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Homebrew Librarian Class

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Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Hey Homebrewers:

For those who may be interested, I have uploaded a page for stats for an alternate class, the librarian, for the Pathfinder RPG. The librarian is an experiment in several aspects of player character making. First, the librarian is essentially a wizard who is limited to spells from the school of divination. This in itself presents two challenges. There weren't any offensive divination spells until Occult Adventures delivered Mind Thrust I through VI and Synapse Overload. Also, there aren't many high-level divination spells. If I did my research right, I found only one ninth-level divination spell: Foresight.

The second experimental feature of the librarian class was tying the class to a faction, "The Community of Librarians", dedicated to a Major Artifact, "The Portable Library". Like other extraplanar repositories of knowledge referenced in Pathfinder (the Akashic Record and Mnemovore), the Portable Library houses an extensive array of information. However, it is unique in two features. It is a work-in-progress, created by mortals rather than gods or outsiders and it possesses a door to every other library in the multiverse. Thus a librarian can use the Portable Library not only for research but also to move from library to library as a druid uses "tree stride" to move from tree to tree, except there is no finite range.

The obvious challenge to the use of the Portable Library as a practical in-game resource was library access. Fortunately, Pathfinder is a game in which libraries frequently appear in Adventure Paths and Modules. To illustrate this point, I compiled (an admittedly incomplete) list of more than 200 libraries pulled from Pathinder Adventure Paths, Modules, Player Companion and Campaign Setting books. Again, the purpose of this list is to illustrate the utility of libraries for transport around Golarion and through-out the planes. It is not intended to provide a complete listing of libraries. I may add to it in the future.

To add personal flavor and diversity within the class of librarians, I relied on their role as information-content generators for the Portable Library. As adventuring librarians progress, they compose a doctoral dissertation, which has five chapters and which will eventually be submitted to the Portable Library. As each chapter of the dissertation is completed (at 2nd, 6th, 10th... level), a new class feature is gained. The feature is unique to the librarians field of study. I put eight sample doctoral dissertations (including phrenology, metaphysics, and material dialectics) on the page as examples. This listing too is incomplete. People write doctoral dissertations about all sorts of diverse and rarefied topics.

Anyway, the class page is located on my blog:

http://poisonpie.com/publishing/rpg/text/librarian.html

The Librarian class is provided on a free and anonymous basis for players of the Pathfinder RPG system. If you have constructive comments, please post in this forum. If you think the librarian is a poor idea, then I encourage you to exercise your better nature and move onto other topics of more interest to you.

Thanks. Enjoy!
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Please post the text as a post.

Otherwise, i realy like.
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Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Bohdan Maksymenko wrote:

Please post the text as a post.

Otherwise, i realy like.

Thanks for the suggestion. There is a fair bit of HTML encoding used to format the Librarian class page (tables, etc.). I don't think I can reproduce that as text in a post in the forums. I had better leave it as a link:

http://poisonpie.com/publishing/rpg/text/librarian.html

Try posting the exact code (the content of the <body> container, specificly) afterall the site supports some text formating tags (like <i>).

Trying doesn't hurt, and some of us have incompatibility issues, especially people with older mobile devices.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Bohdan Maksymenko wrote:

Try posting the exact code (the content of the <body> container, specificly) afterall the site supports some text formating tags (like <i>).

Trying doesn't hurt, and some of us have incompatibility issues, especially people with older mobile devices.

Okay. I tried. I previewed what it would look like and it looks like raw html. These forums do have some formatting capabilities for posts but they are not html compliant. However, if you have a device that can handle these forums, you can handle the librarian page, because that was built exclusively with html. There's no scripts of any kind, no style sheets, etc. The page was carefully formatted with html. Try it and let me know.

Sorry, i have a Nokia 214, doesnt work. I'll try on a computer later. But i, as a son of a doctor of philosophy, really like the idea of a class that lets you be a dean as a class feature.

Don't post the text. Much better to have a single document that contains the most up-to-date version of the class. It gets to be a hassle scrolling through multiple versions of a class that someone has posted. Also, your is only a single click away so it is easy to use.

Your class table includes class features that do not have a write up, such as research, dissertation, and guests. If these are details further down in the document, then please write an brief overview of the class feature along with the other class features and then reference where the rest of the class feature can be found.

All spells from a single school of magic is too narrow. I encourage you to find or create spells from other schools. You might have spells to reconstruct destroyed documents, for words to be written as you dictate, summon writing implements or reference books, make book stronger or resistant to damage, ways to reuse a scroll, to create or dispel glyphs, bring to life a creature from a story, etc. I could keep going, but its your class. Don't make the mistake of limiting this to one school of magic.

The spells per day table notes bonus spells from a specialized school of magic. I would encourage you to do away with this. Would you be open to a point pool that is used to spontaneously cast certain spells and to use librarian-specific magical abilities? There are only so many divination spells that can be used in one day, and I think you have loads of creative room to make other unique abilities.

The entry for bonus languages says that the librarian "chooses" not to learn secret languages. This should be changed. Such a choice should not be made for the librarian. Use the langauage from another class's similar class feature and just say that the librarian cannot learn such languages.

Expand the number of items that can be used for an arcane bond, and remove the requirement for applying for it. A book, monocle, or quill would make a suitable object, and instead of applying, say that the librarian has the ability to create an object that will be identifiable by other members of the librabrian's guild.

The spellbook will obviously be very limited in scope if limited to divination. As compensation, maybe their costs to scribe a new spell in the book is reduced. Maybe their cost to scribe scrolls as well. "All detection" spells shouldn't be bonus spells int he spellbook. If they are that important, let them be cast spontaneously.

I don't like that five bonus feats are frontloaded into the first five levels of the class. Spread it out.

The bonus skill ranks would be simpler, I believe if it were changed to "A librarian gains a bonus on Craft (book) and Profession (librarian) equal to half her level (minimum 1). Maybe let her choose between librarian and scribe.

It looks like the rest of the class features are missing.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Ciaran Barnes wrote:


Your class table includes class features that do not have a write up, such as research, dissertation, and guests. If these are details further down in the document, then please write an brief overview of the class feature along with the other class features and then reference where the rest of the class feature can be found.

All spells from a single school of magic is too narrow. I encourage you to find or create spells from other schools. You might have spells to reconstruct destroyed documents, for words to be written as you dictate, summon writing implements or reference books, make book stronger or resistant to damage, ways to reuse a scroll, to create or dispel glyphs, bring to life a creature from a story, etc. I could keep going, but its your class. Don't make the mistake of limiting this to one school of magic.

The spells per day table notes bonus spells from a specialized school of magic. I would encourage you to do away with this. Would you be open to a point pool that is used to spontaneously cast certain spells and to use librarian-specific magical abilities? There are only so many divination spells that can be used in one day, and I think you have loads of creative room to make other unique abilities.

The entry for bonus languages says that the librarian "chooses" not to learn secret languages. This should be changed. Such a choice should not be made for the librarian. Use the langauage from another class's similar class feature and just say that the librarian cannot learn such languages.

Expand the number of items that can be used for an arcane bond, and remove the requirement for applying for it. A book, monocle, or quill would make a suitable object, and instead of applying, say that the librarian has the ability...

Thanks for your extensive comments. I will read them again in the coming days and think about them. What follows today is only the logic behind some of the decisions that I made that you question.

I used the class pages as http://www.d20pfsrd.com/ as a template. So, every class feature has a write up (of course). In the table, there is a hyperlink directly to the explanation of research, dissertation and guests. There is no scrolling. Just click the hyperlink.

You say that "all spells from a single school of magic is too narrow". Of course, this is a serious restraint. That's why the base classes of Pathfinder don't do this. The librarian class is an experiment in a single-school caster and not just for any school but for divination, arguably the least offense-oriented school! It's part of the fun of playing a librarian.

The spells per day for the specialized school of magic is exactly the same bonus that a wizard would receive for specializing. I didn't alter those rules. The difference is that the librarian can only cast for the specialty school.

I frontloaded the feats because...a spellcaster that can only use divination spells is at an inherent disadvantage to other casters. The front loading of spell focus and spell specialization feats tries to provide balance.

The arcane bond being a library card is important because many of the class features are tied to the Major Artifact, the Portable Library. Without the card, a librarian can't access the Portable Library. Reference to other non-essential but relevant magic items--spectacles, book plates, quills, etc appears later on.

Keep the comments coming. I know that the class is not perfectly balanced. Some doctoral dissertations are clearly more powerful than others...

Thanks again.
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The Pathfinder-compatible Librarian Class at the Poison Pie Publishing House has been expanded over the past year. Numerous additional dissertations have been added, for a current total of nineteen. These dissertations give variety to the librarian as mysteries do for oracles. Also the list of libraries on Golarion through which librarians can travel via the Portable Library has also been updated. The link remains here: Librarian Class.

Since the librarian is a divination-focused caster class, it may be worth mentioning that the Poison Pie Publishing House has also published a couple months ago a treatise on the tools of cleromancy. That link is here: Cleromancy: An Introductory Guide. Some visitors to this forum may enjoy it.

Looks interesting, next campaign I might see if the GM will let me play it, otherwise I'll see about making an NPC.

The one thing I'm not too sure about is the Alignment restrictions, I see no reason why someone of a CG or NG couldn't advance beyond 10th level. I've known a few academics who would be on the side of LE and they tend to be harder to work with than one who is CG or NG.

As an aside, the Library reminds me of the Library of Babel by Jorge Borges.
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It is pretty neat looking. I don't really have any suggestions.. I would probably play it, if I didn't dislike Wizards and such as a gameplay style.

Though..honestly it doesn't make me think of what a Librarian (in our world) has been since the inception of libraries, moreso what librarians have been for the last 300~ years.

Despite the stereotypes of librarians. They don't know a lot, they just know how to find a lot. and despite the image of sitting there reading.. It actually takes a lot of physical work to be a librarian and a lot of random tool assortments. I feel like their would be less spells, more tools and higher BAB. In older to modern times, a librarian's job was a lot harder too. physically.

I feel like Occultist might be a better class to base out of the concept of a Librarian.
At least from my perspective (I haven't been a Librarian that long honestly)
Their various tools remind me of the various aspects of being a Librarian. Ordering, repair, people interaction, metadata, and the like. The various tools/aspects would be a pretty fair way to connect to the artifact you list.

Now that I had a moment to read far more deeper (rather than making a comment based on job works rather than the class)

this turned out pretty long:

I would sugggest "craft ( book binding)" or letter press, rather than "books"

On entering the library. You may wish to state that it is a standard use, or free action, to present. There aer MANY situations where you could be getting dragged through or falling through a "door" or "portal-like construct" that would hurt or kill your character. Depending on what action it is to "present" the card (i.e. free action, or move to get it in hand then free action. or standard action (as per standard magical items) or move to grab and standard to use. etc)
cause it would totally be possible for them to be being pulled through a door by a kraken, escape with the library access. Spend 2 rounds in the library, casting several divination spells that effectively tell them every iota of the situation before coming back to direct their team.
now.. That is seriously cool and I personally have no issue with it. But it should be defined cause so many GMs create table variation when something isn't defined.

I might’ve missed it.. but does the library allow for rentable rooms? Modern libraries have rentable rooms and allow crafts and such in there. The Library could allow for crafting alchemy, potions and the like at their rentable facilities (for a charge maybe? Perhaps affording abonus)
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I would consider writing somewhere that the “once per day” effects reset whenever the spells reset. Simply because a lot of people tend to try to “time game” things in some cases and its really just easier to set a precedent for that
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I love the idea of the Doctorates.
There are some details that throw off normal Pathfinder GAP (generally accepted princpales).
Such as the levels you get the skills, 14 is a bit odd. 10 is.. semi odd? most of the time it is 9 I think.. but there are some 10s.
nothing big about all that though.. just "feels off" to some folks.
Their DC scaling is out of line for normal Pathfinder.. which is generally a bad idea for trying to get it accepted into a game. 1/2lv + Casting stat (int) is more the norm. and is less likely to feel like "aroudn the belt powergaming of a 3rd party class" when askingto use it.
Some of these are pretty much better than others. The summon ones instance. I’m not sure they’d really ever be enough use, of a creature that is useful, to warrant choosing that dissertation. A lot of them are very limited use as well, but I’m not sure worth the limited usage.
(also some things like Temp and Salinity control, are very similar to low level spells, like Create Water, which doesn’t specify much details so I’ve heard of people using it for cold, hot, salty and not water , so the only real boost above that is the amount made. But it doesn’t’ seem to be usable as a water jet to push or trip anyone either)
Material Dialects.. Should not give a straight up item, that can be destroyed or lost, with no methodology for replacement or what to do about that. I would instead, give some effect that gives an enhancement bonus that scales up. Could still take up the slot in some way if one wanted. (NOTE. Always list the bonus type. As it stands I could get this “headband of the librarians” and then craft say, a normal Enhancment bonus to Int item elsewhere for the extra cost and then get considerably more Int than normal because you currently give an untyped bonus) (i.e. as it stands, I could get that headband that the class gives and it would stack with the cyberware that gives an enhancement bonus to Int)
That said the whole dissertation is about some form of items.. but might want to format some sort of rules to handle lost or destroyed interactions, so they don’t’ become dead abilities.

I would half consider allowing a Libriaran to switch their Dissertation by spending some amount of time in the library. Or. Give more uses. I think too many are “once per day” for relatively normal effects compared to school or sorcerer bonuses. Sort of like Peer Review. The librairan spends time reviewing and studying another libriran's work and gains usage of their ability abit
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In general.. I feel like maybe the class lacks actual effects to it? It feels very empty. But maybe I’m not understanding something somewhere
I think I would also potentially suggest an Arcanist style spell choices effect. It would represent a librarian well.. “can get any information with time. But what I know in this given moment is just the last stuff I looked up”
Given the lack of divination spells at an even ish spread, and lack of real attack spells with it and the way Doctorals are set up. I do feel like this would be more suited in a 6th level caster, with more BAB. It would take more work with the spell list.. but currently I feel like there combat side is missing. They have some nice pre fight buffs to INIT and scouting, and some nice ‘add more dice to your friends attack” abilities. But they themselves can’t really do anything
(maybe some sort of “studied” effect for bonus pseudo bab. )

My impression is “the divination spells are kind of just there.. and it’s the Doctorals that are the actual focus of the class” some of which, like Functional Tenticles really..won’t be that useful to a ½ bab class.
For instance. how do you invision “denizens of the icy realms” Librarian contribute throughout the day given the spell list and their study? Sure knows a lot.. but Pathfinder assumes a level of combat contribution.

I really would love to play a librarian in some game.. but I know I would probably never choose the “one a day”dissertations for anything but flavor. I would probably go with Linguistics, or something to sure up combat (maybe material) cause quite often I feel like I wouldn't have anything massive to do..

I added a feat suggestion to a topic elsewhere, The Scientific Method.
Basicly by using the process of observation, theorizing, experimenting, and repeating, each use of a skill becomes +4 more likely to succeed. The skill uses are the experiments, and it allows retries for skills that do not normally allow such.

These Dissertations are a good fit for publishing the results of these experiments. Perhaps it should be a bonus feat for librarians. Reading a dissertation should give a flat +4 to using a skill in a specific situation. You can retain one such bonus per int. bonus point, possibly.

Good to have some free peepins at the Librarian alternate class (plus some cleromancy things) for PF1e out there. ;)
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