True Judgement (Inquisiter Problem)

[W E Ray]

Has anyone else, after playtesting or just considering it, decided that the 20th Level Class Feature for the Inquisitor, True Judgement, is punk-ass lame and altered it to something else?

I really have a problem with it and was trying to think of an alternative 20th Level Class Feature to give.

Anyone have any suggestions?....

[Elven_Blades]

I find true judgment to be pretty awesome. I would only use it on certain enemy types, for example, i would not use against a fighter or barbarian, or the BBEG, but against casters or rogues, or a target in a large group of low level enemies, it's sweet.

[Blueluck]

True Judgment (Su):

At 20th level, an inquisitor can call true judgment down upon a foe during combat. Whenever an inquisitor uses her judgment ability, the inquisitor can invoke true judgment on a foe as a swift action. Once declared, the inquisitor can make a single melee (or ranged attack, if the foe is within 30 feet) against the target. If the attack hits, it deals damage normally and the target must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the inquisitor's level + the inquisitor's Wisdom modifier. Regardless of whether or not the save is made, the target creature is immune to the inquisitor's true judgment ability for 24 hours. Once this ability has been used, it cannot be used again for 1d4 rounds.

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That sounds fine to me:

• Save or Die
  
• Fairly high save DC
  
• No spell resistance
  
• 7 times per day

It allows a Fortitude save, which most enemies at 20th level will be pretty good at resisting, but it will probably have a DC of 28. Looking at CR 20 monsters, all but one has a Fort Save bonus of +23 or +24, which gives them a 20-25% chance to die.

Even tougher monsters that have a +27 or higher and only fail the save on a roll of 1 have a 5% chance to die. That's better than the Vorpal property on a weapon, since you choose when it happens and don't have to confirm.

[Elven_Blades]

I think your assessment of save dc is a bit high, but otherwise your argument stands.

I pretty much envision this as an easy kill against a caster or rogue from a large group of enemies. Likely a full level nps caster/rogue, something you can look at and say...
"looks like about 15-18 levels human rogue, base save +5, con score around 14-20 at best, a bit of a enhancement bonus maybe... +12 save total maybe, looks like about a 70% chance at kill shot to me, FIRE"

[Blueluck]

Elven_Blades wrote:

I think your assessment of save dc is a bit high, but otherwise your argument stands.

Yes, it's high, but we're talking about a 20th level character if you have the capstone ability.

Save DC = 10 + 1/2 Level + Wisdom Bonus
1/2 Level is 10, of course, so we're looking at 20+WIS
Starting Wisdom 15
Headband +6
Inherent +5
Total Wisdom 26, bonus +8
So, save DC 28. It could be a touch lower, but not by much, I expect.

I agree with your strategy of targeting the most vulnerable enemy early. Likely the target with the lowest fort save is also the one with the lowest HP total, and is therefore a solid choice for a first-strike tactic anyway.

[Elven_Blades]

I would not typically shell out the coins for a +5 inherent on what i consider a secondary score to a class, but i certainly now see how 28 is more than possible, and if your of the caster mind more than melée, 30 should be easy to attain.

Om a side note, i wasn't so much thinking about hp totals. More along the lines of eliminate the caster before he casts Dominate Monster on your low will save friends. Either train of thought is good.

[Blueluck]

Elven_Blades wrote:

I would not typically shell out the coins for a +5 inherent on what i consider a secondary score to a class, but i certainly now see how 28 is more than possible, and if your of the caster mind more than melée, 30 should be easy to attain.

I usually prefer the low and mid levels of games, but the few games I've played all the way to 'max level' have all ended in a stage where money is essentially no object. Mileage will certainly vary by campaign.

Elven_Blades wrote:

Om a side note, i wasn't so much thinking about hp totals. More along the lines of eliminate the caster before he casts Dominate Monster on your low will save friends. Either train of thought is good.

Fortunately, those things frequently go together! If you can get a party to focus fire on the glass cannon(s) first, and worry about the big tough thing last, you can beat a lot of tough encounters.