bobthe6th
2011-10-16, 11:19 PM
this is undergoing a major reformatting, please stand by. may take untill tomorrow afternoon.
current draft (a little WIP, so give it some time...) this time a lot like a souped up warlock.
Blaster
{table=head] level | base attack bonus | fort | ref | will | special
1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2| blasting
2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3| between the blasts, big boom
3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3| meta blast
4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4| between the blasts...
5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4| meta blast
6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5| between the blasts...
7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5| meta blast
8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6| between the blasts...
9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6| meta blast
10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7| between the blasts...
11th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7| meta blast
12th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8| between the blasts...
13th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8| meta blast
14th | +7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +9| between the blasts...
15th | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +9| meta blast
16th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10| between the blasts...
17th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10| meta blast
18th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11| between the blasts...
19th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11| meta blast
20th | +10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12| between the blasts...
[/table]
hit die: d8
weapon and armor proficiencies: a blaster is proficiant with light arrmor and light sheilds. a blaster is also proficient with
blasting(SP):the blaster can create destruction. this is treated as a touch attack unless otherwise modified. the blast does 1d12/2 levels elemental damage (of a kind chosen at first level, it can be changed with 1 hour of meditation). a blast can be modified at the cost of damage. for each augmentation the damage decreases in this order 1d12>1d10>1d8>1d6>1d4>1. the blast can get a longer reach by augmentation in the order of close>medium>long. the damage type can be changed by augmentation in the order of slashing, or bludgeoning, or piercing>untyped>force. the area of the blast can be changed by augmentation in the order of 5' burst/10'line/5' cone>20'burst/40'line/20'cone>80'burst/160'line/80'cone. if in the form of an area, the blast has a dc 10+1/2 the blasters level+the blasters cha. modifier for half damage. this ability takes a standard action to activate and provokes an attack of opportunity. this attack of opportunity can be avoided with a successful dc 15+half blaster level concentration check. also to cast a blasting spell you need to preform a simple somatic and verbal component, along with a minor material component such as a pinch of dust. the somatic components needed are simple, so they may be used with light armor and light shields. heavier armor causes a chance of faliure equal to the normal arcane spell failure chance.
between the blasts...(SP): starting at 2nd level the blaster starts to learn to do more than blast. he learns a set of magical tricks separate from blasting. he learns one every even level. they are selected from the table below.
invocation like stuff to come.
big boom(SP):starting a 2nd level the blaster can but more power into its blasting. this takes the form of a dice pool, refreshable with three full rounds of concentration. the pool contains a number of dice equal to the blasters level+1/2 his charisma modifier(at tenth level this becomes full charisma modifier). these die may be added to a blasters blast, but only 1/2 the blasters level may be added.
meta blast(SP): at third level an every odd level therafter the blaster learns a meta magic feat. his blaster level is considered his caster level for qualifying for the feats. to apply the meta feats to a blast the blaster spends a number of dice from his dice pool equal to the normal amount of spell levels a spell would be adjusted.
draft one of the class... incompleate but might inspire, so I am saveing it here.
my opinion of the current magic system
So, D&D has a half dozen magic systems, and none of them are kind to blasting.
The original Vancian style has a nice linear progression, but all its spells are set in stone. The wizard/sorcerer has to read and remember most of their spells or force the whole game to stop so they can look it up.
Psionics, while giving some actual versatility to blasting, doesn't linearly progress. So to blast at full power, you have to dump the equivalent of a spell slot of your highest level.
Invocations get some blasting, but all the times they get it, the blast is weak for the level of play... The warlock playing with his 5d6 eldrich cone, while the wizard can pump out 10d6 cone of cold without meta magic.
Incarnum gives some interesting demi-magic item soulshapes, but they aren't powerful at any level of play.
So I chose to take a bit from psionics and invocations, stir in the tiered Vancian for form, and garnish with incarnum with.
so the
Blaster
The blaster has magic thrumming in his veins. He casts magic like a musician improvises, he makes it up as he goes. A wizard summons energy by ritual, a warlock as a set number of tricks, an incarnate cafts stiff constructs of incarnum, and the psion finds powers in his mind. The blaster does all of these things at once, shaping the power of his mind heart and soul through improvised rituals. The result is more often then not explosive, and that is the way he likes it!
But in all this chaos, in all this mad swirl of energy, a pattern apears. Just like any musician has a style, a blasters magic settles into a genre. He still improvises within this style, but it does always add a flavor to his magic.
races: Any race can produce blasters, but they all most always have a blood tie to a higher power. This power could be as symple as having a pit fiend for a father, or as complex as a long lost fae ancestor. Blasters are very common among humans, as humans are far more interbred then any other race (heh, centaurs) and among the savage races. Powerful savage mages are often blasters. Blasters are more common in times of strife, as their latent powers are more suited for combat. Many tieflings and dragon blooded become blasters.
other classes: blasters are close to sorcerers and warlocks. they are closer to their power granting ancestors then sorcerers, but still farther than warlocks. as such, they often are at odds with the two classes. they find wizards to serious, as the heavy study of magic takes most of the fun out of it. the wizards dislike the blaster, finding them shallow and undisciplined. melee classes enjoy the artillery support of the blaster, and stealthy classes enjoy the distraction.
role: the blaster is really just that, good at blasting. they take the place of magical blasting, and with little effort can be a nice anti-air cannon so the rest of the party doesn't need ranged attacks. with the proper metamagic, the blaster can gain some versatility, but it can never really fill the place of a beguiler or enchanter. with his mediocre hit die and lack of normal protection, a blaster is often forced to remain in the back of the party.
hit die: d6
skills: ( 2+int mod.)x4 at first level, 2+int mod. at all other levels
class skills: (Concentration, Craft, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (The Planes), Profession, Spell craft, Use Magic Device).
abilities: the blaster should have at least one high mental score. this would function as his casting stat, so it should be as high as possible. having multiple high mental stats can work as a buffer against ability damage, as any mental stat can be the casting stat. with the lowish hit die the blaster benefits from a high constitution. as the blaster often goes without any sort of armor, a high dex helps keep his AC high.
{table=head] the blaster|shaped spell slots
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
0|
0|
0|
+2|shape spell, soul power
2nd|
+1|
0|
0|
+3| spell shield
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3| basic archetype
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| archetype meta
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| spell blade
6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| basic archetype magic
7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|speed shape (standard action)
8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6| anti-spell, archetype meta
9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6| lesser archetype
10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|
11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7| spell mail
12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8| lesser archetype magic, archetype meta
13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8| speed shape (move action)
14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+4|
+9| spell mine
15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+9| master archetype
16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10| speed shape (swift action), archetype meta
17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|spell field
18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11| Greater Archetype Magic, archetype meta
19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|
20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12| big bang, speed shape (free action), meta feat [/table] | {table=head] Level | spell levels total | max effective spell level
1st | 2 | 1
2nd | 3 | 1
3rd | 4 | 2
4th | 5 | 2
5th | 8 | 3
6th | 9 | 3
7th | 11 | 4
8th | 12 | 4
9th | 14 | 5
10th | 15 | 5
11th | 17 | 6
12th | 18 | 6
13th | 20 | 7
14th | 21 | 7
15th | 23 | 8
16th | 24 | 8
17th | 26 | 9
18th | 27 | 9
19th | 29 | 10
20th | 30 | 10
[/table][/table]
weapon and armor proficiencies: a blaster is proficient in all simple weapons, and with no armor or shields.
spells: the blaster doesn't prepare or cast like a normal caster. he does not expend any of his spells by casting them. to cast a spell, he must have it shaped. casting a spell is normally a standard action, though certain augments can be added to shorten or increase this time. after the blaster casts the spell, the spell is unusable for an amount of rounds equal to its effective spell level -1 per five blaster levels. the DC for spells cast by the blaster is equal to 10+the effective spell level+the blasters highest mental score. the blaster's spells are affected by arcane spell failure.
spell shape:the blaster shapes spells on the fly, taking a full round action to do so. you can only shape spells that have an effective spell level no higher than the maximum of the blaster. these spells don't unshaped until the blaster takes a swift action to do so, freeing all spell levels bound up in it. a blaster can't unshape a spell that is cooling down after use.
a blasters spells have three parts. the casting time, the range/area/target, the damage type. these can each be improved with the investment of spell levels. spells deal d6 in damage equal to the level of the blaster. all spells start at effective spell level 0, with a casting time of one standard action, a range of touch, and an elemental damage type. spell levels spent on increase the spells casting time, range/area/target, and damage type on the flowing charts.
casting time
it costs 2 spell levels to quicken a spell, an lowers the spell level by one if it is cast as a full round action. several full round actions can be strung together to allow for a bigger affect. each full round action after the first lowers the spells level by two.
range/area/target
each step costs the sum on the total steps (ie. at 20'burst cost two levels). adding targets to a spell that has an area adds another of the same area. multiple areas don't overlap (ie. three 5' on one targets does not deal triple damage).
range.) touch>close>medium>long
area.) touch>5' burst/10'line/5' cone>20'burst/40'line/20'cone>80'burst/160'line/80'cone
target.)one>two>three>four>ect.
damage type
all elemental damages>physical damages (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing)>force
meta magic feats can be added to the spell, at their normal cost in spell levels.
Soul power: the blasters soul is over flowing with magic. it can't focus his own magic as other classes can. any character that takes blaster levels and trys to cast a spell from another casting class takes 2d6 times the spells level force damage and is stunned for 1d4 round. spells cast through magic items are not affected by this, as the magic comes from the item.
archetype:the blaster chooses a archetype at first level. this archetype decides what meta magic feats he will receive, what Spell like abilities he will receive, what special abilities he will gain, and what school his spells are considered. at third level and every 6 levels afterward, the blasters special ability improves. at 6th level and every 6 levels afterward, the blasters Spell like abilities improve. at fourth level and every four levels afterward, the blaster chooses a metamagic feat from the list in his archetype. his magic is considered the school associated with his archetype.
spell shield:starting at 2nd level, a blaster can invest spell levels into raising his shield bonus to ac, at a 1-1 ratio starting at second level. he may invest up to one quarter his blaster level in spell levels. this shield also stops ranged attacks that have no magical enhancement at the cost of lowering this bonus by one, the bonus returning at a rate of one level per round.
spell blade:starting at 5th level, a blaster may create a weapon composed of magical energy, in the shape of any martial weapon. if this is a ranged weapon it generates ammunition appropriate for the weapon. if the weapon leaves the blasters hand, it dissipates in one round. a blaster is considered proficient with this weapon. this weapon is counted as magic. the blaster may invest spell levels into this weapon, granting it an enhancement bonus at a one to one ratio. a blaster may invest spell levels up to one quarter his blaster level in this way. he may also add 1d6 damage to the weapon for every spell level he puts into the weapon. this damage is either elemental or the same type as the weapon normally deals.
speed shape:the blaster can shape spells as a standard action at 7th level, a move action at 13th, a swift action at 16th, and a free action at 20th.
Anti-spell:at 8th level, do to a blasters massive innate magic, he gains SR equal to his HD+3+his highest mental abilities modifier.
spell mail:starting at 11th level, a blaster can invest spell levels into raising his armor bonus to ac, at a 1-1 ratio starting at eleventh level. this also grants an equil amount of DR/-. a blaster may invest up to one quarter his level in spell levels in this.
spell mine:starting at 14th level, a blaster may create special spells. these spells can be placed with a set of triggering conditions, that when met, cause the spell to be cast in a way you predetermined. a spell shaped in this way can't have its casting time changed to raise or lower the spells level. once created, the spell must be immediately placed. it can be placed in any agasent point. more than one mine can be place in one square. it is an a point in three dimensional space, and it does not move from the XYZ coordinates you place it in. creating this spell uses spell levels normally required to shape the spell. you can't shape other spells with these spell levels until the spell is triggered. this can not be done with spells prepared from scrolls, or any other way other than normal spell shaping.
spell field:starting at 17th level, a blaster can make a variation on a spell mine. the spell feild makes a number of the spell mine equal to a quarter of the blasters blaster level. these all have the same spell imbedded in them as the orgional spell mine. they only take up as a group an amount of spell levels equal to the original spell. all of these spell mines trigger simultaneously when one of them meets the triggering conditions. making a spell field takes one round per spell mine.
big bang:the spells damage increases to 2d4 per blaster level.
archetypes:
War Whight (Necromancy)
this archetype gets its name from the main way it gains undead followers, fell drain. this archetype is based around sacrificing things to do more with your magic.
abilities:
special abilities:
least: you may sacrifice hp to increase the power of your spells. the damage increases on a 1-2 ratio, and the bonus damage is negative energy damage. you may sacrafice 1hp/level this way.
moderate: you may apply any of the fell metamagics more than once. if you apply fell drain more than once, it stacks with itself. multiple applications of fell animate steps up the type of undead animated, two makes it create undead, three makes it create greater undead. these undead are not automatically under your control, but are treated as dominated for a number of rounds equal to your caster level. multiple applications of fell frighten increase the level of fright. multiple applications of fell weaken slow the targets movement speed by 10 ft per repetition, this goes away at the same speed as the normal fell weaken.
greater: you may sacrifice an undead to speed up the cool down of a spell.
for every undead you sacrifice, the cool down goes down by 1 round.
Magic:
lesser: command undead 2/day
moderate: command undead 4/day
greater: command undead 6/day
meta feats:
fell drain, fell weaken, fell animate, fell frighten, maximize spell, empower spell.
Warmage (Conjuration)
this archetype is a blaster built around harming the most foes it can. it is built for war, tons of low HD foes running about...
Abilaties
special abilities:
least: you may lower a spells damage die one step (1d6>1d4>1d2>1) to gain a step on the area chain of spell shape. so a 80 ft burst at long range is a third level spell, but it does 1/CL damage.
moderate: you may increase the area of your spells further than normal. the area chain of spell shape continues for you, multiplying the previous value by 4 for each step.
greater: you may now shape spells as emanations. these emanations start from the caster but do not hit the caster. they increase in size as a burst with twice the radius. emanations have their damage die lowered by one.
Magic:
lesser: grease 2/day
moderate: web 2/day, grease 2/day
greater: wall of iron 2/day, web 2/day, grease 2/day
meta magic:
widen spell, enlarge spell, explosive spell, twin spell, delay spell
Variation (Envocation)
Fae blaze (Illusion)
the magic of a fae blaze blaster is always less than it appears.
abilities:
special abilities:
lesser: your magic is infused with illusions, making it appear far more fearsome then it is truly. you add 1d6/2levels illusionary damage to your spell. this damage has a will save to disbelieve, and is a mind effecting fear effect.
moderate: the illusionary damage now leaves a target more ready to believe other illusions. targets that take illusionary damage now save for half damage against further illusionary attacks, and take a -4 to saves to disbelive illusions.
greater: you may now shape spells as entirely illusionary attacks. they deal twice the normal damage, but don't receive the bonus illusionary damage of least.
Magic:
least: mirror image 2/day
moderate: mirror image 4/day, Greater invisibility 2/day
greater: mirror image 6/day Greater invisibility 4/day persistent image 2/day
Meta:
silent spell, still spell, maxamise spell, empower spell, twin spell.
Spell bound (Enchantment)
this blaster masters then binding of his magic into items.
Abilities:
Special abilities:
least: the blaster can create blasting tokens. these may be anything, from a small rock to a small gem. they contain the power to cast the blaster spell once, before they need to be recharged. thy cost 25 gp times the the blasters level times the spells level to create, and burn 1/50 of that in xp. they can only be activate at the speed the spell is normally cast. a blaster can recharge a blasting token with an 15 minutes of meditation.
moderate: the blaster gains the ability to craft blasting rods. they function as pre-shaped spells, but do not cost spell levels to maintain. they cost 50 gp times the blasters level times the level of the spell to craft, and burn 1/50th that cost in XP to make. these items are a bit like wands, in that they hold charges. they can hold a number of charges equal to twice the blasters level. a blaster may charge a blasting rod by meditating with it. the amount of time spent meditating recharges one charge per 15 minutes. spells cast from rods do have a recharge time, equal to the level of the spell minus one fith the blaster level when they were made. they take the amount of casting time for the spell to activate.
greater: the blaster gains the ability to craft blasting staves. these staves can hold multiple pre-shaped spells. they cost 25 gp times the blasters level times the sum of levels of the spells to craft, and burn 1/50th that cost in XP to make. they can hold a number of charges equal to eight times the blaster level. they can be recharged through meditation, at a rate of one charge per 10 minuets. to cast one of the spells in the staff, a number of charges equal to the spells level are discharged, and an amount of time equal to the spells normal casting time is spent activating the staff.
Magic:
lesser: Hideous Laughter 2/day
moderate: Hideous Laughter 4/day, Confusion 2/day
greater: Hideous Laughter 6/day, Confusion 4/day, Sugestion mass 2/day
meta feats: explosive spell (CA), Delay spell, Empower spell, Maxamise spell, Widen spell.
Sniper(Divination)
Abilaties
special abilities:
least: you may lower a spells damage die one step (1d6>1d4>1d2>1) to gain a step on the range chain of spell shape. so a 20 ft burst at long range is a third level spell, but it does 1/CL damage.
moderate: you may increase the range of your spells further than normal. the area chain of spell shape continues for you, multiplying the previous value by 2 for each step. so a step after long range is (800ft+ 80ft/CL)
greater: you may now shape spells as bolts. these bolts start from the caster, they function as a line. they hit all targets along the range of the spell. they cost 2 spell levels more to shape then normal spells.
Magic:
lesser: locate object 2/day
moderate: locate object 4/day, Scrying 2/day
greater: locate object 6/day, Scrying 4/day, greater Scrying 2/day
meta magic:
Silent spell, still spell, Delay spell, fortefy spell, chain spell.
Warder (Abjuration)
Warleader (Transmutation)
changed the spell melds, changed soul power.
current draft (a little WIP, so give it some time...) this time a lot like a souped up warlock.
Blaster
{table=head] level | base attack bonus | fort | ref | will | special
1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2| blasting
2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3| between the blasts, big boom
3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3| meta blast
4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4| between the blasts...
5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4| meta blast
6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5| between the blasts...
7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5| meta blast
8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6| between the blasts...
9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6| meta blast
10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7| between the blasts...
11th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7| meta blast
12th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8| between the blasts...
13th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8| meta blast
14th | +7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +9| between the blasts...
15th | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +9| meta blast
16th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10| between the blasts...
17th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10| meta blast
18th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11| between the blasts...
19th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11| meta blast
20th | +10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12| between the blasts...
[/table]
hit die: d8
weapon and armor proficiencies: a blaster is proficiant with light arrmor and light sheilds. a blaster is also proficient with
blasting(SP):the blaster can create destruction. this is treated as a touch attack unless otherwise modified. the blast does 1d12/2 levels elemental damage (of a kind chosen at first level, it can be changed with 1 hour of meditation). a blast can be modified at the cost of damage. for each augmentation the damage decreases in this order 1d12>1d10>1d8>1d6>1d4>1. the blast can get a longer reach by augmentation in the order of close>medium>long. the damage type can be changed by augmentation in the order of slashing, or bludgeoning, or piercing>untyped>force. the area of the blast can be changed by augmentation in the order of 5' burst/10'line/5' cone>20'burst/40'line/20'cone>80'burst/160'line/80'cone. if in the form of an area, the blast has a dc 10+1/2 the blasters level+the blasters cha. modifier for half damage. this ability takes a standard action to activate and provokes an attack of opportunity. this attack of opportunity can be avoided with a successful dc 15+half blaster level concentration check. also to cast a blasting spell you need to preform a simple somatic and verbal component, along with a minor material component such as a pinch of dust. the somatic components needed are simple, so they may be used with light armor and light shields. heavier armor causes a chance of faliure equal to the normal arcane spell failure chance.
between the blasts...(SP): starting at 2nd level the blaster starts to learn to do more than blast. he learns a set of magical tricks separate from blasting. he learns one every even level. they are selected from the table below.
invocation like stuff to come.
big boom(SP):starting a 2nd level the blaster can but more power into its blasting. this takes the form of a dice pool, refreshable with three full rounds of concentration. the pool contains a number of dice equal to the blasters level+1/2 his charisma modifier(at tenth level this becomes full charisma modifier). these die may be added to a blasters blast, but only 1/2 the blasters level may be added.
meta blast(SP): at third level an every odd level therafter the blaster learns a meta magic feat. his blaster level is considered his caster level for qualifying for the feats. to apply the meta feats to a blast the blaster spends a number of dice from his dice pool equal to the normal amount of spell levels a spell would be adjusted.
draft one of the class... incompleate but might inspire, so I am saveing it here.
my opinion of the current magic system
So, D&D has a half dozen magic systems, and none of them are kind to blasting.
The original Vancian style has a nice linear progression, but all its spells are set in stone. The wizard/sorcerer has to read and remember most of their spells or force the whole game to stop so they can look it up.
Psionics, while giving some actual versatility to blasting, doesn't linearly progress. So to blast at full power, you have to dump the equivalent of a spell slot of your highest level.
Invocations get some blasting, but all the times they get it, the blast is weak for the level of play... The warlock playing with his 5d6 eldrich cone, while the wizard can pump out 10d6 cone of cold without meta magic.
Incarnum gives some interesting demi-magic item soulshapes, but they aren't powerful at any level of play.
So I chose to take a bit from psionics and invocations, stir in the tiered Vancian for form, and garnish with incarnum with.
so the
Blaster
The blaster has magic thrumming in his veins. He casts magic like a musician improvises, he makes it up as he goes. A wizard summons energy by ritual, a warlock as a set number of tricks, an incarnate cafts stiff constructs of incarnum, and the psion finds powers in his mind. The blaster does all of these things at once, shaping the power of his mind heart and soul through improvised rituals. The result is more often then not explosive, and that is the way he likes it!
But in all this chaos, in all this mad swirl of energy, a pattern apears. Just like any musician has a style, a blasters magic settles into a genre. He still improvises within this style, but it does always add a flavor to his magic.
races: Any race can produce blasters, but they all most always have a blood tie to a higher power. This power could be as symple as having a pit fiend for a father, or as complex as a long lost fae ancestor. Blasters are very common among humans, as humans are far more interbred then any other race (heh, centaurs) and among the savage races. Powerful savage mages are often blasters. Blasters are more common in times of strife, as their latent powers are more suited for combat. Many tieflings and dragon blooded become blasters.
other classes: blasters are close to sorcerers and warlocks. they are closer to their power granting ancestors then sorcerers, but still farther than warlocks. as such, they often are at odds with the two classes. they find wizards to serious, as the heavy study of magic takes most of the fun out of it. the wizards dislike the blaster, finding them shallow and undisciplined. melee classes enjoy the artillery support of the blaster, and stealthy classes enjoy the distraction.
role: the blaster is really just that, good at blasting. they take the place of magical blasting, and with little effort can be a nice anti-air cannon so the rest of the party doesn't need ranged attacks. with the proper metamagic, the blaster can gain some versatility, but it can never really fill the place of a beguiler or enchanter. with his mediocre hit die and lack of normal protection, a blaster is often forced to remain in the back of the party.
hit die: d6
skills: ( 2+int mod.)x4 at first level, 2+int mod. at all other levels
class skills: (Concentration, Craft, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (The Planes), Profession, Spell craft, Use Magic Device).
abilities: the blaster should have at least one high mental score. this would function as his casting stat, so it should be as high as possible. having multiple high mental stats can work as a buffer against ability damage, as any mental stat can be the casting stat. with the lowish hit die the blaster benefits from a high constitution. as the blaster often goes without any sort of armor, a high dex helps keep his AC high.
{table=head] the blaster|shaped spell slots
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
0|
0|
0|
+2|shape spell, soul power
2nd|
+1|
0|
0|
+3| spell shield
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3| basic archetype
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| archetype meta
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| spell blade
6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| basic archetype magic
7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|speed shape (standard action)
8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6| anti-spell, archetype meta
9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6| lesser archetype
10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|
11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7| spell mail
12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8| lesser archetype magic, archetype meta
13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8| speed shape (move action)
14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+4|
+9| spell mine
15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+9| master archetype
16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10| speed shape (swift action), archetype meta
17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|spell field
18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11| Greater Archetype Magic, archetype meta
19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|
20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12| big bang, speed shape (free action), meta feat [/table] | {table=head] Level | spell levels total | max effective spell level
1st | 2 | 1
2nd | 3 | 1
3rd | 4 | 2
4th | 5 | 2
5th | 8 | 3
6th | 9 | 3
7th | 11 | 4
8th | 12 | 4
9th | 14 | 5
10th | 15 | 5
11th | 17 | 6
12th | 18 | 6
13th | 20 | 7
14th | 21 | 7
15th | 23 | 8
16th | 24 | 8
17th | 26 | 9
18th | 27 | 9
19th | 29 | 10
20th | 30 | 10
[/table][/table]
weapon and armor proficiencies: a blaster is proficient in all simple weapons, and with no armor or shields.
spells: the blaster doesn't prepare or cast like a normal caster. he does not expend any of his spells by casting them. to cast a spell, he must have it shaped. casting a spell is normally a standard action, though certain augments can be added to shorten or increase this time. after the blaster casts the spell, the spell is unusable for an amount of rounds equal to its effective spell level -1 per five blaster levels. the DC for spells cast by the blaster is equal to 10+the effective spell level+the blasters highest mental score. the blaster's spells are affected by arcane spell failure.
spell shape:the blaster shapes spells on the fly, taking a full round action to do so. you can only shape spells that have an effective spell level no higher than the maximum of the blaster. these spells don't unshaped until the blaster takes a swift action to do so, freeing all spell levels bound up in it. a blaster can't unshape a spell that is cooling down after use.
a blasters spells have three parts. the casting time, the range/area/target, the damage type. these can each be improved with the investment of spell levels. spells deal d6 in damage equal to the level of the blaster. all spells start at effective spell level 0, with a casting time of one standard action, a range of touch, and an elemental damage type. spell levels spent on increase the spells casting time, range/area/target, and damage type on the flowing charts.
casting time
it costs 2 spell levels to quicken a spell, an lowers the spell level by one if it is cast as a full round action. several full round actions can be strung together to allow for a bigger affect. each full round action after the first lowers the spells level by two.
range/area/target
each step costs the sum on the total steps (ie. at 20'burst cost two levels). adding targets to a spell that has an area adds another of the same area. multiple areas don't overlap (ie. three 5' on one targets does not deal triple damage).
range.) touch>close>medium>long
area.) touch>5' burst/10'line/5' cone>20'burst/40'line/20'cone>80'burst/160'line/80'cone
target.)one>two>three>four>ect.
damage type
all elemental damages>physical damages (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing)>force
meta magic feats can be added to the spell, at their normal cost in spell levels.
Soul power: the blasters soul is over flowing with magic. it can't focus his own magic as other classes can. any character that takes blaster levels and trys to cast a spell from another casting class takes 2d6 times the spells level force damage and is stunned for 1d4 round. spells cast through magic items are not affected by this, as the magic comes from the item.
archetype:the blaster chooses a archetype at first level. this archetype decides what meta magic feats he will receive, what Spell like abilities he will receive, what special abilities he will gain, and what school his spells are considered. at third level and every 6 levels afterward, the blasters special ability improves. at 6th level and every 6 levels afterward, the blasters Spell like abilities improve. at fourth level and every four levels afterward, the blaster chooses a metamagic feat from the list in his archetype. his magic is considered the school associated with his archetype.
spell shield:starting at 2nd level, a blaster can invest spell levels into raising his shield bonus to ac, at a 1-1 ratio starting at second level. he may invest up to one quarter his blaster level in spell levels. this shield also stops ranged attacks that have no magical enhancement at the cost of lowering this bonus by one, the bonus returning at a rate of one level per round.
spell blade:starting at 5th level, a blaster may create a weapon composed of magical energy, in the shape of any martial weapon. if this is a ranged weapon it generates ammunition appropriate for the weapon. if the weapon leaves the blasters hand, it dissipates in one round. a blaster is considered proficient with this weapon. this weapon is counted as magic. the blaster may invest spell levels into this weapon, granting it an enhancement bonus at a one to one ratio. a blaster may invest spell levels up to one quarter his blaster level in this way. he may also add 1d6 damage to the weapon for every spell level he puts into the weapon. this damage is either elemental or the same type as the weapon normally deals.
speed shape:the blaster can shape spells as a standard action at 7th level, a move action at 13th, a swift action at 16th, and a free action at 20th.
Anti-spell:at 8th level, do to a blasters massive innate magic, he gains SR equal to his HD+3+his highest mental abilities modifier.
spell mail:starting at 11th level, a blaster can invest spell levels into raising his armor bonus to ac, at a 1-1 ratio starting at eleventh level. this also grants an equil amount of DR/-. a blaster may invest up to one quarter his level in spell levels in this.
spell mine:starting at 14th level, a blaster may create special spells. these spells can be placed with a set of triggering conditions, that when met, cause the spell to be cast in a way you predetermined. a spell shaped in this way can't have its casting time changed to raise or lower the spells level. once created, the spell must be immediately placed. it can be placed in any agasent point. more than one mine can be place in one square. it is an a point in three dimensional space, and it does not move from the XYZ coordinates you place it in. creating this spell uses spell levels normally required to shape the spell. you can't shape other spells with these spell levels until the spell is triggered. this can not be done with spells prepared from scrolls, or any other way other than normal spell shaping.
spell field:starting at 17th level, a blaster can make a variation on a spell mine. the spell feild makes a number of the spell mine equal to a quarter of the blasters blaster level. these all have the same spell imbedded in them as the orgional spell mine. they only take up as a group an amount of spell levels equal to the original spell. all of these spell mines trigger simultaneously when one of them meets the triggering conditions. making a spell field takes one round per spell mine.
big bang:the spells damage increases to 2d4 per blaster level.
archetypes:
War Whight (Necromancy)
this archetype gets its name from the main way it gains undead followers, fell drain. this archetype is based around sacrificing things to do more with your magic.
abilities:
special abilities:
least: you may sacrifice hp to increase the power of your spells. the damage increases on a 1-2 ratio, and the bonus damage is negative energy damage. you may sacrafice 1hp/level this way.
moderate: you may apply any of the fell metamagics more than once. if you apply fell drain more than once, it stacks with itself. multiple applications of fell animate steps up the type of undead animated, two makes it create undead, three makes it create greater undead. these undead are not automatically under your control, but are treated as dominated for a number of rounds equal to your caster level. multiple applications of fell frighten increase the level of fright. multiple applications of fell weaken slow the targets movement speed by 10 ft per repetition, this goes away at the same speed as the normal fell weaken.
greater: you may sacrifice an undead to speed up the cool down of a spell.
for every undead you sacrifice, the cool down goes down by 1 round.
Magic:
lesser: command undead 2/day
moderate: command undead 4/day
greater: command undead 6/day
meta feats:
fell drain, fell weaken, fell animate, fell frighten, maximize spell, empower spell.
Warmage (Conjuration)
this archetype is a blaster built around harming the most foes it can. it is built for war, tons of low HD foes running about...
Abilaties
special abilities:
least: you may lower a spells damage die one step (1d6>1d4>1d2>1) to gain a step on the area chain of spell shape. so a 80 ft burst at long range is a third level spell, but it does 1/CL damage.
moderate: you may increase the area of your spells further than normal. the area chain of spell shape continues for you, multiplying the previous value by 4 for each step.
greater: you may now shape spells as emanations. these emanations start from the caster but do not hit the caster. they increase in size as a burst with twice the radius. emanations have their damage die lowered by one.
Magic:
lesser: grease 2/day
moderate: web 2/day, grease 2/day
greater: wall of iron 2/day, web 2/day, grease 2/day
meta magic:
widen spell, enlarge spell, explosive spell, twin spell, delay spell
Variation (Envocation)
Fae blaze (Illusion)
the magic of a fae blaze blaster is always less than it appears.
abilities:
special abilities:
lesser: your magic is infused with illusions, making it appear far more fearsome then it is truly. you add 1d6/2levels illusionary damage to your spell. this damage has a will save to disbelieve, and is a mind effecting fear effect.
moderate: the illusionary damage now leaves a target more ready to believe other illusions. targets that take illusionary damage now save for half damage against further illusionary attacks, and take a -4 to saves to disbelive illusions.
greater: you may now shape spells as entirely illusionary attacks. they deal twice the normal damage, but don't receive the bonus illusionary damage of least.
Magic:
least: mirror image 2/day
moderate: mirror image 4/day, Greater invisibility 2/day
greater: mirror image 6/day Greater invisibility 4/day persistent image 2/day
Meta:
silent spell, still spell, maxamise spell, empower spell, twin spell.
Spell bound (Enchantment)
this blaster masters then binding of his magic into items.
Abilities:
Special abilities:
least: the blaster can create blasting tokens. these may be anything, from a small rock to a small gem. they contain the power to cast the blaster spell once, before they need to be recharged. thy cost 25 gp times the the blasters level times the spells level to create, and burn 1/50 of that in xp. they can only be activate at the speed the spell is normally cast. a blaster can recharge a blasting token with an 15 minutes of meditation.
moderate: the blaster gains the ability to craft blasting rods. they function as pre-shaped spells, but do not cost spell levels to maintain. they cost 50 gp times the blasters level times the level of the spell to craft, and burn 1/50th that cost in XP to make. these items are a bit like wands, in that they hold charges. they can hold a number of charges equal to twice the blasters level. a blaster may charge a blasting rod by meditating with it. the amount of time spent meditating recharges one charge per 15 minutes. spells cast from rods do have a recharge time, equal to the level of the spell minus one fith the blaster level when they were made. they take the amount of casting time for the spell to activate.
greater: the blaster gains the ability to craft blasting staves. these staves can hold multiple pre-shaped spells. they cost 25 gp times the blasters level times the sum of levels of the spells to craft, and burn 1/50th that cost in XP to make. they can hold a number of charges equal to eight times the blaster level. they can be recharged through meditation, at a rate of one charge per 10 minuets. to cast one of the spells in the staff, a number of charges equal to the spells level are discharged, and an amount of time equal to the spells normal casting time is spent activating the staff.
Magic:
lesser: Hideous Laughter 2/day
moderate: Hideous Laughter 4/day, Confusion 2/day
greater: Hideous Laughter 6/day, Confusion 4/day, Sugestion mass 2/day
meta feats: explosive spell (CA), Delay spell, Empower spell, Maxamise spell, Widen spell.
Sniper(Divination)
Abilaties
special abilities:
least: you may lower a spells damage die one step (1d6>1d4>1d2>1) to gain a step on the range chain of spell shape. so a 20 ft burst at long range is a third level spell, but it does 1/CL damage.
moderate: you may increase the range of your spells further than normal. the area chain of spell shape continues for you, multiplying the previous value by 2 for each step. so a step after long range is (800ft+ 80ft/CL)
greater: you may now shape spells as bolts. these bolts start from the caster, they function as a line. they hit all targets along the range of the spell. they cost 2 spell levels more to shape then normal spells.
Magic:
lesser: locate object 2/day
moderate: locate object 4/day, Scrying 2/day
greater: locate object 6/day, Scrying 4/day, greater Scrying 2/day
meta magic:
Silent spell, still spell, Delay spell, fortefy spell, chain spell.
Warder (Abjuration)
Warleader (Transmutation)
changed the spell melds, changed soul power.