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View Full Version : Ascetic and Beastbirther [Psycarnum and Horror classes]



SilveryCord
2009-08-22, 08:21 PM
Both of these classes are for a campaign setting In The Works, where arcane magic is impossible and the gods are too busy fighting to grant spells to even the most devoted. The ascetic is a monk with psionic and incarnum powers. Although he does not gain meldshaping abilities by himself, he has more than enough incarnum bonus feats available to bolster his class features with soulmelds, if he should so choose. The beastbirther is a horror class (still working out whether it is Pure Evil or just Really Disgusting. Right now it's the latter) that those who are tasked with recovering the world's lost ties to magic through the creation of new monsters who instead of exp eventually sacrifice their grown soulstuff to the Wellspring. Both classes are currently just mock-ups and Beastbirther is currently about as functional as epic magic, but that's why I'm posting it here. I need help refining these classes, so any comments you have are massively appreciated. Especially how I can make the abberation creating mechanic actually work, which it does not right now.

Ascetic
Hit die: d12
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Essentia|Special
1st|+1|+2|+2|+2|1|Bluetouched Strike
2nd|+2|+3|+3|+3|1|Float and Know Direction
3rd|+3|+3|+3|+3|2|Incarnum Boost
4th|+4|+4|+4|+4|2|Expansion and Compression
5th|+5|+4|+4|+4|3|Bonus Incarnum Feat
6th|+6/+1|+5|+5|+5|3|
7th|+7/+2|+5|+5|+5|4|Bonus Psionic Feat
8th|+8/+3|+6|+6|+6|4|Dimension Slide and Catfall
9th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+6|5|Bonus Incarnum Feat
10th|+10/+5|+7|+7|+7|5|
11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+7|+7|6|Bonus Psionic Feat
12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+8|+8|6|Freedom of Movement, Psionic, and Feat Leech
13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+8|+8|7|Bonus Incarnum Feat
14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+9|+9|7|
15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+9|+9|8|Bonus Psionic Feat
16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+10|+10|8|Psionic Mind Blank and Fly
17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+10|+10|9|Bonus Incarnum Feat
18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+11|+11|9|
19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+11|+11|10|Bonus Psionic Feat
20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+12|+12|10|Null Psionics Field and Metamorphosis
[/table]
Skills: As Monk
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Simple and Martial weapons, light shields and armor
Manifesting: Ascetics have a strange connection with the psionic forces. They have an innate knack for it, but they do not actively seek out the finer details of manifestation. As the ascetic grows in power and his mind becomes more balanced in his quest for enlightenment, his powers naturally express themselves. As he levels up, he learns new powers he can manisfest at-will as a move action, or if the power's manifesting time is an immediate action, an immediate action. He manifests with a manifester level equal to his ascetic class level, and his manifesting is wisdom based.
At second level, he learns Float and Know Direction and Location
At fourth level, he learns Expansion and Compression.
At eighth level, he learns Dimension Slide and Dispel Psionics
At twelfth level, he learns Freedom of Movement, Psionic, and Feat Leech.
At sixteenth level, he learns Mind Blank, Psionic and Fly, Psionic
At twentieth level, he learns Null Psionics Field and Metamorphosis.

Bluetouched Strike (Su)
An ascetic can improve his unarmed strike by investing essentia into it. You can invest essentia in a Bluetouched strike whenever you would invest essentia into a soulmeld. For each point of essentia invested, the strike deals an additional 1d6 damage. An unarmed attack made in this way is considered a magic weapon with your alignment for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction.

Incarnum Boost (Su)
At 3th level, an Ascetic may rouse inspiration from souls past and focus his incarnum into his mental ability scores. Whenever he could invest essentia into a soulmeld, he can invest essentia into these scores.

SilveryCord
2009-08-22, 08:23 PM
Morbid materials ahoy.

Beastbirther

The practice of meldshaping was always one of the body, for those with an iron stomach and a strong heart willing to swallow the thick greivances of souls past. Some have become disillusioned with this path, wondering if playing out the endless cycle of life, death, and incarnum spirit is worth living. These soulsavants may become beastbirthers--given that they have the equipment to handle it.

Prerequirements
Any Knowledge 9 ranks
Ability to shape a soulmeld, an essentia pool with at least 1 essentia.

Hit die: d6
Fort: Good
Ref: Poor
Will: Good
Meldshaping advancement 1/2
1: Beastmaking, BP 1
2:
3: Hiding Space BP 2
4: Mother's Touch
5: BP 3
6: Garbed With Soul
7: BP4
8: Education
9: BP5
10: Profane Aura

Beastmaking: Beastbirthers create aberrations through a vile and unusual process, although it is not necessarily an evil one. Creating the aberration involves a 24 hour ritual in which the beastbirther must envision the otherworldly horror she will stow. All of her incarnum is invested during the ritual, and should she stop midway it is not accessible for the remainder of the period.
After this ritual, she has begun to shape the new "child" out of extraplanar energy. Upon taking damage, she must make a fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or she will have to restart the beastmaking process. After seven days, she may finish the ritual by completing the arcane-like spell that will summon the creature into existance.
Beastmaking ability is measured in beast points (BP), of which the total increases by Beastmaker level. The total number of monsters a beastmaker can create and command at any one time is determined by her BP.

To create a beast, first allocate a number of BP from your available BP. Giving birth to a beast removes this BP from your BP pool until the beast dies or is Graduated. (See Spiritual Graduation class feature).
Beastbirther's children are always abberations, and therefore have 8-sided hit dice, 3/4 BAB, and good will saves. The number of BP invested in a birth determines the number of hit dice and the tier of abilities you can give your child.
{table]BP | HD | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | # of feats
1 | 5 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 2
2 | 8 | +6/+1 | +2 | +2 | +6 | 3
3 | 10 | +7/+2 | +3 | +3 | +7 | 4
4 | 12 | +9/+4 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 4
5 | 15 | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +9 | 5[/table]
(2 + Int mod) x (HD + 3) skill points
Monsters are by default Medium Abberations and generally humanoid in form, although from their appearance it is obvious they are anything but human. Check the Aberration type (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#aberrationType) for more of their basic attributes. Adjusting the body shape, for example adding multiple legs, does not necessary make the creature cost more BP, but modelling the effect of those extra limbs, such as extra natural weapons or a faster speed, does, as per the point adjustment options.

Point Adjustment Options: Choose from the following options until the added adjustment is equal to the BP invested in the birth.

Unbalanced Ability Scores: A monster that does not follow the standard array for ability scores gets at least a +1 adjustment. A higher adjustment is appropriate if the monster's ability score bonuses are particularly high. Not having a Constituion score is actually a benefit, since a monster without one can ignore most effects that require Fortitude saves.
Size: The adjustment for being large is based on the monster's each. A Small creature has a -1 adjustment.
Natural Armor Bonus: +1 adjustment for each 5 points of natural armor bonus.
Speed: Swim: Adding a swim speed usually does not confer a +1 adjustment, consult with your DM.
Fly: A monster with a fly speed gets +1, or +2 if its maneuverability is better than good.
Climb and Burrow: See swim.
Natural Weapons: If a monster gets more attacks than its BAB confers, or its natural weapons deal more damage than a simple or martial weapon it could weild in one hand, it gets a +1 point adjustment. Additional sets of arms are +1 each.
Reach: Beyond 5 feet, every additional 5 feet of reach is a +1 point adjustment.
Special Attacks and Qualities:
Ability Score Damage: +2 unless the affected ability is Constitution, then +3
Poison: +1 unless the affected ability is Constitution, then +2
Scent: +1
Trapfinding: +0 if the monster has 4 or more ranks in Search and Disable Device, +1 otherwise.
Racial Skill Bonuses: +1 for three different racial skill bonuses of up to +3.

Beasts created in this process do not level up or gain experience like normal creatures do.

Hiding Space (Su) aka pokeball
At 3rd level, a beastbirther's abberation can leave the material plane as a standard action while it isn't threatened and is adjacent to the beastbirther. The disappearance has a strange and surreal appearance, perhaps with the creature slipping into an impossibly small pocket in its mother's backpack or jumping into her shadow. A beastbirther can only store a number of child monsters into this subplane equal to the total essentia in her essentia pool, and having them reappear in a square adjacent to her is a standard action.

Parent's Touch (Su)
At 4th level, a beastbirther may use her spirit energy to heal her monsters. As a standard action a beastbirther may touch her monster and heal 1d8 hp per point of essentia invested in the ability.

Garbed With Soul (Su)
Starting at 6th level, when shaping soulmelds a Beastbirther can shape any soulmeld she could shape on herself on one of her children.

Education (Su)
Starting at 8th level, a beastbirther's experience with her own vile art allows her to teach new tricks and impart new powers onto her children. She may invest a single point of essentia into one of her monsters, performing this ability only once per monster, and the increase its attributes and abilities as if it had an additional BP. This point of essentia only returns to her essentia pool upon the monster's spiritual graduation. If it becomes a Lost, this point of essentia is gone forever.

Profane Aura (Su)
At 10th level, arcane magic functions unaffected by the Wasting while the beastbirther is within 10 feet of the attempted caster (Only applies to Bluecrown campaign setting)

Spiritual Graduation:
A beastbirther's abberant children consist partially of her own soul energy. However, as they grow and have experiences outside of her own heart chakra in which they are first thought up, they create their own mark on the universe's vast pool of essentia. It is a beastbirther's duty to the Wellspring of the Waste to volunteer the essentia of her children for the purpose of returning order to the Arcane Tundra. This matter is not of a good, evil, lawful or chaotic alignment, but of the simple nature of essentia's existance: After a monster's death, a beastbirther must perform a two hour ritual sending its essentia to the Wellspring or risk her loss of meldshaping ability or even herself becoming a Lost. Additionally, after three months the abberations created by beastbirthing run out of lifespan and become sick. If the Beastbirther fails to Graduate them in time, they become Lost and attack her.