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SilveryCord
2006-10-15, 12:11 PM
Waning Libra
Leia stood shocked. The Devourer was advancing on John, the rogue, and he was frozen in place, a Ray of Enfeeblement making him unable to move. Was it all the end? Soon he'd be part of that evil thing's body, powering its magic...
Leia only knew of one thing to do. It was risky, but she had no choice. Her body shined brightly, giving up her very soul.
She cast Disintegrate, and the Devourer was quickly no more. John fell over in weakness, his body still recovering.
"Leia... what... happened to your face?"
Leia began to cry, her tears running down the new wrinkles suddenly adorning her face. Her hair had become gray, and she was no longer the young woman that John had loved.

The fires of some souls burn much brighter than others... but they also go out much faster. These souls become Waning Libras, the most powerful casters, but they won't be one for long.

Hit Die
d4.

BAB: 1/2
Will: Good
Ref & Fort: Poor

Class Skills
The Waning Libra's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (All skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis) and Spellcraft (Int).

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Waning Libra.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Waning Libra are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, and light shields.

Vice
At 1st level, a Waning Libra picks one of the following "Vices": Health, Lifespan, or Sanity. A Waning Libra uses her vice to cast spells by draining away whatever her vice is: A Waning Libra who chooses "Health" permanently loses HP to cast spells, for example.
The Health Vice costs permanent HP loss. This cannot be regained even with a Wish or Miracle.
The Lifespan Vice causes the Waning Libra to grow that much older. It does NOT lower her maximum age. This Vice may not be chosen by a creature with an indefinite lifespan.
The Sanity Vice costs Sanity Points, using the Sanity variant found in Unearthed Arcana. Waning Libras do NOT have to pay the normal sanity cost for casting spells in addition to this cost.
Each different vice offers a different amount of Vice Points.
{table]
ViceAmount Used for 1 Vice Point
Health2 HP
Lifespan1/20th of maximum age
Sanity12 Sanity Points
[/table]
However, if a Waning Libra makes many Vice Points at once, they cost slightly less to me made. This is especially true of Sanity loss, were the points lost are equal to the level of the spell being cast.
{table]
ViceAmount Used for 2 Vice Points
Health3 HP
Lifespan2/30ths of maximum age
Sanity14
[/table]
{table]
ViceAmount Used for 3 Vice Points
Health5 HP
Lifespan1/10th of maximum age
Sanity16
[/table]
{table]
ViceAmount Used for 4 Vice Points
Health7
Lifespan1/8th of maximum age
Sanity18
[/table]

Spells
A Waning Libra casts 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th level spells exclusively. She begins to cast 6th level spells at level 1.
A 6th Level Spell costs 1 Vice Point, A 7th Level Spell costs 2 Vice Point, An 8th Level Spell costs 3 Vice Points, and a 9th Level Spell costs 4 Vice Points.
Table: Spells Known
{table]
Level6th7th8th9th
1st1---
2nd2---
3rd2---
4th31--
5th42--
6th42--
7th431-
8th442-
9th442-
10th4431
[/table]
A Waning Libra casts spells spontaneously, paying Vice Points as she goes. The Waning Libra's caster level is equal to the spell being cast, not her actual level divided by 2. (A 6th level spell would count as if it had been cast by a caster with 6 caster levels.) The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Waning Libra's spell is 10 + the spell level + the Waning Libra's Constitution modifier.

Spell List
A Waning Libra can choose any 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th level spell from the Wizard or Sorceror spell list to be known.

Break.
At 2nd level, a Waning Libra chooses from the following list of class abilities:
Bardic Music (Bard)
Rage (Barbarian)
Sneak Attack (Rogue)
Wild Shape (Druid)
The Waning Libra gains those abilities as if a character of the appropriate class, with a level equal to the Waning Libra's level.

Balance.
At 3rd level, a Waning Libra is constantly under the effect of Protection from Good/Evil/Law/Chaos, depending on the Waning Libra's alignment. (A Chaotic Libra has Protection from Law. A True Neutral Libra can choose which protection they gain, but they usually gain Protection from Evil, as they have more to fear from Evil then Good.)

Blood.
Starting at 5th level, as a full round a Waning Libra may do damage to herself in exchange for the ability to add metamagic to the next spell she casts.
By draining blood from herself, the Waning Libra can cast a spell up to three levels above the normal.
By doing 1 damage to herself, she may apply a metamagic that does not change the spell's level.
By doing 10 damage to herself, she may move a spell up one spell level.
By doing 30 damage to herself, she may move a spell up two spell levels.
By doing 50 damage to herself, she may move a spell up three spell levels.
After doing this, even if the Waning Libra is reduced to 0 or below HP, she continues to move for 3d4 rounds, or until she casts a spell (whichever comes first.) The next spell that she casts is the one that the metamagic is applied to.

Birthday.
Starting at 5th level, a Waning Libra may sacrifice part of her lifespan in exchange for metamagic. Unlike the Lifespan vice, this does not age the Waning Libra, but rather shortens the amount of time she has left to live.
By shortening her lifespan half a year, she may apply a metamagic that does not change the spell's level.
By shortening her lifespan by a year, she may move a spell up one spell level.
By shortening her lifespan by 5 years, she may move a spell up two spell levels.
By shortening her lifespan by 10, she may move a spell up three spell levels.
After doing this, the next spell the Waning Libra casts has the metamagic applied to it. If her lifespan is reduced below her age, she dies without casting a spell.

Brain.
Starting at 5th level, a Waning Libra may sacrifice her sanity in exchange for metamagic.
By losing 1 sanity point, she may apply a metamagic that does not change the spell's level.
By losing 10 sanity points, she may move a spell up one spell level.
By losing 12 sanity points, she may move a spell up two spell levels.
By losing 16 sanity points, she may move a spell up three spell levels.
After doing this, even if the Waning Libra is reduced to 0 Sanity, she continues to move as normal for 3d4 rounds, or until she casts a spell (whichever comes first.) The next spell that she casts is the one that the metamagic is applied to.

Ex Libra: A character who takes levels in any other spellcasting or manifesting class instantly loses all of her Waning Libra abilities.
Multiclassed Libra: A character who takes levels in any other class besides Libra may not advance in the Waning Libra class any more. If that character's Waning Libra levels granted an ability from a class, and that character takes that class, that ability and that ability alone stacks. (For example, a Waning Libra who has leveled enough to get +2d6 sneak attack damage and multiclasses into Rogue stacks that sneak attack damage with her sneak attack damage from her Rogue levels)

---
I made it feel a bit safer. More abilities to come, and maybe a way or two to fix the sacrifices made...

Fredderf
2006-10-15, 03:17 PM
Forgive me if you disagree, but this seems to be a class only fit for npcs. The drawbacks will kill a character far too quickly to make them actually used in any rpg longer than several sessions, or they won't cast any spells, being too worried about dying. I like the concept, but perhaps you could weaken it a lot and make the drawbacks far less? The hp augment will also kill nearly anybody after abut 2 spells, unless they break this class w/ an insane CON modifier.

paddyfool
2006-10-15, 03:50 PM
It seems to me to be only playable with Multiclassing - a level three build with 1 level of this and two levels of, oh, let's say Wizard or Monk could get by on a day-to-day basis with the abilities granted by their more regular class and have a level 6 spell held in reserve for extreme situations. But even that would become pretty worthless at high levels. It could be an interesting option if you took away other caster classes, however.

Also, I take it that this does count as Arcane spellcasting, including the risk of spell failure with armour, right?

ishi
2006-10-15, 03:57 PM
Can't see actually playing this class, since the only ability it has destroys the character. It can't physically fight, doesn't have great skills, and can't cast non-selfdestructive spells. Maybe if it could do something decently most of the time, and save these spells for an emergency.

Zeal
2006-10-15, 04:32 PM
Is this a Base Class or PrC? Either way I have a problem with it.

If it's a base class I'm fairly sure it should have level progression up to 20th.

If it's a PrC, I think you need to list the requirements.

However I do like how you've done the Vices, but i'm a little iffy about the health vice…

Over all, a good job, but not quite perfect.

SilveryCord
2006-10-15, 04:46 PM
Forgive me if you disagree, but this seems to be a class only fit for npcs. The drawbacks will kill a character far too quickly to make them actually used in any rpg longer than several sessions, or they won't cast any spells, being too worried about dying. I like the concept, but perhaps you could weaken it a lot and make the drawbacks far less? The hp augment will also kill nearly anybody after abut 2 spells, unless they break this class w/ an insane CON modifier.
Huh. I do disagree, but I suppose an argument could be made either way. I rarely play campaigns with wizards and sorcerors, who truly do outshine this class, but usually play with fun alternatives like incantations, truespeak, etc. etc.
It is more of an NPC class (I haven't finished it) as of now, I suppose, but the entire point was to go all crazy with the idea of a level one character casting Disintegrate on something. Sure, she'll either drain away her life, become older, or become insane, but why not?
I agree on the HP vice. As of now, it is quite overpowered compared to the other two. Lifespan can be beaten by elves or similarly long-living creatures, and insanity has a number of "It's Not That Bad" things going on for it.


It seems to me to be only playable with Multiclassing - a level three build with 1 level of this and two levels of, oh, let's say Wizard or Monk could get by on a day-to-day basis with the abilities granted by their more regular class and have a level 6 spell held in reserve for extreme situations. But even that would become pretty worthless at high levels. It could be an interesting option if you took away other caster classes, however.

Also, I take it that this does count as Arcane spellcasting, including the risk of spell failure with armour, right?
I haven't finished rules about spell failure/etc, but I'd imagine I wouldn't allow it. You're spending your very life on these spells, they better not fail! I'm probably going to have some little piece about multiclassing and the disallowing thereof. The point of this class isn't to play a level 3 character who's decent in combat and has a level 6 spell in reserve. It's to play a fragile person always near death.



Is this a Base Class or PrC? Either way I have a problem with it.

If it's a base class I'm fairly sure it should have level progression up to 20th.

If it's a PrC, I think you need to list the requirements.

However I do like how you've done the Vices, but i'm a little iffy about the health vice…

Over all, a good job, but not quite perfect
Hmm. It's a base class (I can't imagine what it'd be a PrC *of*), but I'm not letting it get to 20 because I'll have to deal with epic spellcasting at non-epic levels, which is a total no-no. I also don't want this class to grow SO slow that it's just getting 9th spells (after having 6th, 7th, and 8th for more than twice as long as normal casters) about the same time as wizards do. I think I'm going to wave my artistic license and keep it at 10, even if it is a base class. Hmm.
I'm definitely adding more class features to this, as soon as I think of some...

Plantae
2006-10-16, 10:38 AM
I would like to mention something in relation to the Lifespan vice. Humanoids with long lifespans irk me, and, that particular vice being the one I like most, the fact that a long-lived creature like an elf can get around it so easily is rather dreary. Not to mention it makes the penalty quite less. I think you should rewrite your lifespan vice to use a percentage of age so it is equal for all races; though, if you do it this way, you might need to give a provision that a waning libra who chooses the lifespan vice must determine their maximum age immediately.

paddyfool
2006-10-16, 01:40 PM
Plantae,

I'd agree with your fractional idea. Another way to do it might be to base it on a fraction of the old age mark, with the DM privately rolling the maximum age and keeping it hidden from the Waning Libra unless she manages to find out by some means of scrying or prophecy about what might be in store for her.

Fax Celestis
2006-10-16, 02:43 PM
What you could do is change it so that the class can effectively raise their class level and cast spells of (up to) three levels higher than normal, at the costs described above. This would make them playable and would represent something closer to the Druids found in the Shannara books.

SilveryCord
2006-10-18, 06:41 PM
Hmm, I'll have to work more to incorporate some of y'all's ideas. But for now, how do you like my changes?

Fredderf
2006-10-20, 10:37 AM
I do have one question: Do you expect any waning libras to survive the campaign? This isn't meant in a negative way, I just really wonder if you expect them to live throughout the entire campaign, multiclass, and use their spells rarely, or if they are meant to be the hero who goes out in glory and dies for their cause.

This might be ann interesting class if you take away Sorc. and Wiz. Could make an iteresting campaign.