AdInfinitum
2005-07-10, 09:48 PM
I've been working on this PrC off and on for a month. I get the feeling that it is horribly overpowered, but it's really hard for me to judge. Also, since the PC should be at least level 20 when the progression is complete, it feels like there should be some power there...
Also, the name was the best I could come up with, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck :P
Any suggestions on balance and new names not only encouraged but begged for.
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Boltborn – A half-humorous combat-oriented prestige class based on dual-wielding hand crossbows. Yep. What we have here is a (really-)old-fashioned gunslinger.
They were the longest five seconds of my life.
It was supposed to be a perfect ambush. My unit was arrayed along a wide pathway in the old ruins. There were so many nooks and crannies in the ruined stonework that each member of the group was able to have their own foxhole. The entrance would be destroyed once the target entered the ruins, and the only other way out would be past us. The target was a specialist in ranged combat, and surely couldn’t compete with any of our swords in close quarters; his only escape would be to run past our waiting arrows. Whiren, our quartermaster, set up a pool on how far down the passage the target would reach before being taken down. The furthest anyone bet was forty feet.
I took a nice little hole a hundred feet in, still near the middle of the company but far enough that I probably wouldn’t see any action. That was fine with me; I was more interested in the mausoleum than the mark. I hadn’t had long to study before I heard the sound of battle. Reluctantly, I started to put away my kit... and froze. By the sound of it, the battle wasn’t over yet, and it was getting closer. Without a weapon ready, I looked to the hallway.
What I saw…What I saw was a gnome in midstride. He was dressed all in black – the lenses on his eyes, the leather armor around his chest, the long cloak billowing behind him, even the crossbow in each hand. As I watched, arrows rushed to meet him and missed, apparently unwilling to profane his glorious vestments. He fired shot after shot, the bolts apparently jumping into his crossbows for the honor of being used by this man. He seemed to be walking in slow motion, moving slowly past me… then he was gone, and I was in shock.
When I recovered, I nervously poked my head into the passage proper. The target was gone, but his presence still permeated the room. A few corpses were in plain sight, pieces of wood sticking from their eyes, but more common was the single, unmoving arm, and the pool of blood emanating from around it. In two minutes, the entire floor was covered by my friends’ blood. I retrieved my archaeology kit and left.
You might think that my strange interest saved my life, but I am just as damned as the rest of my company. The beauty of this fighter, the very perfection of design..! It seems as if every moment of history is pointing towards this marksman as being the culmination point. I must find him again, must learn the secret of this dance. I will never be fit to join my comrades in that mausoleum until I do.
Character description pending
Background: The whole idea started back a few years ago when a friend mentioned a character build he had always wanted to try: Fighter 15 / Deepwood Sniper 10 with two hand crossbows. The smile on his face when he explained the build (“Gunslinger!”) was memorable. There were some problems with that though, namely the problems with reloading two hand crossbows, even with a rapid reload feat. (At least, I haven’t been able to find anything that would make it work). Besides, a fighter of that style really deserves its own prestige class, don’t you think?
There were three main base classes that I wanted to make this for – the fighter, obviously; the rogue, and the monk (perhaps with zen archery).
Requirements: To qualify to become a boltborn, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Base Attack Bonus: +7
Skills: Spot 5 ranks, Tumble 5 ranks, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 13 ranks
Feats: Rapid Reload [hand crossbow], Two Weapon Fighting
Lv BAB F R W Special
1 1 0 2 0 Dance of Glory, Uncanny Reload
2 2 0 3 0 Circumvent Barriers, Fluid Ambidexterity
3 3 1 3 1 Ranged Sneak Attack +1D6
4 4 1 4 1 Ranged Knockback
5 5 1 4 1 Doublestrike
6 6 2 5 2 Ranged Sneak Attack +2D6
7 7 2 5 2 Flexible Strike
8 8 2 6 2 Unerring Aim
9 9 3 6 3 Ranged Sneak Attack +3D6
10 10 3 7 3 Danse Macabre, Whirl of Wonder
Dance of Glory (Ex): When dual-wielding a pair of hand crossbows, a boltborn takes on an almost mythic quality. Her intuition will in time become legendary, her ability to avoid attacks even more so.
She adds 1 point of charisma bonus (if any) per boltborn level as an insight bonus to her AC and 1 point of wisdom bonus (if any) per boltborn level as an insight bonus to her initiative. She loses this bonus while wearing medium or heavy armor or carrying more than a light load.
Uncanny Reload (Ex): Boltborn are well known for the never-ceasing barrage of bolts they can launch at their enemies, seemingly never having to reload. Reloading a hand crossbow no longer provokes an attack of opportunity. Furthermore, while dual-wielding hand crossbows, a Boltborn still enjoys the full benefits of the Rapid Reload feat, even though she does not have a free hand!
Circumvent Barriers (Ex): To a boltborn, “Take cover!” is just a pleasant way of saying “Shoot me in an overly dramatic way!” Beginning at second level, as a move equivalent action, a boltborn may apply their wisdom modifier (if positive) as a penalty to a creature’s cover bonus to AC against the boltborn’s attacks that round. This does not reduce the cover bonus to less than zero, nor does it cause the target to be denied her dexterity bonus to AC. This has no effect on targets with total cover.
Fluid Ambidexterity (Ex): A boltborn is a deadly opponent, no matter which shaft you are looking down. Starting at second level, a boltborn may attack with any one of her hand crossbows each round as if her other hand crossbows were off-hand. When using the full attack option, she may also choose to make some or all of her additional attacks granted by feats, spells or a high base attack bonus each round using an off-hand crossbow instead of her primary attack.
Ranged Sneak Attack (Ex): A single shot by any normal fighter is rarely enough to drop even the weakest of foes. A single shot by a boltborn is often enough to drop that foe even before they realize they’ve been hit.
At third level, when making a ranged attack against a flanked opponent or an opponent denied their dexterity bonus to armor class, a boltborn deals an additional +1D6 of damage to that creature. This is the same ability as Sneak Attack, except it only works when making ranged attacks. If the boltborn has a sneak attack bonus from another source, these bonuses stack when making ranged attacks.
Ranged Knockback (Ex): Perhaps the most well-known of the boltborn’s abilities, this affects those unfortunate enough to be her target. Each of the boltborn’s attacks come riding on a wave of force that often knocks her enemy off their feet. the effect came from the weapon itself, the boltborn would be thrown backwards even farther than her target; therefore, it is safe to assume that the force that comes from the Boltborn’s own force of personality!
Whenever a boltborn of at least fourth level hits an enemy with a bolt from a hand crossbow, that character must immediately succeed on a fortitude save (DC 10 + the boltborn’s class level + the boltborn’s Charisma modifier) or be pushed back five feet as if bull rushed; if a character fails their saving throw by 20 or more, that character is also knocked prone. Each of the target’s size categories greater than medium provides the target with a +4 bonus to the save, while each size category less than medium provides a -2 penalty. Additionally, whenever a character succeeds on a saving throw to resist being knocked back, they then take a -2 penalty to each subsequent save that round. This penalty is cumulative with itself.
Double Strike (Ex): As a standard action, a fifth level boltborn may make one attack roll at her highest base attack bonus with each hand crossbow she wields. A boltborn may target multiple enemies, but each target beyond the first causes a cumulative -5 penalty to the attack roll.
Flexible Strike (Ex): Whenever a seventh level or higher boltborn attacks with a hand crossbow, she may forgo a number of sneak attack die this turn up to her wisdom modifier (if positive). The weapon’s range increment, as well as the range of precision-based attacks for the Boltborn such as sneak attacks, is increased this turn by 15’ per die of damage forsaken this way.
Unerring Shot (Ex): flavor pending As a move-equivalent action, an eighth-level boltborn may apply her wisdom modifier (if positive) as a penalty against a target creature’s dodge bonus to AC against the boltborn’s attacks that round. This does not reduce the dodge bonus to less than zero, nor does it ever deny the target their dexterity bonus to AC. Creatures with cover are immune to this effect.
Danse Macabre (Ex): flavor pending At tenth-level, the number of five foot steps a boltborn may take each round is equal to her dexterity bonus (if positive), up to a total distance of (her normal speed - 10) feet.
Whirl of Wonder (Su): A boltborn who has reached the pinnacle of her craft is a truly awesome sight to behold. The mere sight of a boltborn in action is enough to make some people stop and go “Ooooo…..”
The first round each week that a character is engaged in a battle with a Boltborn, that character must make a will save (DC: 10 + half the boltborn’s class level, rounded down + the boltborn’s Charisma modifier) or be stunned for that round. Prolonged exposure, such as that of a boltborn’s ally, negates this effect.
Reasonings/Doubts:
1: Uncanny Reload: Nescessary for the concept. Perhaps the prevention of AoO should come later?
1: Dance of Glory: The Cha bonus to AC seemed perfectly in flavor for the class, but the Wis bonus to initiative might (well, probably is) too much. Split it? Drop it? Even split, it might still be too much with everything else the class gets…
2: Circumvent Barriers: It seemed like a pretty neat thing to have, not overpowered, and certainly in flavor for the class.
2: Fluid Ambidexterity: Seemed like a nice, not overpowered ability in keeping with the flavor of the class. Might be better as a separate feat though…and one of the abilities at second level could probably stand to be cut.
3: Ranged Sneak Attack: Really, really should be Precise Strike. But a) Ranged sneak attack is sort of (well, can be) in flavor, b) Precise Strike is so much more powerful, and c) Precise Strike usually advances every five levels, leaving only two dice and making Flexible Strike less useful in straight fighter builds.
4: Ranged Knockback: I’ve already received a suggestion to make this trigger a limited number of times per day, just because opposed rolling might take too long. Perhaps if there was only one save per round per target, and each attack that hits creates more of a penalty? But you have to have something like it. The myth of the knockback bullets is such a part of gunslinger lore…
5: Double Strike: One of the first things that concerned me about the class being overpowered, but it is a decent midway ability that ties into but is not completely outdated by a tenth level ability.
7: Flexible Strike: One of the major ideas I had. 30’ really isn’t far enough for a gunslinger, which is one of the major things my friend’s original suggestion of Deepwood Sniper addressed…
8: Unerring Shot: Similar of course to Circumvent Barriers, I personally like this because it shows progression from early to late in the class.
10: Danse Macabre: One of the first things I think of with a gunslinger is mobility. Even those of the terminator model instead of the matrix model were still unstoppable forces…always moving, and certainly making a lot of shots.
10: Whirl of Wonder: If this feels like it is tacked on, that’s because it is. I just wanted a reason to take tenth level for low-dex characters that use Zen Archery. Yet it does tie-in to the flavor… Another reason to use precise strike is that then, that could be a 10th level bonus for the low-dex, and Whirl could be bumped down to eighth or ninth level.
Also, the name was the best I could come up with, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck :P
Any suggestions on balance and new names not only encouraged but begged for.
---------------------------------------
Boltborn – A half-humorous combat-oriented prestige class based on dual-wielding hand crossbows. Yep. What we have here is a (really-)old-fashioned gunslinger.
They were the longest five seconds of my life.
It was supposed to be a perfect ambush. My unit was arrayed along a wide pathway in the old ruins. There were so many nooks and crannies in the ruined stonework that each member of the group was able to have their own foxhole. The entrance would be destroyed once the target entered the ruins, and the only other way out would be past us. The target was a specialist in ranged combat, and surely couldn’t compete with any of our swords in close quarters; his only escape would be to run past our waiting arrows. Whiren, our quartermaster, set up a pool on how far down the passage the target would reach before being taken down. The furthest anyone bet was forty feet.
I took a nice little hole a hundred feet in, still near the middle of the company but far enough that I probably wouldn’t see any action. That was fine with me; I was more interested in the mausoleum than the mark. I hadn’t had long to study before I heard the sound of battle. Reluctantly, I started to put away my kit... and froze. By the sound of it, the battle wasn’t over yet, and it was getting closer. Without a weapon ready, I looked to the hallway.
What I saw…What I saw was a gnome in midstride. He was dressed all in black – the lenses on his eyes, the leather armor around his chest, the long cloak billowing behind him, even the crossbow in each hand. As I watched, arrows rushed to meet him and missed, apparently unwilling to profane his glorious vestments. He fired shot after shot, the bolts apparently jumping into his crossbows for the honor of being used by this man. He seemed to be walking in slow motion, moving slowly past me… then he was gone, and I was in shock.
When I recovered, I nervously poked my head into the passage proper. The target was gone, but his presence still permeated the room. A few corpses were in plain sight, pieces of wood sticking from their eyes, but more common was the single, unmoving arm, and the pool of blood emanating from around it. In two minutes, the entire floor was covered by my friends’ blood. I retrieved my archaeology kit and left.
You might think that my strange interest saved my life, but I am just as damned as the rest of my company. The beauty of this fighter, the very perfection of design..! It seems as if every moment of history is pointing towards this marksman as being the culmination point. I must find him again, must learn the secret of this dance. I will never be fit to join my comrades in that mausoleum until I do.
Character description pending
Background: The whole idea started back a few years ago when a friend mentioned a character build he had always wanted to try: Fighter 15 / Deepwood Sniper 10 with two hand crossbows. The smile on his face when he explained the build (“Gunslinger!”) was memorable. There were some problems with that though, namely the problems with reloading two hand crossbows, even with a rapid reload feat. (At least, I haven’t been able to find anything that would make it work). Besides, a fighter of that style really deserves its own prestige class, don’t you think?
There were three main base classes that I wanted to make this for – the fighter, obviously; the rogue, and the monk (perhaps with zen archery).
Requirements: To qualify to become a boltborn, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Base Attack Bonus: +7
Skills: Spot 5 ranks, Tumble 5 ranks, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 13 ranks
Feats: Rapid Reload [hand crossbow], Two Weapon Fighting
Lv BAB F R W Special
1 1 0 2 0 Dance of Glory, Uncanny Reload
2 2 0 3 0 Circumvent Barriers, Fluid Ambidexterity
3 3 1 3 1 Ranged Sneak Attack +1D6
4 4 1 4 1 Ranged Knockback
5 5 1 4 1 Doublestrike
6 6 2 5 2 Ranged Sneak Attack +2D6
7 7 2 5 2 Flexible Strike
8 8 2 6 2 Unerring Aim
9 9 3 6 3 Ranged Sneak Attack +3D6
10 10 3 7 3 Danse Macabre, Whirl of Wonder
Dance of Glory (Ex): When dual-wielding a pair of hand crossbows, a boltborn takes on an almost mythic quality. Her intuition will in time become legendary, her ability to avoid attacks even more so.
She adds 1 point of charisma bonus (if any) per boltborn level as an insight bonus to her AC and 1 point of wisdom bonus (if any) per boltborn level as an insight bonus to her initiative. She loses this bonus while wearing medium or heavy armor or carrying more than a light load.
Uncanny Reload (Ex): Boltborn are well known for the never-ceasing barrage of bolts they can launch at their enemies, seemingly never having to reload. Reloading a hand crossbow no longer provokes an attack of opportunity. Furthermore, while dual-wielding hand crossbows, a Boltborn still enjoys the full benefits of the Rapid Reload feat, even though she does not have a free hand!
Circumvent Barriers (Ex): To a boltborn, “Take cover!” is just a pleasant way of saying “Shoot me in an overly dramatic way!” Beginning at second level, as a move equivalent action, a boltborn may apply their wisdom modifier (if positive) as a penalty to a creature’s cover bonus to AC against the boltborn’s attacks that round. This does not reduce the cover bonus to less than zero, nor does it cause the target to be denied her dexterity bonus to AC. This has no effect on targets with total cover.
Fluid Ambidexterity (Ex): A boltborn is a deadly opponent, no matter which shaft you are looking down. Starting at second level, a boltborn may attack with any one of her hand crossbows each round as if her other hand crossbows were off-hand. When using the full attack option, she may also choose to make some or all of her additional attacks granted by feats, spells or a high base attack bonus each round using an off-hand crossbow instead of her primary attack.
Ranged Sneak Attack (Ex): A single shot by any normal fighter is rarely enough to drop even the weakest of foes. A single shot by a boltborn is often enough to drop that foe even before they realize they’ve been hit.
At third level, when making a ranged attack against a flanked opponent or an opponent denied their dexterity bonus to armor class, a boltborn deals an additional +1D6 of damage to that creature. This is the same ability as Sneak Attack, except it only works when making ranged attacks. If the boltborn has a sneak attack bonus from another source, these bonuses stack when making ranged attacks.
Ranged Knockback (Ex): Perhaps the most well-known of the boltborn’s abilities, this affects those unfortunate enough to be her target. Each of the boltborn’s attacks come riding on a wave of force that often knocks her enemy off their feet. the effect came from the weapon itself, the boltborn would be thrown backwards even farther than her target; therefore, it is safe to assume that the force that comes from the Boltborn’s own force of personality!
Whenever a boltborn of at least fourth level hits an enemy with a bolt from a hand crossbow, that character must immediately succeed on a fortitude save (DC 10 + the boltborn’s class level + the boltborn’s Charisma modifier) or be pushed back five feet as if bull rushed; if a character fails their saving throw by 20 or more, that character is also knocked prone. Each of the target’s size categories greater than medium provides the target with a +4 bonus to the save, while each size category less than medium provides a -2 penalty. Additionally, whenever a character succeeds on a saving throw to resist being knocked back, they then take a -2 penalty to each subsequent save that round. This penalty is cumulative with itself.
Double Strike (Ex): As a standard action, a fifth level boltborn may make one attack roll at her highest base attack bonus with each hand crossbow she wields. A boltborn may target multiple enemies, but each target beyond the first causes a cumulative -5 penalty to the attack roll.
Flexible Strike (Ex): Whenever a seventh level or higher boltborn attacks with a hand crossbow, she may forgo a number of sneak attack die this turn up to her wisdom modifier (if positive). The weapon’s range increment, as well as the range of precision-based attacks for the Boltborn such as sneak attacks, is increased this turn by 15’ per die of damage forsaken this way.
Unerring Shot (Ex): flavor pending As a move-equivalent action, an eighth-level boltborn may apply her wisdom modifier (if positive) as a penalty against a target creature’s dodge bonus to AC against the boltborn’s attacks that round. This does not reduce the dodge bonus to less than zero, nor does it ever deny the target their dexterity bonus to AC. Creatures with cover are immune to this effect.
Danse Macabre (Ex): flavor pending At tenth-level, the number of five foot steps a boltborn may take each round is equal to her dexterity bonus (if positive), up to a total distance of (her normal speed - 10) feet.
Whirl of Wonder (Su): A boltborn who has reached the pinnacle of her craft is a truly awesome sight to behold. The mere sight of a boltborn in action is enough to make some people stop and go “Ooooo…..”
The first round each week that a character is engaged in a battle with a Boltborn, that character must make a will save (DC: 10 + half the boltborn’s class level, rounded down + the boltborn’s Charisma modifier) or be stunned for that round. Prolonged exposure, such as that of a boltborn’s ally, negates this effect.
Reasonings/Doubts:
1: Uncanny Reload: Nescessary for the concept. Perhaps the prevention of AoO should come later?
1: Dance of Glory: The Cha bonus to AC seemed perfectly in flavor for the class, but the Wis bonus to initiative might (well, probably is) too much. Split it? Drop it? Even split, it might still be too much with everything else the class gets…
2: Circumvent Barriers: It seemed like a pretty neat thing to have, not overpowered, and certainly in flavor for the class.
2: Fluid Ambidexterity: Seemed like a nice, not overpowered ability in keeping with the flavor of the class. Might be better as a separate feat though…and one of the abilities at second level could probably stand to be cut.
3: Ranged Sneak Attack: Really, really should be Precise Strike. But a) Ranged sneak attack is sort of (well, can be) in flavor, b) Precise Strike is so much more powerful, and c) Precise Strike usually advances every five levels, leaving only two dice and making Flexible Strike less useful in straight fighter builds.
4: Ranged Knockback: I’ve already received a suggestion to make this trigger a limited number of times per day, just because opposed rolling might take too long. Perhaps if there was only one save per round per target, and each attack that hits creates more of a penalty? But you have to have something like it. The myth of the knockback bullets is such a part of gunslinger lore…
5: Double Strike: One of the first things that concerned me about the class being overpowered, but it is a decent midway ability that ties into but is not completely outdated by a tenth level ability.
7: Flexible Strike: One of the major ideas I had. 30’ really isn’t far enough for a gunslinger, which is one of the major things my friend’s original suggestion of Deepwood Sniper addressed…
8: Unerring Shot: Similar of course to Circumvent Barriers, I personally like this because it shows progression from early to late in the class.
10: Danse Macabre: One of the first things I think of with a gunslinger is mobility. Even those of the terminator model instead of the matrix model were still unstoppable forces…always moving, and certainly making a lot of shots.
10: Whirl of Wonder: If this feels like it is tacked on, that’s because it is. I just wanted a reason to take tenth level for low-dex characters that use Zen Archery. Yet it does tie-in to the flavor… Another reason to use precise strike is that then, that could be a 10th level bonus for the low-dex, and Whirl could be bumped down to eighth or ninth level.