PDA

View Full Version : [3.5] Voidchild (Base Class)



GnomeWorks
2011-12-23, 02:01 AM
As an experiment to see what folk think of my various casting systems, I'm planning on posting the nine core casting classes from my homebrew setting here.

Please keep in mind that my setting does not use any core classes whatsoever, and so balance with the core is not something I keep in mind. Some may recall that I do not like tier 1 classes; most of my casting classes are preferably somewhere in tier 2.

Because posting the "spell" list for these classes would be painful, I will be directing folk to my wiki for the lists.

This class can be found in its original form here (http://trinitywiki.org/?title=Voidchild).

-----

Voidchild
"From nothing we came, and to nothing you will return."

The void is among the least understood Forces in Trinity, primarily due to the dangers inherent in its study - the nature of the void goes against the very nature of existence itself. What sort of sane being would study a Force which seeks to destroy the being studying it?

Regardless, there are those drawn to the power of the void. Unlike any other force, the void represents raw, untarnished power. Magic requires messy components and ancient tomes; time requires subtle manipulations and has far too many laws restricting it. The void, on the other hand, is exactly what you want it to be - the Void can be used to replicate the powers of any of the other forces, given that it itself is shapeless and without form. But such power comes at a price.

Voidchildren are not commonly accepted among the commonfolk, as they are acknowledged as among the most dangerous Force-users in existence. A voidchild that is in his prime is capable of not merely summoning nonexistence, but becoming nonexistence herself. As such, most voidchildren who are discovered are either killed outright or forced into exile.

Table: The Voidchild
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Max Nihil Level|Threshold|Overload|Sublimation
1|+0|+0|+0|+2||1|1|2|4
2|+1|+0|+0|+3|Void Appearance|1|2|4|8
3|+2|+1|+1|+3||2|3|6|12
4|+3|+1|+1|+4||2|4|8|16
5|+3|+1|+1|+4||3|5|11|22
6|+4|+2|+2|+5|Bodyless|3|7|14|28
7|+5|+2|+2|+5||4|8|17|34
8|+6|+2|+2|+6||4|10|21|42
9|+6|+3|+3|+6||5|12|25|50
10|+7|+3|+3|+7|Embody the Void|5|14|29|58
11|+8|+3|+3|+7||6|17|34|68
12|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8|Mindless|6|18|39|78
13|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8||7|22|44|88
14|+10/+5|+4|+4|+9||7|25|50|100
15|+11/+6/+1|+5|+5|+9||8|28|56|112
16|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10||8|31|62|124
17|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10||9|34|69|138
18|+13/+8/+3|+6|+6|+11|Soulless|9|38|76|152
19|+14/+9/+4|+6|+6|+11||9|41|83|166
20|+15/+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Voidling|9|45|90|180[/table]

Game Rule Information
Voidchildren have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment (http://trinitywiki.org/?title=The_Forces#Force_Alignment): Void.

Force Resistances (http://trinitywiki.org/?title=The_Forces#Force_Resistance): DI 5 + level, NI 5 + level.

Abilities: Charisma is the most important ability for a voidchild - manipulating the void requires immense force of personality, and it is from his personality that a voidchild draws power.

Hit Die: d4.

Class Skills: The Voidchild’s class skills are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Listen (Per), Nihilcraft (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Search (Per), and Spot (Per).

Skill Points at First Level: (2 + Int) x 4.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Age: Simple.

Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: None.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the voidchild.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Voidchildren are proficient with simple weapons and light armor, but not shields.

Nihils (Vo): The reward of studying the void are nihils, mental exercises that are extremely difficult to master. By calling upon the Void, the voidchild is able to modify the world in some manner, usually negatively.

Nihils are different from standard d20 spells in that they have no somatic, verbal, or material components. Using a nihil has no outward sign, though it does require concentration and thus provokes attacks of opportunity.

Once a voidchild gains access to a given level of nihils, he automatically has access to all nihils of that level. A voidchild using a nihil accrues void debt equal to its nihil level (see void debt, below).

The saving throw DC against a nihil is 10 + nihil level + the voidchild's Charisma modifier.

The nihils a voidchild can access are found here (http://trinitywiki.org/?title=Voidchild#Nihils).

Void Debt (Vo): A voidchild calls upon the power of the void, using the nothingness that surrounds and permeates all of creation to modify himself and the world to his liking. Calling upon this power is dangerous, however; the void cares no more for those who call upon it than it does for any other thing that exists.

Whenever a voidchild uses a nihil, he accrues an amount of void debt, equal to the level of the nihil used. Void debt begins at 0, and generally resets to 0 after a night's rest.

So long as his void debt is between 0 and his Threshold rating, the voidchild suffers no ill effects when he uses a nihil. In addition, so long as his void debt is between 0 and his Threshold rating, his void debt decreases by his Voidchild level every minute, starting from when he last used a nihil.

Whenever using a nihil would push his void debt over his Threshold rating, the voidchild has called too much upon the void in too little a timespan; the Void itself has noticed an opening in the fabric of reality, and seeks to exert itself through it - that hole being the voidchild. When his void debt first exceeds your Threshold rating, an entropic shard (similar to the shard of entropy effect here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040502a)) immediately spawns within a random distance of the voidchild (as though it were a grenade-like weapon); he does not control it, nor is he aware of where it is. The shard created by this effect is treated as the highest level entropic shard nihil the voidchild has access to, with a duration in rounds equal to the amount of void debt by which the voidchild has exceeded his Threshold rating.

The voidchild's Threshold, Overflow, and Sublimation ratings improve based upon his Charisma modifier. His Sublimation rating is improved using the table psionic characters use for bonus power points based on high ability scores; his Overflow rating improves by half that amount, and his Threshold by one-quarter. In all cases, round down.

If the voidchild continues to accrue void debt once over his Threshold rating, new entropic shards spawn for each nihil he uses, with duration in rounds equal to the level of the nihil used.

While the voidchild's void debt is between his Threshold and Overflow ratings, his void debt does not naturally decrease. A night's rest removes void debt equal to his voidchild level; if this would reduce his void debt to lower than his Threshold rating, all of his void debt is removed upon the end of the rest. In addition, while between his Threshold and Overflow ratings, his class-based resistances to Divine and Nature are increased to 10 + his nihilist level.

A voidchild with void debt between his Threshold and Overflow ratings reduces all DCs to identify him as a voidchild by 5. Any features that changed by virtue of the Void Appearance feature become more exaggerated and much more noticeable; a voidchild of 1st level who is between his Threshold and Overflow ratings acquires the physical features he will gain upon reaching his second level of voidchild (without being unusually pronounced).

If he uses a nihil while over his Threshold rating, and the void debt accrued would push him over your Overflow rating, the Void has found the gap in reality and is seeking to enlarge it, by making the voidchild himself into a gateway to the Void.

While he is between his Overflow and Sublimation ratings, his void debt does not naturally decrease, and in addition to suffering the same side-effects of using nihils as while between Threshold and Overflow, he accrues additional void debt equal to his voidchild level at the end of his turns (outside of combat, this means every six seconds). In addition, while between his Overflow and Sublimation ratings, his class-based resistances to Divine and Nature are increased to 15 + his nihilist level.

While between his Overflow and Sublimation ratings, as a full-round action, he may make a Concentration check, with a DC equal to 15 + his nihilist level, to attempt to bring himself back under control. If he succeeds, he does not accrue any void debt that round; if he beat the DCs, his void debt is reduced by the amount by which he overcame the DC.

Once a voidchild's void debt has reached his Sublimation rating, he must make a Will save against DC 12 + his nihilist level each round, or else immediately and irrevocably die, becoming a Nihimental (http://trinitywiki.org/?title=Creature:_Nihimental) with hit dice equal to his nihilist level. Each round he makes the Will save, the DC for the next round increases by 2.

While above his Sublimation rating, his class-based resistances to Divine and Nature are increased to 20 + his nihilist level. In addition, he accrues double his voidchild level in void debt at the end of each round.

While above his Sublimation rating, as a full-round action, he may make a Concentration check with a DC equal to 20 + his nihilist level, to attempt to maintain cohesion and bring his power back under control. If he succeeds, he does not accrue any void debt that round; if he beats the DC, his void debt is reduced by the amount by which he overcame the DC.

control. If he succeeds, he does not accrue any void debt that round; if he beats the DC, his void debt is reduced by the amount by which he overcame the DC.

Void Appearance (Ex): At 2nd level, the voidchild's outward appearance begins to change, revealing his connection to the Void. While this may entail any number of cosmetic changes of your choice (the most typical being a darkening of the skin, or completely black eyes), this gives you a -4 penalty on all Diplomacy checks, and a successful Knowledge (The Forces) check at DC 20 can determine that you are a voidchild.

Bodyless (Vo): At 6th level, the voidchild's body loses cohesion; while you still exist, you are less "there" than other creatures. Spells or other effects that heal hit point or ability score damage heal only half what they would normally, and you have a 25% chance to ignore any critical hit, sneak attack, or similar precision-based damage effects. In addition, effects that detect life do not detect the voidchild.

Embody the Void (Vo): At 10th level, the voidchild is well on his way to becoming part of the void. You lose all racial abilities (including ability modifiers), and your Favored Class becomes Voidchild.

Mindless (Vo): At 12th level, the voidchild's mind is intrinsically linked to the void, masking his thoughts and emotions. Effects that would allow someone to read or detect her thoughts, emotions, or alignment automatically fail. In addition, the voidchild can no longer participate in any sort of telepathic communication. Effects that detect thinking creatures do not detect the voidchild.

Soulless (Vo): At 18th level, the voidchild has managed to sever his own soul, allowing him to be a direct conduit for the void into his world. Any effects that would manipulate or control your soul (such as trap the soul) and death effects have no effect upon you. However, you cannot be raised or resurrected by any means.

Voidling (Vo): At 20th level, the voidchild's transformation is complete - he is now little more than a thinking, breathing gateway to the void itself. You lose your creature type. Any effect that can only target a specific creature type has no effect against you. If there is an effect with varying effectiveness against different creature types, you are considered to be the most difficult creature type for the effect. Creatures never receive a Favored Enemy (or similar) bonus against you.

eftexar
2011-12-23, 11:27 PM
I took a look at your site too. I definitely like the flavor and mechanics of all your casting classes (the druid and priest look particularly interesting). I can't wait for the published material (as I eagerly await the machine based classes).
The only thing I'm not big of is the voidchild's soulless ability. Soulless is such a drawback I would just quit leveling at level 17 and take a prestige class so I could avoid it. But I suppose you didn't ask for a peach did you... (I couldn't help myself)

GnomeWorks
2011-12-24, 06:43 AM
I can't wait for the published material (as I eagerly await the machine based classes).

While the original source for the tech classes is no longer available, feel free to read reviews: here (http://www.rpglife.com/node/1582), here (http://www.rpg-resource.org.uk/index.php?article=3485&visual=4), here (http://www.flamesrising.com/steamworks-review/).