Hyudra
2011-12-11, 03:11 PM
Chronomancer
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/iLetxFfyLnEmP671VRGRSiTuJZ9Ls8Ea5cX9HpOnEc92ikK5G7 _1HirujaCGTmoNsuBTbcfC4JwqXG1whGwWf4mqviQALJHfyTjk f37kuT0rv6Bl_tk
In an age before humans walked the earth, there were scholars of the older races who considered Chronomancy a field of arcane study on par with Divination and Necromancy. Academies included towers for the time mages, rife with timepieces and often topped with observatories. Pilgrimages were made to Mechanus to study the workings of the multiverse and discern the underpinnings of the Prime Material, to alter both time and space on a fundamental level.
Then, for reasons unspoken, the field of study was dropped. What is known is very simple: On a particular date, scholars of time magic who had before boasted the greatness of their work withdrew into a quiet seclusion, with a small remainder staying to invest years of wisdom and experience into the creation of the first Quaruts - Inevitables that would tirelessly work to stop the learning and practice of Chronomancy by any means necessary. Books were burned and wall etchings were defaced. No reason was given, and the only record of these events are vague, making it clear that there was only a look of quiet horror on the faces of the ex-Chronomancers. No mortal with the details on that fateful day has survived to the present, and there are few, if any, immortal beings with both the knowledge of the events and the willingness to speak on them.
And an age passed.
It was impossible, after all, to destroy every record of the practice, and for something as fundamental as a school of magic, it is unreasonable to expect that intelligent individuals wouldn't stumble onto it on their own, through study and simple reasoning. In this manner, Chronomancers have popped up here and there in history. Sometimes a small academy or guild will form, a group of individuals sharing in their excitement and knowledge over this art. Sometimes it is a lone individual, an apprentice helping his master explore a ruin, who stumbles onto an old wall etching or piece of statuary inscribed with formulae. Inevitably, work with Chronomancy results in something rougher than traditional magics, but nonetheless powerful.
Those who grow too grandiose or foolhardy in their use of Chronomancy risk the attention of the Quaruts, implacable constructs who would methodically erase them from existence. In a fashion, these individuals are playing with fire much in the same way as a diabolist does when bargaining with devils. Great power to be had, but perhaps at an even greater risk than when one consorts with evil. Some would argue an eternity of suffering in the afterlife is better than to risk never having existed at all.
But, the Chronomancers would tell you, it is worth it. Time is the greatest power in the multiverse. Given time, even Death may die.
Adventures: Chronomancers can be divided into two loose groups; those that settle down in a workshop and labor on their work, and those that seek to study destiny, time, fate and material space as it applies to the outside world. Those who fall into the latter group are often hungry individuals, with insatiable appetites not just for knowledge of their art, but for the chance to observe and have a hand in events and the rippling expansion of cause-and-effect.
Characteristics: Chronomancers wield their power in a raw form, drawing from one piece of knowledge they found or developed in a eureka moment and applying that knowledge in as versatile a fashion as they can. Chronomancy is vast in scope, however, and it is deceptively easy for one learning the art to reach out to all four corners of existence, or to touch on time as it was in the very beginning and will be in the very end. Actually practicing their art, by contrast, requires that they draw from this obscenely vast reservoir of resources and make use of only a fragment, as one might use a greataxe to manage a single grain of sand on a beach.
To these ends, Chronomancers do not cast magic in a traditional manner, and instead draw from a small selection of versatile powers.
Alignment: Most Chronomancers are neutral, tending towards lawful neutral, a consequence of seeing people, objects and actions through a lens of formulas, cause-and-effect and patterns. Any Chronomancer with an extreme alignment (be it chaotic, good or evil, especially an alignment with no neutral tendencies) may well be a driven individual, seeking to write some event into or out of history. Most eventually discover that actually altering history is not only a difficult task on par with battling a god, but that the Quaruts wait like vultures overhead. But having started on this road, they often feel they may well continue on, for the power and efficacy of it is undeniable.
Religion: Some Chronomancers pay homage to Boccob (SRD), Ioun ( or Cyndor (Complete Divine). Good Chronomancers may well worship Pelor, for the sun was one of the earliest and most fundamental measures of time. Evil Chronomancers driven by a hunger for knowledge might worship Vecna.
Background: Initiation into Chronomancy usually begins with a discovery. This might be a finding, such as the discovery of a formula in an ancient engraving, it might be a secret shared by a meddling outsider, traded to an excommunicated priest by an imp, in exchange for a favor to be later decided. For others, it is the result of accident, a sage stumbling upon the basest concepts of Chronomancy in a eureka moment, and discovering she can leverage that knowledge to influence the flows of time.
Races: Humans and Elves are the most common Chronomancers. Humans have the hunger for knowledge, the taste for destiny, and the sense of exploration that often leads one to Chronomancy. Elves, by contrast, have the innate intelligence and the cultural foundation for the study - elves were among the first users of Chronomancy, the ones who ultimately abandoned it, and it is oftentimes in the oldest relics of elf culture that one would stumble upon clues to the magics that were once practiced. Unintelligent races are unlikely to pursue Chronomancy.
Other Classes: Chronomancers enjoy the company of the intelligent and the quick witted, including wizards, factotums and rogues, as well as worldly individuals with a sense of the big picture, including clerics and druids. They dislike those with a simple perspective, and oftentimes dismiss martial combatants and the like for this.
Role: The Chronomancer is capable of being a devastating damage dealer, a durable individual, a controller of the battlefield or a supporter of her allies, oftentimes two of these things at the same time, depending on the powers she picks and how she chooses to use them.
Class:
HD: d6
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Class Feature|Powers
1|
ľ|Low|Max|Max|Timestream 1d4, Least Powers|
1|
2| | | | |Detect Magic, Time Capsule|
2|
3| | | | |Timestream 2d4, Horological Shell|
3|
4| | | | |Adjournment|
4|
5| | | | |Timestream 3d4, Timeline|
4|
6| | | | |Lesser Powers|
5[/table]
Skill Points: (4 + Int modifier) per level, x4 at first level.
Class Skills: The Chronomancer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Craft (Any, Int), Decipher Script (Int), Forgery (Int), Knowledge (Arcana, History, The Planes, taken individually, Int), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Proficiencies: The Chronomancer is proficient with only simple weapons and light armor. She is not proficient in shields.
Class Features:
Timestream: The Chronomancer can use a standard action to make a line attack extending any length up to 60’, dealing 1d4 force damage to each foe caught in the line. This is a spell-like ability with a spell level equal to half the Chronomancer’s class level, rounded down.
In addition to damage done, the Timestream saturates the area it passes through with time magic. Until the start of the Chronomancer’s next turn, the ground (or 5’ squares) beneath the line is affected by the Timestream; enemies treat that ground as difficult terrain, except this difficult terrain does hamper flying and incorporeal foes. Further, allies treat each square moved through as only 2.5’ or a half-square of movement (rounding down).
Powers:
As Warlock Invocations, except save DCs are Int based and the Chronomancer selects abilities from the lists below.
Least:
Age - Target must make a Will save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or be aged by decades over the course of seconds. Subjects sustain 1d6 points of ability score damage to their highest physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity or Constitution) and have their base movement speed reduced by 5’ (to a minimum of 5’). This recurs each round for a number of rounds equal to the Chronomancer’s Intelligence modifier and the effects persist for one minute after the effect ends. The highest ability score is determined anew each round as the damage is dealt. Effects of multiple castings of Age are not cumulative.
.
Clockwork Step - The Chronomancer has attuned herself to the intrinsic flows of the universe, giving her an uncanny ability to move in the same instants her enemies do. This lends her movements an odd jerkiness and construct-like mannerism, but nonetheless renders her capable of avoiding attacks by mere millimeters. She gains an untyped bonus to her AC equal to her Dexterity modifier. She may relinquish this bonus until the start of her next turn to 5’ step as a swift action. This 5’ step is made in addition to her normal allotment for the round, and can only be used if she could otherwise make a 5’ step.
.
Clockwork Strike - The Chronomancer has connected to the ebbs and flows of time, space, and destiny. She uses these flows to better attune her attacks to those moments when the Prime Material is ready to accomodate change. Every third attack delivered by the Chronomancer forces subjects to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or be Dazed for one round. This carries over from combat to combat and one foe to another, but only attacks against foes sufficient to grant experience to the Chronomancer suffice. Further, while levitating, as the spell, the Chronomancer gains a cumulative bonus, rather than a penalty, to attack, for each subsequent round spent before stabilizing.
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Give Pause - The target, which must be alive and have a Charisma score, must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or be removed from the timestream. The individual or object remains physically there to all appearances, but is immobile, unmovable and untouchable. Attacks do no damage, spells do not take effect, and ongoing spells on the target do not count down in duration or trigger. This lasts until the end of the Chronomancer’s next turn, at which point all effects and vulnerabilities resume.
.
Inevitable Mantle - The Chronomancer has tapped into the underlying mechanisms of the prime material and fashioned them into charms, bracelets, rings and other accessories, each connected to or relating to the others in the same manner as stars in a constellation. The mantle lends a certain irresistible force to the Chronomancer’s actions, and an eerie conservation of momentum to her movements. Attacks made against her have a 20% chance to miss. She may use a standard action to relinquish this bonus for 1d4 rounds to gain one of the following effects: Feather Fall until the bonus resumes, Expeditious Retreat until she attacks or Mantle’s bonus resumes, True Strike on her next attack, or if she makes a full attack before the bonus resumes, she makes an additional attack with her mainhand weapon at a -20 penalty to hit at the conclusion of that full attack.
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Inevitable Weapon - The Chronomancer calls forth a weapon of energy anchored to the four corners of the prime material. Though just a sliver, the smallest fragment of time and space made physical, the weapon can no more be dodged, evaded or parried than the target could hope to escape the motive force of the Prime Material striking at them. The Inevitable Weapon deals 2 damage for every level the Chronomancer has in the class, plus one point of damage for every two points of intelligence modifier the Chronomancer has. While the Inevitable Weapon is wielded in one hand, anytime the Chronomancer would attack, the Inevitable Weapon instead deals the aforementioned damage without the need for an attack roll. This damage cannot be avoided, dodged, blocked, reduced or increased in any manner. As it is not technically an attack, this does not trigger effects from maneuvers, magic items or other class features that rely on successful hits.
.
Temporal Burden - The Chronomancer can bestow a temporal burden on a target foe with no save and a maximum of one target affected at any given time. Doing so is a standard action. Any time a foe affected by Temporal Burden performs a standard action, they must choose one of the following penalties: They become fatigued (or exhausted if already fatigued, unconscious if already exhausted), they sustain 1d6 points of Strength damage, they sustain 1d8 points of Dexterity damage, they sustain 1d4 points of Constitution damage, or they cannot perform a standard action on their next turn. Foes cannot choose an option they are immune to (that is, subjects immune to fatigue cannot elect to be fatigued, and subjects with no Constitution score cannot choose Constitution damage). Should a foe perform a full-round action, they must pick two options from the above list.
The effect and any penalties bestowed, including ability damage, are removed if and when the Chronomancer takes no actions for one round or longer (including circumstances where the Chronomancer is incapacitated, dying or dead).
.
Unwind - The Chronomancer may strip a foe of their ties to time and space, weakening their ability to impact the Prime Material. A ranged touch attack extending 15’ +5’ for every two levels in the Chronomancer class. The target sustains 1d6 damage plus an additional 1d6 damage for every three level the Chronomancer has in the class, and the target must make a Will save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or their standard and full-round actions have a 25% chance to fail. Once an action has failed in this manner, the effect ends.
.
Well of Entropy - Create a well at a location within 25’ + 5’ per Chronomancer level. The Well is an outpouring of energy that can be up to 15’ across, plus 5’ across for every power the Chronomancer knows without ‘inevitable’ or ‘clockwork’ in the name. This persists for one round per Chronomancer level. Foes that are within the Well of Entropy that are struck by melee or ranged attacks also sustain 1d4 points of damage to their armor class, as steel, scale and stone crumble away. This damage cannot reduce a foe’s armor below 0, and can be repaired at a blacksmith at a cost of up to half the armor’s base cost (not counting enchantments or other modifiers). Natural armor heals like ability score damage, healing one point when a point of ability score damage would be healed.
.
Well of Years - Create a well at a location within 25’ + 5’ per Chronomancer level. The Well is an outpouring of energy that can be up to 15’ across, plus 5’ across for every power the Chronomancer knows without ‘inevitable’ or ‘clockwork’ in the name. This persists for one round per Chronomancer level. Individuals beginning and/or ending their turns within the Well of Years are fatigued, exhausted if already fatigued, and rendered unconscious if already exhausted. Foes immune to these effects are nonetheless vulnerable while in the Well of Years (and persist should they exit thereafter).
Detect Magic: As the spell, at will.
Time Capsule: When using Timestream, the Chronomancer may choose to make the effect a ranged touch attack instead of a line effect, and forgo the difficult/augmented terrain effect. If she does, she can cause the ray to Entangle struck foes, as the condition.
Horological Shell: The third level Chronomancer gains Spell Resistance equal to 11 + her class level. In order to affect the chronomancer with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the Chronomancer’s spell resistance.
Adjournment: The Chronomancer has the option of choosing to delay or accelerate a magical effect on her as it takes effect. When she is the target of a magical effect that would last three rounds or more, she may choose to either reduce the duration of that effect by one round or prolong it by one round. Doing so is an immediate action.
Timeline: When using Timestream, the Chronomancer has two additional options:
She may forgo the Timestream’s difficult/augmented terrain effect. In doing so, she may cast Haste, as the spell, on one ally falling in the ability’s area of effect. This Haste effect lasts one round for every three levels she has in this class.
She may forgo the Timestream’s difficult/augmented terrain effect. In doing so, she may cast Slow, as the spell, on one foe falling in the ability’s area of effect. This Slow effect lasts one round for every three levels she has in this class.
Powers:
Lesser:
Clockwork Defense - The Chronomancer has gained the ability to perceive patterns and mathematics in the actions of others. Turning this to the purposes of defense, she has gained the ability to force the next attack made against her to be treated as a miss. After this occurs, the ability must recharge with further observation on the Chronomancer's part; the Chronomancer must be the recipient of three attacks (successful or otherwise, from legitimate opponents) before it activates again.
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Clockwork Weapon - The Chronomancer can transform a held weapon into a clockwork weapon, augmenting it with temporal energy and myriad gears and measures, to attune it to the flows of the universe. Every fourth successful hit with the weapon is an unconfirmed critical hit, and any damage dealt on this attack, including any precision damage or critical damage, is treated as though she rolled the highest result possible. Only strikes against a legitimate opponent (that is, one that poses her harm and that could grant her experience on a kill) count for the purposes of accumulating charges on a Clockwork Weapon.
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Euclidean Binding - The Chronomancer can fix a target in space, marking their current location. At the end of the target’s next turn, they return to that space, regardless of their new location. This may affect the Chronomancer herself, allies or objects. Should the Chronomancer target an enemy with this effect, the target is entitled to a Reflex save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier), but is subjected to a Hold Monster effect if they fail. They may choose to cooperate with the effect and voluntarily fail the save to avoid the secondary effect.
.
Hourglass Sands - The Chronomancer can create a cloud effect with an outpouring of sand that follows the same rules as an Obscuring Mist spell with a caster level equal to her Chronomancer level. In addition, for allies within the cloud, beneficial effects last twice as long (count each 2 rounds spent in the cloud as one round for the purpose of remaining duration) and negative effects persist only half as long. The opposite is true for enemies within the cloud. Effects that count down to a negative consequence (such as Poison or the Time Bomb power) are considered beneficial for the purposes of the Hourglass Sands.
.
Inevitable Heart - The Chronomancer has discovered the metrics by which her existence in the universe is measured, and has fashioned a device to contain a facsimile of her existence as a safeguard. On being brought to 0 hp or below, or when failing a saving throw, may elect to enter a form of stasis. In doing so, she loses the ability to take actions for 1d3+1 rounds, and is temporarily transformed into an immobile, non-acting simalcrum of herself, which has 3 hitpoints for every HD she has. If this simalcrum is destroyed, she perishes as though she had dropped failed to stabilize. If it is not destroyed before the duration expires, the Chronomancer appears at its location with full health and all ongoing magical effects (that have a duration of less than one day) and ailments removed from herself. She may do this once a day for every 5 HD she has.
.
Inevitable Tread - The Chronomancer has bound her legs and feet in a material fashioned of the forces that drive the Prime Material, made material. As an immediate action, when moving 10’ or more of her own volition, she may make a d6 roll. If the roll exceeds the number of squares (or every 5’ of distance) to her destination, she teleports to that location, ignoring any intervening obstacles. For every other Inevitable power she already possesses, she adds +1 to her rolls. Failure to make the roll means the movement fails and she remains where she is.
The Chronomancer may also use Inevitable Tread when falling or otherwise finding herself airborne by means other than her own (such as being thrown). In such a case, as an immediate action made at the outset of the falling or other movement, she may attempt to teleport to her destination unharmed. In a similar manner to the effect described above, she must simply roll a d6 and exceed the number of 5’ squares she would fall or be moved. Successfully doing so places her at the destination unharmed and firmly on her feet. Static, unmoving dangers (such as spikes) at her destination, do not damage her upon appearance, as she places herself safely in their midst. Continuous or triggered/hidden dangers (such as fire or a pressure plate activating a rockfall) can, however, cause her harm upon arrival. Failure to make the roll results in her treating the fall or throw as normal.
.
Time Bomb - A cluster of time energy manifests over the target’s head in the shape of an intricate, orb-shaped clock. The timer on the clock initially displays a number determined by rolling 1d4+1, and counts down by one at the end of each of the subject’s turns, when they perform a standard action and when they perform a move action (it counts down by two should they perform a full round action).
On detonation, the subject takes 1d6 force damage for every level the Chronomancer has in the class, and the Chronomancer may, as an immediate action, affect that target with a Chronomancy spell that requires a saving throw, as though that target had failed their save. The detonation is averted if the Chronomancer is not conscious when the timer passes.
.
Timekeeping - The Chronomancer can store time energy. With a move action, she may store one action, up to a maximum number equal to her Chronomancer level or her Int modifier, whichever is less. With a standard action, so long as she retains at least one move action, she may grant any ally besides herself a move action, which is performed immediately.
.
Well of Halted Time - Create a well at a location within 25’ + 5’ per Chronomancer level. The Well is an outpouring of energy that can be up to 15’ across, plus 5’ across for every power the Chronomancer knows without ‘inevitable’ or ‘clockwork’ in the name. This persists for one round per Chronomancer level. Terrain and unattended objects within the Well of Halted Time are frozen in time, remaining utterly motionless and exceedingly difficult to move. Dropped or falling objects within the area freeze after falling 10’. Foliage, cobwebs and curtains that one could normally walk past become obstacles. Scattered leaves or papers (scattering such is a move action) can be walked on (including into the air), but are treated as difficult terrain. The surface of any liquid in the area is solid if the individual standing on them or swimming beneath them wish to treat it as such. Creatures can swim through those liquids as though they were swimming through difficult terrain. A falling or tripped creature treats the surface as a standard liquid (and thus falls through).
Moving, picking up or catching an object within the Well requires a Strength check opposed by the Chronomancer’s Intelligence check. This is in addition to any other checks or rolls needed.
Comments:
So, the Chronomancer. I started it not long ago and left it unfinished, but Agent 0042's Wakfu homebrew thread gave me an excuse to do something more with it. This is just the preliminary 6 levels, and it would function as an e6 class, I think (no experience with e6, here). If there's interest, I could finish it.
So, it's essentially an invocation caster with the ability to support allies. While powerful, has a lot of delayed effects and effects that take place over time. In the 3.5 combat environment, where fast action and immediacy are all crucial, this is something of a drawback.
I know some abilities are missing durations and ranges, I've still got to do HD and skills, but just wanted to get this down first. Feedback appreciated.
Changelog
Dec 11, 2011:
Added flavor text below picture.
Just past Midnight, Dec 12, 2011:
Added class details/fluff below flavor text, HD, skills, proficiencies.
Skill changes, clarification and rebalancing to come later.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/iLetxFfyLnEmP671VRGRSiTuJZ9Ls8Ea5cX9HpOnEc92ikK5G7 _1HirujaCGTmoNsuBTbcfC4JwqXG1whGwWf4mqviQALJHfyTjk f37kuT0rv6Bl_tk
In an age before humans walked the earth, there were scholars of the older races who considered Chronomancy a field of arcane study on par with Divination and Necromancy. Academies included towers for the time mages, rife with timepieces and often topped with observatories. Pilgrimages were made to Mechanus to study the workings of the multiverse and discern the underpinnings of the Prime Material, to alter both time and space on a fundamental level.
Then, for reasons unspoken, the field of study was dropped. What is known is very simple: On a particular date, scholars of time magic who had before boasted the greatness of their work withdrew into a quiet seclusion, with a small remainder staying to invest years of wisdom and experience into the creation of the first Quaruts - Inevitables that would tirelessly work to stop the learning and practice of Chronomancy by any means necessary. Books were burned and wall etchings were defaced. No reason was given, and the only record of these events are vague, making it clear that there was only a look of quiet horror on the faces of the ex-Chronomancers. No mortal with the details on that fateful day has survived to the present, and there are few, if any, immortal beings with both the knowledge of the events and the willingness to speak on them.
And an age passed.
It was impossible, after all, to destroy every record of the practice, and for something as fundamental as a school of magic, it is unreasonable to expect that intelligent individuals wouldn't stumble onto it on their own, through study and simple reasoning. In this manner, Chronomancers have popped up here and there in history. Sometimes a small academy or guild will form, a group of individuals sharing in their excitement and knowledge over this art. Sometimes it is a lone individual, an apprentice helping his master explore a ruin, who stumbles onto an old wall etching or piece of statuary inscribed with formulae. Inevitably, work with Chronomancy results in something rougher than traditional magics, but nonetheless powerful.
Those who grow too grandiose or foolhardy in their use of Chronomancy risk the attention of the Quaruts, implacable constructs who would methodically erase them from existence. In a fashion, these individuals are playing with fire much in the same way as a diabolist does when bargaining with devils. Great power to be had, but perhaps at an even greater risk than when one consorts with evil. Some would argue an eternity of suffering in the afterlife is better than to risk never having existed at all.
But, the Chronomancers would tell you, it is worth it. Time is the greatest power in the multiverse. Given time, even Death may die.
Adventures: Chronomancers can be divided into two loose groups; those that settle down in a workshop and labor on their work, and those that seek to study destiny, time, fate and material space as it applies to the outside world. Those who fall into the latter group are often hungry individuals, with insatiable appetites not just for knowledge of their art, but for the chance to observe and have a hand in events and the rippling expansion of cause-and-effect.
Characteristics: Chronomancers wield their power in a raw form, drawing from one piece of knowledge they found or developed in a eureka moment and applying that knowledge in as versatile a fashion as they can. Chronomancy is vast in scope, however, and it is deceptively easy for one learning the art to reach out to all four corners of existence, or to touch on time as it was in the very beginning and will be in the very end. Actually practicing their art, by contrast, requires that they draw from this obscenely vast reservoir of resources and make use of only a fragment, as one might use a greataxe to manage a single grain of sand on a beach.
To these ends, Chronomancers do not cast magic in a traditional manner, and instead draw from a small selection of versatile powers.
Alignment: Most Chronomancers are neutral, tending towards lawful neutral, a consequence of seeing people, objects and actions through a lens of formulas, cause-and-effect and patterns. Any Chronomancer with an extreme alignment (be it chaotic, good or evil, especially an alignment with no neutral tendencies) may well be a driven individual, seeking to write some event into or out of history. Most eventually discover that actually altering history is not only a difficult task on par with battling a god, but that the Quaruts wait like vultures overhead. But having started on this road, they often feel they may well continue on, for the power and efficacy of it is undeniable.
Religion: Some Chronomancers pay homage to Boccob (SRD), Ioun ( or Cyndor (Complete Divine). Good Chronomancers may well worship Pelor, for the sun was one of the earliest and most fundamental measures of time. Evil Chronomancers driven by a hunger for knowledge might worship Vecna.
Background: Initiation into Chronomancy usually begins with a discovery. This might be a finding, such as the discovery of a formula in an ancient engraving, it might be a secret shared by a meddling outsider, traded to an excommunicated priest by an imp, in exchange for a favor to be later decided. For others, it is the result of accident, a sage stumbling upon the basest concepts of Chronomancy in a eureka moment, and discovering she can leverage that knowledge to influence the flows of time.
Races: Humans and Elves are the most common Chronomancers. Humans have the hunger for knowledge, the taste for destiny, and the sense of exploration that often leads one to Chronomancy. Elves, by contrast, have the innate intelligence and the cultural foundation for the study - elves were among the first users of Chronomancy, the ones who ultimately abandoned it, and it is oftentimes in the oldest relics of elf culture that one would stumble upon clues to the magics that were once practiced. Unintelligent races are unlikely to pursue Chronomancy.
Other Classes: Chronomancers enjoy the company of the intelligent and the quick witted, including wizards, factotums and rogues, as well as worldly individuals with a sense of the big picture, including clerics and druids. They dislike those with a simple perspective, and oftentimes dismiss martial combatants and the like for this.
Role: The Chronomancer is capable of being a devastating damage dealer, a durable individual, a controller of the battlefield or a supporter of her allies, oftentimes two of these things at the same time, depending on the powers she picks and how she chooses to use them.
Class:
HD: d6
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Class Feature|Powers
1|
ľ|Low|Max|Max|Timestream 1d4, Least Powers|
1|
2| | | | |Detect Magic, Time Capsule|
2|
3| | | | |Timestream 2d4, Horological Shell|
3|
4| | | | |Adjournment|
4|
5| | | | |Timestream 3d4, Timeline|
4|
6| | | | |Lesser Powers|
5[/table]
Skill Points: (4 + Int modifier) per level, x4 at first level.
Class Skills: The Chronomancer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Craft (Any, Int), Decipher Script (Int), Forgery (Int), Knowledge (Arcana, History, The Planes, taken individually, Int), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Proficiencies: The Chronomancer is proficient with only simple weapons and light armor. She is not proficient in shields.
Class Features:
Timestream: The Chronomancer can use a standard action to make a line attack extending any length up to 60’, dealing 1d4 force damage to each foe caught in the line. This is a spell-like ability with a spell level equal to half the Chronomancer’s class level, rounded down.
In addition to damage done, the Timestream saturates the area it passes through with time magic. Until the start of the Chronomancer’s next turn, the ground (or 5’ squares) beneath the line is affected by the Timestream; enemies treat that ground as difficult terrain, except this difficult terrain does hamper flying and incorporeal foes. Further, allies treat each square moved through as only 2.5’ or a half-square of movement (rounding down).
Powers:
As Warlock Invocations, except save DCs are Int based and the Chronomancer selects abilities from the lists below.
Least:
Age - Target must make a Will save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or be aged by decades over the course of seconds. Subjects sustain 1d6 points of ability score damage to their highest physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity or Constitution) and have their base movement speed reduced by 5’ (to a minimum of 5’). This recurs each round for a number of rounds equal to the Chronomancer’s Intelligence modifier and the effects persist for one minute after the effect ends. The highest ability score is determined anew each round as the damage is dealt. Effects of multiple castings of Age are not cumulative.
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Clockwork Step - The Chronomancer has attuned herself to the intrinsic flows of the universe, giving her an uncanny ability to move in the same instants her enemies do. This lends her movements an odd jerkiness and construct-like mannerism, but nonetheless renders her capable of avoiding attacks by mere millimeters. She gains an untyped bonus to her AC equal to her Dexterity modifier. She may relinquish this bonus until the start of her next turn to 5’ step as a swift action. This 5’ step is made in addition to her normal allotment for the round, and can only be used if she could otherwise make a 5’ step.
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Clockwork Strike - The Chronomancer has connected to the ebbs and flows of time, space, and destiny. She uses these flows to better attune her attacks to those moments when the Prime Material is ready to accomodate change. Every third attack delivered by the Chronomancer forces subjects to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or be Dazed for one round. This carries over from combat to combat and one foe to another, but only attacks against foes sufficient to grant experience to the Chronomancer suffice. Further, while levitating, as the spell, the Chronomancer gains a cumulative bonus, rather than a penalty, to attack, for each subsequent round spent before stabilizing.
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Give Pause - The target, which must be alive and have a Charisma score, must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or be removed from the timestream. The individual or object remains physically there to all appearances, but is immobile, unmovable and untouchable. Attacks do no damage, spells do not take effect, and ongoing spells on the target do not count down in duration or trigger. This lasts until the end of the Chronomancer’s next turn, at which point all effects and vulnerabilities resume.
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Inevitable Mantle - The Chronomancer has tapped into the underlying mechanisms of the prime material and fashioned them into charms, bracelets, rings and other accessories, each connected to or relating to the others in the same manner as stars in a constellation. The mantle lends a certain irresistible force to the Chronomancer’s actions, and an eerie conservation of momentum to her movements. Attacks made against her have a 20% chance to miss. She may use a standard action to relinquish this bonus for 1d4 rounds to gain one of the following effects: Feather Fall until the bonus resumes, Expeditious Retreat until she attacks or Mantle’s bonus resumes, True Strike on her next attack, or if she makes a full attack before the bonus resumes, she makes an additional attack with her mainhand weapon at a -20 penalty to hit at the conclusion of that full attack.
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Inevitable Weapon - The Chronomancer calls forth a weapon of energy anchored to the four corners of the prime material. Though just a sliver, the smallest fragment of time and space made physical, the weapon can no more be dodged, evaded or parried than the target could hope to escape the motive force of the Prime Material striking at them. The Inevitable Weapon deals 2 damage for every level the Chronomancer has in the class, plus one point of damage for every two points of intelligence modifier the Chronomancer has. While the Inevitable Weapon is wielded in one hand, anytime the Chronomancer would attack, the Inevitable Weapon instead deals the aforementioned damage without the need for an attack roll. This damage cannot be avoided, dodged, blocked, reduced or increased in any manner. As it is not technically an attack, this does not trigger effects from maneuvers, magic items or other class features that rely on successful hits.
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Temporal Burden - The Chronomancer can bestow a temporal burden on a target foe with no save and a maximum of one target affected at any given time. Doing so is a standard action. Any time a foe affected by Temporal Burden performs a standard action, they must choose one of the following penalties: They become fatigued (or exhausted if already fatigued, unconscious if already exhausted), they sustain 1d6 points of Strength damage, they sustain 1d8 points of Dexterity damage, they sustain 1d4 points of Constitution damage, or they cannot perform a standard action on their next turn. Foes cannot choose an option they are immune to (that is, subjects immune to fatigue cannot elect to be fatigued, and subjects with no Constitution score cannot choose Constitution damage). Should a foe perform a full-round action, they must pick two options from the above list.
The effect and any penalties bestowed, including ability damage, are removed if and when the Chronomancer takes no actions for one round or longer (including circumstances where the Chronomancer is incapacitated, dying or dead).
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Unwind - The Chronomancer may strip a foe of their ties to time and space, weakening their ability to impact the Prime Material. A ranged touch attack extending 15’ +5’ for every two levels in the Chronomancer class. The target sustains 1d6 damage plus an additional 1d6 damage for every three level the Chronomancer has in the class, and the target must make a Will save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier) or their standard and full-round actions have a 25% chance to fail. Once an action has failed in this manner, the effect ends.
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Well of Entropy - Create a well at a location within 25’ + 5’ per Chronomancer level. The Well is an outpouring of energy that can be up to 15’ across, plus 5’ across for every power the Chronomancer knows without ‘inevitable’ or ‘clockwork’ in the name. This persists for one round per Chronomancer level. Foes that are within the Well of Entropy that are struck by melee or ranged attacks also sustain 1d4 points of damage to their armor class, as steel, scale and stone crumble away. This damage cannot reduce a foe’s armor below 0, and can be repaired at a blacksmith at a cost of up to half the armor’s base cost (not counting enchantments or other modifiers). Natural armor heals like ability score damage, healing one point when a point of ability score damage would be healed.
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Well of Years - Create a well at a location within 25’ + 5’ per Chronomancer level. The Well is an outpouring of energy that can be up to 15’ across, plus 5’ across for every power the Chronomancer knows without ‘inevitable’ or ‘clockwork’ in the name. This persists for one round per Chronomancer level. Individuals beginning and/or ending their turns within the Well of Years are fatigued, exhausted if already fatigued, and rendered unconscious if already exhausted. Foes immune to these effects are nonetheless vulnerable while in the Well of Years (and persist should they exit thereafter).
Detect Magic: As the spell, at will.
Time Capsule: When using Timestream, the Chronomancer may choose to make the effect a ranged touch attack instead of a line effect, and forgo the difficult/augmented terrain effect. If she does, she can cause the ray to Entangle struck foes, as the condition.
Horological Shell: The third level Chronomancer gains Spell Resistance equal to 11 + her class level. In order to affect the chronomancer with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the Chronomancer’s spell resistance.
Adjournment: The Chronomancer has the option of choosing to delay or accelerate a magical effect on her as it takes effect. When she is the target of a magical effect that would last three rounds or more, she may choose to either reduce the duration of that effect by one round or prolong it by one round. Doing so is an immediate action.
Timeline: When using Timestream, the Chronomancer has two additional options:
She may forgo the Timestream’s difficult/augmented terrain effect. In doing so, she may cast Haste, as the spell, on one ally falling in the ability’s area of effect. This Haste effect lasts one round for every three levels she has in this class.
She may forgo the Timestream’s difficult/augmented terrain effect. In doing so, she may cast Slow, as the spell, on one foe falling in the ability’s area of effect. This Slow effect lasts one round for every three levels she has in this class.
Powers:
Lesser:
Clockwork Defense - The Chronomancer has gained the ability to perceive patterns and mathematics in the actions of others. Turning this to the purposes of defense, she has gained the ability to force the next attack made against her to be treated as a miss. After this occurs, the ability must recharge with further observation on the Chronomancer's part; the Chronomancer must be the recipient of three attacks (successful or otherwise, from legitimate opponents) before it activates again.
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Clockwork Weapon - The Chronomancer can transform a held weapon into a clockwork weapon, augmenting it with temporal energy and myriad gears and measures, to attune it to the flows of the universe. Every fourth successful hit with the weapon is an unconfirmed critical hit, and any damage dealt on this attack, including any precision damage or critical damage, is treated as though she rolled the highest result possible. Only strikes against a legitimate opponent (that is, one that poses her harm and that could grant her experience on a kill) count for the purposes of accumulating charges on a Clockwork Weapon.
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Euclidean Binding - The Chronomancer can fix a target in space, marking their current location. At the end of the target’s next turn, they return to that space, regardless of their new location. This may affect the Chronomancer herself, allies or objects. Should the Chronomancer target an enemy with this effect, the target is entitled to a Reflex save (DC 10 + ˝ Chronomancer ECL + Chronomancer’s Int modifier), but is subjected to a Hold Monster effect if they fail. They may choose to cooperate with the effect and voluntarily fail the save to avoid the secondary effect.
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Hourglass Sands - The Chronomancer can create a cloud effect with an outpouring of sand that follows the same rules as an Obscuring Mist spell with a caster level equal to her Chronomancer level. In addition, for allies within the cloud, beneficial effects last twice as long (count each 2 rounds spent in the cloud as one round for the purpose of remaining duration) and negative effects persist only half as long. The opposite is true for enemies within the cloud. Effects that count down to a negative consequence (such as Poison or the Time Bomb power) are considered beneficial for the purposes of the Hourglass Sands.
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Inevitable Heart - The Chronomancer has discovered the metrics by which her existence in the universe is measured, and has fashioned a device to contain a facsimile of her existence as a safeguard. On being brought to 0 hp or below, or when failing a saving throw, may elect to enter a form of stasis. In doing so, she loses the ability to take actions for 1d3+1 rounds, and is temporarily transformed into an immobile, non-acting simalcrum of herself, which has 3 hitpoints for every HD she has. If this simalcrum is destroyed, she perishes as though she had dropped failed to stabilize. If it is not destroyed before the duration expires, the Chronomancer appears at its location with full health and all ongoing magical effects (that have a duration of less than one day) and ailments removed from herself. She may do this once a day for every 5 HD she has.
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Inevitable Tread - The Chronomancer has bound her legs and feet in a material fashioned of the forces that drive the Prime Material, made material. As an immediate action, when moving 10’ or more of her own volition, she may make a d6 roll. If the roll exceeds the number of squares (or every 5’ of distance) to her destination, she teleports to that location, ignoring any intervening obstacles. For every other Inevitable power she already possesses, she adds +1 to her rolls. Failure to make the roll means the movement fails and she remains where she is.
The Chronomancer may also use Inevitable Tread when falling or otherwise finding herself airborne by means other than her own (such as being thrown). In such a case, as an immediate action made at the outset of the falling or other movement, she may attempt to teleport to her destination unharmed. In a similar manner to the effect described above, she must simply roll a d6 and exceed the number of 5’ squares she would fall or be moved. Successfully doing so places her at the destination unharmed and firmly on her feet. Static, unmoving dangers (such as spikes) at her destination, do not damage her upon appearance, as she places herself safely in their midst. Continuous or triggered/hidden dangers (such as fire or a pressure plate activating a rockfall) can, however, cause her harm upon arrival. Failure to make the roll results in her treating the fall or throw as normal.
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Time Bomb - A cluster of time energy manifests over the target’s head in the shape of an intricate, orb-shaped clock. The timer on the clock initially displays a number determined by rolling 1d4+1, and counts down by one at the end of each of the subject’s turns, when they perform a standard action and when they perform a move action (it counts down by two should they perform a full round action).
On detonation, the subject takes 1d6 force damage for every level the Chronomancer has in the class, and the Chronomancer may, as an immediate action, affect that target with a Chronomancy spell that requires a saving throw, as though that target had failed their save. The detonation is averted if the Chronomancer is not conscious when the timer passes.
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Timekeeping - The Chronomancer can store time energy. With a move action, she may store one action, up to a maximum number equal to her Chronomancer level or her Int modifier, whichever is less. With a standard action, so long as she retains at least one move action, she may grant any ally besides herself a move action, which is performed immediately.
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Well of Halted Time - Create a well at a location within 25’ + 5’ per Chronomancer level. The Well is an outpouring of energy that can be up to 15’ across, plus 5’ across for every power the Chronomancer knows without ‘inevitable’ or ‘clockwork’ in the name. This persists for one round per Chronomancer level. Terrain and unattended objects within the Well of Halted Time are frozen in time, remaining utterly motionless and exceedingly difficult to move. Dropped or falling objects within the area freeze after falling 10’. Foliage, cobwebs and curtains that one could normally walk past become obstacles. Scattered leaves or papers (scattering such is a move action) can be walked on (including into the air), but are treated as difficult terrain. The surface of any liquid in the area is solid if the individual standing on them or swimming beneath them wish to treat it as such. Creatures can swim through those liquids as though they were swimming through difficult terrain. A falling or tripped creature treats the surface as a standard liquid (and thus falls through).
Moving, picking up or catching an object within the Well requires a Strength check opposed by the Chronomancer’s Intelligence check. This is in addition to any other checks or rolls needed.
Comments:
So, the Chronomancer. I started it not long ago and left it unfinished, but Agent 0042's Wakfu homebrew thread gave me an excuse to do something more with it. This is just the preliminary 6 levels, and it would function as an e6 class, I think (no experience with e6, here). If there's interest, I could finish it.
So, it's essentially an invocation caster with the ability to support allies. While powerful, has a lot of delayed effects and effects that take place over time. In the 3.5 combat environment, where fast action and immediacy are all crucial, this is something of a drawback.
I know some abilities are missing durations and ranges, I've still got to do HD and skills, but just wanted to get this down first. Feedback appreciated.
Changelog
Dec 11, 2011:
Added flavor text below picture.
Just past Midnight, Dec 12, 2011:
Added class details/fluff below flavor text, HD, skills, proficiencies.
Skill changes, clarification and rebalancing to come later.