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View Full Version : Nature's Friend [3.5 Base Class, PEACH]



Bakkan
2010-12-29, 05:37 AM
Here's a class I put together for a player of mine who wanted to play a spontaneous-casting druid. I modeled it after the favored soul in terms of spells known/per day. I'm mostly looking for balance advice, particularly regarding the aspect of nature class feature. I am shooting for a Tier 2, Favored Soul level of power. Thanks in advance.

Nature’s Friend
Alignment: Neutral Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, or Neutral Evil
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge(nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Wis)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier


Table 1: The Nature’s Friend
{table="head"] Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
1| +0 |+2| +0| +2| nature sense, wild empathy, aspect of nature (1) 1/day| 5| 3 | |||||||
2| +1 |+3| +0| +3 |woodland stride| 6 |4||||||||
3| +2| +3| +1| +3| trackless step, aspect of nature (1) 2/day| 6| 5||||||||
4| +3| +4| +1| +4| resist nature’s lure| 6| 6| 3|||||||
5| +3| +4| +1| +4| aspect of nature (2) 1/day| 6| 6| 4|||||||
6| +4| +5| +2| +5| aspect of nature (2) 3/day| 6| 6| 5| 3||||||
7| +5| +5| +2| +5|- | 6| 6| 6| 4||||||
8| +6/+1| +6| +2| +6| multiple aspects (2)| 6| 6| 6| 5| 3|||||
9| +6/+1| +6| +3| +6| venom immunity, aspect of nature (2) 4/day |6| 6| 6| 6| 4|||||
10| +7/+2| +7| +3| +7| aspect of nature (3) 4/day, floral aspect of nature| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 3||||
11| +8/+3| +7| +3| +7| - |6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 4||||
12| +9/+4| +8| +4| +8| aspect of nature (3) 5/day| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 3|||
13| +9/+4| +8| +4| +8| multiple aspects (3)| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 4|||
14| +10/+5| +9| +4| +9| - |6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 3||
15| +11/+6/+1| +9| +5| +9| aspect of nature (4) 6/day, elemental aspect of nature |6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 4||
16| +12/+7/+2| +10| +5| +10| - |6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 3|
17| +12/+7/+2| +10| +5| +10| multiple aspects (4)| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 4|
18| +13/+8/+3| +11| +6| +11| aspect of nature (4) 7/day| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 3
19| +14/+9/+4| +11| +6| +11| - |6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 4
20| +15/+10/+5| +12| +6| +12| aspect of nature (5) 7/day| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6
[/table]

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Nature’s friends are proficient in all simple weapons, plus the scimitar, with light and medium armors, and with shields. However, a nature’s friend is prohibited from wearing metal armor or using a metal shield. If he does, he is unable to cast any nature’s friend spells or use his aspect of nature ability while he wears the armor and for 24 hours thereafter.

Spells: A nature’s friend casts divine spells which are drawn from the druid spell list. He can cast any spell he known without preparing it ahead of time the way a druid must.
To cast a spell, a nature’s friend must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell’s level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a nature’s friend’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the nature’s friend’s Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a nature’s friend can only cast a certain number of spells of each level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table 1: The Nature’s Friend. In addition, he receives bonus spells for a high Charisma.
Unlike a druid, a nature’s friend’s selection of spells is limited. A nature’s friend knows a certain number of spells based on his level, as indicated on Table 2: Nature’s Friend Spells Known.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered nature’s friend level thereafter, a nature's friend can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level spell the nature’s soul can cast. A nature’s friend can swap only a single spell at any given level.

Bonus Languages: A nature’s friend’s bonus language options include Sylvan, the language of woodland creatures.

Nature Sense: A nature’s friend gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge(nature) and Survival checks.

Wild Empathy: A nature’s friend can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The druid rolls 1d20 and adds his nature’s friend level and his Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the nature’s friend and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A nature’s friend can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a -4 penalty on the check.

Aspect of Nature: The nature’s friend can take on an aspect of nature, which can improve his abilities, give him additional movement abilities, or other options. The nature’s friend can use this ability once per day at 1st level, twice per day at 3rd level, and once more per day for every three levels beyond third. Activating this ability is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The aspect bonuses last for 1 minute per nature’s friend level.
At first level, the nature’s friend chooses one aspect of nature that he identifies with, and can only use that aspect of nature. At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, he selects an additional aspect of nature that he can use.
Below are the descriptions of the available aspects.
Agility: The nature's friend gains a +8 bonus to Dexterity but takes a -4 penalty to Strength.
Aquatic: The nature's friend grows gills, enabling him to breathe underwater (while retaining his ability to breathe air). Webbing between his fingers and his toes grants him a swim speed of 40 feet (or 30 feet if wearing medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load) and a +8 bonus on his Swim checks.
Endurance: The nature's friend gains a +4 bonus to Constitution.
Flight: The nature's friend grows wings (feathery or batlike, at his option) that enable him to fly at a speed of 40 feet with average maneuverability (or 30 feet if wearing medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load).
Poison: The nature's friend gains a bite attack that deals bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage equal to a dagger of the nature's friend's size (1d4 for a Medium nature's friend, or 1d3 for a Small nature's friend). In addition, the bite delivers a toxic venom (Fortitude save DC 10 + 1/2 nature's friend's level + nature's friend's Con modifier; initial and secondary damage 1d6 Con).
Scent: The nature's friend gains the scent ability.
Speed: The nature's friend gains a +30-foot enhancement bonus to his base land speed.
Tooth and Claw: The nature's friend gains a primary bite attack (at his full base attack bonus) and two secondary claw attacks (at his base attack bonus -5 and adding only half his Strength bonus on damage rolls). The bite attack deals bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage equal to a short sword of the nature's friend's size (1d6 for a Medium nature's friend, or 1d4 for a Small nature's friend), while the claws deal piercing and slashing damage equal to a dagger of the nature's friend's size (1d4 for a Medium nature's friend, or 1d3 for a Small nature's friend).
Vigor: The nature's friend gains a +8 bonus to Strength but takes a -4 penalty to Dexterity.

Woodland Stride: Starting at 2nd level, a nature’s friend may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his 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 his.

Trackless Step: Starting at 3rd level, a nature’s friend leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. He may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Resist Nature’s Lure: Starting at 4th level, a nature’s friend gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.

Multiple Aspects: Starting at 8th level, a nature’s friend can take on multiple aspects of nature simultaneously. Each aspect taken on counts as one use of the nature’s friend aspect of nature ability. At 8th level, the nature’s friend can take on two aspects simultaneously, at 13th level, the nature’s friend can take on three aspects simultaneously, and at 17th level, the nature’s friend can take on four aspects simultaneously. Some aspects can only be combined with certain other aspects, as given in their descriptions.

Venom Immunity: At 9th level, a nature’s friend gains immunity to all poisons.

Floral Aspect of Nature: At 10th level the nature’s friend gains the ability to select the following aspect of nature for his known aspects of nature.
Plant: The nature's friend's body becomes plantlike. While in this form, the nature's friend gains a +10 bonus on Hide checks made in areas of forest, overgrowth, or similar terrain. He gains immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, and stunning. He gains a slam attack that deals bludgeoning damage equal to a light mace of the nature's friend's size (1d6 for Medium nature's friends, 1d4 for Small nature's friends). His natural armor bonus becomes 4 (replacing any other natural armor bonus the nature's friend has, though enhancement bonuses to natural armor still apply normally). He can't combine this aspect with any other aspect except for vigor.

Elemental Aspect of Nature: At 15th level the nature’s friend gains the ability to select the following aspects of nature for his known aspects of nature.
Elemental Air: The nature's friends body becomes gaseous (as the gaseous form spell, except that he can fly at a speed of 100 feet with perfect maneuverability and doesn't lose his supernatural abilities while in this form). While in this form, the nature's friend has immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, and stunning, as well as any other immunities provided by the gaseous form spell. The nature's friend cannot cast spells while this aspect is in effect. He can't combine this aspect with any other aspect except for agility and endurance.
Elemental Earth: The nature's friend's body becomes stony and rocklike. While in this form, the nature's friend has immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, and stunning. He gains a slam attack that deals bludgeoning damage equal to a morningstar of the nature's friend's size (1d8 for Medium nature's friends, 1d6 for Small nature's friends). His natural armor bonus becomes +8 (replacing any other natural armor bonus the nature's friend has, though enhancement bonuses to natural armor still apply normally). He also gains damage reduction 10/magic. The nature's friend cannot cast spells while this aspect is in effect. He can't combine this aspect with any other aspect except for endurance and vigor.
Elemental Fire: The nature's friend's body bursts into flame. While in this form, the nature's friend has immunity to fire, poison, sleep, paralysis, and stunning. In addition, any creature struck by the nature's friend in melee (whether with a weapon, unarmed attack, or natural weapon) takes an extra 1d6 points of fire damage and must succeed on a Reflex save or catch fire for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 nature's friend level + nature's friend's Con modifier. Creatures hitting the nature's friend with natural weapons or unarmed attacks while this aspect is in effect take 1d6 points of fire damage and also catch fire unless they succeed on the Reflex save noted above. The nature's friend also gains damage reduction 10/magic. The nature's friend cannot cast spells while this aspect is in effect. He can't combine this aspect with any other aspect except for agility and endurance.
Elemental Water: The nature's friend's body becomes semifluid. While in this form, the nature's friend gains a +10 bonus on Escape Artist checks, resistance to fire 10, and immunity to poison, steep, paralysis, and stunning. He gains a swim speed of 90 feet and a +8 bonus on his Swim checks. His touch puts out torches, campfires, exposed lanterns, and other open flames of nonmagical origin if these are Large or smaller. The nature's friend can dispel magical fire he touches as if he had cast greater dispel magic on it. He also gains damage reduction 10/magic. The nature's friend cannot cast spells while this aspect is in effect. He can't combine this aspect with any other aspect except for endurance and vigor.

Table 2: Nature’s Friend Spells Known
{table="head"] Level | 0 |1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9
1| 4| 3||||||||
2| 5| 3||||||||
3| 5| 4||||||||
4| 6| 4| 3|||||||
5| 6| 5| 3|||||||
6| 7| 5| 4| 3||||||
7| 7| 6| 4| 3||||||
8| 8| 6| 5| 4| 3|||||
9| 8| 6| 5| 4| 3|||||
10| 9| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3||||
11| 9| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3||||
12| 9| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3|||
13| 9| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3|||
14| 9| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3||
15| 9| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3||
16| 9| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3|
17| 9| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3|
18| 9| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3|
19| 9| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4| 3|
20| 9| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 6| 5| 4|
[/table]