Ivory Weeper class final draft, Thoughts?


Homebrew and House Rules


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Hello again everyone, This time around the class I'm bring to the table is a bit more finished than when I tend to post them, but I'm still not sure if it's completely ready to let my players use as they wish. I've playtested it a bit and it's performed at about 50-60% success rate which I'm happy with, but I'd like to get some thoughts on whether or not some abilities need tuning or to be more clarifying still. So without further rambling heres the Ivory Weeper-

Ivory Weeper Base Class


Cool class! Based on Dark Souls 2?


Divinitus wrote:
Cool class! Based on Dark Souls 2?

Thanks! and it's not quite based on that though the setting I originally was thinking it up for is kinda based in the souls style of setting lol. I ended up making it less setting specific, or at least trying to.


It's still got the vibe, which is pretty awesome! I can do a preliminary playtest sometime if you would like.


Divinitus wrote:
It's still got the vibe, which is pretty awesome! I can do a preliminary playtest sometime if you would like.

Go for it if you'd like, I'd love to hear the results :). Mind if I ask any particular likes or dislikes with things?


Edit-

Specified that the Mask is not a true physical item.

Added Spells Known list

Changed Ghostly Chill to:

Ghostly Chill (Su): As a standard action at 1st level, an Ivory Weeper can send a wave of cold spiritual power at a target within 60ft by making a ranged touch attack, appearing as though they hurled a stream of ghostly images at the enemy. This ability deals 1d6 damage, half of which is cold damage and half of which is pure spiritual energy that is not blocked by resistance or immunity. This damage increases every odd numbered class level to a maximum of 10d6 and is able to affect targets on the Ethereal plane and incorporeal opponents without any miss chance, however this doesn’t prevent miss chance from effects such as Blur from hindering its ability to hit.

Removed Spiritual sense from class abilities, made into a Lesser Trait.

Specified that it's only naturally forming fog that the mask can see through.

Specified that Attribute bonus enhancing traits replace each other and do not stack. Also removed option to gain larger bonus to a single score to at least see if it still works as intended, which really it should work fine anyway. Should they perhaps become moral bonuses to prevent some stacking with buffs?

Devouring/Cleansing chill changed to:

Cleansing Chill(Ex): At 6th level, the Ivory Weeper's ghostly chill can drain the power from the undead. While wearing her mask and dealing damage to an undead target the undead must make a Will save (DC 10 + ½ class level + wisdom mod) or suffer 1d4 charisma damage.
(this hopefully helps make them more obviously anti undead primarily)

Made Graveyard Chill's "10ft burst" property into a Moderate trait.

Limited Ghostly Wail to only usable while masked, made it 1d4 rounds till another use as a breath weapon norm.

Stated that the crowd in "Become the Crowd" must be no more than 10ft apart from each other, will see if this need to become 5ft.

Graveyard Chill changed to:

Graveyard Chill(Ex): Reaching 14th level her Ghostly Chill increases again in power. Damage from your Ghostly Chill becomes entirely made of spiritual damage instead of being half cold damage.

Deathly Palor's immunities changed to: She gains immunity to energy draining attacks from undead, and soul-trapping


Added Role and Alignment on the class, changed the description a bit but not really happy with it, will probably change it again when I have better idea of what to put down for the general stuff.

If the Traits being so passive aren't thematic though I do like many of them, perhaps these would be potential replacements.

Lesser trait ideas-

Fearsome Visage (Ex): Your mask is even more terrifying than usual. You gain an insight bonus on Intimidate checks equal to ½ your HD and once per round you may attempt an Intimidate check against an enemy within 30ft of you as a move action.

Terrifying Strike (Su): Whenever you successfully deal at least 10 damage with a melee weapon, the target must make a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 class level + wis mod) or become shaken for 1d4 rounds.

Nightmare Step (Su): When you’re adjacent to a shaken target, you can teleport up to 20 ft. away into a square adjacent to another shaken target as a swift action once every 1d4 rounds.

Ice Mirror (Su): When you first don your mask in combat you can increase the time it takes into a full round action (or standard if you normally would don it as a move action, or move action if you normally don it as a swift action) to create an illusory double of yourself through icy mist at the same time. This double functions as a single Mirror Image (as the spell) and lasts for as long as you wear your mask, or until the illusory duplicate is destroyed. You can have no more than one copycat at a time. This ability does not stack with the Mirror Image spell. You can only use this ability 3 times per day, regardless of how many times you don your mask in a day.

You gain Cold resistance 5.

Storm of Souls (Su): Around you in a 10ft area is a swirling mass of angry spirits seeking to destroy those that oppose you. Each round an undead enemy begins it’s turn in this area it takes 1d4 points of spiritual damage.

Soul Carve (Su): Spirits collect onto your weapon to make it longer than normal. Your range for melee attack increases by 5ft.

Skate (Su): Your feet become slick, and you can glide over the ground effortlessly. When moving on solid ground, you gain a +10 bonus to your land speed. When moving downhill the bonus is +20, and there is no bonus when moving uphill. Those with the Skate power usually leave small cold puddles in their wake, as the icy rime beneath them melts away.

Moderate Trait ideas-

Improved Nightmare Step: The distance you can travel with the Nightmare step ability becomes 40ft.

Improved Storm of Souls: The damage to undead dealt by the storm of souls ability become 1d6.

Empowered Fear (Su): Whenever you would cause an enemy to be shaken with the Fearsome Visage or Terrifying Strike abilities, they are Frightened instead.

Return to the Grave (Su): Whenever you deal damage to an undead with a melee weapon, it must make a will save (DC 10 + Ivory Weeper level + Wisdom mod) or suffer 1 charisma damage.

Fueled by Fear (Su): As long as you are within 30ft of an enemy that is Shaken, Frightened, or Panicked you gain Fast Healing 5.

Terrifying Chill (Ex): Undead damaged by your Ghostly Chill ability must make a Will Save (DC 10 + 1/2 class level + wisdom mod) or become frightened for 1d4 rounds.

Excommunication (su): The souls of the pious and the fervent lash out against heretics and those who deny the faith. Whenever you confirm a critical strike to a creature with spellcasting ability who’s alignment opposes yours, they lose one random spell slot or level of prepared spell (roll a d10 to determine, reroll on a 10) if they have spell slots. If they have spell-like abilities, they cannot use one of those abilities for 3 rounds (spell chosen at random)

Icewalking (Su): You can traverse icy surfaces as though under a constant Spider Climb effect.

Deathly Silence (Ex): You can make any one spell you cast effected by the Silent spell metamagic feat without increasing that spells level. You can only perform this action 3 times per day regardless of how many times you don your mask in a day and you cannot apply another metamagic feat to that spell.

Deathly Stillness (Ex): You can make any one spell you cast effected by the Still spell metamagic feat without increasing that spells level. You can only perform this action 3 times per day regardless of how many times you don your mask in a day and you cannot apply another metamagic feat to that spell.

You gain Cold resistance 20

Major Trait Ideas (don't have that many at the moment)-

Weapon of Direfrost (Su): When wielding a weapon composed entirely of metal you can forcibly cool it, causing it to harden and condense, creating a layer of sharpened ice over the surface as a move action. The weapon is still considered to be its original size in terms of its weight and your ability to wield it, but it deals damage as if it was one size larger and half it’s damage it’s cold damage. Additionally, the weapon causes the armor of a struck opponent to tighten constrictively; this reduces the Dexterity bonus it offers by 2 and increases the armor check penalty by 2 for 1d4 rounds. This ability is not cumulative (there is no stacking of bonuses or penalties to the opponent’s armor). The ice continues to surround the weapon for as long as your wear your mask.

Greater Nightmare Step: The distance you can travel with your Nightmare Step ability becomes 60ft.

Greater Storm of Souls: The damage from your Storm of Souls becomes 1d8, and it's range becomes 20ft.

Hunter of Souls (Su): You gain a special form of Blindsight, able to pinpoint the location of any creature that possesses a soul within 30ft of you even if you can’t see them.

Body of Ice(Su): You can transmute your body and equipment to ice for a period of time. It takes a standard action to take on the form of ice, and you can end the transmutation with a free action on your turn. When you take on the form of ice, you are immune to cold and have DR 5/—, but you take twice the normal amount of damage from fire.


I like it. I'll probably have more comments on the specific powers tomorrow. I may also test this class out as an npc in my home game.

My immediate thoughts concern the spell list. Cone of cold could easily be a fourth level spell on this list, maybe even third (just don't permit weird shenanigans with other casters). I also think it would be perfectly appropriate for all the cloud spells to exist on this list. Incendiary cloud and acid fog would be perfectly appropriate fifth and sixth level spells on this list. I mean far more reasonable than Gate on Summoners. But I think all these things would work.

Honestly, I might drop the cure and inflict spells and instead add conjuration and necromancy (not summoning though), but we may not be headed for the same flavor. Either way, I like the class I think it's got potential to fit a niche that is not quite there.

If I have any concern it's action economy. A whole lot of choices, not enough actions for all of them.


Create Mr. Pitt wrote:

I like it. I'll probably have more comments on the specific powers tomorrow. I may also test this class out as an npc in my home game.

My immediate thoughts concern the spell list. Cone of cold could easily be a fourth level spell on this list, maybe even third (just don't permit weird shenanigans with other casters). I also think it would be perfectly appropriate for all the cloud spells to exist on this list. Incendiary cloud and acid fog would be perfectly appropriate fifth and sixth level spells on this list. I mean far more reasonable than Gate on Summoners. But I think all these things would work.

Honestly, I might drop the cure and inflict spells and instead add conjuration and necromancy (not summoning though), but we may not be headed for the same flavor. Either way, I like the class I think it's got potential to fit a niche that is not quite there.

If I have any concern it's action economy. A whole lot of choices, not enough actions for all of them.

Will wait for your thoughts then, and do please playtest away I can never have too many of those. I'd love to hear the result if you have the time afterwards!

So you think it would be worth knocking it down a level? I didn't want to start doing that sorta thing until I was sure that everything else was mostly kosher, but I wouldn't mind bumping it lower. As for the other two I really want to stick with spells in the theme of cold, water, and positive/negative energy so those don't quite fit, maybe reflavoring them somewhat?

I kinda see the inclusion of the Cure/Inflict line as a major tie to it's theme of being a necromancer that learned how to fight necromantic things, with the Cure line being the obvious choice to combat the undead, and inflict the obvious choice to combat the living who may control them. I'm not utterly opposed to the idea of trading them out though, which sort of spells would you think would be a good replacement? Losing the Cure line is a potential hit to their utility after all.

Yeah I worry about that too, originally putting on the mask was a swift action all the time and the Detect and Deathwatch were just constant effects, but a few voices thought this was too strong so i pumped it down as a test.


Bump. Anyone have thoughts on the proposed ability ideas?


Proposed changes to the options for Lesser Traits-

Lesser Traits: At 3rd, 5th, and 7th levels the Ivory Weepers mask gains a single ability of her choice from the list below. Mask Traits are only active or able to be activated while an Ivory Weeper is wearing their mask (unless stated otherwise) and ends or stops being available when the mask is removed. A trait cannot be taken more than once unless specifically stated.


  • You can breath underwater. You may use this trait while not wearing your mask, but only for a number of minutes equal to your Ivory Weeper level per day.

  • You gain Darkvision 60ft and Low Light Vision. You may use this trait while not wearing your mask, but only for a number of minutes equal to your Ivory Weeper level per day.

  • Spiritual Sense(Su): Ivory Weepers with this ability are adept at sensing the presence of those normally outside mortal bounds. She automatically learns if any invisible or incorporeal creatures are within 10 feet of her though she does not learn or pinpoint the creature’s location, only that it is within this range.

  • Fearsome Visage (Ex): Your mask is even more terrifying than usual. You gain an insight bonus on Intimidate checks equal to ½ your HD and once per round you may attempt an Intimidate check against an enemy within 30ft of you as a move action.

  • Terrifying Strike (Su): Whenever you successfully deal at least 10 damage with a melee weapon while wearing your mask, the target must make a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 class level + wis mod) or become shaken for 1d4 rounds.

  • Nightmare Step (Su): When you’re adjacent to a shaken target, you can teleport up to 20 ft. away into a square adjacent to another shaken target as a swift action once every 1d4 rounds.

  • You may cast Mage Hand at will as a swift action, except that it’s weight limit increases by 5lbs per 2 Ivory Weeper levels you possess beyond 3rd level.

  • Your mask’s spiritual power is unnerving to animals who will refuse to come within 10ft of you unless they pass a DC 14 will save.

  • You may grant the Ghost Touch property to any weapon you wield.

  • Ice Mirror (Su): When you first bind your mask in combat you can increase the time it takes into a full round action (or standard if you normally would bind it as a move action, or move action if you normally bind it as a swift action) to create an illusory double of yourself through icy mist at the same time. This double functions as a single Mirror Image (as the spell) and lasts for as long as you wear your mask, or until the illusory duplicate is destroyed. You can have no more than one image at a time. This ability does not stack with the Mirror Image spell. You can only use this ability 3 times per day, regardless of how many times you don your mask in a day.

  • You gain Cold resistance 5.

  • Storm of Souls (Su): The area surrounding you is a swirling mass of angry spirits seeking to destroy those that oppose you. Each round an undead enemy begins it’s turn adjacent to you it takes 1d4 points of spiritual damage.

  • Soul Carve (Su): Spirits collect onto your weapon to make it longer than normal. Your range for melee attacks increases by 5ft.

  • Skate (Su): Your feet become slick, and you can glide over the ground effortlessly. When moving on solid ground, you gain a +10 bonus to your land speed. When moving downhill the bonus is +20, and there is no bonus when moving uphill. Those with the Skate power usually leave small cold puddles in their wake, as the icy rime beneath them melts away.

  • Ghostly Burst (Su): You can use your Ghostly Chill ability as a 5ft burst centered on you, hitting all creatures adjacent to you. This increases it’s damage to 1d6 per class level (maximum 15d6), but you cannot use your Ghostly Chill again for 3 rounds.

  • Hydrostasis (Ex): When facing enemies which are composed primarily of water, such as water elementals and oozes, you deal additional damage. All damage from your Ghostly Chill, Spells,and other class abilities that deal cold damage have their die increased to d8 if they were lower. On a natural 20 attack roll on an attack with Ghostly Chill, the water based creature must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Wis) or be rendered immobile until they take at least 5 points of fire damage, or make a DC 20 Strength check to break free of their icy prison. [Note- not sure how to word it that humans though 75% water, don't count as 'primarily' in this sense]

  • Slayer (Ex, Path)- The spiritual power your mask is made of is from many murderous souls, granting you the Sneak Attack ability while masked. Your Sneak attack deals 1d6 of damage, increasing by 1d6 at 4th level and then again every four levels afterward. (You cannot gain another Path tagged Mask Trait.)

  • Sage (Ex, Path)- The spiritual power your mask is made of is formed of scholarly minds, granting a +1 caster level while masked. At 5th level and every five levels afterward, your mask increases your caster level by an additional +1.(You cannot gain another Path tagged Mask Trait.)[Note- not sure on the power level here]

  • Warrior (Ex, Path)- The spiritual power your mask is made of is created out of the lost souls of soldiers and glory seekers, granting you a +1 on attack rolls. At 4th level and every four levels afterward you gain an additional +1 on attack rolls. (You cannot gain another Path tagged Mask Trait.)


These are some possible major alterations to the final draft as it stand, though perfectly aware of some potential balance issues with certain traits this is simply as the came to mind, playtesting or opinion from others will help determine if these changes are for the best or if a different direction should be taken. I'll provide a link here

Potential Abilities final write up


Abilities added to main draft for testing, will keep updating even if no one posts lol


I hope this isn't necroing too bad, just been away for a while doing life things and noticed nothings happened here.

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