Machine Chaplain of Redoubt (PEACH)

[Edge]

Well, after the WoTC boards and Dicefreaks it should be okay, but there's always the possibility things have been missed.

And besides, this means more people may actually use it .

I present:

The Machine Chaplain of Redoubt
“Our only hope against these horrors is to strike at the portal – no matter that there are thousands of them. I’d rather face thousands of Abyssal spawn than an infinite number. You object?” – Bastion, Machine Chaplain of Redoubt.

The War Machine is as much a god of war as it is a god of the warforged race. It is therefore not surprising that his chosen followers are paragons of the god’s ideals of a perfect defensive strategy. These Machine Chaplains of Redoubt, as they are known, are warforged of consummate tactical acumen. During the last Entropy War, these warriors led crack squads of warforged into battle, and their abilities helped turn the tide against the Chthonic God’s forces on many battlefields.
Hit Die: d10

Requirements
To qualify to become a Machine Chaplain of Redoubt, a character must fulfil all the following criteria.
Race: Warforged
Alignment: Lawful Neutral or True Neutral
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Skills: Knowledge (tactica) 9 ranks.
Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialisation
Patron Deity: The War Machine

Class Skills
The Machine Chaplain’s class skills (and the key ability for each) are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (tactica) (Int), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill points at each level: 4 + Int modifier, minimum 1.

The Machine Chaplain of Redoubt (MaCR)

Lvl BAB  Fort Ref  Will  Special
1	+1	+2	+0	+0	 Stratagem
2	+2	+3	+0	+0	 Tactical Awareness, Tactical Lenses
3	+3	+3	+1	+1	 Bonus Fighter Feat
4	+4	+4	+1	+1	 Stratagem
5	+5	+4	+1	+1	 Lead From the Front
6	+6	+5	+2	+2	 Bonus Fighter Feat
7	+7	+5	+2	+2	 Stratagem
8	+8	+6	+2	+2	 Bonus Fighter Feat
9	+9	+6	+3	+3	 Multifaceted Tactics
10      +10     +7      +3      +3       Grand Stratagem, Stratagem

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Machine Chaplain of Redoubt prestige class.

Stratagem (Ex or Su): At first level, and every three levels thereafter, the Machine Chaplain learns a tactical trick that he teaches his allies. Stratagems affect all of the Chaplain’s allies in a radius of 60ft, provided they can hear him. All Stratagems have a prerequisite number of ranks in Knowledge (tactica) which must be met if they are to be selected. Some also have other requirements that must be met. A Stratagem lasts as long as the Chaplain wishes it to, but may only have one Stratagem active at a time (however, see Multifaceted Tactics, below). The Chaplain only learns one Stratagem each time, and he cannot change his selections. The Chaplain is affected by his own Stratagems.

Denial (Ex): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 10 ranks. The Chaplain directs his allies to deny the foes’ movement. Every time an ally in range of the Stratagem makes an Attack of Opportunity that hits and deals damage, the target of the Attack is knocked back 5ft from the person who made the attack. A successful opposed Strength check by the subject of the Attack of Opportunity negates the knock back. Each ally within range can only make use of Denial once per round.
From All Angles (Ex): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 10 ranks. Allies affected by this Stratagem may flank a target a foe provided they are adjacent to the same foe – the square they are in does not matter.
Battlecry (Ex): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 10 ranks. The Chaplain shouts his warcry or recites battle poetry or performs some similar action. All affected allies add the Chaplain’s Int bonus as an inspiration bonus to their attack rolls. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Improved Denial (Ex): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 13 ranks and Denial. This ability functions as Denial, but affected allies may use it up to two times per round, but never more than once per Attack of Opportunity.
Improved Battlecry (Ex): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 13 ranks, Battlecry. This ability functions as per Battlecry, except the inspiration bonus also applies to affected allies’ damage rolls.
Improved From All Angles (Ex): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 13 ranks, From All Angles. This ability functions as From All Angles, except the flanking bonus is equal to half the Chaplain’s Int modifier rounded down (minimum +2).
We Stand as One! (Ex): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 16 ranks, Improved Battlecry. This ability functions as Improved Battlecry, except that the inspiration bonus is also added to AC, and all affected allies gain temporary hp equal to the Chaplain’s ranks in Knowledge (tactica).
They Cannot Hold! (Su): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 16 ranks. This Stratagem has no effects upon the Chaplain’s allies, but instead demoralizes the Chaplain’s foes. All foes within 60ft must make a Will save with a DC equal to the Chaplain’s Intimidate check or be shaken. Foes which fail the save by 10 or more are panicked instead. A successful save means that that target cannot be affected by this particular Chaplain’s They Cannot Hold! Again for 24 hours.
War Is Our Shield! (Su): Requires Knowledge (tactica) 16 ranks. All allies affected by this Stratagem gain the Chaplain’s Int modifier as an inspiration bonus on all Fortitude and Reflex saving throws.

Tactical Awareness (Ex): The Machine Chaplain is expert field commander and can recognise a foe’s tactics from the slightest redeployment of troops. The Chaplain gains a new use of the Sense Motive skill and a new use of the Knowledge (tactica) skill.
Notice Tactic: A successful Sense Motive check opposed by the enemy commander’s Bluff check allows the Machine Chaplain to notice that the enemy commander in question is starting to use a strategy. A failed check means the character notices no strategy or tactic. Action: Free
Know Tactic: A successful Knowledge (tactica) check (DC 10 + half enemy commander’s level/HD + enemy commander’s Cha modifier) allows the Machine Chaplain to recognise what strategy the enemy commander is trying to utilise. A failed check means the Chaplain cannot recognise the strategy, and failure by 10 or more means he identifies an incorrect strategy.

Tactical Lenses: The Machine Chaplain needs to be aware of all events on the battlefield. To facilitate this to the highest degree, at level 2 the Chaplain's ocular lenses are reforged by the War Machine. The Chaplain gains Low-Light Vision and Darkvision out to 30ft. At 7th level, the Darkvision range extends to 60ft.

Bonus Fighter Feat: At the indicated levels, the Chaplain gains a bonus feat chosen from the list of Fighter Bonus Feats. He must meet all prerequisites of this feat in order to select it.

Lead From the Front: A Machine Chaplain is as much a fighter as a leader. The War Machine remakes his champions in the forge of war so they may walk through even the fiercest battle unscathed. At level 5, the armour bonus from the Chaplain's Composite Plating increases by 1, and the armour check penalty is decreased by 1. In addition, the damage of his slam attack improves by one die step.

Multifaceted Tactics (Ex): At ninth level, the Machine Chaplain’s Stratagems take on new depth and complexity. The Chaplain may now maintain two Stratagems simultaneously.

Grand Stratagem (Ex or Su): At tenth level, the Machine Chaplain learns one of the War Machine’s own personal Stratagems. The Chaplain chooses one of the following Stratagems. All Grand Stratagems have a prerequisite of 19 ranks in Knowledge (tactica). Grand Stratagems count toward the number of Stratagems the Chaplain can maintain at one time.
True Redoubt (Ex): The Chaplain is a bastion which cannot be moved. This Stratagem affects only the Chaplain himself. Whilst under the effects of this Grand Stratagem, the Chaplain adds his class level to his AC and on the opposed rolls for trip, disarm, bull rush and overrun. However, whilst using True Redoubt, the Chaplain cannot move more than 5ft per round.
Madness? (Su): The Chaplain endows himself and his allies with suicidal courage. All allies affected by this Stratagem are immune to all fear effects and aren’t bothered in the slightest by Intimidate checks.
Last Stand (Ex): This Stratagem only affects allies with less than 20% hp. Those affected by this Stratagem add the half the Chaplain’s ranks in Knowledge (tactica) as an inspiration bonus to saves, attack rolls, damage rolls and skill checks. Also, all critical threat ranges are doubled. This critical threat doubling does stack with Improved Critical/keen weapons (though remember those two qualities don’t stack with each other).
Second Wind (Su): Unlike other Stratagems, this can only be used 1/day, and its effects are instantaneous. When used, this Stratagem heals all allies in range for an amount equal to the Chaplain’s class level times his ranks in Knowledge (tactica). It heals warforged and truly living creatures equally.
Anvil of the Soul (Su): Unlike other Stratagems, this can only be used 1/day, and its effects are instantaneous. The Chaplain calls down the wrath of the War Machine upon his enemies. All enemies within range take 20d6 points of divine damage.

And now, the god this class is associated with:

The War Machine
The Tactician, The Onslaught, The Iron One
Lesser Deity
Symbol: The War Machine’s own ghulra on an iron circle.
Home Plane: The Concordant Domains on the Outlands.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral.
Portfolio: Warforged, war, ghulra, metalwork, tactics, the warforged afterlife and the magic required for warforged creation.
Worshippers: Warforged.
Cleric Alignments: LN, N.
Domains: Artifice, Fate, Law, Magic, Metal, Planning, Protection, Rune, War.
Favoured Weapon: The War Machine, a set of artifact warforged components. Clerics of The War Machine who select the War domain gain Weapon Focus (embedded components).

PEACH, and enjoy.

[Debihuman]

Knowledge (tactica) is not a standard Knowledge skill. Where is it from? What if it doesn't exist in your campaign? Could you substitute a more standard skil from the basic Knowledge skills list. [See here for skills in the SRD: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/knowledge.htm

I haven't played an Eberron setting campaign and this seems more appropriate to that than to any other setting.

Debby

[Edge]

I developed this for a homebrew setting, but I never got around to detailing Knowledge (tactica) or what it might specifically do.

I may get around to doing it sometime in the future, but in the interim you could come up with it yourself (not that I believe or expect anyone would), or substitute Knowledge (history), which seems to be the most fitting of the existing Knowledge skills.

Oh, and thanks for the reply.

[Xefas]

I use a similar skill to Knowledge (tactica) in my games. I assume it's essentially the same thing, just called "Knowledge (Military Tactics and Strategy)". Players can use this skill to organize troop movements, estimate the troop movements of enemies, and provide a small global bonus to troops under their command. Since this is rather situational, I also give them a synergy bonus on rolls having to do with my game world's boardgame of choice.

I can't really comment on balance, because I don't know where you're balancing to, exactly (Monk? Fighter? Rogue? Warblade? Cleric? Wizard?), but I will comment that the "Anvil of the Soul" grand stratagem seems like a very disappointing cop-out in a class I otherwise like. I expected a badass tactical option used by some grand War God, and instead I got a big fireball. I would say either scrap that option, or replace it with something more interesting.

[Edge]

Hmm. I'll admit Anvil of the Soul never really sat perfectly with me, either, but I came up with the name, liked it, and couldn't think of anything else but damage to fit it.

It does need replacing though, you're right.