Creating a custom Prestige for a Campaign Setting


Homebrew and House Rules


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I've been experimenting with making a custom Prestige Class for a campaign I'm putting together. The setting is in a very magic weary world, where melee heavy magic hunters called Judicators were established to hunt down mages that their government deemed dangerous. With that idea in mind, I'm looking for opinions on how to buff/nerf/optimize the class better. So here's the first draft. Also looking for a better name. I was going to go with Templar but they don't come off as particularly religious.

Judicator Prestige Class

If you were to ask the common folk where to find magic that one could trust in this world, they would point to the hands of the Judicator. Dauntless warriors who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of destroying evil wizards and sorcerers; Judicators train for years to tap into the power that every one of them calls their Force of Will. Much like how Sorcerers practice the willing of their spells into existence, Judicators temper their minds and bodies to react to their will and aide them significantly in combat. They have one goal in a fight, take out the Spell Caster, and nothing will stop them from achieving that goal short of death.

Prerequisits: BAB +5, Improved Initiative, Iron Will
Alightment: Lawful
Hit Die: D10
Skill Ranks Per Level: 2+Int Mod

Class Skills: Acrobatics, Heal, Knowledge(Arcana), Perception,
Sense Motive, Spell Craft

Main Ability Scores: Wisdom, Strength, Constitution

1/ Atk Bonus +1 / Fort +2 / Ref +2 / Will +2 / Spell Resistance, Disruptive, Efficient Movement

2/ Atk Bonus +2 / Fort +3 / Ref +3 / Will +3 / Vengeful Fortitude, Arcane Scent

3/ Atk Bonus +3 / Fort +3 / Ref +3 / Will +3 / Evasion

4/ Atk Bonus +4 / Fort +4 / Ref +4 / Will +4 / Spiteful Will

5/ Atk Bonus +5 / Fort +4 / Ref +4 / Will +4 / Anchoring Strike, Alertness

6/ Atk Bonus +6 / Fort +5 / Ref +5 / Will +5 / Resentful Reflexes

7/ Atk Bonus +7 / Fort +5 / Ref +5 / Will +5 / Improved Evasion

8/ Atk Bonus +8 / Fort +6 / Ref +6 / Will +6 / Anti-Magic Field

9/ Atk Bonus +9 / Fort +6 / Ref +6 / Will +6 / Siphoning Strike

10/ Atk Bonus +10 / Fort +7 / Ref +7 / Will +7 / Dispelling Touch, Spell Meditation, Deathless Will

At 1st level the Judicator becomes resistant the spells of his sworn enemy. He gains
10 spell resistance. His resistance increases to 20 at level 5, and 30 at level 10.
Spell resistance gained this way does not stack with other sources of spell resistance.

At 1st level the Judicator gains Disruptive as a bonus feat.

At 1st level the Judicator has been trained to move efficiently in combat to chase down foes.
He may move full speed in heavy and medium armor and increases his maximum dexterity bonus allowed by +2.
At level 5, he may move full speed over difficult terrain. At level 10, he no longer
takes skill check penalties for wearing armor and receives his full dexterity bonus to armor class.

At 2nd level the Judicator wills his body to become steel. He gains the Vengeful Fortitude ability. Whenever the Judicator must make a fortitude
save against a spell or spell-like ability and succeeds, he becomes immune to that spell, as well as 1st and 2nd level spells of the same school for 1d4 rounds.
Every two levels thereafter, this effects two additional spell levels (3rd&4th at level 4, 5th&6th at level 6, 7th&8th at level 8, and 9th at level 10.)
He also gains temporary hit points equal to the level of the spell cast against him.

At 2nd level the Judicator gains the Arcane Scent ability. He can use this ability
1/per day + his wisdom modifier. The Judicator may also use this ability to identify
magic items as if using the identify spell.

At 3rd level the Judicator gains Evasion as a bonus feat.

At 4th level the Judicators will is as tempered as a blade. He gains the Spiteful Will
special ability. He gains a +2 bonus on will saves and this bonus increases by +2 every four levels.
Additionally, if the Judicator succeeds on his save, he lashes out with his mind and deals
1d4 points of sonic damage +1d4 per every four levels he has in the Judicator class to the caster of the spell.
If he succeeds his save by 5 or more, the damage becomes a d6 instead. If the Eradicator
rolls a natural 20 on his save, the caster is stunned for a round.

At 5th level the Judicator gains the Anchoring Strike ability. As a standard action, he can channel his force of will through his weapon and make a single melee attack at his highest base attack bonus. If the strike connects, the target must make a will save of
10 + the Judicators wisdom modifier + the 1/2 the Judicators level rounded down. If the target fails, he is treated as if under the effect of the spell Dimentional Anchor. The Judicator can use this ability 3/day.

At 5th level the Judicator gains Alertness as a bonus feat.

At 6th level the Judicators reflexes respond instantaneously to his will. Whenever the Judicator must make a reflex save against
a spell or spell-like ability and succeeds, he may move 10ft towards the caster of the spell. If the caster is not in sight
he may take a five foot step in any direction. If the spell targeting him dealt damage the Judicator gains 10 resistance
to that damage type for 1d4 rounds. This resistance increases by 10 at level 8, and another 10 at level 10. If the Eradicator is dealt a different type of damage before the previous resistance has expired, the new damage resistance replaces the old one, and the d4 must be rolled again.

At 7th level the Judicator gains Improved Evasion as a bonus feat.

At level 8 the Judicator learns to make his will manifest in the air around him. He gains the ability to use Anti-Magic Shield as spell-like ability. This ability works just the same as the Anti-Magic Shield spell, and he can activate it as a swift action. He can do this 1/per day + his wisdom modifier. The Judicator can expend additional uses to increase the radius of the shield around him by 10ft per use spent.

At level 9 the Judicator gains the Siphoning Strike ability. As a standard action the Judicator makes a melee attack against a spell caster. He forces the target to make a will save of 10 + the Judicators wisdom modifier + 1/2 the Judicators level rounded down. If the target fails the save, roll a d10. If the result is a 10, roll again. If the result is a 1-9 the Judicator may choose a single spell from the casters spell list of the level you rolled. The spell caster loses a spell slot of that level, and the Judicator may cast the spell on himself or on a single target within range of the spell. If the spell being cast upon the target requires a save, it is ignored, and the spell goes off. The Judicator may use this ability 3/day.

At level 10 the Judicator becomes the ultimate bane of magic. He may attempt to dispel any magic effect as if using the Dispel Magic spell upon touch. If he succeeds, the caster may not use the same spell for a number of rounds equal to the Judicators wisdom modifier. The Judicator uses his class level when determining his bonus to beat the Dispel DC. The Judicator can also spend an Arcane Scent use to treat the dispel as counterspell instead if he is more than 5ft from the target.

At level 10 the Judicator further increases his defenses against magical foes. Upon spending 4 hours meditating, the Judicator gains the effect of Greater Spell Immunity for a number of hours equal to his wisdom modifier + 1/2 his level. He may choose new spells to defend against each time he meditates.

At level 10 the Judicator turns his will inward, becoming completely immune to the most dangerous of spells. He no longer suffers from negative levels, death effects or ability drain. He also becomes immune to all magical diseases.

Dark Archive

It seems that a paladin archetype would be better for this. Maybe trade out spellcasting for scaling spell reistance and the various immunities for bonus feats or spell like abilities.


Or monk, if unarmed damage and some other stuff would scale. A prestige class allows multiple entries.

Just some formatting issues: evasion/improved evasion are not feats. (Or are they?) Should be something like, "You gain evasion, as the Ranger class feature." Also, I feel like the spell resistance should scale a bit more evenly, 8+twice your class level or 6+your character level.

Overall, I like this class, and would play it sometime.


I really like this class. I did have a question though, do they hunt all spell casters, or only arcane casters?

There are a few things I'd like to suggest though. First of all, most prestige classes use a different save progression than other classes, having only a +1 for the good saves and increasing by 1 every 2 levels thereafter.

A few extra skills would be nice, for example since this class emphasizes mobility climb, swim and perhaps ride would be good to add.

Spell resistance: as has been pointed out SR usually scales with level. SR is a double edged sword though, limiting both harmful and helpful magic of all kinds. Another alternative would be to give the class an ability similar to Superstition, and have it only be activated by arcane spells (if they only hunt arcane casters).

Vengeful fortitude and Resentful reflexes should probably be limited by a number of times per day IMO.

Spiteful will and Resentful Reflexes: you mention Eradicator in both of these, which I believe refers to the Judicator. The spiteful will stun should probably allow for a save IMO, but it only happens 5% of the time so I guess it's not so bad.

Anti-magic field: It is called anti-magic shield in the ability description. I believe that it should be a standard or a move at least.

The DCs of saves may be low since it is a prestige class and most use only 1/2 class levels, so the earliest entry is lv 6. Perhaps you're referring to character level in most of the save calculations? I'd go a similar route as spell sunder and have a different take on dispelling magic like making it a combat maneuver check, so a good CMB comes into play instead of caster level or character level.

The barbarian may seem like an odd place to look for anti mage abilities, but spell sunder Spell Sunder and witch hunter would both be interesting additions.

I do have a question about spell siphoning: you say " If the spell being cast upon the target requires a save, it is ignored, and the spell goes off." Does this mean the target gets no save?


dort


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ChaiGuy wrote:
I really like this class. I did have a question though, do they hunt all spell casters, or only arcane casters?

They hunt all spell casters, but lore wise, mostly arcane as divine spell casters tend to be better regulated. They will hunt any caster regardless of spell type if they determine a nefarious purpose is behind it.

ChaiGuy wrote:
Spiteful will and Resentful Reflexes: you mention Eradicator in both of these, which I believe refers to the Judicator. The spiteful will stun should probably allow for a save IMO, but it only happens 5% of the time so I guess it's not so bad.

I'll futz around with it. That was added in at the last moment for the cool points, so I might end up just taking it out if it proves to be a problem. And Yeah, Eradicator was the placeholder name, ended up preferring Judicator.

ChaiGuy wrote:
Anti-magic field: It is called anti-magic shield in the ability description. I believe that it should be a standard or a move at least.

That seems more fair. I'll make it a standard action and test it.

ChaiGuy wrote:
The DCs of saves may be low since it is a prestige class and most use only 1/2 class levels, so the earliest entry is lv 6. Perhaps you're referring to character level in most of the save calculations? I'd go a similar route as spell sunder and have a different take on dispelling magic like making it a combat maneuver check, so a good CMB comes into play instead of caster level or character level.

I forgot about spell sunder, I'll definitely go that route. It fits the class better I think.

ChaiGuy wrote:
I do have a question about spell siphoning: you say " If the spell being cast upon the target requires a save, it is ignored, and the spell goes off." Does this mean the target gets no save?

Yes, basically. I've been thinking of changing it to where the caster gets no save towards the spell as he had his initial chance and failed, but any other target can make the save.

Thanks a lot, I'll take a second look at everything you suggested and edit it again. :)


qaplawjw wrote:

Or monk, if unarmed damage and some other stuff would scale. A prestige class allows multiple entries.

Just some formatting issues: evasion/improved evasion are not feats. (Or are they?) Should be something like, "You gain evasion, as the Ranger class feature." Also, I feel like the spell resistance should scale a bit more evenly, 8+twice your class level or 6+your character level.

Overall, I like this class, and would play it sometime.

I'll change the evasion issue, thank you. 8+twice your class level seems to be pretty good way of doing it rather than just granting spell resistance too, I'll change that as well. Much better rather than a flat 30, which I honestly thought was too much anyways.


Spell sunder would be helpful to bring flying wizards to the ground.

An ability to delay negative effects would be cool and maybe more balanced than some of the immunities. "I failed my save against Dominate? Well I still have X rounds to kill him before it penetrates all my mental defenses!" Or getting one last chance to kill the wizard before turning to stone.

I don't think the class should get improved evasion, it would penalize those who already had evasion from a class feature.

A bonus to initiative might be justified, since you rypically want to act before the wizard starts.

Perhaps an ability to gain a bonus to saves X per day as an immediate action.

I think it should be a 2/3 BAB PrC. Against a caster, with all those abilities, you don't need a full BAB anyways.


Goblin_Priest wrote:
An ability to delay negative effects would be cool and maybe more balanced than some of the immunities. "I failed my save against Dominate? Well I still have X rounds to kill him before it penetrates all my mental defenses!" Or getting one last chance to kill the wizard before turning to stone.

Perhaps add an effect like it onto the Vengeful Fortitude ability and take away the immunities?

Goblin_Priest wrote:
A bonus to initiative might be justified, since you rypically want to act before the wizard starts.

I can try to fit this in somewhere, I'm unsure as to where though. I was thinking of dropping improved evasion for an effect of increased initiative because I agree with with you on the penalization. However, I like the idea of an ability to increase his saves per day. So I'll have to have an internal debate about that one.

Goblin_Priest wrote:
I think it should be a 2/3 BAB PrC. Against a caster, with all those abilities, you don't need a full BAB anyways.

This makes a lot of sense. I was afraid to give them too low of a BAB initially because they might end up doing poorly against other creatures that aren't necessarily magic users. I can probably find a good in between so they aren't just 100% useless when stuck in other situations.


How much magic does your world use? If it's just an anti-mage hatred, but magic is nonetheless abundant for whatever reason, then some of these abilities would be handy against a large amount of foes, not just wizards/sorcerers. I think someone who takes an anti-caster PrC should be weaker against non-casters than he otherwise would have been without the PrC, but the perks not gained from the other classes are to be considered as well. Many 2/3 classes give spells, but the bard doesn't really give more spells than the full BAB ranger or paladin, the rogue doesn't get any spell at all, nor does the monk (though he gets flurry of blows at full BAB). So this class wouldn't get all the skills or abilities of the rogues... but on the other hand, he gets 3 strong saves and a number of feats and abilities of general use.

Maybe remove the requirement for improved initiative and replace it with combat reflexes (because he's not going to get full use of disruptive without it anyways), and then give improved initiative as a bonus feat somewhere in there, with a bonus to it if he already had it (like when leadership is a class feature, it gives a +2 bonus to those who already had it).

Step Up also seems like a must. Now, one has to wonder where to draw the line between "feats the character should absolutely take on his own" and "feats the character should automatically be given", but it's worth thinking about. Personally, I think that the rest of the Step Up chain would be good for an anti-caster, but that Disruptive, among other things, is totally worthless when the enemy caster can simply take a five foot step back from you and blast spells at you with neither attacks of opportunities nor concentration penalties. Then again, maybe, given it's low pre-reqs (BAB of +1), Step Up should be in the pre-reqs of the PrC instead.

It's always possible, after all, to simply state "this prestige class gets feat X at lvl Y. If he already has it, he gains another combat feat of his choice".

Further notes about the other abilities I hadn't talked much about (I was on cell):

The SR seems high. A Balor, a CR20 creature, has an SR of 31. A character with this PrC would get an SR of 30 at level 15. Plus the bonus to saves. Plus the dispelling. Plus the evasion and the rest. I wonder if it doesn't cross the "this guy is REALLY good against casters" line to get into the "this guy is invincible against casters".

Efficient Movement seems like it could simply be Armor Training, stacking with the fighter ability if applicable.

The Fort ability feels too strong, scales with too many immunities. The will ability feels too strong too, scaling too fast. The reflex one feels moot given evasion.

The anchoring ability is nice, but as a standard action it feels too weak. Especially since the save DC probably isn't that hard to beat at high level.

But yea, in general, take another look at classes that give similar perks (paladin and monk immunities, classes that give evasion, armor training, etc.) and try to think of how those would interact with the class features.


Alatera wrote:


ChaiGuy wrote:
I really like this class. I did have a question though, do they hunt all spell casters, or only arcane casters?

They hunt all spell casters, but lore wise, mostly arcane as divine spell casters tend to be better regulated. They will hunt any caster regardless of spell type if they determine a nefarious purpose is behind it.

ChaiGuy wrote:
Spiteful will and Resentful Reflexes: you mention Eradicator in both of these, which I believe refers to the Judicator. The spiteful will stun should probably allow for a save IMO, but it only happens 5% of the time so I guess it's not so bad.

I'll futz around with it. That was added in at the last moment for the cool points, so I might end up just taking it out if it proves to be a problem. And Yeah, Eradicator was the placeholder name, ended up preferring Judicator.

ChaiGuy wrote:
Anti-magic field: It is called anti-magic shield in the ability description. I believe that it should be a standard or a move at least.

That seems more fair. I'll make it a standard action and test it.

ChaiGuy wrote:
The DCs of saves may be low since it is a prestige class and most use only 1/2 class levels, so the earliest entry is lv 6. Perhaps you're referring to character level in most of the save calculations? I'd go a similar route as spell sunder and have a different take on dispelling magic like making it a combat maneuver check, so a good CMB comes into play instead of caster level or character level.

I forgot about spell sunder, I'll definitely go that route. It fits the class better I think.

ChaiGuy wrote:
I do have a question about spell siphoning: you say " If the spell being cast upon the target requires a save, it is ignored, and the spell goes off." Does this mean the target gets no save?
Yes, basically. I've been thinking of changing it to where the caster gets no save towards the spell as he had his initial chance and failed, but any other target can make the...

I'm glad to hear that you have liked some of my thoughts and suggestions. I can't wait to see the updated version of the Judicator. :)

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

I would look at the inquisitor too. Steadfast might work for resisting Fortitude and Will effects.

Or combine Evasion and Steadfast into an Avoidance ability. When you succeed on a saving throw to take half damage, you take no damage instead.

Greater Avoidance can give you half damage on a failed save, and no damage on a successful save.

For spell resistance, maybe make it 5 + character level at 1st, 10 + character level at 5th, and 15 + character level at 10th.

Maybe a counterspell ability? Usable once per day per level, as an immediate action, you can cast dispel magic to counterspell. Eventually boost it to greater dispel magic.

Maybe a caster bane ability? A scaling damage bonus against spellcasters and users of spell-like effects.

Maybe:

Exorcist.

Requirements:
BAB: +5
Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will
Skills: 2 ranks in Knowledge arcana

Class Features:
BAB: +3/4
Good Saves: Fortitude, Reflex, Will
Hit Dice: 1d8

Class Skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge arcana, Perception, Ride, Sense Motive, Stealth, Survival, Swim.

Skill Points per Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

LEVEL ABILITY
1. Armor Training, Disruptive, Spell Resistance 5+
2. Avoidance, Exorcist's Senses (+1/2 class to initiative, Perception and Sense Motive, detect magic)
3. Spell Bane +1d6
4. Sudden Counterspelling
5. Spell Immunity, Spell Resistance 10+
6. Spell Bane +2d6
7. Greater Avoidance
8. Greater Sudden Counterspelling
9. Spell Bane +3d6
10. Spell Siphon, Spell Resistance 15+


I believe the standard formula for spell resistance is 11+the creature's challenge rating. A PC has a CR equal to their total hit dice minus 1. So you could get the same number by adding 10 to your total character level, including hit dice from the base class. That would scale more smoothly than large jumps at 5 and 10.

I gotta say, this seems overpowered. Full BAB, three good saves, evasion, improved evasion, defensive abilities that can completely negate a huge swath of spells, no penalties to speed or skill checks in heavy armor ... it's too much.

The class doesn't have any weaknesses. A properly built judicator will soon become essentially untouchable by anyone, caster or martial. That might be fun for the one playing the judicator, but the other players at the table will likely struggle to keep up. Conversely, if the GM throws something at the party that's a serious threat to the judicator, it could easily be unnecessarily lethal for the other PCs.

I'd recommend switching it to a 3/4 BAB, make reflex slow progression, and take out the Evasion abilities.

I'd also be super cautious about handing out blanket immunities to things. Vengeful Fortitude, as written, can negate a huge number of spells, and it levels up faster than actual spellcasters. Consider: a Fighter 5/Judicator 10 meets a level 17 transmuter wizard, who opens with Transmute Blood to Acid. The Judicator is now immune not just to that spell, but to every transmutation spell there is, for at least one round, possibly as much as 4. Passing just one save effectively turns that transmuter into a level 17 commoner.

I could go on, but I think that makes the point.

The class concept is clear, and the flavor is okay. I don't think I'd play one myself, but I can see how it might appeal to others.


Reading Tinalles' comments, I agree for the reflex and evasion. I'd decrease the reflex save and remove both evasions, as he stated. A lvl 10 rogue/10 this could get improved evasion anyways.

I'd actually also consider doing the same with fort. Should this guy really be more resistant to non-magical diseases and poisons? I don't think so. Perhaps a low fort save compensated with more bonuses against magical fort-targetting effects.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Fort is good against a lot of SoS spells. I'd keep it good Fort and Will. Reflex stuff can be overcome with lots of hit points and/or resistances.


Yea but you already get SR against those too. A more universal +1/2lvl against magic would be more fitting imo.

Because if you stack two good saves yoi get a +14 bonus at lvl 20 instead of +12. Is the anti magic guy really supposed to be more resitant to poisons than a pure barbarian?

Dark Archive

Tinalles wrote:

I believe the standard formula for spell resistance is 11+the creature's challenge rating. A PC has a CR equal to their total hit dice minus 1. So you could get the same number by adding 10 to your total character level, including hit dice from the base class. That would scale more smoothly than large jumps at 5 and 10.

I gotta say, this seems overpowered. Full BAB, three good saves, evasion, improved evasion, defensive abilities that can completely negate a huge swath of spells, no penalties to speed or skill checks in heavy armor ... it's too much.

The class doesn't have any weaknesses. A properly built judicator will soon become essentially untouchable by anyone, caster or martial. That might be fun for the one playing the judicator, but the other players at the table will likely struggle to keep up. Conversely, if the GM throws something at the party that's a serious threat to the judicator, it could easily be unnecessarily lethal for the other PCs.

I'd recommend switching it to a 3/4 BAB, make reflex slow progression, and take out the Evasion abilities.

I'd also be super cautious about handing out blanket immunities to things. Vengeful Fortitude, as written, can negate a huge number of spells, and it levels up faster than actual spellcasters. Consider: a Fighter 5/Judicator 10 meets a level 17 transmuter wizard, who opens with Transmute Blood to Acid. The Judicator is now immune not just to that spell, but to every transmutation spell there is, for at least one round, possibly as much as 4. Passing just one save effectively turns that transmuter into a level 17 commoner.

I could go on, but I think that makes the point.

The class concept is clear, and the flavor is okay. I don't think I'd play one myself, but I can see how it might appeal to others.

The class is still not overpowered though. Sure a well built judicator can wipe the floor with a blaster wizard but that is suboptimal anyway. Lets take a level 15 judicator 10 paladin 5 and place it against a wizard who knows he exists.

A level 15 diviner wizard will act first in initiative. at level 15 he can just teleport away play a fun game called hey how long can you fight?

Wizard heigthens mount to whataver spell level he wants and casts alter summon monster on it. I prefr lantern archons myself for this purpose. The wizard sends the summoned death sqaud to murder the judicator.

If you oppose using that then the wizard can just use windwall and pelt him with a no save no sr spell.

If that isnt ok he can just have his familiar do explosive runes bombing with a book and a wand of dispel magic.

The class can really only threaten casters within melee range. Which any well built martial can already do. Sure if the Dm plays wizards as if they only start to exist at the start of combat then sure it is stronger than other options but it isnt overpowered.

Against other martials it really is who can get off a full attack first. All of the judicator's abilities are used in melee. He isn't going to be an archer. Still not overpowered. It is stronger than other martials. Really is just in line with a well built paladin for saves and has a superstitous barbarians sr. Not broken just usefull.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Goblin_Priest wrote:

Yea but you already get SR against those too. A more universal +1/2lvl against magic would be more fitting imo.

Because if you stack two good saves yoi get a +14 bonus at lvl 20 instead of +12. Is the anti magic guy really supposed to be more resitant to poisons than a pure barbarian?

A 20th level barbarian can boost Fort save to +16 when raging.... ;-)

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