| Jesse Brake |
Hey all, I was looking for input on my prestige class. I created it using the Red Mantis as a sort of template on power levels. It has a dash of Nazgul and Dr. Who's Headless Monks as far as aesthetics go. Moving on, here it is.
TEN SWORDS TEMPLAR
Hit Die: d10.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Ten Swords templar, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral or Lawful Evil
Skills: Intimidate 5 ranks, Craft (Weapons) 5 ranks, Stealth 5 ranks.
Feats: Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Dazzling Display, Weapon Focus (any sword), Quick Draw
Class Skills The Ten Swords templar’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Survival (Wis).
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4+ Int modifier.
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +1 +1 +0 +1 Blade Bond, Black Mount
2nd +2 +1 +1 +1 Sneak Attack +1d6
3rd +3 +2 +1 +2 Reforge, Black Mount (Woodland stride)
4th +4 +2 +1 +2 Sword Scrying
5th +5 +3 +2 +3 Improved Blade Bond, Black Mount (Fly)
6th +6 +3 +2 +3 Sneak Attack +2d6
7th +7 +4 +2 +4 Black Mount (Ghost touch and wounding)
8th +8 +4 +3 +4 Penetrating Strike
9th +9 +5 +3 +5 Sword Storm, Black Mount (Etherealness)
10th +10 +5 +3 +5 Sneak Attack +3d6, Greater Blade Bond
Blade Bond (Sp): The Ten Swords templar can infuse his personally crafted weapon with sacred or profane power, similarly to a paladin's divine bond ability. As a standard action, the Ten Swords templar calls upon the aid of a spirit for 1 minute per Ten Swords templar level. When called, the spirit causes the weapon to shed light as a torch. At 1st level, this spirit grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus. For every three levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +4 at 10th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon bonuses to a maximum of +5, or they can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: axiomatic, brilliant energy, dancing, defending, disruption, flaming, flaming burst, ghost touch, holy, keen, merciful, speed, unholy and vicious. Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s cost (see PCR Table 15–9). The spirit imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the Ten Swords templar but keeps them in the case of dancing and resumes giving bonuses if returned to the Ten Swords templar. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon. A Ten Swords templar can use this ability once per day at 1st level, and one additional time per day for every two levels in Ten Swords templar, to a total of 5 times per day at 10th level.
Black Mount (Sp): As a full round action, the Ten Swords templar can conjure a Large, corporeal horselike creature that bears you or a person you designate into combat or overland at great speed. A black mount has a black body and head with sharp, silvery eyes, no mouth, and smoke-colored, insubstantial hooves that make no sound. It has no saddle, bridle, or bit, but it is exceptionally alert to the nudges and balance changes of its rider. A black mount cannot wear armor or magic items and cannot have spells made permanent upon it. The black mount is not capable of speech, has no skills or feats, but can project it's feelings similar to the empathy ability of an intelligent weapon.
The black mount is considered to have the following stats:
Str 26, Dex 20, Con 25, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 14 and CMB +11.
For defense, the black mount has a CMD 26 (30 vs trip), AC 19 (–1 size, +5 natural armor, +5 Dex) and 40 hit points +8 hit points per level in Ten Swords templar. It attacks with its hooves at a +9 bonus, dealing 1d6+8 points of damage. It has undead immunities despite not being an undead creature.
A black mount has a speed of 20 feet per level in Ten Swords templar, to a maximum of 200 feet. It can bear its rider’s weight plus up to 10 pounds per level in other gear. Black mounts gain certain powers according to the Ten Swords templar's level. A black mount’s abilities include those associated with any lower levels.
3rd level: The black mount ignores terrain elements such as undergrowth, rubble, or mud that would slow its movement as per woodland stride.
5th level: The black mount can fly at its speed (average maneuverability). The black mount gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC.
7th level: The black mount's hooves have the ghost touch and wounding weapon special abilities. The black mount's deflection bonus to AC increases to +6.
9th level: The black mount can use etherealness on behalf of its rider once per day (as the spell, caster level 9th). The black mount's deflection bonus to AC increases to +8.
The black mount remains until you dismiss it or when it dies. In the case of the black mount dying, a Ten Swords templar can reform the black mount by performing a ritual requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of meditation, requiring a focus of four silver horseshoes worth 1000gp or by gaining another level in this class. A Ten Swords templar that was formerly a paladin cannot summon in a divine bonded mount and black mount at the same time. A Ten Swords templar can use this ability once per day at 1st level, and one additional time per day for every two levels in Ten Swords templar, to a total of 5 times per day at 10th level.
Reforge (Su): At third level, a Ten Swords templar can use maximized make whole as a spell like ability (caster level equal to levels in Ten Swords templar) a number of times per day equal to his/her Constitution bonus (minimum once per day) as a move-equivalent action. This ability can only be used on items crafted by the Ten Swords templar.
Sword Scrying (Sp): Once per day at 4th level, a Ten Swords templar can cast scry, using his/her blade as the focus for the spell (caster level equal to templar level) on an individual he has wounded or touched with his blade in the past year. Otherwise, the spell is the same.
Improved Blade Bond (Sp): While wielding his/her bonded weapon, the Ten Swords templar gains DR 5/good or evil, depending on their alignment. A neutral templar decides which DR to receive and can never change it after making the choice.
Penetrating Strike (Ex): At 8th level, a Ten Swords templar gains Penetrating Strike as a bonus feat. You may only use Penetrating Strike with a weapon you have crafted if it was gained in this way. If he/she already has Penetrating Strike, the Ten Swords templar may choose another fighter feat instead.
Sword Storm (Su): At 9th level, a Ten Swords templar may use still blade barrier as a spell-like ability three times per day. This version of the spell can deal subdual damage instead of lethal at the caster's discretion, but the effects are otherwise the same as the spell.
Greater Blade Bond (Sp): While wielding his/her bonded weapon, she inflicts 1 negative level with a successful attack. No matter the amount of attacks he/she has, no more than two negative levels can be inflicted this way per round. Each negative level inflicted in this manner grants the Ten Swords templar 5 temporary hit points that last for 1 hour. The save DC to remove these negative levels is equal to 20 + the Ten Sword templar's Constitution modifier. In addition, the Ten Swords templar's DR increases to DR 10/good or evil.
So far, the feedback I've heard is...
* the combination of abilities may be a little OP
* the Black Mount may need to be scrapped because of it not fitting with the theme in favor of more craft or sword-centric powers.
Examples could be:
1st level: Improvised Blades (Ex): With one minute and a Craft check of 20, a Ten Swords templar can wield an improvised weapon as a type of blade depending on the size. With For tiny objects, treat it as a dagger. For small objects, treat it as a short sword. For medium objects, treat it as a longsword. For large objects, treat it as a bastard sword. The GM has the final say on what can qualify for this ability and can also substitute basic sword types for others under certain circumstances (i.e. it might make more sense for certain objects to be a rapier instead of a longsword).
A Ten Swords templar wields these weapons as though as he had the Catch Off Guard feat. Feats that effect these types of weapons normally apply to an improvised blade (E.g. if you have Weapon Focus [Longsword], it would apply to your improvised longsword). An improvised blade does not count as a personally crafted weapon for the purposes of Blade Bond and cannot be used with Sword Scry.
3rd level: Forge Ring (Ex): A Ten Swords templar gains Forge Ring as a bonus feat, even if he would not be able to normally do so. For example: a fighter who joined this prestige class that used Master Craftsman to gain Craft Magical Arms and Armor may now use Master Craftsman to craft rings as well. If a Ten Swords Templar already has this feat, he may choose another item creation feat instead.
5th level: Accelerated Crafting (Ex): A Ten Swords templar can create personalized weapons for himself at a much faster pace. When you make a craft check to represent a weeks worth of work, if the result × the DC equals the price of the item in gp (instead of sp), then you have completed the item. Also, the time to create an Improvised Blade is reduced to one full round action. Weapons made with the accelerated crafting function as broken, non-masterwork weapons in the hands of anyone but the Ten Swords templar and sell for as much.
7th level: Superior Composition: An improvised blade created by a Ten Swords templar is treated as a +2 keen sword and has hit points and hardness equal to a magical steel sword of its type.
9th: Extra Ring: A Ten Swords Templar gains an additional ring slot as though he was wearing a hand of the mage. this ring must be one that he has created himself. This extra ring slot does not stack with a hand of the mage.
I'd love to here what people think from a flavor and game balance standpoint! Do you like the Black Mount variant or more towards the additional swords and crafting? Thanks ahead of time for reading this!
| Gloom |
Full BAB, 2 Good Saves, Sneak Attack, Ability to craft magical weapons, an Incredible Mount, Incredible Repair abilities, bonus feats...
Yeah quite a bit OP... but if it fits in your campaign then it looks like something fun to play. :D
| Jesse Brake |
Full BAB, 2 Good Saves, Sneak Attack, Ability to craft magical weapons, an Incredible Mount, Incredible Repair abilities, bonus feats...
Yeah quite a bit OP... but if it fits in your campaign then it looks like something fun to play. :D
Maybe I should lower the BAB then to medium and reducing it to one good save? Do you have any suggestions for making it less OP?