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So here is the first draft of a new class I brewed. The thought was for a character that was naturalistic and could just as easily be a NPC as a PC.
The only thing I'm really on the fence about is the mix of the familiar and the animal companion. I like the concept, a lot, but I'm just not sure it is a good idea. Or if it just needs some fine tuning. But anything you guys see, let me know.
I didn't include the table as they always reformat all funky, but I will give you the break down on such things. They have one good save, Will. They have a 1/2 BAB and spell progression and lists of a Druid.
Hedge Doctors are local healers and wise men. By building an attachment with the spiritual world beyond our own, Hedge Doctors gain power in this one. Hedge Doctors usually only travel when sent on quests by their spirit guides, whether this be for new insights or to gather sacred relics.
Role: Hedge Doctors fit best in a support role. With their spell casting ability, they work best in the background of the group helping to guide a group on their travels and with local customs.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8
CLASS SKILLS
Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Fly (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (All) (Int), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis)
4+ Int Modifier
CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hedge Doctors are proficient with all simple weapons and light armors. They are also proficient with the favored weapon of any deity they worship.
Spells: Hedge Doctors cast divine spells drawn from the Druid spell list, and also gains all healing spells. Their alignment may stop them from casting spells outside of their moral or ethical beliefs. A Hedge Doctor must choose and prepare his spells in advance.
To prepare and cast a spell, a Hedge Doctor must have Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Hedge Doctor’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Hedge Doctor’s Wisdom level.
Like other spellcasters, a Hedge Doctor can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the above table. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom modifier.
A Hedge Doctor must spend one hour each day in commune with the spirit world to regain his daily allotment of spells. A Hedge Doctor may prepare and cast any spell on the Druid spell list, provided that he can cast spells of that level, but he must choose which spells to prepare during his daily communion.
Orisons: Hedge Doctors can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on the above table. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.
Familiar: A Hedge Doctor gains a familiar, the same as a Wizard. This familiar is a visible manifestation of his connection to the spirit world and grows as his connection does.
Spirit Boon: At second level, and every four levels there after (6th, 10th, 14th and 18th), Hedge Doctors are granted a boon from the spirit world. A Hedge Doctor can have a number of these boons equal to their Wisdom modifier affect themselves at one time. These boons last for 24 hours and can be traded whenever he replenishes his daily allotment of spells. A Boon’s bonus is equal to ¼ a Hedge Doctor’s level (minimum one).
At 5th level, a Hedge Doctor can grant one of the boons given to them to an ally of their choosing. This transference takes 1 minute and lasts for 24 hours. An ally can only benefit from one Boon per day.
At 15th level, a Hedge Doctor can have a number of Boons effect an ally equal to their Wisdom modifier per day.
A Hedge Doctor gains one Spirit Boon from the following list at 2nd and 6th level.
• Bonus to one either Fortitude, Reflex or Will saves
• Bonus to all skill checks that have at least one rank in them
• Bonus to Initiative
• Bonus to Attack and Damage rolls
• +5 movement speed for every 5 Hedge Doctor Levels
• Bonus to AC
At 14th and 18th level, his list expands to include the following Boons.
• Resistance 5 to one type of energy
• DR (½ Hedge Doctor level)/ Magic
• +2d6+10 temporary HP
• Immune to Fatigue, Exhaustion and Sleep conditions and effects
Improved Familiar: At 3rd level, a Hedge Doctor gains the Improved Familiar feat for free and can immediately choose to gain a new familiar at any time that he replenishes his daily allotment of spells. To change his familiar in this way, a Hedge Doctor must leave at least one slot blank for the highest level of spells that he possesses.
Meta-Magic Feat: At 4th level, and every four levels thereafter, a Hedge Doctor gains a Meta-Magic feat that he meets the pre-requisites for as a bonus feat.
Medicine Man: At 5th level Hedge Doctors gains some potion making abilities. Instead of casting a spell, a Hedge Doctor can choose to create a potion of that spell. A spell must have a range of personal or touch to be able to qualify for this ability. He must still meet any material components required for casting the spell, but need not pay any additional cost in materials or gold to create a potion. A Hedge Doctor can have a number of potions created in this way equal to ¼ of their Hedge Doctor level. The ritual casting ability cannot be used with this ability.
Ritual Casting: A Hedge Doctor’s connection to the unseen world allows him to summon spirits to aid in his casting. By extending the casting time by one step, he can cast a spell without using any of his allotted spell slots. A casting time of one round becomes one minute, one minute becomes 10 minutes, 10 minutes becomes 1 hour, 1 hour becomes 10 hours and 10 hours becomes 1 day. Meta-magic feats cannot be applied to spells cast in this manner and any material costs must still be meet. A Hedge Doctor must have at least one uncast spell of the appropriate level to be able to use this ability, and he cannot use this ability on a spell he has prepared at the beginning of the day.
Insightful Flash: Once per day, a Hedge Doctor can gain an insight into a creature’s intentions. By making physical contact, he can gain a bonus equal to his Hedge Doctor level to a single Diplomacy, Intimidate or Sense Motive check made against that creature. To be affected by this ability, a creature must be sentient and have an Intelligence of at least 6.
Healer: At 10th level, Hedge Doctors gain a bonus equal to half of their Hedge Doctor level to all heal checks for any creature for which they have at least 1 rank in the corresponding Knowledge skill.
Natural Familiar: At 11th level, a Hedge Doctor’s familiar grows in power again. He can gain a companion from the Animal Companion list that gains the benefits as both a familiar of the Hedge Doctor’s level and an Animal Companion using the Hedge Doctor’s -5 as his effective Druid level.
Improved Potion Making: At 13th level, a Hedge Doctor can create a number of potions using his Medicine Man ability equal to ½ his Hedge Doctor level instead of ¼.
Blessed Health: The spirits that watch over a Hedge Doctor protect him from outside influences. At 15th level, a Hedge Doctor becomes immune to poison. At 17th level, he becomes immune to diseases and at 19th level he is immune to curses.
A few things I noticed:
Spells: A minor thing: there is no such thing as "Wisdom level". Spell saving throw DC is based on "Wisdom modifier/bonus". Improtant to remember if you'd ever want to publish/submit anything for publication.
Spirit Boons: You have list of boons available at 2nd and 6th level and the second list available at 14th and 18th but what about level 10th boon?
Also, the Wisdom bonus limit of boons active at any one time probably will rarely have any meaning in play, unless someone deliberately creates low-Wisdom Hedge Doctor, which is unlikely as it is their casting stat.
Improved Familiar: I'd drop that need to save a spell when selecting a new familiar. Every GM I have seen allows for immediate exchange of familiar when Improved Familiar feat is taken (either through evolution or more unsavory means).
Bonus metamagic feats: One additional metamagic feat per four levels might be a bit much.
Medicine Man: I'd replace it with Brew Potion as a bonus feat instead of introducing additional mechanic that is similar to but not exactly the same. Also note, that normally spells with personal range cannot be made into potions.
Ritual Casting: Ability to cast unlimited number of spells at increase of casting time and saving a daily slot empty? Damn, I'm in! It is seriously overpowered as it allows for unlimited casting of utility spells out of combat. World traveling was never so easy before: transport via plants. Not to mention what 17th Hedge Doctor could do with waves of waves of his elemental minions on battlefield. Personally I am great fan of ritual casting but this is too much. Let it grant bonus to caster level while ritually casting prepared spell or allow adding metamagic feats for free to ritually cast spells but not unlimited use.
Insightful Flash: You don't mention on which level Hedge Doctor gets it.
Healer: I'd move that to 1st level as on 10th level Hedge Doctor has access to lots of healing spells rendering Heal skill much less useful that on lower levels.
Natural Familiar: I am unsure of this. I can't say that the idea is not tempting but adds a degree of not exactly needed complexity.
Improved Potion Making: Not needed if Medicine Man would be replaced with Brew Potion. Also, note that the name of this ability does not match the name of earlier ability.
Blessed Health: I'd turn it into spirit boon. Or move it to be capstone (20th level) ability.
All in all, the class has potential and is interesting as healing-focused class (for which I have certain fondness) but needs some polishing.
Needs a different name. "Hedge Doctor" is a concept that goes to level 3, level 6 at the outside. Also, formatting.
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A few things I noticed:
Spells: A minor thing: there is no such thing as "Wisdom level". Spell saving throw DC is based on "Wisdom modifier/bonus". Improtant to remember if you'd ever want to publish/submit anything for publication.
Improved Familiar: I'd drop that need to save a spell when selecting a new familiar. Every GM I have seen allows for immediate exchange of familiar when Improved Familiar feat is taken (either through evolution or more unsavory means).
Ritual Casting: Ability to cast unlimited number of spells at increase of casting time and saving a daily slot empty? Damn, I'm in! It is seriously overpowered as it allows for unlimited casting of utility spells out of combat. World traveling was never so easy before: transport via plants. Not to mention what 17th Hedge Doctor could do with waves of waves of his elemental minions on battlefield. Personally I am great fan of ritual casting but this is too much. Let it grant bonus to caster level while ritually casting prepared spell or allow adding metamagic feats for free to ritually cast spells but not unlimited use....
Changed the wording on the spells and the boons.
The Improved Familiar spell slot is so that they can change a familiar after the feat is taken. I envision it being able to be used on basically a daily basis, if they so want.
And I changed the Ritual Casting:
Ritual Casting: A Hedge Doctor’s connection to the unseen world allows him to summon spirits to aid in his casting. By extending the casting time by one step, he can cast a spell without using any of his allotted spell slots. A casting time of one round becomes one minute, one minute becomes 10 minutes, 10 minutes becomes 1 hour, 1 hour becomes 10 hours and 10 hours becomes 1 day. Meta-magic feats cannot be applied to spells cast in this manner and any material costs must still be meet. A Hedge Doctor must have at least one uncast spell of the appropriate level to be able to use this ability and can only use it a number of times per day equal to the total number of spell slots for his highest level of spells, and he cannot use this ability on a spell he has not prepared at the beginning of the day.
I think that a Hedge Doctor and a Medicine Brave would get along great in game :)
I think that a Hedge Doctor and a Medicine Brave would get along great in game :)Where do you game at? We could try it out.
Kansas City Missouri
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