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Fable Wright
2010-04-17, 11:57 PM
I'm trying to make a class for a D&D campaign that is based on the MTG set of 'rise of the eldrazi'. For those of you too lazy to look them up, the eldrazi are a race of ultra-powerful beings that level mountains in their passing. The eldrazi were locked up within a plane known as zendikar, where they have been trapped in a pocket of the dimension for thousands of years. Being the powerful beings that they are, the eldrazi cannot get free of their prison themselves, as the magic holding them there specifically holds them back. The only thing that keeps them in the pocket dimension are 'hedrons', large, floating double-sided pyramids that have fascinated scholars for centuries. As the hedrons are slowly being corrupted by the eldrazi to their cause, the spell wears down, smaller 'brood generation' eldrazi sift through the spell. Basically, these are small aberrational beings that can sacrifice themselves to produce magical energy. Eventually, eldrazi drones, which are large. moderately powerful beings that essentially just raise and protect the brood, while laying siege to small cities, and herald the way for the full eldrazi, giant creatures that can destroy a town just by looking at it. The hedrons, the first things that come out, slowly form superstructures that act as gateways/fortresses for the eldrazi, they can provide energy to fuel eldrazi magic, and can also generate forcefields around the eldrazi and their buildings. I have the story setting, but I need a class for an NPC travelling with the party who is tapping into eldrazi magic unbeknownst to the party, and eventually becomes a minor eldrazi lord. I'm trying to make a system in which the person can use powerful 'save or die' and 'save and die less painfully' spells, kind of like the dread necromancer, but I need to figure out a way to include a way for the character to summon and sacrifice brood eldrazi minions in a non-broken fashion. Remember that the brood eldrazi, and only the brood eldrazi, can sacrifice themselves to power spells. Any ideas?
Also, for those of you who play mtg: this campaign doesn't include planeswalkers, so I had to invent an alternate reason for them getting out. This class is the alternate reason.

Owrtho
2010-04-18, 12:51 AM
Just thought I'd note, unless that is just the backstory for your setting, it has a number of inaccuracies.

The hedrons aren't from the eldrazi, they were the magical artifacts that make up the prison. Also, the prison didn't gradually wear down. It was opened when 3 planeswalkers showed up at the Eye of Ugin and used ghostfire, which was the key to unlocking the prison. At that point the 3 main Eldrazi came out themselves, after which they made their drones, spawn, and lineages.
They were however able to corrupt some of the hedrons tainting them with their power while imprisoned though. They also had some places where their powers leaked out.

Owrtho

Fable Wright
2010-04-18, 11:55 AM
sorry for the inaccuracies. However, this would be in a campaign without planeswalkers, but the eldrazi idea still seemed cool. Still trying to find a mechanism for the class to use eldrazi spawn, e.g. how many the character cab control, combat statistics, what the can be sacrificed to do, and how are they found/created by the character. Please help. Also, fixed some inaccuracies there, thanks for the tip.

TelteWaywalker
2010-04-18, 01:58 PM
Honestly, I think the Alienist from Complete Arcane is the closest to what you might be wanting. But that is just from my perspective.

Deca
2010-04-18, 04:29 PM
I've got a few ideas on how the Spawn might fit into this.

If we're going with the role they have in M:TG, then perhaps the Herald can kill some of his Spawn to gain additional Spells Per Day. If this is the case, the Herald should also have access to spells that create more Spawn or he'd quickly run out.

Or maybe the Spawn can be some kind of familiar?

Fable Wright
2010-04-18, 08:39 PM
I was considering having a class similar to the dread necromancer in build, having a similar type of ascension-type theme, using similar abilities, but maybe having the undead-themed spells be replaced with summoning and transmutation-type spells. Perhaps the spawn could be sacrificed to increase the level of a summon monster spell by 1, e.g. a summon monster 1 + 1 sacrificed eldrazi spawn = summon monster 2, or raise the bonus of a stat-booster be 1, e.g. a cat's grace + a sacrificed spawn = a +5 bonus to dex, and for all other spells raise caster level by 1. The class I'm thinking of is a person who dishes out save-or-die spells, boosts ally stats through the roof (thinking of eldrazi conscription here, for people who know what I'm talking about), and summons things so ridiculously huge that it would make an epic paladin wet his pants. Downside: probably similar to alienist. Maybe the Herald can sacrifice a certain number of non-temporary hit points to make a spawn, and those hit points cannot be healed until the spawn are destroyed. Usable as a standard action at will. Also, will someone please tell me how to make a table? I would need to know to make a prototype.

Fable Wright
2010-04-18, 09:55 PM
Current Idea:
BAB: as wizard Good saves: will skill point: 2+int modifier
spells per day: as dread necromancer HD: d6
Skill options: as dread necromancer
abilities:
Hedron Touch: A Herald can use a touch attack 1/round that deals 1d8+1/4 levels of Herald they have points of damage by tapping into the energy of the hedron cage surrounding the eldrazi.

Rebuke the Spawn:As rebuke undead, but it affects aberrations.

Flesh of the Ascended: at 2nd level Herald of the Eldrazi gains +2 str and dex, as they slowly grow more powerful from the potent energies their masters feed them. This ability occurs again at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

Aberration affinity: The Herald has a +1 caster level when casting a summoning spell that summons an aberration.

Tap the Hedrons: at 3rd level, 1/day, the Herald can make a prison around a target creature touched. At first, this barrier prevents nonmagical arrows and other ranged attacks of medium or smaller size from entering a space around the target. The target must make a DC 10 strength check to escape the area and/or to make attacks from inside, and creature outside must make the same check to attack the creature inside. At 6th level, it prevents spells up to 3rd level from exiting or entering, as well as all non-magical magical attacks unless the attacker makes a DC 15 strength check. At 9th level it prevents all spells of level 5 or below from entering/exiting the area, and all attacks without an enhancement bonus of +2 or more need to succeed on a DC 20 strength check to pass through. At 13th level, it stops all spells of level 7 or below from entering or exiting the area, and all attacks without an enhancement bonus of +4 or more need a DC 25 strength check to succeed. At 17th level, this prevents all spells from entering or exiting, and acts as an wall of force around the target, except that the target cannot escape by means of a spell. The barrier remains in effect for 1 round/level, or until the Herald decided to drop the effect (a free action). Every 5 levels thereafter, the herald gains another use of tap the hedrons.

Advanced learning: at 4th level, and every 4th level thereafter, the Herald of the Eldrazi can add 1 spell from the wizard or cleric spell list to their list of spells known.

Mental bastion: at 4th level, and again at 14th level, the Herald gains a +2 bonus on all saves against sleep, stunning, poison, paralysis, and disease.

Fear aura: at 5th level, the Herald can project an aura of fear identical to the one a dread necromancer can (Heroes of Horror p.86)

At 7th level, the Herald can construct eldrazi brood from their own flesh. By taking 3 points of damage that cannot be healed, and also cannot be temporary hitpoint damage, they can make an eldrazi brood (described below).

At 8th level, the Herald adds +4 to the strength and dex of all aberrations they summon.

At 9th level, they gain an additional spell slot of the highest level spell the Herald can cast, but it can only be a summon aberration spell (described below).

At 10th level, the Herald gains light fortification 25%. This improves by 25% again at 17th level.

At 12th level, the Herald can bestow a number of negative levels per day equal to half their class levels with their hedron touch, up to 2 levels/touch. At 17th level, the Herald can bestow a number of negative levels equal to their class level.

Ascension: at 20th level, the Herald becomes one of the eldrazi themselves, becoming an aberration, gain the use of 3 eldrazi spawn that they don't need to sac HP for that regenerate every hour, and, after being destroyed, are completely remade at a hedron of their choice.

Please tell me if this is overpowered/underpowered.

Eldrazi spawn:
medium construct
HP: 3d10+10 hp
AC: 17 (+3 dex, +4 natural)
touch 13, flat footed 14
Stats: Dex 17, Str 10, Con --, int 10, cha 10, wis 10
Attacks: Slam +0 (1d3-1)
Special Qualities:
Bond with Master:
The creator of an eldrazi spawn can cast spells as if they were in the spawn's position.
Hedron Attunation:
By attuning themselves to the hedron barrier between worlds, the eldrazi spawn can sacrifice themselves to produce magical affects, as described below.
Empower summoning: the level of a summoning spell is raised by 1, e.g. summon monster 1 would become summon monster 2. If this would raise the spell level above 9, it summons an aberration with a CR 2 higher than if it were summoned by a lower level spell, e.g. if summon monster 9 would summon a creature with CR 13, then a spawn could sacrifice itself to allow the caster to summon a creature with CR 15. However, the caster needs to succeed on a spellcraft check DC 30 + 1/exra CR.

Increase power: the master's caster level is raised by 1 for 3 rounds

Produce magic: the master gains a 1st level spell slot back.

Drolyt
2010-04-19, 09:18 AM
I'm not too familiar with this stuff, I've played Magic before but never payed attention to the lore. However I made you a table:
20 LEVEL SPELLCASTING BASE CLASS
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th| 9th

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Hedron Touch, Rebuke the Spawn|5|3

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Flesh of the Ascended|6|4|-

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Tap the Hadrons|6|5|-|-

4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Advanced Learning, Mental Bastion|6|6|3|-|-

5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Flesh of the Ascended|6|6|4|-|-|-

6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Tap the Hadrons|6|6|5|3|-|-|-

7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Eldrazi Blood|6|6|6|4|-|-|-|-

8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Advanced Learning, Stronger Abberation Summons|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-

9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Tap the Hadrons, Extra Spell Slot|6|6|6|6|4|-|-|-|-|-

10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Flesh of the Ascended, Fortification|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-

11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Class Ability|6|6|6|6|6|4|-|-|-|-

12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8|Advanced Learning, Negative Levels Hadron Touch|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-

13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8|Tap the Hadrons|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|-|-|-

14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+4|
+9|Mental Bastion|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-

15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+9|Flesh of the Ascended, Fear Aura|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|-|-

16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|Advanced Learning|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-

17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|Tap the Hadrons, Fortification, Negative Levels Hadron Touch|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|-

18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Class Ability|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3

19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|Class Ability|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4

20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Flesh of the Ascended, Advanced Learning, Ascension|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5[/table]