--weaker then Ruinous Tweak, but currently both are equally easy to acquire, which strikes me as a problem. Do you feel that I am correct?

Bitter [Melee] did strike me as somewhat overpowered, though. Not too much so.

[Mulletmanalive]

My point was that the Killing Joke is significantly--very significantly--weaker then Ruinous Tweak, but currently both are equally easy to acquire, which strikes me as a problem. Do you feel that I am correct?

Right, well, i've adjusted Killing Joke so you can use other abilities on the target in the meantime [Lambast springs to mind].

Bear in mind that 27 damage, ignoring armour as i have now clarified, is going to be a save against one boundary slip, if not two [and if it made it to two, it would automatically put you down one].

I'm in two minds as to whether RUinous Tweak needs downpowering a bit, thoug i'm not entirely sure which to change, the save or the unlimited duration of the primary effect.

Bitter [Melee] did strike me as somewhat overpowered, though. Not too much so.

I really shouldn't read all this ToB love...when you pointed out how much damage the damn thing did on a normal hit, i almost chocked...that was a blunder on the scale of my original shotgun rules [which were almost hilariously overpowered]

[Kallisti]

Right, well, i've adjusted Killing Joke so you can use other abilities on the target in the meantime [Lambast springs to mind].

That's probably enough to fix it. It represents the merryman completely going to town on his target.

I'm in two minds as to whether RUinous Tweak needs downpowering a bit, thoug i'm not entirely sure which to change, the save or the unlimited duration of the primary effect.

Well. the save DC as listed is only 10+Merryman level, so even with Ability Focus you'll need to keep reactivating the ability to keep people down for very long. Which involves being a semi-fragile, armorless clown near a bunch of people who are amused involuntarily, yet very annoyed. As written, I'd say it's pretty balanced. Powerful, yes, but then again, it's the capstone. The capstone is supposed to be powerful.

]
I really shouldn't read all this ToB love...when you pointed out how much damage the damn thing did on a normal hit, i almost chocked...that was a blunder on the scale of my original shotgun rules [which were almost hilariously overpowered]

ToB is actually relatively balanced at higher levels. Some of the low-level maneuvers are way overpowered for the level at which they become available, but that balances out at higher levels.

My problem with the ToB is that the fluff often fails to make any sense, Warblades are...well, Warblades, and the Crusader is close enough to the paladin that you might as well just play a paladin and not have to learn a new set of rules. The Swordsage is much closer to what the monk should be than the monk itself is, though.

EDIT: And my DM in City of Splendors gave me permission to play a Professor nad said we'll just make something up for getting the MV class to D&D 3.5, so you've got a playtest as of five minutes ago...

[Mulletmanalive]

My problem with the ToB is that the fluff often fails to make any sense, Warblades are...well, Warblades, and the Crusader is close enough to the paladin that you might as well just play a paladin and not have to learn a new set of rules. The Swordsage is much closer to what the monk should be than the monk itself is, though.

EDIT: And my DM in City of Splendors gave me permission to play a Professor nad said we'll just make something up for getting the MV class to D&D 3.5, so you've got a playtest as of five minutes ago...

I agree on the monk/swordsage thing, though as a veteran whose played such wonders as a Grandmaster of the Flowers, i have a real soft spot for the monk as written, though it falls flat because of Wizard's odd idea that the Fighter should be the 'average' combatant on which all the enemies' ACs were based.

For shifting to D&D 3.5, the poor save will need changing, the Defence progression ignoring and i'd suggest pimping out Hide as best you can. Though it will reappear, if your GM wants to stick with the Carneval thing, here's a feat for getting around that a little:

Spoiler

Show

Child of Carnival [Trait]:
You have, either through birth or exposure, a strong connection with the Fæ, allowing you to do great things.
Prerequisites: You must be 1st level when this feat is selected.
Description: Select one Carnival class. You may use the powers of that class without being inside the aura of Carnival. When within an actual Carneval aura, you gain a +1 bonus on Attacks, Saves and Defence as you draw more power than you are used to from the Fae environment.

I also have a feat that grants access to the Vecchi, one for a long ranged puppet, a 'hide in your puppet' thing like Sasori of the Red Sands and larger puppets based on the giant ones we have in my local parade in the works

[Kallisti]

I have a very understanding DM who cares more about concept, story, and roleplaying than mechanics, so once new feats are up he'll probably let me retrain.


And the whole Fey thing is worked...very heavily into my backstory that I am even now writing, so Child of Carnival fits well.

[Mulletmanalive]

Especially Something Wicked This Way Comes. You desperately need some Something Wicked This Way Comes.

YES! The Dust Witch is like the creepiest fortune teller of all time.

Does this mean that i'm obliged to find and read this story before doing my 'Fortune teller whose dire predictions always come true' idea, lest i be lynched for not doing it right?

Also; wooo. I officially declare a small victory! [Union Flag comes out] My class is being played

[Kallisti]

Also; wooo. I officially declare a small victory! [Union Flag comes out] My class is being played

And I'm staying true to the Creepy Fey nature of the class. Presenting the still-very-very-much under construction (as of this post I have name, player, level, race, and campaign done. Five down, about two hundred to go...) Jocelyn Grey.

Does this mean that i'm obliged to find and read this story before doing my 'Fortune teller whose dire predictions always come true' idea, lest i be lynched for not doing it right?

It's an excellent story. The Dust Witch is...awesome. I'd settle for your willingness to create a Dust Witch prestige class after reading the story, and trust me, you will want to.

[Mulletmanalive]

After long experience, I've come to find guys playing chicks creepy, very creepy but that's just me. What's a 'lesser ghost'? If it's actually undead, it seems a bit odd being connected to the Fae, personifications of life...[?]

[Kallisti]

After long experience, I've come to find guys playing chicks creepy, very creepy but that's just me.

Well, in this case, creepy is good. She's supposed to be creepy. That's the point.

Besides, the ghostly remnant of a deposed Lord of Mournful Laughter posing as the ghostly remnant of an eleven year old girl. She's not even human, let alone a chick. Get your mind out of the gutter, man! I only chose a girl becasuse Jocelyn Grey sounds better than Jonathan, James, or Jack Grey. And Mortimer Grey would have been to obvious...

What's a 'lesser ghost'? If it's actually undead, it seems a bit odd being connected to the Fae, personifications of life...[?]

Lesser Ghost is my term for the ghosts of the Ghostwalk: Adventures in the Afterlife sourcebook. They're outsiders, not undead, though they are the ghostly remains of a deceased person.

But in my fluff? She's a deposed Fae lord reduced to a shell of her former self (hence: Eigth level Professor, lesser ghost), scheming to reclaim her position of prominence among the Fae. I did a similar refluffing with Warforged in the other game this samge Dm is running: Logic is basically a golem controlled by a computer AI. Hence, Faerun's only warforged.

[Mulletmanalive]

Sounds oddly like the sort of thing that my friend Uriel would propose. [rolls eyes] thanks to him, i now have an Int 30, Cha - character running around my setting...

Nice background. I may have called her Jane Doe myself.

I'm struggling with the abilities of Il Dottore. I have Pantalone and La Signora practically writes herself, being a meaner, more directly sexual Columbina, but the doctor is giving me problems.

I'd consider leaving him out and scripting up Pedrolino but then, i'm not sure what i'd do with him either. Any thoughts?

[Kallisti]

Hmmm...Il Dottore makes a mockery of learned men and often spouts obviously faux and incorrect latin. Maybe a primary that interferes with spellcasting and a secondary that causes confusion?

And Pedrolino is the dreamer and the jilted lover, who pines eternally for the Columbine he will never have...crushing despair as a secondary, perhaps. For the primary, though? That's a hard one...I've got nothing except a sigh that casts Gust of WInd at the moment, and there's got to be something better than that to be done.