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View Full Version : [3.5 PrC] The Hydra Blade (PEACH)



Geiger Counter
2010-03-11, 11:30 PM
This PrC is partially based on the Characters Sakon and Ukon from Nauruto. What this class tries to accomplish is making pure melee classes closer in power to pure casters at higher levels. I am not sure if giving extra magic item slots is too powerful, if asked enough times I just might make those extra slots gained as feats when she has the necessary extra body part. Please help me improve my wording if it is unclear. Also I would very much like people to post if they just think this is an interesting class and that they would like to use it themselves.

The Hydra Blade is for people who eschew typical spell casting in favor of deforming oneself into a new powerful mutant form and eventually gaining a sort of immortality. This class takes nothing away from social outcasts who seek only power. Needless to say not many people who choose this prestige class are lawful good, though there is nothing preventing them from doing so. Most Hydra blades start off as rangers, though they can just as easily be barbarians, fighters and swashbucklers. The extra item slots make this prestige class especially useful to artificers or an ally of one. Hydra Blades can be of any race though they tend not to be small. This class tends to be popular amongst reptilian races: lizardfolk, half-dragons, medusas, yuan ti and some shifters. This is a popular prestige class to cultists of Tiamat.

In Eberron: Hydras are typically found in the Shadow Marshes and Q’Barra. The Immortal Hydra is said to be not only a spawn of Khyber but an approximation of the true form of the Dragon Below. The few very high level warriors who have taken levels in this class tend to be champions among the goblinoids, gnolls, shifters and lizardfolk. There is said to be a very powerful and very old were monitor lizard who has attained immortality through this class, it is unknown if he still resides in Eberron. Members of this class know to avoid the Mournlands as it causes them to loose most of their powers.

Hydra Blade
Hit Die: d10.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Hydra Blade, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +10.
Feats: Endurance, Diehard, and Improved Toughness.
Special: Must have drunk the fresh blood of a Hydra (of any type).
Class Skills
The Hydra Blade’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Hydra Blade
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|+1|+2|+0|+0| Enhanced Healing

2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0| Grow Extra Head

3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1| Fortification (25%)

4th|+4|+4|+1|+1| Grow Extra Arms

5th|+5|+4|+1|+1| Fortification (50%), Reattachment

6th|+6|+5|+2|+2| Grow Extra Legs

7th|+7|+5|+2|+2| Fortification (75%)

8th|+8|+6|+2|+2| Develop Extra Consciousness

9th|+9|+6|+3|+3| Immunity to critical hits, Regenerate

10th|+10|+7|+3|+3| Clone, Immortality [/table]

Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the Hydra Blade prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Hydra Blade gains no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Enhanced Healing (Ex): The Hydra Blade heals one point of damage every 10 minutes (in addition to healing gained from rest and hourly healing of nonlethal damage). The Hydra Blade now heals 1d6 points of ability damage for each ability score from resting. Also, the Hydra Blade gains immunity to fatigue and exhaustion.
Grow Extra Head (Su): A Hydra Blade can grow an additional head from behind her neck facing the opposite direction as her real head. Releasing or absorbing the extra head into or from the body is a move action that can usually be performed at the same time as another action. Clothing and armor automatically changes to accommodate the extra head. While out, the extra head is in telepathic communication with the Hydra Blade’s real head and grants her a +2 bonus to listen and spot checks and immunity to flanking. This extra head exhibits a blank stare and does not speak or even breathe. This extra head allows the Hydra Blade to wear one additional headband, hat, helmet, or phylactery on the head and one pair of eye lenses or goggles on or over the eyes. Any powers from magic items worn by the head can only work if the powers they grant are passive and do not require activation. Any magical items worn by the extra head cannot be of the same type as one worn by the real head. For example: if her real head wears a headband of intellect (+2) and her extra head wears a headband of intellect (+4) she only receives a +4 bonus to intelligence. Drawing the head back into the body causes it to drop any magic items it is wearing. A Hydra Blade cannot release or absorb her extra head while in an antimagic field, this otherwise does not effect her extra head.
Fortification (Ex): At the third level, and every second level after that a Hydra Blade’s body becomes increasingly invulnerable to sneak attacks and critical hits. At the ninth level, a Hydra Blade gains immunity to critical hits and related effects.
Reattachment (Ex): A Hydra Blade can instantaneously reattach any body part which has been severed simply by holding it to the stump. This does not work if the body part removed caused death. Any wound which would normally cause excessive bleeding closes instantly.
Grow Extra Arms (Su): A Hydra Blade can grow two additional arms anywhere on her body. Releasing or absorbing either or both extra arms into or from the body is a move action that can usually be performed at the same time as another action. Clothing and armor automatically changes to accommodate the extra arms. These arms can hold any item in each hand however the Hydra Blade cannot use them to attack with a weapon or gain advantage from a shield. You can activate magic items with your extra hands, however this does not change the number of actions you can perform in a round. While out, each extra arm grants a +2 bonus (+4 if both arms are out) to balance, climb, grapple, tumble and swim. These extra arms allow the Hydra Blade to wear an additional pair of bracers or bracelets on the arms or wrists, one glove, pair of gloves, or pair of gauntlets on the hands and One ring on each hand (or two rings on one hand). The Hydra Blade can not gain advantage from an additional pair of bracers or bracelets on the arms or wrists or one glove, pair of gloves, or pair of gauntlets on the hands if these items are of the same type as the ones worn on her real hands. Drawing either arm back into the body causes it to drop any magic items it is wearing. However simply repositioning the arms elsewhere on the body does not have this effect. A Hydra Blade cannot release or absorb her extra arms while in an antimagic field, this otherwise does not effect her extra arms.
Grow Extra Legs (Su): A Hydra Blade can grow two additional legs behind her real legs facing the opposite direction as them. Releasing or absorbing both extra legs into or from the body is a move action that can usually be performed at the same time as another action. Clothing and armor automatically changes to accommodate the extra legs. If any magic items are worn on the main pair of legs an identical pair is worn on the extra legs, these items do not usually grant any additional magic abilities the real set of magical foot wear normally does. These legs grant an increase in her base land speed which makes her move 20 feet faster than she normally would. Apply this bonus before modifying the Hydra Blade’s speed from any load carried or armor worn. While out, her extra legs grant a +4 bonus to balance, jump, tumble and swim checks as well as a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped. A Hydra Blade cannot release or absorb her extra legs while in an antimagic field, this otherwise does not effect her extra legs.
Develop Extra Consciousness (Ex): Your Second head develops a level of awareness common to most animals. It now makes facial features according to a limited range of emotions and grants you a +2 bonus to will saves. You can now activate magic items worn on your secondary head, however this does not change the number of actions you can perform in a round. Your extra hands can now make use of weapons and shields. Your second set of hands are treated as a completely different set of hands. For example, if your main hands wield a great sword and your extra hands wield a sword and shield you fight at no penalty. If either of your sets of hands attempts two weapon fighting then they receive the normal penalties. However you can never wield a weapon using a combination of both your sets of hands, like wielding a great sword with both your primary main hand and your primary extra hand. It’s as unwieldy as two different people trying to use the same weapon. If you take any feats in the two weapon fighting tree, both sets of hands benefit. Due to her extra head’s telepathic link with her main head, she retains all of these abilities even if the extra head is absorbed into her body.
Regenerate (Ex): The Hydra Blade gains fast healing equal to her constitution modifier. As a full round action which provokes an attack of opportunity a Hydra Blade can double her fast healing rate and fully regrow all lost body parts. It is said that in dire situations when there is no other food available a Hydra Blade will lop off an arm or a leg, cook it and feed it to her party as many times as needed.
Clone (Sp): A Hydra Blade can create a single inert clone of herself which her soul transfers to upon her death and works very much like the spell of the same name. Only one such clone can exist at any point in time using this method and it only works for the Hydra Blade who created it. However this does not limit the number of times the actual clone spell can be cast on the Hydra Blade. It takes an hour for the flesh to grow to full size and needs no preservation.
Immortality (Ex): Upon reaching the tenth level of this prestige class the Hydra Blade discovers the secret of eternal youth. They regress to the prime of their life, losing all ill effects from aging and cease aging altogether. It is suspected that the Hydra Blade, given enough centuries, rather than aging becomes more reptilian and eventually becomes a hydra-like creature.

Apropos
2010-03-11, 11:49 PM
The feat requirements seem a bit harsh, but since you wont be taking the class until 10th level, it probably won't be too much of a problem with a 2-4 level fighter dip.

Since you won't be getting it till level 11, it might not be a bad idea to give the Hydra Blade fast healing 1 instead of enhanced healing, possibly advancing it with the class. Cap it at Fast Healing 5 if you do. Also, it wouldn't hurt too much to actually give the character regeneration at level 9, rather than your version.

Contortionist seems out of place with its bonus to escape artist, as this is clearly a melee class.

The inability to use class abilities from constitution loss seems harsh as well, I don't think its really necessary.

All in all, I really like the class, especially the Ukon/Sakon inspiration (which is the essence of the class, but still).

Geiger Counter
2010-03-12, 12:01 AM
The feat requirements seem a bit harsh, but since you wont be taking the class until 10th level, it probably won't be too much of a problem with a 2-4 level fighter dip.

Since you won't be getting it till level 11, it might not be a bad idea to give the Hydra Blade fast healing 1 instead of enhanced healing, possibly advancing it with the class. Cap it at Fast Healing 5 if you do. Also, it wouldn't hurt too much to actually give the character regeneration at level 9, rather than your version.

Contortionist seems out of place with its bonus to escape artist, as this is clearly a melee class.

The inability to use class abilities from constitution loss seems harsh as well, I don't think its really necessary.

All in all, I really like the class, especially the Ukon/Sakon inspiration (which is the essence of the class, but still).

I updated her regeneration ability and removed the constitution Prereq.
I know contortionist is nigh useless, it's just a flavor feature that show off the classes ability to distort their form. I'll get rid of it if more people agree with you.

Apropos
2010-03-12, 12:09 AM
I didn't mean that the constitution prereq was bad, just the whole deal with the 'Ex-Hydra Blades' losing their abilities from getting con drained/damaged. Although its fine without it, drinking hydra's blood doesn't sound particularly fun, and it'd be harder still to find and kill one.

Geiger Counter
2010-03-13, 11:01 AM
minor updates.

Draconi Redfir
2010-03-15, 03:44 PM
When I first clicked on this link I thought it was for a weapon, but even as a class it's very cool, assuming you don’t mind self-mutilation :P

Just think, if you took the rapid-shot feat, and equipped both sets of arms with bows, you could launch four arrows all in one round! totally awesome :smallbiggrin:

Krazddndfreek
2010-03-29, 10:57 PM
I like it very much. By 20th level you can effectively become almost unkillable. Who says melee can't get nice things :smallamused:

Zexion
2010-03-29, 11:25 PM
When I first clicked on this link I thought it was for a weapon, but even as a class it's very cool, assuming you don’t mind self-mutilation :P

Just think, if you took the rapid-shot feat, and equipped both sets of arms with bows, you could launch four arrows all in one round! totally awesome :smallbiggrin:

Does that fall under "optimization," or "munchkinry"?

Temotei
2010-03-29, 11:37 PM
Does that fall under "optimization," or "munchkinry"?

Is archery ever considered either? :smallconfused:

Krazddndfreek
2010-03-29, 11:41 PM
No. Munchkinnery is when you dip into Spellthief, rogue, sneak attack fighter, ninja, and any other sneak attack base classes you can until you hit the wealth of prestige classes with sneak attack so you can get sneak attack at every level. Then further enhancing it with Healer's vision and Assassin's Stance, as well as an Assassin Weapon, and then find a way to apply all those d6's to an AoE spell. That's munchkinnery. What that man is doing is fairly plain and simple surface logic.

Temotei
2010-03-30, 12:11 AM
No. Munchkinnery is when you dip into Spellthief, rogue, sneak attack fighter, ninja, and any other sneak attack base classes you can until you hit the wealth of prestige classes with sneak attack so you can get sneak attack at every level. Then further enhancing it with Healer's vision and Assassin's Stance, as well as an Assassin Weapon, and then find a way to apply all those d6's to an AoE spell. That's munchkinnery. What that man is doing is fairly plain and simple surface logic.

Ninja gets sudden strike. :smalltongue:

Hooray for nitpicks!

Krazddndfreek
2010-03-30, 12:14 AM
Yeah, but any sane DM would change it to sneak attack. Unless someone was attempting the above munchkinnery.