Working on a project, possible publication and the premise behind it, is there exists lesser a deity of death whose primary concern is slaying of those living beings who try to extend their mortality beyond natural means - via magic or undead status.
They maintain a public temple serving to grant burial rites and expenses for the poor, also performing requested mercy killings for those diseased, ill or injured unable to pay for restoration or other expense "healing" spells, paying a lesser amount to have their lives ended. These devout killers only serve their holy cause and never perform as paid assassins.
They are feared, but given some level of respect over their more mercenary, true assassin counterparts, as they do service to the poor.
Looking at lots of ideas, I've kind of used Ranger as a template, with spellcasting as per ranger, but altering from Ranger Spell List to Cleric Spell list. Also combining some rogue features.
Note: anything below in Italics, I am not really sure about.
Deathwatcher (Draft 1)
HD: d8, BAB: as per Cleric, Saves: as per Ranger
Alignment: any Non Good/Non Evil Neutral aligment
Skills: 4 + Int mod, Class Skills: climb, craft, disguise, escape artist, heal, knowledge: engineering, knowledge: religion, perception, profession, sense motive, spellcraft, stealth, swim.
Weapons/Armor: all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor.
Favored Enemy (Ex): as per ranger, must select at least 2 humanoid (subtype) and undead by 13th level.
Trail (Ex): as a standard action, denote one target within line of sight as his quarry. A deathwatcher adds half his level (minimum 1) to avoid being spotted as a DC penalty to opposed Perception Checks. Also DC bonus to Perception checks to find quarry if having lost line of sight.
Combat Style feats, as per ranger.
New Combat Style - Stealth Strike: improved feinting, improved initiative, mobility, power attack; at 6th level add: improved critical, improved vital strike, spring attack, weapon specialization (?)
Favored Terrain (Ex) - at 2nd level gain Favored Terrain: Urban, but gains no further favored terrain types from this point on.
Weapon Focus: at 3rd level gain weapon focus in chosen bladed weapon.
Use Poison: at 3rd level trained to use poison without poisoning self when apply to blade.
Sneak Attack (Ex): at 4th level add 1d6 Sneak Attack damage as per Rogue, and every 4th level progression - thus half the progession as Rogues, with 5d6 bonus damage at 20th level.
Spells: beginning at 4th level gain ability to cast a small amount of divine spells of the Cleric Spell List. Progression as per Ranger.
Thoughts
Is this broken or what? Its intended to be an NPC clandestine priesthood for a drop-in single location map, mini-plot with hook ideas, tips, and possibly this Deathwatcher class for PF. It could work as a PC class too.
What's too powerful, and is there anything too weak?
I am worried about three issues: having Sneak Attack, Combat Style feats and spellcasting in one class. I would drop the Combat Style feats first, but then would want full Rogue progression with Sneak Attack. I think GMs and players with Rogues might feel slighted, I stole their feature.
The goal of the new Combat Style is to cause as much damage possible in a single attack for situations of surprise and stealth.
This is an assassin class and needs some kind of killing ability. I don't want to give it death attacks though.
In following progression using the Ranger as a template, I still need a feature at level 7 and 19, as well as a capstone power.
Any ideas?
GP
I'd like some feedback - this class idea may become published this month, if I decide to accept it and may need finalized in the next week. Could someone even say, "Yay or Nay?", "Broken or too powerful" or "Too weak". Is such an oddball class, doable?
GP
Thanks, this is the kind of feedback I'm looking for!
The idea is this is kind of a Cleric Assassin, so that's why the access to the spells, though I'm not completely opposed to removing them. And the idea is they can use any of the three combat styles, I just wanted to add the new one as an additional option.
Also agree on removing Weapon Specializing, but what should be the fourth added feat to to that Combat Style, instead?? (Gr. Vital Strike, maybe?)
If I removed spell casting, I would "up" the BAB and HD, and maybe give them full Sneak Attack progression.
I still need a couple class features at 7th, 19th and capstone.
I was thinking to uping the skills to 6 + Int instead of 4.
These holy assassins could be just fanatically devout and not actual spell casters - need to think about that some more. Although they operate from a temple doing limited priestly tasks, that's why I thought having some level of divine spellcasting to be appropriate. They could work as mundane priests as well - more like Real World priests, read as "no magic."
I like the limited Favored Enemy selection as you propose better - as said this was just the first draft.
I'm glad the limited Sneak Attack isn't broken, I didn't want to remove that.
Thanks again, anymore feedback is welcome!
GP
Maybe go with the Inquisitor class from the Advanced Players Handbook and use the Repose domain? The PDF should be on the paizo main page or whatever (I'm feeling too lazy to link).
EDIT:
Maybe alter the Inquisitor and give it the Cavalier's Challenge abiliy instead of the Inqusitor's Judgement ability if you are keen on them dropping a single opponent in a single hit. You might also want to replace the Inquisitor's detect alignment with the use of deathwatch at work....since the name of your class IS deathwatcher!
The inquisitor gets a bane (2d6) and greater bane (4d6) ability at levels 5 and 12; this might replace your sneak attack.
EDIT EDIT:
The inquisitor also gets a bunch of team work bonus feats every 3 levels that don't seem to fit the single church assassin trope....maybe replace them with 1d6 sneak attack? It would get 6d6 sneak attack by 18th level.
@ Smilodan - thanks for the ideas, but I think I'm sticking with my original plan. I'm more familiar with mucking with base classes, than to trying that with Cavalier and Inquisitor, just yet.
I've decided on what to use for the missing features. I've tweaked to Tim4488's suggestions - thanks for that. I do need the ranger-weak access to divine spells, though, as my class is a lesser kind of priest, as well as a holy assassin, serving a public temple, with hidden secret lair. I think he's balanced. I will playtest him first, but he looks good.
I'm going to keep secret my final tweaks and changes though, as this should be released for publication soon! I'll post again when its in the Paizo Store.
This is a project I'm doing with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips Newsletter and Mike Bourke of Game Mastery blog, we plan to create new products each month, with free bonus material and updates, at $5 for PDF, probably an intro discount price too. Expect cool maps, NPCs, new class, new magic items, sometimes new monsters, feats and spells, plot hooks, ideas for use. There will be opposition forces, a back story, tips, GMs advice, more. Although the products are intended as drop-in pieces and adventure elements for existing adventures and campaigns, we are really doing a world building project from the bottom up, and plan to hook all products together into the same milieu.
Every product will have a unique twist!
Hope you check them out!
GP
OK, pulled out of secret status, I need this new class playtested - any volunteers?
Deathwatcher (name will probably change, this is just placeholder for now)
Alignment: any non-good/non-evil neutral
HD: d8
BAB: as per Cleric
Saves: as per Ranger
Skills: 6+Int; Bluff, Climb, Craft, Disguise, Escape Artist, Heal, Knowledge: Engineering, Knowledge: Religion, Perception, Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Stealth, Swim.
Weapons/Armor: any simple and martial weapons, any light and medium armor, no shields.
Favored Enemy: limited to any humanoid (subtype) (ie: human, elf, etc.), monstrous humanoid, undead.
Favored Terrain: Urban or Underground (dungeons/sewers) only favored terrains allowed, one gained at 2nd level, the other gained at 6th.
Combat Styles: 2 weapon style, archer style, stealth striker style (improved feinting, improved initiative, mobility, power attack, at 6th add: improved critical, improved vital strike, at 9th add: blinding critical, spring attack.)
Trail (Ex): follow a target and not get spotted; as a standard action, denote one target within line of sight as his quarry. A deathwatcher adds half his level (minimum 1) to avoid being spotted. Use this as as DC penalty to opposed Perception checks, also as bonus to Perception checks when trying to re-sight targets that have turned corners or otherwise gotten out of line of sight to follow.
Weapon Focus: gain this as a bonus feat at 3rd level
Use Poison: gain this extraordinary power at 3rd level (like Assassin's ability.)
Sneak Attack: at 4th level add a +1d6 bonus to damage, as per Rogues skill, improves every four levels to a total of 5d6 damage at 20th level
Spells: at 4th level can cast small number of divine spells from the Cleric spell list, following rules as per Ranger.
Swift Trailing: at 7th level, a deathwatcher can trail his quarry at double movement rate.
Evasion: at 9th level
Deathwatcher's Quarry: at 11th level, a deathwatcher gains a +2 insight bonus to attacks, checks and saves when in combat with the target of his trail ability (similar to Ranger's Improved Quarry ability.)
Improved Evasion: at 13th
Hide in Plain Sight: at 17th
Critical Blow: at 19th level on a successful critical hit, gain double normal strength bonus in damage.
Coup de Grace Mastery: at 20th level (as capstone), a deathwatcher can perform a Coup de Grace as a swift action, and confers no Attacks of Opportunity from threatening opponents. As per Rogue a deathwatcher can combine Sneak Attack with Coup de Grace.
As described in original post, this holy assassin serves a lesser deity of death, called Cerene, whose primary concern is the slaying of those living beings who try to extend their mortality through unnatural means - magic, undead status, etc.
As a temple priest, a deathwatcher performs burial rites and expenses for the poor, as well as performing mercy killings upon request for those unable to pay for a proper healer or cleric, for disease, injury or illness. They heal the sick (for those who can afford it), and otherwise give aid to the poor.
Deathwatchers are devout fanatics and holy assassins, however are not the mercenary type assassin and will not work for pay.
At this time I am open for upping the HD and/or BAB depending on how problematic the weakening of this ranger like class is affected in combat. Note though a martial class, attacks from stealth and escape is the modus operandi of this class. She is an assassin after all.
Anyone volunteer a playtest?
GP
OK, I playtested this last night and discovered:
1. Rogues are better at many things than this base class.
2. Rogue/Shadowdancer almost matches this class idea and has similar powers at lower level.
3. Rogue/Assassin beats this class hands down on everything.
So it looks like back to the drawing board.
New directions I'm looking to explore...
1. A cleric based grappler/strangular with pins, disarms, powers to bypass armor and hitpoints, capstone ghosttouch grapple attack.
2. A ninja like class with Ki powers mechanic for stealth and combat - not too keen on bringing Ki powers to a non-Asian based game, however.
3. A nerfed rogue with Gish type abilities, perhaps arcane spell use with Ranger spell progression.
I need some king of new class (I think) as bonus material for publication I'm working on - first product is an assassin's lair.
Thoughts?
GP
OK, I playtested this last night and discovered:
1. Rogues are better at many things than this base class.
2. Rogue/Shadowdancer almost matches this class idea and has similar powers at lower level.
3. Rogue/Assassin beats this class hands down on everything.So it looks like back to the drawing board.
New directions I'm looking to explore...
1. A cleric based grappler/strangular with pins, disarms, powers to bypass armor and hitpoints, capstone ghosttouch grapple attack.
2. A ninja like class with Ki powers mechanic for stealth and combat - not too keen on bringing Ki powers to a non-Asian based game, however.
3. A nerfed rogue with Gish type abilities, perhaps arcane spell use with Ranger spell progression.
I need some king of new class (I think) as bonus material for publication I'm working on - first product is an assassin's lair.
Thoughts?
GP
1. I'll need some time to think about this. Probably some kind of monk/cleric PrC.
2. I've been working on something like this. I'll have to type it up and let you see it....it may be a while, though.
3. Check out the Spellthief, from Complete Adventurer. Or Beguiler from PH2.
4. Maybe a rogue-like class that specializes in poisons? I made a base-class like that once. It could quasi-magically make poisons, which usually caused both ability damage and had some kind of carrier effect, like a negative condition (sickened, nauseated, blind, stunned, etc. etc.). I think it was Con and Int based for the most part.
How imbalanced is this? I'm looking at a Prestige Class:
Sustainer (name may change, placeholder for now)
HD: d8, BAB: Cleric, Saves: Cleric
Requirements:
Alignment: any non-good/non-evil neutral alignment
Skills: Disguise ranks 2, Stealth ranks 5
Special: devout obedience to high priest, Temple of Cerene.
Class Skills: Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy (Gather Information), Disable Device (bypass traps), Disguise, Knowledge: Planes, Knowledge: Religion, Perception, Stealth, Use Magic Device (bypass magic wards); 6 + Int. modifier.
1st: Sneak Attack 1d6, Stunning Attack (on successful Sneak Attack, may apply the Stunned condition on target for 1 round), Rope Trick (at will).
2nd: Cast Orisons, Improved Grapple, Poison Use
3rd: Sneak Attack 2d6, Sleep Attack (on successful Sneak Attack, may cause target to fall asleep for 1d4 hours).
4th: Cast 1st level Cleric spell, Ethereal Jaunt x1/day, Hidden Weapon (as per Assassin's ability).
5th: Sneak Attack 3d6, Paralyzation Attack (on a successful Sneak Attack, may cause target to be paralyzed for 2d6 rounds)
6th: Cast 2nd level Cleric spell, Greater Grapple (on a successful Grapple attempt, your opponent is automatically pinned, but you lose Dex bonus), Improved Feinting
7th: Sneak Attack 4d6, Ethereal Jaunt x 2/day
8th: Cast 3rd level Cleric spell, Death Strike (on a successful Sneak Attack, your target is slain), Greater Feinting
9th: Sneak Attack 5d6, True Death (as per Assassin ability)
10th: Cast 4th level Cleric spell, Ethereal Jaunt x 3/day, Swift Coup de Grace (perform Coup de Grace as a swift action.)
Rather than performing their tasks as lone assassins, these priestly killers always work in teams of two or more temple members. If one isn't sneak attacking, the other is creating conditions to improve sneak attacking by other members.
Sustainers (or whatever name I finally settle on) are not mercenaries and do not murder for pay, they only slay targets officially sanctioned by the High Priest (assassin guildmaster) of the Temple of Cerene.
Most adherents are drawn from monks, rangers or rogues who must serve as lesser acolytes of the temple.
Spell Progression: from Cleric Spell List (no domains)
1st: 0
2nd: Orison
3rd: Orisons x2
4th: 1st, Orisons x 3
5th: 1st x 2 + Orisons x 4
6th: 2nd + 1st x 3 + Orisons x 4
7th: 2nd x 2 + 1st x 4 + Orisons x 4
8th: 3rd + 2nd x 2 + 1st x 4 + Orisons x 4
9th: 3rd x 2 + 2nd x 3 + 1st x 4 + Orisons x 4
10th: 4th + 3rd x 3 + 2nd x 4 + 1st x 4 + Orisons x 4
Critique please!
GP
I decided that giving spells to non-spellcaster prerequisite classes for this prestige class was too powerful, instead though allowing Orisons at 2nd level, I granted a few cleric spell-like powers to duplicate allowed spells. The god, Cerene, lacks full clerics to serve him in temples, thus allows limited spell-like use from his temple assassin priests, instead. Here's what it looks like now - I welcome play-testers!
Shahd'rah (temple assassin)
Prestige Class
Requirements:
Alignment: any non-good/non-evil neutral alignment
Skills: Disguise 2 ranks, Stealth 5 ranks
Special: devout obedience to high priest of Temple of Cerene
Skills: 6 + Intelligence modifier
Class Skills: Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Knowledge: Planes, Knowledge: Religion, Perception, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Use Magic Device
HD: d8, BAB: as Cleric Saves: as Cleric
1st: Sneak Attack bonus 1d6, Stunning Strike - on a successful Sneak Attack, opponent is stunned for 1 round (Fort DC 10 + half character level + Wisdom modifier), Rope Trick (at will)
2nd: Cast Orisons as a 1st level Cleric, Improved Grapple, Poison Use
3rd: Sneak Attack bonus 2d6, Staggering Strike - on a successful Sneak Attack, opponent is staggered for 1d6 rounds (Fort DC 10 + half character level + Wisdom modifier), Improved Feint
4th: Stem Bleeding (Su) x 3/day - as Cure Light Wounds spell, Ethereal Jaunt x 1/day, Hidden Weapon (as Assassin ability)
5th: Sneak Attack bonus 3d6, Paralyzing Strike - on a successful Sneak Attack, opponent is paralyzed for 2d6 rounds (Fort DC 10 + half character level + Wisdom modifier), Greater Grapple (on a successful grapple attempt, opponent is automatically pinned, but you lose your bonus to Dexterity.)
6th: Wound Closure (Su) x 2/day - as Cure Moderate Wounds spell, Greater Feint
7th: Sneak Attack bonus 4d6, Ethereal Jaunt x 2/day.
8th: Combat Surgery (Su) x 1/day - as per Cure Serious Wounds spell, Death Strike - on a successful Sneak Attack, opponent is slain (Fort DC 10 + half character level + Wisdom modifier)
9th: Sneak Attack bonus 5d6, True Death (as per Assassin ability)
10th: Detoxify (Su) x 1/day - as per Neutralize Poison spell, Ethereal Jaunt x 3/day, Swift Coup de Grace (perform Coup de Grace as a swift action.)