Smasher [class]

[ideasmith]

SMASHER


For those who want to play something more … direct … than a barbarian.

Hit Dice: 1d12
Base Attack Bonus: Good
Good Saves: Fortitude, Reflex, Will
Alignment: Any
Starting Age: As rogue
Starting Money: As druid


Class Skills: Climb, Intimidate, Jump, Swim
Skill points at first level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill points at each subsequent level: 2 + Int modifier

Special:

1st: Illiteracy, Not Speak Too Good
2nd: Smack ’em Hard +1
3rd: Endurance, Damage Reduction 1/-
4th: Smack ‘em Hard +2
5th: Impact
6th: Smack ‘em Hard +3
7th: Fearless, Damage Reduction 2/-
8th: Smack ‘em Hard +4
9th: Demolish
10th: Smack ‘em Hard +5
11th: Trample, Damage Reduction 3/-
12th: Smack ‘em Hard +6
13th: Momentum
14th: Smack ‘em Hard +7
15th: Improved Trample, Damage Reduction 4/-
16th: Smack ‘em Hard +8
17th: Primal Roar
18th: Smack ‘em Hard +9
19th: Frightful Presence, Damage Reduction 5/-
20th: Smack ‘em Hard +10






Class Features


Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A smasher is proficient with club, dagger (including punch dagger), dart, gauntlet, grapple, greatclub, javelin, mace (heavy or light), morningstar, sling, spear (including short spear and long spear), unarmed strike, and warhammer. They are not proficient with any shields.

Smashers are proficient with light and medium armor but metal armor interferes with their abilities, which depend on a primal connection to nature. They therefore mostly wear padded, leather, or hide armor. A smasher who wears metal armor loses all er class features (except weapon and armor proficiencies and illiteracy) while the armor is worn. (They do not lose class abilities when wearing shields, even metal shields, although normal non-proficiency penalties apply.)



Illiteracy: Smashers do not automatically know how to read or write. A smasher may spend 2 skill points to gain the ability to read and write all languages e is able to speak. A smasher who gains a level in any class without the illiteracy class feature automatically gains literacy. Gaining a level in smasher does not provide literacy to a previously illiterate character.

Not Speak Too Good (Ex): Smashers gain a +4 bonus to all saves against language-dependent effects. This bonus is lost if the smasher becomes literate for any reason.

Smack ‘em Hard (Ex): At 2nd level, a smasher gains a +1 bonus to damage with one Bludgeoning attack per round. This base bonus is subject to the following modifiers:

- Increase by one for every two further levels above 2nd.

- Double if the smasher is using a two handed weapon.


Endurance (Ex): A smasher gains Endurance as a bonus feat at 3rd level.

Damage Reduction (Ex): At 3rd level, a smasher gains Damage Reduction: Subtract 1 from the damage the smasher takes each time e is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 7th level, and every four smasher levels thereafter (11th, 15th, and 19th), this damage reduction rises by 1 point. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but never below 0.

Impact (Ex): At 5th level, a smasher gains Improved Bull Rush and Improved Overrun as bonus feats. A smasher need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats.

Fearless (Ex): Beginning at 7th level, a smasher is immune to fear (magical or otherwise).

Demolish (Ex): Starting at 9th level, a smasher ignores hardness equal to er Strength bonus when damaging objects with Bludgeoning attacks.

Trample (Ex): At 11th level, as a full-round action, a smasher can move up to twice er speed and literally run over any opponents at least one size category smaller than imself. The smasher merely has to move over the opponents in er path; any creature whose space is completely covered by the trampling smasher’s space is subject to the trample attack. If a target’s space is larger than five feet, it is only considered trampled if the smasher moves over all the squares it occupies. If the smasher moves over only some of the target’s space, the smasher can take an attack of opportunity against the smasher at a –4 penalty.

A trample attack deals bludgeoning damage (The smasher’s unarmed strike or slam damage plus 1.5 times er Str. modifier).

Trampled opponents can attempt attacks of opportunity but these suffer a –4 penalty. If they do not make attacks of opportunity, trampled opponents can attempt Reflex saving throws to take half damage.

The saving throw DC against a smasher’s trample attack is 10 + 1/2 smasher’s level + the smasher's Str. Modifier. A trampling creature can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times er movement takes im over a target creature.

Momentum (Ex): At 13th level, a smasher can charge through terrain that slows movement (but not terrain that blocks movement). The smasher can also charge through helpless creatures, allied creatures, and creatures e drops with trample damage.

Improved Trample (Ex): Starting at 15th level, a smasher adds er bonus from Smack ‘em hard to trample damage.

Primal Roar (Ex): A 17th level smasher who is using Intimidate to demoralize an opponent applies er Strength bonus (if any) in addition to er Charisma modifier. This does not apply to other applications of Intimidate.

Frightful Presence (Ex): Starting at 19th level, a smasher can unsettle foes with er mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the smasher attacks or charges. Creatures within a radius of 30 feet are subject to the effect if they have fewer HD than the smasher. A potentially effected creature that succeeds on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 smasher’s level + smasher’s Cha modifier) remains immune to that smasher’s frightful presence for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with 4 or less HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more HD become shaken for 5d4 rounds.

Change Log


12/15/06 Added light armor to proficiencies. (Thank you sigurd.)

12/15/06 Made Smack ‘em Hard apply to all Bludgeoning attacks. (Thank you Fizban.)

12/15/06 Replaced Buffet with Primal Roar. (Thank you Myatar_Panwar)

12/15/06 Made Smack ‘em Hard doubled with 2H weapons. (Thank you Cirnech.)

12/15/06 Made most class abilities useless in metal armor. (Thank you The_Ferg.)

12/15/06 Dropped proficiencies with quarterstaff, crossbows, and sickles.

12/15/06 Added headings for alignment, starting age, and starting money.

[sigurd]

This might combine really well with a 2 weapon build.

I like the idea but I think you either give them armor (at least light) proficiency or live with them being effectively a prestige class after a level or two of fighter or barbarian. I'd do a 2 level dip in fighter to get language and may be TWF sorted out.

Sigurd

[Fizban]

Why not just have smack em' hard apply to all bludgeoning weapons?

[Myatar_Panwar]

Hmmmmm, a very cool class. But I think that the "Buffet" ability might be a bit too good. Although it is a completly combat oriented class...... I dont know, maybe the Buffet is good. Ya it probally is.

And why dont you just make it for all bludgoning weapons?

[Proven_Paradox]

Since they don't have any abilities dependant on them being armor/shieldless, I would recommend you give them light and/or medium armor. Otherwise, as others have stated, this one is going to come after a dip into fighter or barbarian.

Otherwise, I like it.

[Cirnech]

Buffet is essentially infinite, non-magical haste. As cool of an idea as it is, this class is really over-powered compared to the Barbarian. You might reduce Smack 'em Hard to 1 every 4 Levels, and double it for 2-handed weapons so that duel-wielding doesn't become too insane with them.

Good concept, and I really like Momentum.

[Fizban]

Cause ya know, THF really needs more love

[The_Ferg]

I'm fond of most of the stuff here, actually. I think the Smack 'em Hard should be once every third level. I think that if you're going to restrict armor, there should be a penalty somewhere for if they are wearing it. Also, double the S'em'H bonus for two handed weapons to avoid the cheese. Other than that, great class!

[ideasmith]

Am working on a revision. Will be incorporating most of the suggestions so far. I am thinking that limiting Smack 'em hard to once per round might work better than reducing the bonus. Any opinions on that?

[Sahegian]

It is an interesting class. It has a certain caveman appeal to it. I shudder just thinking of how people would role play this though...

I like the idea of the damage applying 1.5x or 2x to two handers instead of only once per round.

I do have to agree that buffet is too powerful. Adding an AC or to-hit penalty while using it might help to balance it a bit.

I'd also give them light armor and make all of their abilities not function in medium or heavy armor.

Making not speak too good have a disadvantageous effect to diplomacy and other speech oriented skills would make sense as well.

[TheHawk]

Maybe make buffet add one attact when you make a full round action

[ideasmith]

First revision done.