Unseelie Chancellor (Warlock/Druid Theurge, 3.X PrC)

[Zaydos]

Okay a couple of threads about warlocks got my mind on them. Helping optimize an eldritch theurge got my mind on warlock theurges. And a thread on making homebrew got me wanting to homebrew something.

So I sat down and made a prestige class. I will admit I based it on Eldritch Theurge and Arcane Hierophant (my favorite PrC )

I haven't gotten the fluff, but I mostly see it as some type of warrior for the Unseelie Fey although do to overlapping alignment restrictions you'd have to be chaotic neutral or neutral evil (either can work with Unseelie Fey though). My last campaign did away with alignment restrictions (except paladins) as long as you role-played (kept alignments though) and the fey courts had occasional wars so maybe that's why I assume they'd be used by the unseelie court to kill seelie fey... Either way I'll get fluff later.

The Unseelie Chancellor:

Prerequisites:
Skills: Knowledge (Nature) 8 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 5 ranks, Bluff 5 ranks.
Spellcasting: Ability to cast 2nd level divine spells.
Special: 2d6 Eldritch Blast.
Special: Ability to use Least Invocations.
Language: Sylvan.
Purely fluff based: Must have had friendly contact with an Unseelie fey. May not be good or lawful aligned (for those that go in via Cleric/Warlock).

Unseelie Chancellor
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|DR 1/cold iron|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Animal Companion|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

3rd|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Wild Shape|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

4th|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|DR 2/cold iron|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

5th|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Eldritch Summons|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

6th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Feywrought Protection|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

7th|

+5

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|DR 3/cold iron|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

8th|

+6

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Cold Iron Blast|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

9th|

+6

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Eldritch Claws|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class

10th|

+7

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|DR 4/cold iron, Step of the Fey Woods|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class/+1 level of existing invocation using class[/table]

HD type: d6.
Skills per level: 4 + Int.
Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Class Abilities:

Spoiler

Show

DR: You gain the listed DR or your existing DR /cold iron improves by this much.

Animal Companion: Starting at 2nd level you gain an animal companion of as a druid 1 level lower than your Unseelie Chancellor levels. This animal companion has certain fey like qualities gaining an extra +2 on all saves versus enchantment effects. In addition you may apply any personal ranged invocation on it, but while it is active on the animal companion it cannot be active on yourself as well and using it on one of you immediately ends its effect on both. If you also have levels as a druid your Unseelie Chancellor levels (-1) stack with your druid levels to determine your animal companion's hit dice, abilities, etc.

Wild Shape: Starting at 3rd level you gain the ability to wild shape as a druid of 5th level or your Unseelie Chancellor + Druid (or Wild Shape Ranger) levels whichever is higher. Unless you have levels in Druid you never gain additional wild shape forms beyond small and large animals but you continue to gain maximum HD and uses per day.

Eldritch Summons (Su): Starting at 5th level whenever you summon one or more creatures with Summon Nature's Ally you may perform an eldritch summons. When you perform an eldritch summons all the creatures summoned gain DR 5/cold iron and when they are summoned they appear in a burst of eldritch energy. Any creature adjacent to an creature summoned in this way takes damage as if from your eldritch blast, with a Ref save (DC 10 + Your Charisma + Summon Nature's Ally spell level) for half. A creature adjacent to multiple summoned creatures only takes the normal damage from one eldritch blast and only has to make 1 saving throw.

Feywrought Protection (Ex): Starting at 6th level you gain a +4 on saves versus Enchantment effects. In addition if you fail a save versus an enchantment effect you get a second save 1 round later without this bonus.

Cold Iron Blast (Sp): At 8th level you gain a special eldritch essence Cold Iron Blast (Lv 6, Greater). Any creature with DR /cold iron hit by a blast modified with this ability takes +1d6 damage and has its DR reduced by 5. In addition it must make a Will save or be shaken for 1 round.

Eldritch Claws (Su): Starting at 9th level while wild shaped your first melee attack each round deals extra damage equal to one-half your eldritch blast damage. If your first attack misses you do not gain this extra damage.

Step of the Fey Woods (Sp): Starting at 10th level you may take a quick shortcut through the woods of the fey and move from one mortal forest to another in a matter of moments. While in forested terrain you may teleport (as spell) 1 + Charisma modifier times per day. When you do so you are healed a number of hp and ability damage as if you had one night's worth of natural healing or gain a +1 morale bonus to attack and +1/die morale bonus to damage with your Eldritch Blast for 1 minute.

So what do people think? Just felt their should be one.

[Zaydos]

The torches of the town flickered in the heavy wind, as shadowy shapes flitted past shuttered windows. The shadows stopped by the window of a small home. The shadow slid beneath the shutters entering the homestead. A human child lay sleeping in a crib. Taking on the guise of the child's mom the creature lifted it tenderly from the crib and for a moment it cried out in terror before it was silent. The woman kissed the child tenderly upon the forehead and whispering in the old language of the faerie courts she finished, "I dub ye Summerbane, a name I hold faith you shall live up too." With naught more she placed the sleeping child back into the crib and merging once more into the shadows she was gone. When the creature left the homestead the second shadow whispered, "So is it done, do we have a champion?"

"In time, but like all things it will take time and we will need patience."

Every so often a child is born who is unlike others. They are touched by a strange power that leads them away from humanity but into the woods and hills populated by the little folk, the fair folk, and a dozen other names. Some manifest their power in the form of raw arcane might, a wellspring of magical might that seems ever bountiful. Others grow one with nature, learning the druidic arts.

Regardless these humans (or elves, or even dwarves), once called changelings, grow ever closer to the fey and further from their human kin. Many simply remain what they are, but occasionally one of the fey courts take notice of them. The Seelie (or Summer) Court occasionally will take an interest in these children, guiding them to a peaceful life and communion with nature. More often they fall into the hands of the Unseelie Court, prone to cruelty and trickery towards mankind.

Usually this leads to madness, and a hatred for things made by man. Many a druid, whether spurred to their path by some fey legacy from their childhood or simply a love for nature, has been driven onto rampage against civilization by the dark whisperings of these fey. Many a warlock as well has learned to use his powers for his own gain, and turn them against his brethren by the same foul tempters. Rarely, though, do they find one who they choose to serve as their champion. Selected to fight for them against their foes, whether in the Seelie or Unseelie Court or even amongst mortals, these elite are taught the full secrets of the fey.

These chosen become Unseelie Chancellors, initiates into both the arcane and divine arts of the fair folk. They become one with the beast, and one with the mystical world of fey. While they will never unleash the full might of a druid, one with nature itself, nor the most dreaded powers of a warlock, they become powerful in their own right. The creatures they call are tainted by fey energies, not quite natural and appear exploding with their eldritch might. Even the skin of the beast they often wear becomes changed, their very claws and fangs dripping with their power.

[TabletopNuke]

I have yearned for such a class, but you beat me to the homebrews. You sly dog.

My main concern is that eldrich claws seems like a very powerul ability. I would make it a capstone if I used it at all. Wild shape is regarded as a powerful ability, and being able to use a full attack and apply eldritch blast damage seems like an awful lot.

[Zaydos]

I switched Eldritch Summons and Eldritch Claws and made Eldritch Claws only be 1/2 your eldritch blast damage (and made sure it was clear that if your first attack missed you wasted the extra damage). Might switch them back (Eldritch Summons might be better than Eldritch Claws, but at least it requires more of a brain to use). I'd like to make one of them a real Lv 10 capstone, but I couldn't think of another appropriate ability.

[Lord_Gareth]

You could use some formatting, my friend - that wall of text is painful.

Aside from that I'm...unimpressed. The class lacks a strong flavor and doesn't really live up to the mythology implied by the name. Mechanically, it's straightforward and kinda boring. The abilities underwhelm, except for the casting progression.

The concept has promise. Your execution could use a bit of work, though.

[TabletopNuke]

I think that halfing the eldritch claws damage was a good idea. The hideous blow invocation deals full damage, but only allows one attack that round and can be disrupted.

I'm not sure if the eldritch summons ability is too powerful for 5th level or not. No one in any groups I've played in has done much summoning (we're big on LA races). So you'll have to ask a more experienced summoner about that. If the consensus is that the ability is too powerful, you could reduce the damge to half.

You should streamline the table by removing the <Br> in the BAB cell. I think the text line will break on it's own, and the tag doesn't work. I had the same problem with my tables.

[Anonymouswizard]

Get rid of the eldritch blast requirement: this lets the dragonfire adept from dragon magic qualify to. The way it is set up you cannot qualify before your 6th level in warlock (or dragonfire adept), and so need to be 9th level to meet the requirements (no way to cheat with precocious apprentice)

[Latronis]

I dunno channeling eldritch blast through natural attacks while wild shaped is pretty awesome.

Without using an action to do so w\ hideous blow

[sigurd]

You're giving it full spell progression and then not requiring they do anything with their spells.

1. I think any combination of the spells and full spell progression from wiz&cleric + the wildshape from Druid is simply cake and eating it too.


2. I don't think the Unseelie get warm and fuzzy animal companions. If they are to have a servant make it a bound summons of questionable loyalty.

Make more of their magic and less of their special abilities.

Also nowhere do you make them responsible to the Unseelie court or any other figure. In my campaign fey are all trapped in a web of loyalties and obligations. You say the character is a 'chancellor' is that just window dressing?