Anything that could be worded better?
Any interactions and rules unclear?
What do you think of the class balance wise?
*bump*
The wording and rules are fine (a little clunky in places) but the class balance needs work.
-It should really have two good saves (probably add Fort)
-It might need an ability it can grant itself or use based on the other abilities or maybe just a bonus to all ability checks to gain spirit powers
-Maybe add a few bonus feats?
Actually for the wording you'll want to change a lot of the sentences with should in them because that's very repetitive.
The wording and rules are fine (a little clunky in places) but the class balance needs work.
-It should really have two good saves (probably add Fort)
-It might need an ability it can grant itself or use based on the other abilities or maybe just a bonus to all ability checks to gain spirit powers
-Maybe add a few bonus feats?Actually for the wording you'll want to change a lot of the sentences with should in them because that's very repetitive.
Affinity does give a bonus to gain a Spirits powers equal to the binders level or half their level.
If you are telling me to buff the class (bonus feats and better saves), that is great because the last thing I want it to be is over powered.
I don't understand what you mean with your last sentence.
Didn't see the last line of Affinity. Also, it's not so much that it's too weak or too strong it's just a little thin. The balance issue is to do with having enough or too few features that give choices. (I do think it's not unbalanced in terms of being op or not, you have to have good stats or chain your way up with dormant spirit and that would take a long time)
Oh, some of the sentences are a little repetitive. Imbue is also a little clunky because you're saying the same thing for each attribute. Condensing Imbue to say something more concise gives something like:
Imbue(Su): At first level once per day, a binder can attempted to imbue himself with a Spirit, exposing himself to no small amount of danger. This Spirit may have a CR equal to or less than the binder’s level. This takes one hour to perform.
A binder who imbues himself with a Spirit receives various powers provided that he can bend the Spirit to his will. To bend a Spirit to his will, a binder must make all 6 opposed attribute checks with the spirit, starting with Charisma. Spirits without certain ability scores automatically lose that ability check. For each opposed attribute test the binder succeeds, he can replace his attribute score with the Spirit’s if it is higher. He gains the spirits attribute modifier to that skills using that attribute, this does not stack with any other modifier he possesses. He also gains any special abilities that are dependent on that attribute. Special abilities can be supernatural, spell-like, extraordinary, or derived from class levels.
Successfully tested attributes can grant additional bonuses.
Wisdom: The binder also gains the creatures base will save derived from HD and class levels if it is higher. The binder also gains any sensory special abilities that are not attribute dependent.
Intelligence: The binder also gains the memories of the Spirit and gains all weapon/armor/shield proficiencies and feats of that the Spirit possesses.
Constitution: The binder also gains the creatures base fortitude save derived from HD and class levels if it is higher. Whenever the binder takes damage can choose to use the Spirit’s hit points to absorb all or part of damage. Should the Spirit’s hit points reach zero the Spirit is destroyed, immediately ending the
Dexterity: The binder also gains any special abilities that require a ranged attack roll and are not attribute dependent. The binder also gains the creatures base reflex save derived from HD and class levels if it is higher.
Strength: The binder also gains any special abilities that require a melee attack roll and are not attribute dependent.
Not sure what you mean by 'he can replace his attribute score with the Spirit’s if it is higher... this modifier does not stack with any modifier you posses.' I assume it was specific to skills using that stat? This looks pretty weird with charisma not giving anything, though.
Charisma is important because if you don't win that roll, your affinity bonus does not apply to any other attribute.
I was meaning that you gain the Spirit's skills, but you can't do combo effects. So if the Spirit has a +7 bluff roll with 6 charisma. You can use that bluff modifier or your own. Let's say you put no ranks into bluff, but have 18 cha and bind this Spirit. You can either roll bluff at a +4 or at a +7 not at a +13. You can't combine the Spirit's skill modifier with your attribute score.
I do this for balance reasons, and to make the Imbuing require a little less book keeping. You don't recalculate your skills, based on your new stats.
It might be less book keeping, I mean sure, you'll spend less time calculating but you'll spend -ages- looking for useful spirits. Not to mention that doesn't follow from any other mechanic.
It might be less book keeping, I mean sure, you'll spend less time calculating but you'll spend -ages- looking for useful spirits. Not to mention that doesn't follow from any other mechanic.
Well the whole class doesn't follow from any other mechanic, so that is not a worry.
My concern is whether or not it's balanced. Even then, I am only concerned if it is over powered.
Considering imbuing Spirits can give the binding SLAs, new stats, and spellcasting, I'm not concerned with the difficulty to find useful Spirits.
Hmm, well alright, guess it's not an issue then.
I suppose to test for balance/op I'll pull out some examples.
LE Binder 8
26 Charisma, (20 base, +4 from headband, +2 from levels)
+3 competence bonus to charisma-based checks (Circlet of Persuasion)
+8 (LE gives me full Affinity)
=+19 to charisma checks
->Attemtping to imbue Efreeti
Charisma 15 means they roll 1d20+2 vs my 1d20+19, I fail when I roll a 1 and the efreeti rolls a 20.
=97.5% success.
->Grant myself three wishes because genie is not a creature type or subtype
->Get +3 inherent bonus to all my stats over the course of 6 days.
Hmm, well alright, guess it's not an issue then.
I suppose to test for balance/op I'll pull out some examples.
LE Binder 8
26 Charisma, (20 base, +4 from headband, +2 from levels)
+3 competence bonus to charisma-based checks (Circlet of Persuasion)
+8 (LE gives me full Affinity)
=+19 to charisma checks->Attemtping to imbue Efreeti
Charisma 15 means they roll 1d20+2 vs my 1d20+19, I fail when I roll a 1 and the efreeti rolls a 20.
=97.5% success.->Grant myself three wishes because genie is not a creature type or subtype
->Get +3 inherent bonus to all my stats over the course of 6 days.
Two problems with that.
1) You are still a genie. Both of you reside in the same body and genes cannot grant wishes to themselves (Added rules clarification to document).
2) The only sane way to have this classed played, is if you assume that genie wishes are auto perverted and that you cannot use the listed effects. You must make up a wish and the genie must grant it. If you don't agree with this, any wizard can bind genies for free wishes. Making free wishes a commonplace thing. Which would make this class getting free wishes at 8, not just from imbuing, but also from contracts.
Also something interesting. Genie wishes don't have a save listed. If they are used to mimic spells (a listed effect, like inherent bonus stacking) then they would need to calculate the DC. Which would be 9+1+10 = 21. But they didn't put that into the table, which makes me think genies are not supposed to use wish that way. This is only reinforced by the fact that if genies could use wish that way it would be game breaking (planar binding) before we even considered this homebrew class.
The previous wording didn't make you a genie, which is why I used that example.
As for wishes being perverted, if DM fiat has to be used to balance a class then that means that it is unbalanced. (You don't need to calculate DC for inherent bonus stacking.) And yes, planar binding is kind of game breaking but it comes in at level 13. Most games stop around 12, I think. That said, it's entirely understandable to stop this kind of abuse.
I can't find any other spirits with noticeably unbalanced abilities... so I think your class should be good. :>
The previous wording didn't make you a genie, which is why I used that example.
As for wishes being perverted, if DM fiat has to be used to balance a class then that means that it is unbalanced. (You don't need to calculate DC for inherent bonus stacking.) And yes, planar binding is kind of game breaking but it comes in at level 13. Most games stop around 12, I think. That said, it's entirely understandable to stop this kind of abuse.
I can't find any other spirits with noticeably unbalanced abilities... so I think your class should be good. :>
For some odd reason I want to argue whether or not it would be DM fiat, but then I remember that this is a homebrew thread, so it really doesn't matter.
Thankfully that one abuse is not specific to my class, although my class does run into that potential abuse 3 levels earlier.