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There seems to be nothing for pathfinder that could be called a true barrier warrior. Not just someone who uses shields, but a wizard or class who's whole magic consists of summoning moveable shields and high dexterity. The shields summoned should act like weapons and are moved at will by the caster. Being rammed in the face with one would be akin to running full speed into a brick wall. Or having a brick wall run into you.
For those wondering what a barrier warrior is This is a barrier warrior.
Any help here?
Hmmm. This concept interested me so I've been working on trying to build the class for the past few days. I probably still need to fine-tune a few things. Don't know if it might be a little too overpowered. But here's what I came up with:
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8
CLASS SKILLS
The barrier warrior’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (local) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
BAB: 3/4
Good Save: Ref
Special Abilities by Level:
1. Barrier, Barrier Attack 1d6, Shield Expert
2. AC +1, Barrier Ability 1, Evasion
3. Elemental Barrier 1, Range +10 ft.
4. Barrier Attack 1d8, Healing Barrier
5. Barrier x2, Deflection Barrier
6. AC +2, Barrier Ability 2, Range +20 ft.
7. Elemental Barrier 2
8. Barrier Attack 1d10, Improved Evasion
9. Barrier Suit, Range +30 ft.
10. AC +3, Barrier x3, Barrier Ability 3
11. Barrier Dome, Elemental Barrier 3
12. Barrier Attack 2d6, Range +40 ft.
13. Barrier Shell, Immediate Barrier
14. AC +4, Barrier Ability 4
15. Barrier x4, Elemental Barrier 4, Range +50 ft.
16. Barrier Attack 2d8, Improved Immediate Barrier
17. Evasive Barrier
18. AC +5, Barrier Ability 5, Range +60 ft.
19. Elemental Barrier 5
20. Barrier x5, Barrier Attack 2d10, Barrier Master
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Barrier warriors are proficient with all simple weapons as well as light and heavy shield bash. They are also proficient with light armor and all shields (including tower shields).
Barrier (Su): Barrier warriors are able to generate a magical barrier of energy to protect himself and his allies. At level 1 this barrier acts as a Shield spell in all ways, except that it only provides a +2 shield bonus to AC. This barrier is treated as a light shield for the purposes of combat and applying feats. It is a swift action to generate a barrier and may then be moved as a free action. You can assign a barrier to protect yourself or an adjacent creature. The shield bonus to AC provided by a barrier overlaps and does not stack with existing shield bonus a creature may have.
Every five levels you are able to generate an additional barrier to a maximum of 5 total barriers at level 20. You may use multiple barriers to protect different creatures or layer them on top of the same one. Multiple barriers of the same type do not stack with themselves, but as a barrier warrior increases in level, he is able to make new types of barrier which can add additional benefits to the same creature. It is typically a separate swift action to generate each additional barrier.
Barrier Attack (Su): Barrier warriors may use their barrier ability to attack creatures within range. This attack is treated as a shield bash with a light shield which does the indicated amount plus your Charisma modifier in bludgeoning damage. This is a melee attack which always uses the barrier warrior’s Dexterity modifier on attack rolls instead of Strength. A barrier attack is considered to have the Ghost Touch special ability and is magic for the purposes of damage reduction. A barrier used to make an attack cannot be used to protect a creature until the beginning of your next turn unless you have the Improved Shield Bash feat.
Shield Expert (Ex): Barrier warriors are not only experts in the use of their barriers as shields, but also the use of physical shields. When meeting the prerequisites for feats which apply to the use of shields, you are treated as having a base attack bonus and fighter level equal to your barrier warrior level.
AC Bonus (Su): At level 2, your barrier gains a +1 enhancement bonus to AC. Unlike the enhancement bonuses granted to a physical shield, this +1 enhancement bonus also applies to attack and damage rolls when making a barrier attack. This enhancement bonus increases by 1 for every 4 levels after 2nd, to a maximum of +5 at level 18.
Barrier Ability (Su): At level 2, barrier warriors are able to apply any relevant magic shield or weapon ability to their barriers of a +1 enhancement cost. Every four levels after 2nd, you gain an additional +1 enhancement cost you may use to either gain another ability or gain an ability of a higher cost. You must spend one minute of meditation per enhancement bonus to grant magic abilities to your barriers. Any time during the day you may use the same meditation to exchange any number of active abilities for different ones. Whenever a barrier warrior is rendered unconscious, he loses all active abilities and must meditate for them again.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher, a barrier warrior can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks. If a barrier warrior makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a barrier warrior is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless barrier warrior does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Elemental Barrier (Su): At level 3, pick one type of energy: acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. Any creature protected by one of your barriers gains energy resistance 10 of the designated type. Every 4 levels thereafter, select a new energy type to also gain energy resistance 10 from and increase one of your existing resistances by 10 (which may be the one you just gained). If at any level you already have energy resistance 30 from any one type, adding 10 more will grant immunity from that type instead.
Range (Su): Beginning at level 3, your barriers gain a range to which they can extend beyond the normal 5 feet. At level 3 you may extend your barriers out to a 10 ft. radius. This allows you to assign a barrier to protect anyone within that range as well as use your barrier attack against anyone within that reach. For the purposes of combat, a barrier attack is still considered a melee weapon, not a ranged or thrown weapon. Therefore it is not subject to penalties when attacking those engaged in melee, nor can the benefits of feats such as rapid shot or deadly aim be applied to it. For every three levels beyond 3rd, your range increases by an additional 10 feet.
Healing Barrier (Su): At level 4, you can use your power to heal those you protect. As a standard action, you may heal any creature your barrier is protecting (including yourself) as if casting a Cure Light Wounds spell. Your caster level for this ability is equal to your barrier warrior level -3. Every 4 levels thereafter, the potency of this ability increases, acting as Cure Moderate Wounds at level 8, Cure Serious Wounds at level 12, Cure Critical Wounds at level 16, and Breath of Life at level 20. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Deflection Barrier (Su): At level 5, you can change the form of your barrier as a free action to grant the protected creature a deflection bonus to AC instead of a shield bonus. This deflection bonus is equal to your barrier’s current enhancement bonus (+1 at level 5, +2 at level 6, +3 at level 10, etc.).
Improved Evasion (Ex): At level 8, a barrier warrior’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Barrier Suit (Su): At level 9, you can change the form of your barrier as a free action to grant the protected creature an armor bonus to AC instead of a shield bonus. This armor acts as a Mage Armor spell in all ways except that it provides a +2 AC bonus plus your barrier’s current enhancement bonus.
Barrier Dome (Su): At level 11, for a number of rounds per day equal to your Charisma modifier, you may choose one type of barrier you are able to use. That barrier protects every creature you wish within range. Activating a barrier dome is a swift action and while it is in affect, your healing barrier acts as channeling positive energy of a cleric level equal to your barrier warrior level -3 to all protected creatures. You may not perform any barrier attacks on the same turn you active the barrier dome.
Barrier Shell (Su): At level 13, you can change the form of your barrier as a free action to wrap the protective energy tightly to the protected creature’s body. The protected creature gains an enhancement bonus to his natural armor equal to your barrier’s current enhancement bonus.
Immediate Barrier (Su): At level 13, once per round you may move one of your active barriers to protect a new creature. This may be done in response to an attack against a creature, applying the new protection before the attack roll is made. As part of this action, you may also change the type of barrier that is being made.
Improved Immediate Barrier (Su): At level 16, when using your immediate barrier ability, you may also generate a new barrier as an immediate action and move it. You may also use your immediate barrier to generate a barrier dome. This costs one of your rounds per day for the barrier dome at activation and on your next turn you may not use any barrier attacks, even if you deactivate the barrier dome.
Evasive Barrier (Su): At level 17, you can change the form of your barrier as a free action to grant the protected creature the ability to avoid damage more easily. The protected creature gains a dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves equal to your barrier’s current enhancement bonus. In addition, as long as the protected creature is only wearing armor which he is proficient in, he also gains the benefits of Evasion. If the creature already has the Evasion ability, he gains Improved Evasion.
Barrier Master (Su): At level 20, your ability to use your barriers is truly exquisite. You may now generate barriers as a free action and the range to which they can extend doubles to a final reach of 120 ft. All barriers now remain active, protecting the last creatures which they were assigned to and retaining all barrier abilities for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier after being rendered unconscious. Once per day, if a barrier warrior is killed, he is immediately affected by a maximized Breath of Life spell.
Hope you like it. Let me know what you think.
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I love it, Maybe a bit of fluff...
The colour of the barrier is connected to the alingment. Black crackling for Evil... Bright and such for Good...
OR the barrier is unique to each caster, based on their personality. So it can look like dancing flowers, or crackling lightening, or deep sea blue waves of energy...
Just fun fluff. Doesn't do anything. But Fluff is always good.
I was thinking, instead of having the weapon proficient at all, they use their barriers as weapons and use some sort of grit/ki like thing to add to their barrier
Also, how to add some sort of bull rush with the shield. Prehaps they even cast with their reflex.
But I like it so far.
I'll figure out the save bonusus that they gain each level. Come up with fluff about the class...
As well as being able to add to the elemental barrier, prehaps a feat that makes it not only defensive, but offensive, dealing damage of the type that it is.
Also, globe barrier. Some sort of barrier that can turn the caster into a living hamster ball to bull rush foes. Uselable once per day per caster level. or something of that manner.
Also being able to summon said bubble barrier inside a large foe then expand it... with predictable results. (damage)
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The closest thing to this is the Mime Artist bard archetype I wrote in the Maxximilius's Archetypes document. It creates force fields and weapons as bardic performances or powers, in addition to wall spells from wizard/sorcerer spell list, and force shields for himself.
I was thinking, instead of having the weapon proficient at all, they use their barriers as weapons and use some sort of grit/ki like thing to add to their barrier
Also, how to add some sort of bull rush with the shield. Prehaps they even cast with their reflex.
As far as weapon proficiencies, I think it's always nice to have something to fall back on. Though he probably shouldn't get All Simple, but I'm not sure what else he'd be proficient in other than shield bash, or if just that would be enough. But as it is set us right now, he will at least need to be proficient in light shield bash, since his barriers are treated as such. Not sure about a grit/ki-like mechanic. Personally I prefer X times/rounds per day, like how Healing Barrier and Barrier Dome are set up. If it were make into a grit/ki system, there'd need to be many more special abilities for the class.
As for Bull Rush, I did have the idea for that, but all he'd have to do is take the Shield Slam feat. He'd also have to take Improved Shield Bash and Two-Weapon Fighting, but those are awesome feats for this class anyway.
Not sure what "cast with their reflex" means, though....
I'll figure out the save bonusus that they gain each level. Come up with fluff about the class...
In case it's not obvious, I actually used the Monk class as a bit of a base for the class, with the BAB, AC Bonus, Damage dice, and Range. I also had him with all good saves at first, but then just dropped it to just a good reflex save since the other two didn't make as much sense and he just had so much other good stuff getting added to him. But yeah, fluff is good and you should definitely try fleshing out the concept as much as you can.
As well as being able to add to the elemental barrier, prehaps a feat that makes it not only defensive, but offensive, dealing damage of the type that it is.
I was actually trying to think of a way to implement the same concept with the elemental barrier, but what I was thinking about seemed a little too powerful. It would just add elemental damage to the barrier attack based on how much energy resistance was put into each element. Like 2d6 fire damage on top of the base damage and Charisma modifier. But like I said, seemed a little too powerful and also invalidated a large portion of attack abilities that he can add to his barriers. But yesterday I thought of something simple that might work. Just add this to the Elemental Barrier description:
Barrier warriors can also use the power of their elemental barriers to attack their enemies. As a standard action, you may choose any one energy type you have selected resistance for. As a ranged touch attack which does not provoke attacks of opportunity, deal damage of the selected energy type equal to 1d6 per rank of your elemental barrier ability plus your Charisma modifier. You may target any creature within your barrier's range and use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Also, globe barrier. Some sort of barrier that can turn the caster into a living hamster ball to bull rush foes. Uselable once per day per caster level. or something of that manner.
Also being able to summon said bubble barrier inside a large foe then expand it... with predictable results. (damage)
Sound like interesting abilities. If you made them work, you might be able to have enough abilities to make a grit/ki system work, changing the X times/rounds per day into abilities that consumed points from the pool. Just keep your wheels turning and I'll keep it in the back of my mind, too. Glad you liked what I came up with so far.