Graha013
2011-07-16, 08:48 AM
So in the 3.5 area I was posting about the lack of positive/negative energy spells and abilities - I think there was maybe 12, no more than 15, listed, in the entire game. I was asking because I started working on the below class and wanted to fill it with ingame mechanics and spells instead of changing them, to not-much-avail. I've reposted it here to get some input on it:
Ok - with the great input so far, I'm going to VERY PREMATURELY post what I have for this class I'm working on. The working title is 'The Harness of Positive and Negative Energy'. It's very long and needs truncated beyond 'Harness'. Here's what I got:
Alignment: Any Neutral
Hit Die: D4
Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge Arcana, Knowledge Religion, Knowledge The Planes, Profession, Spellcraft, UMD
Skill points 1st level: (2+int)x4
Skill points additionally: 2+int
Description:Harnesses', as they are called, are naturalistic spellcasters that study the negative and positive energy forces of the world. They understand that, like air and earth, fire and water, positive and negative energy are naturally occurring and are there for manipulation and use as any other element has been. Harnesses' go one step further, filling a void in the civilized world filled with superstitions and misconceptions, and focus their work in maintaining the natural balance of those most affected by the positive and negative
energy fields - the undead. Harnesses view undead purely as the result of positive and negative energy affecting the bodys, spirits, and souls, of the deceased. They work to right and remove malevolent forces and manipulation, such as would be found under the use of a Necromancer, but also to protect and strengthen naturally occurring areas of negative
energy, found in cemetaries, graveyards, and anywhere else a fount of negative energy may occur, from the destruction of an overly zealous Paladin or Cleric. Harnesses are as much at home creating non-sentient undead, which they view as automatons and tools and having continued useful purpose after death, as they are laying restless or malevolent spirits
to their final rest. They are typically viewed as misguided interlopers by priests and holy warriors, who typically shun their allowance and support of the negative energy forces, but even they cannot deny the effectiveness of their work when it comes to responding to dangerous undead and negative forces. On the other hand, almost all necromancers hate Harnesses', harboring deep resentment in the ease their undead are destroyed, and sometimes simply just comandeered, to serve the Harnesses' view of natural harmony.
BAB: 3/4 (Druid)
Saves: 2 good (Fort and Will)
Spells per day: As Druid
Weapon Prof: All simple weapons (as wizzies)
Armor Prof: No armor or shields (as wizzies)
Spells: Cast spontaneously (as sorc), drawing from Charisma, bonus spells can be earned based on high Charisma, etc.
Special Abilities:
Level 1. Turn and Rebuke Undead: When dealing with undead, the Harness has the ability to turn and destroy undead or rebuke and control them. He may use either power 3+Charisma modifier times per day. In addition, he may sacrifice his available spell slots per day to gain a maximum bonus of 4 turning or rebuking attempts that day. Each spell slot sacrificed is worth 1/2 a turning or rebuking attempt - count 0 level spells as 1/2 an attempt. A minimum of 2 spell levels must be sacrificed to gain 1 additional attempt per day (example: 4 level 0 slots, or 2 level 1 slots, equal 1 additional attempt). This ability stacks with other classes that grant the ability to turn/rebuke undead.
Level 1. Undead Familiar - The Harness can acquire an undead familiar as if they had taken the 'Stitched Flesh Familiar' feat (LM). The feat works the same except where noted below: The familiar does not appear stitched, merely undead. The owner must decide whether this is a skeleton or zombie familiar upon creation.
Level 2. Bi-Polar Aura, 1/day - At 2nd level, the Harness is surrounded by a fluctuating aura of positive and negative energy. Once per day, the Harness may extend this aura to affect his weapon or hands when striking. This ability applies a (positive) or (negative) descriptor to his attacks and helps him bypass magical immunity. This ability increases to 2/day at level 7, and 3/day at level 14.
Level 3. Undead Expert, +1 - The Harness gains +1 circumstantial bonus to all saves, skill checks, and attack rolls when interacting with Undead. This increases to +2 at level 9 and +3 at level 15.
Level 5. Polarized Exclusivity - The Harness excels at utilizing positive and negative energies. Because of this, he gaines a +1 to his effective level when utilizing any spell or ability that invokes the positive or negative energy plane, including turning/rebuking, controlling, animating, healing, or destroying undead. This ability increases by +1 every 5 levels after 5th, to a maximum of +4 at level 20.
Level 6. Animate Dead 1/day - As the spell, the Harness can now animate dead 1/day without spell components.
Level 7. Call for Peace - The Harness evokes a sudden surge of positive energy, laying undead in the radius to final rest per the 'Undeath to Death' spell.
Level 10. Energy Burst - The Harness can now focus their bi-polar aura into an energy burst with a 30' range. It deals positive or negative damage equal to 1d6 per 2 levels of Harnesser, for a maximum of 10d6. Using the aura in this manner requiers 2 of the daily uses of the Bi-polar aura allowed by the Harness.
Level 11. Greater Turning 1/day - The Harness can utilize their turning ability to a greater extent, and those undead that would be turned by his ability are instead destroyed.
Level 14. Touch of Undeath - as 'Enervation' spell 1/day, as a touch attack.
Level 18. Greater Hallow/Unhallow - The Harness may spend a week preparing a selected area as a special place imbued by positive or negative energy. This ability acts like the spells 'Hallow' or "Unhallow' respectively, except for the following conditions: The area of effect is expanded to 100 feet. Two spell effects (instead of one) can be tied to the hallowed site, however those spell effects cannot counter each other (i.e. bane, and bless, cannot be tied together). Finally, the spell effect 'alarm' is in constant effect during the duration of the hallow/unhallow effect, notifying the Harness if anyone adversely affected by the area has entered it's radius. This lasts the duration of the hallow/unhallow effect. Only one hallow and one unhallow created by the same Harness can be in existance at the same time. Using this ability to generate a second hallow/unhallowed area before the first one expires or is dispelled simply will not work.
Alright, I haven't even tried to balance the spelllike abilities, but let me know what you think of the flavor, mechanics, and suggestions are always welcome!.
Ok - with the great input so far, I'm going to VERY PREMATURELY post what I have for this class I'm working on. The working title is 'The Harness of Positive and Negative Energy'. It's very long and needs truncated beyond 'Harness'. Here's what I got:
Alignment: Any Neutral
Hit Die: D4
Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge Arcana, Knowledge Religion, Knowledge The Planes, Profession, Spellcraft, UMD
Skill points 1st level: (2+int)x4
Skill points additionally: 2+int
Description:Harnesses', as they are called, are naturalistic spellcasters that study the negative and positive energy forces of the world. They understand that, like air and earth, fire and water, positive and negative energy are naturally occurring and are there for manipulation and use as any other element has been. Harnesses' go one step further, filling a void in the civilized world filled with superstitions and misconceptions, and focus their work in maintaining the natural balance of those most affected by the positive and negative
energy fields - the undead. Harnesses view undead purely as the result of positive and negative energy affecting the bodys, spirits, and souls, of the deceased. They work to right and remove malevolent forces and manipulation, such as would be found under the use of a Necromancer, but also to protect and strengthen naturally occurring areas of negative
energy, found in cemetaries, graveyards, and anywhere else a fount of negative energy may occur, from the destruction of an overly zealous Paladin or Cleric. Harnesses are as much at home creating non-sentient undead, which they view as automatons and tools and having continued useful purpose after death, as they are laying restless or malevolent spirits
to their final rest. They are typically viewed as misguided interlopers by priests and holy warriors, who typically shun their allowance and support of the negative energy forces, but even they cannot deny the effectiveness of their work when it comes to responding to dangerous undead and negative forces. On the other hand, almost all necromancers hate Harnesses', harboring deep resentment in the ease their undead are destroyed, and sometimes simply just comandeered, to serve the Harnesses' view of natural harmony.
BAB: 3/4 (Druid)
Saves: 2 good (Fort and Will)
Spells per day: As Druid
Weapon Prof: All simple weapons (as wizzies)
Armor Prof: No armor or shields (as wizzies)
Spells: Cast spontaneously (as sorc), drawing from Charisma, bonus spells can be earned based on high Charisma, etc.
Special Abilities:
Level 1. Turn and Rebuke Undead: When dealing with undead, the Harness has the ability to turn and destroy undead or rebuke and control them. He may use either power 3+Charisma modifier times per day. In addition, he may sacrifice his available spell slots per day to gain a maximum bonus of 4 turning or rebuking attempts that day. Each spell slot sacrificed is worth 1/2 a turning or rebuking attempt - count 0 level spells as 1/2 an attempt. A minimum of 2 spell levels must be sacrificed to gain 1 additional attempt per day (example: 4 level 0 slots, or 2 level 1 slots, equal 1 additional attempt). This ability stacks with other classes that grant the ability to turn/rebuke undead.
Level 1. Undead Familiar - The Harness can acquire an undead familiar as if they had taken the 'Stitched Flesh Familiar' feat (LM). The feat works the same except where noted below: The familiar does not appear stitched, merely undead. The owner must decide whether this is a skeleton or zombie familiar upon creation.
Level 2. Bi-Polar Aura, 1/day - At 2nd level, the Harness is surrounded by a fluctuating aura of positive and negative energy. Once per day, the Harness may extend this aura to affect his weapon or hands when striking. This ability applies a (positive) or (negative) descriptor to his attacks and helps him bypass magical immunity. This ability increases to 2/day at level 7, and 3/day at level 14.
Level 3. Undead Expert, +1 - The Harness gains +1 circumstantial bonus to all saves, skill checks, and attack rolls when interacting with Undead. This increases to +2 at level 9 and +3 at level 15.
Level 5. Polarized Exclusivity - The Harness excels at utilizing positive and negative energies. Because of this, he gaines a +1 to his effective level when utilizing any spell or ability that invokes the positive or negative energy plane, including turning/rebuking, controlling, animating, healing, or destroying undead. This ability increases by +1 every 5 levels after 5th, to a maximum of +4 at level 20.
Level 6. Animate Dead 1/day - As the spell, the Harness can now animate dead 1/day without spell components.
Level 7. Call for Peace - The Harness evokes a sudden surge of positive energy, laying undead in the radius to final rest per the 'Undeath to Death' spell.
Level 10. Energy Burst - The Harness can now focus their bi-polar aura into an energy burst with a 30' range. It deals positive or negative damage equal to 1d6 per 2 levels of Harnesser, for a maximum of 10d6. Using the aura in this manner requiers 2 of the daily uses of the Bi-polar aura allowed by the Harness.
Level 11. Greater Turning 1/day - The Harness can utilize their turning ability to a greater extent, and those undead that would be turned by his ability are instead destroyed.
Level 14. Touch of Undeath - as 'Enervation' spell 1/day, as a touch attack.
Level 18. Greater Hallow/Unhallow - The Harness may spend a week preparing a selected area as a special place imbued by positive or negative energy. This ability acts like the spells 'Hallow' or "Unhallow' respectively, except for the following conditions: The area of effect is expanded to 100 feet. Two spell effects (instead of one) can be tied to the hallowed site, however those spell effects cannot counter each other (i.e. bane, and bless, cannot be tied together). Finally, the spell effect 'alarm' is in constant effect during the duration of the hallow/unhallow effect, notifying the Harness if anyone adversely affected by the area has entered it's radius. This lasts the duration of the hallow/unhallow effect. Only one hallow and one unhallow created by the same Harness can be in existance at the same time. Using this ability to generate a second hallow/unhallowed area before the first one expires or is dispelled simply will not work.
Alright, I haven't even tried to balance the spelllike abilities, but let me know what you think of the flavor, mechanics, and suggestions are always welcome!.