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View Full Version : [d20r, Racial Class] Tiefling



Fax Celestis
2009-03-09, 10:49 AM
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Tiefling is an inherited racial class progression that can be applied to a living, corporeal, non-Outsider creature. It represents having an evil-aligned Outsider in one's ancestry. Like any class, a racial class progression does not need to be taken all the way through.

Prerequisites:
Type: Any corporeal, non-Outsider, non-Construct, non-Undead

{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Powers/Auras
1st | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Arcane Absorption, Outsider | -
2nd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Natural Talent | +1 level of existing class[/table]

HD: d8

Skills: 4+Int, 1 set

Prowess: 4 per level.

Proficiencies: Tieflings are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. Tieflings gain no proficiencies with armor or shields.

Arcane Absorption (Su): When a tiefling fully avoids the effects of an arcane spell through spell resistance or making a saving throw, the tiefling can attempt to absorb the spell's effects on them as an immediate action. An absorbed spell that targets an area still affects the entire area: it just has no effect on the tiefling.

When absorbing a spell, the tiefling must make a level check against a DC equal to the spell's caster level. If successful, the tiefling gains an additional charge for one of the following abilities that they possess: Natural Magic, Natural Talent, or Inborn Psionics. Alternatively, the tiefling may immediately expend the energy (a free action) to gain temporary hit points equal to the spell's caster level. On a failed check, the tiefling remains unaffected by the spell but does not gain any benefits.

Outsider: At 1st level, a tiefling creature's type changes to Outsider and they gain the Native and Evil subtypes.

Powers/Auras: At 2nd level, a tiefling gains new powers and increases the power of his existing powers as if he had also gained a level in whatever power-progressing class (such as a rogue) he belonged to before he added the racial class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that he adds the level of tiefling to the level of whatever other power-progressing class the character has, then determines powers known and their power accordingly.

If a character had more than one power-progressing class before he became a tiefling, he must decide to which class he adds each level of tiefling.

Alternatively, at 2nd level, a tiefling gains new auras known and increases the power of his existing auras as if he had also gained a level in whatever aura-progressing class (such as a warlord) he belonged to before he added the racial class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that she adds the level of tiefling to the level of whatever other aura-progressing class the character has, then determines auras known and their power accordingly.

If a character had more than one aura-progressing class before he became a tiefling, he must decide to which class he adds each level of tiefling for the purpose of determining auras known and their power.

Natural Talent: A tiefling has a small pool of talented charges they may tap into daily. A tiefling has one charge per three character levels, minimum one. A charge may be spent as a swift action to activate one of the following abilities:

{table=head]Character Level | Ability
1-3 | +2 bonus on saving throws
4-6 | dodge bonus to Armor Class equal to Intelligence modifier
7-9 | DR/Cold Iron equal to Intelligence modifier
10-12 | Spell Resistance equal to 10 + Intelligence modifier
13-15 | dodge bonus to Armor Class equal to twice your Intelligence modifier
16-18 | DR/Cold Iron and Magic equal to twice your Intelligence modifier
19+ | Spell Resistance equal to 15 + twice Intelligence modifier[/table]

All of these abilities last for a number of rounds equal to the tiefling's Charisma modifier.

Should the tiefling already have Natural Talent as a racial feature (but not Inborn Psionics, Natural Magic, or a similar racial feature), they instead conjoin the two features, using one pool of charges to power both abilities. In essence, the creature adds the new abilities gained from this class to the abilities gained by race.

MammonAzrael
2009-03-09, 12:47 PM
An interesting template/class.

Arcane Absorption is a cool feature, but there are some odd things with it. Why arcane magic only? And since you're doing magic/psionic transparency, does it apply to psionics? And the image of them absorbing a spell through a Reflex save is a bit wonky. Finally, it seems strange that absorbed magical energy is then funneled in a Natural Talent, rather than Natural Magic.

Are your psionic classes still going to use powers? If so, the +1 level of existing class would wind up confusing. Are you intending it to advance powers known for psionic classes?

The Natural Talents are nice, but the list feels small. There are only really four effects on the table, where the Aasimar gets 8. What if the abilities scaled instead, and you added in a couple more abilities? Also the Tiefling as a whole is very defensive, which is very surprising considering their fiendish ancestry. I would've expected them to be much more offensive. This could probably be fixed by giving them some offensive uses for Natural Talent. Or maybe, instead of gaining additional charges through Arcane Absorption, they can fire back a blast of arcane energy.

On a more general topic regarding your Template/Classes, are you worried about having them too strong mechanically as some race/class combos than others? For instance a Halfling Rouge would be a far superior Tiefling than a Gnome Wizard.

Also, I the wording on it feels unclear. If you already have a pool of Natural Talent, do you only get the new abilities to spend those charges on? Do you get the additional 1 per 3 levels of charges to the pool (much too strong). A nice balance might be instead just getting a single extra charge:

If a you already has the Natural Talent feature, you instead add the new abilities granted on the table above to the list of effects you may spend a Natural Talent charge on, and you gain a single extra Natural Talent charge.

Eighth_Seraph
2009-03-10, 09:08 AM
Simple and elegant, though unfortunately not available at first level. Overall, I this interpretation.

Arcane Absorption, combined with some of the Natural Talent applications, make me wonder if you should switch out the the Warlord progression for a Sorcerer progression. There's not a whole lot of Charisma synergy here, but I think the flavor fits better than that of a martial leader. Maybe two paths, one for Natural Talent and another for Natural Magic?

Also, a third level that grants spell resistance wouldn't be amiss, methinks. Would make Arcane Absorption more useful for quite a few people.

MammonAzrael
2009-03-10, 09:39 AM
Simple and elegant, though unfortunately not available at first level. Overall, I this interpretation.

:smallconfused: Where did you get the idea this can't be taken at first level?


Also, a third level that grants spell resistance wouldn't be amiss, methinks. Would make Arcane Absorption more useful for quite a few people.

SR is granted, twice, through it's Natural Talent abilities. Also, the Law/Chaos/Good versions are all two levels,

Fax Celestis
2009-03-10, 01:00 PM
Arcane Absorption is a cool feature, but there are some odd things with it. Why arcane magic only? And since you're doing magic/psionic transparency, does it apply to psionics? And the image of them absorbing a spell through a Reflex save is a bit wonky. Finally, it seems strange that absorbed magical energy is then funneled in a Natural Talent, rather than Natural Magic.Since it specifies "arcane magic only", it doesn't apply to divine magic, psionics, cartomancy, etc. It does apply to wizard spells and spellweaving. If it said "spells", it'd refer to all kinds of magic and would also transparently refer to psionics.


Are your psionic classes still going to use powers? If so, the +1 level of existing class would wind up confusing. Are you intending it to advance powers known for psionic classes?Yeah, I realized that making this. I'll need to rename the rogue powers to something else. Tricks, maybe.


The Natural Talents are nice, but the list feels small. There are only really four effects on the table, where the Aasimar gets 8. What if the abilities scaled instead, and you added in a couple more abilities? Also the Tiefling as a whole is very defensive, which is very surprising considering their fiendish ancestry. I would've expected them to be much more offensive. This could probably be fixed by giving them some offensive uses for Natural Talent. Or maybe, instead of gaining additional charges through Arcane Absorption, they can fire back a blast of arcane energy.Hm. That could be a possibility.


On a more general topic regarding your Template/Classes, are you worried about having them too strong mechanically as some race/class combos than others? For instance a Halfling Rouge would be a far superior Tiefling than a Gnome Wizard.Nope, not worried. After all, certain races make better classes than others (such as your typical halfling rogue, dwarven fighter, half-orc barbarian, etc).


Also, I the wording on it feels unclear. If you already have a pool of Natural Talent, do you only get the new abilities to spend those charges on? Do you get the additional 1 per 3 levels of charges to the pool (much too strong). A nice balance might be instead just getting a single extra charge:

If a you already has the Natural Talent feature, you instead add the new abilities granted on the table above to the list of effects you may spend a Natural Talent charge on, and you gain a single extra Natural Talent charge.Yeah, I'll probably swap that text in.

MammonAzrael
2009-03-10, 01:23 PM
Since it specifies "arcane magic only", it doesn't apply to divine magic, psionics, cartomancy, etc. It does apply to wizard spells and spellweaving. If it said "spells", it'd refer to all kinds of magic and would also transparently refer to psionics.

OK. Though I'm still curious why you went with arcane spells only.I can understand not being able to absorb psionics, but why not divine magic? I would think as Outsiders, they wouldn't have a preference one way or the other.


Nope, not worried. After all, certain races make better classes than others (such as your typical halfling rogue, dwarven fighter, half-orc barbarian, etc).

True.