PDA

View Full Version : Guitar Hero



KotserB
2011-10-10, 05:18 PM
Hello Playground,

A few days ago I thought: I'm gonna make a PrC!
I've never done it before, I've had 1 D&D 3.5 campaign so far so it probably sucks on a different levels, but thats where you readers come in. Id like to ask you to help me make my PrC viable and useful.
I dont even know how to make the fancy tables so im trying to find that out before I post anything interesting here.

Guitar Hero

Entry requirements:
Skills: 8 ranks in either Perform (Guitar), Perform (Percussion) or Perform (Sing)
Class Features: Bardic Music
Special: Must have at least one of the following: a very extraordinary haircut, a huge bigass tattoo, awesome glasses, the for others unpleasant habit to break stuff. You’ll also need a cool name if you’re a solo artist and a cool band name if you’re thinking of forming a band.

Class Skills
The Guitar Hero’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Jump (Str), Intimidate (Cha), all Perform skills (Cha) (Each taken separately), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Rope (Cha)
Skill Points at each level: 4 + Int modifier

{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spellcasting
1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Bardic Music, YOU ROCK! | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
2 | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Difficulty: Easy | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
3 | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Difficulty: Medium, Star Power | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Difficulty: Hard | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
5 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | 100%, Difficulty: Expert | +1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Yay, thanks to a guy with a dragon as avatar I managed to make this table (yay, go dragons)!

Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the Guitar Hero prestige class:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Weapon and Armor proficiency: Guitar Heroes gain proficiency with the guitar, the microphone and the drumsticks (see below). The Guitar Hero doesn’t gain proficiency with any kind of armor.

Spells per day: At every even-numbered level gained in the Guitar Hero class, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a Guitar Hero, he must decide to which class she adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Bardic Music: Guitar Heroes combine their Guitar Hero levels with levels of other classes that offer the bardic music class feature to determine the number of bardic music uses per day (but not any other bardic music-related effects).

Difficulty: Every level the Guitar Hero gains, the complexity of his songs increase, making his bardic music more effective. The bonuses stated below last as long as you play the Bardic Music effect which triggered the Difficulty.
Easy: After using one of your bardic music abilities, an ally within 30 feet of you gains a +1 bonus to AC and all saves.
Medium: After using one of your bardic music abilities, an ally within 30 feet of you gains a +1 bonus to all attack and damage rolls he or she makes and/or increases the DC of all his or her spells he casts by 1.
Hard: After using one of your bardic music abilities, an ally within 30 feet of you gains concealment.
Expert: Exactly as with easy, but the bonus increases to +2.
Special: A Guitar Hero has to choose the additional effect of his bardic music ability before he applies the primary effect.

YOU ROCK!: After every encounter, a Guitar Hero makes either a Perform (Percussion), Perform (Sing) or Perform (Guitar) check (his own choice). He multiplies this result by his Guitar Hero level and gains that much gold pieces for his awesome performance. You gain an additional 10 gold for each time you used star power each encounter.

Star Power: Starting at 3rd level, a Guitar Hero draws magical power from his songs. He can use this power to empower his allies and himself.
Every time you use the Bardic Music ability, you gain one star power and/or activate star power powers (but you cannot use the star power you just gained). You can exchange star power to gain certain benefits.
1 star power:
2 star power: You and all allies within 30 feet gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls and/or increases the DC of his spells by 1. This bonus lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of Star Power you have left after using this power.
3 star power: You and all allies within 30 feet gain DR 5/-. This bonus lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of Star Power you have left after using this power.
A Guitar Hero can save up to 6 Star Power (which indeed is plural from star power, so dont say star powers). He loses all star power at the end of a day.
Activating Star Power is a free action.

100%: You have mastered your instrument so well that your performances are completely flawless. Every sound you make is absolutely awesome and everyone loves you.
Whenever you use one of your Bardic Music abilities, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy and Gather Information checks which involve anyone that heard you play. This bonus lasts until the end of the day.
All your class features also become stronger. Whenever you choose a difficulty to play you can choose to combine two difficulties (so that both bonuses apply) or you can extend the duration of one bonus after it ends; The difficulty that would normally end lasts an extra number of rounds equal to half your Charisma modifier.
Additionally, you gain 2 Star Power each time you use your Bardic Music ability and you can save up to 10 Star Power instead of 6.
Last, the range of all Difficulty and Star Power abilities increase to 60 ft.

Grod_The_Giant
2011-10-10, 05:30 PM
Use [ table=head] and [ /table] (without the spaces) to arrange the table, separating columns with |, like so:

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Spells per day
1|+0|+2|+0|+0|Awesome Improvised Weapons, Difficulty: Beginner|
2|+1|+3|+0|+0|Difficulty: Easy|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3|+2|+3 |+1|+1|Difficulty: Medium, Star Power
4|+3|+4|+1|+1|Difficulty: Hard|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5|+3|+4|+1|+1|Difficulty: Expert, YOU ROCK! [/table]

Can't really judge the class without seeing any of the class features.

KotserB
2011-10-13, 01:57 AM
No one? :S

Doorhandle
2011-10-13, 05:40 AM
Might need to relook witha clear head....


After finishing training, a Guitar Hero gains three magical instruments, which improve his performance. He gains a microphone, drumsticks and a guitar. The microphone grants a +2 bonus to perform (comedy), perform (oratory) and perform (sing) check. The drumsticks grant a +2 bonus on perform (percussion) checks and the guitar grants a +2 bonus to perform (guitar) checks.
Apart from being instruments, a Guitar Hero can use them as weapons as well. The microphone functions exactly like a flail (Player’s Handbook 116), the drumsticks function like throwing hammers (Player’s Handbook 116) and the guitar functions exactly like a trident (Player’s Handbook 118). The only difference is that these weapons are exotic. However, to use the guitar as a weapon, a Guitar Hero must first succeed on a DC 10 strength check. A guitar hero gains a +2 awesome bonus for this . If he succeeds on the check, the guitar becomes a +1 trident. If he however succeeds with a result of 20 or higher, the guitar becomes a +2 trident etc. Every time a Guitar Hero fails this check, the awesome bonus increases by 2 until the guitar reforms (see below).
Creating a trident this way requires a full-round action. A Guitar Hero can only have one trident created this way at a time. Even if an ally is proficient with the given equivalents of the awesome improvised weapons, he may still not use them as if he were proficient, unless he takes the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (awesome improvised weapons) feat.

Expert: Exactly as with easy, but the bonus increases to +2.

Wat.

Grod_The_Giant
2011-10-13, 08:00 AM
Looks pretty ok, except for the awesome improvised weapon bit. Requiring a strength check to wield the guitar seems like a weird mechanic. The strength check DC- effectively 8- is really easy, but... takes a full-round action? I can't quite tell if you just stab people with the guitar or if you manifest a trident- the first makes more sense, but the second paragraph supports the latter idea.

And flavor-wise, why a trident? Shouldn't it be an ax instead? :smalltongue:

In all honestly, I would probably just have the ability let bards wield a guitar or drumsticks as weapons without penalty.

KotserB
2011-10-13, 09:40 AM
The original idea was that the Guitar Hero can use the guitar as his most awesome weapon by first destroying it (a.k.a. hit the surface as hard as you can) as awesome rockstars do. the better your check, the more awesome, the stronger your weapon should be (cuz its all about being awesome).

Grod_The_Giant
2011-10-13, 10:10 AM
The original idea was that the Guitar Hero can use the guitar as his most awesome weapon by first destroying it (a.k.a. hit the surface as hard as you can) as awesome rockstars do. the better your check, the more awesome, the stronger your weapon should be (cuz its all about being awesome).

Ok, that makes sense. I would include that flavor text, then. I would, however, like to note that you have no indication of how the guitar re-forms. I also don't think a full-round action to smash your guitar is appropriate. Hell, I'd like to smash my guitar over one orc's head, then use the broken fragments to stab another. THAT would be badass.

Dr.Orpheus
2011-10-13, 03:23 PM
ITEMS

On all of the fallowing items you may only gain the bonus uness you have a number of ranks in perform guitar equal to twice the bonus using a both necks of a double neck guitar is hard

GNOMISH 1.5 NECK GUITAR
adds +2 compitense bonus to perform guitar checks
price 600gp

DOUBLE NECK GUITAR
adds +4 compitence bonus to perform guitar checks
price 900gp

TRIPLE NECK GUITAR
adds +8 compitence bonus to perform guitar checks
price 1200gp

KotserB
2011-10-13, 04:45 PM
Hell, I'd like to smash my guitar over one orc's head, then use the broken fragments to stab another. THAT would be badass.

once ive managed to make these 5 levels viable im thinking of expanding it to a 10-level PrC, so ill see what i can do ;)

Mangles
2011-10-14, 09:24 AM
If this is a joke class and you don't really want feedback, please ignore all bellow it is a good joke. If, however, you want it evaluated.....



Entry requirements:
Skills: A total of 15 Skill Points in Perform (Percussion), Perform (Sing) and Perform (Guitar) with at least 8 in one of them


Bit weird and is alot of skill points to use up. Whenever I played bard I only ever grabbed one or at the most two different Performs.



Class Skills
The Guitar Hero’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), all Perform skills (Cha) (Each taken separately)
Skill Points at each level: 2 + Int modifier



Not many skills, but also no skill points. You won't even be able to keep the skill level up you had when you were a bard with this. Especially not with having invested 15 points in perform by level 5



Spells per day:

This is worded differently to how your table reads and how most of the prestige +1 to spell casting classes read. The way it is a wizard who got this class somehow couldn't continue his wizard progression.

Also why not just give them full casting, if you don't this PRC will loose a lot of its base classes power.



Awesome improvised weapons: After finishing training, a Guitar Hero gains three magical instruments, which improve his performance. He gains a microphone, drumsticks and a guitar. The microphone grants a +2 bonus to perform (comedy), perform (oratory) and perform (sing) check. The drumsticks grant a +2 bonus on perform (percussion) checks and the guitar grants a +2 bonus to perform (guitar) checks.
Apart from being instruments, a Guitar Hero can use them as weapons as well. The microphone functions exactly like a flail (Player’s Handbook 116), the drumsticks function like throwing hammers (Player’s Handbook 116) and the guitar functions exactly like a trident (Player’s Handbook 118). The only difference is that these weapons are exotic. However, to use the guitar as a weapon, a Guitar Hero must first succeed on a DC 10 strength check. A guitar hero gains a +2 awesome bonus for this . If he succeeds on the check, the guitar becomes a +1 trident. If he however succeeds with a result of 20 or higher, the guitar becomes a +2 trident etc. Every time a Guitar Hero fails this check, the awesome bonus increases by 2 until the guitar reforms (see below).
Creating a trident this way requires a full-round action. A Guitar Hero can only have one trident created this way at a time. Even if an ally is proficient with the given equivalents of the awesome improvised weapons, he may still not use them as if he were proficient, unless he takes the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (awesome improvised weapons) feat.

A lot of this doesn't make sense, and some of it is missing. Also you probably shouldn't use ect. When munchkins get to make assumptions that is when trouble arises.

So to understand this. You get a drumstick and guitar and mic. But you can use the Mic and Drumsticks without any issue whenever you want. If you want to use the guitar you have to make a str check (seems a weird check type for a bard who may have a -2 to str) which makes it a +1 weapon with an additional +1 for every 10 you beat the DC by. The way its worded now you need to make a str check on every attack, and with a potential -2 to str the Bard won't be able to use his weapon more than half the time.

Then there is something about awesome points and creating a trident as a full round action, but the awesome points don't do anything atm and the creation rules don't have a time limit on them. This part made no sense to me.



Difficulty: Every level the Guitar Hero gains, the complexity of his songs increase, making his bardic music more effective.
Beginner: Your bardic music isn’t stronger at this level, because beginner only requires you to push any button, say anything or hit any pad which nearly everyone can pull off.

An ability that doesn't do anything seems like a waste of text.



Easy: After using one of your bardic music abilities, an ally within 30 feet of you gains a +1 bonus to the next attack roll he or she makes until the end of its next turn or increases the DC of his next spell by 1 he casts until the end of its next turn.

A +1 to attack for one ally at level 8 isn't much, and certainly not worth a whole level taken.


Medium: After using one of your bardic music abilities, an ally within 30 feet of you gains a +1 bonus to AC and all saves until the end of its next turn.

A little better but still nothing great here either, and now you've wasted two levels to get it.



Hard: After using one of your bardic music abilities, an ally within 30 feet of you gains concealment until the end of its next turn.


Now an ability that can be put to use, but by now 3 levels are used to just get this one, its not unbelievably fantastic and it makes other characters shine not yourself.



Expert: Exactly as with easy, but the bonus increases to +2.
Special: A Guitar Hero has to choose the additional effect of his bardic music ability before he applies the primary effect.

This ability is worse than the easy one because its another wasted level and why do I have to choose which one of these I use. They should definitely be staking, even if you can only choose one ally. Also why only for one round, why not for the bardic music length? that would make those +1's a little better. This Class also doesn't allow you more bardic music attempts meaning you might run out very quickly.



Star Power: Starting at 3rd level, a Guitar Hero draws magical power from his songs. He can use this power to improve the attacks of his awesome improvised weapons, the weapons of his allies or save his teammates from dying.
Every time you use the Bardic Music ability, you gain one star power. You can exchange star power to gain certain benefits.
1 star power: Double the base damage from your awesome improvised weapons for your next attack.
2 star power: Until the end of your next turn, you and all allies within 30 feet gain a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls.
3 star power: Until the end of your next turn, you and all allies within 30 feet gain DR 5/-
6 star power: The same as with 3 star power, but it lasts 2 extra rounds.
A Guitar Hero can have up to 6 Star Power (which indeed is plural from star power, so dont say star powers). He loses all star power at the end of a day.
Activating Star Power requires a swift action.

More stuff from using music attempts but still no music attempts given in this class. That makes the bard need to have a very low encounter day.


YOU ROCK!: After every encounter, a Guitar Hero makes either a Perform (Percussion), Perform (Sing) or Perform (Guitar) check (his own choice). He multiplies this result by his Guitar Hero level and gains that much gold pieces for his awesome performance. You gain an additional 10 gold for each time you used star power each encounter.

HOLY COW, what a capstone, This is broken to no end. Nothing should ever give you this much bonus money. Just take 20 on every one of these checks and rake in the money.

Without MIN Maxing the hell out of your perform check this basically gives you some pocket change.

Dr.Orpheus
2011-10-14, 10:28 AM
you should only gain this money if an audiance is watching you battle and the amount should be less

KotserB
2011-10-14, 11:44 AM
Thanks for the reply Mangles.
Ill try to change the class asap.

KotserB
2011-10-14, 03:01 PM
Ive changed a few things after the post of some guy/girl that pretty much pointed out why my PrC is one of the worst ever made. I apprecriate it though.

Heres what ive changed so far:
- Every level you gain an extra use of Bardic Music, because I realized the class needs it.
- the YOU ROCK! feature is now a level 1 feature, because its more like it is in the game (whatever level player you are, you always gain moneh)
- removed the Difficulty: Beginner and Awesome improvised weapons, because Beginner literally didnt give the Guitar Hero something new and I thought of it more as a buffer and not as someone that uses weapons primarily.

im not done changing, but i dont believe in fixing something with one change, so im gonna wait till 2morrow or sunday until i change something else.

Mangles
2011-10-14, 05:29 PM
This is by no means the worst class ever. If it was I wouldn't have bothered to comment on it.

This is much better now that you gain bardic music attempts, now you can activate your class abilities. Also using the length of bardic music for your difficulty instead of 1 round is a start.

KotserB
2011-10-16, 06:31 AM
Updated class skills en skill points per level.
Im not sure if I should add more class skills; I think i've got all the key skills for bards that focus on Bardic Music and spells.

KotserB
2011-10-19, 05:01 PM
Added a few more skills, every level spellcasting increase, good will save progression, tweeked description from Star Power and removed the empower-your-awesome-improvised-weapon star power power since i removed awesome improvised weapons. activating star power powers is now free.

KotserB
2011-10-24, 04:54 PM
Ive slightly changed the Difficulties and Star Power and I've completed the capstone.

My biggest concern now is that the Difficulty: Medium stronger is then the 2 Star Power option. They are also very similar. I find it hard to come up with other bonuses that don't are the same as things I already have. What are your thoughts GiantsITP?

Namfuak
2012-02-12, 10:16 AM
Ive slightly changed the Difficulties and Star Power and I've completed the capstone.

My biggest concern now is that the Difficulty: Medium stronger is then the 2 Star Power option. They are also very similar. I find it hard to come up with other bonuses that don't are the same as things I already have. What are your thoughts GiantsITP?

It seems to me like the difficulty bonuses are mostly defensive, while the star power ones could be offensive instead. So, what if you moved the 3 star power to hard difficulty, moved hard to medium, and changed the 3 star to "You and all allies within 30 feet gain +1d6 to damage rolls with weapons and spells that normally deal damage or +3 to caster level when determining the DC (not damage dice) of spells and effects." I figure that at 3 star power, you ought to increase your allies' damage output, since you are really slaying the crowd.