[3.5] Revised Shadowbane Inquisitor. Pls peach.

[Volfogg]

Hi All,

In an upcoming campaign I am aiming to play a shadowbane inquisitor. To my chagrin the class itself seems a little ... meh. So, I thought that I would tweak it a bit to see if I can make it a bit more appealing to play. Please see below for revised prestige class. Any and all comments are greatly appreciated.


Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +2 Absolute Conviction, Pierce Shadows, Sacred Inquisitor
2nd +2 +3 +0 +3 Smite Evil 1/day, Sacred Stealth (no armour check), Inquisitors Strike
3rd +3 +3 +1 +3 Sneak Attack +1d6
4th +4 +4 +1 +4 Improved Sunder
5th +5 +4 +1 +4 Sneak Attack +2d6
6th +6 +5 +2 +5 Smite Evil 2/day, Sacred Stealth (lighten armour)
7th +7 +5 +2 +5 Sneak Attack +3d6
8th +8 +6 +2 +6 Righteous Fervor
9th +9 +6 +3 +6 Sneak Attack +4d6
10th +10 +7 +3 +7 Smite Evil 3/day, Sacred Stealth (improved shadowed)

Hit Die: d10.

REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become a shadowbane inquisitor, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Lawful good.
Base Attack: +5.
Skills: Gather Information 4 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 2 ranks, Sense Motive 8 ranks.
Feats: Power Attack, Devoted Inquisitor
Special: Detect evil class feature or ability to cast detect evil as a divine spell.
Special: Turn undead class feature.
Special: Sneak attack class feature.

CLASS SKILLS
The shadowbane inquisitor’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perception
(Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex) and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

CLASS FEATURES

All of the following are class features of the shadowbane inquisitor prestige class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shadowbane inquisitors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Absolute Conviction (Ex): Should a shadowbane inquisitor’s alignment ever change from lawful good for any reason, he may not take additional levels in this prestige class, but he does not lose any class abilities from levels already attained.

Pierce Shadows (Su): A shadowbane inquisitor can spend one of his daily uses of his turn undead ability to shed a holy radiance. This light brightly illuminates an area in a radius of 20 feet plus 5 feet per class level of the inquisitor. The light is centered on the inquisitor and sheds no shadowy illumination beyond its border. This radiance lasts for 10 minutes per inquisitor class level and is considered the equavalent of a daylight spell.

Sacred Inquisitor (Ex): The shadowbane inquisitor is trained to perfectly combine the qualities of subtlety and a religously devoted martial devotee. This allows her to add her rogue and paladin levels to determine her smite evil damage bonus as well as the number of times per day the character can smite evil. A shadowbane inquisitor can also expend a turn undead attempt in order to gain an additional daily use of her smite evil ability.

Sacred Stealth (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a shadowbane inquisitor can channel some of his divine power to increase his stealth and nueverability in armour which lasts for 1 hour per inquisitor class level.To do this, he must expend a daily use of his turn undead ability. At 2nd level this ability removes the armour check penalty associated with armour worn. At 6th level the armour is considered one category lighter for determining speed as well as all other factors which are associated with what type of armour is worn (light, medium, heavy). At 10th level the armour is blessed with an obfuscating aura which aids the character in moving stealthily. This functions as the improved shadowed armour special ability. Using this ability is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Smite Evil (Su): A shadowbane inquisitor of 2nd level or higher can attempt to smite evil as per the paladin special ability. If the shadowbane inquisitor has paladin levels as well, add the daily uses from her paladin levels to the daily uses from her inquisitor levels. Her damage bonus equals her shadowbane inquisitor class level plus her paladin class level.

Inquisitors Strike (Su): A shadowbane inquisitor can use smite evil against any creature that he judges to be corrupt. Unlike with a paladin’s regular smite evil ability, an inquisitor relies only on his own judgment when determining what creatures to use this ability against. How an inquisitor uses this ability exemplifies his outlook on the world. The more suspicious and uncompromising an inquisitor is, the more likely he is to feel that a creature should be struck down. Lastly, this ability is treated as smite evil for feats and other abilities which require smite evil.

Improved Sunder: At 3rd level, a shadowbane becomes accomplished at shattering the weapons of his foes and tainted magic items. He gains the Improved Sunder feat as a bonus feat.

Sneak Attack (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, a shadowbane inquisitor deals an extra 1d6 points of damage when flanking an opponent or any time the target would be denied its Dexterity bonus. This extra damage applies to ranged attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. It increases to 2d6 points at 5th level, 3d6 points at 7th level and 4d6 points at 9th level. If a shadowbane inquisitor gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as levels of rogue), the bonuses on damage stack.

Righteous Fervor (Su): When an inquisitor of 8th level or higher designates a creature as corrupt, he gains a +1 sacred bonus on attack and damage rolls against that creature for the rest of the encounter. The inquisitor designates a creature as corrupt by using his smite ability (see above) as part of a melee attack against the creature. This bonus does not apply to the smite attempt itself, only to subsequent attacks against the same creature made in that encounter.

Multiclassing Note: A paladin can multiclass as a shadowbane inquisitor without losing his ability to take additional levels of paladin. In addition, he can multiclass freely between the paladin and rogue classes and may even gain additional rogue levels. He must still remain lawful good in order to retain his paladin abilities and take paladin levels.

Any suggestions/help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Volf

[Hazzardevil]

What did you think was wrong with the old Shadowbane Inquisitor?

[Cieyrin]

The way your smite replaces smite evil, by RAW, makes Devoted Inquisitor useless, since it keys off of smite evil, not just any smite. Also, your Sacred Inquisitor ability is gonna have weird interactions with Smite as well, since when Smite comes online, your Rogue levels will go back to being noncontributing except for determining Smite Evils per day, which seems to auto convert to smites.

Sacred Stealth's capstone is kinda weird, since it's only going to help with hiding, not moving silently, which I think is odd.

I do approve that the spell slot costs were removed, given SI doesn't advance casting, but otherwise, I'm also wondering what was wrong with the class in your perception. It worked fairly well, other than the spell slot costs.

[Volfogg]

What did you think was wrong with the old Shadowbane Inquisitor?
In all honesty I thought the class was meh, as did my DM. I am not looking for confirmation on whether or not the original Shadowbane Inquisitor was wrong in any way. All that I am looking for is to ensure that my version is not overpowered.


The way your smite replaces smite evil, by RAW, makes Devoted Inquisitor useless, since it keys off of smite evil, not just any smite. Also, your Sacred Inquisitor ability is gonna have weird interactions with Smite as well, since when Smite comes online, your Rogue levels will go back to being noncontributing except for determining Smite Evils per day, which seems to auto convert to smites.
Please see above ... I have changed the smite related abilities. My change should make things much more stream lined.


Sacred Stealth's capstone is kinda weird, since it's only going to help with hiding, not moving silently, which I think is odd.
Ugh, forgot in our campaign world hide and move silently have been combined into one skill: stealth. So the capstone ability would cover both hiding and as well moving silently.


I do approve that the spell slot costs were removed, given SI doesn't advance casting, but otherwise, I'm also wondering what was wrong with the class in your perception. It worked fairly well, other than the spell slot costs.
Yeah, bit odd that the original SI had you burning spell slots to fuel the one ability. Overall I believe that the SI really didn't do anything much for a rogue/paladin. The original abilities were mediocre at best and there really wasn't much in the way of synergy. I mean I would rather have played a paladin 4/rogue 16 (w/devoted inquisitor). This would net you more sneak attack, skill points, rogue special abilities, most of the paladin goodies and a BaB of 16.

Please see original post. Updated the SI. Changes are in italics.

Cheers
Volf

[Hazzardevil]

I would suggest that you have a clause on the class that says that your smites are treated as smite evil for feats and stuff.

[Volfogg]

I would suggest that you have a clause on the class that says that your smites are treated as smite evil for feats and stuff.
Added. :smallsmile:

Thanks!
Volf

[jiriku]

It would REALLY help if you'd provide your assessment of what's wrong with the class/what you're trying to fix, and the power level of the party you want the revised class to fit into. For example, will your party include clerics, druids, or wizards? Are the other players skillful players who optimize or casual players who barely grasp the basics of the rules?

I would suggest adding some or all of the following benefits, depending on your desired power level:

Upgrade to 6 skill points per level
Upgrade to a Good Reflex save progression.
Add Uncanny Dodge as a class feature.
Bypass Improved Uncanny Dodge as a rogue of your paladin+rogue+shadowbane inquisitor levels.
Remove Sacred Stealth (improved shadowed), and replace with Sacred Stealth adding half your shadowbane inquisitor level as a sacred bonus to your Hide and Move Silently checks.
Add Disable Device, Intimidate, Listen, and Spot as class skills.
Gain a Sacred bonus on Spot, Listen, and Search checks equal to half your shadowbane inquisitor level while Pierce Shadows is active.
Grant the above benefit to your allies who are within the radius of Pierce Shadows
Dispel any dazzled or blind condition on yourself when you activate Pierce Shadows, and gain immunity to the dazzled and blind conditions while it lasts.
Grant the above benefit to your allies who are within the radius of Pierce Shadows.
Ignore miss chances when delivering a smite evil or sneak attack toa target within the radius of Pierce Shadows.
Grant the above benefit to your allies when they flank an opponent with you within the radius of Pierce Shadows

[Hazzardevil]

Levels 3,5,7 and 9 seem a bit bare and this class has a lot of competition for uses of turn undead, so why not give it an extra turn attempt at levels 3,5,7 and9 so you have 2 new abilitys at every level.

[Cieyrin]

It would REALLY help if you'd provide your assessment of what's wrong with the class/what you're trying to fix, and the power level of the party you want the revised class to fit into. For example, will your party include clerics, druids, or wizards? Are the other players skillful players who optimize or casual players who barely grasp the basics of the rules?

I would suggest adding some or all of the following benefits, depending on your desired power level:

Upgrade to 6 skill points per level
Upgrade to a Good Reflex save progression.
Add Uncanny Dodge as a class feature.
Bypass Improved Uncanny Dodge as a rogue of your paladin+rogue+shadowbane inquisitor levels.
Remove Sacred Stealth (improved shadowed), and replace with Sacred Stealth adding half your shadowbane inquisitor level as a sacred bonus to your Hide and Move Silently checks.
Add Disable Device, Intimidate, Listen, and Spot as class skills.
Gain a Sacred bonus on Spot, Listen, and Search checks equal to half your shadowbane inquisitor level while Pierce Shadows is active.
Grant the above benefit to your allies who are within the radius of Pierce Shadows
Dispel any dazzled or blind condition on yourself when you activate Pierce Shadows, and gain immunity to the dazzled and blind conditions while it lasts.
Grant the above benefit to your allies who are within the radius of Pierce Shadows.
Ignore miss chances when delivering a smite evil or sneak attack toa target within the radius of Pierce Shadows.
Grant the above benefit to your allies when they flank an opponent with you within the radius of Pierce Shadows


I could get behind a lot of this, though I'd personally switch the Good Will for Good Fort, as neither base class has Good Will. Shadowbane Inquisitors are natural Serenity Paladins, too, so it's not like they'll be lacking between high Wisdom and Divine Grace.

Not sure we necessarily need extra turns in the class if we include the above upgrades. Plus, there are plenty of methods to get extra turns as-is in the system (Extra Turning, Nightstick, Ancient Reliquary, more Charisma). I'd like actual extra features as opposed to just more uses of abilities.