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View Full Version : Advanced Critique: The Edificer PrC [3.5]



Lappy9000
2009-09-02, 01:50 PM
Edificer
http://th02.deviantart.net/fs7/300W/i/2005/225/6/a/_Protect_the_Mage__by_omegasama.jpg
-Image by omegasama (http://omegasama.deviantart.com/).

There are those who walk the path of healers; mending the weak through mundane and magical means. They act from the good of their hearts, or from the emptiness in their wallets.

There are those who walk the path of clerics; curing the weak and sickened from the divine influence of their deity. They help the pious, and convert the heretical.

Then there are those who walk the path of edificers. Sanctioned great endurance from the lifestream, edificers continue to absorb positive energy until their very bodies illuminate the burning essence of life.

Requirements: To qualify to become an edificer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any non-evil.
Skill: Heal 8 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 8 ranks.
Spells: Ability to channel positive energy without casting a spell (such as Lay on Hands or Turn Undead).
Special: Must be a living creature not fueled by negative energy (such as through the Tomb-Tainted feat).

Table: Edificer
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Spells Per Day

1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Eye of the Spirits, Spirit Essence| +1 level of existing paladin spellcasting class

2nd|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+3|Spiritual Vitality| +1 level of existing paladin spellcasting class

3rd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Effuse Energy| +1 level of existing paladin spellcasting class

4th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Empyrean| +1 level of existing paladin spellcasting class

5th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Purview of Essence| +1 level of existing paladin spellcasting class[/table]

Hit Die: d12
Class Skills: The edificer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int Modifier


Class Features
All the following are class features of the edificer prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Edificers gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Spells Per Day: When a new edificer level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in the paladin class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that she adds the level of edificer to her level in paladin, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.

Eye of the Spirits (Sp): An edificer can cast Deathwatch (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/deathwatch.htm) as a spell-like ability at-will. Used in this manner, however, the spell loses it's [Evil] descriptor since the edificer is utilizing the powers of the lifestream instead the forces of negative energy.

Spirit Essence (Su): Beginning at 1st level, an edificer can heal wounds (her own or those of others) by touch. Each day she can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to her edificer level × her Charisma modifier x two. An edificer may choose to divide her healing among multiple recipients, and she doesn’t have to use it all at once. Using spirit essence is a standard action.

Alternatively, an edificer can use any or all of this healing power to deal damage to undead or creatures. Using spirit essence in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. The edificer decides how many of her daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching an undead creature.

Spirit essence stacks with other abilities that heal hit point damage, such as a paladin's lay on hands ability. Add the total points of each healing source together to determine the total amount that can be used per day to heal and power edificer abilities.

Spiritual Vitality (Su): An edificer can improve the resistences to her allies by charging them with a burst of positive energy. By spending three points of her spirit essence, an edificer can grant all allies within 10 ft. a +1 sacred bonus to all saving throws and AC for a number of minutes equal to her edificer level. Each additional three points an edificer spends increases the bonus by +1 to a maximum total equal to her edificer level. While an edificer can increase the bonuses in this manner, she cannot increase the duration, and the bonuses still dispel at the given time.

Effuse Energy (Su): Upon reaching 3rd level, an edifice's mastery of the lifestream allows her to drain essence of herself or others. As a move action, an edificer can use her spirit essence to drain herself or a willing subject of hit points equal to 3 x her edificer level. Draining hit points in this fashion replenishes an edificer's spirit essence equal to the hit points lost. An edificer cannot reduce herself or the willing subject to 0 hit points or less by using effuse energy.

Empyrean (Ex): At 4th level, an edificer becomes so intertwined with positive energy that she becomes resistant to negative energy. She gains energy resistance 20/negative energy. Whenever struck by an attack or effect that deals negative energy, she radiates bright light in a 20 ft. radius (and dim light for an additional 20 ft.) and gains a sacred bonus to Charisma-based checks equal to her edificer level. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the damage resisted.

Purview of Essence (Su): By 5th level, an edificer no longer needs to touch a creature to infuse them with the energy from her spirit essence. She can now target a single creature within 30 ft. to receive healing. When used to damage undead, she may now make a ranged touch attack instead of a melee touch attack. An edifice must have clear line of effect in regards to the target in order to use purview of essence.

DragoonWraith
2009-09-02, 01:59 PM
Looks pretty solid, that seems like potentially a great deal of healing, which is awesome.

On the other hand, it seems surprising that the class doesn't progress spellcasting. The class features are reasonably strong such that you probably don't want full casting, but 3/5 or 4/5 seems reasonable. Or make it full spellcasting, but Paladin casting only - a non-Paladin gains Paladin spellcasting at Edificer 4, which is hardly amazing, but a Paladin continues their progression. Paladin spellcasting isn't too strong, so that's not really a huge boost to their power, IMO.

Fax Celestis
2009-09-02, 01:59 PM
It looks fine, albeit a little on the weak side. I'd give it a short, halfcaster-esque list (like the Trapsmith in Dungeonscape) made up of healing spells, or possibly give it some augmentations to the lay on hands ability (like spend x points to remove curse/disease, cast atonement, break enchantment, etc).

Lappy9000
2009-09-02, 02:22 PM
Looks pretty solid, that seems like potentially a great deal of healing, which is awesome.

On the other hand, it seems surprising that the class doesn't progress spellcasting. The class features are reasonably strong such that you probably don't want full casting, but 3/5 or 4/5 seems reasonable. Or make it full spellcasting, but Paladin casting only - a non-Paladin gains Paladin spellcasting at Edificer 4, which is hardly amazing, but a Paladin continues their progression. Paladin spellcasting isn't too strong, so that's not really a huge boost to their power, IMO.I was trying to avoid d12 HD CLERIC SMITE by not giving them spells.


It looks fine, albeit a little on the weak side. I'd give it a short, halfcaster-esque list (like the Trapsmith in Dungeonscape) made up of healing spells, or possibly give it some augmentations to the lay on hands ability (like spend x points to remove curse/disease, cast atonement, break enchantment, etc).I think I'll go with the idea of giving them a bit more to do with their lay on hands. Just need to figure out where I can squeeze in another class feature.

I need to dig up those feats/items that someone homebrewed giving paladins the ability to power things with their lay on hands.

EDIT: Also, I don't know how I'd specify how many hit points of healing a "so and so" spell would be worth. Ideas?

Lappy9000
2009-09-02, 03:47 PM
I decided to go with Paladin spellcasting, but can't figure out how to work the table. Should I do something like this:

{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th

1st|
0|
—|
—|


2nd|
1|
0|
—|


3rd|
1|
1|
0|


4th|
1|
1|
1|
0

5th|
2|
1|
1|
1[/table]

DragoonWraith
2009-09-02, 05:07 PM
You could do "+1 level of Paladin spellcasting" and then have a Spellcasting section specifying that Edificer levels stack with Paladin levels for determining Paladin spellcasting, that probably makes the most sense.

The alternative is to give the class its own, faster spellcasting (a la Nar Demonbinder or Suel Arcanamach), maybe something like:
{table=head]Level|0th|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th
1|3|1||||
2|4|2|1|||
3|5|3|2|1||
4|5|3|3|2|1|
5|5|3|3|3|2|1[/table]

EDIT: Or your table, that could also work. Depends how powerful you want it.

Lappy9000
2009-09-02, 05:12 PM
You could do "+1 level of Paladin spellcasting" and then have a Spellcasting section specifying that Edificer levels stack with Paladin levels for determining Paladin spellcasting, that probably makes the most sense.Ah, yes, that's exactly what I need :smallcool: