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Soilborn
2011-01-30, 03:07 PM
One of the games I’m playing IRL features a dwarven Cleric of Telchur. His player and I struck up a conversation about how nifty it would be to downright freeze enemies. I gave a moment of thought and pulled something like this out of thin air. The Cold or Winter domains are mandatory requirements for this class, but because they are relatively weak domains I’d like for the Disciple to be a touch on the powerful side to make up for this sacrifice.


Disciple of the Frozen Wastes


http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/3074/blackice.jpg
Image by Jason Engle. (http://www.jaestudio.com/)

"Afraid of a little snow, eh lass? At your age I took naps in the fluff!" – Gythral Brickwalker, Disciple of the Frozen Wastes.

Disciples of the Frozen Wastes are divine representatives of the entities of the Frostfell. They have been tempered by the extremes of their land and fear neither the bite of frost nor the lick of flame. Indeed they seem to flaunt their ruggedness, often partaking in adventures through the worst of weather both to test themselves and to show off to those who’d rather await sunnier days. Their ability to command the power of ice has led many to call them cryomancers, but the common folk are often ignorant of the fact that their powers are divine in nature.

When it comes to battle Disciples act primarily as front-line combatant and battlefield controllers. Their ability to temporarily take enemies out of the fight allows the party to focus more on specific threats without worrying about disruption from interlopers. Additionally, his specific resistances make him a great damage sponge versus foes that use frost and flame as their primary offensive tools.

Becoming a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes

The most stringent requirement to become a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes is evident in their name. Nearly every Disciple hails from a particularly cold environment, most born and raised there. A Disciple embraces his frozen heritage, worshipping a cold deity to the point of drawing energy from it. With enough devotion and resilience the Disciple learns to eventually take control of the environment he is so familiar with. What he does with these powers is largely up to him and the influence he allows his deity to have over him.

Few Disciples of the Frozen Wastes act in service of the more magically-inclined deities; there is nothing macho about casting a spell that protects one from the elements. Iborighu claims more Disciples among his ranks than any other deity, sending these specialists out to encase the world in ice and snow. Thrym and Aengrist also count a number of Disciples of the Frozen Wastes among their ranks. The iconic Disciple however is one in the service of Telchur, whose worshipers are often nomads that wander the frozen landscapes of the Frostfell.

This prestige class is largely closed to any characters aside from Clerics, though others who find the path of the Frozen Wastes appealing can access their powers with the right study.

Hit Dice: d8

Requirements
Base Fortitude Save: +4
Skills: Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks.
Spells: Able to cast 3rd-level divine spells.
Domains: Possess either the Cold or Winter domain.
Special: Able to turn or rebuke undead.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+0| Resistance to cold and fire 5 | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+0| Frozen Affinity +1 |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+1| Frost Prison |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1| Endure Elements (Su) |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1| Resistance to cold and fire 10 |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+2| Frozen Affinity +2 |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+2| Frost Tomb |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
8th|
+6|
+6|
+2|
+2| Endure Elements (Ex) |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
9th|
+6|
+6|
+3|
+3| Resistance to cold and fire 20 |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class
10th|
+7|
+7|
+3|
+3| Frozen Affinity +3, Frost Mastery |+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class[/table]

Class Skills:
The Disciple of the Frozen Waste‘s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Climb (Str), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (int), Knowledge (geography) (int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Survival (Wis).
Skill-points per level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Disciples of the Frozen Wastes are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light and medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Spells per Day: When a new Disciple of the Frozen Wastes level is gained, he gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in whatever divine 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 his level of Disciple of the Frozen Wastes to the level of whatever other divine spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.

If a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes had more than one divine spellcasting class before he became a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes, he must decide to which class he adds each level of Disciple of the Frozen Wastes for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Resistance to Cold and Fire (Na): Disciples are rugged individuals who temper themselves constantly in the rigors of frozen lands. Not so much with magical enhancement as through the building of natural resilience, these survivors have developed a natural affinity for shrugging off magical effects that attempt to do them harm with extremes of temperature. Upon entering this class a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes gains Spell Resistance 5 to both Cold and Fire. This resistance increases to 10 at 5th level and again to 20 at 9th level.

Frozen Affinity (Su): At 2nd level the Disciple's increasing affinity for the cold passively empowers his magical potency with his chosen element. All of his spells and spell-like abilities with the cold descriptor are cast at +1 caster level. This bonus also extends to include spells that have the potential to deal or resist cold damage, but only when cast specifically in regard to cold. Spells that produce multiple elemental effects including cold gain no bonus. The caster level bonus of Frozen Affinity increases to +2 at 6th level and +3 at 10th.

For example: Cone of Cold is an Evocation [Cold] spell, and thus benefits from the effects of Frozen Affinity. Resist Energy and Weapon of Energy all benefit from Frozen Affinity, but only when cast to resist or deal cold damage.

Frozen Affinity functions only with spells cast by the Disciple of the Frozen Wastes and does not function with the effects of magical weapons or with spells and enhancements placed upon the Disciple by another character.

This ability applies to all associated spells cast by the Disciple. A character who has taken levels in an arcane spellcasting class can apply this bonus to his arcane cold spells.

Frost Prison (Sp): At 3rd level, as a standard action a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes may swap out a prepared spell to entrap a single target within a block of ice. The target must be within 15 feet to be affected and must make a Reflex save (Save DC: 10+swapped spell’s level+Disciple’s class level) to negate this effect. On failure the target is encased within a prison of ice, rendering it flat-footed and unable to act for a number of rounds equal to 1d4+Disciple's Wis modifier. If the imprisoned enemy takes any physical damage than this effect immediately ends. Creatures immune to cold damage are also immune to this ability.

Endure Elements (Su): By the time the Disciple reaches 4th level his rugged skin begins to exude a magical effect to enhance his defense against the elements. The Disciple can now exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit without having to make Fortitude saves, as though under the effect of the endure elements spell. His gear is likewise protected.

At 8th level this effect becomes an Extraordinary ability. It is no longer subject to antimagic fields or other abilities that disrupt magic.

Frost Tomb (Sp): By 7th level the Disciple has obtained such power over cold that anyone who he spreads his frosty influence upon is at risk of being frozen alive. If the Disciple deals cold damage to an enemy or resists cold or fire damage dealt as part of a melee attack, he may swap out a prepared spell as a swift action to encase his victim in a prison of ice. The target must make a Fortitude save (Save DC: 10+swapped spell’s level+Disciple’s class level) to negate this effect. On failure the target is encased within a block of ice, rendering it flat-footed and unable to act for a number of rounds equal to 1d4+Disciple's Wis modifier. If the imprisoned enemy takes any physical damage than this effect immediately ends. Creatures immune to cold damage are also immune to this ability.

If the Disciple decides to use Frost Tomb in conjunction with an ability that deals cold damage to multiple opponents such as Cone of Cold he may choose to apply the effect freely to each enemy as he sees fit. Each attempt however consumes a prepared spell slot, and he cannot attempt to affect the same target twice in the same round.

Frost Mastery (Su): At 10th level the Disciple gains complete mastery over the powers of cold. The durations of Frost Prison and Frost Tomb increase to 1d8+(2x Wis modifier) and he adds his Wis modifier to their save DCs.


Playing a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes
Adaptation: This class appeals primarily to a single crowd: Clerics who worship Frostfell deities. Other classes can dip into Cleric to get a few of the prerequisite abilities, but they will often find themselves behind a pure cleric in advancement. The most direct alternative path is for an Archivist to dip into Cleric. Paladins can also find their way in with a dip in Cleric, but their spell progression is slow enough to prevent them from accessing the class until after 11th level.

Combat: Disciples of the Frozen Wastes fill all of the roles of a Cleric with a few more added on. Their ability to disable enemies in combat gives them strong options in battlefield control, and their resistance to the extremes makes them superb specialist melee combatants. The ability to resist the elements allows them to easily navigate areas that other characters find too uncomfortable to tackle.

togapika
2011-01-30, 07:18 PM
So then he freezes this guy... and then he EXPLODES! I could see his guts an everyfing...

I, Dashing Cube
2011-01-31, 04:49 PM
So if I read this correctly, with one feat (Snow Casting), I can Empower than double the power of all my spells, for free ? This is way overpowered, considering you lose nothing for going in the class in the first place (full casting, HD and base attack bonus). Either make the class lose caster levels (I would say two or three) or limit in some way the Frozen Affinity ability.

Soilborn
2011-02-01, 03:59 PM
I was kind of iffy about that ability anyway; so much potential for abuse. Frozen Affinity has been completely restructured.

Any more feedback, guys?

Soilborn
2011-02-03, 10:12 PM
Any more feedback, or can I wrap this up and file it away as efficient and balanced?

Havvy
2011-02-03, 10:36 PM
This is stronger than tier 1 because it gives everything tier 1 cares about (full cleric spellcasting) and then adds more to it. Because of this, it is not balanced. I haven't looked at the actual abilities, but I'd put this on half casting personally.

unosarta
2011-02-03, 10:41 PM
This is stronger than tier 1 because it gives everything tier 1 cares about (full cleric spellcasting) and then adds more to it. Because of this, it is not balanced. I haven't looked at the actual abilities, but I'd put this on half casting personally.

:smalleek:
:smalleek:

Are you serious. Please tell me you are joking. If a class has half casting, then it had dang sure have at least one class feature at every level. Honestly, this class isn't really that powerful, since it focuses not on being "tier 1, OMG, melee cleric amazingness", which is what CoDZilla actually is, or just being a debuffer, battlefield control, summoning, buffing, but doing damage.

That is the least efficient method of using cleric abilities. There are a few classes that fully progress cleric abilities, but none that are really flavored for ice and snowy settings. As it stands, I would like to see this class getting less dead levels, but it really doesn't seem game breaking.

Havvy
2011-02-03, 10:42 PM
Like I said, I didn't look at the class levels. So I probably shouldn't have given a specific number of caster levels not to give. But the main point still stands.

I, Dashing Cube
2011-02-03, 10:49 PM
What unosarta said.

This classes IS balanced with normal cleric, because while it gives a few benefits, those benefits are situational or so limited their impact doesn't affect balance. Moreover, this classes requires a domain that isn't optimal, so a bit of a boost is very acceptable.

On your comment, Havvy, have you ANY idea how much 2 or 3 lost levels in a casting class are worth, let alone 5 ? You better be getting some awesome power for those levels, because they WILL give you some awesome power if you keep full casting. Further more, this class isn't better than tier 1, because it isn't more versatile / powerfull than your regular cleric with 2 strong domains (like time and spells or planning for DMM goodness).

unosarta
2011-02-03, 10:49 PM
Like I said, I didn't look at the class levels. So I probably shouldn't have given a specific number of caster levels not to give. But the main point still stands.

No. The class abilities basically amount to "I get minor resistances. I can burn turning attempts" which should be being used via DMM for full power, thank you very much "to freeze opponents if they make this will save that is lower progression than any other PrC save. Also, if I deal a bunch of cold damage, from a list of spells that are only one per level, and maybe a few more from the cleric list itself, I can freeze them. If I spend a turning attempt. Also, my only capstone is that the duration for those first two abilities increases. By a bit. I get a bonus of +2 to my caster level for cold spells, of which I have at most 13, 3-4 of which have almost no use, or are situational, at best."

Go take a look at sacred exorcist and then try this again. It isn't the best, but it is full casting, and does get more abilities than this class.

A really good quote that I found about this topic:



Seriously, with all that cleric, you'll be fine.

Most Cleric PrCs stink, primarily because they screw up your spellcasting. There aren't a lot of decent divine PrCs with full spellcasting. Pretty much all of the really good ones are from 3.0 Forgotten Realms books (Stormlord, Windwalker). Contemplative can be good if you need another domain, and Divine Oracle or Loremaster can be useful. Radiant Servant of Pelor and Sacred Exorcist can be useful against undead, but not in a way that really outperforms a straight vanilla Cleric.

Havvy
2011-02-03, 10:56 PM
Ah, then I should read the actual abilities. As I looked at the chart, they looked like bonuses without tradeoffs...and yes, I do know how much a lost caster level is worth. It's worth a lot. Lose more than 3, and you won't get 9th level spells.

Soilborn
2011-02-04, 01:08 PM
All right, made some modifications based upon recommendations.

Frozen Affinity is unchanged, but it gets more powerful faster. +2 has been moved back to 6th level and I threw a +3 in at 10th.

Frost Prison and tomb have had much of their mechanics changed. You now burn spells instead of turn attempts. Save DCs have changed dramatically and should now vary between 13 and 29 without Frost Mastery, based around class level and swapped spell level.

Endure Elements got a little bonus. Not a really worthwhile boon, but I felt it would be nifty.

Frost Mastery has received a considerable boon. It nearly doubles the durations of Frost Prison and Tomb and improves their save DCs by a touch.


I'd like to point out that the capstone ability of this class isn't overly powerful because it shares that level with Frozen Affinity +3.

I appreciate your input unosarta, but you should read over Frozen Affinity again. It affects not only cold spells but also spells with the potential to deal with cold when they do. There are plenty of these: Fire Shield with the chill effect, Glyph of Warding made to blast cold damage, and I already mentioned a cold Weapon of Energy and Resist Energy in the original post. Many of these spells deal with defense as well as offense, and not just damage.


Something I'm tumbling through my mind: what if I removed the Divine component of spellcasting progression, opening it up to multiclassers with arcane magic in their repertoire? It completely violates the flavor, but it MAY work.

Soilborn
2011-02-05, 03:11 PM
Feedback, guys?

unosarta
2011-02-05, 03:16 PM
Still looks pretty balanced, and I like the abilities and stuff. I would love to get a Disciple of the Frozen Wastes to team up with a Knight of Snow. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185310)