Hawk7915
2010-11-06, 05:09 PM
The Spirit Caller Prestige Class
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091118184555/wowwiki/images/thumb/d/d5/Feral_Spirit_TCG.jpg/180px-Feral_Spirit_TCG.jpg
"The road to victory will require a suitable guide."
—Kirivus the Focused
Many nature-loving spell casters focus on summoning and protecting living animals. However, there is a school of shamanistic magic that instead focuses on calling the spirits of lost animals. These animal spirits are powerful guides and protectors, eager to get revenge against those that would harm nature. The Spirit Caller harnesses this feral rage to augment their own strength, while also shepherding these spectral creatures towards closure.
Spirit Shamans, who are naturally predisposed to communing with spirits, make natural Spirit Callers. Druids and Clerics of Nature deities have also been known to occasionally walk with the spirits of beasts. Very rarely, a Ranger or a Gnome spellcaster of another sort takes the path of the Spirit Caller.
Hit Die: d8
Requirements: To become a Spirit Caller, you must fulfill the following prerequisites
Skills: Handle Animal 4 ranks, Know (Nature) 8 ranks, Know (Religion) 4 ranks
Feats: Alertness, Augment Summoning
Abilities: Wild Empathy class feature or ability to cast Speak with Animals as a spell-like ability.
Spellcasting: Able to cast 3rd level Divine spells, including at least one spell from the Summon Nature's Ally line.
Table 1: The Spirit Caller
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spellcasting
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Feral Power, Spirit Animals|+1 level of existing class
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Spiritual Rejuvenation|+1 level of existing class
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Extended Summoning, Raging Spirits|+1 level of existing class
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Great Summoning|+1 level of existing class
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Twin Spirits|+1 level of existing class
[/table]
Class Features:
Spellcasting: When a new spirit caller level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that he adds the level of thaumaturgist to the level of whatever other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.
If a character had more than one spellcasting class before he became a spirit caller, he must decide to which class he adds each level of spirit caller for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Feral Power: A Spirit Caller is in tune with the beasts both living and dead, and can grant themselves power as a result. At 1st level, the Spirit Caller gains Animal Devotion as a bonus feat. If the Spirit Caller does not have access to Turn attempts, they may instead use Animal Devotion a number of times per day equal to their class level.
Spirit Animals: At 1st level, your summoned animals can take on a spirit form. The spirit form gives them the incorporeal subtype, and they gain +4 Wisdom, and +4 Charisma. They lose their Strength score and Natural Armor bonus, but gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to their Wisdom modifier (minimum +1). Their attacks become touch attacks that use their Dexterity bonus for attack and deal nonlethal damage. You may only apply this "Spirit" ability to summoned Animals and Magical Beasts. You may choose whether your summoned animals become Spirit Animals or not, but all animals summoned must be one or the other. For example, you could not use Summon Nature's Ally III to summon 2 Spirit Wolves and 2 normal Wolves; you must call 4 spirit wolves or 4 normal wolves.
Spiritual Rejuvenation: At 2nd level, whenever one of your Spirit Animals deals damage while within 30' of you, you are healed of 2 damage.
Extended Summons: Starting at 3rd level, when you summon Spirit Animals, the duration of that summoning is doubled. This ability stacks with the Extend Spell feat (remember that two doublings is a tripling and so on)
Raging Spirits: At 3rd level, your summoned spirits no longer lose their strength score. They still deal nonlethal damage. They use their Strength or Dexterity, whichever is higher, for determining their attack bonus.
Great Summoning: Starting at 4th level, the power of your spirit animals is greatly increased. Spirit Animals you call gain Resistance to Acid, Cold, and Electricity 10/-, +4 Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom, and gain a "Bloodcurdling Howl" ability:
Bloodcurdling Howl: Creatures within 30’ are Frightened for 2d4 rounds (WillNeg, DC = 10 + 1/2 hit die + Charisma modifier). Creatures more than 30’ away, but less than 300’ are Shaken for 2d4 rounds (WillNeg). A successful save makes a creature immune to the Ghost Brute’s Bloodcurdling Howl for 24 hours. This is a sonic, necromantic, mind-affecting fear effect that is activated as a Standard Action.
Twin Spirits: At 5th level, when you call spirit animals, you summon one additional creature of that type.
======================================
Design Note: This class was inspired because I've been kicking around builds for World of Warcraft characters in D&D 3.5. I figured Thrall makes sense as a Spirit Shaman...but Spirit Shamans have no PrCs to speak of really. There's also no way I knew of to summon the spirit animals (wolves) that are so ubiquitous in WoW lore. In general, it bugged me that most divine casting PrCs required cleric, and I wanted one that Druids and Spirit Shamans could enjoy.
The prereqs make it possible for a cleric or ranger (or Gnome Archivist) to sneak into the class, but it's clearly easiest for Druids and Spirit Shamans (and since Spirit Shamans get Alertness as a bonus feat, it's easiest of all for them). The "Spirit" ability applied to the animals at first is almost verbatim the "Spirit Animal" template from Frostburn; the "Bloodcurdling Howl" is taken from the Ghost Brute template.
This class is short and fairly powerful at what it does. My metric was roughly the Malconvoker in terms of how much I wanted this class to power up summoning (you may notice that the auto-twin is lifted from that class). I thought that was balanced out by the tough prerequisites and the fact that, occasionally, having Incorporeal beasts is as much as a curse as a blessing (since they only deal nonlethal damage). True, you can choose at will, but much of this class's features only apply if your summoned animals are spirits (the "Improved Augment", auto-extend, auto-twin, and the healing). This is my first homebrewed PrC...thoughts? Do I have the wording done correctly? Is it too strong? Too weak? Too hard/easy to enter? Too confusing? Should it be a 10 level class with some extra features tacked on?
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091118184555/wowwiki/images/thumb/d/d5/Feral_Spirit_TCG.jpg/180px-Feral_Spirit_TCG.jpg
"The road to victory will require a suitable guide."
—Kirivus the Focused
Many nature-loving spell casters focus on summoning and protecting living animals. However, there is a school of shamanistic magic that instead focuses on calling the spirits of lost animals. These animal spirits are powerful guides and protectors, eager to get revenge against those that would harm nature. The Spirit Caller harnesses this feral rage to augment their own strength, while also shepherding these spectral creatures towards closure.
Spirit Shamans, who are naturally predisposed to communing with spirits, make natural Spirit Callers. Druids and Clerics of Nature deities have also been known to occasionally walk with the spirits of beasts. Very rarely, a Ranger or a Gnome spellcaster of another sort takes the path of the Spirit Caller.
Hit Die: d8
Requirements: To become a Spirit Caller, you must fulfill the following prerequisites
Skills: Handle Animal 4 ranks, Know (Nature) 8 ranks, Know (Religion) 4 ranks
Feats: Alertness, Augment Summoning
Abilities: Wild Empathy class feature or ability to cast Speak with Animals as a spell-like ability.
Spellcasting: Able to cast 3rd level Divine spells, including at least one spell from the Summon Nature's Ally line.
Table 1: The Spirit Caller
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spellcasting
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Feral Power, Spirit Animals|+1 level of existing class
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Spiritual Rejuvenation|+1 level of existing class
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Extended Summoning, Raging Spirits|+1 level of existing class
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Great Summoning|+1 level of existing class
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Twin Spirits|+1 level of existing class
[/table]
Class Features:
Spellcasting: When a new spirit caller level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that he adds the level of thaumaturgist to the level of whatever other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.
If a character had more than one spellcasting class before he became a spirit caller, he must decide to which class he adds each level of spirit caller for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Feral Power: A Spirit Caller is in tune with the beasts both living and dead, and can grant themselves power as a result. At 1st level, the Spirit Caller gains Animal Devotion as a bonus feat. If the Spirit Caller does not have access to Turn attempts, they may instead use Animal Devotion a number of times per day equal to their class level.
Spirit Animals: At 1st level, your summoned animals can take on a spirit form. The spirit form gives them the incorporeal subtype, and they gain +4 Wisdom, and +4 Charisma. They lose their Strength score and Natural Armor bonus, but gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to their Wisdom modifier (minimum +1). Their attacks become touch attacks that use their Dexterity bonus for attack and deal nonlethal damage. You may only apply this "Spirit" ability to summoned Animals and Magical Beasts. You may choose whether your summoned animals become Spirit Animals or not, but all animals summoned must be one or the other. For example, you could not use Summon Nature's Ally III to summon 2 Spirit Wolves and 2 normal Wolves; you must call 4 spirit wolves or 4 normal wolves.
Spiritual Rejuvenation: At 2nd level, whenever one of your Spirit Animals deals damage while within 30' of you, you are healed of 2 damage.
Extended Summons: Starting at 3rd level, when you summon Spirit Animals, the duration of that summoning is doubled. This ability stacks with the Extend Spell feat (remember that two doublings is a tripling and so on)
Raging Spirits: At 3rd level, your summoned spirits no longer lose their strength score. They still deal nonlethal damage. They use their Strength or Dexterity, whichever is higher, for determining their attack bonus.
Great Summoning: Starting at 4th level, the power of your spirit animals is greatly increased. Spirit Animals you call gain Resistance to Acid, Cold, and Electricity 10/-, +4 Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom, and gain a "Bloodcurdling Howl" ability:
Bloodcurdling Howl: Creatures within 30’ are Frightened for 2d4 rounds (WillNeg, DC = 10 + 1/2 hit die + Charisma modifier). Creatures more than 30’ away, but less than 300’ are Shaken for 2d4 rounds (WillNeg). A successful save makes a creature immune to the Ghost Brute’s Bloodcurdling Howl for 24 hours. This is a sonic, necromantic, mind-affecting fear effect that is activated as a Standard Action.
Twin Spirits: At 5th level, when you call spirit animals, you summon one additional creature of that type.
======================================
Design Note: This class was inspired because I've been kicking around builds for World of Warcraft characters in D&D 3.5. I figured Thrall makes sense as a Spirit Shaman...but Spirit Shamans have no PrCs to speak of really. There's also no way I knew of to summon the spirit animals (wolves) that are so ubiquitous in WoW lore. In general, it bugged me that most divine casting PrCs required cleric, and I wanted one that Druids and Spirit Shamans could enjoy.
The prereqs make it possible for a cleric or ranger (or Gnome Archivist) to sneak into the class, but it's clearly easiest for Druids and Spirit Shamans (and since Spirit Shamans get Alertness as a bonus feat, it's easiest of all for them). The "Spirit" ability applied to the animals at first is almost verbatim the "Spirit Animal" template from Frostburn; the "Bloodcurdling Howl" is taken from the Ghost Brute template.
This class is short and fairly powerful at what it does. My metric was roughly the Malconvoker in terms of how much I wanted this class to power up summoning (you may notice that the auto-twin is lifted from that class). I thought that was balanced out by the tough prerequisites and the fact that, occasionally, having Incorporeal beasts is as much as a curse as a blessing (since they only deal nonlethal damage). True, you can choose at will, but much of this class's features only apply if your summoned animals are spirits (the "Improved Augment", auto-extend, auto-twin, and the healing). This is my first homebrewed PrC...thoughts? Do I have the wording done correctly? Is it too strong? Too weak? Too hard/easy to enter? Too confusing? Should it be a 10 level class with some extra features tacked on?