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Elistan
2009-11-30, 10:27 PM
This is my first attempt at homebrewing, so any advice/criticism/help would be much appreciated. This is based off of the Lifedrinker PrC from BoVD, it is simply a more martial variant, though it is significantly different from the Lifedrinker.


Vampire Blood Knight

http://s.bebo.com/app-image/7926108035/5411656627/PROFILE/i.quizzaz.com/img/q/u/08/05/22/vampire_.jpg
Lleriss Sanders, Vampire Blood Knight

"Any vampire can drain the blood an lifeforce of his victims and gain a temporary boost in vitality, but only a Blood Knight can use that vitality to accomplish incredible feats, increase his combat prowess, or even make himself nearly invulnerable." - Lleriss Sanders

Blood Knights are those vampires who draw more from the blood they spill than just a temporary boost in health, they increase their combat capabilities, they boost their strength and agility, and boost their defensive abilities.

Most of those who become Blood Knights start out as Fighters or Barbarians, though martial minded Monks, Rogues, or Rangers frequently take up the mantle, as well as some Paladins, though the evil nature of the class ensures that they are mostly fallen Paladins.

Prerequisites:
Base Attack Bonus: +3
Skills: Knowledge (Religion) 6 ranks.
Alignment: Any Non-Good.
Special: Must be a Vampire, Half Vampire, or Vampire Spawn.

Hit Die: d12
{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special
1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Bonus Feat, Blood Pool, Blood Power (Body)
2 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Vampiric Empowerment +1, Sneak Attack +1d6
3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Blood Power (Prowess), Combat Style
4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Bonus Feat, Vampiric Empowerment +2
5 | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Blood Power (Insight), Improved Combat Style
6 | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Vampiric Empowerment +3
7 | +7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Bonus Feat, Blood Power (Skin), Greater Combat Style
8 | +8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Vampiric Empowerment +4, Sneak Attack +2d6
9 | +9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Blood Power (Vitality), Perfect Combat Style
10 | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Bonus Feat, Vampiric Empowerment +5, Sneak Attack +3d6[/table]

Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Concentration, Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Religion), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Swim, Tumble.

Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int Mod.

Class Features:

Bonus Feats: At 1st level a Blood Knight receives a Bonus Feat. This feat can be any feat from the Fighter Bonus Feat list or any [Monstrous] feat for which he qualifies. He must meet all prerequisites for this feat. Every three levels after first (4th, 7th, and 10th) a Blood Knight receives another bonus feat from this list.

Blood Pool: Starting at 1st level a Blood Knight can draw power from the blood or lifeforce that he drains from his victims. For every point of Constitution that he drains with his Blood Drain attack or every negative level that he deals with with his Energy Drain attack, he may add one Blood Point to his Blood Pool

He may never have more Blood Points in his Pool than twice his class level. Blood Points remain in his Blood Pool for one day, before they lose their power and he must refill his Pool.

Blood Power: Body:A Blood Knight can use his Blood Points to enhance his abilities in several ways. At first level, he can spend his Blood Points to add a Profane bonus to his Fortitude and Reflex equal to the number of points that he spends.

Prowess: Starting at third level, he can add a Profane bonus to his attack and damage rolls equal to half the number of Blood Points that he spends.

Insight: At fifth level he can spend his Blood Points to add a Profane bonus to his Will Saves and on all Wisdom-based skill checks equal to the number of Blood Points that he spends.

Skin: At seventh level he can add a number to his Damage Reduction equal to the number of Blood Points that he spends.

Vitality: At ninth level he can add a bonus to his Fast Healing ability equal to his Blood Point expenditure.

A Blood Knight can never spend more Blood Points than his class level on a a single enhancement. Assiging Blood Points is a Swift Action, and the enhancement lasts for ten minutes.

Vampiric Empowerment: Starting at second level, a Blood Knight adds a number equal to his Empowerment value to his Natural Armor, and to the Save DC for his Dominate special attack.

Sneak Attack: As the Rogue ability of the same name.

Combat Style: Upon attaining 3rd level, a Blood Knight must choose one of two combat styles: Devastating Slam Style, or Slashing Blade Style. Every two levels beyond 3rd (5th, 7th, and 9th), his combat style improves. All benefits are cumulative.

Devastating Slam Style: Starting at third level, a Blood Knight may treat himself as one size category larger to determine his Slam damage.

Improved Devastating Slam Style:At fifth level he also receives the Weapon Focus feat for free with his Slam attack.

Greater Devastating Slam Style:At seventh level he receives the Weapon Specialization feat for free with his Slam, and may count himself as an additional size larger to determine his Slam damage.

Perfect Devastating Slam Style: At ninth level, he receives the Improved Critical (Slam) feat as a bonus feat and he may treat himself as another size larger, for a total of three sizes larger, to determine his Slam damage.



Slashing Blades Style: Starting at 3rd level, any slashing weapon wielded by a Blood Knight is treated as if it had the Keen weapon property.

Improved Slashing Blades Style:Starting at 5th level, after a successful attack with a slashing weapon, a Blood Knight can take a move action to lick the blood from his blade, adding one point to his Blood Pool.

Greater Slashing Blades Style: Starting at 7th level, whenever a Blood Knight deals damage with a slashing weapon, it deals an additional 2 points of bleeding damage for a number of round equal to the weapon's critical hit modifier.

Perfect Slashing Blades Style: Upon reaching 9th level, any slashing weapon wielded by a Blood Knight is counted as both a Keen and Wounding weapon.


Final Notes:
So this is what I have so far. I'm really not so good at eying balance so I'm sure this is kinda skewed, and ideas or advice to make it a bit more balanced would be great!

I would like a good capstone ability, also, though I think the final level may be powerful enough as it is, so I'm not really sure what to do there.

I'm also not so sure about the prerequisites, but I can't really decide what to do with them. I don't want to make it hard to get into, since you have to be a vampire already, and that's kinda pricey in itself. So any ideas on these fronts would be appreciated. Thanks, guys!

AugustNights
2009-12-01, 01:54 AM
First thing, this class isn't available until ECL 11, and that's with a stretch. By 10th level the rest of the party has gone epic.

I think you may wish to be more clear with what a 'Monstrous' feat is, I don't think there actually is a subtype to feats called 'Monstrous.'

There is no specification to the type of action using blood-pool points is, or how long the bonuses last.

You may wish to be clearer about what the profane bonus based on wisdom is. Wisdom modifier? Wisdom modifier per point?

I am curious as to why the Slam gets better and better? Making him better at retrieving blood seems more in line with the prestige of this class. Or perhaps attuning a weapon to his blood, and using points to get these advantages for a specified weapon.

Temotei
2009-12-01, 02:08 AM
First thing, this class isn't available until ECL 11, and that's with a stretch. By 10th level the rest of the party has gone epic.

Umm...10th? :smallconfused:

SurlySeraph
2009-12-01, 02:27 AM
Because vampires have +8 level adjustment and need to be 3rd level to qualify. Hence, ECL 11 characters. Hence, by the time they finish the class the rest of the party is in epic levels.
Opening it up to vampire spawn (though they don't have a listed LA) and half-vampires would make it easier to enter, and a homebrew vampire template (this, for example (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133025)) without so much LA would do the same.
I very much like the class, but as you noticed it needs to be relatively easy to enter to be usable.

Elistan
2009-12-01, 10:23 AM
Okay, I understand that you cannot take it until eleventh level, and I like the idea of adding half-vampires and vampire spawn. So that's what I'll do.

There actually is a subtype of feats called [monstrous] feats. There are some in Libris Mortis, and I believe there are some in Lords of Madness, as well. They are for monstrous characters to take, and they enhance their natural abilities.

Profane bonus based on Wisdom? The closest is one that grants a bonus on Will Saves and Wisdom-based skills equal to the number of Blood Points you spend. Is that what you're referring to? I suppose I could clear up the wording a bit on that one.

I realized that I forgot the action type and the duration after I went to bed last night. It is fixed now. Swift Action to assign, and it lasts for an hour.

As for the Slam, even though he is called a 'Blood Knight' he actually draws more power from his Energy Drain ability, which is brought about by his Slam attack. The idea was a vampire who slams people to drain their levels, and then uses the energy that he drains to make himself tougher.

Thanks for the replies so far, and keep 'em coming.

Elistan
2009-12-01, 03:03 PM
Added a duration on how long the Blood Points remain in the Blood Pool, and changed the Racial requirement, as well as changed the wording on Blood Power (Mind).

Vox Clamantis
2009-12-01, 05:45 PM
Hey Elistan, popping in to contribute my 2 coppers. :smallsmile:

You might re-examine the duration, for starters. Draining levels isn't so very difficult, after all, and you don't specify anywhere that it must be done under certain conditions, so a Blood Knight could theoretically drain civilian NPCs an hour before going to fight the BBEG. Many NPCs, come to think of it.

Much room for exploitation there. Especially (god forbid) if anybody took this in a gestalt game.

Overall I like the execution. It seems as though you were partly inspired by the Factotum, and you know I dig that.

LunarWolfPrime
2009-12-01, 06:32 PM
ok, I am new to 3.5 vamps but why would you need to be at lvl 11 to take this?

Create Spawn (Su)

A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampire’s energy drain rises as a vampire spawn 1d4 days after burial.

If the vampire instead drains the victim’s Constitution to 0 or lower, the victim returns as a spawn if it had 4 or less HD and as a vampire if it had 5 or more HD. In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the command of the vampire that created it and remains enslaved until its master’s destruction. At any given time a vampire may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit are created as free-willed vampires or vampire spawn. A vampire that is enslaved may create and enslave spawn of its own, so a master vampire can control a number of lesser vampires in this fashion. A vampire may voluntarily free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a vampire or vampire spawn cannot be enslaved again.


Going by that all you need to be a vamp is have 5 hd when you are turned.
Or am I reading it wrong?
An rogues would be good with this class. Make them a grapple based UAS (Supeior UnArmed Stike is a must for this along with Pow Atk) and Slam attack specialist.

an I assume you spend blood points on each little Blood Power, right?

Elistan
2009-12-01, 08:10 PM
Okay, based on advice from various places, I will nerf Blood Power (Prowess) to +1/2 points spent. I'll also lower the duration of the Blood Power enhancements to 10 minutes. Does that sound better?

And Lunar, Vampires have a Level Adjustment of +8, so assuming you had three levels to meet the +3 BAB requirement, that puts you at 11th level overall.

Elistan
2009-12-01, 09:45 PM
I redid the Devastating Slam ability, changing it to Combat Style. So now you can choose between focusing on your Slam attack, or using a slashing weapon instead.

LunarWolfPrime
2009-12-02, 05:42 PM
Reason why I asked is because I want to use it as a villain for a game.
I see it using Superior Unarmed Strike, improved natural attack and Beast Strike.

Beast Strike
[General, Fighter]
(DR355 p76)
Improved Unarmed Strike
Base Attack Bonus +5
Claw or Slam attack
When making an Unarmed Strike or Grapple check to deal damage, add your Claw or Slam damage.

Put now after seeing the combat style thing, I am thinking Warbalde Tiger Claw specialist, with TWF and kukri's, and a few lvls in this.

An I my opinion ten min's for the blood point stuff is to small, 30 mins sounds good.

Elistan
2009-12-02, 11:51 PM
Awesome, Lunar. Let me know how it works out! And I think I'm gonna leave it at 10 min. for now. I think that's pretty balanced overall. If you think it's too short, feel free to up the duration for your villain.