Drothmal
2009-09-30, 03:44 AM
Long story short: We are playing a game of rotating DMs in pathfinder with other 3.5 sourcebooks available. I asked to play a homebrew class (the champion, which can be found in the gaming section of the playground). It turned out too powerful and I am considering retiring the PC. Now it's my turn to be DM and one of the other players (the one who raised the most arguments about the champion being too powerful) decided that he wanted to make his own class modeled after the Gaele Eladrin (one of the most broken things I've ever seen in my life).
This is a class/race (some of it paraphrased by me in more common terms). He cannot multiclass and he does not get any feats beyond the ones in the class (which hurts even more because we are using the pathfinder progression).
Fluffwise is fantastic, but even after considerable nerfing (and many, many fights to get there), I feel the result is still overpowered.
Thus, I submit this to people far more knowledgeable than I for opinion on balance.
Guardian of the Filth
d6
SP= 3+INT
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+2|Feat, Disguise Self (3+Cha)/day|1|-
2|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+3|+2 Dex|2|-
3|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+3|Feat, SR=lvl+6, Int+1 |2|-
4|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+4| +1 Str, +2 natural armor |3|1|-
5|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+4| +1 Wis |3|2|-
6|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+4| +1 Cha |3|2|1|-
7|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+5| +1 Str, Feat|3|3|2|-
8|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+5| +1 Int, +4 natural armor, Strength Domain power (+lvl to Str for lvl rounds/day)|3|3|2|1|-
9|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+5||3|3|3|2|-
10|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+5|DR 5/cold iron-magic, SR=lvl+8, +1 Wis|3|3|3|2|1|-
11|
+8|
+5|
+5|
+5| +1 Str|3|3|3|3|2|-
12|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Int, +6 natural armor, Polymorph self 1/day |3|3|3|3|2|1|-
13|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Str |3|3|3|3|3|2|-
14|
+10|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Cha |3|3|3|3|3|2|1|-
15|
+11|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Str, +1 Wis, Feat |3|3|3|3|3|3|2|-
16|
+12|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Con, Filthy Flames |3|3|3|3|3|3|2|1|-
17|
+12|
+6|
+6|
+6||3|3|3|3|3|3|3|2|-
18|
+13|
+7|
+7|
+7|+1 Str, +1 Cha|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|2|1
19|
+14|
+7|
+7|
+7|+1 Con, DR 10/cold iron -magic|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|2
20|
+15|
+7|
+7|
+7|+12 natural armor, Alternate form|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|3 [/table]
Special Traits
• Starting Ability Score Adjustments: None. While neonate guardians
are physically and mentally weaker than a
typical humanoid class, over time they become very powerful.
• Speed: additional 10 ft to the selected base race, accounting for their swiftness.
• Darkvision: Guardians can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Guardians can see twice as far as regular humans
in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions
of poor illumination. They retain the ability to
distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Filth.
• Bonus Languages: Celestial, Infernal, Draconic.
• Favored Class: Guardian of the Filth (secret language), multiclassing requires the use of epic level rules (see
Epic Level Handbook for more information).
Class Skills
The Guardian’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill)
are Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Int), Perception (Wis), Escape Artist (Dex),
Knowledge (planes, religion, arcana, history) (Int), Stealth (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha) Sense Motive (Wis).
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Guardians of the Filth are proficient
with light armors and all martial weapons (or one exotic weapon of choice, if desired). Yet, they have severe contempt for simple weapons, shields and medium or heavy. They rather go by unarmed and unprotected than using any of the latter.
Filthy Flames (Su): At 16th level, as a standard action the guardian may choose to give into the esence of The Filth for as long as she wants to, allowing a frantic and vibrant black energy that flows deep from within her own body to consume her, almost as if she where burning in large black energy flames. While in this special form, the guardian can exercise true seeing, fly (100 feet, perfect) and spiderwalk at will, but can be easily spotted or sensed from afar because of both her ominous aspect and aura.
Alternate Form (Su): Upon reaching 20th level, as a standard action, a Guardian can assume the form of a black large Avatar of The Filth for up to five minutes. Without any nose, mouth, fangs, claws or distinctive features other than a single huge green and orange eye for a face, this smooth headless black humanoid energy blob cannot perform any normal attacks or cast spells, but may teleport without error at will with up to five people and their belongings, and use greater dispel and planeshift as touch attacks. It may also dispel proyectile-like spells; to do so, the Avatar of The Filth stretches its enormous and elastic hands to actually grab the magical attack. While in this form, the guardian may push it and channel enough energy from the Filth to cast Mage´s Disjunction, by overcoming a Concentration check DC 30. Doing so, whether the spell is effective or not, renders the Guardian unconscious for the rest of the day, and unable to become an Avatar of The Filth for seven days.
Spells
Taken from the Sor/Wiz list, knows 1/3 of sorcerer’s plus the ones in the following list
1st—true strike, 2nd—death knell, 3rd— dispel magic, 4th—enervation, 5th—slay living, 6th—harm, 7th—resurrection, 8th—polymorph any object, 9th—wish.
This is a class/race (some of it paraphrased by me in more common terms). He cannot multiclass and he does not get any feats beyond the ones in the class (which hurts even more because we are using the pathfinder progression).
Fluffwise is fantastic, but even after considerable nerfing (and many, many fights to get there), I feel the result is still overpowered.
Thus, I submit this to people far more knowledgeable than I for opinion on balance.
Guardian of the Filth
d6
SP= 3+INT
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+2|Feat, Disguise Self (3+Cha)/day|1|-
2|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+3|+2 Dex|2|-
3|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+3|Feat, SR=lvl+6, Int+1 |2|-
4|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+4| +1 Str, +2 natural armor |3|1|-
5|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+4| +1 Wis |3|2|-
6|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+4| +1 Cha |3|2|1|-
7|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+5| +1 Str, Feat|3|3|2|-
8|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+5| +1 Int, +4 natural armor, Strength Domain power (+lvl to Str for lvl rounds/day)|3|3|2|1|-
9|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+5||3|3|3|2|-
10|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+5|DR 5/cold iron-magic, SR=lvl+8, +1 Wis|3|3|3|2|1|-
11|
+8|
+5|
+5|
+5| +1 Str|3|3|3|3|2|-
12|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Int, +6 natural armor, Polymorph self 1/day |3|3|3|3|2|1|-
13|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Str |3|3|3|3|3|2|-
14|
+10|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Cha |3|3|3|3|3|2|1|-
15|
+11|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Str, +1 Wis, Feat |3|3|3|3|3|3|2|-
16|
+12|
+6|
+6|
+6| +1 Con, Filthy Flames |3|3|3|3|3|3|2|1|-
17|
+12|
+6|
+6|
+6||3|3|3|3|3|3|3|2|-
18|
+13|
+7|
+7|
+7|+1 Str, +1 Cha|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|2|1
19|
+14|
+7|
+7|
+7|+1 Con, DR 10/cold iron -magic|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|2
20|
+15|
+7|
+7|
+7|+12 natural armor, Alternate form|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|3|3 [/table]
Special Traits
• Starting Ability Score Adjustments: None. While neonate guardians
are physically and mentally weaker than a
typical humanoid class, over time they become very powerful.
• Speed: additional 10 ft to the selected base race, accounting for their swiftness.
• Darkvision: Guardians can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Guardians can see twice as far as regular humans
in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions
of poor illumination. They retain the ability to
distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Filth.
• Bonus Languages: Celestial, Infernal, Draconic.
• Favored Class: Guardian of the Filth (secret language), multiclassing requires the use of epic level rules (see
Epic Level Handbook for more information).
Class Skills
The Guardian’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill)
are Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Int), Perception (Wis), Escape Artist (Dex),
Knowledge (planes, religion, arcana, history) (Int), Stealth (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha) Sense Motive (Wis).
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Guardians of the Filth are proficient
with light armors and all martial weapons (or one exotic weapon of choice, if desired). Yet, they have severe contempt for simple weapons, shields and medium or heavy. They rather go by unarmed and unprotected than using any of the latter.
Filthy Flames (Su): At 16th level, as a standard action the guardian may choose to give into the esence of The Filth for as long as she wants to, allowing a frantic and vibrant black energy that flows deep from within her own body to consume her, almost as if she where burning in large black energy flames. While in this special form, the guardian can exercise true seeing, fly (100 feet, perfect) and spiderwalk at will, but can be easily spotted or sensed from afar because of both her ominous aspect and aura.
Alternate Form (Su): Upon reaching 20th level, as a standard action, a Guardian can assume the form of a black large Avatar of The Filth for up to five minutes. Without any nose, mouth, fangs, claws or distinctive features other than a single huge green and orange eye for a face, this smooth headless black humanoid energy blob cannot perform any normal attacks or cast spells, but may teleport without error at will with up to five people and their belongings, and use greater dispel and planeshift as touch attacks. It may also dispel proyectile-like spells; to do so, the Avatar of The Filth stretches its enormous and elastic hands to actually grab the magical attack. While in this form, the guardian may push it and channel enough energy from the Filth to cast Mage´s Disjunction, by overcoming a Concentration check DC 30. Doing so, whether the spell is effective or not, renders the Guardian unconscious for the rest of the day, and unable to become an Avatar of The Filth for seven days.
Spells
Taken from the Sor/Wiz list, knows 1/3 of sorcerer’s plus the ones in the following list
1st—true strike, 2nd—death knell, 3rd— dispel magic, 4th—enervation, 5th—slay living, 6th—harm, 7th—resurrection, 8th—polymorph any object, 9th—wish.