| andromada369 |
I got the idea for this class when looking through the various weapon spells of Guild Wars, yes I'm a big Guild Wars, and thought well most of these weapon spells benefit all physical attackers but benefit melee the most due to the melee attackers speed. So then I thought okay let's modify the fighter class and give it arcane spell casting capabilities and create spells that would enhance his weapon with various abilities. Well if I did that armor would get in the way giving heavy arcane spell failure. So then I thought well get rid of the armor but then realized that left him with low defenses like a mage and a front-line fighter shouldn't have low defenses like a mage.
So after milling and fermenting the idea a bit I've come up with these ideas as class abilities:
This class is not proficient with any armor and cannot gain any armor proficiency feats. Is proficient with one martial weapon though this proficiency feat can be changed(see below)
Special weapon: this weapon is chosen based on the weapon proficiency feat and is tied to all class and spellcasting abilities.
Branched arcanum: Basicly this is like the known spells of a sorcerrer and a wizards spell book. If you need to switch out a known spell for one that's in your spellbook, you can, by performing a simple ritual that takes 10 minutes per spell level.
Speed casting: All your spells are cast as free actions during your turn
Spell limit: you can only have two armor spells and two weapon spells active at once (see below)
Exact somatics: the somatic components in this class's spells are required to be so exact that if the character wears any armor or is under a medium or heavier load, all spells cast will fail. These spells can't be cast with the still spell metamagic feat.
Weapon specialty shift: At any time you can change your weapon proficiency feat by performing a ritual that is no shorter than a week. During this time this person must create a new weapon based on the newly chosen feat and must use his old weapon for base material.
Recipients gratitude: all weapon spells gain the mass descriptor (close range(25ft+5ft/2 levels), one creature/level) These spells still count towards your 2 weapon spell limit
Extended duration: you can now maintain your spell indefinably with a concentration check every hour outside battle or every round during.
(class capstone): 3 round charge up, lose weapon, dispel all your active spells, deal xd20 damage where x equals combined level of dispelled spells, 3 round recovery during which you recover your weapon. (this is akin, visually at least, to the quickenings of Final Fantasy 12)
and now a basic idea of what the spells might look like:
basic armor
School: conjuration[creation](force)
casting time: free action (only during your turn)
Components: V,S
Range: personal
target: self
duration: 1 min/level
Saving throw: n/a spell resistance: n/a
This spell works like mage armor accept the ac bonus is +7 +1/4 levels
splinter weapon
School: transmutation
casting time: free action (only during your turn)
Components: V,S
Range: personal
target: self
duration: 3 rounds/level
For the duration of this spell all your attacks cause 1d4/5 levels bleeding damage.
keep in mind theses are just ideas I've thrown on the canvas.
any and all comments, constructive criticism, and help turning this into a plausible class would greatly be appreciated.
| Phage |
This looks a lot like Magus, only on amphetamines.
The weapon ritual business is way too long to be practical. Nice idea that you would only use one type of weapon, but a bit underwhelming for such a large restriction with a long reset.
The free action casting is too powerful. Maybe if spells were super watered down they could become swift actions, or give some innate bonuses for swift actions, but not free actions and no where near those spells' efficacy.
Basic armor is too powerful, period. Starting off with 7 armor is too high, much less adding 1/4 level bonus on top of that. Maybe if it lasted rounds and not minutes.
Splinter weapon looks like a cool spell in its own right. Solid bleed damage, decently long duration.
| andromada369 |
A few things to keep in mind:
From what I've read of the magus he is a battle mage. This class on the other hand is a fighter who cast these specialized armor and weapon spells. Also these will be the only spells this class will cast,
Had this actually been like the magus I wouldn't have put in the free action casting because as you said that would be way too over powered. As a fighter with these spells I don't want to be spending upwards of 4 rounds just getting ready for combat hence why I've made casting these spells a free action but but only during your turn though this would be some what alleviated in later levels with the extended duration ability. I don't want this class to be able to throw up every spell he's got in an instant, hence the 2 armor and 2 weapon spell limit.
As for the basic armor spell I was just throwing something together to show what the armor spells might look like.
As for the use of a specific weapon this weapon would be made out of a special material designed to be more accepting of these spell which is why, something I forgot to write, when the mass version of the weapon spells are cast they only have half the duration on any non-class weapon. If the player doesn't like his choice of weapon he either has to deal with it or find time to perform the ritual. Another thing I forgot to put is this ritual would also change the specialization feats.
And finaly for the capstone ability again just something I threw together. I like the idea of the massive damage just need some major drawback to balance it.
| SmiloDan RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 |
I like the idea of a magic-using class that acts as a tank. A class that uses magic to give itself swift, short-term boosts to its melee capablity and survivability.
Maybe with something like a ki pool the size of a barbarian's rage rounds per day, that can be used as swift or immediate actions to grant 1 round boosts to the character.
For example....
Sudden Shield (Su): As an immediate action, you gain a +4 shield bonus to AC for 1 round.
Sudden Shock (Su): As a swift action, you gain the ability to cause +1d6 points of electrical damage with your melee attacks for 1 round.
Sudden Sprint (Su): As a swift action, you gain a +30 enhancement bonus to speed for 1 round.
Sudden Step (Su): As an immediate action, you move your speed.
Sudden Strike (Su): As an immediate action, you make a melee attack at your full base attack bonus.
Sudden Toughness (Su): As an immediate action, you gain 5 hit points per level for 1 round.
| andromada369 |
I like the idea of a magic-using class that acts as a tank. A class that uses magic to give itself swift, short-term boosts to its melee capablity and survivability.
Maybe with something like a ki pool the size of a barbarian's rage rounds per day, that can be used as swift or immediate actions to grant 1 round boosts to the character.
For example....
Sudden Shield (Su): As an immediate action, you gain a +4 shield bonus to AC for 1 round.
Sudden Shock (Su): As a swift action, you gain the ability to cause +1d6 points of electrical damage with your melee attacks for 1 round.
Sudden Sprint (Su): As a swift action, you gain a +30 enhancement bonus to speed for 1 round.
Sudden Step (Su): As an immediate action, you move your speed.
Sudden Strike (Su): As an immediate action, you make a melee attack at your full base attack bonus.
Sudden Toughness (Su): As an immediate action, you gain 5 hit points per level for 1 round.
That's something I would expect for the actual fighter class or at least an offshoot prestige class. No the idea behind this class is any armor, any weapon for any situation.
| andromada369 |
A few updates to ideas:
All abilities are the same as in my first post unless stated below.
I've decided to call this class the Spellblade.
Special weapon: A Spellblade MUST use a melee weapon made of arcanite (see below) A Spellblade may NOT have more than one weapon proficiency feat at a time. This feat can be changed through the Spellblades weapon specialty shift ritual (see below) (Note: A Spellblade can have MORE THAN ONE weapon of this type. Also he can still use other weapon types he just takes the non-proficiency penalties.)
Vigorous fighter training (new class ability): A Spellblade can count his Sepllblade levels as fighter levels for qualifying for fighter feats. If he has levels in fighter these levels stack.
Weapon specialty shift: If a Spellblade wishes to change his weapon proficiency feat he must undergo a ritual that lasts for 8 hours. He must have his old weapon and an arcanite weapon of which he wishes to use. This ritual also changes the weapon focus and weapon specialization feat trees.
Spell casting: I guess I need to clarify that the Spellblade will only have access to these weapon and armor spells.
Spells: All Spellblade spells now have a casting of 1 standard action. (I did this just in case there are any class abilities or feats that allow caster classes to pick spells from different lists.)
Speed casting: You cast all Spellblade spells as free actions, but only during your turn.
Saturation: You can now cast weapon spells on non-arcanite weapons though the duration is halved.
Greater Saturation: weapon spells now work normally on non-arcanite weapons.
Ira Arcana (The capstone ability, Latin for arcane rage): Once per day a Spellblade can turn his active Spellblade spells into raw arcane energy, thus nullifeing their effects, and forcefully infuse their weapon with this energy. Doing this heavily increases the damage done by the weapon at the cost of great harm to the Spellblade. For 1d6 rounds damage is incerased to xd20 where x is the combined level of your active Spellblade spells. It's threat range is doubled and gains a +1 to the critical multiplyer. It is also considered magical for hitting incorporeal targets and bypass all spell resistance and damage reduction. The Spellblade will take a base 20 damage per turn while Ira Arcana is active and will also take damage per turn according to a chart. (I haven't made the chart up yet.) Types of damage will include elemental damage, bleed damage, and ability damage. At the end of Ira Arcana the Spellblade becomes fatigued and his weapon deals only 1 point of damage and can't critical for 1d4 hours.
Arcanite is created from processing and removing the raw arcane energy from maginite. Maginite is a natural magical alloy found in small veins throughout the world.
A byproduct of the arcanite making process is iradan shards. They come in two forms perfect and imperfect.
Perfect shards allow +1 spell per day of any level you can cast for wizards or +1 spell known of any level you can cast for 24 hours for bards and sorcerers. Wizards would prepare spells normally while bards and sorcerers will choose a spell from the appropriate list as if they were leveling up. Perfect shards can be reused and could go for upwards of 5,000 gp.
An imperfect shard is the same as perfect shards accept they crumble after one use i.e. 24 hours for bards and sorcerers or one spell for wizards. Imperfect shards go for upwards of 500 gp
Note: You can only use one shard at a time. Also spells used in iradan shards are lost after 24 hours and imperfect shards are not destroyed if they are not used.