when I read through some forum games and thought about concepts for unusually powerful, maybe even epic characters I couldn't help but think of certain comic book characters. I was wondering whether there is a meaningful way to have a character carry a symbiotic creature with its own will and alignment such as the Witchblade.
The most obvious way would be to make it an artifact. But one can't just have an artifact that gives them virtually unlimited power - while the wielder does not have perfect control over it, it is defined as a primal power in the universe, which may be a little over the top.
Another approach would be a race template, but race templates make it tricky to grow in power.
So I was thinking that maybe it would be best to simply make it a class with twenty levels. That will require some research (i.e. buying and reading comic books - however, there are some collected editions I was keen on anyway) to figure out which powers exactly it has, to which degree they can be introduced at which level without spoiling the game balance and how one keep the door open for multiclassing.
Obviouly witch would be a sane choice for multiclass characters, as suggested by the name. Since the purpose of the Witchblade is to be an actively balancing entity between its good and evil counterparts (the Angelus and the Darkness) druid seems like a sane choice as well. Finally the original comic book wielder of the Witchblade is a police officer, which suggests a rogue type character, specifically the "Investigator" archetype.
So, I might ultimately end up with different variations which are meant to be combined with different other classes.
Ultimately I can't call it "Witchblade" of course, since that's a trademark, but that should not be a problem since it's neither really a blade nor does it necessarily have anything to do with witches.
I would very much like to know which of those approaches some players more fit in the rules than I am would suggest.
Closest to your concept I can think of (already in the game) is the Bladebound Magus. They gain an intelegent weapon at 3rd level that increases in power. It also has it's own agenda, it's own desires, it's own view of the world. By the rules, it helps the magus, usually. However, GM has a large control over this and can hand wave it to be less co-operative at times.
Well, Pathfinder-wise I'd second a vote towards Bladebound. Though not witchy in the Witchblade sense you could always tack on Hexcrafter for witchy hexes...
Magus may be the best bet in terms of benchmark for abilities though.
If you want to go straight from pathfinder rules, I'd go with synthesis Summoner. The synthesis wears their eidolon like living armor which surrounds and protects the weilder, pretty much exactly what the witchblade does. The eidolon will gain power as the character gains levels and you can customize its abilities with evolutions to get what you want. For witchblade I'd give it claws, tentacles with reach, flight, ultimate magic (fireball). That covers all the powers I can remember from the comics.
If you don't mind deviating from the rules, then I'd call the witchblade itself an eidolon, wearable as per the synthesis rules and let the bearer be whatever class. I'd make Sarah an urban ranger myself. I don't think rogue fits her at all, I don't recall her doing any sneaking or backstabbing. She was much more of a punch you in the face girl.
check out rules archive link, go to: ultimate equipment: artifacts and other items: intelligent items.
there is info on creating intelligent items or specific items.
This would be the place to help you design or tweek your "witchblade".
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If you're trying to combine 2 classes (1 for host, and 1 for symbiote), you can either add that fluff as the reason for the duel classes of the new ACG classes (hybrids), you could build it as a "gestalt" with 1 class for the host and a different class for the symbiote, or you could simply have the character start their class, then multiclass as they gain levels to represent the symbiote powers.
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there are also countless forums, blogs, discussions, ect.. of players taking comic book characters and converting them to pathfinder characters. do a search for "pathfinder witchblade build" if you would like to see what other players came up with for this same theme.
For witchblade I'd give it claws, tentacles with reach, flight, ultimate magic (fireball). That covers all the powers I can remember from the comics.
I didn't even know about that fire thing. However, she can somehow spiritually commune with her predecessors, the previous wielders of the Witchblade.
I am not necessarily trying to recreate Sara Pezzini, however, just the Witchblade. A character similar to Sara would be an option, but I would find it a bit lame to create just the same. There was a page in that "Redemption Vol. 1" paperback... all kinds of Witchblade wielders talking to Sara, one with a Russian hat and a Red Army star on it, one that looked like a tribal shaman from the distant past, one in heavy armor, kinda like Jeanne d'Arc and so forth...
As far as I can see I like gnoams idea the best (which is not to say the other ideas weren't worth following as well, I just wanted to try this first). However summoner seems to be quite complicated. Never made one before and basically clicked through the rules. Somehow my character creator tool either has a bug or I am missing something important, but regardless what evolutions I pick for my eidolon (i.e. the witchblade) it greys them out and says "requirements not met".
For the character itself I used a default ranger. All "summoner" abilities are supposed to represent the Witchblade, including the spells. I went on in the pattern 1 ranger followed by 4 summoner.
A bit tricky was choosing the ranger specialization at first. I thought natural weapon would be a good choice, but it really isn't because it comes on its own with the synthesize, so I chose to weapon ranger in the end. There does not seem to be an evolution to manifest blades, so I will have to carry an actual blade. I should be getting an actual armor as well, because I can't always rely on the Witchblade.
There is still some redundancy between the spell selection and the eidolon abilities which need to be fixed.
I used this image to consider how I would create the character.
http://media.creativebloq.futurecdn.net/sites/creativebloq.com/files/images /2012/06/Witchblade.jpg
A bit strange though, it looks as though the bustier and the shoes were actual armor, rather than a manifestation of the blade, but it works very well for me. The cloak becomes part and it actually suggests half-elf rather than human.
Differences from and similarities to Witchblade:
It's not created out of the Angelus and the Darkness, but an physical manifestation of the First World as a whole.
It not called "Witchblade", but "Wildfire". It's wielder is the First Knight (i.e. Knight of the First World, even though she does not have to swear an oath, but is intuitively chosen by the Wildfire).
It's still an actively balancing power between the Angelus and the Darkness and may compell its wielder to take the side of either.
It's still a battle of will, it does not enslave the wielder like the Angelus does.
The First Knight is always a woman, never a man. (Maybe I get a better idea that sounds more feminine than "First Knight", or "Fey Knight" or so.)
The wielder can only be a humanoid, other than Gnome (gnome are too much fey already, it only works on people that are not fey) and not on monsterous humanoids. It would work for goblins, orcs, bugbears etc. but it has never chosen one as a wielder.
It has the same look and feel as the Witchblade and similar abilities.
It does not allow one to commune with its previous wielders in the same way as the Witchblade does, one can only commune with the previous wielder in the way that in Star Wars Luke Skywalker can commune with Ben Kenobi. She actually talks to the spirit in the afterlife, not just an imprint of the memory and personality.
One arbitrary rule addition: The Wildfire bestows knowledge of the Sylvan language upon its wielder.
Character Outline (just the basics, no story yet):
Lynura is a half-elf who grew up with her human father, one day he found her at his door step. While he looked for her he has never seen Lynura's mother again since he sired Lynura. She had been a couple of months old when he found her, not a newborn.
Chapter 1: Lynura comes back from a hunt, carrying a dear which is too heavy for her. She reflect on the future of the village and her role in it. She has sever self-esteem problems. Recently she felt like being watched and had dreams about her mother. She finds her father attacked and aflicted with a strange disease in their log cabin.
Chapter 2: Restless and haunted by dreams she decides to follow the route of the attacker on a hunch, rather than an actual track. She travels through the wild not knowing where she is going, but certain that she will find the evil that is responsible for her fathers death. She comes to a strange, cold and dark cave, clad with ice the colour of tar. She realizes that she is being followed. Suddenly someone attack her from the front, and the figure that followed her steps in to save her. The attacker exits. The defender is her mother, badly wounded, or so she says.
Chapter 3: Lynura would prefer to not speak a single one word with her mother, but she cannot leave her wounded behind. She tries silently to treat her mother's wounds while her mother talks. Since a few months after Lynura's birth her mother is the First Knight. She was overwhelmed by the experienced and made the error of abandoning Lynura because she was afraid what the Wildfire might do to her, which she deeply regrets. The attacker was the wielder of the darkness. She tells Lynura to lure him to a fey circle and confront him there. Then she passes Wildfire on and dies. (And thus left Lynura a second time right again.)
Chapter 4: Lynura wants to ignore the situation, scratch the Wildfire off her wrist (which is impossible) and go back home, but the voice of her mother in her head manages to convince her that Lynura's father will die if she does so and that the attacker will engage her anyway, no more than ever. She hears him hunting her and playing games with her. So she does trust the voice of her mother. As soon as she does the Wildfire sends a wave of confidence to her, while it previously been rather unsettling. While she runs even faster to bait the Darkness by its hunter instinct she does manage to reach a mushroom circle of the fey, draws her sword and makes a stand. Underestimating the connection to the first world this location has, the Darkness does not take the First-Knight-Whelp for an even remotely seriously opponent and engages her. But it is already dawning and she manages to delay him and dodge him until the sun goes up. At which point she managed to wound him and drive him to retreat.
Chapter 5: She arrives home and finds her father fully recovered. She tells him everything that happened other than the Wildfire. Both the spirit of her mother and the Wildfire address the ego problems of Lynura each in their own way. Physically she transforms from a lean wallflower to the 10 pound heavier bomb shell on the image within a matter of weeks due to training with the Wildfire and slight, temporary hormone and influence on her cravings. It basically trains her while she's doing her daily work. The spirit of her mother warns her to not let the Wildfire take too much control, even though she cherishes the development of her daughter. Lynura doesn't listen to the spirit much, because she's far from forgiving her. Ironically it's the fights with her that strengthen her most. Eventually she decides that the small village has become to small for her and she goes out with no particular goal to explore the world and her new powers.
Stat Block:
Lynura
Half-elf ranger 2/summoner (synthesist) 8 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 54, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 80)
NG Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 66 (10 HD; 8d8+2d10+10)
Fort +11, Ref +12, Will +10; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 flaming longsword +10/+5 (1d8+4/19-20 plus 1d6 fire)
Special Attacks combat style (two-weapon combat), favored enemy (evil outsiders +2)
Summoner Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +11)
. . 6/day—summon monster IV
Summoner (Synthesist) Spells Known (CL 8th; concentration +11)
. . 3rd (3/day)—fire shield, fly, greater magic fang
. . 2nd (5/day)—barkskin, bull's strength, haste, slow (DC 15)
. . 1st (5/day)—corrosive touch[UM], endure elements, enlarge person (DC 14), infernal healing[ISWG], protection from evil
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, light, mage hand, mending, message, read magic
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Statistics
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Str 15, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 27
Feats Dodge, Double Slice, Mobility, Skill Focus (Survival), Spring Attack, Two-weapon Defense, Two-weapon Fighting
Traits fencer, forlorn
Skills Climb +8, Handle Animal +10, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (geography) +7, Knowledge (nature) +7, Perception +14, Survival +15; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Common, Elven
SQ elf blood, fused eidolon, fused link, maker's jump, shielded meld, track +1, wild empathy +5
Combat Gear necklace of fireballs vii; Other Gear +2 flaming longsword, cloak of resistance +4, ring of protection +3, 985 gp
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Special Abilities
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Elf Blood Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Favored Enemy (Evil Outsiders +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs. Favored Enemy (Evil Outsiders) foes.
Fencer +1 to hit with dagger or sword AoOs.
Fused Eidolon A synthesist summons the essence of a powerful outsider to meld with his own being. The synthesist wears the eidolon like translucent, living armor. The eidolon mimics all of the synthesist's movements, and the synthesist perceives through the eidolo
Fused Link (Su) Starting at 1st level, the synthesist forms a close bond with his eidolon. Whenever the temporary hit points from his eidolon would be reduced to 0, the summoner can, as a free action, sacrifice any number of his own hit points. Each hit point sacrif
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Maker's Jump (1/day) (Sp) At 6th level, whenever the synthesist is fused with his eidolon, the synthesist can cast dimension door as a spell-like ability using his caster level. This ability only affects the fused synthesist and eidolon. The synthesist can use this abi
Mobility +4 to AC vs. AoO provoked by moving out of or through a threatened area.
Shielded Meld (Ex) At 4th level, whenever the synthesist is fused with his eidolon, he gains a +2 shield bonus to his Armor Class and a +2 circumstance bonus on his saving throws. This ability replaces shield ally.
At 12th level, whenever the synthesist is fused wit
Spring Attack You can move - attack - move when attacking with a melee weapon.
Summon Monster IV (6/day) (Sp) Standard action summon lasts minutes, but only 1 active at a time and can't use with eidolon.
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Two-Weapon Defense +1 to AC while wielding 2 weapons. +2 when doing so defensively.
Wild Empathy +5 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
Wildire:
Race: Biped (Claws)
Evolutions: Limbs (Arms), Limbs (Legs), Claws, Ability Increase (Constitution), Reach [Tentacle], Energy Attacks [Fire], Improved Natural Armor, Rend [Claws]
Str 20 (raised once), Dex 15, Con 15, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
I would be very grateful for further comments and suggestions. :D
