Base Class Challenge Chat Thread II

[kanachi]

Ok, so I doubt I will be as good at this as you have been but lets give it a go... oh and i appologise if my spelling is all to hell.

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Anointed Heritor



I learned the way of the sword by listening to stories. I practice the way of the sword by being part of stories.

Cool image and a nice quote, i'm interested...

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In a middle ground between binders and incarnates the Anointed Heritor channels the souls of heroes of the past via pacts.

Adventures: Why your class might adventure.

Characteristics: What your class is capable of.

Alignment: What alignment or alignments your class may have and why.

Religion: What deities or ideals your class follows, if any, and why.

Background: How you become part of your class and why.

Races: What races most often have members of your class, as well as any races that cannot join, along with why.

Other Classes: How your class relates to other classes, positively or negatively, and why.

Role: What your class does in and for a party.

Adaptation: How a DM might change your class to fit into their campaign or unique world setting.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Anointed Heritor's have the following game statistics.
Abilities: CHA
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: What age your class starts at level one as normally ("As barbarian," "As bard," and "As cleric" are the standard options, though feel free to put down the numbers, as well.).
Starting Gold: What amount of currency your class starts at level one with normally ("As barbarian," "As cleric," "As druid," "As fighter," "As monk," and "As sorcerer" are the standard options, though feel free to put down the numbers, as well.).

Ok, sadly an under developed theme at the moment. I would work on bashing a quick deffinition of what your class is all about, so you have something more tangible to aim for.

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Class Skills
The Anointed Heritor's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Gather information (Cha), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (oratory) (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis) Spot (Wis) plus any skill that the anointed heritor receives from his channeled heroes and his patron hero.
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

I understand why you went for Knowledge (Nobility and royalty), but i would also argue that heroes can be found in many places beyond those high ranks of society. Knowledge (Local) seems like a nice fit to me as well, it also gives it a slightly bardish quality which merges well in my eyes "I know of your town, for this is birthplace of Blah Blah".

Other than that is a nice list.

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Anointed Heritor
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Heroes|Offerings|Pacts

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|

+2

|Patron Hero, Anointed Guidance|0|0|0

2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+0

|

+3

|Anointed Protection, Anointed Attack|0|0|0

3rd|

+2

|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|Ancestral Channeling (one hero), Anointed Intervention|1|0|0

4th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Anointed Grace, Offerings (maximum lvl 1)|1|1|0

5th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Ancestral Skills|2|1|0

6th|

+4

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Pacts (one)|2|2|1

7th|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Anointed recovery (move action)|3|2|1

8th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|Ancestral feat (one), Offerings (maximum lvl 2)|3|3|1

9th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|Ancestral repentance 1/day|4|3|1

10th|

+7/+2

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|Ancestral channeling (two heroes)|4|4|1

11th|

+8/+3

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|Anointed inspiration|5|4|1

12th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|Offerings (maximum lvl 3), Pacts (two)|5|5|2

13th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|Anointed might|6|5|2

14th|

+10/+5

|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|Anointed recovery (swift action)|6|6|2

15th|

+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+5

|

+9

|Anointed sacrifice|7|7|2

16th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|Ancestral feat (two), Offerings (maximum lvl 4)|7|8|2

17th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|Superior Guidance|8|9|2

18th|

+13/+8/+3

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|Ancestral repentance 2/day, Pacts (three) |8|10|3

19th|

+14/+9/+4

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|Superior Recovery|9|11|3

20th|

+15/+10/+5

|

+12

|

+6

|

+12

|Ancestral channeling (three saints), Offerings (maximum lvl 5), Anointed hero|9|12|3
[/table]

Obviously without knowing more about the theme this is hard to judge, but the problem for me is that if you are drawing inspiration and guidance from the heroes of old then you are forced to face the reality that such heroes take many forms. The medium bab seems fare as its in the middle but if Quaya Quickfoot were my childhood hero maybe i would seek to emulate her and develope a good reflex save at the expence of something else... Something to think on anyway.

Maybe you could set both bab and all saves to poor and then have the heroes you emulate boost you to the required levels to gain the eqivilant to a good save to X and a bab equal to Y? Just an idea.

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Patron Hero (Ex): Through study and dedication you learn a bit of the ancestral heroes. Choose an ancestral hero from the lists of ancestral heroes available to the Anointed Hero, even if you cannot fully channel it you gain its associated skill as class skill, its associated weapon proficiency, regardless of any hero that you might channel you keep both the proficiency and the class skill. In addition if you are not channeling any hero you gain the first ability of your patron hero. If somehow your ancestral channeling gets suppressed you gain the benefit of this class skill.

Hard for me to say right now without looking into the patron heroes in more detail, but this looks solid enough.

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Anointed Guidance (Ex): At the beginning of every encounter you gain one guidance point per class level to a maximum equal to your Charisma bonus. While you have guidance points you gain a +2 insight bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks. At 17th level your guidance points are twice your Charisma bonus and while you have guidance points you gain a +2 insight bonus to three skills of your choosing.

Nice boost to some of the best skills in the game. Good kickstart at low levels to help you take on that scout role... I would maybe even consider a boost to initiative rolls at later levels, it would fit nicely.

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Anointed Attack (Ex): Before making an attack roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Attack does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.

Anointed Protection (Ex): Before determining the exit of an enemy's attack roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus to AC to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Protection does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides a insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.

I did something similar with my trueforge class, This flexability is really fun at low levels and stays useful throughout. It helps put emphasis on charisma as the key stat, which in turn deepens the theme. I like it.

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Ancestral Channeling (Su): Through special methods known only to Anointed Heritors you can channel one of the ancestral heroes. At third level you can only channel your patron hero, but you can learn new heroes at every odd level. Once you are channeling a hero you gain its associated skill as class skill and its abilities. You can make offerings and pacts with the heroes that you channel as described below. At 10th level you can channel two heroes at once and at level 20th you can channel three heroes at once. Ancestral heroes are bound to your soul and they cannot be targeted or expelled by any means except by using the ancestral repentance class ability, described below, nor can they be suppressed except by an antimagic field or similar effect.
To channel a hero you must perform a private ritual every morning. You must anoint yourself with clean water and oils while meditating for a minute.

The difficulty class for a saving throw against any supernatural power granted by an ancestral hero is 10 + 1/2 your effective anointed heritor level + your Cha modifier.

Solid ability which offers a lot of scope for expansion. Which (for me) is the best thing about a class like this a dm and player can form their own heroes to fit the campaign world.

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Anointed Intervention (Su): Before using an ability granted by an ancestral hero you can spend 1 guidance point to to use it without incurring its normal waiting time. Anointed hero does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend), but most ancestral's heroes abilities do require actions.

Nothing uber exciting on the face of it, but certainly useful and powerful if you chain the right abilities. Be aware of this power when making your abilities as you could easily fall into a situation where certain combos become very potent (especially at later levels). At the moment with what i have seen though, this is not a problem.

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Anointed Grace (Ex): Before making a save roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Grace does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself. This ability doesn't stack with divine grace nor with any similar ability that doesn't stack with divine grace.

Again, i had something similar when i was making my trueforged class. All these optionas work very well together, but you have to make sure you give yourself the ability to generate the needed points.

I would perhaps grant the character there maximum alotment of points at an encounters start and grant them an option to expend a full round (or maybe standard) action to return to this level. In doing this though i would also wipe away the ability to get an amount of points equal to twice you charisma at 17th level.

I think the above changes would let you hit the ground running when an encounter kicks off, but have to stop for a moment to catch your breath if you push yourself to hard.

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Offerings (Su): You gain access to a small reserve of offerings, which can be invested into your ancestral heroes abilities to increase their power. Your offerings reserve's size is shown on the table above. Your character level, as noted above, determines the maximum quantity of offerings that you can invest in any single ability. As a swift action, you can reallocate your offerings investments in your ancestral hero abilities every round.

I like this a lot, its clever and gives you a lot more flexability to bolster your actions. I think that adding this extra resource pool, gives the class that extra dimension needed to push it over the edge.

It does however make the class a "gamers" class as its essentially all about resource management (i know all classes are, but normally to a lesser degree) this however is something which appeals to me a lot.

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Ancestral Skills (Ex): Whenever you start channeling a hero you can designate a number of class skills equal to your charisma bonus (if any). For the duration of the channeling you can make skill checks using your anointed heritor level in place of the number of ranks you have in that skill (even if the number is 0). You can make "trained only" checks but you can't take 10 using ancestral skills (you need to have actual ranks to take 10).

I really like this! It gives you that "eye of the eagle!!" kind of feel. You wisely chose to keep the skill list short and to the point as a result, which makes this a usefully and situationally strong ability but never over the top.

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Pacts (Su): You can forge a pact with any hero that you are channeling. Unlike offerings pacts are more permanent and last for as long as you channel the ancestral hero. At 12th level and again at 18th level you gain an additional pact.

Mechanically i like this, but the fact that all the heroes you can draw upon would even want you to have to make a pact does not square with me in all instances themeatically. Personal taste only though, as it just seems to give the class a darker edge than I would maybe see it as having. Who are these heroes? they seem kinda not really heroic?...

Once you have laid down the theme a bit thicker though this will probably make more sense to me.

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Anointed recovery (Su): You can expend a move action to recover one guidance point. You can expend as many move actions as you have, earning an equal number of guidance points. At 14th level you can choose to expend a swift action to recover one guidance point. At 19th level you recover two guidance points per expended move action (or swift action).

A much needed ability! Glad to see you put this in there.

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Ancestral feat (Ex): You gain a bonus feat. You must meet the prerequisites for this feat. Whenever you start channeling a new hero you can choose to change your bonus feat to any other feat for which you meet the prerequisites. At 16th level you gain a second bonus feat that you can also choose to change whenever you change your channeled heroes.

I get what your going for here, but I would maybe have the range of possible feats listed as part of the chosen heroes list rather than saying "pick what you want!" it helps tie the theme in more, though i understand that it takes away some of the power potentially.

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Ancestral repentance (Su): You can repent on your choosing of ancestral heroes, ancestral skills and ancestral feats picking new choices. Using ancestral repentance takes 10 minutes and provokes attacks of opportunity. You can use this ability 1/day at 9th level and 2/day at 18th level.

Theme again props up some issues for me here... who are these heroes that you have to repent to? they dont sound like the kind of heroes i want to celibrate. Again, i'm sure a better write up of your theme will clear this up for me (we obviously have different visions at the moment as there is no theme to take me into your perspective).

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Anointed inspiration (Ex): Before making an skill check you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed inspiration does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.

Nice enough, allows you to further own int he skills you know.. I would worry that your getting this a little later in the game than some of its better cousins (bonus to attacks, bonus to saves, bonus to ac) you never really become a full blown skill monkey after all.

Still its great to see something liek this in the class it does give it a nice boost and helps you latch on to the theme a bit more.

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Anointed might (Ex): Before making a damage roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed might does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.

Again, your getting this a little late in the game... the extra damage is nice though, its just a shame we dont see all these option come together sooner in the class.

You have to wait a while before you can really get to make the choices you want to make when it comes to the application of your resources... it kinda feels like when your playing the first 80% of the levels of an RTS game and they keep artificially restricting what your allowed to build.

You cant do it all at once, so you dont need to worry about the balance of being able to have increased flexability sooner in the classes life.

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Anointed sacrifice (Su): You can voluntarily take 2 points of Constitution damage to fully replenish your guidance points.

I would sack this for the expendature of an action as I stated earlier.

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Anointed hero (Su): Before using an ability granted by an ancestral hero you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an offering point. Anointed hero does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Offering points acquired in this manner lasts until the start of your next turn. Investing offering points still takes a swift action.

Though an awesome ability, this feel like the kinda thing i wanted to be doing yesterday. I'm trading 1 resource for another on a 1:1 ratio... i'm not deathstaring a planet. This is not a 20th level ability in my eyes.



In sumation i really like the class and though you deffonately need to add some theme to give an idea of the true direction your heading the machine benieth seems to be well oiled and ticks along rather nicely.

I would say that you need to embrase what your class is actually doing a bit more though. Your producing a sandbox of options which you can spend resources upon. As these resources are limited your not going to use any of them to crack the earth open with their power... people will play this class for the versitility it offers and meta game hidden within it, so dont drip this aspect out over 20 levels as an artificial hamstring.

Give me my bucket and my spade and throw me into that sand pit already!

[God Imperror]

Ok, so I doubt I will be as good at this as you have been but lets give it a go... oh and i appologise if my spelling is all to hell.

Thanks and don't worry

Cool image and a nice quote, i'm interested...

Glad you like it I've been considering others from the same artist, he is inspiring.

Ok, sadly an under developed theme at the moment. I would work on bashing a quick deffinition of what your class is all about, so you have something more tangible to aim for.

I will add a few lines soon atm I was working more on the heroes (they are in the next post).

The idea is the following though, the anointed heritor starts his career as an scholar-bard learning of a hero of the past, this will become his patron hero, through studying the hero's feats he grows capable of emulating him, soon he can not only emulate the hero but also channel some of its essence. Then as he progresses he starts channeling other heroes too.

Pact might be a bad word, maybe anointment or boon works better.

I understand why you went for Knowledge (Nobility and royalty), but i would also argue that heroes can be found in many places beyond those high ranks of society. Knowledge (Local) seems like a nice fit to me as well, it also gives it a slightly bardish quality which merges well in my eyes "I know of your town, for this is birthplace of Blah Blah".

Other than that is a nice list.

Knowledge (local) just made it into the class skill list.

Obviously without knowing more about the theme this is hard to judge, but the problem for me is that if you are drawing inspiration and guidance from the heroes of old then you are forced to face the reality that such heroes take many forms. The medium bab seems fare as its in the middle but if Quaya Quickfoot were my childhood hero maybe i would seek to emulate her and develope a good reflex save at the expence of something else... Something to think on anyway.

Maybe you could set both bab and all saves to poor and then have the heroes you emulate boost you to the required levels to gain the eqivilant to a good save to X and a bab equal to Y? Just an idea.

All three good saves seems an option (and I actually considered it) other than that I thought about having good ref and good will.

The problem with having the heroes set the saves is that eventually the character can channel three at once. And he might have full BAB and 3 good saves.

Hard for me to say right now without looking into the patron heroes in more detail, but this looks solid enough.

There are some (not all, I plan on doing 18) on the next post. Each has an associated skill and 3 abilities

Nice boost to some of the best skills in the game. Good kickstart at low levels to help you take on that scout role... I would maybe even consider a boost to initiative rolls at later levels, it would fit nicely.

Initiative sounds tempting I'll keep it in mind if I compress some abilities.

I did something similar with my trueforge class, This flexability is really fun at low levels and stays useful throughout. It helps put emphasis on charisma as the key stat, which in turn deepens the theme. I like it.

The source of inspiration was the factotum though I believe that those abilities add flexibility and as you mention I may push up (to a lower level) some other abilities.

Solid ability which offers a lot of scope for expansion. Which (for me) is the best thing about a class like this a dm and player can form their own heroes to fit the campaign world.

That is basically the idea Glad that you like it I would also add some guidelines on balancing new heroes. They were originally balanced as vestiges (they are slightly more powerful than second level vestiges, but with less abilities)

Nothing uber exciting on the face of it, but certainly useful and powerful if you chain the right abilities. Be aware of this power when making your abilities as you could easily fall into a situation where certain combos become very potent (especially at later levels). At the moment with what i have seen though, this is not a problem.

I will probably write a clause on the heroes that abilities that have an effect lingering on the battlefield (a fog cloud or an area of darkness) automatically dispel the last one if used before it duration is completed.

Again, i had something similar when i was making my trueforged class. All these optionas work very well together, but you have to make sure you give yourself the ability to generate the needed points.

I would perhaps grant the character there maximum alotment of points at an encounters start and grant them an option to expend a full round (or maybe standard) action to return to this level. In doing this though i would also wipe away the ability to get an amount of points equal to twice you charisma at 17th level.

I think the above changes would let you hit the ground running when an encounter kicks off, but have to stop for a moment to catch your breath if you push yourself to hard.

I will look at it, probably some class features are going to fly arround

I like this a lot, its clever and gives you a lot more flexability to bolster your actions. I think that adding this extra resource pool, gives the class that extra dimension needed to push it over the edge.

It does however make the class a "gamers" class as its essentially all about resource management (i know all classes are, but normally to a lesser degree) this however is something which appeals to me a lot.

Glad you like it, WotC has done it with some classes in the past, mostly incarnum. And since I really like that sistem I wanted to include some part of it.

I really like this! It gives you that "eye of the eagle!!" kind of feel. You wisely chose to keep the skill list short and to the point as a result, which makes this a usefully and situationally strong ability but never over the top.

There is a hero that grants Iaijutsu focus, another one that will grant autohypnosis and a third one that will grant truespeak so in some cases it might be strong. Other than that I'm confident on not having broken abilities (well there is the social triumvirate but those are easily accessible).

This idea comes from the bardic knack another one of my favorite skillmonkeys.

Mechanically i like this, but the fact that all the heroes you can draw upon would even want you to have to make a pact does not square with me in all instances themeatically. Personal taste only though, as it just seems to give the class a darker edge than I would maybe see it as having. Who are these heroes? they seem kinda not really heroic?...

Once you have laid down the theme a bit thicker though this will probably make more sense to me.

How would anointment, or boon work? I fear the problem is the name.

A much needed ability! Glad to see you put this in there.

Should I push this higher? I would like the players to not have to worry about a lot of resources when they start playing.

I get what your going for here, but I would maybe have the range of possible feats listed as part of the chosen heroes list rather than saying "pick what you want!" it helps tie the theme in more, though i understand that it takes away some of the power potentially.

I am going to add a list of [heritor] feats (I hope to have enough time) that should feel really atractive to be taken with the extra feats. Otherwise I might add a couple of feats per hero saying that if the hero is channeled they can be taken as ancestral feats ignoring the prerequisites (or some prerequisites)

Theme again props up some issues for me here... who are these heroes that you have to repent to? they dont sound like the kind of heroes i want to celibrate. Again, i'm sure a better write up of your theme will clear this up for me (we obviously have different visions at the moment as there is no theme to take me into your perspective).

Again maybe its a problem of word choosing. I want to give the mechanical option of changing your channeled heroes. Any good idea?

Nice enough, allows you to further own int he skills you know.. I would worry that your getting this a little later in the game than some of its better cousins (bonus to attacks, bonus to saves, bonus to ac) you never really become a full blown skill monkey after all.

Still its great to see something liek this in the class it does give it a nice boost and helps you latch on to the theme a bit more.

Again, your getting this a little late in the game... the extra damage is nice though, its just a shame we dont see all these option come together sooner in the class.

You have to wait a while before you can really get to make the choices you want to make when it comes to the application of your resources... it kinda feels like when your playing the first 80% of the levels of an RTS game and they keep artificially restricting what your allowed to build.

You cant do it all at once, so you dont need to worry about the balance of being able to have increased flexability sooner in the classes life.

I would not like to have all the anointed class features at the beginning of the class I like having them at different points because it adds options and options are power... I just had an idea though.

Have a class feature called Anointed "whatever" at every level where the anointed heritor gets an Anointed class feature and make him choose what ability they want at that level. How would that work?

I would sack this for the expendature of an action as I stated earlier.

Full round?

Though an awesome ability, this feel like the kinda thing i wanted to be doing yesterday. I'm trading 1 resource for another on a 1:1 ratio... i'm not deathstaring a planet. This is not a 20th level ability in my eyes.

Any good capstone idea? I might go to summon any of the heroes that you are chaneling but stating it might be a bit difficult.

In sumation i really like the class and though you deffonately need to add some theme to give an idea of the true direction your heading the machine benieth seems to be well oiled and ticks along rather nicely.

I would say that you need to embrase what your class is actually doing a bit more though. Your producing a sandbox of options which you can spend resources upon. As these resources are limited your not going to use any of them to crack the earth open with their power... people will play this class for the versitility it offers and meta game hidden within it, so dont drip this aspect out over 20 levels as an artificial hamstring.

Give me my bucket and my spade and throw me into that sand pit already!

I will deffinetly try. And I will think of more class features as that might leave some dead levels open.

Thank you very much for the PEACHing it was great.

[kanachi]

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The problem with having the heroes set the saves is that eventually the character can channel three at once. And he might have full BAB and 3 good saves.

To be honest i find the idea of channeling multiple heroes at the same time kinda meh anyway, obviously i understand why and i think its kind of cool that you can esentually bring them all together as an adventuring dream time within you... but all dream teams need a point man, a leader.

I would consider making the player select, at the start of each day, a hero to act as the primary inspiration for their days adventures. Or you could be very bold and let them select a primary hero at the start of each encounter. This would really let you shift your stats around.

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There are some (not all, I plan on doing 18) on the next post. Each has an associated skill and 3 abilities

The ones I saw I liked, i have to be honest though I've not looked into them in great detail yet... it a big read.

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That is basically the idea Glad that you like it I would also add some guidelines on balancing new heroes. They were originally balanced as vestiges (they are slightly more powerful than second level vestiges, but with less abilities)

Which is no bad place to start and I think it works well, however I would say yur actually making something funner here and thus caution you against staying to true to the old inspirations you took from vestiges and instead let yourself tred the new ground your discovering... how exactly i dont know, but think on it.

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I will probably write a clause on the heroes that abilities that have an effect lingering on the battlefield (a fog cloud or an area of darkness) automatically dispel the last one if used before it duration is completed.

Makes sense.

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There is a hero that grants Iaijutsu focus, another one that will grant autohypnosis and a third one that will grant truespeak so in some cases it might be strong. Other than that I'm confident on not having broken abilities (well there is the social triumvirate but those are easily accessible).

This idea comes from the bardic knack another one of my favorite skillmonkeys.

I like it a lot.

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I fear the problem is the name.

I would agree... its certainly a throw back to the system you based your work upon. Sometimes when i have such issues I reword them and that works out fine.. sometimes however i look at the system in question and choose to pull a few wires out and find out what happens.

Time has shown me that if you cant find imediate inspiration for the former you are best to explore the later.

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Should I push this higher? I would like the players to not have to worry about a lot of resources when they start playing.

If your starting at your max at the start of an encounter and you can take an action (full or standard... your call) to recharge then you should not have a problem at low levels. Thus i woudl say this kicks in at the right point.

One thing though... consider what may happen if somone pounds your CHA modifier, what if you have a negative modifier? Maybe consider setting a minamum of 2 or something?

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I am going to add a list of [heritor] feats (I hope to have enough time) that should feel really atractive to be taken with the extra feats. Otherwise I might add a couple of feats per hero saying that if the hero is channeled they can be taken as ancestral feats ignoring the prerequisites (or some prerequisites)

Not a bad plan.

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Again maybe its a problem of word choosing. I want to give the mechanical option of changing your channeled heroes. Any good idea?

I'm seeing some wires you need to pull out here for sure...

Maybe look at the heroes journey as inspiration? Perhaps one of your heroes complets they journey within your spirit, rewarding you with a perminant boon and then guides you to another whom may quest with you? Just an idwea off the top of my finger tips. lol

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I would not like to have all the anointed class features at the beginning of the class I like having them at different points because it adds options and options are power... I just had an idea though.

Have a class feature called Anointed "whatever" at every level where the anointed heritor gets an Anointed class feature and make him choose what ability they want at that level. How would that work?

This will be the single best move you can make to the class as it stands in my opinion. It lets the player develop as they want to. Dont spread these choices out to far though. I would like to see you have them all by around 12th level (just pulled that numer out of my ass though).

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Full round?

or standard? its your call to be honest. Both would work well for me.

Maybe start with it as a full round and then have it later shift to a standard?

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Any good capstone idea? I might go to summon any of the heroes that you are chaneling but stating it might be a bit difficult.

lol, yer look at the mess i've got into with my class.

But no, i dont think a summon appraoch would be right... This class is about using the heroes of the past as inspiration for yourself. If you fall back on them in a physical form it feel kinda meh.

I would maybe consider that perhaps you in some way become equal in status to the heroes you are chaneling... perhaps you can somehow construct your own heroic essance which you can in turn channel? Maybe you become something "other" something "greater".

Waht i'm saying is that it would be nice if the heroes of old somehow acknowledge you for attaining 20th level... "No longer do you call upon our deeds to guide your own, now it is you whom inspire others. And when at last you fall, amidst a field of your broken foes, we here shall sing you home - to our humble hall of heroes!"

Basically you just got your "I'm a total bad ass" sticker.

[Temotei]

I do have a new idea, but also a question: are there any guidelines regarding the pictures, as in which ones we can use?

Nope. Careful with pictures that aren't open for use, though. I pull most of my pictures from deviantart.

The critiques...they're everywhere.

I'm glad. Coming back to almost two full pages of chat and at least half of it being PEACH stuff is pretty awesome.

[kanachi]

are there any guidelines regarding the pictures, as in which ones we can use?

If you could avoid things that would not normally be safe for work that would be great. I occasionally check this page during my breaks at work and having something excessively graphic would be unwelcome.

Also don't post anything to big unless your going to place it in a spoiler.

I'm glad. Coming back to almost two full pages of chat and at least half of it being PEACH stuff is pretty awesome.

Agreed! Its been an awesome contest.

Though I'm not sure how well i will do in this one as the quality seems very high! I need to get to work improving what I've done!

[malonkey1]

The critiques...they're everywhere.

I'm glad. Coming back to almost two full pages of chat and at least half of it being PEACH stuff is pretty awesome.

Welcome back!

[God Imperror]

The critiques...they're everywhere.

I'm glad. Coming back to almost two full pages of chat and at least half of it being PEACH stuff is pretty awesome.

I made several changes to the anointed heritor based on the last season of PEACHes

To be honest i find the idea of channeling multiple heroes at the same time kinda meh anyway, obviously i understand why and i think its kind of cool that you can esentually bring them all together as an adventuring dream time within you... but all dream teams need a point man, a leader.

I would consider making the player select, at the start of each day, a hero to act as the primary inspiration for their days adventures. Or you could be very bold and let them select a primary hero at the start of each encounter. This would really let you shift your stats around.

I think that that might be overly complicated so I went for a middle term, since anointed heritors start their career by studying a hero (their patron hero) they can get the associated save of said hero. And I believe that the player character should be the leader (at least regarding the heroes in his head)

Additionally there are 2 kinds of abilities.
-Ancestral you choose them at the start of the day.
-Anointed you can expend guidance points on them and you can use them as often as you like.

Then there are the offerings that you can relocate as swift actions (as often as you otherwise want) to power your abilities.

So there aren't really any real ability that works in a per encounter basis I would rather keep away from them

The ones I saw I liked, i have to be honest though I've not looked into them in great detail yet... it a big read.

Don't worry I understand

Which is no bad place to start and I think it works well, however I would say yur actually making something funner here and thus caution you against staying to true to the old inspirations you took from vestiges and instead let yourself tred the new ground your discovering... how exactly i dont know, but think on it.

Yep, at the start I looked at the kinds of abilities that you could access with vestiges or soulmelds (or on the guidelines on how to balance a vestige) but I am probably going to draw myself further as I advance the class.

I would agree... its certainly a throw back to the system you based your work upon. Sometimes when i have such issues I reword them and that works out fine.. sometimes however i look at the system in question and choose to pull a few wires out and find out what happens.

Time has shown me that if you cant find imediate inspiration for the former you are best to explore the later.

At the moment I am working with boon is like your channeled hero grants you a better knack of his abilities as a present.

If your starting at your max at the start of an encounter and you can take an action (full or standard... your call) to recharge then you should not have a problem at low levels. Thus i woudl say this kicks in at the right point.

One thing though... consider what may happen if somone pounds your CHA modifier, what if you have a negative modifier? Maybe consider setting a minamum of 2 or something?

Minimum half your class level that way you progress with a bad cha modifier but you don't progress as fast, and if your class level is much higher than your cha, actually possible in several tables you still can get a good quantity of guidance points.

I'm seeing some wires you need to pull out here for sure...

Maybe look at the heroes journey as inspiration? Perhaps one of your heroes complets they journey within your spirit, rewarding you with a perminant boon and then guides you to another whom may quest with you? Just an idwea off the top of my finger tips. lol

Well there are going to be a LOT of heroes (it is one of the premises of the class) so I don't really like permanent stuff there.

Since it is a tactics issue (you change your heroes to affront new encounters) I renamed it ancestral tactics.

This will be the single best move you can make to the class as it stands in my opinion. It lets the player develop as they want to. Dont spread these choices out to far though. I would like to see you have them all by around 12th level (just pulled that numer out of my ass though).

But... me likes level by level progression I made it so you choose at every even level one anointed ability or an anointed feat. This way I can make the capstone an anointment and in turn try to make a couple or more capstones (depending on your playstile you might want one or another)

or standard? its your call to be honest. Both would work well for me.

Maybe start with it as a full round and then have it later shift to a standard?

I do like the idea of using moves or swift while you fight (like I don't really need a swift/move action this turn I am going to spend it recovering points) and I believe that it would be detrimental to have it be a standard.

lol, yer look at the mess i've got into with my class.

But no, i dont think a summon appraoch would be right... This class is about using the heroes of the past as inspiration for yourself. If you fall back on them in a physical form it feel kinda meh.

I would maybe consider that perhaps you in some way become equal in status to the heroes you are chaneling... perhaps you can somehow construct your own heroic essance which you can in turn channel? Maybe you become something "other" something "greater".

Waht i'm saying is that it would be nice if the heroes of old somehow acknowledge you for attaining 20th level... "No longer do you call upon our deeds to guide your own, now it is you whom inspire others. And when at last you fall, amidst a field of your broken foes, we here shall sing you home - to our humble hall of heroes!"

Basically you just got your "I'm a total bad ass" sticker.

That was my first idea too, but I wasn't really sure how to make you badass other than saying you're pretty badass now. Ascension to Valhalla? You become an outsider and all your class features become extraordinary, something among those lines?

Or... I'm a hero!

[kanachi]

I've finally managed to redraft my class!

I’ve renaming it to the dimensional conduit, hopefully explaining my mechanics better and editing/subtracting/adding some new abilities.

See what you guys think!

I still have not sorted out the skill list and may make a spell casting variant.

[God Imperror]

A redraft deserves a rePEACH

The Dimensional Conduit



"You talk of a world of possibilities… I ask: why limit yourself to only one world?" - The one of many.

Across the infinite web of parallel dimensions there occasionally comes one who bridges them together and, through forces unknown, acts as a dimensional gateway. These rare few impact not only their own plane of existence, but forge a destiny which ripples across the endless worlds of creation.

Some are born, some find such power by accident and others strive for many years to achieve such insight. The result however is always the same… The individual becomes aware of the great nexus which links them to their dimensional counterparts who are in turn are drawn to offer their assistance.

Some speculate that such individuals are in fact being presented with a trans-dimensional trial, which will determine not only their own fate but that of each and every other double across the all endless worlds.

This character class details the dimensional conduit, who functions as a gateway for their dimensional counterparts (henceforth referred to as doubles) to enter and influence the world. It’s important to note when reading this class that the conduit and all their doubles are separate entities from one another and thus do not share any abilities or other aspects unless specifically detailed.


Adventures: Those who draw upon their dimensional doubles can see themselves in infinite form - sometimes as the hero and sometimes as the villain. They become aware of a link binding them together with all such versions of themselves and see these worlds being drawn into their own. Such powerful forces demand answers and the conduit will not rest until they are revealed.


Characteristics: A dimensional conduit is no mere jack of all traits, they are a diverse and focused mass of driven individuals acting as one. While they may be hewn from the same stone each double has been sculpted by a life time of experiences and are, as a result, entirely unique individuals. Each one is both as flawed and perfected as any creature, for they have been shaped by a life unseen in a world beyond our own.

A dimensional conduit draws upon their doubles, calling them for their aid and channelling their multitude of skills to unlock their combined destiny.


Alignment: Anyone can become a dimensional conduit, but few remain unaffected by the profound change it represents. To see oneself in infinite form - both at your most noble and most vile - is in itself a provocative experience indeed, from which some never truly recover from.

A lawful conduit likely sees a greater pattern or logic presenting itself to them, an order which spans dimensions yet still holds true. In contrast a chaotic conduit sees only the vast turmoil of existence, repeated and recycled endlessly, where the smallest moment can change a world forever.

Dimensional conduits can use there “gift” (or curse, depending on their outlook) for almost any end. Some become truly evil, viewing themselves as a greater being that has transcended mortal ties whilst other are humbled by the immeasurable scale of their vision and thus strive to better themselves and the lives of others.


Religion: Dimensional conduits have seen one of the great divides of creation unravel before their very eyes. They have peered into the endless space beyond the known world and witnessed the true immensity of existence – few can comprehend their vision and none are able to find the words to express it. Some may well turn to a deity for answers, but most begin to trust in something greater still, the raw forces of existence, time and space themselves.


Background: Most dimensional conduits are unfortunate victims of cosmic events beyond mortal comprehension. They are often little more than individuals who stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time and, as a result, witness the dimensional vale they once knew sunder before their eyes.

Some are born this way or grow into it upon reaching maturity. These individuals often stem from ancient and unusual bloodlines, touched by events beyond their own dimension. Some may even have ties to dimensions beyond their birthplace and thus see the great nexus linking them to the infinite worlds.

A rare few actively seek out such insight, unlocking secrets so alien in their nature that none truly know what they will unleash until it is too late. These individuals roam the world, skimming he boundaries of creation and drawing upon the combined wisdom of their doubles to find greater answers.


Races: A character born of any race can find themself enveloped by the infinite worlds.

Riftlings (new race, see below) are born from the energies which link one dimension to another and thus often find themselves bound to their doubles as a result.

Out of curiosity how are the riftlings going to be?

Other Classes: Most find the dimensional conduits connection with unseen worlds to be unnerving. Those who travel with them often find it difficult to accept that a world exists where their own doubles not only exist but, in infinite instances, acts in a way utterly contrary to their own beliefs.

Those without understanding of such powers may perceive the conduit to merely be eccentric individuals with an unusual multiple personality disorder. Other more learned or worldly individuals likely view them with a mixture of interest, pity and caution.


Role: A dimensional conduit is no mere dilettante with a broad array of interests. They are a union of individuals, each of whom have developed their skills over a lifetime of experience. They are a collective of understanding with a range as infinite as the many worlds themselves, each one unique - in every way.

The dimensional conduit is the gateway through which their parallel selves may enter this world. As she gains experience, she is able to contact more doubles who will in turn expand her flexibility. Ultimately a conduits success is dependent upon the union they forge with those doubles they choose to form a link with.


Adaptation: The dimensional conduit could easily be re-purposed as a shape shifter of sorts or have their powers explained in more magical terms. Perhaps they draw upon inspiration from past lives, or maybe they use some form of chronomancy to move back through time and alter their own experiences and skill set.

The alternate dimensions themselves could also be altered from near infinite to a simple few, thereby reducing the range and makeup of the doubles they may call upon.


GAME RULE INFORMATION

The Dimensional Conduit has the following game statistics.

Abilities: A brief description of what ability scores are important to your class.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d8

Starting Age: As rogue.

Starting Gold: As cleric.

Class Skills
The Dimensional Conduit's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...

I would probably take the skills of a bard (+spot, -perform) they are pretty generalist.

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

Dimensional Conduit
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Doubles|Double Level

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|Dimensional double|

1

|

1

2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Dimensional guidance (+1), Planar lore|

1

|

2

3rd|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Rift stride (10-feet), Warp shield (+4)|

1

|

3

4th|

+3

|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|Dimensional pocket, Riftweave weapon (+1)|

2

|

3/2

5th|

+3

|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|Void keeper (10%)|

2

|

4/3

6th|

+4

|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|Worlds collide|

2

|

5/4

7th|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|Dimensional Grasp, Dimensional guidance (+2)|

2

|

6/5

8th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|Riftweave weapon (+2), Void keeper (20%), Warp shield (+5)|

3

|

6/5/4

9th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|Beyonder, Rift stride (15-feet)|

3

|

7/6/5

10th|

+7/+2

|

+7

|

+7

|

+7

|Endless worlds (1 double)|

3

|

8/7/6

11th|

+8/+3

|

+7

|

+7

|

+7

|Void keeper (30%)|

3

|

9/8/7

12th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+8

|

+8

|Dimensional guidance (+3), Riftweave weapon (+3)|

4

|

9/8/7/6

13th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+8

|

+8

|Between worlds, Warp shield (+6)|

4

|

10/9/8/7

14th|

+10/+5

|

+9

|

+9

|

+9

|Void keeper (40%)|

4

|

11/10/9/8

15th|

+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+9

|

+9

|Endless worlds (2 doubles), Rift stride (20-feet)|

4

|

12/11/10/9

16th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+10

|

+10

|Riftweave weapon (+4), One of many (+2)|

5

|

12/11/10/9/8

17th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+10

|

+10

|Dimensional guidance (+4), Void keeper (50%)|

5

|

13/12/11/10/9

18th|

+13/+8/+3

|

+11

|

+11

|

+11

| Warp shield (+7)|

5

|

14/13/12/11/10

19th|

+14/+9/+4

|

+11

|

+11

|

+11

|One of many (+4)|

5

|

15/14/13/12/11

20th|

+15/+10/+5

|

+12

|

+12

|

+12

| 5 World Step, Endless worlds (3 doubles), Riftweave weapon (+5)|

6

|

15/14/13/12/11/10

[/table]

Still no dead levels

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Dimensional Conduit.


Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: A Dimensional Conduit is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. Dimensional Conduit's are proficient with both light and medium armour and shields (except tower shields).


Dimensional Double (Su):

The dimensional conduit, is not a single character, they are a collection of characters who share this class as a gateway, through which they can enter the campaigns dimension. While each of these characters are essentially a duplicate of the same entity, the differing circumstances native to their home dimensions have lead them to forge a unique life time of experiences. As a result no two doubles are ever truly the same and can often hold quite unique world views.

The conduit is unique in from all their doubles as they act as a focal point which bridges these dimensions and links their alternate selves to one another. The conduit is the version of the character native to the campaigns dimension and acts as the default representative of their persona.

Reading (and understanding) this is much easier now that it is dimensional conduit.

Drawing a Double.

At first level the character searches the infinite worlds and reaches out to their first double, who the controlling player constructs by generating an additional character sheet.

The character they create must share both the same race and age as the conduit and may not utilise any templates which suggest that they have a different lineage or bloodline to conduit. In essence the conduit and all her doubles must have been identical at the time of birth. Thus a conduit with a racial template (such as a half dragon) would also have this template active upon all their doubles. However, templates which may be applied to a creature after the time of birth (becoming a lich for example) could exist upon a conduit or a double without necessarily existing upon every double.

The examples ease the reading of this

Each double may be formed as though they were a unique character in their own right - having ability scores, class levels (see below), feats, skill and other such factors which differ from the conduit.

Amidst the chaos and turmoil of the infinite dimensions only those with a clear focus towards a singular path draw the conduits attention. As a result a double may only possess class levels from a single class. However, they are permitted to diverge into, and gain levels within, a single prestige class (should they qualify).

At later levels the conduit forges a link with additional doubles that will in turn require their own character sheets, following the above rules. The main class table shows the levels at which new doubles are gained. Once a conduit forges a link with a double their vision of similar doubles blurs and fades, making it impossible for any two doubles to share a level in the same class (or prestige class). Subsequent doubles are also drawn from an increasingly congested array of possible candidates which makes finding those of great power ever more complex. As a result the maximum level of subsequent doubles lowers by 1 each time a new double is obtained (as shown upon the main class table).

Though it may be possible for multiple conduits of the same entity to exist (indeed the nature of the infinite dimensions demands that there are indeed infinite conduits) no two conduits may link to one another. This means that none of a conduit’s doubles may possess any levels in this class.

As the conduit gains levels in this class their doubles may also increase in level. All of a conduits doubles are deemed to increase in level simultaneously. Doubles drawn into a dimension by a conduit often experience a fractured and disjointed life, which over time causes them to increase in level at a slower rate, as shown by the main class table.

Great so far.

Items and Class Abilities

Though a double may own items, equipment or other assets within their home dimension, none of it travels with them into the conduits dimension. This includes spell books, spell components, holy symbols and other such items. A double instead takes possession of the conduits possessions when called upon and thus should only have these items reflected upon their respective character sheets.

Aspects of a doubles class which are not directly born from the double themselves cannot travel into the conduits dimension. This includes familiars, mounts and animal companions. However, a double may spend actions to summon creatures once they arrive within the conduits dimension.

Spending actions to summon? Didn't they last for a round? Still this isn't a problem here, as the duration hasn't been mentioned nor the action cost (so it is clear)

Replacing Existing Doubles.

At 6th, 12th and 18th level the conduit may gaze into eternity and there substitute one of their existing doubles for a replacement of identical level. The replacement double is created just like any other double and may use the same classes and prestige classes the substituted double used.

This adds a little flexibility but doesn't over step creating too many available options. Much better than a week cooldown.

Calling Forth a Double.

The conduit may, as a full round action, activate one of their doubles. Immediately after performing this action the chosen double replaces the conduit and adopts the exact same body position the conduit previously held. The double then immediately performs their turn’s actions (as directed by the conduit) before being replaced by the conduit. The conduit may then perform any other actions, if they are able, before ending their turn and allowing the initiative order to proceed as normal.

Essentially the conduit spends a full round action to substitute these actions for a full turn of actions as their chosen double. It’s important to note that the conduit still both initiates and concludes their turn so the double is therefore never in play beyond this brief period of time.

A double enters play wearing or holding all of the conduits items, including any restraints (such as manacles). Doubles with aspects of their character that differ from the conduit (such as their alignment) may find that items respond differently when in their possession.

Activating a double draws an attack of opportunity which can be avoided by successfully performing a concentration skill check. The DC of this check is equal to 15 (+1 for every two levels the double possesses). This attack of opportunity is made against the conduit, not the double. A conduit struck by such an attack of opportunity automatically fails in their attempt to activate a double and may not make a fresh attempt for 1 round.

The round specification will get over the problems of getting two turns in a row, or two full actions.

When a double enters play it should be regarded as an entirely separate creature, who does not share any bonuses or penalties affecting the conduit that preceded them. They may however emerge in any number of situations which would affect a creature freshly introduced to the field, including finding themselves in the midst of a grapple or an environment which requires them to make a saving throw.

A double is not able to perform any actions in their home dimension which will benefit them in the conduits dimension, including casting spells to bolster their defences before they arrive. Such effects are stripped away by the powerful rifts through which the double is drawn.

Now that I think about it what happens if a conduit was buffed before calling the double? Would the powerful rifts strip them of the buffs? I expect that nothing happens to them.

Playing as a Double.

As soon as a double enters play they may perform a full range of actions as though their turn had just begun. However, the double cannot sustain its presence within the conduits dimension for long and therefore must return to its home dimension at the end of their turn - thus any actions they attempt to perform which extend beyond this period will immediately fail.

The doubles fleeting existence within the conduits home dimension may not be extended by any means. Any attempts to grant then further actions (even through the manipulation of time) immediately fail.

At the end of the doubles turn they are immediately swapped for the conduit, who returns to exactly the same location and holds exactly the same body position as the double they are replacing. This dimensional swap is instantaneous and draws no attacks of opportunity. The conduit may then perform any other actions, if they are able, before ending their turn and allowing the initiative order to proceed as normal.

Essentially the conduit spends a full round action to substitute these actions for a full turn of actions as their chosen double. It’s important to note that the conduit still both initiates and concludes their turn so the double is therefore never in play beyond this brief period of time.

Now I start to wonder about summoning the familiar.

Doubles vs Incoming Damage and Other Effects.

If a doubles sustains 1 or more hit points of damage whilst within the conduits dimension their turn ends immediately, causing the conduit to return and replace them (as described above). All but 1 point of this damage is then inflicted upon the conduit upon their return.

A double who sustains damage may not be called into action again for the rest of the encounter or for a period of 1 minute (whichever is occurs first).

A double may never ever exist within the conduits dimension for a period which extends beyond their allotted time and will immediately shift back to their own dimension if incapacitated or hindered in a way which would cause them to do so. Such a double may not be called into action again for the rest of the encounter or for a period of 1 minute (whichever is occurs first).

All effects (for good or ill) which were active upon the double whilst within the conduits dimension are automatically cancelled when they return to their home dimension. The double immediately reverts back to their previous state before they travelled to the conduits. Even doubles slain within the conduits dimension are return to their home alive. However, doubles do feel pain and can therefore be as emotionally affected as any other creature when placed in a traumatic situation.

[nitpick] While the underlined sections until now have been spoilered this wasn't spoilered [/nitpick]

Doubles as a Disguise.

Though both the double and the conduit were born genetically identical an entire life time of experiences can lead them to appear quite different, the amount by which they differ physically can therefore vary wildly. Generally speaking a double who has different strength, constitution or dexterity scores from the conduit will likely hold a noticeably different yet still vaguely similar appearance. Other aspects, such as the application of a lich template to a double can produce far more obvious physical differences to the conduit.

If a double retains some similarity to the conduit they may attempt a disguise check to fool onlookers into thinking they are in fact the conduit. Those who appear almost identical receive a +10 bonus to such disguise checks whilst those whom only appear vaguely similar only receive a +4 bonus.

I really like this, great idea.

Dimensional Guidance (Su):

Upon reaching 2nd level the conduit learns to draw inspiration from its infinite doubles without drawing upon a singular individual.

If the conduit chooses not to activate a double this turn they may select one of the following aspects to receive a +1 insight bonus to until the start of their next turn. The aspects the conduit may choose are:

Attack rolls
Saving throws
Armour Class

However, when a conduit chooses to benefit from this ability they immediately become incapable of activating a double until the start of their next turn. In essence each turn the conduit must choose to either benefit from this ability or utilise a double (they may never benefit from both abilities in the same round).

For every 5 Additional levels the conduit gains within this class the bonus provided by this ability increases by 1 (+2 at 7th level, +3 at 12th level and +4 at 17th level).

Much more balanced though since it is limited to attacks, savings or armor you might rise it to +2 (then +3, +4, +5) so it is more attractive.

Planar Lore (Ex):

Starting at 2nd level the conduit’s understanding of the dimensional weave gives them insight into the multiverse and its many realms. As a result the conduit receives a bonus to all Knowledge [the planes] equal to half their dimensional conduit class level.

This was already good so it keeps being good.

Rift Stride (Su):

Upon reaching 3rd level the conduits bond with the dimensional weave allows them to step through rifts unseen by other beings, using them to teleport short distances. The conduit may, as a swift action, teleport 10 feet. Later at the distance the conduit may teleport increases by 5 feet every 6 levels (15 feet at 9th level and 20 feet at 15th level).

The conduit may not utilise this ability if restrained or grappled and must have a line of sight to their destination.

It is nice to have the clause, maybe at later level when escaping from a grapple is more easy add an improvement that they can use it on a grapple or restrained with a concentration check.

Warp Shield (Su):

Upon reaching 3rd level doubles who enter the conduits dimension can envelope themselves with a dimensional shield when entering combat.

Any double who draws an attack of opportunity when moving or performing a bull rush receives a +4 bonus to their armour class. This bonus to armour class increases by +1 at 8 level and every 5 levels thereafter (+5 at 8th level, +6 at 13th level and finally +7 at 18th level).

This helps the melee characters to get in range, awesome!

Dimensional Pocket (Su):

Upon reaching 4th level the conduit gains access to a small pocket dimension between the normal planes of existence.

Once per turn the conduit may, as a free action, move any one item within their hands into a dimensional pocket, accessible only to them. The dimensional pocket may hold a total weight of 10 pounds per level (to a maximum of 200 pounds at 20th level).

Additionally once per turn a single item may, as a free action, be retrieved from the dimensional pocket by the conduit. The retrieved item emerges within the conduits hands. If the conduit has no free hands they may not retrieve items from the dimensional pocket.

If a conduit’s dimensional pocket is suppressed, by an antimagic field for example, it will become temporarily inaccessible to the conduit. Items which offer links to extra dimensional spaces, such as a bag of holding, may not be placed into a dimensional pocket.

The use of conduit makes it easier to recognize the limits of this class feature.

Riftweave Weapon (Su):

Beginning at 4th level the conduit’s doubles gains the ability to, as a free action, summon forth a single riftweave weapon whenever they activated.

The double may summon one weapon they are proficient with to a free hand (if they have no free hands the ability fails). If they choose to summon a projectile weapon, it comes with 10 bolts, cartridges, arrows, bullets, or whatever serves as the most appropriate projectile.

Weapons summoned by this ability gain a +1 enchantment bonus to their both attack and damage rolls. Additionally for every 4 further levels the conduit gains within this class the bonus provided by this ability increases by +1 (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level and +5 at 20th level).

Weapons summoned by this ability are made of riftweave, a trans-dimensional material which can mimic the form of metal and wood yet has the appearance of raw solidified energy. Riftweave weapons are considered magic for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction and also extend into the ethereal realm, functioning normally against any creatures present there.

The summed weapon (and all projectiles summoned with it) persist only while the chosen double is in play, after which they vanish.

Again using conduit's doubles makes easier to understand this class feature. Other than that check a summed in the last line.

Void Keeper (Su):

At 5th level the conduit observes the rifts and weaves of the infinite dimensions and can interpret their motions, allowing them to act against methods of extradimensional travel in their locality.

Any creature within 20 feet of the conduit who attempts to use a method of extradimensional travel has a 10% chance of their action failing. The conduit may opt to suppress this ability as a free action if they so choose.

Forms of movement hindered by a this ability include astral projection, blink, dimension door, ethereal jaunt, etherealness, gate, maze, plane shift, shadow walk, teleport, and similar spell-like or psionic abilities.

Later at 8th levels and every three level beyond (until 17th level) the chance of such abilities failing increases by 10% (20% at 8th level, 30% at 11th level, 40% at 14th level and finally 50% 17th level).

Great

Worlds Collide (Su):

Upon reaching 6th level the conduit may, Once per encounter when activating a double, pull them into their dimension with such force that a rift between the worlds detonates as 20 foot emanation centred upon the doubles location.

All other creatures and unattended objects within this area must overcome a reflex save (DC = 10 + half the conduits class level + half the chosen doubles character level) or pushed back 5 feet, knocked prone and sustain 1d6 force damage for each character level the chosen double possesses.

A creature who successfully overcomes this save suffers only half the full damage and is neither pushed back or knocked prone. Creatures with evasion (and improved evasion) may deploy that ability, as normal, against this effect to lessen or avoid the damage it inflicts.

Using this ability expends the move action of the chosen double as they take time to steady themselves after such a turbulent entry into the conduits dimension.

Only a double called to temporarily replace the conduit (and not those summoned using the Endless Worlds ability) may be targeted by this ability.

As mentioned before the extension of the text and the use of conduit / double make it easy to follow.

Dimensional Grasp (Sp):

A conduit who reaches 7th level may, as a standard action, cast the dimensional anchor spell as though they were a wizard with a caster level equal to their dimensional conduit class level.

Caster level was a much needed addition.

Beyonder (Sp):

A conduit who reaches 9th level understands how to safely traverse the rifts linking differing planes of existence, time and space.

Once per day the conduit may, as a standard action, cast either the plain shift or teleport spells as though they were a wizard with a caster level equal to their dimensional conduit class level.

Unlike the either of these spells however the conduit is not required to physically touch creatures to transport them and may instead target creatures up to 30 feet away as a ranged touch attack. Targeted creatures are still permitted saving throws and allowed the opportunity to use any spell resistance they may have as normal.

You may utilise this ability twice per day upon reaching 13th level and a third time at 17th level.

Nice addition to the abilities it makes sense that as much as he can be detrimental to others people through the planes he can travel if needed.

Endless Worlds (Su):

A conduit who attains 10th level learns to draw their doubles into the world without substituting their own involvement. The conduit may, once per encounter, summon one of their doubles into any free space within 30 feet of their current position as a standard action. The Double may then immediately act as normal, returning to its home dimension upon concluding its actions.

Later at 15th level the conduit may use this ability to summon two of their doubles and finally upon reaching 20th level they may summon a third double.

Summoned doubles appear wearing no armour or possessing any items of their own. Instead they emerge in clothing forged from riftweave, which offers a +1 Enchantment bonus to armour class for every 4 character levels the double possesses. Each double may also opt to emerge wielding a single weapon forged from riftweave as if the conduit had utilised the riftweave weapon ability for each double.

If a double summoned in this way sustains 1 or more hit points of damage whilst within the conduits dimension their immediately return to their home dimension. Unlike a double who takes the conduits position none of the excess damage flows over to the conduit when a summoned double is struck.

All doubles have a fleeting existence within the conduits home dimension and thus may not extend their time here by any means. Any attempts to grant further actions to either a double or the conduit (even through the manipulation of time) immediately fail.

Wow this is a nice and cool ability at 10th level

Between Worlds (Su):

Starting at 13th level the conduit learns to survive and travel within the space between dimensions. Once per encounter the conduit may, as a swift action, become ethereal for 1 round.

This ability does not extend to the conduits doubles, who do not appear in an ethereal state. The conduit however will remain ethereal so it’s therefore possible for a conduit to become ethereal, activate a double (who emerges in a non-etherial state) before returning once more – still in ethereal form.

As a move action the conduit may re-set this ability, allowing them to once again use it within the same encounter.

Nice, easy to follow and useful. I really like the redraft of the class.

One of Many (Su):

Starting at 16th level the conduit learns to act as an intermediary between the infinite versions of them self and their doubles, sharing experiences, motivation, insight and tactical suggestions. As a result whenever a double enter the play they receive a +2 bonus to all their saving throws. Later at 19th level this bonus increases to +4.

Yep the first time I checked this ability I missed double for dimensional double it is easier to read now

5 World Step (Su):

At 20th level the conduit has learned to meld their many selves into a seamless dimensional confluence, allowing their many doubles to take action in the blink of an eye.

Once per day the conduit may, as a full round action, activate all their doubles - one after the other – as if using their dimensional double ability up to 5 times in a row.

Each of the conduits five chosen doubles may only be used once and may only perform a single move or standard action instead of a full round action.

The intense strain of performing this action causes the conduit to become fatigued upon conclusion of the final doubles action.

Awesome ability and capstone, does he become fatigued until the end of the encounter?

[kanachi]

A redraft deserves a rePEACH

what a legend you are sir! Thank you so much :o)

Out of curiosity how are the riftlings going to be?

I'm playing with the idea of them as we speak... At the moment they get a free double and the ability to use said double as if using the dimensional double class feature listed here. This free double maxes out at level 10 when you have 20 character levels.

So basically they let you get a taste of the class feature without actually needing to take this class. Of course if you do enter the class you will have an extra double to draw upon.

Other than this they have a rift weave ability which lets them teleport 5 feet as a swift action a number of times per encounter equal to their constitution modifier. So they would also make pretty good scouts (as in the scout class).

Fluff wise they are being born in a dimension consumed by a cataclysmic rift of their own creation. A select few were flung, by forces unknown, into the campaigns dimension. Though their home dimension is lost within an eternal void they can still call upon an alternate version of themselves trapped within... the version that never was.

Their appearance is similar to the Protoss from star craft except they have mouths and have a grey skin tone which rhythmically pulses from light to dark.

They were once an arrogant and destructive race, but most have found themselves severely humbled since the destruction of their home dimension and their resulting reliance upon other races whom they used as slaves within their home dimension.

I would probably take the skills of a bard (+spot, -perform) they are pretty generalist.

Not a bad list, I'll think on it.

Reading (and understanding) this is much easier now that it is dimensional conduit.

Yer i think its made a huge difference, thank you!

Spending actions to summon? Didn't they last for a round? Still this isn't a problem here, as the duration hasn't been mentioned nor the action cost (so it is clear)

Just trying to cover my bases again, but I've gone back and reworded it a bit to make things more understandable... i hope.

This adds a little flexibility but doesn't over step creating too many available options. Much better than a week cooldown.

Agreed! Thank you so much for this idea!

Now that I think about it what happens if a conduit was buffed before calling the double? Would the powerful rifts strip them of the buffs? I expect that nothing happens to them.

The conduit's own buffs or debuffs are uneffected by a double. I've done a rewrite to explain this a bit better. Thanks!

[nitpick] While the underlined sections until now have been spoilered this wasn't spoilered [/nitpick]

Doubles as a Disguise.

Changed. Thanks!

Much more balanced though since it is limited to attacks, savings or armor you might rise it to +2 (then +3, +4, +5) so it is more attractive.

Took your advice and upped it to +2.

It is nice to have the clause, maybe at later level when escaping from a grapple is more easy add an improvement that they can use it on a grapple or restrained with a concentration check.

Might be a good idea. I'll think on it.

This helps the melee characters to get in range, awesome!

I was hoping you would approve. I really want to make a melee double viable. Thank you for stiring my thinking this way.

Wow this is a nice and cool ability at 10th level

I would say at 10th level its good but its not until you start getting 2 or 3 doubles that it gets awesome.

Awesome ability and capstone, does he become fatigued until the end of the encounter?

I just loved the image of 5 different versions of a dude emerging, one after the other, to lay a smack down upon someone... kinda like those anime you see where things go utterly mental.

I've made the fatigue run tot he end of the encounter as well. So its a nice finishing move.

[God Imperror]

Could anyone please check the ancestral heroes abilities?

I received a comment on stormcloacks lightning bolts being overpowered

I don't really know what to think, I believe that in order to make any ability strong you need to invest several resources into it. And the maximum investment is severally limited by your class level, so I don't see it OP, maybe it's just that I've spent too much time thinking on it.

Thanks on advance

[Zaydos]

Looking at it many of your abilities are either passive offensive buffs, or use and forget for 5 rounds which means the limit from your offerings is "Select two buffs each round" or "Select 1 buff and empower a non-attack offensive option". Lightning Bolt doubles your attacks per round with ranged attacks as long as there are two enemies, couple that with also giving you more than half of a rogue's sneak attack damage except slightly less likely to be resisted and I can see why someone would think it was overpowered. Compare it to Night's Caress which grants the same amount of bonus damage but instead of grants a mere +0.5 damage +0.5 damage per offering point. Lightning Bolt is the best just sheer damage ability, and probably the strongest of the Anointed Hero abilities. Inspiring Dance is Inspire Courage + a better Dragonfire Inspiration almost constantly which might be too strong in its own regard, and currently as written doesn't tie up your offering for the duration meaning you just switch them back to something else after using it to give your whole team +X to hit and Xd6+X damage.

Changing Visage: I don't like the boon getting around True Seeing, that's mostly a personal thing and a recognition that Disguise Self is pretty powerful as is. Also Supernatural abilities don't normally radiate magical auras for some reason that eludes my understanding.

Battlepower's Boon also might be too strong, it depends upon balance level, but generally power attacking from AC is really strong, this also gives DR (up to) 10/- when doing it and (up to) 10 temp hp. Mostly, though, it's Shock Trooper+ which is already considered pretty strong.

Swordmaster's Sublime Sword is actually rather weak compared to most of the features.

Some of the heroes are definitely better than others (Nightthirster can grant the best version of Hide in Shadows and a scaling bonus to hide checks, Stormcloak is 2x damage, Battlelord is a better version of the 3 Diamond Mind save maneuvers 1/5 rounds and Shocktrooper+, Dancing Fire is bardic music + Dragonfire Inspiration). Battlelord is rather unique in having 3 strong boons. The rest usually have one boon definitely better than the others. Most of the offering abilities are either skill checks (very much "when you need them" but +1/2 level to a skill check is a pretty typical "when you need it" ability) or offensive (meaning no reason to passively keep offerings in them). As is it looks like with a few exceptions of activated abilities with durations you'd not be changing your offerings much unless you needed to make a specific type of skill check and even then not often.

[God Imperror]

Thanks for the insight

Looking at it many of your abilities are either passive offensive buffs, or use and forget for 5 rounds which means the limit from your offerings is "Select two buffs each round" or "Select 1 buff and empower a non-attack offensive option".

One source of problem might be not tying the offering points to the use and forget abilities. Would fixing, for the duration, the offering points invested in those abilities make it more compensate?

Lightning Bolt doubles your attacks per round with ranged attacks as long as there are two enemies, couple that with also giving you more than half of a rogue's sneak attack damage except slightly less likely to be resisted and I can see why someone would think it was overpowered.

Maybe only having the electricity damage jump to the next target?

Compare it to Night's Caress which grants the same amount of bonus damage but instead of grants a mere +0.5 damage +0.5 damage per offering point.

Nightthirster
Background:
Associated skill: Move silently
Associated weapon: Javelin
Associated save: Reflex
Abilities:
Night's caress: This is exactly like the rogue sneak attack ability. You deal 1d6 extra damage, plus another 1d6 per offering point invested.
Shadow shroud: You don't leave a trail and you cannot be tracked by scent. Any offering point invested grants you a cumulative 10% chance of deflecting ranged attacks.
Black candle: You can use darkness as a supernatural ability once every five rounds with a CL equal to your Anointed Heritor level. Each offering point invested increases the effective spell level by one to determine the light spells that it can counter.
Boons
Night's caress: You become more precise with your sneak attacks, you can reroll any result of 1 on the dice. Any offering point invested increases the range at which you can use your night's caress sneak attack by 10'.
Shadow shroud: You gain a bonus on saves towards divination spells equal to your CHA bonus additionally if you make a save against a divination spell you are automatically aware of it. Any offering point invested allows you to snatch any projectile weapon that gets deflected by your shadow shroud to a maximum of one per offering point invested, thrown weapons can immediately be thrown back at the original attacker (even though it isn’t your turn) or kept for later use.
Black candle: As long as you are at least 10' away from shadows you can attempt Hide checks while being observed, just as if you had cover or concealment for the purpose of this determination. Any offering point invested grants you a +2 on Hide checks and Move silently checks while you are at least 10' from shadows.

Night caress (with the boon) grants +1d6 and +10' to the distance from where you can use sneak attack per offering point. It is true that it grants the same damage and probably the ricochet is the main issue. I will have the ricochet be a standard (so it cannot be used in a full round).

Inspiring Dance is Inspire Courage + a better Dragonfire Inspiration almost constantly which might be too strong in its own regard, and currently as written doesn't tie up your offering for the duration meaning you just switch them back to something else after using it to give your whole team +X to hit and Xd6+X damage.

Maybe keep you expending standard actions to do so or fixing the points in there.

Changing Visage: I don't like the boon getting around True Seeing, that's mostly a personal thing and a recognition that Disguise Self is pretty powerful as is. Also Supernatural abilities don't normally radiate magical auras for some reason that eludes my understanding.

Good to know that you don't radiate auras with supernatural, maybe beating true seeing is to strong. What about being able to change the aura that you (or the items that you carry) emit?

Battlepower's Boon also might be too strong, it depends upon balance level, but generally power attacking from AC is really strong, this also gives DR (up to) 10/- when doing it and (up to) 10 temp hp. Mostly, though, it's Shock Trooper+ which is already considered pretty strong.

The DR might be excessive, I might switch it to something else.

Swordmaster's Sublime Sword is actually rather weak compared to most of the features.

Maybe have the boon be picking martial study as a bonus feat?

Some of the heroes are definitely better than others (Nightthirster can grant the best version of Hide in Shadows and a scaling bonus to hide checks, Stormcloak is 2x damage, Battlelord is a better version of the 3 Diamond Mind save maneuvers 1/5 rounds

Should I limit it to reflex? It is Battlelord's bad save and it is the "worst" save.

and Shocktrooper+, Dancing Fire is bardic music + Dragonfire Inspiration). Battlelord is rather unique in having 3 strong boons. The rest usually have one boon definitely better than the others. Most of the offering abilities are either skill checks (very much "when you need them" but +1/2 level to a skill check is a pretty typical "when you need it" ability) or offensive (meaning no reason to passively keep offerings in them). As is it looks like with a few exceptions of activated abilities with durations you'd not be changing your offerings much unless you needed to make a specific type of skill check and even then not often.

I'll look in dealing with the ones with duration, probably add a clause to the list at the top. Thank you very much for your comments.

[kanachi]

Right so I've posted the magic user version of the Dimensional Conduit in the post after the main class entry. See what you guys think.

I will also try to post the Riftling rules up soon as well before moving onto feats and the like.

If anyone has any thoughts on anything in the contest entry thus far let me know.

[God Imperror]

Okay...

12/18 Ancestral heroes done

1/15 Anointments prerequisites done

Once I finish that I will work on the feats the original idea was to make two specific feats per hero, but that it is probably going to be out of reach

[GFawkes]

Since everyone else seems to have one, could I get a PEACH-ing of the Skin Shifter? I was aiming for that area between tiers 3 and 4, but I think it came out somewhere in the low 4 area.

[kanachi]

Since everyone else seems to have one, could I get a PEACH-ing of the Skin Shifter? I was aiming for that area between tiers 3 and 4, but I think it came out somewhere in the low 4 area.

I'll try to take a look tomorrow as its a bit late here now.... so give me a couple of hours and i will see what can be done :)

Also, peach for peach is a good way to go i reckon.

[God Imperror]

Since everyone else seems to have one, could I get a PEACH-ing of the Skin Shifter? I was aiming for that area between tiers 3 and 4, but I think it came out somewhere in the low 4 area.

I like the concept so I'll give it a go, If the same could be provided for my class I would really appreciate it.

Skin Shifter

Put an image of your class here!

Everyone is someone, and I'm everyone.

Image could improve, I guess Sentence is interesting.

Skin Shifters are the best at blending. There are few situations that a Skin Shifter cannot find some application of their most basic ability: adapting to the situation. Need a Prince Charming for the ball? Or maybe an intimidating bodyguard? Or maybe just someone to cause the guards to be, ahem, otherwise occupied? A skin shifter can offer all, if the price is right.

Adventures: Skin Shifters may adventure for any reason, though the most common is to show off their ability. It's one thing to have your name down as a brave warrior; it's entirely different to also be a diplomat and an exiled royal in the same life.

Characteristics: All skin shifters are capable of altering their appearance to some degree. As they become more proficient in this, they can make greater changes that may even have no physical effect, but instead affect how their minds and souls are seen.

Alignment: While there are skin shifters of every alignment, they lean towards the more chaotic side. Most skin shifters are free spirited, changing their opinion of something about as often as they change their eye color. The most common alignment for a skin shifter is Chaotic Neutral, becoming less and less frequent the more steps you are away from there.

Religion: Olidammara is the most common deity for skin shifters, him being the god of trickery and all, though worshipers of Fhlarghan aren't unheard of due to the wandering nature of skin shifters.

Background: While all skin shifters are born with their abilities, there are a few factors that make each unique. Firstly, there is the source of the transformative ability. It could be that he was just born in the right place at the right time, or perhaps there's a doppelganger in his distant ancestry. Extraplanar beings may also have had some effect in causing a skin shifter's power. Then there's how those abilities manifest. They may develop into a form of lycanthropy, only have a small effect such as looking more like the neighbor than the father, or not appear at all until he is on his deathbed.

However, having power is much different than controlling it. Many skin shifters take time to first show signs of their ability, and will spend about as much time learning to control it. After all, it's embarrassing to be in the middle of wooing the elven queen when you suddenly change into a feral orc warrior.

Races: Humans are the most common race to show skin shifting, though it is by no means exclusive to them. Skin shifters can show up in any race native to the Prime Material plane. Skin shifters among the more savage races are more inclined to imitate animals and present a more feral look.

No dopplegangers? No changelings? I can certainly see changelings skin shifting.

Other Classes: Skin shifters generally get along well with everyone. It's their job to do so. Other social classes, such as bards, beguilers, and certain rogues, get along extraordinarily well with skin shifters. Non-social rogues also get along well, though they don't see the risk of interacting with so many people to get somewhere you could easily break into. Divine casters that are tied to nature (druids, spirit shamans) both sympathize with and question skin shifters. They understand that there is more to life than one physical form, but often disapprove of how casually skin shifters alter their form. Paladins disapprove of skin shifters, seeing them as dishonorable tricksters. However, as with rogues, they will give an individual a chance to prove himself. Skin shifters have no special relations with any other class.

Role: Skin shifters make unparalleled infiltrators, being able to change their appearance on the fly. Some skin shifters focus more on combat, allowing them to fight long enough for assistance to arrive, while others lean to utilize their bodies, being able to be prepared for any situation.

Adaptation: The easiest way to adapt a skin shifter is to make them a master of disguise, though there are plenty of imaginative ways to fit them into a setting.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Skin shifters have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma helps a skin shifter do what he does best: blend in. As with any class that wears little armor, Dexterity is important. Constitution is important for more battle-oriented Skin Shifters, for both hitpoints and Concentration.
Alignment: Any, though they tend towards chaotic
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: As bard.
Starting Gold: 4d4x10 gp.

Class Skills
The skin shifter's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...

Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (All, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (NaN), Use Magic Device (Cha)

Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

Good fluff, ad good skill list with enough skill points to be competent. Move Silently might be an addition depending on how much they focus on stealth, it is rather difficult to get move silently as a class skill.

Skin Shifter
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Skinslip, Form Focus, Social Awareness
2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+3

|Alternate Persona (1 minor identity), Resistive Body
3rd|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|Genderslip, Shift Utility, Hide Alignment
4th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|Skinshift, Alternate Persona (2 minor identities)
5th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|Alternate Persona (2 minor identities, 1 medium identity), Shift Utility
6th|

+4

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|Raceslip, Alternate Persona (3 minor identities, 1 medium identity)
7th|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|Ageslip, Quickened Change (Standard Action), Shift Utility
8th|

+6/+1

|

+2

|

+6

|

+6

|Gendershift, Alternate Persona (4 minor identities, 1 medium identity, 1 major identity)
9th|

+6/+1

|

+3

|

+6

|

+6

|Transmutive Body, Shift Utility
10th|

+7/+2

|

+3

|

+7

|

+7

|Sizeslip, Alternate Persona (5 minor identities, 2 medium identities, 1 major identity)
11th|

+8/+3

|

+3

|

+7

|

+7

|Ageshift, Quickened Change (Move Action), Shift Utility
12th|

+9/+4

|

+4

|

+8

|

+8

|Raceshift, Alternate Persona (6 minor identities, 2 medium identities, 1 major identity), Hide Thoughts
13th|

+9/+4

|

+4

|

+8

|

+8

|Disguise Mastery, Shift Utility, Mask Alignment
14th|

+10/+5

|

+4

|

+9

|

+9

|Alternate Persona (7 minor identities, 2 medium identities, 1 major identity)
15th|

+11/+6/+1

|

+5

|

+9

|

+9

|Alternate Persona (7 minor identities, 3 medium identities, 1 major identity), Quickened Change (Swift Action), Shift Utility
16th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+5

|

+10

|

+10

|Sizeshift, Alternate Persona (8 minor identities, 3 medium identities, 2 major identities)
17th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+5

|

+10

|

+10

|Disguise Perfection, Mask Thoughts, Shift Utility
18th|

+13/+8/+3

|

+6

|

+11

|

+11

|Alternate Persona (9 minor identities, 3 medium identities, 2 major identities)
19th|

+14/+9/+4

|

+6

|

+11

|

+11

|Quickened Change (Free Action), Shift Utility
20th|

+15/+10/+5

|

+6

|

+12

|

+12

|Alternate Persona (10 minor identities, 4 medium identities, 2 major identities), True Identity[/table]

No dead levels is always a good thing

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the skin shifter.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Skin shifters are proficient with all simple weapons, any natural weapons of the forms they take, and all light martial weapons. They are not proficient with any kind of armor, and tend to dislike wearing it.

I like the natural weapons part.

Skinslip (Su): This is the most basic ability of any skin shifter. A skin shifter can alter his appearance at will, with large limitations. He must remain the same race, gender, and age category, altering his appearance takes a full-round action, and it only affect his appearance, as disguise self. This quickly improves, however.

rather limiting at 1st level.

Form Focus (Ex): When you can be anyone, it's hard to remember what you look like in a mirror. Skin shifters must constantly concentrate to maintain a form. This is usually a DC 10 Concentration check when performing day to day activity. During combat, or other moments of high stress (Taking 10 not allowed), this doubles to a DC 20. If he takes damage, a skin shifter must automatically make a Concentration check of DC (Damage Taken/Skin Shifter level, round up). These checks are made automatically with no action required. If the skin shifter fails this Concentration check, he immediately reverts to his natural form and cannot use any slips, shifts, or Shift Utilities until he makes a successful Concentration check

This hurts them a lot at low level, pcs are probably going to eventually fail a check. Also it is not mentioned how frequently they need to check. Every round? Every minute?

It is quite worse than using disguise self as it is.

Social Awareness (Ex): All skin shifters learn to blend in at a basic level by learning how to behave like everyone else. This has three effects:

• A skin shifter may always Take 10 on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive
• A skin shifter can make a Sense Motive check to get a gut assessment of the situation as a Move Action
• A skin shifter gets a +4 on all Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Gather Information, and Sense Motive checks

Can he take 10 on bluff diplomacy and sense motive even under stress?

Alternate Persona (Ex): When you change your identity on a nearly constant basis, it can help you stay sane by having an identity that you can retreat to. Starting at 2nd level, a skin shifter develops an alternate identity, and then realizes that one simply isn't enough. At every even level, he gains an additional minor identity. At 5th level, and every 5 levels after, he gains a medium identity. At 8th level and 16th level, he gains a major identity.

A minor identity is just that: someone he can call himself at the end of the day. These identities are usually inconsequential ones. Not necessarily low-class, but no one would notice if they disappeared for an extended period of time without explanation.

having profession intervene in those could be fun.

A medium identity is more important, and thus can learn more. While in a medium identity, a skin shifter gets a +4 bonus on Gather Information checks and a +2 on one Knowledge skill, chosen when the identity is made. The Knowledge boost is from some social connection or perhaps a library. Medium identities are roughly middle class: they can vanish for a day or two without warning, but any longer and people will at least have the thought cross their mind of where they are.

A major identity is a person of influence. They often have people that depend on them on a daily basis, and are in a much higher position of power. While in a major identity, a skin shifter gets a +10 to Gather Information, +4 on three Knowledge skills chosen when the identity is made, and can ask for a minor favor 1/week. The favor can have a gp value of no more than 100 gp. Any request that is either out of the ordinary for the identity (such as a wealthy tailor asking how crops are growing) or overly suspicious (such as asking guards to not be around a certain area for an hour) allows the target a Sense Motive check against the skin shifter's Bluff check. Major identities are almost always high class. If they disappear without announcing plans to travel, there will be investigation.

Creating an identity takes 1 week plus -1d4 days for a minor ID, 1d6 days for a medium ID, and 2d4 days for a major ID. This consists of focusing on the new form, committing it to memory, separating thoughts that belong exclusively to it, and making the identity known.

It is possible to retire an identity, though each one is different. Most minor identities can simply just disappear with no effort. Medium identities require 1d4+2 days of effort to come up with an explanation and spread it around. Major identities require either a drastic spontaneous event (making a fake murder) or 1d4-1 months of effort, minimum 1 month.

Cool ability, I like the zhentarim spy from players guide to faerun, it is a tad similar, maybe check it for inspiration.

Resistive Body (Ex): A skin shifter's body reacts differently to transmutations than most people's. When a skin shifter is the target of a transmutation spell, it acts as if it were cast (1/2 Class Level) levels lower, due to his body resisting change that it has not chosen to make.

Can he choose to be affected by the transmutation spell as normal? It doesn't seem so at the moment and it is pretty bad in that case. Also why? He's been using illusion until now, no actual change was involved.

Genderslip (Su): As skin shifters are constantly learning to shift further from their original form, one of the earliest tricks is gender alteration. He can now appear to be either male or female, though this is also appearance only, as per disguise self, and he still takes a penalty for disguising as the opposite gender.

Okay

Shift Utility (Ex): At level 3, and every 2 levels thereafter, a skin shifter learns a new trick for his transforming. He can only pick a Shift Utility once, unless otherwise noted. Some have prerequitite Shift Utilities, and cannot be taken until those are.

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• Amphibious: You can grow gills as a move action. You may return to your original state as a free action. These gills allow you to breathe underwater indefinitely.
• Blending: Your skin changes to match the background, providing a +10 modifier to Hide checks. This only works if you can see the area around you.
• Clotheshift: When you skinshift, you can create mundane clothing on your body. You must already have Clotheslip to have Clotheshift.
• Clotheslip: When you skinshift, you may also choose to alter the appearance of clothing on your body. However, you cannot create any clothing.
• Fortification: Gain Light Fortification. You may take this Utility up to 3 times, increasing the level of Fortification by one step each time (Light, Medium, Heavy).
• Improved Utility: Pick a skill that you have Utility Limb for. The tool you create now counts as masterwork, and thus provides a +2 bonus. Additionally, you can now create it as a Swift Action.
• Offensive Limb: You shift your arm into any non-reach melee weapon you are proficient with. It has all the properties of the weapon, and cannot be sundered or disarmed. It counts as either a manufactured weapon or a natural weapon, whichever is more beneficial.
• Pointy Claw: Gain a claw attack that deals 1d6 damage (for a medium creature). This counts as a primary natural attack. You may take this Utility up to as many times as you have arms in your natural form.
• Rebuild: Gain Fast Healing 1. You can take this Utility multiple times.
• Resilient Skin: Gain DR 1/-. You can take this Utility multiple times.
• Scent: Gain the Scent ability with a range of 30 ft. You may take this Utility multiple times, increasing the range by 30 ft each time.
• Studied Mimic: After observing someone for 10 rounds, you may shift your form to look like them exactly, giving a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to impersonate them. However, if there is a trait of them that you cannot mimic due to not being able to slip or shift (such as size or age category), you do not mimic that trait, and the bonus decreases by 2. After 1 hour of total time not spent looking like them, you must re-study them to retain the bonus.
• Temporary Amorph: By loosening your joints and softening your bones, you are more able to slip through tight spaces. Gain (Class level) as a bonus to Escape Artist checks for CON Modifier rounds. Usable 3 + CHA modifier times per day.
• Thick Skin: Gain +1 Natural Armor. You may take this Utility multiple times.
• Toothy Maw: Gain a bite attack that deals 1d6 damage (for medium creatures). This counts as a secondary natural attack.
• Utility Limb: Pick a skill. As a Move Action, you may shift part of your body into a tool that aids in the use of that skill. This could be anything from growing webbed feet to swim better, elongating your fingers into lockpicks, or placing a scar on just the right place to be more intimidating.
• Venom:You secrete venom on your body that can be applied to weapons you hold as a move action in combat. If you use this in conjunction with a natural attack, it counts as a free action. The venom deals 1d4 damage to a physical ability score (STR, DEX, CON) or 1d6 to a mental ability score (INT, WIS, CHA), chosen when you take this Utility, as both primary and secondary damage. The DC for the venom is Fort (10+1/2 Class Level+CHA Modifier), and applies on Injury/Ingestion. You cannot be affected by your own venom, though the venom of other skin shifters may still affect you.

This seem to be based on actually changing the body of the skin shift. Since disguise self is an illusion spell, it isn't actually changing anything, I don't really see how they could get those effects through illusion. Since you disbelief your own illusion I don't think that you can get effects on yourself, from your own illusions (even if they weren't actually real). Why don't you use alter self instead of disguise self for the base?

Hide Alignment (Su): Disguising yourself as the captain of the guard doesn't do much if you register as evil in the paladin's eyes. Starting at level 3, a skin shifter is constantly protected by an undetectable alignment effect. He may choose to suppress this ability as a free action, and may re-activate it as a move action.

Nice ability to have

Skinshift (Ex): Since it is one of the most innate abilities of a skin shifter, it's only natural that it's one of the first ones mastered. At 4th level, a skin shifter's Skinslip ability ceases to be an illusion and becomes an actual physical change. It now functions as alter self, though it retains the limitations from before. However, it does not allow Genderslip to become a physical change.

If he can turn himself into a member of a different race why can't he change sex? Also how did he get a shift utility before this? As I mentioned earlier disguise self works as an illusion.

Raceslip (Su): Building his repitoir of transformations, a skin shifter of 6th level or higher can alter his apparent race. He must remain humanoid, and keeps his original type and subtype. This is visual only, as disguise self, and he takes the penalty for not disguising as his own race.

Ageslip (Su): Age is but a number, and a number multiplied allows options. Starting at level 7, a skin shifter can alter his apparent age. This functions as disguise self, and retains the penalty for disguising as a different age category.

So... this are illusions if someone were to touch you they would actually get a will safe to disbelief?

Quickened Change (Ex): After so much practice, it's only natural that a skin shifter would get faster at changing his appearance. At 7th level, it takes only a Standard Action to change form. At 11th, it goes down to a Move Action. At 15th, it further shortens to a Swift Action. Finally, at 19th level, a skin shifter can alter his form as a Free Action.

I would limit it to a free action, once per turn (in its turn) otherwise maybe they can pull shenanigans somehow.

Gendershift (Ex): Rule 63: For every male character, there is a female version, and vice versa. At level 8 skin shifter's Genderslip ability becomes physical, as alter self. The penalty still remains, due to not being as well versed in how someone of the opposite gender is supposed to act, but it is halved.

The penalty is probably not significant (it is a -1)

Transmuting Body (Ex): Easing the path for alteration, a skin shifter of level 9 or higher improves on his Resistive Body. At the time he is affected by a transmutation spell, he may choose to instead raise the ECL of it by (1/2 Class Level) instead of lowering it.

I still miss the ability to be affected as normal.

Sizeslip (Sp): Sometimes, you just need to be big enough to use party members as improvised weapons or small enough to use a rat as a mount. Starting at level 10, a skin shifter can alter his size by up to (CHA Modifier) categories, to a minimum of Fine and a maximum of Colossal. This imitates the enlarge person or shrink person spells, respectively. However, due to the awkwardness of being a size you weren't born into, the bonuses, if any, are halved and there is a -2 penalty to Dexterity if growth is chosen or a -2 penalty to Strength if shrinking is chosen.

You can go from fine to colossal then at 10th level this can be used for the lolz if you ever get inside an enemy's body. I am actually getting nasty ideas of fine creatures getting into your mouth while you sleep to become colossal once inside.

Ageshift (Ex): Beginning at level 11, a skin shifter's ability to alter his age improves. The change becomes physical, as alter self, and the penalty is halved for disguising as a different age category.

Do they stats change if the use this ability?

Raceshift (Ex): After being outside of his natural skin, it is logical that a skin shifter would learn to take the skin that cannot be his. At 12th level, a skin shifter's ability to appear as a member of a different race becomes physical, as alter self, and the penalty for disguising as a member of a different race is halved. Additionally, when using Raceshift, he loses the type he previously was and gains the type (and subtype) of the race he shifts into.

And now he can use alter self properly is he limited to the types listed in alter self and limited by hd? Or since he was based on illusions he can do anything he wants?

Hide Thoughts (Su): With all the identities in his head, it makes sense to at least lock the door to a skin shifter's mind. In any identity, his mind is concealed with an effect similar to mind blank. While his mind can be detected, no access is permitted to outsiders without permission. The skin shifter is aware of the attempted intrusion, though not where it came from.

Fitting ability

Disguise Mastery (Ex): At level 13, a skin shifter becomes highly competent in his disguises. He can always Take 10 on a Disguise check, and disguises in only 1d3 minutes. Additionally, he no longer takes penalties for disguising as a different gender, race, or age category.

The skin shifter disguises like a boss.

Mask Alignment (Su): While hiding information can work, it may raise a few unnecessary issues. Better to give false information. At level 13, a skin shifter can alter his apparent alignment. Doing so takes a swift action, and may only change by one step at a time, or a full-round action with no step limitation. For example, if the skin shifter is naturally Chaotic Neutral, and he wants to appear Lawful Good, it will take either 3 rounds (Neutral to Good, Chaotic to Neutral, Neutral to Lawful) and permit him to do other things, or 1 round (Chaotic Neutral to Lawful Good) but will not let him focus elsewhere. This does not affect his ability to emulate alignments with the Use Magic Device skill. Using the same skin shifter as an example, if he is masking his alignment to be Lawful Good, he still gets hurt from touching a Book of Exalted Deeds.

Nice ability to have, how does this help him though? Those he gets to avoid being hit by a smite of his apparent alignment?

Sizeshift (Su): Growing out of the awkwardness of being a different size, a skin shifter learns to control his size changing ability. At level 16, when the skin shifter alters his size with Sizeslip, he no longer takes a Dexterity penalty for being larger or a Strength penalty for being smaller, and the bonuses return to their normal amounts.

Well now I can move from fine to colossal and have bonus I guess.

Disguise Perfection (Ex): Practice makes perfect. At level 17, a skin shifter can Take 20 on a Disguise check any time he could Take 10 without the use of his Disguise Mastery ability. Additionally, he can now disguise as a full-round action.

What for? True seeing still can pierce some of his ****. An awesomely high skill check aint going to help it.

Mask Thoughts (Su): In the Abjuration vs. Illusion arguement, it comes up that abjuration lets them know you're aware they're trying, while illusion offers no protection besides hiding. A skin shifter of level 17 or higher reaches a middle ground when protecting his mind. When his mind is forcefully accessed, he only shows thoughts that match up with the identity he is currently assuming. If there are none, or he doesn't want to allow access, he can still allow his Hide Thoughts ability to affect the intrusion.

True Identity (Ex): A skin shifter by this point will have had at least 17 different identities that he needs to keep up with. Even with all his practice, this can be taxing on his brain and make him lose his sense of who he is. By defining a True Identity, he avoids this problem. First, he chooses one of his identities, including the one he had before reaching level 2 of skin shifter. By meditating for 8 hours a week, not necessarily consecutive, he prevents himself from forgetting who he is. If his Hide Thoughts and Mask Thoughts abilities are penetrated, or access to his mind is otherwise forced through, the only thoughts that will be read are the ones pertaining to the chosen identity. Secondly, the skin shifter can take the form of his chosen identity as an immediate action.

Nothing overly exiting here.

Variants

Social Assassin

Sometimes, you need to get your hands dirty. But it's better if you can dirty the hands of your enemies. By selecting the social assassin variant, you gain +1d6 of Sneak Attack at every even level, and gain a death attack as an assassin at level 20. However, you don't gain the Alternate Persona or True Identity features.

This is probably a little better it adds some damage to the class.

I have to admit that I feel that this class is a bit weak, it fits its niche, but probably other existing classes or races or monsters could do it better (much better)

Good points:
-It has a +10 to disguise checks, ignores some petty penalties and can make really good disguise checks.
-It is really good at bluffing with his mind.
-It is capable of utterly destroying any creature by growing to colossal in them (or on them actually, the weight would probably kill them).
-It gets bonus to receiving transmutation spells (even if it cannot cast any)

Bad points
-It is only good at disguise (which can be easily be pierced by spells)
-It sucks at keeping the disguise up while he is in combat (even if it doesn't have a time for the check the damage part is pretty bad)
-It's main source of damage (growing) is probably a bug, not a feature.
-It sucks at receiving transmutation magic before level 9.

If I were to play a master of disguise a Greater Doppleganger would do it much better (and it is CR 12) or a changeling with a decent build can do it as good or even better.

For improving this I would look at the following:
-Changeling (Eberron campaign setting)
-Doppleganger (Monster Manual 1)
-Greater doppleganger (Monsters of Faerun)
-Zentharim Spy (Player's guide to Faerun)
-Insidious corruptor (Drow of the underdark)
-Mindspy (Complete warrior)
-Warshaper (Complete warrior)
-Master of Many forms (Complete adventurer)
-Spymaster (Complete adventurer)
-Cabinet trickster (Races of Eberron)
-Master of masks (Complete scoundrel)
-Chameleon (Races of destiny)
-Psibond agent (Complete scoundrel)

It needs more powah! And a good way would be to have more versatility and have some ways of influencing others and make them do their bidding, probably giving them a bonus if they skin shift into someone those guys like (or fear).

[kanachi]

Ok... so i'm stuck at home waiting for things to be delivered so i thought i would try my hand at a mega peachathon starting from top to bottom.

I'm going to skip classes which i deem as incomplete, so i'm sorry if you fall into that catagory. I'm also sorry if i run out of steam and dont get to your class today.

Also, I would love a re-peach for anyone of you willing to have a look over my class and its extras, but i understand if you dont have the time.

Anyway... with that said, LETS DO THIS!

[kanachi]

So first up is...

The Squillionaire

Title Image and initial fluff...

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Squillionaire

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If there's one thing life has taught me, there's no problem that can't be solved through sufficient application of money.

Some people struggle and work hard to get through life. That's not you. You solve your problems with your large amounts of wealth. Others work hard for amounts you look at as small change. And when throwing money to people doesn't work, well then you throw it at them.

To be honest when i first saw read this challenge something along these lines theme wise shot into my head.

for some reason i expected an image of scruge mcduck, but i like your image none the less. I also love the fluff here, it sets the tone.

I should be honest with you from the outset, that i play dnd pretty straight and dont really run comidy campaigns (we have humour of course, but this more something that just happens rather than something we build in). So its probably going to be tough for me to adiquately judge your class.


Pre game rule information stuff...

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Adventures: You can never have enough money, and adventuring is a good way to get lots of it.

Characteristics: You may not be the best at fighting, but you sure can foot the bill.

Alignment: You may be of any alignment, so long as you have money.

Religion: You worship who you choose so long as they don't insist on poverty. You may not have worked hard to earn you money, but it is yours.

Background: Maybe you had success in some business venture or other. More likely you were lucky and inherited your money.

Races: Any culture with a form of currency may have members of this class.

Other Classes: Your popularity with other classes tends to depend on how they view having large quantities of wealth. Rogues and other thieves tend to see you as good marks. Bards see you as good paying customers. Fighters and similar often view you as stuck up dandies that might hire them while intellectuals will at best view you as someone to fund their research and at worst an ignorant fool getting by on daddy's treasury. Those of a spiritual persuasion often lament your focus on worldly wealth, though may apprecient contributions to the church.

Role: You help pay for things. Be that lodging, food, bribes, or bail. When that fails you resort to using you money to pelt or distract the enemies.

Adaptation: You may be the heir of a wealthy family or business. Alternatively you may be the head of one. So long as people of sufficient wealth who are willing to rely on it in all cases exist in the setting you can fit.

You set the tone for the class really well here. I love "You may not be the best at fighting, but you sure can foot the bill" as a quote as well.

As for adaptation, I was thinking that you could probably re-theme this class into a kind of inter-dimensional swindler or lead to gold style alchemist who "creates" their pocket change and fobs it on to people. It would be one way of explaining their wealth in a setting without having some crazy "Mc Big Bucks" type household sitting somewhere off shore and yet never involved in the action. Obviously I’m not saying this should be the main theme just a possible adaption you could offer for those with a more serious slant to their campaign world.


Game rule information...

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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Squillionaire's have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma is the most important ability for you as it helps you when bargaining or bartering. Also important is wisdom for reading people and making gut choices, and intelligence for making smart choices based on knowledge.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: As bard
Starting Gold: 10d4 x 10 (250 gp)

Class Skills
The squillionaire's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spot (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

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

It may just be my take on the theme but I was thinking that disguise may be a good skill to include. While some Squillionaires may want people to know who they are I’m sure a good percentage would do what many of the wealthy elite do in our own society, travel incognito. To be honest I could even see this as the kind of thing they have bonuses to... I would expect them to have aliases and so forth to hide some of their more scandalous behaviour from travelling home to daddy Mc Big Bucks.

Also if your name is scrudge mcduck you should get a bonus to swim if you ever find yourself in a mass of gold coins. (joke)



Class Table...

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SQUILLIONAIRE
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Pocket Change

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Pocket Change, Small Change (1d6, 15'), Money Knows Money|9gp

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Distracting Glimmer|20gp

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Bribery, Small Change (2d6, 15')|25gp

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Throw it Around|33gp

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+45

|Small Change (3d6, 20')|43gp

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

||56gp

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Small Change (4d6, 20')|72gp

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Throw it Around|94gp

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Small Change (5d6, 25')|120gp

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

||160gp

11th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|Small Change (6d6, 25')|210gp

12th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|Throw it Around|270gp

13th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|Small Change (7d6, 30')|350gp

14th|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+9

||450gp

15th|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

|Only the Finest Accommodations Will Do, Small Change (8d6, 30')|590gp

16th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

|Throw it Around|770gp

17th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

|Small Change (9d6, 35')|1000gp

18th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||1300gp

19th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+12

|Small Change (10d6, 35')|1700gp

20th|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+13

|Throw it Around|2200gp[/table]

Never a huge fan of dead levels, but that’s just personal preference, perhaps flesh thigns out with some very minor abilities to reinforce your fluff if you’re worried about power creep.

OR, If your after a more substantial class feature, I was thinking that it would be cool if they could obtain an entourage, which evolves similarly to the leadership chain. You could flavour it so these people are not powerful npc’s with character classes but instead artists, dancers, performers, bouncers, agents, groupies and publicists... You could essentially evolve to have your own wandering band of freaks and social parasites constantly flocking around you.

Also, weirdly I don’t see will as being a suitable save for this class... surely their lack of will power is what makes them spend. It would be a shame to see them with all bad saves however, so i can see why you did this.


Class features...

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:

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What need do you have of weapons when you have money? You are only proficient with simple weapons, and light armor.

Makes sense.


Pocket Change (Ex):

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You have money. Lots of money. However, for all the money you have, it wouldn't do to spend it all in one place. Thus outside what you find adventuring, you limit yourself to a daily allowance from you vast funds. Each day you may use up to your pocket change money in any assortment of coinage for various abilities or paying for various goods or services. However, if anything bought with this money is ever sold (even if this money only partially was used to pay for it), you place the money back with the rest of your vast wealth, and as such cannot access it except as it is granted with this ability. You may not simply give this money to others. If you do not spend all of your daily allowance of pocket change, the remaining amount does not carry over to the next day

I really like this class feature, it could get a little out of hand if your dm is a bit slow and allows you to spend a few weeks in a city so in that sense it does act as a foot to move the plot along a bit faster.

I don’t see the above as a weakness however, the simple fact is that this class is not meant for ever setting or campaign in my eyes and should not therefore be judged on those grounds. So yes, in some situations this could ruin a game, but that does not mean it ever will in practice.


Small Change (Ex):

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If there is one thing you're good at, its throwing money around. You're so good in fact that you can hurt people with it. As an attack action while unarmed, you may throw a handful of small change at an enemy. This costs 1d6 copper pieces, and causes one damage per copper piece thrown (if you throw enough it may include some silver or gold coins as well). The range increment for this is 15 feet. At every odd level the value of coins you throw increases by 1d6, while at 5th level and every fourth level thereafter the range increment increases by 5 feet. If money from you pocket changed is used for this ability, it is not worth the trouble of retrieving, however if you used your normal funds, a DC 25 search check may be used to retrieve the money.

Probably one of the most hilarious abilities I’ve ever read! Its fantastic and actually gives the squillionaire some bite in combat. I would consider maybe offering some kind of bonus to increase your chances of hitting with this ability as the class has a poor bab... I would not be adverse to a ranged touch attack, though I understand that its thematically hard to justify.

Another issue may be the fact that while the money you throw has no value to you (if its from your pocket change) it probably does have value to other people and thus they may very well look for it. If they do this could be used as a way of distributing your wealth.


Money Knows Money (Ex):

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You have lots of money, and your familiarity with having lots of money has taught you how to tell who else has lots of money. You gain a bonus equal to your class level to Gather Information, Knowledge (Local), and Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) checks when it come knowing who has lots of money, finding them, and learning about them and the ways they use their money.

Makes sense.


Distracting Glimmer (Ex):

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It may be small change for you, but there are many who would scrabble on the ground for it. When using this ability you throw a handful of money on the ground within one range increment of your small change ability as a standard action. The amount thrown is twice as much as you throw with your small change ability (roll twice as many dice). All enemies who see this much make a will save (DC 5 + the amount rolled), or attempt to gather the coins. Doing so requires they move to the square the money was throw in, and spend a move action retrieving all coins there. If another individual gets there first, or if the enemy is attacked, they break free of this effect. Mindless enemies are immune to this ability. Pocket change used for this ability isn't worth the effort of retrieving, however if normal funds are used you may loot the money from the corpse of whichever enemy gathered the money, or if none did you may retrieve it the same way as the small change ability.

Much the same as my previous issue, in fact you even touch upon it here without actually resolving it. While the money you throw has no value to you (if it’s from your pocket change) it probably does have value to other people, such as your party members. I don’t think this is a MASSIVE problem as its not going to be vast sums of money, but it’s worth considering none the less.


Bribery (Ex):

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At third level, you become able to bribe an individual to do something for you. This is a standard action to make a touch attack and costs an amount of money equal to a small change roll in silver. This acts as a charm person spell, with a caster level equal to half the result of the roll (minimum 1). Your casting stat for this is charisma. You gain a bonus to opposed charisma checks against the bribed individual equal to half the caster level of the spell. This is not a mind-affecting effect, though mindless creatures are still immune. If used on a creature that you have already attempted to use it on within the past hour, add the rolls stack for the purposes of determining caster level.
At level 10 this upgrades to counting as charm monster with the same changes as above.

This could be fun, though I can see it making for some pretty wonky stuff in a real campaign. Can you get the BBEG on side? Could you convince someone with a vow of poverty?

As with most things in this class I think it’s not really a problem as your DM should really apply common sense to things, but those who are sticklers for the rules will probably want greater clarity.


Throw it Around (Ex):

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You are adept at throwing money around, so much so that you have developed more advanced ways of doing so. At the listed levels you may select one of the below techniques. Any time you use small change or an ability requiring a small change roll you may apply any of the techniques you have selected to it. Some may not be used in conjunction with certain other techniques or some abilities.

Lets look at these one at a time...

Gems:

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Coins are heavy. As such you have also taken you carrying around gems. When you apply this ability, you throw gems rather than coins. Use d10s rather than d6s. Gems do cost more however, and as such treat the result of the roll as 20 times the number of dice rolled for determining how much money you used for the ability. For all other effects use the result of the roll.
This technique may not be used in conjunction with the Hoard Scarab technique.

Improves your damage output, who does not like that!

Hoard Scarab:

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Even with how little money is worth to you, you understand the need to protect it. As such you have trained hoard scarabs to protect your wealth from possible thieves. This has the added benefit of allowing you to throw some of them rather than coins at enemies to inflict added harm. When used with targeting abilities, each round after initially being hit, they take 1d4 damage as the beetles crawl over them and bite them. This damage stacks if they are hit multiple times with hoard scarabs. The effect ends if the target or an adjacent individual brushes the scarabs off as a move action. If used with Distracting Glimmer, only an individual who picks up the 'coins' takes the damage. While able to be used for bribery, the damage dealt the round after it is used breaks the creature of the effect and makes it immune to the ability. This technique may not be used with Only the Finest Accommodations Will Do.
Despite not being real coins, the trained scarabs are valuable. As such they still detract 1.5 times the normal amount of money from your funds.

This could add a quite fun tomb king flavour to the class. I like it.


Coin Flick:

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You have figured out how to quickly flick the coins one at a time. When using small change, you may split up the dice between multiple targets. This technique may not be used with abilities other than small change.

Awesome and much needed.


Hand Over Fist:

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You have learned the complex skill throwing money with one hand while holding something with the other. This allows you to 'dual wield' the small change ability. You may treat it as your main hand or off hand weapon. You may not use small change with both hands. This may not be used with abilities other than small change.

Hmmm... my own error but until now i had not really thought of it as a weapon but more of an ability. The idea that you cant momenteraly free your hand as a free action so you can then throw coins is a bit of a bummer for me personally. Its not like your holding a handful of coins at the ready like you would a sword, its more likely that you just dip you hand in a pound and throw in a fluid motion (IMO).

Fists Full of Money:

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You have learned the even more difficult skill of using both hands to throw your money around. You may use both hand simultaneously for small change and other abilities if unarmed. When used with small change, you may make two attacks for each attack you would normally make, at the BAB of that attack. Roll the amount of money used for each attack. For other abilities, you may choose to roll twice the normal amount of dice.
This technique requires the Hand Over Fist technique to learn.

I dont like viewing this ability as a "weapon" but if you want to run it this way then this is a good way to handel things.

Glittering Toss:

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You have figured out how to throw your money such that it gleams distractingly even as it sails at the opponent, though it reduces the force behind it. When using small change, you may choose to pay the amount as if using distracting glimmer. If you do so, the target of the attack must make a will save as if you used distracting glimmer and targeted their square.
This technique may not be used with hoard scarabs.

I'm english, so the name made me lol.

Gleaming Toss:
You have learned to fully accentuate the currency when throwing your money. When you use glittering toss, you may have it impact all enemies as if you had used distracting glimmer normally.

...and again. lol.

Light Fingers:

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You may have plenty of money, but that doesn't mean you need to waste it excessively. When using small change or any ability that requires a small change roll, you may choose to roll less than the normal number of dice.

This should be an option as standard... its not like you need a special ability to take less money from a bag!?

Skilled Fingers:

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You have further refined the ability to grab exactly the amount of money you desire from your abundant wealth. Any time you make use small change or otherwise make a small change roll, you may make a slight of hand check (DC 15 + 2 per die being rolled) to grab exactly the amount of money you want. If you succeed on this check, you may choose the outcome of the small change roll. If you fail you roll as normal to determine the amount of money grabbed.
This technique requires the Light Fingers technique to learn.

This makes a bit more sense however.

Only the Finest Accommodations Will Do (Su):

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You are so wealthy even entities from other planes take note, why should you need to sleep on the dirt. At level 15 you may as a full round action spend money equal to a small change roll x 10 in gold to obtain accommodations from another plane. This acts as a Mage’s Magnificent Mansion spell with a caster level equal to half the result of the roll prior to multiplying it by 10. Unlike the spell, you do not get to decide the layout of the building, and must pay an additional half the normal amount for each additional person allowed to enter.

Mage’s Magnificent Mansion is a fun spell to have at your disposal.


Summary

Well for the first class i’ve looked at today this one gave me a bit of a headache as it’s totally different from the normal stuff I play with in my own campaigns. A lot of this class relies upon understanding by all parties not to turn the game into a farce. Strangely in my group, even though we don’t normally play with comedy style things, I don’t really see this being a problem. However, I think in some games (those filled with rules lawyers) I’m sure you will have all manner of issues to contend with.

Should we judge a class on that basis however... for me personally I think not. It’s quite obvious what the intention is behind the class and if everyone has to suspend their disbelief a little to make it work... well that’s fine by me and I’m more than happy to do so.

While I will probably never play with a class like this your work makes me want to and that surely counts for something.

As for what to improve... well i’m sure your aware that you have no cap stone and actually a lot of the class runs a bit dry at stages. I think you need to follow through with the theme a little more and think up a couple of fun features to help push that “obscenely rich” feel and examine allt he trappings that such a theme entails.

By level 20 you should be like Batman, able to afford any gadget needed to get the job done!

[kanachi]

so, so i'm only on to my second class and i'm already running out of steam, so its time to grad a sandwich with everything the fridge has to offer thrown into it!

arrr much better... ok so lets move on:

The Quantum Mage


Title Image and initial fluff...

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Quantum Mage

"Look again. The tickets are now DIAMONDS.”
-Isaiah Mustafa, the world's sexiest Quantum Mage.

I have always been fascinated by the quantum world, and so when I saw the theme of this contest, I knew I wanted to do something quantum-related. The Quantum mage is designed to go beyond an enchanter, illusionist, or transmuter, while sacrificing most of the direct firepower afforded by many wizard spells. It also becomes better at spellcasting when not observed, and gains a unique companion known as an "Imaginary Friend". The class will require more lateral thinking and creativity than most classes to use effectively, but I think the payoff will be well worth it.

Best image in the entire contest and maybe in any of the contests i've gone back and look through... you sir win the image game, i doth my cap.

Pre game rule information stuff...

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Adventures: They might be found searching for rare artifacts, or defending or subjugating the weak, depending on alignment. They love getting a chance to show off their unique skills. They also love to learn new things, not so much for the knowledge or power it brings, but for the novelty and fun of it. This thirst for novelty, adventure and above all, fun leads them to take up adventure quite easily. Do not underestimate the focus of a Quantum mage once he's started something, though. That has led to...interesting circumstances.

Characteristics: Quantum Magi are, at their core, unpredictable. Regardless of their alignment, they find new, unique, and bizarre ways to use their talents which can more than make up for their lack of direct firepower spells. For arcane casters, they are unusually well in touch with nature, likely due to their shapeshifting.

Alignment: Usually chaotic, and never lawful, the Quantum Magi are split fairly evenly between good and evil, but usually tend to remain neutral along that axis.

Religion: Quantum Magi are not a very religious group, largely because they can't observe the gods, meaning there's no way they definitely exist. However, those who do worship tend to prefer gods of knowledge, freedom, or nature.

Basic Set: Boccob (god of knowledge) and Fharlanghn (god of freedom) are common choices for Quantum Magi.

Forgotten Realms:Lathander, Mystra, Oghma, Beshaba, Tymora, Azuth, and Lliira are all popular choices for Quantum Magi, largely due to their connections with freedom or knowledge.

Background: A quantum mage often learns their trade in much the same way as a wizard, and the two are often confused and may well multiclass into each other. The interesting thing about quantum mages is that they hide the secrets of their trade, not because they want to, but because the more people who know those secrets, the greater the chance that those secrets will no longer be true.

Races: Any race with members of sufficient intelligence and creativity can produce Quantum mages, but the adaptable humans and halflings usually make the best. Elves find the art too flighty, and half-orcs are usually too dumb.

Other Classes: Wizards often mistake them for fellow wizards, but even when they do realize the difference, they don't truly care. If anything, they find the idea of Quantum Magic to be fascinating. Sorcerers don't get them and usually avoid them if they can. Clerics and Druids, dependent on their individual beliefs, will likely have mixed reactions. non-magical types such as fighters and rogues don't care either way as long as they have magical backup.

Role: While largely utilitarian in their skill set, they are adaptable enough to fill many roles, from a leader or face to an upfront melee fighter, with the right spells and feats.

Adaptation:: The Quantum Mage can be fairly easily adapted as envoys of a trickster or nature deity, given strange powers to fulfill that god's will. For nature deities, it would be good to perhaps add more Druid spells to their spell list, and change their Imaginary Friend (below) to a Nature Spirit.

I like it. Its well writen and gives you a solid idea of the basic concept. Solid stuff.

Game rule information...

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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Quantum Magi have the following game statistics:
Abilities: Intelligence is vital for the casting of spells and many class features, while Dexterity is good for Armor Class. If you intend to fight up close, it would probably be good to assign higher scores to Strength and Constitution.
Alignment: any non-Lawful.
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: as wizard.
Starting Gold: as bard.

Class Skills
The Quantum Mage's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
{table=head]Skill|Ability
Bluff|Charisma
Concentration|Constitution
Diplomacy|Charisma
Disguise|Charisma
Heal|Wisdom
Hide|Dexterity
Knowledge[arcana]|Intelligence
Listen|Wisdom
Move Silently|Dexterity
Sense Motive|Wisdom
Spellcraft|Intelligence
Spot|Wisdom[/table]


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

Just a formatting issue, but I’m not overly fond of the skill table for some reason - personal preference.

I think they should get:
Craft, because well... that’s kind of akin to what they do.
Appraise, because I think they have an idea of what things are and what they are worth.
Sleight of hand, so they can make people second guess what exactly they just did


Class Table...

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Quantum Mage
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|1|2|3|4|5|6|7

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|

+2

|Quick-Shape, 1/day|4|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+0

|

+3

|Imaginary Friend, Armored Mage|4|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|

+2

|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|Random Knowledge|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Quick-Shape, 2/day|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Empowered Illusion 1/day|6|4|3|-|-|-|-

6th|

+4

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Random Knowledge|6|5|4|-|-|-|-

7th|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Quick-Shape, 3/day|7|6|5|-|-|-|-

8th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|Empowered Illusion 2/day|8|6|5|-|-|-|-

9th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|Random Knowledge|8|6|6|3|-|-|-

10th|

+7/+2

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|Quick-Shape, 4/day|8|7|6|4|-|-|-

11th|

+8/+3

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|Empowered Illusion 3/day|9|7|6|5|-|-|-

12th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|Random Knowledge|9|8|7|5|-|-|-

13th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|Quick-Shape, 5/day|9|8|7|6|3|-|-

14th|

+10/+5

|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|Empowered Illusion 4/day|9|9|8|6|4|-|-

15th|

+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+5

|

+9

|Random Knowledge|9|9|8|6|5|-|-

16th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|Quick-Shape, 6/day|9|9|9|6|5|-|-

17th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|Empowered Illusion 5/day|9|9|9|7|6|3|-

18th|

+13/+8/+3

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|Random Knowledge|9|9|9|7|6|4|-

19th|

+14/+9/+4

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|Quick-Shape, 7/day|9|9|9|8|6|5|3

20th|

+15/+10/+5

|

+12

|

+6

|

+12

|Empowered Illusion 6/day|9|9|9|8|7|5|4[/table]

no 0 level spells and 4 1st level spells at level 1?

I would have though spells like Prestidigitation would work really well for a class like this. Also no other class i know of gets 4 level 1 spells per day, but then if your not getting any 0 level spells maybe thats ok...

I'm not sure about the medium bab either, why do they have it? are they skilled warriors?

Class features...

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:

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All simple weapons, Light Armor

Maube add shields? I would look at the warmage for ideas.


Spells:

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A Quantum Mage casts arcane spells from the Quantum Mage spell list (see Spoilers). He can cast any spell from that list without preparing it ahead of time.
To cast a spell, the Quantum Mage must have an Intelligence score equal to the spell's level + 10. The DC for a saving throw against a Quantum Mage's spells is 10 + spell level + caster's Intelligence modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Quantum Mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: the Quantum Mage. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score.

I have to be honest i'm not really a master at spell casting ballance as i tend to only dabble with magic and never take things to silly levels. However, i think you would probably do well to draw inspiration from the warmage or beguiler. Both do a similar thing to what your going for here.


Quick-shape (Su):

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once per day, at first level, the Quantum Mage may cast any transmutation spell she knows as a swift action, as the feat Quicken Spell. The Quantum Mage must not be in the line of sight of any other lucid characters in order to do this. The number of times per day this can be used increases by one at 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th levels.

Hehe, this is nice, I like it. I think it would be col if you could combine this with the slight of hand skill in some way, but i'm not sure how.


Imaginary Friend (Su):

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At 2nd level, the Quantum Mage receives an “Imaginary Friend”, an incorporeal, usually unobservable piece of thought. This creature cannot physically interact with the world, but can be used for reconnaissance and carrying messages. Those incapable of detecting beings on the astral plane will only notice the Imaginary Friend as a “gut feeling”, and their messages will only be relayed as a “hunch”. Those that can see into the Astral plane will be able to detect the creature and communicate with it normally. It relays information in any languages its master knows, but does not speak without being commanded to do so. Being made of thought, it cannot be “killed”, as when it is damaged, it will simply return to its master's mind. The Imaginary Friend cannot venture further than 400 feet from its owner. If it attempts to do so, its owner must make a Concentration check with a DC of 14 + (the total distance over 400 feet/10, minimum 1) every ten minutes.

Interesting. I'm not really sure what to think of it, but its a cool ability. What kind of a bond does the mage have to his friend? do they have any kind of sensory link? also how does it travel and how fast? What happens if the concentration check fails?

All pretty obvious answers but you should probably flesh this out a bit more.


Armored Mage (Ex):

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While nobody is quite sure how Quantum Magi cast their spells, it is apparent that the motions required are fairly simple, allowing them to ignore the chance for somatic spell failure while wearing light armor.

Always a nice ability to have!


Random Knowledge (Ex):

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Through their strange research into the ever-unpredictable forces of Quantum Magic, Quantum Mages often stumble across ways to cast spells that are normally beyond their reach. At every level divisible by 3 (3, 6, 9, etc.) the Quantum Mage chooses an Arcane Spell list and a spell level that they are capable of casting from. The DM then chooses a spell from that list and level that they do not yet possess and adds it to the Quantum Mage's personal spell list at the same level. The spell MUST be acquired at its Sorcerer/Wizard spell level if it is on the Sorcerer/Wizard List. How the specific spell is chosen is entirely up to the DM, and remains entirely subject to DM approval.

Hehe this could be fun. It would let the dm throw some lesser used yet interesting spells the mages way rather than going for all the awesome stuff. Both player and dm would need to talk this through in some capacity though I reckon. However, thats not something i see as a problem as such.


Empowered Illusion (Su):

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Once per day, at 5th level, a Quantum Mage may cast any spell from the Illusion school as if under the effects of the Empower Spell feat. The Quantum Mage must not be in the line of sight of any other lucid characters in order to do this. The number of times per day this can be used increases by one at 8th level, and every three levels thereafter.

Like the previous ability its fun, as before though I think you might want to work in the use of the slight of hand skill somehow.


spell lists...

II’m going to state here that I’ve never been that gifted at looking through spell lists, especially at high level. I don’t see any problem as such with the spells you have here however, it all seems to makes sense.


Summary

I have to admit that I was expecting a little “more” from the class. Not that its bad as is, in fact I think it would probably run ok (though I’m still not sure why it either needs or has medium bab?).

I guess I was just after some more class features to push things home. Also I thought you could have maybe tried you hand at generatning some nice unique spells for the class.

I personally see them focusing heavily on swift action spells with minor effects which they can use to give them battlefield advantage. Also I’m looking for that spell that lets them turn a hanging chandelier into a whale which then comes crashing down on their foes... THAT is what i’m talking about and thats how Isaiah Mustafa roles (when he’s not riding unicorns constructed from pure win).

[Derjuin]

I wouldn't mind a peach for the Dark Vessel myself; would be glad to return said peach!

[God Imperror]

I will look into it as soon as I have time to, it might be a few hours it seems that this morning is busy.

[kanachi]

Ok so lets see whats up next...

arrrr... this was the idea that made me curse at my computer when i saw it pop up. You must surely have stolen the idea for such a creation from my mind, for no other could think up the...

Storyteller Bard

or so i thought...

Title Image and initial fluff...

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Storyteller Bard

Storyteller magic was...odd.

It relied on dramatic principles, on narrative conceits. All of Galland's siblings were guilty of, at one time or another, chastising him for basically "believing in fairy tales". Sometimes, the magic was explicit, the storyteller directly altering the course of events or guiding actions. Other times, though, it was subtle, even unconscious.

Of course, the narrative of history is never compiled until after the fact, and people frequently seek to add meaning and drama to otherwise unrelated events. Some, then, argued that the power of the storytellers was primarily divinatory. And indeed, divination was a valuable explicit power of the storyteller bards, allowing them to learn the whole story and retell it accurately. These people would argue that the storytellers might subconsciously acquire information - divinations were the most common type of unconscious or uncontrolled magic - and their own desire to weave stories is what caused them to attach dramatic significance to the events they discerned.

Others, though, swore roundly that storytellers could and did subconsciously alter fortune and fate to create their narrative. It was always subtle, never causing an event that wouldn't happen to occur, but perhaps guiding one that would to occur in a dramatic or, if the storyteller was proficient at its craft, advantageous way.

It was an interesting debate, a puzzle that many of the finest minds in spellcraft argued heatedly to solve. It was also, functionally, a moot point. The long and short of it was that Galland had just given the cult a perfect cue to initiate any attack that they might in fact be planning to initiate, which meant that when the small army of ghoulish marauders, spectral mages, and vampiric assassins led by the reanimated remains of Elyra and Dashar came bursting from the ground in a sudden effort to assassinate the royal family and slay as many heroes of the realm as they could, the assembled warriors were spontaneously made aware of them, thus negating what would have been a devastating surprise advantage.

Oddly enough, it also meant that every capable warrior who had attended the funeral retroactively decided to come armed.

"Fairy tales, indeed," Galland murmured under his breath as he turned to face the first wave of the undead.

I’m not sure if it’s a deliberate choice but rolling into town with no image is a master stroke of theme setting for this class. Your words, which are very well written, paint a wonderful image of their own.

What balls!
Awesome stuff!


Pre game rule information stuff...

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Adventures: Pah! And what kind of storyteller would you be, I ask, if you just sat around at home all day? We live in a world of magic and monsters, of great warriors and cunning rogues, of myth and legend! We as storytellers must constantly travel the world, seeking new tales, documenting the great feats and cunning plans of the people of our world and plane. Oh, we may not always be the hero. Ours are not likely the swiftest blades or strongest spells. But no few storytellers have left home with their little band of up-and-coming protagonists and returned home with a legend passed down through the generations.

Characteristics: All of life is a story, and we're the ones who get to tell it. Our narrations can alter fate and fortune, our descriptions can direct our friends in battle. We also pack a few spells; primarily divinations and illusions, to better learn the whole story and assist in the telling, enchantments to ensure it goes the way we want, and a few buffs, because you know, bard.

Alignment: I speak of heroes and champions, and indeed, that is what drew me to the path of the storyteller, but even I must admit that a great story needs a great villain, and to be fair, it often helps the story for the teller not to be too attached to any of the particulars. So no, we storytellers don't hold to any particular moral or ethical preference.

I will, however, point out that in most stories I've heard, it's the side of good that always wins!

Religion: Well, obviously, deities of song and story attract their share of our fellows, but they aren't the only ones. The wanderer gods resonate well with us, as do deities of knowledge, as no one wants an incomplete story. Rare would be the storyteller that doesn't at least show respect to the gods of fate and fortune. I doubt our narrative powers would do us much good if they didn't at least find us entertaining!

Background: We storytellers can come from any roots, but if there's one thing that pops up more often than not in our personal stories, it's - what, dead parents? No! Gods! Morbid, much? No, it's that we grew up surrounded by tales of myth and legend. Maybe we sat at a shaman's feet every night, hearing campfire fables, or perhaps we grew up with a library of epic tales. Some of us might even have been brought up in a temple - some of the best stories in the world are those about the gods and their champions in the days of yore.

Races: Name a race without stories! Be they fact or fiction, history or prophecy, if it has a language, it has a tale to tell. Now sure, some races might follow the way of the bard more often than others. Elves, in particular, tend to have the artistic background and dreamer's nature that often leads one to the path. But you can find the talent for story among any race.

Other Classes: Ah, yes, our companions. The assembly of wandering miscreants that we shall forge into a team of heroes. I've worked with several types, and there's not a one I wouldn't work with again - although I suppose there are some who might not want to work again with me! The subtler types, in particular, don't tend to be fans of our loudly proclaiming their every move and deed. Protip: All the narrative magic in the world doesn't change the fact that if you proclaim the rogue's clever sneak attack, it isn't.

Role: I doubt there's a storyteller in all the world who does not dream of being the great hero. Striking down the dragon, defeating the big bad with skill and cunning, saving the day or even the world. The truth, though, is that we are rarely the heroes of our stories. We are the narrators. We document. We describe. But most of all, we change. Ours may not be the most direct role, but we can alter fate and fortune with our narrative commands, and glean knowledge of the whole story that our companions might never know. All of life is a story, you see. Our job is to ensure it has a happy ending.

Adaptation: Now, not everyone who wields the magic of fate and fortune and the power of illusion, divination, and enchantment are storytellers. I hear tell of mage-generals, great leaders and competent warriors and casters, who command similar powers through tactical commands and spells that trigger the magic of their allies. Likewise, there are some evangelical priests who speak with the voice of their god to direct and support their flock, and convert or confound their enemies.

This class oozes theme and you have presented it very well here. I also really like your ideas for possible adaptations, it gives a good scope for the classes use in multiple campaign settings.

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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Storyteller Bards have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Our narrative power comes from the strength of our spirits and personalities, so Charisma will always be our most important ability. After that, you'll want to focus on Charisma; it governs our spells, which are the primary way we will exert our power directly. Finally, if you have the points to spare, consider investing in Charisma, as it drives the social skills that are the classic strength of the bards.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Starting Age: As bard.
Starting Gold: As bard.

Class Skills
The Storyteller Bard's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (N/A), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

A solid start to the crunch, there is nothing here to argue with.


Class Table...

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STORYTELLER BARD
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Power Words, Storytelling.|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+3

|Narrate Results.|3|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

||3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|Genre Savvy.|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-

5th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

||4|2|1|-|-|-|-|-

6th|

+4

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|Narrate Action.|4|3|2|-|-|-|-|-

7th|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

||4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-

8th|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|

+6

|Breaking the Fourth Wall.|4|3|3|1|-|-|-|-

9th|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|

+6

||4|4|3|2|-|-|-|-

10th|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|

+7

|Narrate Magic.|4|4|3|2|0|-|-|-

11th|

+8

|

+3

|

+7

|

+7

||4|4|4|3|1|-|-|-

12th|

+9

|

+4

|

+8

|

+8

|Dangerously Genre Savvy.|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-

13th|

+9

|

+4

|

+8

|

+8

||4|4|4|3|2|0|-|-

14th|

+10

|

+4

|

+9

|

+9

|Narrate Flashback.|4|4|4|4|3|1|-|-

15th|

+11

|

+5

|

+9

|

+9

||4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-

16th|

+12

|

+5

|

+10

|

+10

|Crowning Moment of Awesome.|4|4|4|4|3|2|0|-

17th|

+12

|

+5

|

+10

|

+10

||4|4|4|4|4|3|1|-

18th|

+13

|

+6

|

+11

|

+11

|Narrate Response.|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-

19th|

+14

|

+6

|

+11

|

+11

||4|4|4|4|4|3|2|0

20th|

+15

|

+6

|

+12

|

+12

|Deus Ex Machina.|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|1[/table]

Dead levels, which is something i normally have issue with. I understand that you are happy with your build and the symmetry and balance one can achieve by having them can be tempting though. However, I would personally always consider throwing something in at every level, even if its a token fluff ability.

Players enjoy that feeling of progression and you don’t have to make every class feature shatter the cosmos. A chief who has adds a pinch of flavour to their meal here and there is something I look for in every build.


Class features...

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Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Storyteller Bard. The DC for the Storyteller Bard's abilities is equal to 10 + 1/2 level + Cha modifier.

Thanks for adding this!


Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:

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As a storyteller, we're not likely the ones to be dealing mighty blows, but there will be times when another blade is important to the group. You'll be trained in the use of all simple weapons, and light armor, as well as given opportunity to achieve proficiency with a martial weapon of your choice.

Perfect.


Spellcasting:

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Magic is a key part of our abilities. We may not be wizards, but we can manage our share of spells. Compared to classically trained bards, our focus on stories results in a rather more narrow range of spells, but likewise means we have more overall proficiency with the spells we do know, including that we are able to master the lot of them. Basically, our spells known list is the same as our class spell list. Our spells per day are provided on that fancy table I showed you earlier.

Like any other bard, our spells are arcane in nature and always have verbal components, but the somatic components are simple enough that we can cast just fine in light armor.

I'll have a list of our spells for you after we're done with the basics here.

Good stuff, its hard to really judge till i work my way down to the spell list though, so i will come back to this later.


Power Words (Su):

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Just coming up with a tall tale won't be changing anything. First thing you'll learn as a storyteller is how to invest your words with magic. That takes some effort, so it's a standard action to use, but there's no limit to how often you can do it. A basic power word is the sort of thing you're likely to use on an enemy. The target has to be in close range, and they get a Will save to throw the effect off. If they fail, though, you can give them a one-word command that they're forced to obey, and if you choose, you can also hammer them with the sheer volume of your voice, dealing 1d6 points of Sonic damage per two class levels.

Now, a single word command is still a flexible tool, but the sort of things you can compel are somewhat limited. The command itself (not the sonic damage) is a mind-affecting compulsion ability, and what that basically means beyond what creatures are immune to it, is that the command has to be something the target can do of its own volition, or might do as a reflex or subconsciously. You can't command a target without wings to "Fly" for example, and commanding someone to "Die" is right out. You give a strong impulse, but it's still your target that interprets exactly what it means, if it isn't completely clear. Telling a foe to "Attack" will ensure it attacks someone or something (rather than, say, healing, moving, or augmenting an ally), but who and how are still its own decision.

A command that would put the target in immediate grave peril (including by rendering it helpless), or that would force it to do something against its nature grants a +5 bonus on the saving throw. Don't bother trying to come up with commands that would cause the target to die instantly or kill itself or things like that; they'll just be ignored. The target is compelled for only one round. If the action demanded is a free action, or if it doesn't count as an action, the target follows the command instantly, but commands that force an actual action on its part require it to take the actions normally, on its turn. Important thing to note is that the target must use any actions it can to fulfill your command, and must do so before taking any other actions on its turn, and can't "undo" the command with other actions in the same turn (so commanding a target to "Fall" also means it can't stand up in the same turn).

You can also expend a spell slot when speaking a power word. If you do, every two spell levels of the slot increases the sonic damage by one die step. Every level of the slot doubles the number of targets affected by the command (this is a full doubling, so a level three slot lets you affect eight targets).

I will firstly say that while I do enjoy your writing style it does at times make things a little more obtuse to read than they really need to be. I personally find it a lot easier to have the fluff and crunch separated a little more as I don’t want to have to read a around thing when I’m referencing something “in game”. I love the effect you have created however, like you are telling the tale of the class and so forth, but it’s something to be aware of from a practical stand point.

I really like this ability, it opens the doorway for a lot of creative encounters and still has a little rule structure behind it to back things up. My first thoughts were “fall”, “drop”, “vomit”, “flee” and (because I’ve got a dirty mind) “undress”.

Also I assume the target has to be able to understand your instruction? so you would have to speak their language (or another they know)?


Storytelling:

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Obviously, we're good at it. Whatever other skills you might practice, you're going to master the art of storytelling. All storyteller bards receives free skill ranks in Perform (Oratory), one other Perform skill of choice, and one Knowledge skill of choice equal to their class level + 3.

Makes sense.


Narrate Results (Su):

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Once you hit your second level in the class, you'll have worked out how to use your magically-enhanced words to alter reality...somewhat. At this stage, you won't be causing anything special to happen, but you'll be able to tweak how things turn out.

Here's how it works. Something's happening, something important, and you want to make sure it goes your way. So you take an immediate action, and describe it happening the way you want. You'll notice a bit of a slowdown as you speak, the scene might fade out some, but when everything picks up again, the act will resolved, and hopefully, in your favor.

This basically lets you alter the outcome of a roll, and you have to do it before the roll is actually made. You can do a number of things depending on the type of roll. If it's one of those classic d20 rolls, you can modify the result of the roll by anywhere up to your Charisma modifier. Alternately, you can just dictate that if the result on the die comes up as less than twice your Charisma modifier, or more than 20 minus twice your Charisma modifier, it has to get rerolled. If we're talking a percentage roll, you can add or subtract up to five times your Charisma modifier. If you're looking at a roll for damage, healing, or other hit-point-based things, you can maximize or minimize up to one individual die rolled per point of your Charisma modifier. If it's anything else, you can simply modify the result by one point in either direction, regardless of your Charisma modifier.

Very well written once again, but this is also a very long winded way of expressing a very simple ability. Sorry to grumble, but I know that in practice this would be infuriating in game. Obviously this is probably exacerbated by the fact I’m on a peaching marathon... but still you get my point right? Can you imagin waiting for you player to read through all that just so they can get you to maybe re-roll a dice or something?

As for the ability itself, its good, clean and makes sense with the theme.


Genre Savvy (Ex):

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Starting at fourth level, you'll begin to connect the narrative conventions of stories with your life, helping you figure out how things are likely to unfold. You'll always be able to tell the presumed "goal" of an encounter. Life doesn't always expect you to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women, you know. I mean, depending on how your friends are, you might do it anyway, but you can always take a moment (a free action) to learn if, say, you're expected to run away, or get captured, or rescue someone, or whatever.

You'll also always know when you still have something to accomplish, and when it's time to move on to the next scene. If there's some hidden room you haven't explored in the current dungeon, or a clue to a mystery you've overlooked, or a plot point you haven't found yet, or things like that, you'll be able to tell. You won't be able to tell the wheres and whats, only that the current scene isn't necessarily complete.

Finally, you can always stop and think for a moment to see if what you're about to do is incredibly stupid, likely to have serious repercussions or unforeseen consequences, almost impossible to succeed, and things like that.

Here's the thing, though; even though this is a free action, it's still an active ability. We don't have some Genre Angel sitting on our shoulder telling us what we need to know. We have to at least think about these things to come to the right conclusion. And, although it's reliable, not all stories are fully written beforehand, so it's far from perfect.

This is nice and reflect the Elan ability really well. In fact this class is Elan basically. Awesome stuff!


Narrate Action (Su):

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Fact is, we're not usually going to be the heavy hitters on our team. Starting at fifth level, you'll be able to get around that by letting your friends act in your stead. A number of times per encounter equal to your Charisma modifier, you'll be able to narrate an action on your turn, and an ally of your choice will get to instantly take the action as described. This costs you an action of the same type as you grant, so if you narrate an ally warrior taking a full attack, it's a full-round action for you. Taking the action is always an Immediate action for your ally. The action has to be one your ally can take, but can draw from any of their capabilities and powers. You only provide the action; any other resources (such as spell slots) are still expended by your ally normally.

You can expend a spell slot when narrating an action; every level of the slot allows one additional ally (excluding you) to take the action. If you do this, though, the action you spend is one step higher, so to mass-narrate a move action costs you a standard action, and mass-narrating a standard action is a full-round action for you. The action must also be the same for all targets, so you could narrate everyone casting Fireball (assuming you have a bunch of pyros around), but not just give everyone a free standard action to cast whatever spell they want. Your allies don't, however, all have to affect the same target.

You can also narrate enemy actions. This functions basically like a Power Word, but without the sonic damage. It's also not limited to a single word, so you can get quite a bit more flexibility out of it. Finally, the action you force continues for one round per level, although they get a new save to throw it off every round.

I really like this, it makes the class a very unique filler of the support role in the group. Its also very thematic.


Breaking the Fourth Wall (Ex):

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Okay, so you may have noticed I'm talking about a bunch of crazy stuff like "turns" and "standard actions" and "levels". It's...too much to explain here, but you'll start to understand somewhere around eighth level, and you'll be able to discern them with a glance. Like your genre-savviness, it takes some thought (a free action), but you'll be able to tell what the stats and mechanics of a situation are. You'll know what sort of skill is required to do something, how difficult a task is, how an enemy's stats compares to yours, how many hit points people have left, what level everyone is, and so on.

You'll also know...other things. Things that you couldn't possibly know, but that you know. Understand? No? That's because you're not eighth level yet. But you understand. Right? Right. Anyway, you'll know that stuff, as it relates to the world and the story and the stats and things like that. You might also have a sense of, you know, other stuff that you know. But those things don't fit in the world, and this ability won't let you devise or invent them. Trust me, I've tried.

This is fun, but not something i would be comfortable allowing as a DM. I don’t like the idea that my players can ever “know” the exact numbers behind the game. This is personal preference however and the rules you placed here do seem to function well with that in mind.


Narrate Magic (Su):

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Starting at tenth level, your narrative commands will improve to the point that you can narrate the act of spellcasting, using your magic through your allies. This is an immediate action for you, works on allies in Close range, and can work in one of three ways.

First, you can allow an ally to cast one of your spells. You supply the spell slot, but the ally takes the action to actually cast the spell on its turn. You're still the one channeling the magic; the mechanics of the spell use your Charisma, caster level, spell failure chance, and so on. The ally, however, is the one the spell comes from. This can give you some nice tactical targeting options, but the big advantage is that it lets your allies cast your personal spells on themselves.

Second, you can simply power an ally's spell. You provide a spell slot, which the ally can use to cast one of its known, prepared, or expended spells of equal or lower level. In this case, the targeted ally is the actual caster, you just provide the raw energy.

Third, you can boost up an ally's spell. For each two levels of your spell slot, the ally gets one free spell level to use to apply metamagic feats. It can apply such feats to these spell levels spontaneously, with no increase in casting time, and may draw from your metamagic feats as well as its own.

This ability doesn't grant any actions to cast the spells with, but you can still use Narrate Action to provide those if you want.

Awesome ability and much more clearly written and simple to follow than some of the previous abilities.

I think this is the level where the class truly comes into its own as a great support class.

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Dangerously Genre Savvy (Ex): By twelfth level, your understanding of how the story goes will start to get scary. You add your Charisma modifier to any checks to avoid surprise, such as a Spot check to detect a hidden foe or a Sense Motive check to discern a betrayel, and to initiative checks. Even if circumstances would normally deny you such checks or you do not choose to actively take them, you are always entitled to such a check, which is always opposed by a relevant skill, even if the opponent has abilities that would otherwise deny such, and you may choose for both checks to ignore any magical bonuses if you wish. For example, if an invisible foe sneaks up on you, you'd still make a normal Spot vs. Hide check to avoid surprise, adding your Cha modifier, and without the crazy +40 bonus for invisibility (although you'd also have to forego any magical bonuses to your Spot check). If no skill checks would be relevant (such as a group of enemies teleporting in to attack), opposed initiative checks are rolled, pitting your initiative against the best in the enemy group.

Even better, if you avoid surprise, you and your allies retroactively receive one round of prep time per point you succeeded by. You can't affect enemies during this time, but you can heal, buff, get into position, and so on. This also applies if surprise wasn't a factor, using the opposed initiative check. So if you turn a corner and find yourself facing a group of monsters, even though neither party is surprised, your team still gets a chance at extra rounds of prep time.

Finally, any ability you possess that has to be used before a roll is made or before results have been declared is freed of that restriction. You may use any such abilities to modify the roll after results are known. You also get to know the results of any hidden checks made - and yes, this means you do know when you've failed a spot check (in which case, you don't get surprised unless the opponents act immediately after the roll is made).

Stuff like this does risk ruining a lot of classing gaming moments which, yes, may be generic but are a useful part of any dms tool box. The ability is cool however and defonately rams home that Elan feel.

I guess my main problem with the class is that is steps on the DMs toes a little too much with abilities like this. I understand why you have taken this route however, I just think that features like this moves the class in directions which would see it clucked out of my game...

having said that however there are spells which are equally as damaging to a campaign, so I can see that argument as well.


Narrate Flashback (Su):

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We're storytellers, not obsessed fanboys and fangirls. Who cares about continuity when death is on the line? Starting at fourteenth level, you'll be able to narrate events that occurred in the past. You can do so once per day per point of your Charisma modifier.

Narrating a flashback is a full-round action. Although standard narrative prose is perfectly functional, acting like this is something you had already done in preparation for just this circumstance and are now explaining it to the enemy, rather than a blatant temporal manipulation is always satisfying. You may narrate a standard and move action, as per Narrate Action, which occurred previously during the encounter. This applies to a single target, and you cannot use a spell slot to affect more.

Alternately, you can narrate a more complex activity undertaken at any time prior to the encounter, though such actions must be things the characters involved could accomplish without making checks and without using any expendable resources that take longer than a few minutes to recover. For example, you could narrate that you filled in your allies on the strengths and weaknesses of the monster you find yourselves fighting, or that your wizard friend decided to swap out his usual Fireball spell for a Haste spell this morning, but you couldn't narrate all your friends doing a pre-encounter buff routine just before the fight began, since that expends resources. In this case, you are not limited to the number of targets, but all targets must be willing to accept this alteration to their history.

Your narration can't change the past beyond the current round and the specific change you make; it merely alters things for the future. So for example, if one of your allies is incapacitated and, three rounds later, you narrate that your priest friend healed him, that ally would be up and ready to go, and if its turn in initiative had already passed this round, it would still get its turn. However, it wouldn't retroactively get the past two turns it missed. Likewise, if enemies have been constantly streaming in, and you narrate your wizard ally sealing the entry with a Wall of Force just after some giant monster comes through, the giant monster and anyone else who entered this round would be retroactively blocked, but others who had come through earlier would not.

An utterly bonkers idea and one which i’m not sure i would be overly happy with seeing in my games... however I cant really argue against it on grounds of it be totally awesome!

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Crowning Moment of Awesome (Ex): It is the gift of the storyteller to be able to witness - and, if we are lucky, perform - some of the greatest feats and deeds the world has ever known. But here's the secret. Sometimes, our presence is the very thing that facilitates these amazing accomplishments. This isn't a strictly active ability; you cannot personally choose to use it. It happens at the whim of whatever gods or forces dictate the fate of our world, but there are always two requirements. First, the character performing the deed must be within your line of sight, and you must be willing for the deed to receive the benefit. Second, the character performing the deed must be doing something truly impressive, indeed legendary. This could be an act of tremendous courage, a feat of stupendous daring, an amazing stunt or display of power or prowess. It could be the culmination of someone's personal story, a desperate last stand, a harbinger of karma, or all a grand cosmic joke. Whatever the case, merely attempting this feat has impressed the powers that be, and through the presence of the storyteller, the attempt is rewarded with a Crowning Moment of Awesome.

Everything that can go right, goes right. The character treats any die roll made during a Crowning Moment as if it had rolled the best possible result (this can result in critical hits, but does not otherwise trigger special functions of natural rolls, such as auto-successes or exploding dice). If the action involves an ability score, the character can use its highest ability score or your Charisma in its place. If the action involves mechanics that scale with level, the character uses the best of any possible class progressions (for example, a full base attack bonus, a caster level equal to its full character level, a good saving throw bonus, maximum ranks in a skill, or so on). Any static DCs that oppose rolls against the action use a base of 20 (for example, a spell cast as part of a Crowning Moment of Awesome would have a DC of 20 + the spell level + the appropriate ability modifier). All situational penalties or arbitrary failure chances, such as for cover, concealment, rushing, moving too quickly, or the like, are ignored. Additionally, the character can choose to forego all magical bonuses to the action, to eliminate any magical penalties or opposing magical bonuses. If the action succeeds, it has the best possible result, and may have effects that go beyond what would normally be expected of it. Any resources that would normally be used in the action, such as spell slots or ability uses, are not consumed.

Note, however, that these moments cannot be fully predicted, and are never guaranteed. More, one must commit to the action; you can't "pull back" if fate doesn't smile upon you. Even in the high-action lives of heroes, it is rare to see two Crowning Moments of Awesome without days or even weeks between them, especially from the same character...but it is possible.

Additionally, every time you or an ally in your presence rolls a Natural 20 on a check, that character may spend an immediate action to take an additional standard action.

At this point we have go into realms where I am fully aware that while I would never personally allow such a class to exist in my game I am none the less in awe of its construction, ambition and scope.

Fantastic work.


Narrate Response (Su):

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By eighteenth level, you should be able to predict how the story will go with substantial accuracy, allowing you to prepare narrations in advance. This works like Narrate Action, but cannot be used to compel foes, cannot affect multiple targets, and doesn't provide the action immediately. Rather, the narration remains latent until a specific situation chosen when you make the narration comes up. Once that situation occurs, the target may take an immediate action to instantly perform the narrated action, at no further action cost to you. This expends that narrated response. Note that since the action you spend for a narrated response occurs well before the actual trigger, you may narrate your own responses.

The condition that triggers the response follows the same rules as a wizard's contingency spell. The response itself must be specific with regards to the exact action used. Narrating a full attack or total defense is fine, as is a Wail of the Banshee or Time Stands Still, but you can't just narrate a "spell" or a "martial maneuver". Likewise, the action cannot be one that, itself, grants additional actions. And please, don't try to narrate yourself using Narrate Action. Storytellers of this level give Time enough headaches as it is.

You can have a number of narrative responses pending at any one time equal to your Charisma modifier. Once a response is expended, you must wait twenty-four hours before narrating a replacement response, which can be the same or a different one.

Much more of the above, the game is trickling out of the DM's hands and this class is scooping it up and turning the entire experience into a much more collaborative role playing endeavour.

Its hard to really peach this in a conventional sense as its truly very cool stuff but nothing that I would allow or want in my game.


Deus Ex Machina (Sp):

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And doesn't everyone complain about this one, hmm? Talks of authors writing themselves into a corner, and unsatisfactory endings, and all that. Well, here's the trick; the big heroes up and dying and the world ending is a way less satisfying ending, especially when you're living it (or not, as the case may be). But if you've dedicated the full twenty levels to storytelling, you've earned the right to say, politely but firmly, "No." You narrate the story going the way it should, however nonsensical that may be, emulating a Wish or Miracle spell as a spell-like ability. You may do this once per story.

And yeah, I know, we don't have one of those narrative-based time abstraction mechanics in this game. Guess what? Twentieth. Level. Storyteller. You'll know when you can use it again.

lol, i love the fact that at this point even you have realised that things have gone utterly OTT and that makes for a fabulous conclusion to a very flavoursome and utterly bonkers class.


Summary

I have to say that this was a tough one to peach.

It’s a class which I both had amazing fun reading but also found totally overblown and actually quite frustrating to work through at times. It packed full of flavour and will surely get one of my three votes just one those grounds alone (at time of writing) in fact i think you have thus far created the class to beat as I think many will fall in love with your work here.

Sadly for all its utterly awesome and incredible work i do still find it a little disappointing, because i know i would never allow this in my game and I am pretty sure a lot of others would feel the same. Which is a crying shame indeed because I firmly believe that a more DM sensitive version of this class would certainly be something which I would build a private lobby for in my dnd airport.

I’m sorry I can’t peach you class better to be honest, you have hit the edge of my abilitys as a pearcher (not hard to do). It warrants someone far more skilled than me to go other things in greater detail and break down what I believe to be one of the most creative classes I’ve seen in a long while.

[kanachi]

I wouldn't mind a peach for the Dark Vessel myself; would be glad to return said peach!

I'm working my way down to you... but your quite a ways down the list.

Its a hell of a task and Quellian-dyrae's class just exhausted me so i'm gunna peace out for a few mins with a beer and then move on to the next class.

EDIT: I Wrote "...i'm gunna peace out for a few mins with a bear..." and obviously i dont float my boat that way!

[Jester of Doom]

Ok... so i'm stuck at home waiting for things to be delivered so i thought i would try my hand at a mega peachathon starting from top to bottom.

THANK YOU!!!!! The mime is my first base class, and I could use a good peach. I can wait.

[kanachi]

ok... so beer in hand and ready for the next one.

Form Shaper

Title Image and initial fluff...

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[QUOTE=TheGeckoKing;13628979]

Form Shaper



I would make a statement, but I'd only change my mind anyway. - Switch, a Form Shaper

Of all the schools of magic, Transmutation is the most alluring to one who can't make up their mind about much. Shall I attack or defend? Shall I hide or fly? Shall I have wings or not? Of these people who indulge in Transmutation, there is a specific school exists that focuses on changing not the outside world, but their own bodies, using these changes to further enable changes on the outside world.

This image reflects perfectly what happens if you try to act the big man and order an extra hot curry.


Pre game rule information stuff...

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Adventures: To know why a Form Shaper does anything is at best a taxing effort on the local Diviner, but the usual ideas are to explore and learn, develop their powers, or simply to avoid whatever mess they made in other lands.

Characteristics: A Form Shaper is a hybrid spellcaster/fighter, focusing on self-buffing and being a secondary or a main meleer, with added utility from other forms made available by their spellcasting.

Alignment: To make it simple and obvious, chaos is a key part in this class and it's mindset. Most people could be Form Shapers with sufficient training and a hint of magical aptitude, but to be a Form Shaper doesn't sit with Lawful folk of any type.

Religion: Most Form Shapers are too scatterbrained to prey to a deity, but gods such as Boccob (for his magical supremacy), Vecna (a thousand forms for a thousand secrets) and Obad-Hai (reverence for nature in all its forms) count a few Form Shapers as their worshippers.

Background: Befitting a fluid class like this, many backgrounds can spawn a Form Shaper, from Transmutation devotees to magical biologists, to simply a strange breed of Sorcerers.

Races: The most common type of Form Shaper is that of the Changelings and Doppelgangers, as the shapechanging comes naturally to their ilk. Humans are also good at this art, but Dwarfs tend to be a no-no, hating how flippant the class seems.

Other Classes: Arcane Spellcasters of all kind respect the Form Shaper's dedication to their art, but quietly mock their one-school minds behind their backs. Divine Casters aren't quite sure where to put them, and Druids get irritated by the Form Shapers seemingly using nature as a tool. Melee, and Stealthy classes tend to treat them as specialist spellcasters, and leave it at that.

Role: The Form Shaper's roles are to use their magic for utily, and to bolster their melee capabilities.

Adaptation: This class could be changed to reflect the abilities of transforming robots, Khyber-Spawn, Limbo-Spawn, Far Realm Spawn, or simply a morphing blob of morphic-y......stuff.

Not too much to say here really, its solid stuff and cuts to the point. I always like to read how people believe their work could be adapted and you have done a good job highlighting possible areas here.


Game rule information...

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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Form Shapers have the following game statistics.
Abilities: You need Charisma for spellcasting and other class abilities, and physical scores (Con, Dex, Str) for fighting, although as you gain more spells per day, your reliance on your own scores becomes decreased. Form Shapers do not need to be either smart or sane. Nice bonus, though.
Alignment: Any non-Lawful
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: As Sorcerer
Starting Gold: As Sorcerer
Class Skills
The Form Shaper's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (All, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).

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

Everything seems fine here as well...


Class Table...

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The Form Shaper

Custom

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |0th|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|+0|+2|+2|+2|Spellcasting, Armoured Mage, Uncaring Change|5|3|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—

2nd|+1|+3|+3|+3|Discern Shapechanger, Minor Changes|6|4|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—

3rd|+2|+3|+3|+3|Pick and Choose, Warp Flesh +1d8|6|5|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—

4th|+3|+4|+4|+4|Advanced Learning|6|6|3|—|—|—|—|—|—|—

5th|+3|+4|+4|+4|Warp Burst 1/encounter|6|6|4|—|—|—|—|—|—|—

6th|+4|+5|+5|+5|Warp Flesh +2d8|6|6|5|3|—|—|—|—|—|—

7th|+5|+5|+5|+5|Vibrant Changes|6|6|6|4|—|—|—|—|—|—

8th|+6/+1|+6|+6|+6|Advanced Learning|6|6|6|5|3|—|—|—|—|—

9th|+6/+1|+6|+6|+6|Warp Flesh +3d8|6|6|6|6|4|—|—|—|—|—

10th|+7/+2|+7|+7|+7|Warp Burst 2/encounter|6|6|6|6|5|3|—|—|—|—

11th|+8/+3|+7|+7|+7||6|6|6|6|6|4|—|—|—|—

12th|+9/+4|+8|+8|+8|Strange Changes , Warp Flesh +4d8, Advanced Learning|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|—|—|—

13th|+9/+4|+8|+8|+8||6|6|6|6|6|6|4|—|—|—

14th|+10/+5|+9|+9|+9||6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|—|—

15th|+11/+6/+1|+9|+9|+9|Warp Burst 3/encounter, Warp Flesh +5d8|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|—|—

16th|+12/+7/+2|+10|+10|+10|Advanced Learning|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|—

17th|+12/+7/+2|+10|+10|+10|Fantastic Changes|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|—

18th|+13/+8/+3|+11|+11|+11|Warp Flesh +6d8|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3

19th|+14/+9/+4|+11|+11|+11||6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4

20th|+15/+10/+5|+12|+12|+12|Evolutionary Plunder 1/year, Warp Burst 4/encounter, Advanced Learning|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6[/table]

WOW... medium bab, all good saves and9th level spells? Dont forget to chuck in a respectable d8 hit points and well... you have a beast on your hands.

I'll hold fire until i get further down the class features but alarm bells can be heard and i've not even finished my this beer yet!

Also, there are some dead levels here which dont seem to have a logical pattern to them. This normally points to some kind of imbalance in the class structure (or it does in my builds).


Class features...

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:

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A Form Shaper is proficient with all simple weaponry, light armour and light shields.

seems to make sense.


Spellcasting:

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A Form Shaper casts arcane spells (the same type of spells available to sorcerers and wizards), which are drawn from the Form Shaper spell list given below. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time the way a cleric or wizard must. When a Form Shaper gains access to a new level of spells, he automatically knows all the spells for that level listed on the Form Shaper’s spell list. Essentially, his spell list is the same as his spells known list. Form Shapers also have the option of adding to their existing spell list through their advanced learning ability as they increase in level (see below). See below for the Form Shaper’s spell list. To cast a spell, a Form Shaper must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell’s level (Cha 10 for 0-level spells, Cha 11 for 1st level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Form Shaper’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the Form Shaper’s Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a Form Shaper can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, he receives bonus spells for a high Charisma score (see Table 1–1, page 8 of the Player’s Handbook). Unlike a cleric or a wizard, a Form Shaper need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.

As i've said before, i’m no great judge of spell lists and high level spell casting. That said however I believe medium bab, full saves, d8 hit dice, respectable skills and access to potent spell like time stop is a little OTT.

Mind you, both the druid and cleric are also not far behind it in terms of overall statistical power, so what do i know.


Armoured Mage (Ex):

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Normally, armor of any type interferes with an arcane spellcaster’s gestures, which can cause his spells to fail (if those spells have somatic components).
A Form Shaper’s limited focus and specialized training, however, allows him to avoid arcane spell failure as long as he sticks to light armor and light shields. This training does not extend to medium or heavier armors, nor to heavier shields. Nor does this ability apply to spells gained from a different spellcasting class.

Nice class feature to have.


Uncaring Change (Ex):

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A Form Shaper is concerned more with their spells than where they come from, which is reflected in the spell's change on the caster. A Form Shaper's spells lack the alignment descriptor (and thus the potential effects on the caster's alignment) other caster would have on their spells.

Interesting feature, does it work on spell gained from other classes?


Discern Alignment (Sp):

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As the spell, at-will.

Did you mean Discern Alignment or Discern Shapechanger?


Minor Changes (Su):

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At 2nd level, the Form Shaper gains the Minor Shape Change ability of a Changeling. Changeling Form Shapers instead gain the ability to use their Minor Shape Change ability as a free action instead of a move action.

very nice all round, especially if your a changeling. I'm not sure a free action is quite the right way to go... maybe a swift? or a free action which can be performed once per round (6 seconds)?

This would stop you giving people seizers with a bazillion times per round.


Pick and Choose (Ex):

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At 3rd level, the Form Shaper can make subtle, beneficial changes to their spells that allow them to stand above normal Transmuters.
When casting a Transmutation spell that would change their ability scores, they may use their original ability scores if they would be higher than the new form's scores.
Additionally, a Form Shaper is not impeded in spellcasting by the body of a new form, allowing him to cast his spells no matter their form. Normal impediments such as arcane spell failure or a Silence spell still take effect as normal if they would be an issue.

I have to be honest with you here I don’t normally play with a great deal of polymorphing in my campaigns so I’m not a reliable source of how balanced this may potentially be. However, from my limited knowledge this looks pretty fun and makes sense theme wise.

I would maybe add some kind of caveat for adjustments based upon size... as well a fly with a strength of 20 just seems like madness to me.


Warp Touch (Su):

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At 3rd level, the Form Shaper can force more painful forms upon their enemies.
As a melee touch attack, the Form Shaper can deal 1d8 points of damage to an opponent, and automatically Dispel any Transmutation spells on the target, but spells of a level equal or lower to the highest spell level the Form Shaper can cast.
As the Form Shaper gains more levels, their Warp Touch deals more damage, as shown in the table above.

Warp touch or Warp flesh?

I'm not sure if allowing it to remove all transmutations spells is a great idea. Maybe a total number of spell levels equal to half the Form Shaper class level would be better?


Advanced Learning (Ex):

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At 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th
level, a Form Shaper can add a new spell to his list, representing
the result of personal study and experimentation.
The spell must be a spell of the Transmutation school from any spell list, and of a level no higher than that of the highest-level spell the Form Shaper can cast. For spells with multiple levels (depending of class lists), use the lowest level given.
Once a new spell is selected, it is forever added to that Form Shaper’s spell list and can be cast just like any other spell on their list.

Solid and makes sense.


Warp Burst (Su):

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At 5th level, the Form Shaper can simply will their body to change into a more efficient form, but only for a short time.
Once per encounter, the Form Shaper can activate their Warp Burst, which lasts for 1+Cha Mod rounds, and grants the following benefits;

+2 boost bonus to all physical scores (Con, Dex, Str).
+10 boost bonus to any skill checks.
A 30ft increase to all movement speeds, and an increase in flight maneuverability by two steps.

A Form Shaper gains an extra use per encounter of this ability at 10th, 15th and 20th level.

Is it a standard action to use this?

1+Cha mod rounds will likely be most the encounter for a character of this class. Which is not a bad thing but something to keep in mind.

Also maybe give it some kind of rage like cool down. Such a change sounds pretty exhausting to me.

Can you combine this with a polymorphed shape?


Vibrant Changes (Ex):

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At 7th level, picking all the best forms for the best situations finally rubs off on them, picking up on their failing and rectifying them.
A Form Shaper of this level gains a +1 bonus to their three lowest ability scores. For 4 or more ability scores that are the same number, choose randomly.

wow... this is pretty heavy dude.

It takes most other classes 12 level to get an equal amount of points to boost their ability scores. I know it goes to your lowest scores but still...


Strange Changes (Ex):

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At 12th level, whatever race you were before this point, you're not the same race now.
A Form Shaper of this level gains the Shapechanger subtype, and Alter Self as a 1/day SLA, with a Caster Level equal to their HD.

Makes sense.


Fantastic Changes (Ex):

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At 17th level, trying to understand what on earth a Form Shaper of this power is, is quite frankly a futile effort. Their minds are too quick, and their bodies too strong.
A Form Shaper of this level gains the ability to automatically Quicken any 0, 1st and 2nd level spells they cast from the Form Shaper list (including Advanced Learning spells) without an increase in the spell slot's level or casting time. A Form Shaper of 17th level also acquires Fast Healing 5 as a special quality.

This class is very powerful. how many quickened 0 1st and 2nd level spells can it perform? as many as it likes? If so then your going to be seeling multiple spells spammed every round, things will get very messy.


Evolutionary Plunder (Su and Variable: See Text):

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At this level, trying to constrict you to spell effect and simple lines of logic is just maddening. Why bother with limits, when we can punch nature in the face and steal its stuff!
Once per year (starting from when you acquire your 20th level), you may spend 5000gp in a 24 hour ritual requiring concentration throughout the process.
At the end of this process, you must burn the heart (or similar organ) of a creature that you want to imitate. Once complete, you may choose one special ability or special quality that the heart's former owner had while alive. The Form Changer gains this special ability, with the same limitations and uses per (time period) as the owner had, and the same ability typing (Ex, Sp, Su). You still use your own size and ability scores when relevant, though (such as for abilities such as Swallow Whole or calculating DC's).
This ability may not be used to acquire abilities which can be directly used to gain or grant other abilities (such as Manipulate Form), nor can it be used to gain Spellcasting or or other abilities that are class abilities, or directly mimic class abilities.
The ability gained by this Supernatural ability lasts for 1 year, at which point it is lost (although the Form Shaper is free to renew the ability by conducting another ritual).

Its a hell of a cap stone. You can make all kinda of things happen with this. The once per year thing kind of sucks but the boon could be massive or even broken if your savy.


Summary

I think you have probably gone a little too far with a number of the abilities of this class. It feels very powerful to me, probably even broken.

Polymorphing and shape changing are already very potent aspects of dnd and you have a class here who is a total bad ass at it.

Having said all that however, there are many positives to be drawn and I don’t think you would have to go that far to pull this back into line. The theme is quite nice and your class features do all make sense even if some are a little OTT (in my opinion).

[kanachi]

THANK YOU!!!!! The mime is my first base class, and I could use a good peach. I can wait.

be warned i may have no fingers or keys left by the time i work my way down to your class... but i intend to get there... eventually.

[kanachi]

necro-morph & Hero skipped as they are not yet finished. Sorry guys.

[kanachi]

Ok so whats next on the list...

Morphic Claw

sounds pretty bad ass, lets check it out...

Title Image and initial fluff...

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[QUOTE=Zaydos;13657196]

Morphic Claw

Put an image of your class here!

”What use is a sword when your body is a finer weapon?”

A master of combat, a morphic claw is a warrior who transforms their entire body into a living weapon. Morphic claws fight without need of forged weapons, but with a ferocity and power like the greatest predators of the world.

No image, but I can overlook that. The description sets the tone nicely, basically I don’t want to meet one in a dark alley right?


Pre game rule information stuff...

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Adventures: A morphic claw might adventure for the chance to whet their skills with the challenge of the dangers that adventuring brings. Others adventure because their bestial transformations make them unacceptably strange even in a world of mages and monsters, something about it makes them not quite human and thus altogether too much of a monster for them to mingle with ordinary humans. Other morphic claws adventure for the reasons which attract all mortals, gold, fame, vengeance or a plethora of potential options.

Characteristics: A morphic claw is at its heart a melee combatant. Mastering several martial disciplines, both those common to warblades and swordsages and some unique to their kind. Morphic claws are also capable scouts, and able to make their way through the wilderness, gaining enhanced speed and senses.

Alignment: Many morphic claws find the freedom of the wild an intrinsic part of their own affinity for it. They are not bound easily by society’s laws, instead flowing through the gaps to find their own way and place. As such most morphic claws are chaotic, even though neutral and even lawful ones exist. Lawful morphic claws often see themselves as taping into the primal power of their own forms, through introspection and self-control. Many morphic claws find themselves falling to the allure of the hunter and predator, the joy of battle and bloodshed. These morphic claws, though a plurality, are not the majority and tend towards evil.

Religion: Morphic claws are not particularly prone to religion; their powers come ultimately from within and their focus is often inwards. Those who do deal with gods often worship gods of war, making themselves into living weapons for their gods. Others worship gods of nature, especially those associated with predatory animals, or gods of change.

Background: Morphic claws do not share a single unifying background. Some trained from early childhood, growing intone with their own inner beast, releasing it to face their enemies. Others inherited a trace of lycanthrope, doppleganger, or other shapeshifter blood giving them a natural talent for shapeshifting that they channeled towards combat. Some receive their talents due to mutations from being born in magic saturated regions. What they share in common is training and talent in combat, coupled with a skill at shifting their body into a form suited for battle. To many morphic claws it is not how you came to your power that matters, but what it allows you to do.

Races: Humans, with their natural aptitude for adaptation, and tendency to carry bloodlines of mystical creatures within their veins are fairly common amongst morphic claws. Elves, despite their natural magic and connection to the wilderness, lack the savagery and physical hardiness of a morphic claw, although wild elves find it an easy and acceptable path. Dwarves, whose physical hardiness would prove a useful advantage, rarely follow the path because they lack the connection to the beast and the willingness to change. Half-orcs are fairly common, forged from a combination of adaptable human blood, orcish savagery, and social ostracism. Half-elves also find the path of the morphic claw relatively easy, taking to it more naturally than even humans.

It is among more exotic races that the morphic claw is most common, though. Changelings find the transformations of the morphic claw to come naturally to them their bodies already fluid things. Shifters are the most likely to follow the path, their lycanthropic blood filling them with the power of the beast, and the talent for transformation, which combines to form the perfect template for a morphic claw.

Other Classes: Morphic claws see themselves as part of the natural world of druids and rangers, feeling a certain kinship to them both; this is especially strong in their dealings with druids and wildshape rangers from whom many morphic claws think that they might have something to learn. Morphic claws also feel a kinship with barbarians whose wild savagery resembles their own. Monks and swordsages present a split to many morphic claws; some respect their discipline and focus, others find their refusal to release their inner beasts frustrating at best. Morphic claws take arcanists on a case by case basis, they can be very powerful and with some, such as transmuters, they feel a strong kinship though even then they tend to look down on anyone unwilling to wade into battle and get their hands bloody. Morphic claws get along well with clerics of the bloodier gods, or at least similarly aligned war gods, though few find much kinship with paladins and their strict codes.

Psions often are grouped with other self-disciplined classes; either respected or shrugged off as missing what is important, though with the additional stigma of being afraid of physical combat. Psychic warriors, though, are usually seen with a certain kinship, especially those who wield claws of mental force. Incarnum is usually treated as just another form of magic, but totemists do have some similarities that a morphic claw has trouble turning a blind eye to; some even seek to learn and copy such powers.

Role: Morphic claws serve as melee combatants, fighting on the front line through the use of their natural weapons and martial maneuvers. They can also serve as primary scouts, although their lack of trapfinding proves a hindrance there they have a skill for stealth, enhanced speed, and improved senses to aid them.

Adaptation: Morphic claws could easily be regulated to a single order of supernaturally skilled warriors; an offshoot of the temple of nine swords for example. They could also be connected to a god of change, war, or animals as holy warriors. The low number of morphic claws amongst elves could be reversed, turning it into an ancient elven art. Perhaps they only exist amongst a sect of true lycanthropes, or ones who have begun training human warriors in their arts as a part of a plan to integrate with humans or subvert control of a region.

Really nice flavour (well writen as well) and I like the options put forward int he adaptation section. Top stuff.

Also looking at psionics and others in the other classes section is a nice touch.


Game rule information...

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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Morphic claws have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Strength determines your ability to hit and deal damage with your natural weapons. Dexterity adds to your AC, and with your bonuses to damage might even be usable to replace Strength for to-hit. Constitution helps make up for your d8 HD, allowing you to survive more blows, and at high levels it can determine the cap to your class based AC bonus.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: As cleric.
Starting Gold: 3d4 x 10 GP.

Class Skills
The Morphic Claw's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animals (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

Quite a few skills and skill points a psychic warrior (kind of like this class) only has 2 + Int.

None the less the list looks solid so lets move on.


Class Table...

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CLASS NAME
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|

+2

|Unarmed Combat, Natural Blows (Ferocity +2)|

6

|

3

|

1

2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+0

|

+3

|Claws, Shifting Skin, Natural Skill (Weapon Focus)|

7

|

4

|

2

3rd|

+2

|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

| Natural Blows (Ferocity +3), Enhanced Movement (Speed)|

8

|

4

|

2

4th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Eldritch Claws, Shifted Sense (Sight)|

9

|

4

|

2

5th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Natural Blows (Accuracy +1), Natural Blows (Ferocity +4)|

10

|

5

|

3

6th|

+4

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Bestial Knowledge|

11

|

5

|

3

7th|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

| Natural Blows (Ferocity +5)|

12

|

6

|

3

8th|

+6

|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|Enhanced Movement (Climb)|

13

|

6

|

3

9th|

+6

|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|Fangs, Natural Blows (Ferocity +6)|

14

|

6

|

3

10th|

+7

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

| Natural Blows (Accuracy +2)|

15

|

7

|

4

11th|

+8

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|Body Control, Natural Blows (Ferocity +7)|

16

|

7

|

4

12th|

+9

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

| Shifting Claws|

17

|

8

|

4

13th|

+9

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

| Natural Blows (Ferocity +8), Enhanced Movement (Wings)|

18

|

8

|

4

14th|

+10

|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|Shifted Sense (Ears)|

19

|

8

|

4

15th|

+11

|

+9

|

+5

|

+9

|Natural Blows (Accuracy +3), Natural Blows (Ferocity +9)|

20

|

9

|

5

16th|

+12

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

| Natural Blows (Ferocity +7), Improved Bestial Knowledge|

21

|

9

|

5

17th|

+12

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

| Natural Blows (Ferocity +10)|

22

|

10

|

5

18th|

+13

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

| Enhanced Movement (Sudden Burst)|

23

|

10

|

5

19th|

+14

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

| Natural Blows (Ferocity +11), Shifted Sense (Electrolocation)|

24

|

10

|

5

20th|

+15

|

+12

|

+6

|

+12

|Natural Blows (Accuracy +4), Living Battle|

25

|

11

|

6

[/table]

No dead levels and a nice visual flow to the class table. However, its always useful to show the additional attacks you get and the progression they follow as you advance in level.


Class features...

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:

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An Morphic Claw gains no proficiencies beyond their natural weapons. An Morphic Claw is proficient in light and medium armor but not shields.

Not afraid to dish out no weapon proficiencies. I like it, a statement like that at the start tells me right off the bat that this is a class with balls.


Maneuvers, Maneuvers Readied and Stances Known:

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You begin your career with knowledge of six martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to you are Diamond Mind, Feral Hunger, Protean Hunter, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw.

Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by morphic claws is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description (note all Protean Hunter maneuvers are Supernatural). Your maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one.

You learn additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the table above. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. See Tome of Battle page 39, Table 3-1, to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can learn.

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered morphic claw level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You can choose a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 10th level, you could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- or 4th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 5th level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequisite of the new maneuver. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.

Maneuvers Readied: You can ready three of the maneuvers you know at 1st level. You ready your maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to exercise again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers.

You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).

You can recover one maneuver each round in which you reduce a creature with a CR of at least your IL – 8 to 0 or less hp or render it unconscious. To do so is a free action. You may not recover a maneuver you have used since the start of your last turn.

Stances Known: You begin play with knowledge of one 1st-level stance from any discipline open to morphic claws. At 2nd, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, you can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description (note all Protean Hunter stances are Supernatural).

Unlike with maneuvers, you cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one you already know.

Much to my shame I’ve not actually played with the book of nine swords that much so I can’t remember all the stances and manoeuvres off the top of my noggin like some people seem to be able to. Still it’s a system I enjoy, so no complaints here.

I simply don’t have the energy to do a breakdown of all your new manoeuvers and stances in the two new disciplines you have made but from the brief look I have had they seem pretty good. I like the theme of them as well. I will try to come back to you at a later time with a more detailed work through of them all but no promises sadly.


Unarmed Strike (Ex):

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An Morphic Claw learns to fight with every inch of their body. An Morphic Claw gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat and their unarmed strikes deal 1d6 lethal or nonlethal damage, and counts as the better of a natural weapon or manufactured weapon for all purposes.

A obvious must for any class with a theme like this.


Natural Blows (Ex):

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An Morphic Claw is a master of their natural weapons. As their mastery with their natural weapons increase Morphic Claws of the Morphic Claw gain a bonus to hit and damage.
Ferocity: At 1st level an Morphic Claw gains a +2 untyped bonus to damage with unarmed strikes and natural weapons, this bonus increases by +1 at 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter. This bonus also applies to damage dealt by maneuvers which do not use weapons.
Accuracy: At 5th level an Morphic Claw gains a +1 untyped bonus to attack rolls with unarmed strikes and natural weapons. This bonus increases by +1 at 10th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

So this basically pumps us back up to full bab and gives us a steadily increasing damage buff to boot. It’s a nice feature.


Claws:

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An Morphic Claw has begun to transform their body. At 2nd level their hands change into deadly claws giving them two claws which may act as primary or secondary natural weapons and deal 1d6 damage for a medium sized Morphic Claw. The Morphic Claw may only use one claw if they also attack with their unarmed strike, and may not use either claw if they make attacks with their unarmed strike through Two-Weapon Fighting rules, even if they do not use their hand for the unarmed attacks. An Morphic Claw also gains the Supernatural ability to revert these claws to regular hands as a standard action, returning them to claws is a swift action.

If you already have claw attacks you do not gain new claw attacks, but the damage increases as if you had gained a size category, as this is not an actual change in your size it stacks with other effects which would increase your damage with natural weapons.

So you can only ever get 1 claw attack at any time with this ability?

Anyway, I’m sure in the hands of certain races it could lead to an impressive damage output.

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Shifting Skin (Su): An Morphic Claw learns to harden and transform their skin. Their hardened skin grants them increased protection against physical attacks. An Morphic Claw’s natural armor bonus is increased by ½ their class level to a maximum increase of 2 higher than their Constitution modifier (if they do not have natural armor treat it as +0).

A much needed boost to AC. I was worried that this class would be a glass cannon.

I'm not sure i would implement it quite this way however as the resulting figure your allowing is somewhat intangible. Instead I would simply give the class incremental bonuses to their natural AC.


Natural Skill:

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An Morphic Claw has a talent for all natural weapons. At 2nd level they are considered to have Weapon Focus in any natural weapon they possess (including unarmed strikes).

There going to have a pretty solid attack roll with all these abilities stacking up, which is no bad thing.


Shifted Senses (Ex):

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An Morphic Claw learns to change the very nature of their sensory organs, these modifications growing more complex as they advance along their path.

Eyes: Your eyes have changed becoming more sensitive to light, or those transmissions which exist even without it. Choose either Low-Light Vision or Darkvision. If you do not already have that ability you gain it (out to 60-ft with darkvision), if you already possess that ability you gain Superior Low-Light Vision (if you selected Low-Light Vision), or your Darkvision extends by 60-ft (if you selected darkvision). Whichever option you select you gain a +4 competence bonus to Spot checks.

Ears: Your ears have grown keen enough, that you can pinpoint creatures through echo-location. You gain Blindsense out to 30-ft, and a +4 competence bonus to Listen checks.

Electroreception: Your entire body has grown sensitive to the electric signals of the world around you, letting you sense their location like a fish in water. You gain Blindsight out to 30-ft. If you take electricity damage equal to or greater than your Constitution score in one attack your blindsight is suppressed for 1d4 rounds.

Some of these bonuses are pretty darn good and make you respectable choice as party scout and reinforce that predator feel.


Enhanced Movement (Ex):

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An Morphic Claw’s body adapts to the needs of the battlefield transforming to grant them battlefield supremacy. At 3rd level, and every 5 levels afterwards, an Morphic Claw’s ability to move about the battlefield improves in some way.

Speed: At 3rd level you base land speed increases by 10-ft.

Climb: At 8th level your claws adapt to climbing and while they are manifest you gain a climb speed equal to ½ your base land speed.

Wings: At 13th level wings sprout from your back granting you a fly speed equal to your land speed with average maneuverability. As a full-round action you may retract these wings into your body (hiding them is a Su ability), and may allow them to reassert themselves as a standard action.

Sudden Burst: At 18th level your body has grown accustomed to sudden bursts of movement; whenever you take a full-attack action (but not a strike or other action which allows you to full-attack) you may move up to half your speed as part of that action. This movement must come before or after all of your attacks and provokes attacks of opportunity as normal; you may still take a 5-ft step even in a round in which you use this ability.

Good mobility options are always welcome. I'm not sure about Sudden Burst however, essentially does it just provide a little bit extra movement if you perform a regular full-attack action? It may be easier to simply allow the class some kind of movement if they perform a swift action.


Eldritch Claws (Su):

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An Morphic Claw is in many ways a being of magic, and this magical nature extends to their natural weapons. Beginning at 4th level an Morphic Claw’s natural weapons and unarmed strikes overcome DR as if they were magic weapons and may hit incorporeal creatures as if they were magic, but not ghost touch, weapons.

Eldritch Claws (Su):

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An Morphic Claw is in many ways a being of magic, and this magical nature extends to their natural weapons. Beginning at 4th level an Morphic Claw’s natural weapons and unarmed strikes overcome DR as if they were magic weapons and may hit incorporeal creatures as if they were magic, but not ghost touch, weapons.

Nice idea and much needed.


Bestial Knowledge (Ex):

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An Morphic Claw learns much about identifying creatures due to their imitation of the monstrous form. Beginning at 2nd level an Morphic Claw gains a +2 untyped bonus to Knowledge checks to identify creatures or as part of Knowledge Devotion.

do you get this at 2nd or 6th level? the table and text differ.


Fangs:

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An Morphic Claw continues to change and enhance their body, becoming more and more of a living weapon. At 9th level an Morphic Claw gains either a Bite or Tail attack as his body shifts to grow this new weapon; once this choice is made it cannot be changed. As a standard action (Su) he may revert this weapon into his form to hide it; restoring his natural weapon is a swift action.

If you already have the type of natural weapon you selected, or would gain it from another source, instead your damage die with it increases by 1 size.

What kind of damage outlay do these weapons have as standard? do they have attack penalties?


Body Control:

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An Morphic Claw’s body is always shifting and changing, even if only in small ways. At 11th level an Morphic Claw gains the Shapechanger subtype, a +4 on Fortitude saves versus poison and disease, light fortification (this does not stack with fortification from other sources), and if they succeed on a Fortitude save against an effect which allows a save for Fort half or Fort partial they suffer no effect.

Obviously a move to Shapechanger makes sense.

Its also nice to be able to shake off fort saves like a boss.

Shifting Claws (Su):

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An Morphic Claw learns to synthesize mystical materials and infuse his blows with them. Beginning at 12th level an Morphic Claw may choose one special material type, his natural weapons and unarmed strikes deal damage as if they were that material. An Morphic Claw may, with a swift action change which material their claws deal damage as.

Not really into this theme wise, but i can see why you went there. A personal preference thing.


Improved Bestial Knowledge (Ex):

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An Morphic Claw’s knowledge of the monstrous form continues to grow. Beginning at 16th level an Morphic Claw gains a +5 untyped bonus to Knowledge checks to identify creatures, and for Knowledge Devotion. In addition they may now make Knowledge checks to identify creatures even if they are untrained. This ability supersedes (does not stack with) Bestial Knowledge.

Useful but nothing to write home about at 16th level. Perhaps a bit lackluster to be honest


Living Battle (Ex):

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As an Morphic Claw reaches supremacy in their field they have become embodiments of war. Going far beyond mere living weapons which they have been for some time upon their path, they have become a battle concentrated into mortal form. At 20th level an Morphic Claw’s control over their own body grants them immunity to Transmutation spells or effects which allow Spell Resistace, although they can lower or raise this immunity as a swift action, they are also immune to critical hits, stunning, poison and disease. If an effect allows a Fort save for partial or half, an Morphic Claw suffers no effect on a successful save, and even on a failed save suffers the reduced effect. Finally their presence as a being of battle allows their natural weapons and unarmed strikes to overcome damage reduction as if Epic and the alignment of choice. This alignment does not need to match that of the Morphic Claw’s and can even oppose it. They may change which alignment their natural weapons are treated as with a swift action.

Snap son! thats a hell of a cap stone. It all makes sense however so i have no major issue with it. It is quite a large leep in power however over some of your previous abilities. you may have been better served spreading out the love of this ability over the final few levels, rather than getting it all in one mega wammy.


Summary

So what do i think?

Well obviously a large part of this class lays in its stances, and maneuvers which I've not gone into in to much detail and may even be best left to those more skilled than myself. None the less I feel able to offer some conclusions on the class.

Its got a solid theme as the shape changer theme normally does, it conjures up images of coolness which are immediately of interest. The crunch also back this theme up for the most part though some of it feel a bit bumpy (up and down) on the power scale.

Overall however I like it. Its a solid enough class which sticks to the brief well without riding around on a unicycle tooting a horn for attention.

In fact I've been toying with the idea of implement one as a NPC in my current campaign, so that probably says all you need to know about my thoughts to be honest.