Parivir (3.5) (ToB PrC)

[The-Mage-King]

Parivir



"Only a focused mind can do what I can do."
-Nothclif, Hume Human Parivir.


Becoming a Parivir

The easiest route to Parivir is Swordsage, as they have the easiest time learning the required Diamond Mind maneuvers. Their higher initiative checks also helps with getting the edge on the opponents.


Prerequisites:
Skills: Concentration 8 Ranks, Iaijutsu Focus 4 ranks
Feats: Unnerving Calm, Blade Meditiation (Diamond Mind), Quick Draw
Maneuvers Known: Three Diamond Mind maneuvers, one of which must be at least 3rd level, one Desert Wind maneuver of at least 2nd level, and one Iron Heart -OR- White Raven maneuver.


Hit Die: d8

Class Skills (4+Int Skill points per level): Balance, Climb, Concentration, Iaijutsu Focus, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history), Listen, Martial Lore, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Swim, Tumble.

Level	BAB	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Maneuvers Known	Maneuvers Readied	Stances Known
1	+1	+0	+2	+0	Flair: Elemental Blade (1), AC Bonus	0	1	1
2	+2	+0	+3	+0	Flair: Poison Blade	1	0	0
3	+3	+1	+3	+1	Flair: Elemental Blade (2)	0	1	0
4	+4	+1	+4	+1	Flair: Blind Blade, Mettle	1	0	0
5	+5	+1	+4	+1	Flair: Elemental Blade (3)	0	1	0
6	+6	+2	+5	+2	Flair: Stun Blade	1	0	0
7	+7	+2	+5	+2	Flair: Elemental Blade (4)	0	1	0
8	+8	+2	+6	+2	Flair: Ultima Blade	1	0	1

Maneuvers: At each even-numbered level, you gain a new maneuver known from the Desert Wind, Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, or White Raven discipline. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. You add your full Paravir levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known. At odd-numbered levels, you gain an additional maneuver readied per day.

Stances Known: At 1st and 8th levels, you learn a new martial stance from the Desert Wind, Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, or White Raven discipline. You must meet a stance’s prerequisite to learn it.

Flair (Su): A Parivir uses a number of techniques that focus on flashy drawing of the sword, often in a way that breaks reality. Once per encounter per two Parivir levels (minimum 1/encounter), when drawing a weapon, you may use Flair as a swift action.

Each of the Flair abilities is detailed below. You may only use one Flair ability each round.

Elemental Blade (Su): At first level, select an energy type from the following- Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, and Sonic. When you use your Flair ability, you may choose to deal an extra 1d6/2 class levels (1d4/2 class levels for Sonic) of damage of that energy type to an opponent that you attack during the round.

You select another energy type at 3rd, 5th, and 7th levels. The following table shows other improvements in this ability.

Spoiler

Show

Paravir Level	1st Energy type	2nd Energy type	3rd Energy type	4th Energy type
1	-	-	-	-
3	Treats Energy resistance as 5 lower	-	-	-
5	Treats Energy resistance as 10 lower	Treats Energy resistance as 5 lower	-	-
7	Treats Energy resistance as 15 lower, deals half damage to creatures immune to energy type	Treats Energy resistance as 10 lower	Treats Energy resistance as 5 lower	-

AC Bonus: A Parivir is so awesome that his very personality deflects normally lethal blows. When wearing light or no armor, a Parivir may add his Charisma modifier as a bonus to AC.

This bonus to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the Parivir is flat-footed. He loses these bonuses when he is immobilized or helpless, when he is wearing medium or heavier armor, or when he is carrying a medium or heavy load.

Poison Blade (Su): At second level, a Parivir learns how to, somehow, cause an opponent's wounds to hurt more than most. When you use Flair, you may choose to use Poison Blade. If you do so, one opponent you attack during the round must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10+1/2 Initiator level +Cha Modifier) or take 1d6 points of damage at the beginning of his turn. This persists for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (min. 1 round). If an opponent is immune to poison, this extra damage is negated. Use of Poison Blade does not count as an evil act, if using poison is an evil act in the setting.

Blind Blade (Su): By being so badass, a fourth level Parivir learns how to make afflict his foes with a supernatural blindness. When you use Flair, you may choose to use Blind Blade. If you do so, one opponent you attack during the round must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10+1/2 Initiator level +Cha Modifier) or be blinded for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (min. 1 round).

Mettle (Ex): At fourth level and higher, a Parivir can resist magical and unusual attacks with great willpower or fortitude. If he makes a successful Will or Fortitude save against an attack that normally would have a lesser effect on a successful save (such as any spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), he instead completely negates the effect. An unconscious or sleeping Parivir does not gain the benefit of mettle.

Stun Blade (Su): At sixth level, a Parivir learns how to make his opponents go off guard when he strikes. When you use Flair, you may choose to use Stun Blade. If you do so, one opponent you attack during the round must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10+1/2 Initiator level +Cha Modifier) or be stunned for one round.

Ultima Blade (Su): At eighth level, a Parivir learns the ultimate attack of the class. When you use Flair, you may choose to use Ultima Blade. If you do so, an attack you make during the round deals an extra 8d6 damage. If this damage would be enough to drop the opponent to or below 0 hp, that creature is instead reduced to a fine dust, as per the effects of a disintegrate spell. If the creature survives the Ultima Blade and fails a Fortitude save (DC 12+1/2 Initiator level +Cha Modifier), it is dazed for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. If they succeed on their save, they are dazed for one round.

You may use Ultima Blade a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier, minimum 1/day. Each use of Ultima Blade counts toward a use of Flair in the encounter that you use it in.


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So... Yeah. I felt that we needed PrC from a FFT A2 job, so...

Any thoughts on balance? More fluff will be up later, mostly because I can't come up with good stuff right now.

[Lix Lorn]

I like it, but why Diamond Mind? Showing off seems more like... I dunno, White Raven (leading by example)?

[Morph Bark]

I'd lower the prereqs a little bit, since at a glance it doesn't seem so strong as to warrant those prereqs as they are, but I gotta say that this class is ultra nifty.

Yes, I said it. ULTRA NIFTY.

Also, Humean?


EDIT: Diamond Mind befits the drawing of the blade and all, but then I'd think that Flair requires use of Iaijutsu Focus. For flashiness, at least one maneuver of Desert Wind and one of either Iron Heart or White Raven would befit it better.

[The-Mage-King]

I like it, but why Diamond Mind? Showing off seems more like... I dunno, White Raven (leading by example)?

I'd lower the prereqs a little bit, since at a glance it doesn't seem so strong as to warrant those prereqs as they are, but I gotta say that this class is ultra nifty.

Yes, I said it. ULTRA NIFTY.


EDIT: Diamond Mind befits the drawing of the blade and all, but then I'd think that Flair requires use of Iaijutsu Focus. For flashiness, at least one maneuver of Desert Wind and one of either Iron Heart or White Raven would befit it better.

I suspected that it would be you two who would first comment on this.

I'll make that slight adjustment in those areas...

Also, Humean?

No. Started to say Hume, changed it to Human. You know why.

[Glimbur]

Ultima Blade is too good. I'm not worried about the damage or the disintegration, I'm worried about the no-save daze for Cha mod rounds. I'd offer a will save or a fort save or change the effect. Daze is really strong.

[The-Mage-King]

Ultima Blade is too good. I'm not worried about the damage or the disintegration, I'm worried about the no-save daze for Cha mod rounds. I'd offer a will save or a fort save or change the effect. Daze is really strong.

Hm... Will do.

[DracoDei]

Err... and now it requires maneuvers from at least two different disciplines that it doesn't actually grant access to.

My compliments on breaking the mold and going with 8 class levels (slightly less so if that is something from some external source you are drawing this from, such as an 8-bit video-game), rather than trying to stretch 8 abilities across 10 levels. It is something I have been saying for a while is a good thing to try.

Remove (Good) from the BAB column (probably just a creation note you left in).

Basing PrC DCs on class level is a common mistake (so much so that Wizard's did it often). Going with HALF PrC level is even worse. The fact that you give an implicit +1 bonus (because you start from 11 rather than 10) helps, but not enough. I recommend (10 + 1/2 Initiator Level + Charisma Modifier) in this particular case.

Consider renaming Poison blade, since the effect is not anything like D&D poison, other than the fact that it requires a Fortitude save. Also, you need to specify explicitly whether or not immunity to poison prevents the ongoing damage (if it does then you can probably keep the name). Another point to clarify is if this counts as an Evil act (which I always considered a fluff/crunch miss-match in D&D).

The very last line makes it unclear if using Ultima Blade actually counts against your uses of Flair that day.

[The-Mage-King]

Replied in Bold.

Err... and now it requires maneuvers from at least two different disciplines that it doesn't actually grant access to.

*Shifty look* I have no idea what you're talking about.

My compliments on breaking the mold and going with 8 class levels (slightly less so if that is something from some external source you are drawing this from, such as an 8-bit video-game), rather than trying to stretch 8 abilities across 10 levels. It is something I have been saying for a while is a good thing to try.

Thanks. I figured that it would be about right for this...

Remove (Good) from the BAB column (probably just a creation note you left in).

Yeah, I've got a full 20 level thing set up that I just adjust to fit the PrC when I make a new one. Fixing that.

Basing PrC DCs on class level is a common mistake (so much so that Wizard's did it often). Going with HALF PrC level is even worse. The fact that you give an implicit +1 bonus (because you start from 11 rather than 10) helps, but not enough. I recommend (10 + 1/2 Initiator Level + Charisma Modifier) in this particular case.

I'll do that.

Consider renaming Poison blade, since the effect is not anything like D&D poison, other than the fact that it requires a Fortitude save. Also, you need to specify explicitly whether or not immunity to poison prevents the ongoing damage (if it does then you can probably keep the name). Another point to clarify is if this counts as an Evil act (which I always considered a fluff/crunch miss-match in D&D).

Hm... Alright. I'll go clarify that.

The very last line makes it unclear if using Ultima Blade actually counts against your uses of Flair that day.

Ultima Blade counts towards your uses of Flair per iEncounter, but may only be used that many times per day. I'll clarify.

[DracoDei]

+1 maneuver readied and +1 Stance known (plus good BAB and Relfex) at first level makes this a very tempting 2 level dip. The cross-class ranks for Iajatsu Focus are a bit hard, but certainly don't go to waste especially if you then dump all your skill ranks from the actual level into that skill, then never invest in it again (since I don't think the DCs increase with higher levels, right?).

[The-Mage-King]

+1 maneuver readied and +1 Stance known (plus good BAB and Relfex) at first level makes this a very tempting 2 level dip. The cross-class ranks for Iajatsu Focus are a bit hard, but certainly don't go to waste especially if you then dump all your skill ranks from the actual level into that skill, then never invest in it again (since I don't think the DCs increase with higher levels, right?).

Yes, but if you make it a 7 level dip, you get to set red dragons on fire with a melee attack.

Fire that damages them.

[Lix Lorn]

Or frost them over. Mebbe it's just me but FROST OVER A RED DRAGON. WITH A SWORD 8D

[DracoDei]

Or frost them over. Mebbe it's just me but FROST OVER A RED DRAGON. WITH A SWORD 8D

Well, yeah, but if you take THIS discipline you can probably pick if it is chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla frosting...

[Lix Lorn]

...Ha. XD I'm linking that in that thread.

[The-Mage-King]

Any further issues?