Adept NPC Class

[Robert McCraine]

I have read a lot of different takes on using the adept npc class as a pc class over the last few years and I feel that most over look the possibilities that this class offers. I have always been a fan of a stream lined rules and even low magic campaigns. The adept fits that bill nicely. Even the other three class fit in well. There is nothing broke about it. To give All the npc classes a chance to custom by individual is just give them extra feats and then go to town. I personally use a bonus feat at each level. This allows for all kinds of customization. add the animal cohort feat and fey heritage feats and you have a druid style character. I apply this to the pilgrim npc using the commoner class. Give him the the lay priest and mystic healer feats and you have a healer that has an old style midevil feel.

[Can'tFindthePath]

Robert McCraine wrote:

I have read a lot of different takes on using the adept npc class as a pc class over the last few years and I feel that most over look the possibilities that this class offers. I have always been a fan of a stream lined rules and even low magic campaigns. The adept fits that bill nicely. Even the other three class fit in well. There is nothing broke about it. To give All the npc classes a chance to custom by individual is just give them extra feats and then go to town. I personally use a bonus feat at each level. This allows for all kinds of customization. add the animal cohort feat and fey heritage feats and you have a druid style character. I apply this to the pilgrim npc using the commoner class. Give him the the lay priest and mystic healer feats and you have a healer that has an old style midevil feel.

Interesting. I think it is easier to modify the spellcasting progression of the main classes to achieve this effect.

I am working up a campaign where the full casters will have 6th level spells max, with progression as Oracle, Summoner, Bard, etc. The partial casters would look more like Ranger, Paladin, etc. (not sure if they will be viable). And Paladin type casters would be non-casters. There is more to it; I intend to give something (maybe "talents") to most casters to fill out their abilities. We'll see.

I do like your idea as a simple, light weight, modular approach.

-Cheers

[Robert McCraine]

the possibilities are endless and it gives room for a great variety of play. However, it does require allowing lots of different feats from multiple sources. It will allow for every player to play an unique character to suit their own play style. Some of the old ad&d kits or even sub-class would fit in place nicely as well if you wanted to cut down on the research time. I do feel that by using the research time, a player gets an emotional attachment to their character and therefore will increase the experience and enjoyment of playing that character. I'll post some examples later on.

[Robert McCraine]

here's an idea using the minor gods idea from dragon magazine posted a few years back...
(this basically makes for a kit for any class).
Saint Winfrid the Swift
Among the men who have chosen to serve the god Heironeous, the name of Winfrid is held in high regard. He won fame first by entering the ranks of the god's paladins at an unusually young age and later by a life of matchless dedication to the ideals of honor and justice. He is remembered now by a small sub-sect of Heironeous's followers (the Order of the True Strike) and by the contests held every year on his festival day. Commemorating the completion of Winfrid's best-known quest, the Waking of the Storm, devotees gather every year at a mountain shrine and compete in four days of tournaments and horse races. The winner is declared Winfrid's chosen and given the use of a minor magical version of one of the saint's relics for the following year.
Must be Lawful Good Fighters/Warriors
Knowledge (religion) becomes a class skill
Lay Priest feat
Show of Faith feat
+2 to all saves within one day's walk of shrine
True Strike once per day (per 5 levels)

Hammer of St. Winfrid: This +1 warhammer radiates a slight aura of positive energy. While it has no effect when wielded in combat, an evil creature who attempts to wield the weapon takes 1d6 points of divine damage. Merely being within 5 feet of the weapon makes evil creatures uncomfortable, although they suffer no penalties for doing so.
Caster Level: 1st; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, protection from evil;
Market Price: 2,312; Cost to Create: 1,312 gp + 80 XP.

Lay Priest (D20 Pathfinder 3rd party feats)
The gods have given you the power to heal with a touch.
Prerequisite: Heal 2 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 1 rank, worshiper of a god from a pantheon of gods.
Benefit: Three times per day, you may call upon the power of the gods to heal a creature 1d4 points of damage. This is a supernatural ability, and only works on yourself or other worshipers of gods from the same pantheon.
In addition, Heal is always a class skill for you.
Note: This feat requires you pay proper homage to the pantheon of gods and respect their edicts. Failure to do so strips you of the ability to use this feat until you have atoned for your transgressions, similar to a cleric becoming an ex-cleric.

Show of Faith (Undead)
Your faith keeps the legions of undead away from you
Prerequisites: Wis 13+, Good alignment
Benefits: Just as a cleric has the ability to turn undead, this feat allows you to hold undead at bay by brandishing a blessed holy symbol of your god. This effect duplicates clerical turning (see PHB), with the following exceptions:
You only turn a number of Hit Dice of undead equal to your level.
This effect only lasts for a number of minutes equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1 minute).
You may not destroy undead in this fashion, even if you are twice their Hit Dice in level.
Undead held at bay in this fashion may not move within a 10-ft. radius of you, but otherwise act normally. They do not flee, as per normal rules for turning.
Normal: Only clerics and paladins may turn undead.
Special: You must brandish a divine focus to use this ability.

True Strike
Divination
Level:
Sor/Wiz 1
Components:
V, F
Casting Time:
1 standard action
Range:
Personal
Target:
You
Duration:
See text
You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack. Your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, you are not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target.
Focus: A small wooden replica of an archery target.

[Robert McCraine]

after doing some digging into various pathfinder published books I found a way to make the adept class playable that works out pretty nicely...

Holy Warrior (Ex): A cleric with this ability is proficient with her deity’s favored weapon. In addition, her base attack bonus as a cleric equals her cleric level, and her cleric Hit Die
becomes a d10.
Class Abilities: Some clerics think of themselves more as holy warriors than proselytizers or shepherds. For these clerics, the ability to fight trumps all other concerns. Taking the above ability requires a cleric to give up both of her domains, including her domain powers.

now if an adept takes this he loses the ability to call a familiar. Also, the attack bonus only applies toward his deity's favored weapon.

i have an adept that i am working on that has Erastil as his patron. After reading the entries on that deity I found out that he does indeed have adepts, which fit nicely.

Explorers have reported primitive villages in very remote areas led by adepts of Erastil, but these settlements are no more than two or three families of hunter-gatherers, usually lacking even basic skills in metalworking.

Erastil’s clerics and druids are proficient with the shortbow and the longbow (and the composite versions of each).

and finally keeping with a theme...

Dead-Eye's Bow, lesser: +1 longbow, a worshiper or Erastil may use Dead-Eye's Arrow 3 times per day.

[Robert McCraine]

one correction...the hit die changes to d8 not d10.