| Third Strongest Mole |
Since COM was released, all the new stuff for the core classes can't help but make the new classes feel a little thin by comparison. I've been brainstorming how the COM treatment would look for the 3 newer classes, specifically the biohacker, and thought I would share what I have so far here for the enjoyment and input of this forum. Just an exercise for me having fun, but I've got new theorems, new fields of study, and even an alternate class feature mapped out. I'll split them up into multiple posts.
Design goals:
Add variety to the class
New abilities on similar power level to existing ones (meaningful choice)
Abilities that interact with creature companions
Abilities that interact with biotech
New abilities consistent with class Identity
SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: This Homebrew has not been tested in game. It may be hazardous to the balance of your game. Please consult your GM to see if the following homebrew is right for you.
Let's start with the fields of study. I have 3
Fields of Study:
Performance Enhancement:
You apply your biohacks to augment physical abilities, using the fast-acting nature of biohacks as a means of doping.
Booster: you deliver a steroid to augment your ally's natural strength, giving it + 1 to melee attack and damage rolls.
Inhibitor: you deliver a compound that interferes with a living creatures metabolic processes, imposing the fatigued condition.
Breakthrough: You deliver a fast acting stimulant that enables the target living creature to move and think quickly. The target gains the benefits of the haste spell for a number of turns equal to your Key Ability Score Modifier.
Psychoactivation:
You use biohacks to disrupt and improve mental processes.
Booster: With the assistance of a psychoactive compound, the target living creature acquires heightened awareness, gaining blindsense (life) 60 feet.
Inhibitor: You cause hallucinations within a living target. When making attack rolls, it treats all targets as if they had concealment. This is a mind affecting effect.
Breakthrough: You deliver an antipsychotic biohack to a living target. If it is under the effect of an illusion spell or effect, it immediately disbelieves the illusion. In addition, the next time within 1 minute it is a target of a mind-affecting affect that allows a will save, roll twice and use the higher result.
Mutation:
You use biohacks to cause spontaneous mutations in your targets, for both good and ill.
Booster: The target undergoes a rapid evolutionary response to danger. The next time it takes energy damage, gain energy resistance of the same type as the damage equal to half of its character level/CR.
Inhibitor: Target living creature begins to mutate as foreign dna sequences are introduced into its system. It suffers the effects of a level 1 baleful polymorph spell for the duration of the inhibitor. This is a nonmagical transmutation effect.
Breakthrough: You can administer this biohack as a polymorphic serum of item level equal to or less than your biohacker level. The details of the polymorph form must be determined when you prepare your biohacks.
(polymorph ability may need to be restricted. thoughts?)
| Third Strongest Mole |
Theorems:
Improved Biotechnology: Once per day, when you would use a biotech augmentation that has a limited number of uses, do not count that use towards this limit.
(possibly weak, but I think biohacker should have at least one class feature that interacts with biotech)
Gene splicing(2nd level +): If you have a creature companion, you can perform a surgery to grant it one of the following abilities: blindsense (any) 60 ft, +10 ft land speed, 30 ft fly speed, 30 ft swim speed, 30 ft burrowing speed. This surgery requires at least 4 hours uninterrupted work and at least 8 hours rest for the creature modified. This ability can be swapped for another if the surgery is performed again. A given creature companion cannot have more than one of these benefits at a time.
Chemical reactions(2nd level +):The compounds used to create biohacks can also be mixed so as to create volatile reactions. You can use one of your uses of the biohacks as a standard action to instead create and throw a special grenade that deals 1d8 acid or fire damage per 2 biohacker levels in a radius of 15 feet. The save DC for this grenade is as the DC for theorems.
(feedback on damage scaling. The DC will, overall, be higher than that of avg grenade)
Advanced Gene splicing (8th level +): If you have an animal companion, you can perform a surgery to grant it one special ability as if it were another species of animal companion, in addition to its normal abilities. This surgery requires at least 4 hours of uninterrupted work and at least 8 hours rest for the creature modified following. The ability granted can be swapped for another if the surgery is performed again. A given creature cannot have more than one of these benefits at a time. You must have the gene splicing theorem to select this feature.
Poison mastery (14th Level+):
You can quickly turn the compounds an catalysts in your custom microlab into poisons. You create a special poison based on the same principals as your biohacks. The save DC is as determined by your biohacks. Once the poison is applied to the target, it is immune to this poison for 24 hours. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your intelligence modifier.
Biohacker poison
Type: poison (injury) Save: Fortitude (DC varies)
Track: Choose strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, or chariasma (special)
Frequency: 1/round for 3 rounds
Effect The target cannot progress beyond impaired/stiffened
Cure 1 save
(not sure if this is too powerful. Copied the stat block from a vanguard finale.)
Cambrian Explosion:
(I had to give something this name)
Once per day, you create a colony of flesh-eating bacteria that can be used as a weapon against your foes. The bacteria are highly adaptive, and once exposed to a host target, will adapt to eat whatever it is made of, including even nonliving and undead targets. This ability acts as a thrown grenade with a 15 ft explosion radius. All creatures within the radius take damage equal to your biohacker level each round at the end of your turn for a number of turns equal to your intelligence modifier.
| Third Strongest Mole |
Alternate class feature: Wondrous Transformation
(originally named “hideous transformation, perhaps it should be different for people who like this mechanic but don't want to be "hideous")
This one's a doozy. It might be overpowered I don't know, but I had fun writing this up.
Rather than focusing on the specific benefits of unique fields of study, you develop a biohack tailored to your own physiology, capable of creating a unique transformation. The cosmetic effects of this transformation vary wildly between biohackers. Your body may sprout additional limbs, gain new organs, and even change size and shape completely, though you have the sense to modify your equipment so that it remains useable in both forms. You may transform yourself as a standard action, granting the following benefits:
You gain temporary hit points equal to your biohacker level
You gain a natural weapon that deals either slashing, bludgeoning, or piercing damage, per the racial trait. When attacking with this natural weapon, apply the bonus from injection expert to your attack rolls.
You select additional benefits for your transformation at each odd level, including first.
Transforming takes a standard action and consumes all remaining uses of your biohack class feature. You cannot use the hideous transformation if you have no uses of the biohack class feature remaining. The transformation lasts 3 rounds +1 for each biohack consumed.
This ability replaces primary, secondary, and tertiary fields of study, breakthroughs, spark of ingenuity, and resolve analysis. (note: you still have basic biohacks!)
Alleles: select an allele at each odd biohacker level. These are abilities available to you only while transformed into your hideous transformation.
1st Level: these alleles can be selected at first level onward
Locomotion: Gain a fly speed, burrow speed, or swim speed of 30 feet while transformed. at 10th level, increase this speed to 40 feet.
Heightened senses: Gain blindsense(sound, scent, or vibration) of 60 feet. At 10th level, this becomes blindsight (sound, scent, or vibration) 60 feet.
Resistant skin: gain energy resistance 5 to 2 types of energy that stack with up to 1 other source
Durable skin: gain damage reduction 5/-. This stacks with up to one other source
Survival instinct: Once per day, When you are reduced to 0 hit points, continue acting normally until the end of your next turn, then fall unconscious. If you take additional damage before this, fall unconscious immediately.
Sticky ooze: As a standard action, target a 5 foot radius within 30 feet. That area becomes difficult terrain. At 10th level, this becomes a 10 foot radius.
7th level: these genes are available from 7th level onward
Pheremone cloud: As a standard action, you can release a cloud of pheremones within a 30 foot radius around you. All enemy creatures within the radius must move toward you to the extent they are able if they fail a will saving throw. Once a creature has been exposed to the pheremone, it is immune to this ability for 24 hours.
Breath weapon: gain a breath weapon that deals 1d8 damage per 2 biohacker levels in a 15 ft cone. (reflex save half) Select the type of energy damage it deals when you transform. You may use this ability once every 1d4 rounds.
Extreme adaptation: As long as you are transformed, you are immune to environmental effects of extreme cold, extreme heat, radiation, and vacuum
Heightened awareness: gain +1 to reflex saves and become unflankable.
Extra arms: Gain 2 additoinal arm-like appendages, with enough fine motor control to wield weapons.
11th level:
Radioactive: You emit an aura of low-level radiation while transformed. Creaturese within 10 feet of you must succeed at a fortitude save or become sickened. this condition ends once they are more than 10 ft from you.
Grasping tentacle: Your natural weapon gains the reach and grab properties.
Regeneration: gain fast healing 5.
Evolved mind: Take 10 on intelligence-based and wisdom-based checks even when threatened or distracted. Additionally, gain telepathy (60 ft).
Extraordinary senses: You gain sense through 30 feet with any one sense available to you.
15th level:
Null-Magic adaptation: gain spell resistance 20
Evolve biotech: As long as you are transformed, gain one biotech augmentation with item level equal to or less than your biohacker level in any system you do not have an augmentation installed. You may select this augmentation again each time you transform.
Quantum Tunneling: You can phase through up to 15 feet of solid material as a full action. As a reaction, you can gain concealment against any nonmagical attack that does not have the force descriptor
Terrifying Visage: Gain the frightful presence ability with a range of 30 feet and a will save DC equal to your class ability DC. (10 + ½ biohacker level + KAS modifier).
Flawless Beauty: Allies within 30 feet of you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on saving throws.