Following this, here is my take on the oriental magician.
New class: the Apprentice of Dhalsim
Version 0.00, March 2010
Another one already done several times.
Version 0.01
The oriental wizard is a wise man and doesn't need the monk-like Speed increase. Changed names several times.
HD: d6
BAB: 3/4
Saves: good Reflex and Will, bad Fortitude
Skills: 4 points per level
Alignment: any
Armor proficiency: no armors, no shield
Weapon proficiency: staff, sling, monk weapons
Abilities: Spellcasting, Unarmed Fighting, Flexible Body
Spellcasting
The oriental magician casts arcane spells through strange gestures (called "seals") but without uttering a word. Any casting time is increased one step (standard becomes full-round, etc). Any Arcane Spell Failure due to armor is doubled. His spell list and spell progression are the same as a sorcerer’s, but his spellcasting stat (and the relevant bonus spells) is his Wisdom.
Unarmed Fighting
Thanks to a strict physical regimen, the oriental magician isn’t without resource in a brawl. He starts his career with a free Improved Unarmed Strike, and the monk’s Stunning Fist ability as if he were a monk. He also gets the monk’s AC, but not the unarmed damage progression or increased speed.
Flexible Body
The oriental magician’s body becomes more and more flexible as he advances on his path:
- at level 2, he doesn’t suffer adverse effect from Squeezing through an area made for creatures one size smaller than he is. He gains a bonus to his Acrobatics and Climb checks equal to his class level.
- at level 4, once per day per class level, he can suddenly stretch his limbs. This extends his reach by 5 feet for one round and can be used to deliver touch attacks as well as unarmed strikes. Or reach a higher grip while climbing, too.
- at level 6, through sheer concentration over one full-round, he becomes able to increase or decrease his size by one category – although his weight doesn’t change. The usual modifiers apply afterwards. This kind of change is painful and inflicts 1d4 non-lethal damage each round it’s kept. If the oriental magician falls unconscious, his body returns to its normal condition.
- at level 8, his flexible body can stretch to close its own wounds. He gains Fast Healing 1, which is always active. This raises to 2 at level 12, 3 at level 16, and 4 at level 20.
- at level 10, he can alter his body mass from one-fourth to four times his current weight for one hour per level. He also gains the Grab special ability and a permanent +2 increase in Constitution.
- at level 12, he can increase or decrease his body’s size by two categories. The lesser ability isn’t painful anymore, but this one is (1d6 non-lethal damage per round).
- at level 14, once per day per class level, he can increase the density of cells near his skin for one round, giving him DR 1/magic. This raises to DR 2/magic at level 17, and DR 3/magic at level 20.
- at level 16, he can use his flailing limbs to attack all creatures adjacent to him (as though he had Whirlwind Attack).
- at level 18, his Constitution gets another +2 increase, and he gains Regeneration (cold).
- at level 20, his whole body can lose its cohesiveness for a number of rounds per day equal to his level (not necessarily consecutive), morphing into an Ooze. He also gains the Shapechanger subtype.
- Thoughts, ideas, criticism?
Why call this "the Animist"?
An Animist is someone who believes that everything (living or not) has a soul. What do arcane gestures and body contortions have to do with that?
I'm not sure where you are going with this and that's making it hard to critique your class.
Why? Because it just popped up in my mind when I was searching a name. Thanks for pointing that out, I edited the OP to reflect your remark.
In truth, I don't know if Wujen is appropriate either, or useable as a class name. Whatever the case is, this was me trying to put together abilities to make a magic-useer with a more oriental feel. Do anyone know an Indian word for wizard?
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I am trying to figure out the theme of this class, and am having trouble figuring out how all the stretching and body adjustmens figure into an oriental magician.
Here are a few ideas and corrections to your proposal.
1) (although minor), the quarterstaff is already a monk weapon, so you dont have to post it twice in the weapon proficiencies.
2) Arcane spell failure 2x for armor worn is a strange concept. just have a code which forbids armor. This code can also help define this class a little better as the powers are all over the place in my opinion.
3) You are making the primary stat for spellcasting wisdom, yet you are not bringing in Ki. Instead of stunning fist (which can be taken as a feat), give this class the unarmed damage increase. And make these special stretching and body adjustments Ki based powers to keep the flavor of the monk on this class.
4) You also are making this class, by its power descriptions, a melee based character, yet skimping on the HP. Give D8 hp for this class.
I say this because you gimp the spellcasting by making the standard action spells Full Round ones. Please be careful when you do this because you are smacking this class around in both areas of spellcasting and melee survivability. (which you put in your abilities section as the main traits of this class)
Can you imagine, with a couple bad rolls on HP in the first few levels? Ouch, 13-15hp at 3rd level. Yikes.
5) I want to touch on each of these powers, but I am being called to do other things right now. Allow me to say I think your even level powers should be based by Ki power use. All of them except the fast healing one. I will touch on this tomorrow when I have more time.
6) Lastly, the level 20 power is very strange to me. Not that I dont understand turning into an ooze, because I do. It was more of the choice of this power for your 20th level power. Please explain your choice of this as your other powers are adjustments to size and limbs. How did we get to shapeshifting:ooze from whirlwind attacking and increase/decrease size by two catagories?
And the grab ability? Perhaps improved grapple with the connotation that if the character already has improved grapple, they get greater grapple instead. If you allow this, perhaps a rethinking of the powers to make this class polymorph into certain creatures (oni). And only in Oni form you can use the grab ability. just an idea.
Hope this helps put a perspective on this class.
CC
Thanks for your insightful remarks. This class was made to emulate what was said about the oriental way of casting spells (higher importance on gestures than sound, kind of like martial arts in fact). The list of abilities under Flexible Body came one after the other and they might seem a little disconnected. The idea is that waving his limbs and body to channel magic all day long makes this class more flexible than most. He starts by having added flexibility in his arms and legs, and ends up with ultimate body flexibility: the ability to turn into a pool of jelly (and stay alive, of course).
1) I started with sling and staff, and monk weapons came afterwards. You're right, I'll either remove it or remove the monk weapons
2) No-armor code, I'll do that.
3) You seem to imply that using wisdom for spellcasting implie having Ki. See #5
4) I've given him bad HP, but Constitution increases. Still, d6 seems low, and I'll raise it to d8 next time.
5) I'll bring Ki back and tie it to his new body functions :-)
6) Imagine someone so flexible that he's progressively able to act as if he didn't have any bone in his body. Early changes are one size and flexible limbs. Advanced changes are two sizes and elastic limbs. High-level changes include becoming an amorphous mass of living tissue... much like an ooze, or some sort of slime or jelly. Although I might have to change the description since the guy isn't described as sweating acid before (hey, another idea, right there). And he could also sprout tentacles. Hmm... :-)
The Whirlwind Attack ability is there because the guy can extend his arms and fingers (and morph them into hardened spikes, we're not playing Tag at that level), and each finger can strike one target.
And the Grab ability is there because with such big elastic hands (imagine Mr Fantastic, although my first idea was Dhalsim from Street Fighter), the guy can grab someone like we could grab a pint of beer on the counter nearby: easily.