| zero_traveler |
So, I made this homebrew up for a 3.5 campaign, because I wanted to try being a blasty CHA-style smartass, and I tried to keep it down to decent levels. The main thrust of it was basically melding Warlock and Dragonfire Adept to fix the worst crunch parts of Warlock while retaining most of the general concept.
It was originally 3.5 set, but I put it through the conversion process recently for a Pathfinder game that is hopefully starting soon.
Would appreciate concerns, questions, thoughts, tweaks, and friendly criticism.
Crystalline Warlock (Warlock Variant)
Hit Die: d8 (as Dragonfire Adept)
Skill points: 4 + Int (as Dragonfire Adept)
Class Skills: Acrobatics, Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Linguistics, Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device.
(As Dragonfire Adept, Perception skills combined into one)
Abilities:
Eldritch Blast: (As Warlock) At Will, make a Ranged touch attack. On a successful attack roll, deal your Eldritch Blast Damage, which begins at 1d6, and gains an additional die of damage every odd level. You may attach one (1) Eldritch Essence Invocation and one (1) Blast Shape Invocation. These modify your Eldritch Blast with additional qualities.
Invocation: (As Warlock) with Exceptions: The Warlock may choose any of the Extant "Spell-Like Abilities" that are classed as "Invocations". This includes Invocations from the Eldritch Theurge, the Dragonfire Adept, the Eldritch Disciple's "Gift of the Divine Patron", and any other class that grants warlock-style "Invocations" (These are all subject to GM Fiat/Veto)
Detect Magic (As Warlock) Detect Magic as the spell, as an At Will ability.
Arcane Crystallization: (Reskinned "Scales" ability from Dragonfire Adept) At 2nd level, and every four levels after, the Magical energies permeating the Warlock's body begin to crystallize on the surface of his skin, hardening into clear, colorful crystals that resemble stained glass. This grants a Natural Armor bonus of +1 at 2nd level, up to +5 at 18th level
Damage Reduction: (As Warlock) At 3rd Level, and every fourth level after, The Warlock gains Damage Reduction. This is a DR 1/Cold Iron at 3rd level , to DR 5/Cold Iron at 19th level
Deceive Item: (As Warlock) At 4th level, the Warlock's connection to Arcane energies allows him to use Magic Items with ease, even in stressful situations. The Warlock may always Take 10 on a Use Magic Device check.
Arcane Resistance: (Replaces Energy resistance) At 8th, 13th, and 18th level, The Warlock begins to shrug off pure arcane energies that target him. He gains Energy resistance 1/2/3 against any untyped or Force Damage from an Arcane source.
Imbue Item: (As Warlock) A warlock of 12th level or higher can use his supernatural power to create magic items, even if he does not know the spells required to make an item (although he must know the appropriate item creation feat). He can substitute a Use Magic Device check (DC 15 + spell level for arcane spells or 25 + spell level for divine spells) in place of a required spell he doesn't know or can't cast. If the check succeeds, the warlock can create the item as if he had cast the required spell. If it fails, he cannot complete the item. He does not expend the XP or gp costs for making the item; his progress is simply arrested. He cannot retry this Use Magic Device check for that spell until he gains a new level.
Arcane Ascension: At 20th level, the Warlock's magical energies burst from his body, burning away the last vestiges of his physical form, and leaving his body with the crystalline skin that has been growing since Crystallization began. He no longer Ages, and gains the Outsider type. He may choose to resume the appearance of his former body, with the crystals gone, but he will have a permanent, crystalline, stained glass sheen to his skin. If slain, he appears on a relevant plane aligned to his own alignment, banished from the plane he was slain on, and can return in a burst of arcane energies after a Year and a Day. If he has friends or followers that are willing to perform a 24 hour ritual to revive him, he can return immediately once the Ritual is complete.
The Crystalline Warlock is a being that was born due to an upwelling of magical power. Perhaps he was born near the site of a great magework or ritual, or perhaps he was exposed to a large number of magical creatures as a child.
No matter what the specifics of their creation, the Crystalline Warlock is a creature whose entire being is suffused with magic. Through learning to command these wild, powerful flows of magic in their body, they discover a great control over magic, being able to command magical effects directly from the aether. The first and easiest method all learn is to gather arcane energies from their body and launch it as a blast of raw power, known as an Eldritch Blast. From this base, they learn to command effects directly, by invoking the very magic in the air around them. These "Invocations" stem from the limitless well of arcane energy the warlock represents, and can emulate a variety of effects.
There is no way to predict which person has the potential to become a Warlock, therefore they come from a wide variety of peoples and races. Theoretically, any of the more magically inclined races would be more likely to be born as the nexus of energies that a Warlock represents, but any race could give rise to these individuals. The "Holy Child" of a temple, the magical Savant of a rural village, or the 'God' of a mountain could all be normal mortals who discovered (or were discovered to have) their own arcane wellspring bubbling to the surface.
As they begin to unlock their power, regular use of their abilities causes their wellspring to strengthen, more and more of the arcane energies filling their bodies. As it becomes too much to hold, the energies begin to seep from their skin and crystallize, leaving them covered in small crystals that resemble stained glass. The more their abilities grow, the more their skin hardens and crystallizes. Eventually, the crystals have grown in such number as they become almost like armor, or a second skin, and the arcane energies trapped within the crystals grant their own benefits over time.
Visual examples:
Example 1: Kite (.Hack)
Note the energy around the hand, gathering for an Arcane blast. (Yes, I know it's his Twilight Bracelet. It's just a visual)
Example 2: Miriam (Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night) The original inspiration for the "Crystallization process"