PDA

View Full Version : Waristocrat of the Forge (NPrC, Finished!, 3.5)



Morph Bark
2011-08-23, 11:50 AM
NPrC = Non-Prestige Class = NPC PrC = Non-Player Character Prestige Class = How a 1st-level Warforged abandoned war and instead became a leader of the people.

All warforged come out of the forge with only 1 class level, which is always a level in a PC class.





WARISTOCRAT OF THE FORGE

http://wizards.com/dnd/images/roe_gallery/88257.jpg

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
BAB: BAB+3
Race: Warforged
Skills: Diplomacy or Intimidate 7 ranks, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3 ranks, Listen 4 ranks, Spot 4 ranks. Must have at least 1 rank in at least five Craft or Profession skills.

Class Skills
The waristocrat’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Survival (Wis).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + Int

Hit Dice: d10

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort/Will Save|Ref Save|Special

1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|Code of Conduct, Leader of the Forge

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|Aura

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|--

4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|Aura

5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|Point Out the Flaw

6th|
+6|
+5|
+2|Aura

7th|
+7|
+5|
+2|--

8th|
+8|
+6|
+2|Aura

9th|
+9|
+6|
+3|Bestow Flaw

10th|
+10|
+7|
+3|Aura, Juggernauts of War[/table]

Code of Conduct: A waristocrat of the forge is not a warrior. He renounces combat and devotes himself solely to leading his people. A waristocrat may only attack those who have attacked one of his followers within the last 24 hours. He may otherwise not knowingly and willfully make attack rolls against creatures, deal damage to them or cause them to be subjected to special conditions. He likewise will hold his followers to this code. If he or any of his followers transgresses this code, he loses access to all his waristocrat of the forge class features until he receives an atonement spell or (in case of a follower transgression) the follower is exiled.

This code of conduct does not prevent the waristocrat of the forge or any of his followers from attacking one another. If someone initiates a duel of wills with the waristocrat or any of his followers or submits to a duel of wills initiated by the waristocrat or any of his followers, they are exempt from the code until the end of the encounter.

Leader of the Forge: Having become a leader of your people, you gain a following. You gain a number of 1st-level followers equal to your class level squared, a number of 2nd-level followers equal to your class level, a number of 3rd-level followers equal to half your class level, a number of 4th-level followers equal to a quarter of your class level and a number of 5th-level followers equal to one-eighth of your class level. All your followers must be warforged. Their first level is always in a PC class, but any additional levels are in NPC classes, none of which may be aristocrat.

Aura: At every even level, the waristocrat of the forge gains access to an aura, chosen from the list below. All his auras have a range of 60 ft. Only one aura can be active at any time. The waristocrat of the forge can change which aura is active as a full-round action.


Blades of War: A waristocrat of the forge with this aura starts each day by choosing a single martial stance of a level up to half his class level (rounded up). All of his followers within the aura gain the benefits of that stance if they choose to, as if they possessed the appropriate Martial Stance feat.
Followers with levels in an initiator class may choose to use that stance at the same time as one of their own stances.
Additionally, all followers gain a bonus to Martial Lore checks equal to half their own initiator level (rounded down).

Chanters of War: This aura grants all followers affected the benefits of the Diehard feat and a one-third the waristocrat of the forge's class level as bonus on Perform checks (rounded down).
Furthermore, for each two class levels of the waristocrat of the forge, he may select a bard ally within the aura. Selected bard allies' inspire courage bonus increases by 1.

Hulks of War: This aura grants all followers affected a bonus on Strength checks and Strength-based skill checks equal to half the waristocrat of the forge's class level (rounded up) and they gain the benefits of the Power Attack feat.
Additionally, this aura grants all followers affected the ability to make Iaijutsu Focus checks untrained, but only against objects.
Furthermore, all followers gain a bonus on Iaijutsu Focus checks against objects and damage rolls against objects equal to one third the waristocrat of the forge's class level.

Locks of War: This aura grants all followers affected the ability to fire entangling rays at will. The rays have a range of 60 ft and take a standard action to fire, requiring a ranged touch attack. Targets hit must make a Fortitude save (DC 11 + half the waristocrat of the forge's class levels, rounded up). An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls and a -4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the spell’s level) or lose the spell.
Additionally, this aura grants all followers affected a +2 bonus on Open Lock checks.

Lord of War: No matter what languages you speak, you and any of your followers within your aura can always understand one another while this aura is active.
Additionally, this aura grants all followers affected a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) or Sense Motive checks (chosen at the time of activation). This bonus increases to +4 at level 8.

Mages of War: This aura grants all followers affected the ability to use prestidigitation (self only or object touched) and one of either acid splash, light and sonic snap (http://eberronunlimited.wikidot.com/spell:sonic-snap) as spell-like abilities with a caster level equal to half your class level once per encounter (the waristocrat of the forge chooses which spell-like abilities are available when he chooses the aura upon level-up). If a follower who leaves the aura returns before the encounter is over, they do not regain these spell-like abilities until the encounter is over.
At level 6 and level 10 the aura grants one additional spell-like ability of the list provided. These spell-like abilities may never be changed.
Additionally, this aura grants all followers affected a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks while casting non-offensive spells.

Minds of War: This aura grants all followers affected 1 temporary power point every 5 turns. Temporary power points do not stack. The followers also gain a +4 bonus to Concentration checks made to become psionically focused and a +2 bonus to Autohypnosis checks while psionically focused.
This bonus to Autohypnosis increases to +4 at level 6 and +6 at level 10.
Additionally, this aura grants you the benefits of the Mindsight feat, but only for your followers and you do not also gain telepathy.

Priests of War: This aura grants all followers affected the ability to use repair minor damage as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to half your class level once per encounter. If a follower who leaves the aura returns before the encounter is over, they do not regain these spell-like abilities until the encounter is over. Furthermore, any time a follower is affected by a fear or charm effect, they may make a second saving throw the next round with a bonus equal to one-third your class level (rounded down), as long as they are within your aura during the next round.
Additionally, this aura grants all followers affected a +2 bonus on Heal checks and Craft checks made to repair warforged.

Shapers of War: This aura grants all followers affected the ability to shapeshift into a Small animated object once per encounter, as if using the polymorph spell (except they can use it to become constructs). If a follower who leaves the aura returns before the encounter is over, they do not regain this ability until the encounter is over.
At level 4, this aura also allows all followers with 2 HD or more to shapeshift into a Medium animated object.

Weavers of War: This aura grants all followers affected a +2 bonus on Craft (weaving) and Craft (basketweaving) checks.
This bonus increases to +4 at level 6 and +6 at level 10.
Additionally, any time a follower casts a spell on themselves, you may choose to also have it affect one other follower adjacent to them. This ability functions only once per round.

Point Out the Flaw (Ex): When the waristocrat of the forge sees one of his followers use a Craft or Profession skill in which he has at least 1 rank, he may make a Listen or Spot check (as appropriate) with a DC equal to the DC of the Craft or Profession check. If he succeeds, he may point out flaws in their work and give advice to improve it, granting them a +5 competence bonus on the check. This takes a full-round action.

Bestow Flaw (Ex): At level 9 the waristocrat of the forge may bestow a Commoner Flaw on one of his willing followers. That follower immediately trades in all of his class levels for Commoner levels and levels in Survivor, Commoner Flaw prestige classes appropriate to the flaw, NPC prestige classes and Warforged Paragon levels. The follower gains two more levels, but still counts as his old level for purposes of the limits to the amount of followers a waristocrat of the forge may have. This may not be applied to the waristocrat of the forge's highest-level follower.

Juggernauts of War (Su): Whenever at least five of your followers are within 30 ft of you and you are below half your maximum hit points, all your followers within 30 ft of you gain Spell Resistance 20, Damage Reduction 3/adamantine, darkvision out to 60 ft, low-light vision and all construct immunities. You do not gain these benefits yourself.

Ziegander
2011-08-23, 12:43 PM
This seems to be pretty brokenly powerful at low levels, and not weak even into the mid-levels (depending on what those other class features do).

At 2nd level when you are able to take your first level in this class, let's call the character a Fighter 1/Waristocrat 1, he has another 1st level buddy and a 2nd level buddy (with one level of NPC class). At Waristocrat 2 he gains the service of three more 1st level characters, a second 2nd level buddy, and a 3rd level buddy.

Not only that, auras get added into the mix making your buddies, that are either the same level as you or only a couple behind you, that much better.

For a class that claims to be an NPC PrC this would definitely be a super-powerful option for low-level PCs.

Morph Bark
2011-08-23, 01:50 PM
The original requirements had skill requirements at 5 ranks so that your first level in this class was your third level tops. I thought that since practically no classes get all four required skills plus good BAB it was no biggie, since I had in mind that they'd have a code of conduct. Upped the requirements now though, because you make a good point about the second level giving you suddenly a lot more to work with. Now you can enter at 5th level earliest.

137beth
2011-08-23, 04:16 PM
Where's the description for aura, point out flaw, and bonds of life?

Cieyrin
2011-08-23, 07:12 PM
Where's the description for aura, point out flaw, and bonds of life?

He's in the process of making them. Have some patience. :smalltongue:

Fable Wright
2011-08-23, 07:31 PM
...Large quantities of low-level wizards is not a good idea at any point in the game. Get Leadership and a Red Wizard cohort and then shenanigans ensue. Or having them all clerics with additional levels in Adept. Or any number of shenanigans from that. I would consider revising it to the followers having no more than 1/2 their levels, round down, PC levels. And the rest of the levels commoner or some such thing. I know that the fluff says that they have PC class levels, but mechanically that leads to shenanigans that I don't want to go into. I just know that large numbers of low-level magic users is a bad idea. A small army of bards, adepts, dragon shamans, wizards, clerics and marshals could easily generate large enough bonuses to turn the rest of the crusader/warrior warforged into self-repairing low-level threats that would be extremely dangerous to low-level adventurers without their own army. And who knows what PCs would do with all that firepower? :smalleek:

Morph Bark
2011-08-24, 05:27 AM
Please, don't judge any homebrew based on how badly it would work out in combination with something official that should be banned in a game. I always ban Leadership due to the cohort and simply allow my players to gain followers through Diplomacy.


He's in the process of making them. Have some patience. :smalltongue:

Also, this. :smallamused:

I've updated it with everything but the auras, having also added a new class feature at level 9 and renamed Bonds of Life.

137beth
2011-08-24, 07:37 AM
I like all of it, except...I don't think I understand bestow flaw:smallfrown:
I'm sure I'd like it if I understood it though:smallwink:

Cieyrin
2011-08-24, 09:41 AM
I like all of it, except...I don't think I understand bestow flaw:smallfrown:
I'm sure I'd like it if I understood it though:smallwink:

It remakes the NPC into a super Warforged Commoner, basically. The Commoner flaws are in an April Fools issue of Dragon and Morph Bark has been making PrCs for all of them, like Tasted, Barngod, etc. Giving a Warforged Weresheep or Delicious seems kinda odd to me but *shrug*

Morph Bark
2011-08-24, 10:23 AM
To clarify, here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9183867&postcount=75) you can find a list of the Commoner Flaw Prestige Classes which you can use in that manner.


It remakes the NPC into a super Warforged Commoner, basically. The Commoner flaws are in an April Fools issue of Dragon and Morph Bark has been making PrCs for all of them, like Tasted, Barngod, etc. Giving a Warforged Weresheep or Delicious seems kinda odd to me but *shrug*

seems kinda odd to me

odd

YOU SAY THAT AS IF IT IS A BAD THING
Also coming from you I'm not sure whether to be astounded or feel complimented. :P

Cieyrin
2011-08-24, 10:46 AM
YOU SAY THAT AS IF IT IS A BAD THING
Also coming from you I'm not sure whether to be astounded or feel complimented. :P

Not saying odd is bad. I'm just having trouble imagining a Warforged Tasted. Maybe they're like a salt lick? :smallconfused:

The Weresheep is a bit less troubling now that I've thought on it more. It's like Beast Wars era Transformers, except all the Warforged transform into mecha sheep. :smallbiggrin:

Morph Bark
2011-08-24, 08:49 PM
Updated with some of the auras. Now off to bed!

Morph Bark
2011-08-25, 07:46 AM
And done. Have some thoughts for two feats and a spell to go along with this, but eh.

Cieyrin
2011-08-25, 08:05 PM
Weavers of War, lulz :smallbiggrin:

Owrtho
2011-08-25, 08:39 PM
I must say, the idea of a Waristocrat bestowing the corpse flaw on one of his dedicated followers is rather entertaining. The fact that if they're a high enough level already they may well become much more powerful than they were before (due to the late level strength of the broken corpse class), just makes it more so.

Owrtho