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I have a player, who I don't think has played any tabletop rpg before, who had a special ability in mind for his paladin character. The description he gave was "its a divine barrier that keeps his companions pure from dark magic and such, its called Holy Grail and when he calls it out the barrier is up and a glowing golden chalice appears above everyone." My reply was "That would have to replace something in the paladin class for balance, but we can include something like that. We'll have to put it in game terms. "Dark magic" can mean a few different things: it could mean only Necromancy (which is a specific set of spells), or spells with the evil descriptor, or any spells cast by an evil creature (that would be too powerful without a lot of limitations)..." He said "an evil guy or just rabid menacing creatures and those with evil intentions are effected by the Holy Grail purification ability" Sounds like he wants it to apply to any spells cast by evil creatures. So this is the limited version I thought of: Once per day you can activate a field lasting 1 round per level. During this time, you and your allies within 30ft of you get +2 on saving throws against spells cast by evil creatures. (At some later level, the bonus can increase to +4. And you'd be able to use it more times per day as with the smite evil ability.) This can replace the Divine Grace feature for the paladin class. Do you think this is balanced? Or can you help me make a balanced version of it?
If you've seen my other threads, you've probably gathered that I like to mix features from existing classes. Here's my Druid/wizard mix, which was made for a certain character in my world. The Druizard Generally as Wizard with the following exceptions:
- Class skills: as Druid plus Knowledge (all except Nobility) and Linguistics. Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier. - Gain the following Druid features at the same level as a Druid would gain them: Bonus languages, Spontaneous Casting (Summon Nature's Ally), Nature Sense, Wild Empathy, Woodland Stride, Wild Shape, Resist Nature's Lure, Venom Immunity.
- While you are in an alternate form using the Wild shape ability, your base attack bonus is the same as a Druid of your class level. - Gain an animal companion as with the nature bond feature (cannot choose a domain). Your animal companion is also a wizard familiar at the same time (For hit points: use whichever set of rules grant the higher number of max hit points. Use the Animal Companion rules for the Natural armor adjustment. For Intelligence, add half the Druizard's class level to the animal's original INT score, ignoring the Intelligence rules for a familiar.) - A Druizard doesn't get Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat, nor does he get a bonus feat at L5 like a wizard does. At L10, L15, and L20, A Druizard gets a bonus feat from the same choices as a wizard bonus feat. At L15 or L20, a Druizard may take the Thousand Faces Druid feature instead of a bonus feat. At L20, a Druizard may choose any feat that enhances his Druid features instead of one of the usual wizard choices for bonus feats. Spells: A Druizard casts arcane spells mostly as a wizard, except using Wisdom as his spellcasting ability.
I really wanted a spellcasting rogue class. One that isn't a Bard, Magus, or Alchemist etc., but a spellcasting rogue which focusses in a lot of the same kind of things a stereotypical rogue focusses on but uses some different methods. Also, I've always wanted a character who could sneakily cast spells without other people noticing that he's casting a spell.
Sneakspell Hie Die: d6 (or d8 depending on how strong it seems otherwise, I'm not sure yet.) Class skills: same as Rogue plus: Spellcraft, knowledge-arcana, fly.
Base attack bonus: slow. (same as Sorcerer) Good saves: Reflex and will. Spellcasting: mostly as Bard: Spontaneous casting using Charisma, same spells/day and spells known charts, but may learn any spell of the appropriate levels from the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list. (I didn't want to take the time to create a new spell list, but I may do that later.) Weapon/armor proficiencies: same as Rogue.
Class features by level:
L2: Trap Sense +1 (as Rogue) L3: Evasion L4: Rogue Talent (mostly as Rogue: SneakSpells cannot choose Rogue talents that apply solely or primarily to Sneak Attacks or Alchemist Bombs. They also cannot take any talent that grants the use of a spell as a spell-like ability (like minor magic or major magic), but they can take Combat Casting, or a Metamagic Feat in place of a Rogue talent. A Sneakspell can also gain a Familiar in place of a Rogue Talent which works like a wizard's familiar.) L5: Uncanny Dodge L6: Trap Sense +2. Rogue's Edge (as Unchained Rogue feature except must choose from the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Slight of Hand, Spellcraft, Stealth, Use Magic Device.) L7: Sneaky Casting: When casting a spell, may roll a Bluff check to prevent others from being able to tell that you're casting a spell. (Opposed by an observer's Sense Motive check. Another spellcaster may also notice the spell being cast using Perception (against the SneakSpell's bluff check), but Arcane spellcasters get -2 to the Perception check, and Divine spellcasters get -4 to the check.) L8: Rogue Talent L9: Trap Sense +3. Debilitating Injury: Despite not getting the sneak attack feature, whenever a Rogue would be able to Sneak Attack, a SneakSpell can inflict a Debiltating injury along with an attack or damaging touch spell. Otherwise the same as the Unchained Rogue feature except that the bonuses increase at L14 and L18 (instead of 10 and 16). L11: Improved Uncanny Dodge. Improved Sneaky Casting: Whenever the target of a spell does not notice the spell being cast because of Sneaky Casting: if the spell does damage, it does 1d6 more. Otherwise, the save DC goes up by 1. L12: Trap Sense +4, Rogue Talent (Advanced: As an Advanced Rogue talent, the Sneakspell can choose one Metamagic feat he has, when using that metamagic feat, it's spell slot is increased by 1 less than it would normally be because of the metamagic feat (minimum 0)). L13: Rogue Edge L14: (Debilitating Injury). Rogue Talent (Advanced) L15: Trap Sense +5. Improved Sneaky casting (+2d6 or +2 to save DC). L17: Rogue Talent (Advanced). Rogue's Edge L18: Trap Sense +6. (Debilitating Injury) L19: Rogue Talent (Advanced). Improved Sneaky casting (+3d6 or +3 to save DC). L20: Master Strike (as Rogue except without sneak attack damage). Rogue Talent (advanced)
I have a glot race in my setting which are humanoids a little under 8ft tall, usually lawful and very proud with vegetable-like skin. But I'm not here to describe the race...
(In contract to the Tourist, the first homebrew class I posted, this one was thrown together quickly and haphazardly, and almost zero actual work has been put into it.)
Martial Paladin Hit Die d10. Class skills: acrobatics, climb, craft, diplomacy, escape artist, handle animal, heal, knowledge (nobility, religion), perception, profession, ride, sense motive, stealth. Skill ranks per level: 3 + Intelligence modifier.
Base attack bonus: fast (same as fighter/paladin.) Good saves: Fortitude and Will. Weapon/armor proficiencies:
Class features:
L1: Aura of Good and Detect Evil as Paladin, Improved Unarmed Strike as Monk. Increased unarmed damage as Monk. L2: Lay on Hands as Paladin, Brawler's Flurry as Brawler, and a Bonus feat (from the Monk list +Stunning fist which the monk gets automatically). L3: Still Mind and +10 feet Fast Movement as Monk (except the fast movement feature doesn't advance as much as a monk's).
L4: Smite Evil 1/day (+1/day each 3 levels) as Paladin. Mercy feature as Paladin. L5: Divine Bond (as Paladin except the weapon version gives its bonus to bare-handed fighting and close weapons only).
- When I first made the class, I only planned it out to 5th level, but I'll tentatively fill in the rest now:
L7: Aura of Resolve: +4 to saves against charm effects. Allies within 10ft get +2 to saves against charm effects. L8: Slow fall 20ft (similar to Monk). AC bonus: starting L8, Martial Paladins add their Wisdom modifier to their armor class as long as they are not wearing medium or heavy armor. L9: Mercy. Evasion (as the Monk/Rogue feature) L10: Bonus feat.
L11: Aura of Justice (as Paladin). Slow fall 40ft. L12: Mercy. Fast Movement +20ft. L13: Diamond Soul (as Monk). L14: Aura of Faith (as Paladin). Slow fall 60ft. L15: Mercy. Bonus feat. L16: Abundant Step (as Monk). L17: Aura of Righteousness (as Paladin). Slow fall 80ft. L18: Bonus feat. L19: Improved divine health: Immunity to disease and +2 to saves against poison. Improved Aura of Courage: Immunity to fear effects. Allies within 10 feet get +4 to saves against fear. Fast Movement +30ft. L20: Holy Champion (as Paladin). Slow fall 100ft.
I made a few homebrew character classes. Tell me if you think they're balanced.
Tourist Hit Die: d6. Class Skills: Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int) (Forgery is still a separate skill for tourists), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha). Skill Points per Level: 6 + Int modifier Base Attack Bonus: Slow (same as Wizard & Sorcerer) Good Save: Reflex Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Travel knowledge
A tourist's pet
Spells
Like other spellcasters, a tourist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The tourist. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma modifier. When Table: The Tourist indicates that the tourist gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma modifier for that spell level. A tourist begins play knowing only three 0-level spells and no 1st level spells. He gains 1 + (half Charisma modifier) new spells at each tourist level, but one of them must always be at least one level lower than the highest level spell he can cast. A tourist's caster level is his tourist level - 1 (on class level 1, his caster level is considered to be 0.5). Unlike the wizard, a tourist can only comprehend a certain total number of spells. A tourist numbers his spells as he learns them, and if he learns more than his maximum spells known, he forgets what his notes mean about the oldest spell he knows and can no longer cast it unless he re-learns it. The spells he learns from gaining levels must be from the tourist spell list, but the tourist may learn spells from the wizard spell list in other ways. (Maximum spells known is with the spells per day table further down.) He has a much better chance of success if he chooses and prepares his spells ahead of time by getting a good night's sleep and spending a 1 hour studying his spell journal (see below). While studying, the tourist decides which spells to prepare. In addition to his arcane spells, a tourist also gets the divine domain spells for the luck domain. He always gets the same domain regardless of his chosen deity (if any), but he may optionally choose the replacement spells of the fate subdomain (which replaces the L2 and L3 spells). This choice is made once and cannot be changed. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a tourist's domain spells is based on charisma instead of intelligence. The domain column of The tourist table lists the highest level luck domain spell a tourist can cast at that level. A tourist can cast each domain spell once per day +1 if he can cast Luck Domain spells three levels higher (which means when he gets the Level 4 Luck Domain spell, then he can cast the Level 1 Domain spell twice per day). The Tourist's Spell Journal
His shorthand and sloppy notes are such that other characters must use decipher script (which falls under the linguistics skill) in order to read it (DC is 12 + the class level of the tourist), and wizards cannot use a tourist's spell journal to prepare spells. Due to this inexact method, a tourist always has a chance of miscast:
The tourist may lose a prepared spell to attempt to cast an unprepared spell that he knows, but when he does this, his spell failure chance is multiplied by 3 the first time in a day he does this, multiplied by 4 the second time in a day, and multiplied by 5 every other time that day. To avoid the multiplied failure chance, the tourist must study his spell journal each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare or cast any spell not recorded in his spell journal. He prepares spells in a similar way a wizard does, and takes the same length of time. At any time, a tourist can add spells found in wizards' spellbooks to his own spell journal much like a wizard does except that a tourist must have the help of a wizard. Tourists have a much harder time than wizards finding wizards who are willing to let them copy their spells and will likely have to pay for each spell he learns in this way. A tourist can also add spells from other tourists' spell journals, but he still must have the help of the writer. A tourist may also learn spells by sheer luck (see the luck magic feature). Writing in a spell journal: The process takes 2 hours + 1 hour per spell level. A spell takes the same amount of space as a wizard's spell in a spellbook. A tourist does not write the divine spells he gets from the luck domain in his spell journal. Luck Domain Powers
Luck Magic
Beginning at tourist level 4, this ability includes spell-like abilities from monsters and divine spells which have an arcane equivalent that the tourist can learn. At tourist level 7, the base chance to learn a spell by luck magic becomes your Charisma modifier x 1.5. Then, at tourist level 12, the base chance becomes your Charisma modifier x 2. These are events which count as being exposed to a spell:
Pest Repellent
Beginning at tourist level 6, this ability affects nonmagic vermin of any size and nonmagic rodents up to 4ft long (small size). Beginning at tourist level 9, this ability also affects magical vermin of any size and magical rodents up to 4ft long (small size). Beginning at tourist level 12, this ability affects vermin or rodents of any size (magical or not, it even includes wererats). Beginning at tourist level 15, this ability does 2d6 damage to all affected creatures who are within ten feet of the tourist when the ability is activated. (A reflex save allows half damage, the DC for this save is the same as the DC for the will save.) It also does 1d6 damage to any affected creatures who attempt to come within ten feet while the pest repellant is in effect (whether they win the fortitude save to come near to the tourist or not), but creatures do sense the pest repellent before trying to enter the range. This ability never affects the tourist's starting pet, even if the pet is no longer loyal. It also never affects any magical creatures which are not vermin or rodents. Bonus feats
Magic Mapping
The map has a radius of two miles x your charisma modifier in most places above ground or 100 feet x your charisma modifier underground, in any type of dungeon, or in cities or towns of significant size. In cities or towns, a charisma check of at least 15 often reveals names of inns, restaurants or other businesses which might interest a tourist. In any terrain, a charisma check of at least 15 will make a map which recommends sightseeing locations if there are any within the map's radius.
Good Luck Charm
Any time the tourist gains a level the tourist may designate a new good luck charm for half price, even if his previous good luck charm is still active, but this causes any already active good luck charm to lose its lucky effects. A tourist may only have one good luck charm at a time, and a tourist may only designate a new good luck charm if he is either gaining a new level or has been separated from his previous good luck charm for 24 hours. A tourist's good luck charm does not function for anyone besides the tourist. Tourist's Navigation
Favorable Odds
Starting tourist level 11, a tourist may use this ability twice per day. He may also choose to use both of his uses per day at the same time, granting double the bonus. (But he can never use more than 2 uses at the same time.) Starting tourist level 17, a tourist may use this ability 3 times per day. He also gains the option to use this ability to subtract that amount from any to-hit roll or damage roll which is rolled against the tourist. Spell Penetration
Roughing the Weather
Wonder
Unlucky Wish
Evasion
Wishing
If the result of the first roll does not make the wish powerful enough to grant what the tourist wished for, then he rolls a second charisma check to find out what kind of alternate effect he gets:
The cost of making this wish is an amount of gold pieces equal to 500 x the result of the first charisma check (which determines the effectiveness of the wish). The cost of making the wish must be paid no matter what the actual result of the wish turns out to be. There may be discounts to this cost on certain in-game holidays. (But there are 397 1/2 days in a year in my setting, and only a couple defined holidays when this discount will happen, one of which is the character's in-game
Tourist Spells/Day
The Tourist has a maximum spells known for each spell level. The exact number of spells a Tourist can learn is figured with this formula:
Tourist Spell List
0-Level tourist Spells (Cantrips)
1st-Level tourist Spells
2nd-Level tourist Spells
3rd-Level tourist Spells
4th-Level tourist Spells
5th-Level tourist Spells
6th-Level tourist Spells
Tourists and the Uses of the Spellcraft Skill
Tourist feats:
Long-Lasting Pest Repellent: The duration of the Pest Repellent feature is now 10 minutes x your charisma modifier x 1d6.
Improved Luck Magic Exposure: When you take this feat, the following situations now also count as being exposed to a spell for the purposes of the tourist's Luck Magic feature:
Extra Favorable odds: +2 uses per day of the favorable odds class feature.
I'm GMing a game and we just had an especially exciting game session. My PCs are helping a group of dwarves rebel against their oppressors. I planned for this battle more than I've planned for any other game, figuring how I wanted to handle the mass battle between armies. Basically I sent the PCs as a special forces unit on a mission which had a lot of influence on the outcome of the battle. I had the mission planned on a difficuly level which made it so there was a decent chance that one (or possibly even more than one) of the PCs or other main characters would die if they didn't come up with a good strategy. I didn't plan a good strategy ahead of time and kinda suggest it to them, but they came through and thought of a good strategy giving them advantages even better than I had hoped they would. And they did it using in-game strategy and not by pulling out rules, mechanics, and class features with extra bonuses from somewhere. That's how I like the game to go. We didn't get all the way to the end of the battle at this session, but they already killed the toughest of the three bad guy leaders (who went down before getting a chance to use his nastiest features -that was the one thing I was disappointed about). They used a couple healing potions and we'll do the rest of the battle next time. They bypassed having to fight large numbers of the enemy for this session, but they might have to do some of that next time. And they've had some of their resources depleted, but I'm confident they'll come up with a way to win out.
I have made a homebrew 'Tourist' character class. It was inspired by the nethack character class which was in turn inspired by Twoflower of the 1st two Discworld books (but there's no equivelent to the luggage in the character class...).
This link downloads my htm file with the Tourist class. This link goes to my online page for the Tourist class on Google sites.
Quick summary/concept:
Did a search, but didn't find another thread which answered this question (not even sure which subforum this should go in since I don't think there's any actual rule about this):
For example, say there's an antipaladin in disguise who goes to shake a PC's hand or pat him on the back and decides to use his touch of corruption at the same time? You could have a very similar situation with a green hag and her touch of weakness combined with alter self. I'm guessing the PCs don't get a chance to react until after it happens. (since they probably already failed their perception/sense motive check to realise that the antipaladin is an enemy) Would that count as a surprise round in combat? EDIT: As a kindof semi-related question, one touch spell, death knell, targets a dying creature but allows a will save. If a character is dying then they're unconsious. I thought you automatically fail all saves when you're unconsious?
Is there any way (on this website or any other website) to search wondrous items by their effect (by a spell they imitate or something they give a bonus to)?
I'm a GM with not a lot of experience GMing (Actually this is my first time GMing Pathfinder, but I've done a D&D3.5 game before). We're just starting the game and have only played one session so far. One of my players created a neutral evil aligned character. This doesn't cause problems with the other party members (yet, there's one player who missed the first game and hasn't created his character yet, so for all I know he'll choose to be a paladin...). The other PCs so far are chaotic neutral or just neutral. I want to allow him to play an evil character, but at the game time, I can't have a story where I don't want good to win. Which puts me against his character on some level. On the other hand, he went out of his way to role-play well as opposed to min-maxxing (another player, the chaotic neutral tiefling alchemist is a notorious min-maxxer). The player with the evil PC (a human wizard) is playing an older character (around 60 years old) so he took the ability adjustments for an old character (-3 to physical abilities and +2 to mental abilities*). He has a good backstory and even took a nearly useless feat (skill focus in his profession) to support his backstory. I want to reward this kind of role-playing, but as I said, I have trouble keeping myself from being on some level against the evil character. I'm pretty much decided to try to use the storyline to try to slowly convert his character into being non-evil. So, I'd like to be straightforward and tell the player the I might try to convert his character, but I'm worried he'll think that I don't want him playing an evil character or that knowing that I'm kindof against him will make him not want to play his evil character.
(*I'm aware that this can be considered min-maxxing for a wizard character, but I'm not seeing it that way because he does have a fitting backstory and even took a nearly-useless feat to support it. Besides, -3 to all physical abilities seems kindof severe even if it comes with +2 to the mental ones.
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