JustinCognito
2005-10-31, 07:40 PM
Back during the summer, I was putting together character classes for a possible d20 Dark Tower RPG. I ended up going through all of Stephen King's books for inspiration, and one of the classes I came up with was the Resilient One, a person who had been exposed to such great trauma at a young age that they were somewhat resistant to further attacks (e.g., the Losers' Club in IT). Well, the idea evolved, and now I have this, my little Halloween gift to you.
Resilient Knight
Xithaya, Terror of the Western Sands, gazed with curiosity upon this new intruder into her lair. She proceeded slowly yet steadily towards her throne, her eyes cast down towards the ground-- a wiser move than some of the other adventurers Xithaya had faced, whose petrified forms still lay in the room as a testament to her abilities.
"Oh, dear," she said. "Another adventurer, come to drive me out of house and home. I don't suppose you heard those cattle around here warn you to leave this place or be struck down?"
"And why would I?" the girl answered. "As far I see it, you're just a crusty old hag with bad skin and unruly hair. You don't scare me."
"Oh, a feisty one," Xithaya answered. "Yet I see that, even with all your pluck and courage, you dare not gaze upon me. Come, girl; one brief look, and it will all be over."
The knight raised her head-- and in that moment, Xithaya knew she was truly dead. For not only did the girl fail to turn to stone, but Xithaya saw a fire burn behind her clear blue eyes, bright as the flames that lick the end of an archon's sword. And even before she felt the kiss of steel on her neck, Xithaya heard what she knew would be the last thing she heard on this plane:
"You don't scare me."
In a world with its fair share of demons, undead, and monsters, it is only natural that there are those who fall prey to such evils. Many such victims, if they survive, just burden the trauma, and try to continue their lives as they were before. The resilient knight, on the other hand, accepts her experiences-- and uses them to make sure no one goes through what she did...
Prerequisites
Alignment: Any nonevil
BAB: +7
Save: Fort +5
Skills: Concentration 10 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 10 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks
Feats: Iron Will
Spells: Able to cast 1st-level divine spells
Special: Must have suffered one of the following as the result of an encounter with an undead, evil outsider, aberration, shapechanger or monstrous humanoid: reduction to one-quarter hit points, ability damage, negative levels, paralysis, petrification, disease, poison, or death.
Attributes
Hit Die: d8
BAB: Good
Saves: Fortitude and Will good, Reflex bad
Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis)
Skill Points Per Level: 2 + Int bonus
Abilities
1st: Track, Hauntbane (1st)
2nd: Resolve of Steel, +1 Divine Caster Level
3rd: Frightful Knowledge +2, +1 Divine Caster Level
4th: Strong Willed, +1 Divine Caster Level
5th: Spell Resistance, Hauntbane (2nd)
6th: Frightful Knowledge +4, +1 Divine Caster Level
7th: +1 Divine Caster Level
8th: Mind Over Body, +1 Divine Caster Level
9th: Frightful Knowledge +6, Hauntbane (3rd), +1 Divine Caster Level
10th: Staring Back, +1 Divine Caster Level
Specialties
Track: The resilient knight automatically takes the feat Track upon taking this class. If she already has Track, then she gains a bonus feat.
Hauntbane: At first level, the resilient knight chooses one of the following monster types of subtypes: undead, outsider (evil), aberration, shapechanger, or monstrous humanoid. The resilient knight gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks against this monster type. Likewise, they receive a +2 weapon bonus to damage rolls against such creatures. This ability functions like the ranger's favored enemy ability, and stacks with such bonuses, but applies to a narrower range of opponents.
At 5th level, and then again at 9th, the resilient knight chooses a second and third hauntbane creature against which they gain +2 to specified rolls, and applies another +2 to any one hauntbane, even the one just selected.
Resolve of Steel: A resilient knight is immume to all fear effects, supernatural or otherwise.
Frightful Knowledge: At 3rd level, a resilient knight gains a +2 bonus to all Knowledge checks related to monsters. At every 3rd level after, this bonus increases by two.
Strong Willed: A 4th-level resilient knight has grown so used to facing monsters that her mind has adapted in order to deprive her opponent of any special abilities. She adds her resilient knight class levels as a resistance bonus to any spells or extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural abilities that require a Will save. This ability does not stack with an item or spell that already grants a resistance bonus to saving throws, such as a cloak of resistance or prayer.
Spell Resistance: In the resilient knight's line of duty, spells and spell-like abilities are a common standby of dark creatures; in time, the knight's body becomes hardened against magical attacks. The knight gains spell resistance equal to 8 + character levels.
Mind Over Body: By 8th level, the resilient knight has experienced enough foes to know that the body must be protected as well as the mind. She adds her resilient knight class level to any Fortitude save against spells or extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural abilities. Like Strong Willed, such bonuses do not stack with items or spells that already grant resistance bonuses to saving throws.
Staring Back: A 10th-level resilient knight has seen so much horror that it often bounces right off her... and sometimes, it bounces right back at the enemy. If a resilient knight beats her saving throw against a spell or spell-like, supernatural, or extraordinary ability by at least 10, then the knight's opponent is struck by the ability as if they have succeeded on such a save. If the effect is negated by such a save, then the opponent is instead struck with fear (DC 20 negates).
For instance, Livia, a 7th-level paladin/10th-level resilient knight, is facing off against a sorcerer who casts disintegrate on her. The DC on the spell is 20, and Livia rolls a cumulative 30 on her Fortitude save. The sorcerer thus takes 5d6 damage, as if he had been hit with a disintegrate spell and succeeded on his Fortitude save.
This ability bypasses energy resistances, but spell resistance still applies; use the opponent's caster level to determine the DC.
So, there it is: my little Halloween treat. Is it nice and chocolatey, or destined to cause cavities in DMs everywhere?
Resilient Knight
Xithaya, Terror of the Western Sands, gazed with curiosity upon this new intruder into her lair. She proceeded slowly yet steadily towards her throne, her eyes cast down towards the ground-- a wiser move than some of the other adventurers Xithaya had faced, whose petrified forms still lay in the room as a testament to her abilities.
"Oh, dear," she said. "Another adventurer, come to drive me out of house and home. I don't suppose you heard those cattle around here warn you to leave this place or be struck down?"
"And why would I?" the girl answered. "As far I see it, you're just a crusty old hag with bad skin and unruly hair. You don't scare me."
"Oh, a feisty one," Xithaya answered. "Yet I see that, even with all your pluck and courage, you dare not gaze upon me. Come, girl; one brief look, and it will all be over."
The knight raised her head-- and in that moment, Xithaya knew she was truly dead. For not only did the girl fail to turn to stone, but Xithaya saw a fire burn behind her clear blue eyes, bright as the flames that lick the end of an archon's sword. And even before she felt the kiss of steel on her neck, Xithaya heard what she knew would be the last thing she heard on this plane:
"You don't scare me."
In a world with its fair share of demons, undead, and monsters, it is only natural that there are those who fall prey to such evils. Many such victims, if they survive, just burden the trauma, and try to continue their lives as they were before. The resilient knight, on the other hand, accepts her experiences-- and uses them to make sure no one goes through what she did...
Prerequisites
Alignment: Any nonevil
BAB: +7
Save: Fort +5
Skills: Concentration 10 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 10 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks
Feats: Iron Will
Spells: Able to cast 1st-level divine spells
Special: Must have suffered one of the following as the result of an encounter with an undead, evil outsider, aberration, shapechanger or monstrous humanoid: reduction to one-quarter hit points, ability damage, negative levels, paralysis, petrification, disease, poison, or death.
Attributes
Hit Die: d8
BAB: Good
Saves: Fortitude and Will good, Reflex bad
Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis)
Skill Points Per Level: 2 + Int bonus
Abilities
1st: Track, Hauntbane (1st)
2nd: Resolve of Steel, +1 Divine Caster Level
3rd: Frightful Knowledge +2, +1 Divine Caster Level
4th: Strong Willed, +1 Divine Caster Level
5th: Spell Resistance, Hauntbane (2nd)
6th: Frightful Knowledge +4, +1 Divine Caster Level
7th: +1 Divine Caster Level
8th: Mind Over Body, +1 Divine Caster Level
9th: Frightful Knowledge +6, Hauntbane (3rd), +1 Divine Caster Level
10th: Staring Back, +1 Divine Caster Level
Specialties
Track: The resilient knight automatically takes the feat Track upon taking this class. If she already has Track, then she gains a bonus feat.
Hauntbane: At first level, the resilient knight chooses one of the following monster types of subtypes: undead, outsider (evil), aberration, shapechanger, or monstrous humanoid. The resilient knight gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks against this monster type. Likewise, they receive a +2 weapon bonus to damage rolls against such creatures. This ability functions like the ranger's favored enemy ability, and stacks with such bonuses, but applies to a narrower range of opponents.
At 5th level, and then again at 9th, the resilient knight chooses a second and third hauntbane creature against which they gain +2 to specified rolls, and applies another +2 to any one hauntbane, even the one just selected.
Resolve of Steel: A resilient knight is immume to all fear effects, supernatural or otherwise.
Frightful Knowledge: At 3rd level, a resilient knight gains a +2 bonus to all Knowledge checks related to monsters. At every 3rd level after, this bonus increases by two.
Strong Willed: A 4th-level resilient knight has grown so used to facing monsters that her mind has adapted in order to deprive her opponent of any special abilities. She adds her resilient knight class levels as a resistance bonus to any spells or extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural abilities that require a Will save. This ability does not stack with an item or spell that already grants a resistance bonus to saving throws, such as a cloak of resistance or prayer.
Spell Resistance: In the resilient knight's line of duty, spells and spell-like abilities are a common standby of dark creatures; in time, the knight's body becomes hardened against magical attacks. The knight gains spell resistance equal to 8 + character levels.
Mind Over Body: By 8th level, the resilient knight has experienced enough foes to know that the body must be protected as well as the mind. She adds her resilient knight class level to any Fortitude save against spells or extraordinary, spell-like, or supernatural abilities. Like Strong Willed, such bonuses do not stack with items or spells that already grant resistance bonuses to saving throws.
Staring Back: A 10th-level resilient knight has seen so much horror that it often bounces right off her... and sometimes, it bounces right back at the enemy. If a resilient knight beats her saving throw against a spell or spell-like, supernatural, or extraordinary ability by at least 10, then the knight's opponent is struck by the ability as if they have succeeded on such a save. If the effect is negated by such a save, then the opponent is instead struck with fear (DC 20 negates).
For instance, Livia, a 7th-level paladin/10th-level resilient knight, is facing off against a sorcerer who casts disintegrate on her. The DC on the spell is 20, and Livia rolls a cumulative 30 on her Fortitude save. The sorcerer thus takes 5d6 damage, as if he had been hit with a disintegrate spell and succeeded on his Fortitude save.
This ability bypasses energy resistances, but spell resistance still applies; use the opponent's caster level to determine the DC.
So, there it is: my little Halloween treat. Is it nice and chocolatey, or destined to cause cavities in DMs everywhere?