I was wondering what the best way there is to make the Fell Caller class from Ironkingdoms a variant for the bard. I like the idea of the Fell Caller because it represents a barbaric bard, which would fit in well with some of the races in my setting.
I was looking over the Fell Calls ability and some of them require ranks in perform and intimidation, that you wouldn't be able to get until you were 6th lvl and up since the skill point system is different in PF. I would be totally okay with getting rid of the spells per day and replacing it Fell Calls per day. Most of the other Bard abilities seem like it would fit just fine with the Fell Caller.
So if anyone has any ideas I would be glad to hear them.
Check out the Privateer Press forums. Last I checked they had some fairly active discussions going on converting Iron Kingdoms over to Pathfinder.
Thanks for the reply guys.
@Vesper: I was looking at the Savage Skald archetype in the APG, and I think it would fit with the Fell Caller as well. At least I think it does. You should give it a look also and see what you think.
@Firest: I'll have to look at the Privateer Press forums, though I haven't been there in a while. *Edit*: Okay, I was looking for some posts on the forums about the PF conversion, but couldn't find anything. Do you have a link?
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I'm not sure about using an archetype on the Bard to make it a Fell Caller; the Fell Caller is really a Fighter-type Class which picks up a set of the Bard's music abilities, but no spells. You might be better off just using a new class.
The following is the Fell Caller I used in my Iron Kingdoms game last year, which was D&Dv3.5-->Pathfinder about halfway through. You're welcome to tweak it to be whatever you need.
The Fell Caller
The Trollkin’s capacity for song is widely known throughout Western Immoren, but few actually understand the nature and history of this impressive skill… at least until they have met a Fell Caller. Serving as their community’s warlord, elder, chief and shaman all in one, a Fell Caller represents the pinnacle of Troll society, and is an incredibly dangerous adversary—or an unshakable ally. Only on the rarest occasion will a true Fell Caller take the field beside a Human army, but their powerful presence echoes down nightly from the Malgur Forest of Khador.
Class Information:
Race and Alignment:
Only Trolls or Trollkin can be Fell Callers, who are always Chaotic. The moral axis of their alignment is flexible, but Neutrality befits such a powerful creature more than Good or Evil.
Abilities:
Charisma is the most important ability to a Fell Caller, since it increases the effectiveness of their Calls, as well as their capacity for leadership. Because they are also fierce fighters, Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity help them as well.
Hit Die:
d8.
Skills:
A Fell Caller gains 4+INT Skill Points per level. Class Skills for the Fell Caller are: Climb, Concentration, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Perform (Sing), Ride, Spot, Survival and Swim. Intimidate and Perform (Sing) are integral skills to the Calls.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies:
Fell Callers are proficient with Simple and Martial weapons, as well as Light Armor, Medium Armor, and Shields. Fell Callers may learn to use Cleft weapons, but not Mechanical Weapons or Firearms.
Base Attack Bonus:
Fell Callers have an Average Base Attack Bonus (like Rogues).
Saves:
Fell Callers have a Good FORT save and Poor RFLX and WILL saves (like Fighters).
Bonus Feats:
At 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th level, a Fell Caller gains a Fighter Bonus Feat. Note that despite gaining feats from a list that expects the character to be a Fighter, Fell Callers do not have Fighter levels, and do not quality for feats that actually require Fighter levels, such as Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Greater Weapon Specialization.
Call Slots:
A Fell Caller can make a maximum number of Calls per day equal to lvlx2. These represent Call Slots, and any given Call class feature might use one or more.
1st Level:
Fell Call:
The Fell Caller can emit a dreadful sound, causing all enemies that hear it to receive -2 SAVE vs. charm and fear effects, as well as -1 HIT/DMG. The call can be sustained for up to lvl rounds, and the effects last for another 5 rounds thereafter. This call requires 3 ranks in Perform (Sing),1 rank in Intimidate, and 1 Call Slot.
Signal Call:
Unlike other Fell Calls, Signal Call has no effect itself, instead increasing the range of other Calls used at the same time by 0.5miles/lvl. Note that this Call cannot actually be utilized by a lone Fell Caller until 9th level, when he learns Chorus Call. This Call lasts as long as the Fell Caller wills it to, and requires 3 ranks in Perform (Sing), and 1 Call Slot.
Stay Death:
The Fell Caller can croon a soothing song that prevents nearby allies from dying. The Call is so powerful that as long as the Fell Caller perpetuates it, allies not only never have to make saving throws against death, but also can continue fighting without penalty from -1 to -9 HP. Characters at -10 HP die normally. Stay Death lasts as long as the Fell Caller wills it, and requires 4 ranks in Perform (Sing), and 1 Call Slot.
Countercall:
This Call works exactly like the Bard class feature Countersong, except that it requires 4 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 1 Call Slot.
Call for Courage:
This Call works exactly like the Bard class feature Inspire Courage, except that it requires 3 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 1 Call Slot.
3rd Level:
Stunning Blast:
The Fell Caller releases a sharp shout, blasting out sound in a cone in front of him 5ft/lvl in length, dealing 1d6/lvl nonlethal sonic damage. DC(10+0.5lvl+CHA) FORT SAVE ½. This Call requires 6 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 1 Call Slot.
Call for Competence:
This Call works exactly like the Bard class feature Inspire Competence, except that it requires 6 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 1 Call Slot.
5th Level:
Fell Howl:
The Fell Caller unleashes a fearsome howl, terrifying his opponents. All enemies within 30ft must make a DC(10+0.5lvl+CHA) WILL SAVE, or become frightened for 3d6 rounds. Enemies with more HD than the Fell Caller are unaffected. This Call requires 8 ranks in Perform (Sing), 8 ranks in Intimidate, and 1 Call Slot.
7th Level:
Sonic Blast:
The Fell Caller lets out a 30ft cone of sudden sound, damaging and deafening targets within it. All targets take 5d6+1d6 per lvl after 7th sonic damage and are deafened for 2d6 rounds. A DC(10+0.5lvl+CHA) FORT SAVE halves the damage and avoids the deafness. Crystalline objects take lvld6 DMG instead, but can make FORT SAVES for ½ if creatures and if the object is held, the owner can RFLX SAVE for all. This Call requires 8 ranks in Perform (Sing), 5 ranks in Intimidate, and 1 Call Slot.
Confusion Call:
The Fell Caller makes a sound that disturbs the minds of all enemies within 2.5/lvl ft, as per the spell Confusion. This call can be sustained for up to lvl rounds, and requires 9 ranks in Perform and 1 Call Slot.
9th Level:
Chorus Call:
Chorus Call has no effects of its own, but when used, allows the Fell Caller to make two other Calls at once. This could be a combination of sustained Calls (Signal Call along with another, for instance) or an instant Call used with a sustained Call (Sonic Blast during Confusion Call), but the Fell Caller cannot perform two instant Calls at once. Chorus Call costs 1 Call Slot.
Call for Greatness:
This Call works exactly like the Bard class feature Inspire Greatness, except that it requires 12 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 1 Call Slot.
10th Level:
Doom’s Quaking Call:
The Fell Caller releases a resonating bellow, taking the form of a 5ft/lvl cone in front of him. Any nonmagical item with hardness less than 0.5lvl is shattered, although items being attended to may make a DC(10+0.5lvl+CHA) FORT SAVE to avoid the effect. This Call requires 12 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 1 Call Slot.
12th Level:
Greater Fell Call:
The Fell Caller can emit a dreadful sound, causing all enemies that hear it to receive -6 SAVE vs. charm and fear effects, as well as -3 HIT/DMG. The call can be sustained for up to lvl rounds, and the effects last for another 5 rounds thereafter. This call requires 15 ranks in Perform (Sing), 12 ranks in Intimidate, and 2 Call Slots.
Call of Freedom:
This Call works exactly like the Bard class feature Song of Freedom, except that it requires 15 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 2 Call Slots.
15th Level:
Greater Chorus Call:
Greater Chorus Call has no effects of its own, but when used, allows the Fell Caller to make three other Calls at once. This could be a combination of three sustained Calls, or an instant Call used with one or two sustained Calls, but the Fell Caller cannot perform two instant Calls at once. Chorus Call costs 3 Call Slots. If the Fell Caller uses this Call to perform an instant Call, he chooses the level he wants the Call to function at, and then takes that amount of nonlethal damage from vocal strain. A DC(10+DMG) FORT SAVE halves that damage.
Call for Heroics:
This Call works exactly like the Bard class feature Inspire Heroics, except that it requires 18 ranks in Perform (Sing) and 2 Call Slots.
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It was good, game lasted nine months and saw a party of *mostly* the same players/characters from 3rd to 12th level. I had only the IK Character and World books when I begun, but since all the new stuff is for WARMACHINE/HORDES, I ended up mostly using that-- the party alternately ran from and skirmished with the Butcher of Khardov for quite a few levels, and the campaign ended with them seriously wtfpwning Lich Lord Asphyxious.
It was a pretty high-powered game, in that the characters included a Human Arcane Mechanik/Ironhead/Warcaster, and a Human Druid/Blackclad/Warlock, which is why "and then a Warjack shows up" wasn't often followed by "we run".
Actually,everything that we used I still have on my hard drive, including write-ups for pretty much every race, class, and PrC, as well as stats for quite a few Warjacks made with the conversion system in Liber Mechanika. It's all set up for 3.5, more or less, but I'm betting you could convert it into Pathfinder much quicker than make your own, so tell me if you're interested in anything and I'll post it here. It all either uses the OGL stuff or counts as my work, after all.
I just want to say that I'm not running an IK. I just like some of the things from the setting and think it would fit well with my setting.
As for the bard archetype for the fell caller, after thinking about it I see it more as barbarian that uses fell calls in stead of rages (though he can insight him self and others into a rage as he grows in levels).
@Ninten: Do you have a pdf version of all the notes and what not you used for your IK game?
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@Ninten: Do you have a pdf version of all the notes and what not you used for your IK game?
No, all the stuff I make is kept on Word documents, and since last time I looked I had something like 172 pages for my IK campaign, sending it to you would be prohibitively time consuming.
On the other hand, it is all broken down depending upon what it was used for, so if you needed anything specific (like how I did the races to remove LA, or how I changed the PrCs) I have that. Actual storyline stuff probably isn't there, since I tend not to type up the plot at all.
If you ever do run another actual IK campaign, I have some valuable stuff written up, so you could see what a Cryxian Deathripper does in D&D, or what Sorcha Kratikoff's stat block looks like.
Okay, thank you. Though all I really need is the stats for the Fell Caller. I think I'm going to make my own class for them, though anyone can be one. In my world there are no trollkin. I made a PC race called groots that are like them, they are the result of giants breeding with elves (forced breeding mind you).
The stats for the groots can be found here.
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The restriction on only Trolls/Trollkin becoming Fell Callers was twofold: one because my work was just a conversion of the 3.0 Class From the Iron Kingdoms Character Guide, and two because in the lore Fell Calling had the potential to rip even Trolls throats apart, meaning that the average Human could be a Fell Caller exactly...once.
Of course, there is no reason to lug that particular restriction into any other Campaign Setting. The Fell Caller presented in the IKCG was essentially a Class that took the Bard and traded Spellcasting for more kinds of (offensive)Bardic Music. You could absolutely rework it as a Bard Archtype that does something similar.Making it a Barbarian Archtype is a bit harder, since Fell Callers were Barbarians in fluff much more than crunch.
Actually, what I personally would find the most awesome is if you made the Fell Caller a Prestige Class that you qualified for by going Barbarian/Bard, in the same way that the Rage Prophet is a Barbarian/Oracle Prestige Class. But that's just me.
You know what? I think a PrC sounds like a great fit. dude (or dudete) you're a genius! That actually solves my problem...sort of. Now my problem will be to make that actually happen.
You know what? I think a PrC sounds like a great fit. dude (or dudete) you're a genius! That actually solves my problem...sort of. Now my problem will be to make that actually happen.
BTW: do you have any suggestions to get me on the right track?
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You know what? I think a PrC sounds like a great fit. dude (or dudete) you're a genius! That actually solves my problem...sort of. Now my problem will be to make that actually happen.BTW: do you have any suggestions to get me on the right track?
Absolutely. Keep in mind that is an outline (as opposed to a custom PrC write-up) both because the homebrew campaign setting I’m working on doesn’t need Fell Callers and because this should become your thing; I’m just giving the push. Also, this PrC will largely be based on Rage Prophet (PFAPG 275) because we know that works. If you don’t have access to the book, check the SRD or whatever they call it now.
The Fell Caller hails from an ancient tradition of tribal warriors; ferocious in battle and in celebration, inspiring to their allies, and the terror of their foes. Stumbling through battlefields in an alcohol-induced stupor, many Fell Callers are disregarded by the enemy… and then the howling begins.
(NOTE: This class in partially inspired by the later Trollbloods lore in Privateer Press’ HORDES game. You can feel free to disregard the nods towards the Fell Caller performing these feats while totally wasted, but with the new Drunken Brute Barbarian Archtype, I couldn’t resist:))
Requirements: Base Attack Bonus +5, Rage and Bardic Performance Class Features, Good for what Ails You Rage Power (PFAPG 76), Perform (Sing) 5 Ranks. All Fell Callers are multiclass Barbarian/Bards, and the Drunken Brute and Savage Skald Archtypes fit this Prestige Class nicely.
Hit Die: d10 (like the Rage Prophet, a compromise between the d12 Barbarian and d8 Bard)
Skills: 5+INT per level. Class Skills: Bluff, Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Perception, Perform (Sing), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Survival, Swim.
Ok, the next bit will be vaguer:
The idea behind the Fell Caller is to continue with the Barbarian and Bard paths, add some cool stuff, and step away from Spellcasting. Thus, the Fell Caller probably shouldn’t give Spells per Day at all (it isn’t a spellcasting class), but it would be ok for it to continue both the Rage and Bardic Performance progressions. (So, Fell Caller counts as Barbarian levels for improving Rage only, and Bard levels for improving Bardic Performance only.)
Now here’s the good stuff: starting at 1st level, the Fell Caller gains the ability to use Bardic Performance while still attacking (it’s a free action both to begin and upkeep the effect), but only when Raging. The Bardic Performances he can do this with are Countersong, Inspire Courage, Inspire Competence, Dirge of Doom, etc. Basically, he can’t soothe or fascinate you while frothing at the mouth and blaring out a howl that shatters eardrums, but his allies are certainly inspired.
Probably every other level he should get a Bonus Rage Power, probably from a short list including all the drinking ones, the animalistic ones, defensive ones and the ones where he gets mad as hell and starts throwing the Halfling around.
You can also add the fun powers from my Fell Caller class a few posts ago, such as Stay Death and Sonic Blast. Probably every 3rd level?
There, that should be a good outline.
I like this outline, it seems to work very well. Though I'm not sure about the 5+ Int. modifier for the skills, I think I would have it 4+. Give me a few days to work on it and then I'll post it here or on another thread.
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I like this outline, it seems to work very well. Though I'm not sure about the 5+ Int. modifier for the skills, I think I would have it 4+. Give me a few days to work on it and then I'll post it here or on another thread.
The 5+INT came about as a result of compromise between the Bard's 6+INT Skills and the Barbarian's 4+INT. I do know that "5+INT" doesn't exist anywhere in the rules as an amount that Classes get, just like how there isn't any d7 Hit Die- at the same time, I sort of think that might be a relic from 3.5... Pathfinder doesn't have any of that 'half rank' nonsense, which in my mind makes odd numbers of Skill Ranks viable.
Of course, I'm not attached to 5+INT Skills per level or anything, I just figured 4+INT might not account for the Fell Caller having more Class Skills.