I'm working on a PrC specifically designed for the Restless Soul.
Design goals: create a ten level PrC that allows characters with the Restless Soul template to become more like the Revenant monster (see Rise of the Runelords part 2).
I wanted to be able to bounce ideas off of others, to make sure I'm maintaining some sense of balance, but please note that some abilities are rather powerful....but are usable against only one, or possible a small handful of people (if you where "gang" murdered).
The foundation ability of the class will be the ability to return over and over again as long as the Restless Souls murderer exists.
This is my first dilema.....keeping the Revenant alive as long as it's murderers exist. The first options works with the existing mechanic for the Restless Soul template, and diminishes the number of negative levels the character receives each time it comes back to life.
Option 1:
1st level: Tenacious Soul (Ex): A revenant’s existence is fueled by its undying hatred for the creature (s) it holds responsible for it's murder.
As long as this creature exists, the revenant exists. If the creature is killed, the revenant immediately drops to the ground and is destroyed as well. Note that a living murderer who becomes an undead creature does not trigger a revenant’s death.
If a murderer is brought back to life after dying (or later becomes an undead creature), the revenant returns to life as well unless its body has been destroyed completely. The Revenants return to the land of the living follows the same rules as his initial acquisition of the Restless soul template.
5th level: Never say die (Su): When using his Tenacious Soul ability, the revenant returns to life as the Resurrection spell. The character gains 1 permanent negative level (instead of two) and the revenant cannot have been dead for longer than 10 years per character level.
10th level: Eternal Nemesis (Su): At 10th level, a revenant returns to life as the True Resurrection spell (instead of Resurrection: see Never say die) Coming back to life takes place wherever most of the Revenant’s remains are located (if any)and the revenant cannot have been dead for longer than 10 years per character level.
Option 2: After sleeping on it, another option presented itself.
This option takes care of the issue with a single ability....but I'm not sure how it measures up regarding balance.
1st level: Tenacious Soul (Ex): A revenant’s existence is fueled by its undying hatred for the creature it holds responsible for it's murder.
As long as this creature exists, the revenant exists. If the creature is killed, the revenant immediately drops to the ground and is destroyed as well. Note that a living murderer who becomes an undead creature does not trigger a revenant’s death.
If a murderer is brought back to life after dying (or later becomes an undead creature), the revenant returns to life as well unless its body has been destroyed completely. The Revenant gains Regeneration (destruction of it's murderer) equal to it's Constitution modifier.
So.....opinions ???
Edit: Slight re-wording to option two.
Tenacious Soul (Ex):A revenant’s existence is fueled by its undying hatred for the creature responsible for it's murder. As long as this creature exists, the revenant exists. The Revenant gains Regeneration X, and the destruction of it's murderers is the only way to bypass it's regeneration.
Regeneration is dependent on hit dice as follows R/2 (1-3 hit dice), R/3 (4-7 hit dice), R/4 (8-11 hit dice), R/5 (12+ hit dice).
Note that a living murderer who becomes an undead creature does not trigger a revenant’s death.
If a murderer is brought back to life after dying (or later becomes an undead creature), the revenant returns to life in 2D4 weeks as well, unless its body has been destroyed completely.
No interest whatsoever huh ?
No interest whatsoever huh ?
Don't take it personally, my Puppeteer only garnered a little interest.
It seems like an odd thing to be giving Regeneration to a PC, especially one so difficult to defeat. It's pretty much a pass-all through combats until the endpoint of the adventure.
I think honestly I like the resurrection idea better, because then there is the possibility for one to lose a combat- and between lost time and levels, there is a penalty for it.
On a side note, is this for a solo adventure, or a party adventure? This doesn't sound particularly party-oriented as a character motivation...
Yet another "fly in the ointment".....
I was going through the Restless Soul template in detail, and noticed that it is already built in that if you return again as a Restless Soul....you only take one negative level (or point of Con dmg).
So the progression I was working out in option one, needs re-working.
Don't take it personally, my Puppeteer only garnered a little interest.It seems like an odd thing to be giving Regeneration to a PC, especially one so difficult to defeat. It's pretty much a pass-all through combats until the endpoint of the adventure.
I think honestly I like the resurrection idea better, because then there is the possibility for one to lose a combat- and between lost time and levels, there is a penalty for it.
On a side note, is this for a solo adventure, or a party adventure? This doesn't sound particularly party-oriented as a character motivation...
That's part of why I have been hesitant to go the regeneration route.
I think I would rather just build on the existing mechanics for the Restless soul.
Thanks for the input BTW.....although I'm not taking it personal, I just thought it was "cool" enough to garner a comment or two from a Crow fan if nothing else ;)
Round...two......
Here is the re-work after looking things over in a bit more detail.
Prerequisites: Restless Soul template, BA +5.
Feats:Avenge my death, Wrath from Beyond,
BA: 3/4
Saves Good Ref & Fort, poor Will ???
HD: D8
1St level
Tenacious Soul (Ex): A revenant’s existence is fueled by its undying hatred for the creature it holds responsible for it's murder*. As long as this creature exists, the revenant exists. If the creature is killed, the revenant immediately drops to the ground and is destroyed as well. Note that a living murderer who becomes an undead creature does not trigger a revenant’s death. If a murderer is brought back to life after dying (or later becomes an undead creature), the revenant returns to life as well. The Revenants return to the land of the living follows the same rules as his initial acquisition of the Restless soul template, taking one additional negative level or point of constitution drain, but retains it's full hit points (adjusted for the negative level or constitution drain). In addition, you continue to fight when others would succumb to pain and injury, you continue to fight without penalty if you are disabled or dying, when your hit point total drops below 0, you automatically stabilize. You don’t die from hp loss until you reach a number of negative hp equal to or greater than Constitution score + ½ your total level, and you gain additional hit points equal to your character level.
Reason to hate (Su): A revenant’s driving goal is to confront its murderers and slay them. When you are engaged in battle with an opponent you know has killed you (subject to DM Adjudication) or its allies, you gain a +2 moral bonus on all Bluff, Perception, Sense motive, attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, CM/D checks, and saving throws.
This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level, and +6 at 10th level.
2nd level:
Bonus Restless soul feat: You may choose a bonus “Restless Soul” feat. In addition, any Restless Soul feat that grants an ability usable 1/day, can now be used a number of times per day equal to your total number of Restless Soul feats.
3rd level:
Sense Murderer (Su): A revenant can use locate creature at will (CL 20th), but only against the being/s that murdered it. Against its murderer, a revenant has true seeing and discern lies in effect at all times (CL 20th); these abilities cannot be dispelled.
4th level:
Bonus Restless soul feat: You may choose a bonus “Restless Soul” feat. In addition, any Restless Soul feat that grants an ability usable 1/day, can now be used a number of times per day equal to your total number of Restless Soul feats.
5th level:
Eternal Nemesis (Su): At 5th level, a revenant returns to life as the True Resurrection spell (instead of Resurrection), and suffers no negative levels, or Constitution drain. Coming back to life takes place wherever most of the Revenant’s remains are located (if any).
Reason to hate +4.
6th level:
Bonus Restless soul feat: You may choose a bonus “Restless Soul” feat. In addition, any Restless Soul feat that grants an ability usable 1/day, can now be used a number of times per day equal to your total number of Restless Soul feats.
7th level:
Resilient Spirit (Su): At 7th level, a revenant becomes immune to all death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and negative energy effects.
8th level:
Bonus Restless soul feat: You may choose a bonus “Restless Soul” feat. In addition, any Restless Soul feat that grants an ability usable 1/day, can now be used a number of times per day equal to your total number of Restless Soul feats.
9th level:
blank....still need something ???
10th level:
Bonus Restless soul feat: You may choose a bonus “Restless Soul” feat. In addition, any Restless Soul feat that grants an ability usable 1/day, can now be used a number of times per day equal to your total number of Restless Soul feats.
Reason to Hate +6.
Sounds like if you're having a hard time coming up with abilities to fill "dead" levels (pun intended), you could squish the thing down to a 5 or 6 level prestige class, dumping all of the "bonus feat" levels...
Honestly, maybe I'm just too partial to necromancy, but the Resilient Spirit feat seems hugely powerful. A resistance bonus against necromancy effects might be better. You can even specify that they always get a save against such effects, even where one normally isn't allowed (a la Death Ward).
I'll have to look at some of the "Death" spells, and see what the common mechanic for saves is.
Pretty easy to just give a bonus to saves against negative energy damage....what do you think, something "static", or something along the lines of allowing them to add Con & Will modifier to all saves vs negative energy effects ?
To avoid confusion between the PrC and the "monster", I wanted to come up with a different name for the class....and have been toying around with several ideas drawn from the flavor text of the Restless Soul.
Deathless One (this is the one I think I like the most).
Nemesis
Revanant Kith
Any opinions ?
How about Deathless Nemesis?
How about Deathless Nemesis?
That works as well ;)
Qwilion, I would love to hear any comments you might have.
I wanted to root the PrC firmly in the material you guy's created....
Am I over thinking the class or making it to long ?
So would this idea be more interesting for people if I cut it down to a 5 level PrC ?