New Class: Pit Finder

[roadkiller]

A silly little class from a silly little idea. Some of the things in this might not be at all conventional for making character classes, as this is the first one I've made.

Pit Finder
Usually thought of a stupid or suicidal, pit finders have refined setting off traps to an art. Pit finders usually have complete devotion to a cause, or care very little about their own life. They are usually actually very intellegent, dextrous and obviously tough.
Hit Die: 2d6

Requirements
To qualify to become a Pit Finder, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Search 8 ranks and Tumble 4 ranks
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, and Toughness

Class Skills
Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Jump (Str), Search (Int), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex)
Skill points per level: 4+ Int modifier

Leveling Table: The Pit Finder
Some of the save adjustments are just plain strange, but I find that they are the best fits.

Level Base Fort Ref Will Special
Attack Save Save Save
1 +0 +2 +2 +0 Trap Sensitivity (+4/+2)
2 +1 +2 +3 +0 Poison Resistance (+4), Delay the Inevitable
3 +1 +3 +3 +0 Delay the Enevitable, Beaten Toughness (+1 Con/+1 DR)
4 +2 +4 +4 +1 Take the Blast
5 +2 +4 +5 +1 Trap Sensitivity (+8/+4), Poison Resistance (+4/50%/x2), Delay the Enevitable
6 +3 +5 +6 +1 Beaten Toughness (+2 Con/+2 DR)
7 +3 +6 +6 +2 Delay the Enevitable
8 +4 +6 +7 +2 Poison Resistance (+6/25%/x3)
9 +4 +7 +8 +2 Trap Sensitivity (+12/+6), Beaten Toughness (+3 Con/+3 DR)
10 +5 +8 +9 +3 Unnatural Trap Avoidance

Sorry if it's messed up, I couldn't get the table I made to be readable and the right size on this site.

Class Features
All the following are class features of the pit finder prestiege class.

Armor and Weapon Proficiency - The pit finder has simple weapon and light armor proficiency.

Traps - A pit finder can find traps as a rogue, including traps normaly only able to be found by rogues, but can not disarm them.

Tumble Away - A pit finder can add half his tumble ranks (not score) to his reflex save against traps.

Survival Experience - Each time a pit finder sets off a trap that was not set by, or asked to be set by him and survives, he gains 25 experience. (Adjustable by GM for difficulty)

Trap Sensitivity - The pit finder has the unusual ability to sense know when a trap has been set off, and how to avoid it. The pitfinder gains a +4 to his reflex save against traps if he is aware of them before setting it off and a +2 if he was unaware. This increases to +8/+4 at 5th level and +12/+6 at 9th. If the pit finder is wearing heavy amor, the bonuses are cut in half.

Poison Resistance - At 2nd level, after repeated exposures to poisons, the pit finder's body has started to adjust and tolerate them. The pit finder gains a +4 to fortitude saves against poison. At 5th level, the pit finder takes only half the effect of a poison and they take twice as long to take effect. At 8th level, the pit finder gains another +2 to his fortitude save and poisons take three times as long to take effect.

Delay the Inevitable - The pit finder's body starts to develope curative magic in response to the constant damage and can cast one curative spell on himself once a day without chance of failure (including armor and being damaged) as a supernatural spell-like ability. These are cast as using the pit finder levels. At 2nd level, the pit finder gets access to Cure Light Wounds. At 3rd, Cure Moderate Wounds, Delay Poison, Lesser Rstoration and Endurance. At 5th, Cure Serious Wounds and Remove Disease. At 7th, Cure Critical Wounds, Restoration and Neutralize Poison.

Beaten Toughness - At 3rd level, the pit finders body begins to toughen to cope with the constant beatings his body takes. He gains a +1 bonus to his Constitution and 1 physical damage resistance. At 6th and 9th levels, he gains cumulative +1 Constitution and +1 DR bonuses.

Take the Blast - At 4th level, the pit finder gains the ability to sheild one other creature withing 5 feet from the effects of a trap.

Unnatural Trap Avoidance - At 10th level, the pit finder's ability to avoid traps has become such a routine that the pit finder has unconciously started to infuse the feat with magic to augment his performance. The pit finder takes only 25% of the damage from all traps and can add all of his tumble ranks to his reflex save against traps. The pit finder can not use this ability if he is wearing heavy armor.

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Feedback, whether good, bad, or silly, would be appreciated.

[Gamebird]

Seems overpowered to me. Too high on the hit dice. Cut that down to a d12 and it will work.

[Orion-the-G]

An interesting idea. And you're right it does have some unconventional aspects.

Okay for a silly game where balance doesn't matter that much and seems like it would make a neat character.


But balance wise for a real game it's got problems, first hit dice go from 1d4-1d12, even if you intend to give it higher than 1d12 (1d16 or 1d20) then don't give it 2 dice, that gives them a lot more reliable average hit dice.

Also the 'trap gives you xp' ability is just asking for abuse from bastard players. nothing stops them from making a 0 level spell trap that auto-resets or a dart thrower for 1d2 damage and his own damage resistance makes him immune. They'd rack up as much experience as they feel like. Traps already give Xp, so there's really no need for this ability and it just invites abuse. If you keep it I'd change it to this 'whenever xp is rewarded to the pit finder for surviving a trap, he receives an additional 25 xp" that way they can't abuse CR 1 or 1/2 traps.


The DR, Con Bonuses an Delay the inevitable seem overpowered.

[Hoorex]

wouldnt they need escape artist, to be a master escapist?

[roadkiller]

The hitpoint total needs to be relatively consistant, and higher than normal, as pitfinders are made to take damage. What use it it if you set off a trap and die, get raised, set off another trap and die again? The con bonuses and DR bonuses are yet again, being able to survive being hit by a trap. The DR is still a minimal bonus. Yet again for delay the inevitable, 1 healing spell, once per day on yourself. Please explain how they are overpowered.

I fixed the HD (although I may adjust it again) and the master escapist thing.

[Orion-the-G]

The delay the inevitable was mostly lumped in there with the rest as a general, by itself it's not too bad.


However, as far as the hit dice, con bonuses, and DR goes the fact that the class needs them shouldn't interfere with game balance. After all a frenzied berserker or barbarian needs a lot of hit points each level, because they tend to fight with a low AC with melee combat. But they get only a certain amount because that is what game balance says they should. The HD should not be reasonably higher than a d12 (after all does he really need it more than any given melee class?)

The DR if taken by itself might be reasonable but the big kicker is the Con bonus. That's a big thing. First and foremost if you keep it make it an inherent bonus and I strongly reccomend you compare it to other prestige classes that grant ability increases to make sure you can judge it's fairness. Of the two that I can think of the classes don't grant too many other abilities and they both use inherent bonuses. The inherent bonus (or enhancement) is important because otherwise it's a bonus that stacks with anything including the bonuses gained from Tomes and the Wish spells.

The hit dice have to be balanced out frankly

The DR can probably stay since it's one of the few abilities that can actually work outside of traps it's a fair ability.

I'd definitely examine the con bonus and you really, really should change it to either inherent or enhancement.

[roadkiller]

At level 1 the strength bonus is +2. This increases at 5th levl to +4, and at level 10 to +6
Fire Mongre (he sells fire?)
Strength is by far more flexible an ability than Con.
http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=gaming;action=display;num=1142098391



Ability Boost (Ex): As a master escapist gains levels in this prestige class, his Dexterity score increases as noted in Leveling Table: The Master Escapist. These increases stack.
Master Escapist
It's +2 Dex per level.
http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=gaming;action=display;num=1141500896

Those are the only two I could find with ability adjustments, considering finding prestige classes here is a pain, even with the search function. Both of them have much higher adjustments and nobody said anything. All of the things I adjusted were related to what the class requires, and I don't think that with what I included it would be very effective for much more than a meat shield for a caster.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding unpleasant, that's not the way I mean it to, but it seems to always have that sort of tone whatever way I type it.

[Orion-the-G]

Don't worry, I tend to enjoy debate and arguement a little too much myself so I can come off as rough on the internet as well, I hope I haven't offended either.

I do have to disagree on strength being more flexible than Con, admittedly it applies to skills while Con get's all of one but Con gives hp and saves, they're at least as good. but honestly I was thinking of looking through official Prestige classes.

The 2d6 hit dice is probably acceptable balance wise so long as it's noted they count as only a single 'die', jsut like the greatsword vs. greataxe debate I suppose.

I do see your 'meatshield' point but that really seems to be what he's meant to be. A hunk of meat to go ahead and take the traps for the party. I'd say he probably deserves at least cleric BAB, he's got to have some use outside of taking damage after all.

And as far as my opinions vs. the others, take mine with a grain of salt, I'm used to players who design prestige classes and mercilessly milk the levels for any cheap advantage they can get. it makes me sort of shoot first ask questions later when it comes to custom stuff.

[Donsic]

The con bonus is only 1 twice. it will end up being +2 to con. I'd say raise the bonus to +2 twice.

Look at the Dragon Disciple in the DMG



1st Natural Armor inrease (+1)
2nd Ability boost ( str. +2) claws and bite
3rd breath weapon (2d8)
4th ability boost ( str. + 2) Nat. armor ( +2)
5th Blindsense 30 ft.
6th Ability Boost ( con + 2)
7th Breath weapon ( 4d8) nat. armor increase ( +3)
8th ability boost ( int. +2)
9th wings
10th blindsense, dragon apotheosis


The pit finder is not more munchy then this and it was approved by WotC. I say your fine.

Edit: Damn smilies

[That Lanky Bugger]

I'd just like to point out that this class is unbalanced. On the one hand, it sucks at everything not related to traps... but on the other hand, this class allows a Level 15 character to laugh off the sort of traps that would make high level epics tremble in fear. Seriously.

First Point: Unnatural Trap Avoidance needs to be changed completely. You're not only double-dipping with this, you're triple dipping. The Pit Finder already has an obscene HP (which outclasses even the Barbarian on average) and godly Saving Throws... Does he really need to have all damage from traps reduced by 75%?

If a trap deals 60d6 damage he has a pretty good chance of dodging it completely (especially with a Reflex Save vs. Traps which can climb to a staggering +51 (+16 Base Saving Throws (assuming a good Ref save in the base class) +23 Tumble +12 Trap Sensitivity) before Dexterity, Magical Items, Feats, or Racial Bonuses. Assuming it hits (VERY unlikely), he's only taking an average of 49 damage (210/4 - 3 DR)... which is roughly half of what this class gains over the course of progressing ten levels. To even have a remote chance of actually dealing enough damage to cause worry to a Pit Finder you'd have to be dealing at least 100d6 worth of damage, which would work out to an average of 85 damage.

Trap Sensitivity needs to be reworked, as well. Make it at least NOT stack with the Trap Sense class ability (as they essentially do the same thing), and it'd probably be a good idea to half it (to +2/+1, then +4/+2, then +6/+3). Saving throws needn't quite be THAT high.

Finally, it'd be a good idea to give the class the standard Save Progression. It doesn't need the +2 to Reflex saves and +1 to Fortitude saves over standard classes... It's got more than enough bonuses as is.

Right now, this guy's sole purpose in life is to take the damage from traps... and he's ENTIRELY useless outside of that one function. Give him the Cleric BAB (or possibly even Fighter BAB) and maybe make Delay the Inevitable a little more versatile by allowing more uses of the ability and making the healing more consistent.

Just my own suggestions, really.

[tatsukun]

Still, 2D6 hit dice is something never found in the game. If you want it to have a lot of HP, just give it 1D12 and improved toughness as a class ability.

I like the idea, but it feels like an Orc or Goblin class to me. I can just imagine the Orc party yelling, "Find the trap guy!" and one Orc with huge wide "shoes of trap finding" and a supply of 10' poles come forward.

-Tatsu