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Darwin
2010-05-05, 01:36 PM
Most of us can agree that the druid has two main aspects to it: animals and plants. Due to the most powerful of the Druid's class features being associated with animals (wildshape, animal compaion) the plant area is often overlooked. This is my little pet project that is supposed to bring the plants to the front seat. Without further delay I present to you:

The Animist

Starting Gold: 2d4 x 10 gp

Starting Age: As sorcerer

Alignment: Any

Hit Dice: d6.

Class Skills: The animist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th| 9th

1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Organic Companion, Trackless Step|5|3|-

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Woodland Stride|6|4|-

3rd|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+3|Photosynthesis|6|5|-

4th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Natural Oils, natural armor +1|6|6|3|-

5th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Delay Substance 1|6|6|4|-

6th|
+3|
+5|
+2|
+5||6|6|5|3|-

7th|
+3|
+5|
+2|
+5|Poison Immunity|6|6|6|4|-

8th|
+4|
+6|
+2|
+6|Natural armor +2|6|6|6|5|3|-

9th|
+4|
+6|
+3|
+6|Light of life|6|6|6|6|4|-

10th|
+5|
+7|
+3|
+7|Delay Substance 2|6|6|6|6|5|3|-

11th|
+5|
+7|
+3|
+7|Disease immunity|6|6|6|6|6|4|-

12th|
+6/+1|
+8|
+4|
+8|Natural armor +3|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-

13th|
+6/+1|
+8|
+4|
+8|Perfect Symbiosis|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|-

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

15th|
+7/+2|
+9|
+5|
+9|Delay Substance 3|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|-

16th|
+8/+3|
+10|
+5|
+10|Natural armor +4|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-

17th|
+8/+3|
+10|
+5|
+10|Secrete Substance|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|-

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

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

20th|
+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+12|One with Nature, Natural armor +5|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Animists are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the throwing axe, handaxe, battleaxe, greataxe, shortbow, and longbow. Animists are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. Due to their special bond with nature Animists are unable of wielding or wearing any weapon or armor made of metal. In metal’s place animists employs natural materials, such as flint or bone for their weapons.

Spells: An Animist casts divine spells, which are drawn from the animist spell list . When you gain access to a new level of spells, you automatically know all the spells for that level on the animist’s spell list. You can cast any spell you know without preparing it ahead of time. Essentially, your spell list is the same as your spells known list. To cast an animist spell, you must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell’s level (Int 10 for 0-level spells, Int 11 for 1st-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an animist’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the animist’s Wis modifier. Like other spellcasters, an animist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. In addition, you receive bonus spells for a high Wisdom score (PH 8). An animist need not prepare spells in advance. You can cast any spell you know at any time, assuming you have not yet used up your spells per day for that spell level.

Organic Companion (Ex): At 1st level the animist receives a plant companion, the rules for plant companions can be found written in Dragon Magazine #357.

Trackless Step (Ex): At 1st level the animist leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Woodland Stride (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, the animist may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.

Photosynthesis (Ex): At 3rd level, the animist‘s cells produce chloroplasts enabling her to subsist on sunlight 1 hour/day in lieu of food. She still requires the same amount of water as before.
Natural Oils: At 4th level the animist may secrete natural oils, as a free action the animist receives a circumstance bonus to Escape Artist checks equal to her class level for 1d4+1 rounds. She may use this ability a number of times equal to 1 + her current Con modifier per day.
Natural Armor: Beginning at 4th level, the animist’s skin start toughening like the bark of a tree granting her a +1 enhancement bonus to her existing natural armor bonus. This enhancement bonus increases to +2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level.

Delay Substance (Ex): Beginning at 5th level, the animist gains a certain degree of control over her metabolism and blood flow. She may delay the effect of 1 substance (potions, poisons and so on) for a number of hours equal to her Con modifier. At any time during this period, she can activate the substance's effect as a swift action. If the duration expires before she activates the substance, it is automatically activated. The number of substances the animist can hold in her body increases to 2 at 10th level, and 3 at 15th level.
Poison Immunity: At 6th level, the animist gains immunity to all poisons.

Light of life: At 9th level the animist’s body becomes capable of storing solar energy granting her additional fortitude. For each hour spend resting naked in full-sunlight the animist gains 1 temporary hp. The animist can store up to twice her animist level of temporary hp this way.

Disease Immunity: At 11th level, the animist gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.
Perfect Symbiosis (Su): At 13th level, as a full-round action the animist may fuse together with her plant companion in symbiosis. She gains the benefit of the following evolved abilities: Bioluminiscent, Blindsight, Blunting Mold, Cactus Spurs, Eldritch Fibers, Ironbark, Mirrored Bark, Oakenbough, Roots, Scent, Sticky Sap, Swift, Tremorsense. The animist may only benefit from the abilities already evolved in her plant companion. The plant companion is treated as a mount until separated from the animist again with another full-round action except no ride checks are needed for remaining in control of the companion.

Secrete Substance (Ex): At 17th level the animist becomes able to secrete any substance currently stored in her body with the Delay Substance class feature. Doing this requires 1 minute and the secreted substance may be stored in any suitable container for later use.

One with Nature: At 20th level, an animist completely transforms into a plant creature. Her type changes to plant and she gains all the traits associated with it. She retains proficiency with any armor or weapon gained from her class levels.

Animist Spell List
0 level: Create Water, Detect Poison, Know Direction, Light, Naturewatch(SpC), Purify Food and Drink, Detects Plants, Ray of Frost

1st Level: Animate Water(SpC), Animate WoodSpC, Aura against Flame(SpC), Breath of the Jungle(SpC), Buoyant Lifting(SpC), Camouflage(SpC), Detect Snares and Pits, Endure Elements, Entangle, Hail of Stone(SpC), Obscuring Mist, Remove Scent(SpC), Wood Wose(SpC)

2nd level: Barkskin, Brambles(SpC), Briar Web(SpC), Burrow(SpC), Camouflage (mass)(SpC), Chill Metal, Delay Poison, Earthfast(SpC), Easy Trail(SpC), Fog Cloud, One with the Land(SpC), Soften Earth and Stone, Splinterbolt(SpC), Swim(SpC), Tree Shape, Wood Shape

3rd Level: Daylight, Forest Eyes(CC), Forestfold(SpC), Forest Voice(CC), Meld into Stone, Nature’s Balance(SpC), Nature’s Rampart(SpC), Neutralize Poison, Plant Growth, Poison, , Remove Disease, Sink(SpC), Snare, Speak with Plants, Spike Growth, Spikes(SpC), Stone Shape, Thornskin(SpC), Tremor(SpC), Vine Mine(SpC), Water Breathing

4th Level: Burrow (mass)(SpC), Command Plants, Control Water, Ice Storm, Land Womb SpC), Lay of the Land (SpC), Poison Vines (SpC), Rusting Grasp, Summon Elementite Swarm(SpC), Swim (mass)(SpC)

5th Level: Anticold Sphere(SpC), Awaken, Cold Snap(SpC), Commune with Nature, Ice Flowers(SpC), Jungle’s Rapture(SpC), Plant Body(SpC), Poison Thorns(SpC), Stoneskin, Tree Stride, Wall of Thorns

6th Level: Anger of the Noonday Sun(SpC), Find the Path, Ironwood, Liveoak, Move Earth, Summon Greater Elemental(SpC), Tidal Surge(SpC), Transport via Plants

7th Level: Animate Plants, Aura of Vitality(SpC) , Changestaff, Master Earth(SpC), Shifting Paths(SpC) , Sunbeam, Transmute Metal to Wood, Waterspout(SpC)

8th Level: Control Plants, Deadfall(SpC) , Earthquake, Forest Child(CC), Maelstrom(SpC) , Sunburst, Unyielding Roots(SpC)

9th Level: Shambler, Shadow Landscape(SpC) , Summon Elemental Monolith(SpC) , Tsunami(SpC) , Undermaster(SpC)

Darwin
2010-05-05, 01:37 PM
KNOWN ISSUES

Plant Companion: I can't put up the full details on the plant companion as it has been published in a dragon magazine. For now you'll have to deal with not being able to play the class without access to that particular issue.

Spells: The spell list is still very much a work-in-progress at it's alpha stage. I haven't adressed balancing or actual application of the spells present there yet, it's just a bunch of spells I liked for the class to have.

I have, as of yet, not had a chance to playtest the Animist and I wouldn't recommend playing it until I have done so. I have no idea how powerful or weak the animist might turn out to be so use it at your own risk.

Darwin
2010-05-05, 01:39 PM
reserved post #2

Lix Lorn
2010-05-06, 05:25 AM
It's definitely INTERESTING. Just to make it easier to read, could I recommend that you Bold ability names, and maybe put the spell list under a spoiler?

Mulletmanalive
2010-05-06, 06:43 AM
I've not had chance to read the features [second Lix' suggestions on the headings] but the spell list makes you into a solid controller type character without being over flexible. I like this, though it might be necessary to design some more plant themed spells at top level because you're looking almost entirely water based offensive at the top end.

Kobold-Bard
2010-05-06, 07:40 AM
You haven't put any details about what One With Nature does yet.

Can't comment on balance unfortunately but I'm liking the look of the class atm though.

Darwin
2010-05-06, 07:47 AM
Added the missing One with Nature entry and bolded up the class feature entries :smallbiggrin:

Draken
2010-05-06, 10:06 AM
"Organic Companion" sounds strange. Just plant companion would be better.

Also, not everyone has access to Magazine Material, better transcribe the rules or make your own set based on them.

Also. One with Nature should really be renamed "Lichen Transformation."

Lix Lorn
2010-05-06, 06:30 PM
Also, you have two One With nature bits, one bold, one not.