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"Even in all this heat, there's a bunch of young kids who 'been tearing up the streets.
I'm talking about the Rudies, set up to bury the city in graffiti."
-DJ Professor K
Taggers are a mixture of Psi-Tech, Natural Gramarist, Tome of Battle Initiator, Scout and Caster.
Themed to tag artistry the playstyle of a tagger is to be as bold and stylized as possible, using her mobility to evade danger, laying traps and utility around the battlefield, while charging up her groove, then releasing it at clinch moments.
Abilities: Dexterity is the main attribute for a tagger, mobility is paramount and second only to Charisma which is needed to keep things in flow, constitution and strength are also important for survivability and competence,.
Role: Taggers are most suited to be scouts due to their high mobility and terrain utility kit.
Background: Taggers are often young, it's unusual to see a middle-age or later tagger as most transfer into less daredevil activities as they age.
Organization: Taggers have very strong sub-culture and form into gangs naturally, they may retain individualism and be separate from their group while still remaining fellowship.
Alignment: While it's not required to be chaotic it's pretty unusual for a tagger to be lawful.
Races: Humanoid races suit taggers the best, a more mobile and agile profile suit a tagger better so generally more humans and elves than dwarves and half-orcs.
Religion: It's not often that Taggers follow religion, when they do it's usually loose concepts or lesser deities of freedom, enlightenment and individualism.
Other Classes: Taggers get along best with psionic classes, gramarists, bards, barbarians and sorcerers. They do not see eye to eye with those who need to study or maintain discipline to control their abilities.
Adaptation: There are three main ways to adapt the tagger into a campaign:
Low Tech - Skates made of force-like energy, use wizardy hand-gestures to create runic symbols and various effects made of color and light.
Mid Tech - Army of Darkness Evil-Dead style could work fine, old-world materials with psi-tech powers, you could create any type of style for your effect.
High Tech - Psitech will allow you to completely flavor your JSR character with magically summoned inline skates, gramarist flavor and tech infused with psionic powers to make tag-artist graffiti to manifest special powers all across the city.
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Alignment: Any Hit Die: 1d6
Class Skills:
Acrobatics, Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge(local) (Int), Open Lock (Dex), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Swim (Str), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points Per Level 4
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Taggers are not proficient with any weapons or armor except for Sprayers.
Skates (Psi): When psionically focused as a swift action you may call or dismiss a pair of psionic skates. While called these skates grant an effect on you as if you had the Skate power on you, this effect fills your boots magic slot or replaces any effect currently in the slot for it's duration. Skates physically overlap any current boots you have similar to a psionic skin, allowing you to wear both skates and other boots.
Groove (Psi): Your psionic focus contains special properties, absorbing and unleashing inspiration:
When psionically focused you have a maximum groove pool equal to your class level (or 1/3rd that amount out of combat), whenever you complete or are subjected to an inspirational or awesome act you gain 1 groove. You may expend your psionic focus (as a swift action as a roll or a free action as a save or defensive check) to get an equal bonus on any one check, roll or save, expending your focus causes you to reset your groove pool. You may only do this once per encounter.
Some acts that could grant Groove:
-Being effected by a use of Bardic Performance
-Completing a movement skilltrick to avoid a hazard
-Succeeding a reflex save
-Exceptional teamwork with an ally
Tag! (Psi): When psionically focused as swift action you may call, change type, refill, dismiss a single psionic sprayer, you may only have one active at a time. When a psionic sprayer leaves your hand it is dismissed.
Spoiler
Psionic Sprayer
A psionic sprayer is a small storage drum with push-button sprayer nozzle, it is materialized with a mixture of paint, psychoreactive dust and other alchemical substances that is pressurized to allow the mixture to be released rather than pumped, this allows it to be released as a swift action rather than a standard. Psionic Sprayers come with 3 charges each and take 1 hand to operate, they create a 10' cloud of paint which does not linger in the air. This psionic paint mixture is highly resistant to removal attempts for the first hour of it's application. As a free action you may change the color of the psionic paint while it's still in the sprayer.
A psionic sprayer counts as a primary hand weapon when active and allows the wielder to manifest Dazzle at-will at the cost of one charge.
Tag Tricks (Psi): By utilizing your psionic sprayer you may perform special abilities called Tag Tricks, these are separated into categories: [Spray]: Sprays take a standard action, they use the sprayer to directly influence a creature or object using 1 sprayer charge. Sprays list a type of save and the DC is always Tagger Level + 10 + Misc. [Mark]: A mark is an instant application of your sprayer on a surface, marks take a swift action and 1 sprayer charge to apply. [Seal]: A seal is a complicated application of your sprayer on a surface, Seals take a full round action and 3 sprayer charges to apply. [Boost]: A boost is an effect which is conjoined with another effect such as a spray, a mark, a stamp, or another action such a jump or acrobatics. Boosts require a move action and 1 sprayer charge.
When you call a sprayer you must designate it's "type", selecting from the types below (or feel free to homebrew types and post them), and you can only use tricks equal or lower level than your maximum Tag Trick level:
Class Level
Max Trick Level
1
1
3
2
5
3
7
4
9
5
11
6
13
7
15
8
17
9
Sprayer Type List
Spoiler
Alchemetry
Alchemetrical Sprayers (ALCHs) are typed to matter.
Arcanodynamics
Arcanodynamic Sprayers (ARCDs) are typed to magical energy.
Biollurgy
Biollurgical Sprayers (BIOs) are typed to living tissue, when used they fuse and grow small amounts of living tissue that is bonded to a surface using the paint, creating a short-lived Paint/Matter/Tissue hybrid.
-Sprays: Microscopic Airborne Tissue
-Marks: Basic components such as muscle, sinew, bile, adhesives.
-Seals: Complex organs made of paint and tissue.
-Boosts: Using combining principles or enhancing/creating biological functions.
Eldrikinetics
Edrikinetic Sprayers (ELDKs) are typed to movement.
Geoccultism
Geoccultist Sprayers (GEOs) are typed to natural terrain and weather.
Heuristicism
Heuristic Sprayers (HEURs) are typed to control systems and circuits.
Imachination
Imachinating Sprayers (IMCHs) are typed to illusions.
Kaleidomantics
Kaleidomantic Sprayers (KALDs) are typed to spectrum light physics.
Yggdratecture
Yggdratectural Sprayers (YGGDs) are typed to dimensional properties.
1st Level Tag Tricks
Spoiler
ALCHs
Patch: Mark--Make a temporary repair to an object as if Mending had been cast, this repair lasts for 5 rounds, use it to plug leaks and fix items.
Fortify: Seal--Adds hardness and hp as a enhancement bonus to an object equal to your level (maximum +5) for 5 rounds.
ARCDs:
Flare: Spray--Reflex, 1D6+1/Level of one type of damage: Fire, Lightning, Cold or Acid. Alternatively 1D4+1 Sonic or Force damage.
BIOs:
Eye: Seal--Create an eye which keeps watch over an area as if you had cast Alarm (Lasts 5rounds/level, audio alarm only), the eye opens into a mouth to sound the alarm, afterwards ending the effect. Unlike a normal alarm the Eye Tag Trick must spot intruders and has the same perception as you +5. During sealing you must speak both the password and the recorded alarm (which is amplified upon trigger).
ELDKs:
Jet: Boost--Add +10 to your base movement for 1 round.
GEOs:
Breeze: Seal--Increase to or nullify 10MPH of wind speed in a 200' radius for 5mins/level, does not stack with other wind enhancements.
KALDs:
Scent Mist: Boost--"See" smells for one round.
HEURs
Link: Mark--Apply a 5' "wire" to terrain, this wire can bridge both seals and HEUR bubbles that touch them, links last for 5 rounds per mark applied to a maximum of 100 rounds for a 5' block of wire paint.
IMCHs:
Speaker: Seal--Create sounds coming from your seal as if you had manifested Create Sound, while sealing you can record an audio perform check with a -5 modifier, or alternatively you can use a speaker to enhance a performance check with a +2 circumstance modifier.
YGGDs:
Dot Gate: Seal--Create an effect as if you had cast Matter Agitation on a single point on terrain except you may choose Fire, Cold, Acid or Sonic as the damage type and freezing, corroding or shattering respectively. This effect lasts for 3 rounds before it destroys the gate.
2nd Level Tag Tricks
Spoiler
ARCDs:
Cone: Spray--Reflex, 2D6 of one type of damage: Fire, Lightning, Cold or Acid. Alternatively 1D6 Sonic or Force damage. This damage is applied in a 15' cone.
BIOs:
Mouth: Seal--Grapple*, When a creature touches the same 5' square the seal is on the mouth opens and attempts to grab a creature with a bite attack (+1/Lvl+Cha), if the bite hits it attempts to grapple as a free action with a CMB of +1/Lvl+Cha. This seal lasts for 5 rounds, or once triggered it disappears once it's not grappling.
GEOs:
Chill Out: Seal--Decrease temperature by 30° in a 200' radius for 5mins/level, does not stack with other temperature enhancements.
Heat Up: Seal--As Chill Out but increases temperature.
3rd Level Tag Tricks
Spoiler
BIOs:
Calamari: Seal--Grapple*, When a creature touches a square within 10' of the seal a tentacle animates and attempts to hit a creature with a slam atttack (+1/Lvl+Cha), if the slam hits it attempts to grapple as a free action with a CMB of +1/Lvl+Cha. This seal lasts for 5 rounds and continues to attempt a single slam and free grab per turn.
IMCHs:
Boom Box: Seal--Create and control sounds in the area, when creating the seal you may designate several options to effect a 100' area:
Enhance - Add +2 to perform checks synergy
Blare - Countersong
Mega - Record audio and use it for checks
System - Overlapping a speaker seal will add it's +2 bonus to your enhance, you may also use Wire to link multiple speakers to a central Boom Box.
Noise Canceling - All audio checks and effects suffer a -5 penalty, and while this creates white noise it grants audio stealth checks a +2 bonus.
Bonus Skill Trick (Ex):
You gain a bonus movement skill trick (Complete Scoundrel pg. 82), you gain a Style Bonus to one of the skills that the skill trick requires equal to your charisma modifier.
Dash (Ex):
As a swift action you may increase the speed of your psionic skates by 10' until the end of the round, during this time you gain 5% concealment per 3 levels.
Skate-Fu (Ex):
Your skill with using the skate ability becomes it's own martial style.
While you are assisted by the Skate power or Psi-Like ability you are considered having the Improved Unarmed Strike feat and gain a bonus vs offensive combat maneuvers used against you equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Rep (Ex):
Your reputation precedes you. You gain a number of contacts (Cityscape pg. 57) equal to your charisma modifier. You take -10 on disguise checks and your leadership positive scores are multiplied by 1.5 and your negative scores are multiplied by 2.
Slip (Ex):
Your physical ability allows you to evade detection.
You gain a +2 insight bonus to Stealth, Escape Artist and Climb checks.
Roof Walker (Ex):
You gain the Roof Walker feat (Cityscape pg. 63), this need not apply to just rooftops.
Recovery (Ex):
When you fail a jump, become grapple, tripple, ensnared or any other form of movement impairment you could apply your groove to as a free action you may opt to use your groove without expending your psionic focus, as an instantaneous action to try and prevent the failure. If you succeed you gain half your groove back, this is called a "Recovery". You can now do both one Groove and one Recovery per encounter.
Carts (Ex):
You have the option of calling an empty psionic sprayer into a hand that is already holding a container of liquid, the sprayer materializes around the container and attempts to open and empty the container as if it was internally aided by an unseen servant, the liquid is then pressurized to be released like a normal sprayer would be able to except it only takes a swift or move action to use. If the container cannot be opened the liquid cannot be used and furthermore once a sprayer is dismissed the full or empty container drops out of it.
Jive (Psi):
When rolling initiative you may fully expend your groove pool on Jive, you gain a bonus to initiative equal to the amount of groove expended, if your groove was at maximum charge you create Jive's bonus effect:
All party members who are placed in initiative order above the first enemy movement, or any party members who have an action readied for initiative gain +10' base-speed and an additional +1AC vs attacks of opportunity, this bonus effect is accompanied by a burst of psionic music which is heard clearly up to 100' away.
Twin Tag (Ex):
The maximum number of psionic sprayers you may have called increases by one, and you may hold two active at the same time and activate both separately.
Dive (Ex):
You may activate your groove in a special way called a "dive".
When activating a dive you add your charisma modifier to your current groove pool as a swift action and you may freely use your groove 3 times as an immediate action until the end of your turn, each use draws from the same groove pool in any division you wish.
You can now do one Groove, one Recovery and one Dive.
Power! (Psi):
Your gain +10' base-speed when you are effected by the Skates power or Skates psi-like ability, even while flying. While your skates psi-like ability is active you gain a power similar to the Elocater's Scorn Earth ability, with the exception that Power! also functions over flat liquid surfaces as well, that it only brings you 6" off the ground, and that hovering effect temporarily stops functioning when you raise more than 6" off the ground and resumes once you return to that height. Because your skates now produce their own thrust, lift and torque your Skate-Fu becomes devastating, you gain a bonus to offensive combat maneuvers equal to your dexterity modifier.
Solidarity (Ex):
You gain a bonus vs gas effects (including your own) equal to your current groove and at any time as an immediate action you may expend 1 groove to evade 1 point of damage (if possible to evade) or heal 2 points from your nonlethal damage pool.
Due to your experience you become highly resistant to fear, discouragements and attempts to control you and thus gain a +4 bonus to saves against fear effects, mind compulsions and negative morale.
Underground (Ex):
Your physical and psionic ability allows you to travel freely.
You gain a +6 insight bonus to diplomacy with underground communities, saves and checks against detection whether it be sensory, magical or psionic, and you suppress all vision on you except the base 5 senses (Touch, Sight, Hearing, Smell and Taste)
Funk (Psi):
While psionically focused you may create a psionic music field centered around you with a range of 100', the field senses intentionally beneficial and hostile sound actions and works beneficial effects into the field while denying hostile ones. This simultaneously functions like the bard's Countersong bardic music with the exception that the save DC is 10 + Current Groove + Cha Modifier.
You may choose to "carry" sounds, that means that while a beneficial musical effect is effecting you that you may broadcast it with your psionic music field therefore extending it's range (now also centered on you as well as it's normal source) and granting it a bonus vs dispelling, countersong and other such measures equal to your Charisma modifier.
Finally, while broadcasting this psionic music field in combat the ease of which your groove charges is enhanced, each round that you make use of one of your class features or do something entertaining or stylize you gain one groove point, the music lasts until you wipe-out, do not gain a groove point in a round, lose psionic focus or end an encounter. You may only have Funk active once per encounter.
Scratch (Psi):
While you have your psionic music field active you may expend 10 groove as an immediate action to allow an ally within 100' to re-roll her die before the outcome is determined.
Clarity (Psi):
You gain the ability to cut through both sensory and mental impairments to see the truth in-focus, you gain a bonus equal to half your groove to saves on effects that Blind, Confuse, Daze, Dazzle, Deafen, Fascinate or Stun.
Furthermore as a swift action you may expend groove to trigger additional effect, each effect ends when it's duration expires and all effects end if you lose psionic focus.
Gain a +(X*2) bonus to Perception for (X) rounds: Cost (X) Groove
See through smoke and fog for 10 rounds: Cost 1 Groove
Gain blindsight for 5 rounds: Cost 2 Groove
Gain (X*15') Darkvision for (X*3) rounds: Cost (X) Groove
Gain See Invisibility (Sp) Effect for 5 rounds: Cost 2 Groove
Gain True Seeing (Sp) Effect for 3 rounds: Cost 5 Groove
Gain the Dread Wraith's Lifesense (Su) for 3 rounds: Cost 5 Groove
Gain Aura Sight (Psi) for 5 rounds: Cost 3 Groove
Gain the Danger Sense (Psi) for 5 rounds: Cost 5 Groove
Gain the Find the Path (Psi) for 5 rounds: Cost 2 Groove
Gain Divination (Psi) with a 10 minute range: Cost 2 Groove
I love the idea, and only ever heard good things about the game! A few initial questions and comments:
Why did you choose psionics as a flavor? This seems, at first glance, to be a cool take on the Bard -- sort of a mobility based bard. Groove could just be a mechanic that grants minor bonuses (say +2 to a d20 check, save, or AC) and can be recharged when awesome happens.
I would remove the psionic skates and just add a straight speed buff and the benefits of the skate power. You can brew an item that looks like rollerblades and buffs skates even more. A pure speed/mobility bonus will make the class more appealing to folks who are more interested in the mechanics rather than the fluff.
If you stick with Psionics as a powerset, I would advise making fewer effects reliant on psionic focus. Focus is really designed to be spent, and it seems like your class would benefit from some uses of psionic focus. On that note, also add the ability to maintain two focuses at higher levels (15 looks good).
I feel like allowing light armor isnt a bad thing for the class, because that can often look like clothing of some kind. If you don't like that, why not allow the class to add CHA to AC? Either way, the class needs an AC bump in addition to all that. You can either go the monk route and grant a flat bonus, but i think the Scout option is better -- add a bonus similar to skirmish.
Jive isn't numerically significant enough or easy to trigger to really be that useful. It sounds like its intended to grant actions -- maybe the maxed out effect could grant an out-of-initiative move action that doesn't trigger aoo's.
You seem to want to create full-caster effects for this class, but it feels like a 4/9 or 6/9 caster to me. The abilities you have created seem really cool. I'd tackle summoning via Yggdratecture next, as the image of a tagger zooming by in a cloud of spraypaint, only for it to clear and a barbarian queen riding a polar bear to attack your enemies is too awesome to even describe!
Oh, also spellcraft/psycraft should be added to the skill list. I can understand not adding concentration with this particular class, but most casters have it.
Great start. If you are looking for power ideas, let me know!
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