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View Full Version : Mage of the Four Hearts, (PrC P.E.A.C.H.)



Boci
2009-09-09, 06:55 AM
This was my attempt to make something similar to Kakuzu. For those of you who do not watch the series, he has multiple hearts, each one associated with a different element or energy.

Power level wise, this is aimed at being a good choice for a blasting sorcerer. However, it is built using my own version of the sorcerer, which gives the class a bonus metamagic feat at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20, as well as removing the delayed casting.

P.S. If anyone can tell me a better way to word some of the more chunky abilities I would be grateful. Hopefully with the “for example”s it is still clear.

MAGE OF THE FOUR HEARTS

Hit Die: D4

Requirement:
Spells: Arcane Caster level 5, Ability to spontaneously cast 3rd level spells, must know at least 1 spell of each spell level (expect cantrips) of a single energy type (acid, cold, electricity or fire)
Skills: Knowledge (arcane): 8 ranks
Feat: Energy substitution (the other three not already chosen in spells known)

Class Skills: Same as sorcerer

Skills per Level: 2 + Int Modifier

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special |Spells per Day/Spells Known

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|2nd Heart, Refocus Affinity (move action) | +1 level of existing spellcasting class

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Heart up your Sleeve|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3| 3rd Heart|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| Army of One (full round action) |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| 4th Heart|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| Army of One (standard action) |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Refocus Affinity (swift action) |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Army of One (move action) |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Refocus Affinity (free action) |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Army of One (swift action) | -

[/table]
Class Features:

2nd Heart (Ex): A mage of the four hearts learn how to acquire new heart, and tie a specific energy to each.

Upon entering the prestige class, they transfer the energy spells used to meet the requirements the PrC into their heart, giving the organ an affinity with that particular energy type.

Additionally, they learn the secrets of a ritual to absorb new hearts. At first level, they gain a second heart and may give this one a new energy affinity and new spells. Gaining a new heart involves a ritual that takes 1 hour, and the heart of a sentient creature.

Each heart can hold a maximum of 2 spells of each level (two 1st, two 2nd ect).

For example: To meet the requirements of this class, Harken, a 5th level sorcerer, includes lesser orb of fire, burning hands, scorching ray and fireball as his spells known. Upon becoming a mage of the four hearts he transfers the four fire spells into his own heart, granting it fire affinity. His own heart can still hold a 2nd and 3rd level fire spell, and as he learns higher level spells he can add two of them as well.

Additionally, he undergoes the ritual to absorb a second heart. He may now choose find new spells into his second heart. These spells could be of the energy type acid, cold or electricity. Harken can use scrolls to learn these new spells, but only for spells immediately transferred into one of his hearts.

Harken has acquired a scroll of shocking grasp and seeking ray. He transfers both into his second heart, granting it electrical affinity. His second heart can hold an additional 1st and second level spell, as well as two 3rd level spells.

A Mage of Four Hearts gains a new heart at every odd numbered class level, until he has four hearts at level 5th level. Each heart must be absorbed in a separate ritual, and all hearts much have different energy affinities and they can only be acid, cold, electricity or fire.

Refocus Affinity (Su): A Mage of the Four Hearts can, as a move equivalent action, switch from one heart to another. For example, Harken could swap his fire heart for his electricity one. When he does this, he looses access to the spell transferred into the fire heart (burning hands, lesser orb of fire, scorching ray and fireball) but gains access to the spells in his electricity heart (shocking grasp and seeking ray).

At level 7, you can refocus affinity as a swift action. At level 9, you can do so as a free action. However, a mage of the four hearts can never use the energy substituion feats he possesses.

Heart up your Sleeve (Su): If you are ever killed by failing a fortitude save that would leave you in a condition in which raise dead can still bring you back to life, you do not actually die. Instead, you fall unconscious for 1 round, and the heart you are currently using is killed. After one round, you may choose a new heart to retake its position and act as if you had not failed the save. You cannot refocus your affinity to the lost heart or use it for Army of One (see latter) until it is replaced with the ritual. In such a case, the new heart has all the spells the old one did.

When you loose a heart from this ability, you also loose 2 point of constitution that cannot be healed until the heart is replaced.

Army of One (Su): At 4th level, your hearts begin to advance and can act independently. You may separate yourself from a number of your heart. The amount of time it takes depends on how many hearts you separate. For 1 heart, it takes a swift action. For two hearts, it takes a move equivalent action and for three hearts it takes a standard action. The hearts appear as fleshy masses adjacent to you. They have the exact same statistics as you, expect they have only a quarter of your hit points. (You do not however loose hit points when using Army of One). The following limitations apply to the use of this ability: you must keep at least 1 heart inside you and the hearts cannot be out of your body for more than 5 minutes. If they do, they collapse into a pile of flesh and cannot take any action. You can reabsorb adjacent hearts as a swift action. The hearts can be targeted by attacks. If they die, the heart if affectively killed and must be replaced before it can be used again (but you can retain the spells transferred into it). When a heart dies, you loose 2 point of constitution that cannot be healed until it is replaced.

When you separate the hearts from your body your magic becomes diluted. For each heart that leaves you, you take a penalty to your CL. If you caster level is brought lower than the minimum required to cast your highest level spells, you loose access to them.

You can command every heart separate from you within 30ft as a full round action to move your speed or cast a spell with a maximum casting time of 1 standard action. The hearts have a caster level equal to half of your, and thus can only cast lower level spells. Additionally, they can only cast the spells you have transferred into them. At level 6, you can command the hearts as a standard action. At level 8, you can do so as a move equivalent action and at level 10 it takes but a swift action.
Any spells the hearts cast consumes one of your spell slots.


So, how did it turn out?

Boci
2009-09-10, 10:08 AM
I was wondering if it would be okay to make this PrC a full casting one, instead of 9/10. The justification would be that you need to spend three feats to meat the requirements that you never end up using (although refocusing affinity as a free action makes that not too much of an issue).

Would that be okay, or would it make it overpowered?

Edit: Evidently yes. I'll keep it at 9/10.

Godskook
2009-09-10, 10:42 AM
1.Energy Substitution x 3? Yikes.

2.If you're going with 9/10 casting, either put the lost level early, or you better have a good capstone to lure people into it. Annnnnnnnnnndddddd, you have it. Army of one is....wow. That quadruples the character's action economy at the 'cost' of a swift action. That might be too powerful, but certainly powerful enough to justify taking 1 caster level as a hit.

3.You need to discuss how your 'negative levels' interact with real negative levels(Can a L15 sorcerer with all 3 hearts released handle taking 12 negative levels from enemies, or 15?).

4.Losing hearts should have an actual cost associated with it, like losing a familiar has. It could be ability damage, experience loss, or something else of that nature, but 'having a heart die' should be something more than 'great, now I need to spend an hour getting a new one'.

5.Heart up your sleeve needs some work, as it is not clear what exactly happens. If you're hit with a Disintegrate spell that would kill you on a failed save and you fail it, what happens, exactly?

6.While the prerequisites are quite clear on limiting which four elements you're using for this class, the class features do not. Can I have a heart of force? A heart of sonic?(not the hedgehog) A heart of positive energy?

7.Does this effectively add 6 spells know per spell level to a sorcerer's spells known list?(Not overpowered since they're all energy damage spells).

----------------------------

I *REALLY* like the flavor, and the class abilities all feel in line with that. That alone is impressive.

Mulletmanalive
2009-09-10, 10:48 AM
On the power level, it might not be overpowered [i'm actually struggling to read this properly] but it certainly isn't necessary. If the army of one power does anything akin to what it did in Naruto, then there's no need to top it off with more power.

Could you please break the clauses in your abilities into different paragraphs? I'm interested to know how close to the original you've gotten but i'm not really willing to get eyestrain for it.

Boci
2009-09-10, 11:05 AM
1.Energy Substitution x 3? Yikes.

Well it was a powerful class so I felt it needed some hefty entry requirements.


2.If you're going with 9/10 casting, either put the lost level early, or you better have a good capstone to lure people into it. Annnnnnnnnnndddddd, you have it. Army of one is....wow. That quadruples the character's action economy at the 'cost' of a swift action. That might be too powerful, but certainly powerful enough to justify taking 1 caster level as a hit.

Just to make sure it was understood, the separate hearts can only cast lower level spells (since their CL is halved)


3.You need to discuss how your 'negative levels' interact with real negative levels(Can a L15 sorcerer with all 3 hearts released handle taking 12 negative levels from enemies, or 15?).

Good questions, I hadn’t thought of that. I think yes he should be able to stand it, but his caster level would be zero, so...


4.Losing hearts should have an actual cost associated with it, like losing a familiar has. It could be ability damage, experience loss, or something else of that nature, but 'having a heart die' should be something more than 'great, now I need to spend an hour getting a new one'.

I don't want them to loose experience, but ability damage is fair enough. I guess constitution is fitting.


5.Heart up your sleeve needs some work, as it is not clear what exactly happens. If you're hit with a Disintegrate spell that would kill you on a failed save and you fail it, what happens, exactly?

This one is complicated. In the anime, he can survive attacks to the heart, so its hard to mechanically translate that into D&D.
Edit: I added the clause that your body must be left in a condition that allows raise dead to work on it.


6.While the prerequisites are quite clear on limiting which four elements you're using for this class, the class features do not. Can I have a heart of force? A heart of sonic?(not the hedgehog) A heart of positive energy?

Good point, I'll clarify they have to be acid, cold, electricity or fire.


7.Does this effectively add 6 spells know per spell level to a sorcerer's spells known list?(Not overpowered since they're all energy damage spells).

Yes.


I *REALLY* like the flavor, and the class abilities all feel in line with that. That alone is impressive.

Thanks.


On the power level, it might not be overpowered [i'm actually struggling to read this properly] but it certainly isn't necessary. If the army of one power does anything akin to what it did in Naruto, then there's no need to top it off with more power.

Is it hard to understand because of the wording, the layout or both?


Could you please break the clauses in your abilities into different paragraphs?

Sure. Is it better now?


I'm interested to know how close to the original you've gotten but i'm not really willing to get eyestrain for it.

Well, in naruto there were 5 elements, in D&D there are only 4 equal ones. This class confers none of the abilities Kakuzu had in relation to detaching hid body parts and reattaching others, and there was no indication he was made weaker by releasing his hearts, but apart from that I think its pretty near.

I plan on making some feats that will give more option with the hearts, such as merging two separated ones. As well as an optional rule or maybe another feat that hearts from a powerful creatures relevant to the element (white dragon for cold affinity) grants a bonus to the Mage of the Four Hearts, such as +1 CL or energy resitence 5.

onthetown
2009-09-10, 11:08 AM
Nice! I haven't seen the series, but it's a very original concept and I like it a lot.

I agree that you should have more of a penalty for losing a heart than just the player having to wait around to get a new one. Maybe temporary Con damage until they get the new heart? This makes it harder to roll another successful Fort save against dying again, but if you already died, then I don't think you would be in the best of shape to go up against something like that again until you were revitalized completely...

Also, during Refocus Affinity, you mention that the Mage of the Four Hearts can never use the energy substitution feats that he had to take to actually get the prestige class. While the feat makes sense for the PrC, you might want to avoid making the player take a feat that's going to become obsolete later on.

Boci
2009-09-10, 11:21 AM
Nice! I haven't seen the series, but it's a very original concept and I like it a lot.

Thanks.


I agree that you should have more of a penalty for losing a heart than just the player having to wait around to get a new one. Maybe temporary Con damage until they get the new heart? This makes it harder to roll another successful Fort save against dying again, but if you already died, then I don't think you would be in the best of shape to go up against something like that again until you were revitalized completely...

I changed it. Do you think 1 point of constitution damage is enough?


Also, during Refocus Affinity, you mention that the Mage of the Four Hearts can never use the energy substitution feats that he had to take to actually get the prestige class. While the feat makes sense for the PrC, you might want to avoid making the player take a feat that's going to become obsolete later on.

The problem is the only other way I can think of balancing it would be to reduce the spell progression, which I really do not want to do.

Mulletmanalive
2009-09-10, 12:58 PM
Much easier to read.

Personally, however, rather than forcing a character to literally waste three feat slots, it would be fairer to set something like an RP requirement.

Perhaps one must have your prime energy substitution and gain adoption into an elemental house to become self attuned. Then one must slay [personally] a powerful being with a heart of the correct type for his next step on the cycle [earth - fire - air - water] and claim that heart.

Crunch:

All fair enough save that it isn't clear how many hearts are commanded by a given action when you use Army of One. It would be reasonable to read it as both 'Full action for all freed hearts' or 'full action for each heart.'

If it's the former, i'd suggest curbing it slightly so that the first ability is basically permission for the primary body to hide with a cost of 'Full round action that renders the mage flatfooted.'

Boci
2009-09-10, 03:34 PM
Much easier to read.

Glad to hear it.


Personally, however, rather than forcing a character to literally waste three feat slots, it would be fairer to set something like an RP requirement.

Perhaps one must have your prime energy substitution and gain adoption into an elemental house to become self attuned. Then one must slay [personally] a powerful being with a heart of the correct type for his next step on the cycle [earth - fire - air - water] and claim that heart.

I will think about this. I guess if I make Army of One less powerful then I should be able to lesson the requirements.

However, refocus affinity, which eventually becomes a free action, does partially replace the 3 feats.


Crunch:

All fair enough save that it isn't clear how many hearts are commanded by a given action when you use Army of One. It would be reasonable to read it as both 'Full action for all freed hearts' or 'full action for each heart.'

If it's the former, i'd suggest curbing it slightly so that the first ability is basically permission for the primary body to hide with a cost of 'Full round action that renders the mage flatfooted.'

I edited it to show you command all hearts as a full round action but added a clause that they must be within 30ft of you. I had not thought of the mage hiding and just fighting with his hearts.

Godskook
2009-09-10, 05:14 PM
I changed it. Do you think 1 point of constitution damage is enough?

No. 2 points at a bare minimum(cost of a first level character dying, except not permenant). We're talking about losing your heart, for goodness sake. Also, it should probably be burn if you're going to make it 2 points(ability burn can be healed, but strictly naturally, and thus works out to be a bigger 'cost' than ability damage is).

Also, your 'negative levels' eventually needs to be simply stated as the actual penalties, since they're not actually causing negative levels in the most basic mechanical sense(since they don't actually stack with real negative levels for the purpose of killing you). This will help make that feature more clear.

When you control your hearts, how much of a 'turn's' action does each one get? Do they have access to swift, move and standard(or swift and full) or is it a only one action total kind of deal. Also, does a heart casting a spell consume one of your spells/day, or do individual hearts have their own spell slots to cast with?

Mulletmanalive
2009-09-10, 06:13 PM
I edited it to show you command all hearts as a full round action but added a clause that they must be within 30ft of you. I had not thought of the mage hiding and just fighting with his hearts.

might be worth taking a look at how i did puppets here Professor for the hearts. They certainly didn't seem capable of Swift actions in Naruto, see.

I agree that losing Hearts should be detrimental in D&D even though it wasn't to Kazuko. Perhaps even making it something like 1d4 Negative levels and then adding in an Epic feat for ignoring the effects of lost hearts...

Milskidasith
2009-09-10, 06:28 PM
Err... this can only be entered at level 6, but you say CL 5 is required. Pretty big error there. (You get third level spells at level 6 as a sorcerer.)

Godskook
2009-09-10, 06:48 PM
Err... this can only be entered at level 6, but you say CL 5 is required. Pretty big error there. (You get third level spells at level 6 as a sorcerer.)

Nope! He's using a homebrew'ed sorcerer as the entry. Explained in the first post.

Milskidasith
2009-09-10, 07:48 PM
Ah, I went straight for the crunch. My bad.

Boci
2009-09-11, 05:03 AM
No. 2 points at a bare minimum(cost of a first level character dying, except not permenant). We're talking about losing your heart, for goodness sake. Also, it should probably be burn if you're going to make it 2 points(ability burn can be healed, but strictly naturally, and thus works out to be a bigger 'cost' than ability damage is).

Interesting. I will increase it to 2, but I wondering if I should have ability burn or just say that short of a wish spell, the lost con can only be regained by replacing the lost heart.
Also, what book is ability burn from?


Also, your 'negative levels' eventually needs to be simply stated as the actual penalties, since they're not actually causing negative levels in the most basic mechanical sense(since they don't actually stack with real negative levels for the purpose of killing you). This will help make that feature more clear.

Okay, I'll reword it.


When you control your hearts, how much of a 'turn's' action does each one get? Do they have access to swift, move and standard(or swift and full) or is it a only one action total kind of deal.

They can either cast a spell (maximum casting time 1 standard action) or move. They cannot do both and they do not gain swift actions.


Also, does a heart casting a spell consume one of your spells/day, or do individual hearts have their own spell slots to cast with?

I'll add that it is your own spell slots.


might be worth taking a look at how i did puppets here Professor for the hearts. They certainly didn't seem capable of Swift actions in Naruto, see.

I clarified that these ones were not capable either.


I agree that losing Hearts should be detrimental in D&D even though it wasn't to Kazuko.

Kazuko (Edit: Its actually Kakuzu. I'm not that good at remebering names) was probably loaded full of flesh grafts, one of which prevented him from suffering any ill affectwhen he lost a heart.


Perhaps even making it something like 1d4 Negative levels and then adding in an Epic feat for ignoring the effects of lost hearts...

I think I will stick with the -2 con that cannot be healed until the heart is replaced (or I may change that to ability burn). I like the epic feat idea.


Err... this can only be entered at level 6, but you say CL 5 is required. Pretty big error there. (You get third level spells at level 6 as a sorcerer.)

If you aren't using a homebrew'ed sorceror, you can decide whether to change the CL: 5 or the 3rd level spell requirements.

Boci
2009-09-13, 12:25 PM
Okay, so now for some feats:

Fifth Heart
Preq: Arcane caster level 9, refocus affinity
You gain an additional heart. This heart cannot have affinity or be separated, but it does ensure that when you use "heart up your sleeve" you do not lose any constitution the first time. Your fifth heart can be replaced using the standard ritual.

Merge Heart
Preq: Army of One (standard action)
Instead of casting a spell, two of your separated hearts can merge into one. They now count as one heart and thus only cast one spell. However, their caster level is equal to half of yours +2, allowing them access to higher level spells and they can choose between both heart's spells.
Additionally, no matter which spell is cast, the energy damage counts as both of the hearts energies, dealing half of each.