[3.5] The incredible Hulk (PEACH)

Fruchtfliege · 09-20-2012, 12:41 PM

Hey everyone,

ever since watching "The avengers" on DVD again I want to play "The Hulk", but in a d&d 3.5 kind of way. So not 100% the real deal.
And since I had some free time to kill I created a new class instead of trying it with multiclassing and PrCs. These kind of builds were either only playable at a later level, or plain too powerful. I wanted to play an average class that was playable throughout the levels.

The goal is to get stronger gradually but overall stay in the Tiers 3-5. Not higher and not lower. Tier 4 is preferred. It should be playable without forcing the DM to throw stuff at me, that the rest of the party cant deal with.

Current Version

The Hulk
d12 hit die

Proficient with all simple weapons and with medium and light armor, but not with shields.

Class Skills: Climb, Jump, Heal, Spot, Listen, Intimidate, Ride, Survival, Swim, Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Arcane), Knowledge (Religion)

Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x 4.

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	HS 1/day; Maneuvers 3/2/3
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0	HS 2/day; Maneuvers 3/3/3
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+1	Maneuvers 4/3/3; Slow Fall (20 ft.)
4th	+3	+4	+1	+1	HS 3/day; Exchange Maneuver 4/4/3; HH (1/hr)
5th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Maneuvers 5/4/3; Jump +5; SF (30 ft.)
6th	+4	+5	+2	+2	HS 4/day; Exchange Maneuver 5/5/3
7th	+5	+5	+2	+2	Maneuvers 6/5/3; SF (40 ft.)
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+2	HS 5/day; Exchange Maneuver 6/6/3; HH (2/hr)
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+3	Maneuvers 7/6/3; SF (50 ft.)
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+3	HS 6/day; Exchange Maneuver 7/7/3; Jump +10
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+3	Maneuvers 8/7/3; SF (60 ft.)
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4	HS 7/day; Maneuvers 8/8/3; HH (3/hr)
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4	Maneuvers 9/8/3, Fast HS; SF (70 ft.)
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+4	HS 8/day; Exchange Maneuver 9/9/3
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+5	Maneuvers 10/9/3; Jump +15; SF (80 ft.)
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	HS 9/day; Exchange Maneuver 10/10/3; HH (4/hr)
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Maneuvers 11/10/3; Tireless Hulking; SF (90 ft.)
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	HS 10/day; Exchange Maneuvers 11/11/3
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Maneuvers 12/11/3; SF (Any distance)
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	HS at will; Exchange Maneuvers 12/12/3; Jump +20; HH (5/hr)

Class Abilities:

Hulk Shape (SU) Functions like wild shape except as noted here. HS counts as a rage effect, so it does not stack with other rages, but you may not take any rage related feat.

Spoiler

Freedom of choice Each time you change an ability score you may chose the form (basic or HS) whose ability score you want to modify. This choice may not be altered retroactively.

Fast HS (EX): You may change into HS as a swift action at any time you could use a swift action.

Manuever progression (EX) (Known/Readied/Refresh) Maneuvers are from the following list. Every odd level you gain a new maneuver known, every even level you may ready an additional maneuver and may exchange one of your maneuvers known for a new maneuver. You must always fulfill the prerequisitions. Your maneuvers refresh automatically after 3 rounds. You may only choose your maneuvers readied when changing into HS.
This class does not count as a martial adept class.

Hulk jump (EX): Hulk excels at jumping. At level 5, 10, 15 and 20 you gain bonuses to your skill "jump".

Hulk-healing (EX): You heal at an exceptional rate. At level 4 you regain one additional hit point per hour. This bonus is increased by one at the levels 8, 12, 16 and 20 up to a maximum of 5 hit points per hour. This ability functions in both HS and basic form.

Maneuvers:

Spoiler

Please keep in mind, that nearly every maneuver only lets you attack with a standard attack and every effect has a build in save opportunity.
For better informations about these maneuvers please visit: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20061225a

Hulk Shapes:

Spoiler

First (Beta) Version:

Spoiler

Second Version:

Spoiler

So this is it I think.
Let me have it. Since this is my first attempt at something like this and I tend to make things way too powerful, there probably is a lot that need changing.

Thanks for reading

Tanuki Tales · 09-20-2012, 01:44 PM

I'd like to comment that the tallest incarnations of the Hulk peak out at being at most 10 feet tall. The Savage Hulk, his most common and iconic incarnation, is just over eight and a half feet tall.

So becoming Large size category is a small stretch and becoming Huge is right out there when the Hulk is classically just 7 inches over the upper height limit for the Medium size category.

Food for thought.

Fruchtfliege · 09-20-2012, 01:57 PM

Edit: Thought about it some more. You are spot on about the "huge" problem. That one is gone!

I'd like to play a medium Hulk, but there are barely good medium forms in the MMs with higher (level apropriate) HD. At first I didn't want to try and balance that too.
But since I now have some monsters per level to compare my ideas to I'd try it with this:

Spoiler

Thanks for your contribution!

On the topic of regeneration X. I'll change that into regeneration 0. So he'll take non-lethal damage but has no additional hightened hit point refreshment besidest the normal healing of non-lethal damage.

Is that good, or still too powerful?

Tanuki Tales · 09-20-2012, 04:02 PM

The next thing I was going to mention was that yeah, you don't need to be turning into monsters to make a Hulk class. If I was going to do it, I'd have the class grant an alternate form that has scaling abilities, kind of like Rich's Champion base class (but without the same level of customization since you're becoming a specific archetype).

I'll also point out that Regeneration is definitely going towards overpowered before ~7-10 (5-10 if you're playing Pathfinder) and I know many people will tell you that Regeneration period is overpowered in a PCs hands.

My suggestion is creating a new damage mitigation mechanic that just gives you the feel of The Hulk's Healing Factor.

SilverSavio · 09-20-2012, 11:19 PM

Well this looks like an interesting start and I want to see where you go with it, but someone has built an interesting Hulk-ish like base class here.

Fruchtfliege · 09-21-2012, 12:48 AM

Thanks for the link.
Did not see this one. Sadly it does not fall into my chosen tiers (Well, maybe in my tiers, but too powerful in there for my taste. Would definitely break the game I am in now.).

Also whats especially important to me are the maneuvers, since they add quite a bit of style during combat.

So let's see what we can to about the healing problem.

First of all: No regeneration!

Then... How about this:

Hulk-healing (EX): You heal at an exceptional rate. At level 4 you regain one additional hit point per hour. This bonus is increased by one at the levels 8, 12, 16 and 20 up to a maximum of 5 hit points per hour. This ability functions in both HS and basic form.

With all this changing would it be reasonable to up the BAB to a good one?
It should after all be a (Tier 4) fighting class.

New Hulk so far (Will edit first post after we're done here ^^):

The Hulk
d12 hit die

Proficient with all simple weapons and with medium and light armor, but not with shields.

Class Skills: Climb, Jump, Heal, Spot, Listen, Intimidate, Ride, Survival, Swim, Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Arcane), Knowledge (Religion)

Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x 4.

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	HS 1/day; Maneuvers 3/2/3
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0	HS 2/day; Maneuvers 3/3/3
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+1	Maneuvers 4/3/3; Slow Fall (20 ft.)
4th	+3	+4	+1	+1	HS 3/day; Exchange Maneuver 4/4/3; HH (1/hr)
5th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Maneuvers 5/4/3; Jump +5; SF (30 ft.)
6th	+4	+5	+2	+2	HS 4/day; Exchange Maneuver 5/5/3
7th	+5	+5	+2	+2	Maneuvers 6/5/3; SF (40 ft.)
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+2	HS 5/day; Exchange Maneuver 6/6/3; HH (2/hr)
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+3	Maneuvers 7/6/3; SF (50 ft.)
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+3	HS 6/day; Exchange Maneuver 7/7/3; Jump +10
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+3	Maneuvers 8/7/3; SF (60 ft.)
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4	HS 7/day; Maneuvers 8/8/3; HH (3/hr)
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4	Maneuvers 9/8/3, Fast HS; SF (70 ft.)
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+4	HS 8/day; Exchange Maneuver 9/9/3
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+5	Maneuvers 10/9/3; Jump +15; SF (80 ft.)
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	HS 9/day; Exchange Maneuver 10/10/3; HH (4/hr)
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Maneuvers 11/10/3; Tireless Hulking; SF (90 ft.)
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	HS 10/day; Exchange Maneuvers 11/11/3
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Maneuvers 12/11/3; SF (Any distance)
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	HS at will; Exchange Maneuvers 12/12/3; Jump +20; HH (5/hr)

Class Abilities:

Hulk Shape (SU) Functions like wild shape except as noted here. HS counts as a rage effect, so it does not stack with other rages, but you may not take any rage related feat.

Spoiler

Freedom of choice Each time you change an ability score you may chose the form (basic or HS) whose ability score you want to modify. This choice may not be altered retroactively.

Fast HS (EX): You may change into HS as a swift action at any time you could use a swift action.

Manuever progression (EX) (Known/Readied/Refresh) Maneuvers are from the following list. Every odd level you gain a new maneuver known, every even level you may ready an additional maneuver and may exchange one of your maneuvers known for a new maneuver. You must always fulfill the prerequisitions. Your maneuvers refresh automatically after 3 rounds. You may only choose your maneuvers readied when changing into HS.
This class does not count as a martial adept class.

Hulk jump (EX): Hulk excels at jumping. At level 5, 10, 15 and 20 you gain bonuses to your skill "jump".

Hulk-healing (EX): You heal at an exceptional rate. At level 4 you regain one additional hit point per hour. This bonus is increased by one at the levels 8, 12, 16 and 20 up to a maximum of 5 hit points per hour. This ability functions in both HS and basic form.

Maneuvers:

Spoiler

Please keep in mind, that nearly every maneuver only lets you attack with a standard attack and every effect has a build in save opportunity.
For better informations about these maneuvers please visit: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20061225a

HS Forms:

Spoiler

Fruchtfliege · 09-22-2012, 08:51 AM

Even if its like talking to myself, talking (writing) out loud sometimes helps. :)

After sleeping over it I find that a total of 46 ability score bonuses is too much. Sure you can easily get this via wild shape, but I am not trying to create a broken tier 1 class :D
So I'm dialing it down "a bit" to a total of 24 ability score bonuses through HS.

The natural Armor progression seemed a bit strong in view of the new healing ability. I set that 3 points back.

Also it seemed overpowered to give the HS form three attacks from wich 2 are at full BAB from level 5 on. (Again: Wild Shape would do so, but... well.. DRUIDS!). Changed that to one attack at full BAB, one weaker attack at BAB -5 at level 5 and 2 attacks at full BAB, one at BAB -5 at level 11.

To scale better I upped the damage of the attacks a bit from level 15 on.
To compensate a bit for loss of natural armor and ability scores I'll give him +1 to will saves in HS form at level 1, +2 at level 11 and +3 at level 20.

HS Forms:

Spoiler

Also added a new (optional class feature):
Spontaneus Explosions (EX): This class feature is optional. You may only take it at level one.
Your birth defect is more severe than that of others. Whenever you try to activate or put on magical equipment it reacts to you resulting in an explosion (Damage at DMs discretion). You also lose your armor and weapon proficiencies and may not regain them through any means.

Spoiler