A New Base Class: The Cardcaptor

[Getsugaru]

New thread is up. As of now, this thread is a Discussion Thread. YAY!

[Getsugaru]

Just added the Song's Clow Card power. Go check it out!

[AuraTwilight]

Looks good. I would vote that the Sakura power should emulate Bardic music in some way.

[Getsugaru]

Looks good. I would vote that the Sakura power should emulate Bardic music in some way.

Similar to what I'd been planning. In fact, I was going to have the Voice inflict Silence as Clow, and Debuff Bardic's as Sakura. That way, the two balance out.
What Bardic Musical effects for each do you suggest?

[Getsugaru]

The Voice has been updated. Take a look!

[Getsugaru]

Just looked at the original class, and realized that at several levels, you get no new class abilities! If this was Pathfinder, it'd be a laughing stock! To rectify this, I'm thinking of adding a few more "common" class abilities, like Uncanney Dodge (which you now get at 7th level). Any ideas on what should fill those extra slots?

[AuraTwilight]

Voice works.

As for the dead levels, isn't that mitigated by the constant inflow of cards (and spells once you start getting them?)

That aside, I'd have to think of what to plug in that'd be appropriately flavorful.

[Getsugaru]

As for the dead levels, isn't that mitigated by the constant inflow of cards (and spells once you start getting them?)

Sort of... Take a look at the Pathfinder Bard; despite getting magic, at all but 3 levels it gains some form of class ability. As the Cardcaptor is meant to be a Jack-of-all-Trades like the Bard, having at most 3 dead levels can be acceptable, I guess. Also, spellcasting isn't obtained until 11th level, so having dead levels in the single digits is probably not the most balanced of spots...

That aside, I'd have to think of what to plug in that'd be appropriately flavorful.

Unfortunately, there are only two examples of a Cardcaptor in the series: Clow Reed and Sakura Kinomoto. With only the two of them to compare, it is quite difficult to determine what constitutes "flavorful", especially since little is known about Clow Reed himself. That's the reason this class takes so much inspiration from Sakura, such as the 10th level and 20th level "Trials" class features. As for the limit on how many there can be at one time, that's mostly for flavor, with a bit of balance thrown in on the side (it's not the only class out there that has a limit on how many can exist at one time; the Jade Phoenix Mage has a similar, though less extreme, limit). That's why I thought going for some of the more "common" class abilities would be a good idea.

On a side note: I filled in another space by giving one of the class features an upgraded form (9th level: Improved Aura Sense). Hope it's to your liking (inspiration from invocation).

[AuraTwilight]

Unfortunately, there are only two examples of a Cardcaptor in the series: Clow Reed and Sakura Kinomoto.

Syaoran arguably counts. :P

Improved Aura Sensing definitely makes a lot of sense.

Have you considered comparing your work to the Tome of Radiance, for possible ideas on extra class features?

[Getsugaru]

Syaoran arguably counts. :P

Improved Aura Sensing definitely makes a lot of sense.

Have you considered comparing your work to the Tome of Radiance, for possible ideas on extra class features?

To tell you the truth, no I hadn't, mostly because I've never heard of it before now. Now looking it over...

EDIT: Okay; with only a quick glance, I've noticed that all the base classes follow a pattern and have a few of the same abilities:

• Merciful: All of the classes are allowed to inflict non-lethal damage for free with any attack, which makes sense, since most magical girls don't want to kill.
• The Power of Friendship: All of the classes have the ability to make enemies into allies more effectively than most official classes. Hello Diplomancer.
• Radiant Armaments: All of the classes also have access to a custom outfit and weapon/tool. That strangely sounds familiar...(Dress for Success; Sealing Wand; etc.)

So, by what you've implied, I should give the Cardcaptor Merciful and the Power of Friendship?

[AuraTwilight]

I definitely think those would help. Though you might need to bump some features up a few levels to keep the class from being so frontloaded if you do that.

[Getsugaru]

Maybe bump Endurance up to level 8, and gain Merciful at level 3? And I bet that the Power of Friendship would make sense as a level 10 ability ( "I don't want to be your master. I want to be your friend!")...

Okay, that takes care of the single digits, but what about afterwords?

[Getsugaru]

Just finished the Trial of Oblivion. What do you think?

Also, it seems Selina included a unique benefit for each base class's Power of Friendship. What do you think should be the unique benefit of the Cardcaptor's Power of Friendship?

[AuraTwilight]

I would go with the Empath's version of the Power of Friendship. Also, 10th level seems a bit late to introduce the ability. I'd push it to, say, level 2. That leaves us with just level 15, 16, and 18 needing new abilities, right?

[Getsugaru]

I would go with the Empath's version of the Power of Friendship. Also, 10th level seems a bit late to introduce the ability. I'd push it to, say, level 2.

Alright. Plus, level 10 has the advantage of an auto level-up ability, so I guess it already has enough power.

That leaves us with just level 15, 16, and 18 needing new abilities, right?

Yep. Any ideas?

[AuraTwilight]

Hm...perhaps instead of giving Endurance at 8th level, we make it and the other dead levels simply draw from a list of bonus feats selected for the class? That would also help mitigate the class's problem of not offering a lot of options for progression.

[Getsugaru]

Hm...perhaps instead of giving Endurance at 8th level, we make it and the other dead levels simply draw from a list of bonus feats selected for the class? That would also help mitigate the class's problem of not offering a lot of options for progression.

Hmm...I was thinking about getting another feat at 16th level...(!) I've got an idea. How about a bonus feat every 4th level?

[AuraTwilight]

That could work; you may or may not need to shuffle things around accordingly, but the idea seems solid.

[Getsugaru]

That could work; you may or may not need to shuffle things around accordingly, but the idea seems solid.

Glad to hear it. And as for the Bonus Feat list, perhaps any Metamagic Feat would be a good start...what about Luck Feats, or something similar?

[AuraTwilight]

Metamagic might be the way to go. You'll need to point me towards Luck feats before I can judge.

[Getsugaru]

Complete Scoundrel.

[AuraTwilight]

Ah, these feats.

...Yea, I'd definitely allow them. Infact, I have half a mind to just offer Luck feats as the bonus feats as opposed to Metamagic, so as not to let the spellcasting overtake the clow cards mechanic.

[Getsugaru]

Ah, these feats.

...Yea, I'd definitely allow them. Infact, I have half a mind to just offer Luck feats as the bonus feats as opposed to Metamagic, so as not to let the spellcasting overtake the clow cards mechanic.

Main reason why I'm not doing just Luck Feats: Not everyone who has an internet and plays this game with homebrew has access to a copy of Complete Scoundrel. Because of this, I don't want a class feature that is dependent on accessing a resource not everyone has. That's why I also included the Metamagic feats. If you've a suitable replacement, however, I'm still open to suggestions.

[AuraTwilight]

That's a good point. I'm fine with Metamagic feats also being on the list, it just doesn't strike me as wholly ideal.

But yea, I think either way we've fixed the dead level problem.

[Getsugaru]

Agreed. Now to get back to the Card's effects.

But before I do, what do you think of the Trial of Oblivion (Remember, the Nothing is basically a Sphere of Annihilation, so completing the trial gives you something really powerful). Also, just to let you know ahead of time, the Hope basically gives you access to the powers of both the Nameless Card and the Nothing, but with a TBD added benefit...

[AuraTwilight]

It's hard to judge the Trial of Oblivion before all the cards are determined, honestly.

[Getsugaru]

The Shield is up. Take a look!

[Getsugaru]

The Lock is in place. Go try to unlock it!

[AuraTwilight]

I'm totally down with both of those, good work!

[Getsugaru]

Currently working on the Power, which is difficult, because I don't want to make her "too strong". Main difficulty is that she can easily lift a full grown elephant, which requires a strength score of 55...

...

...help...