Calyn
2004-07-14, 05:15 PM
Here's my entry into this contest. Let me know what you all think. This is also my first attempt at making a prestige class.
Uzarius laughed at his predicament. These silly city-dwellers obviously underestimated him greatly. He looked around the cell, nominally called “the hole” by local townsfolk, that he found himself currently in. Burning down the building housing town records was a feat he had already managed. However, making it seem like a random act, and on top of that doing so without getting caught had apparently been a little beyond even his abilities. The fire had not been discovered until too late to save their census and tax information, but his own desire to watch the flames had given him away.
No matter. Now they had thrown him in the hole, the place where they stuck any criminal deemed “too dangerous to be in the general population”. Here there was a murderer who slew an entire family and reveled in their blood; over there a notorious pair of thieves talked quietly of what they would steal when they finally broke out. This dank room was full of the vicious, the monstrous and the criminal. Not just evil ones were stuck here though. Cowering near one wall was a man Uzarius recognized as having once given a speech in the town square. He spoke of his discovery that the Baron made deals with a demon, and had been dabbling in forbidden necromancies. He nearly had the peasantry ready to storm the keep before the guards showed up and defused the situation. Rumor says he was discredited as a liar and sent packing from town. Apparently rumor was wrong, and the Baron had him locked up before him could give away any more dirty secrets.
Either way, the city fools didn’t realize what a mistake they’d made by throwing Uzarius in their most important cell. It was a rough lot in here, and it took the cracking of a few heads before the more belligerent were willing to leave him alone. As night fell he crept over to a set of hand-holds that had been poorly carven into the stone wall by a previous occupant. He hoisted himself up to where he could touch the large, steel plate they covered the top with to prevent escape, Uzarius placed his hands directly upon it. A glance back saw a few weary faces, mostly scoffing at the man who would try to open such a heavy blockade.
Uzarius closed his eyes, and let his senses permeate the metal. He could feel the strange energies that constantly surrounded him now, slowly pouring into the plate. Whatever strange bonds held the metal in one piece, began to snap and shift through the intervention of this power. After a few moments, he removed his hands and looked at his work. The metal seemed to shift and sway in places, as though it could barely hold itself together.. Three sharp blows from his hands and the plate shattered into fragments, tinkling down to the floor beneath.
“So, lads, who’s up for a jailbreak?”
Calynite – Warrior of Entropy
This PrC is a based off of a base class that a friend and I came up with, and I played in his world. The basic idea is that of a modified paladin, this one devoted purely to increasing chaos. The original character worshipped a god of entropy, and saw it as his duty to bring the bastions of order crashing down. The first man to take up this duty is known only as “Calyn”. Legends tell that he was born a petty thief. One day, he came upon a jewel in an old ruined temple. He quickly discovered that the jewel was in fact a prison for a powerful god of entropy who had been trapped there by an even greater god of law for an act he had committed against the law god’s temples. Together, Calyn and his entrapped god were able to bring down the law god’s entire religion. Since then all who follow in his footsteps have taken his name up as their own.
Calynites are known for their ability to wreak great havoc in whatever situation they find themselves in (combat, diplomacy, etc); while at the same time their own chaotic natures make them inherently frail. This accounts for the lowered hit dice, and altered favorite save over a paladin or blackguard.
It’s important to note that this character is *not* chaotic evil. Calynites are rarely just interested in wanton destruction. Rather, they are the elite focused warriors of chaos. They’re the ones that figure out which stone you can pull out that will make the entire wall tumble over, not the ones beating their fists against the wall. They’re frequently anarchists, devoting themselves to tearing down governments, religious institutions, guilds, or any organization they feel needs to be broken. They are the Tyler Durden’s, the elite hackers, the crazed revolutionaries of the D&D world.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Calynite, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Skills: Bluff 5 ranks, Disguise 3 ranks, and
Forgery 3 ranks.
Feats: Cleave, Improved Sunder, Power Attack.
Special: Must have had contact with a powerful being or deity of chaos, and been appointed to the position.
Class Skills
The Calynite’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Ride (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
{table]
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
1
+1
+0
+2
+0
Aura of chaos, detect chaos, increased damage
2
+2
+0
+3
+0
Zone of chaos +1
3
+3
+1
+3
+1
Entropic shield 1/day
4
+4
+1
+4
+1
Increased damage +4
5
+5
+1
+4
+1
Broken chains
6
+6
+2
+5
+2
Zone of chaos +2
7
+7
+2
+5
+2
Structural decay
8
+8
+2
+6
+2
Increased damage +6
9
+9
+3
+6
+3
Entropic field
10
+10
+3
+7
+3
Calyn's cloak 1/day
[/table]
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Calynites are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields.
Class Skills
Aura of Chaos (Ex): The power of a Calynite’s aura of chaos (see the detect chaos spell) is equal to his class level plus his cleric level, if any.
Detect Law (Sp): At will, a Calynite can use detect law as a spell-like ability, duplicating the effect of the detect good spell.
Increased Damage (Su): As the Calynite learns to tap into the primal energies of chaos, he becomes able to direct these destructive forces at structures and creatures around him. Any damage he deals to a living creature or object is increased by 2 at level 1, two more at level 4 and ends up totaling 6 at level 7. This bonus damage bypasses damage reduction, but does not count towards the total damage needed to overcome it.
Zone of Chaos (Su): The chaotic energies surrounding a Calynite begin to affect the magical energies that he uses. At 2nd level, the Calynite gets +1 to all rolls to overcome SR, and +1 to the DC of all his spells. At 6th level, this increases to +2.
Spells: A Calynite has the ability to cast a small number of spells. Some are from the divine list, some from the arcane, but all are considered divine when he casts them. To cast a Calynite spell, a Calynite must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so a Calynite with Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Calynites have a very small selection of available spells, but may cast them all spontaneously, similar to how a sorcerer casts.
Entropic Shield (Sp): The Calynite has the ability to cast Entropic Shield, as the spell, once per day. His Calynite level is the caster level of the spell.
Broken Chains (Sp): At this point the Calynite has started to become a force of chaos. He now has the ability to break the magical control (“chains”) that one can have over another. This power takes effect in two ways. He can use this power as often as a cleric of two levels lower can turn undead. Any ability he has to turn undead from previous cleric levels are added to this total, and he can no longer use that ability to do so.
The first way it manifests is to disrupt turn/rebuke/command undead effects. The Calynite makes a roll as though he was attempting to turn the targeted undead, as though he were a cleric 2 levels lower. If he succeeds, the affected undead are now immune to any attempt to be turned/rebuked/commanded, and any current turn/rebuke/command in place ends immediately. This effect lasts for 1 round per Calynite level.
The second way this ability can take effect is to cancel mental compulsions. The Calynite can expend one use of this ability for the day to attempt to cancel any currently existing mental compulsion spell, and end the mental compulsion granted by summoning spells. These spells are: any Charm spell, any Geas spell, the Dominate Person spell, any Suggestion spell, any Summon spell, and any and all similar psionic abilities. Using this ability in this way has a touch range. At this point, a new will save is rolled, with a +2 bonus. This save is rolled using either the subjects will save, or the Calynite’s, whichever is higher. If the save is successful, the spell ends immediately. This may or may not cause the subject to attack the caster, it is DM’s discretion. Regardless, the subject no longer need follow the commands of the original caster.
Structural Decay (Su): A Calynite can now direct chaotic energy into large structures. Once per day equal to the Calynite’s charisma bonus, he may use this ability. To do so, he must spend at least 1 minute in concentration, and in physical contact with the targeted object or structure. Afterwards, the Calynite may make one full attack action at the designated target. This attack ignores hardness and damage reduction of the target.
Entropic Field (Su): The Calynite’s chaotic aura has become so strong at this point, that the ordered structure of magic begins to break down around him. Any magical effect which takes place within a 10 foot radius, centered on the Calynite, now has a 10% chance to fail as though all within the radius had successfully used SR. Note: This ability is not something that can be turned off, and it affects spells and spell-like abilities used by the Calynite as well as those cast by others.
Calyn’s Cloak (Sp): Once per day, the Calynite may use this ability to duplicate that of the spell Cloak of Chaos. This ability lasts for 1 round / level of Calynite. Unlike the spell, however, this effect only applies to the Calynite, not to others nearby.
Calynite Spell List
Calynites choose their spells from the following list:
1st Level: disguise self, lesser confusion, magic weapon, and silent image.
2nd Level: align weapon, invisibility, minor image, shatter
3rd Level: confusion, dispel magic, displacement, major image
4th Level: break enchantment, chaos hammer, dispel law, non-detection
Spells per day - 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
lvl 1 - 0, -, -, -
lvl 2 1, -, -, -
lvl 3 1, 0, -, -
lvl 4 1, 1, -, -
lvl 5 1, 1, 0, -
lvl 6 1, 1, 1, -
lvl 7 2, 1, 1, 0
lvl 8 2, 1, 1, 1
lvl 9 2, 2, 1, 1
lvl 10 2, 2, 2, 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wahoo! Finally got it!
Alright, please read, review, and post suggestions. ;D
Uzarius laughed at his predicament. These silly city-dwellers obviously underestimated him greatly. He looked around the cell, nominally called “the hole” by local townsfolk, that he found himself currently in. Burning down the building housing town records was a feat he had already managed. However, making it seem like a random act, and on top of that doing so without getting caught had apparently been a little beyond even his abilities. The fire had not been discovered until too late to save their census and tax information, but his own desire to watch the flames had given him away.
No matter. Now they had thrown him in the hole, the place where they stuck any criminal deemed “too dangerous to be in the general population”. Here there was a murderer who slew an entire family and reveled in their blood; over there a notorious pair of thieves talked quietly of what they would steal when they finally broke out. This dank room was full of the vicious, the monstrous and the criminal. Not just evil ones were stuck here though. Cowering near one wall was a man Uzarius recognized as having once given a speech in the town square. He spoke of his discovery that the Baron made deals with a demon, and had been dabbling in forbidden necromancies. He nearly had the peasantry ready to storm the keep before the guards showed up and defused the situation. Rumor says he was discredited as a liar and sent packing from town. Apparently rumor was wrong, and the Baron had him locked up before him could give away any more dirty secrets.
Either way, the city fools didn’t realize what a mistake they’d made by throwing Uzarius in their most important cell. It was a rough lot in here, and it took the cracking of a few heads before the more belligerent were willing to leave him alone. As night fell he crept over to a set of hand-holds that had been poorly carven into the stone wall by a previous occupant. He hoisted himself up to where he could touch the large, steel plate they covered the top with to prevent escape, Uzarius placed his hands directly upon it. A glance back saw a few weary faces, mostly scoffing at the man who would try to open such a heavy blockade.
Uzarius closed his eyes, and let his senses permeate the metal. He could feel the strange energies that constantly surrounded him now, slowly pouring into the plate. Whatever strange bonds held the metal in one piece, began to snap and shift through the intervention of this power. After a few moments, he removed his hands and looked at his work. The metal seemed to shift and sway in places, as though it could barely hold itself together.. Three sharp blows from his hands and the plate shattered into fragments, tinkling down to the floor beneath.
“So, lads, who’s up for a jailbreak?”
Calynite – Warrior of Entropy
This PrC is a based off of a base class that a friend and I came up with, and I played in his world. The basic idea is that of a modified paladin, this one devoted purely to increasing chaos. The original character worshipped a god of entropy, and saw it as his duty to bring the bastions of order crashing down. The first man to take up this duty is known only as “Calyn”. Legends tell that he was born a petty thief. One day, he came upon a jewel in an old ruined temple. He quickly discovered that the jewel was in fact a prison for a powerful god of entropy who had been trapped there by an even greater god of law for an act he had committed against the law god’s temples. Together, Calyn and his entrapped god were able to bring down the law god’s entire religion. Since then all who follow in his footsteps have taken his name up as their own.
Calynites are known for their ability to wreak great havoc in whatever situation they find themselves in (combat, diplomacy, etc); while at the same time their own chaotic natures make them inherently frail. This accounts for the lowered hit dice, and altered favorite save over a paladin or blackguard.
It’s important to note that this character is *not* chaotic evil. Calynites are rarely just interested in wanton destruction. Rather, they are the elite focused warriors of chaos. They’re the ones that figure out which stone you can pull out that will make the entire wall tumble over, not the ones beating their fists against the wall. They’re frequently anarchists, devoting themselves to tearing down governments, religious institutions, guilds, or any organization they feel needs to be broken. They are the Tyler Durden’s, the elite hackers, the crazed revolutionaries of the D&D world.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Calynite, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Skills: Bluff 5 ranks, Disguise 3 ranks, and
Forgery 3 ranks.
Feats: Cleave, Improved Sunder, Power Attack.
Special: Must have had contact with a powerful being or deity of chaos, and been appointed to the position.
Class Skills
The Calynite’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Ride (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
{table]
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
1
+1
+0
+2
+0
Aura of chaos, detect chaos, increased damage
2
+2
+0
+3
+0
Zone of chaos +1
3
+3
+1
+3
+1
Entropic shield 1/day
4
+4
+1
+4
+1
Increased damage +4
5
+5
+1
+4
+1
Broken chains
6
+6
+2
+5
+2
Zone of chaos +2
7
+7
+2
+5
+2
Structural decay
8
+8
+2
+6
+2
Increased damage +6
9
+9
+3
+6
+3
Entropic field
10
+10
+3
+7
+3
Calyn's cloak 1/day
[/table]
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Calynites are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields.
Class Skills
Aura of Chaos (Ex): The power of a Calynite’s aura of chaos (see the detect chaos spell) is equal to his class level plus his cleric level, if any.
Detect Law (Sp): At will, a Calynite can use detect law as a spell-like ability, duplicating the effect of the detect good spell.
Increased Damage (Su): As the Calynite learns to tap into the primal energies of chaos, he becomes able to direct these destructive forces at structures and creatures around him. Any damage he deals to a living creature or object is increased by 2 at level 1, two more at level 4 and ends up totaling 6 at level 7. This bonus damage bypasses damage reduction, but does not count towards the total damage needed to overcome it.
Zone of Chaos (Su): The chaotic energies surrounding a Calynite begin to affect the magical energies that he uses. At 2nd level, the Calynite gets +1 to all rolls to overcome SR, and +1 to the DC of all his spells. At 6th level, this increases to +2.
Spells: A Calynite has the ability to cast a small number of spells. Some are from the divine list, some from the arcane, but all are considered divine when he casts them. To cast a Calynite spell, a Calynite must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so a Calynite with Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Calynites have a very small selection of available spells, but may cast them all spontaneously, similar to how a sorcerer casts.
Entropic Shield (Sp): The Calynite has the ability to cast Entropic Shield, as the spell, once per day. His Calynite level is the caster level of the spell.
Broken Chains (Sp): At this point the Calynite has started to become a force of chaos. He now has the ability to break the magical control (“chains”) that one can have over another. This power takes effect in two ways. He can use this power as often as a cleric of two levels lower can turn undead. Any ability he has to turn undead from previous cleric levels are added to this total, and he can no longer use that ability to do so.
The first way it manifests is to disrupt turn/rebuke/command undead effects. The Calynite makes a roll as though he was attempting to turn the targeted undead, as though he were a cleric 2 levels lower. If he succeeds, the affected undead are now immune to any attempt to be turned/rebuked/commanded, and any current turn/rebuke/command in place ends immediately. This effect lasts for 1 round per Calynite level.
The second way this ability can take effect is to cancel mental compulsions. The Calynite can expend one use of this ability for the day to attempt to cancel any currently existing mental compulsion spell, and end the mental compulsion granted by summoning spells. These spells are: any Charm spell, any Geas spell, the Dominate Person spell, any Suggestion spell, any Summon spell, and any and all similar psionic abilities. Using this ability in this way has a touch range. At this point, a new will save is rolled, with a +2 bonus. This save is rolled using either the subjects will save, or the Calynite’s, whichever is higher. If the save is successful, the spell ends immediately. This may or may not cause the subject to attack the caster, it is DM’s discretion. Regardless, the subject no longer need follow the commands of the original caster.
Structural Decay (Su): A Calynite can now direct chaotic energy into large structures. Once per day equal to the Calynite’s charisma bonus, he may use this ability. To do so, he must spend at least 1 minute in concentration, and in physical contact with the targeted object or structure. Afterwards, the Calynite may make one full attack action at the designated target. This attack ignores hardness and damage reduction of the target.
Entropic Field (Su): The Calynite’s chaotic aura has become so strong at this point, that the ordered structure of magic begins to break down around him. Any magical effect which takes place within a 10 foot radius, centered on the Calynite, now has a 10% chance to fail as though all within the radius had successfully used SR. Note: This ability is not something that can be turned off, and it affects spells and spell-like abilities used by the Calynite as well as those cast by others.
Calyn’s Cloak (Sp): Once per day, the Calynite may use this ability to duplicate that of the spell Cloak of Chaos. This ability lasts for 1 round / level of Calynite. Unlike the spell, however, this effect only applies to the Calynite, not to others nearby.
Calynite Spell List
Calynites choose their spells from the following list:
1st Level: disguise self, lesser confusion, magic weapon, and silent image.
2nd Level: align weapon, invisibility, minor image, shatter
3rd Level: confusion, dispel magic, displacement, major image
4th Level: break enchantment, chaos hammer, dispel law, non-detection
Spells per day - 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
lvl 1 - 0, -, -, -
lvl 2 1, -, -, -
lvl 3 1, 0, -, -
lvl 4 1, 1, -, -
lvl 5 1, 1, 0, -
lvl 6 1, 1, 1, -
lvl 7 2, 1, 1, 0
lvl 8 2, 1, 1, 1
lvl 9 2, 2, 1, 1
lvl 10 2, 2, 2, 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wahoo! Finally got it!
Alright, please read, review, and post suggestions. ;D