I’m planning to run RoRL in a couple weeks and I had a player express interest in playing a Pacifist cleric of Shelyn. She is new to role-playing (in fact my whole group is including me) and I wanted her to have something to do during combat (especially with lower level encounters) besides healing. I kind of got this idea from my wife who does Tai Chi and yoga. I would love any feed back, is it too weak, too strong, worded poorly, or just useless anything.
Tumble is a class skill
Pacifists are not proficient in the use of any weapons or armor.
AC Bonus: As a Monk of same level
Evasion & Improved Evasion: As Monk of same level
Defensive Moves: Pacifist’s study a form of martial arts that uses stretching and precise choreographed steps that strives for the perfection of movement with. This is used as a meditation and for spell preparation. These exercises allow Pacifists to perform extraordinary defensive acts during combat.
Reactive Defense: At 1st level when a Pacifist uses total defense for the next round all melee attacks made against the Pacifist provokes an attack of opportunity. Also a Pacifist does not provoke attacks of opportunity when using defensive moves against an armed opponent. A Pacifist looses this ability when wearing any armor.
Staggering Defense: At 1st level a Pacifist gains the ability to cause an attacking foe to become unbalanced. When an opponent provokes an attack of opportunity against a Pacifist due to Reactive Defense the Pacifist can attempt to stagger the opponent. The Pacifist rolls a Defense check (d20 + Wis. mod. + BAB). If this meets or exceeds the opponents attack roll the attack misses and the opponent is considered flatfooted.
Ranged Defense: At 2nd level a Pacifist is considered to have the Deflect Arrows feat when using total defense.
Shrewd Defense: At 3rd level a Pacifist gains the ability to more effectively plan her responses to danger. This acts like the feat Combat reflexes except the Pacifist uses their wisdom mod to determine the number of attacks of opportunity she can make.
Disarming Defense: At 7th Level a Pacifist is considered to have the Improved Disarm feat and can attempt to disarm any opponent made flatfooted with their Staggering Defense ability as a free action.
Improved Staggering Defense: At 10th level a Pacifist gains the ability to avoid attacks so well her opponents have the chance to loose their balance and fall prone. This works the same as Staggering Defense but an opponent who becomes flatfooted must roll a Reflex save DC equal to the Pacifist level + wisdom modifier or fall prone.
Code of Conduct: Any pacifist who willingly commits violence on another living thing be it though action or spell looses their AC bonus and the ability to perform Defensive movements. This lasts until a Pacifist atones from their transgression.
Not sure how this could really work. Remember that the focus of D'n'D centers around a party fighting fantasy creatures and travelling through dungeons. A character who dislikes violence is one thing, but a pacifist would require a -very- specific campaign to pull off.
Theres also a few other things to consider as well...while this class cannot commit acts of violence some of the special features gained are just that...attacks. Rememeber that being a pacifist means not beleiving in violence at all, which would include things like non-lethal damage or even sundering and disarming.
The best thing I could think of for somthing like this might be an ability which requires foes to pass a will save before they can attack your character (with the possibility of maybe extending this to affect the entire party).
Not sure how this could really work. Remember that the focus of D'n'D centers around a party fighting fantasy creatures and travelling through dungeons. A character who dislikes violence is one thing, but a pacifist would require a -very- specific campaign to pull off.
Theres also a few other things to consider as well...while this class cannot commit acts of violence some of the special features gained are just that...attacks. Rememeber that being a pacifist means not beleiving in violence at all, which would include things like non-lethal damage or even sundering and disarming.
The best thing I could think of for somthing like this might be an ability which requires foes to pass a will save before they can attack your character (with the possibility of maybe extending this to affect the entire party).
There is the "Submissive" Feat from the BoEF that requires just that. But maybe a passive character could use trip, grapple & disarm in a "Roadhouse" fighting style. Just because you believe that you should not harm people doesn't mean that you are incapable of kicking bottom when pushed.
A pacifist character is difficult to pull off using usual D&D tropes, especially for inexperienced groups. However since the group is inexperienced it means that all players do not have to come to the table with the usual ideas of lets head down the dungeon and kill orcs.
Thanks for the feedback,
The best thing I could think of for something like this might be an ability which requires foes to pass a will save before they can attack your character (with the possibility of maybe extending this to affect the entire party).
I considered this, a Sanctuary (Su), but it left me wondering what she would do all the times she wasn’t healing or buffing the other PC’s.
I’ve been very desperate in looking for a group and I had to make due with what I could get, this player happens to be my very ADD sister-in-law. So I wanted to keep her character busy during combat in fear she might wonder off (both in-game and in real life). This way she would still be just avoiding blows but at least she would have to role some dice to do it.
Maybe let her use a Immediate Action to use a Turn Undead use in order to daze an opponent (Will Save 10 + 1/2 cleric level + Cha modifier) for 1 round. The dazed effect prevents the opponent from hurting any of her friends, but doesn't make the opponent defenseless. (I suggest Immediate because it can be done when it's not her turn, so she'll want to pay attention to everyone else's turn to use this.) Or maybe not dazed, maybe just lose the attempted action, kind of like the Halt spell from PH2.
Maybe allow her to make AoOs that use the Aid Another action to increase an ally's AC by +2? And have this improve as she levels up (maybe +1 per 4 or 5 levels).
Maybe give her a Karmic Feedback ability that's kind of like Shield Other, except the beneficiary is an ally and the one who takes extra damage is an opponent.
Perhaps grant the cleric enchantment spells, since Charm Person or Dominate can put an end to a fight without resorting to any violence.
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A typical "bumping" PC, one that spends his or her turn in encounters helping out the other PCs, will work pretty well without all the class features you mention -- those class features you give are too powerful. NPCs are going to have no chance to hit the PC at all; consider giving her things like the ability to cast Cure spells at range instead of the "it's-always gonna-be-impossible-to-hit-me" stuff such as improved evasion and Monk AC.
Also, the Player is likely gonna eventually want To Hit. Perhaps give the class a clause that allows members to kill undead and evil outsiders -- even a pacifist should be allowed to kill demons and zombies.
Finally, especially if the PC will get this extra cool stuff, make sure there's a "clause" that states if the PC breaks his or her vow the special abilities are lost
This is a great character concept -- it should be lots of fun!
And welcome to the game!
-W. E. Ray
Also, the Player is likely gonna eventually want To Hit. Perhaps give the class a clause that allows members to kill undead and evil outsiders -- even a pacifist should be allowed to kill demons and zombies.This is a great character concept -- it should be lots of fun!
And welcome to the game!
-W. E. Ray
You might want to let the Pacifist hit constructs, and maybe plant, elementals, and oozes too. Maybe make it a class feature, kind of like a ranger's favored enemy, but instead of a bonus on attacks and stuff, the Pacifist gets a pass on hitting that type of critter.
Thanks again everyone for sharing your thoughts.
It looks like my best option is also going to be the easiest solution. Since the this player is so ADD and
is likely gonna eventually want To Hit.
I shouldn’t base so much of her abilities on the concept of being a Pacifist.
Instead the enchantment spell idea will probably work best. This suggestion actually reminded me that there is a charm domain in the Pathfinder Campaign setting. Though I really liked the idea of the daze special attack and might switch this out with the standard charm domain power and make it charisma based. The ranged healing seems like the perfect ability to give to a pacifist (maybe as a religious trait). So, while she refrains from hurting living creatures (not counting undead, constructs, and non-native outsiders) she has this cool ability but if she gets board and decides to bash the nasty goblin on the head he character wont become completely useless.Now the funny thing will be to see if she actually wants to use any of this. So far we’ve been just taking character ideas and its very possible that on Friday when we sit down to create her character she might decided to become a Half-Orc barbarian instead.
You could use the bard class. If you think she needs more healing capacity, grant her Pathfinder-style channel energy. Other than that, a bard is the master of raising spirits and befriending people, with word, song, and spell.
And Shelyn being the goddess of Beauty and Love as well as Art, this would make perfect sense!
Bard would work but she wanted to be a cleric. I'm kind of glad too since I feel playing a bard would offer her more of a chance to wonder off topic. I'm imagining hours wasted at the table as she tries to write songs, speaches or the like instead of paying attention to whats going on.