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View Full Version : Is it a Monk, is it a Barbarian -- The Berserker a ToB base class (Please PEACH)



wayfare
2012-04-10, 06:37 PM
Hey All:

This is the second base class I am planning to create for my upcoming 3.5 Martial Arts Tournament campaign.

The goal here was to create an alternate take on the Barbarian, a character that is defined by his rage. However, instead of falling into rage, the Berserker IS rage, and uses martial maneuvers to channel that rage.

A Few Sub Goals:

1) I wanted to make a class that was a capable wrestler, and who didn't feel bad about going unarmed.

2) Create a character empowered by rage, who is physically changed by it, in ways that have mechanical benefits.

3) Create a warrior that is competitive with the Crusader and Warblade.

THE Berserker
Hit Die: d12
Skill Points: 4 + Intelligence Modifier
Trained Skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Handel Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim

Weapon Proficiency: The Berserker is proficient with all simple weapons, and all martial melee weapons.

Armor Proficiency: The Berserker is proficient with Light and Medium armor, but is not proficient with shields.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known|

1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Fervor; Superior Unarmed Strike|4|4|1|
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Battle Agility +1|5|4|1|
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1||5|4|1|
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1|Fury in the Flesh +1|5|4|1|
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|Powerful Build|6|4|1|
6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+2||6|5|2|
7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+|Mettle|6|5|2|
8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+2|Fury in the Flesh +2|7|5|2|
9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+3||7|5|2|
10th|
+10/+5/|
+7|
+3|
+3|Battle Agility +2, Savage Vitality|7|5|2|
11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+3||8|6|3|
12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+4|Fury in the Flesh +3|8|6|3|
13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+4|Brutal Fists|8|6|3|
14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+4|
+4|Tireless Fury|9|6|3|
15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+5||9|6|3|
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+5|Fury in the Flesh +4|9|7|4|
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+5|Battle Agility +3|10|7|4|
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+6|Eternal Fury|10|7|4|
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+6||10|7|4|
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Fury in the Flesh +5, Dual Strike|11|7|4|[/table]


Description: At the head of a Barbarian horde stands a massive warrior, armed with nothing more than her bare hands. She stands before her people, staring down the cavalry charge that thunders towards the ragged line of her contryfolk. When she strikes, horse and ride alike are scattered, the relentless charge broken by rending hands and awful fists.
Guarding the door to the Sultan’s bedchamber is an impressively fat man with an idiots grin on his jowly face. None but the servants know the fury inside him, the rage that has split skulls and torn arms from their sockets. Never has an assassin passed his guard, never has a warrior survived his fury. Only the servants know of his prowess, and they never speak of it – the fat man leaves messy kills, and blood must not mar the Sultan’s palace…
A tall youth with a rusted axe wanders through the wilderness, alone but unafraid. His anger made him an outcast among his people, but his love for his clan is great. Day and night he wanders the countryside, spending his rage against the beasts that threaten his family. When food is scare he leaves his kills at the village gate, penance for his exile.
These awesome, terrible warriors are called Berserkers, adepts who have kindled an unstoppable rage within themselves. Unlike a Barbarian, who must enter a rage state, the Berserker always feels the call of his fervor. This anger is a living thing, a vital power that physically and mentally shapes the Berserker into a perfect fighter.
Berserkers are front line fighters who strike with heavy weapons or rend their foes to pieces with their bare hands. As the Berserker increases in power, his body physically changes, becoming capable of absorbing massive punishment and inflicting the same upon his enemies. With these physical changes comes increasing martial mastery, awesome attacks that can devastate even the mightiest foe.

Martial Maneuvers (Ex): The Berserker begins her career with knowledge of a small number of Martial Maneuvers. The Fervor that forms the core of the Berserker’s combat prowess naturally lends itself to disciplines that bring out that savage fury and channel it in precisely controlled bursts. The Berserker channels his fury through the disciplines of Setting Sun, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw – dynamic and powerful, these disciplines allow the Berserker bend his fury to his will.

Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it. Maneuvers used by a Berserker are considered Extraordinary abilities, are not effected by spell resistance, and do not trigger attacks of opportunity when initiated – unless otherwise stated in the Maneuver description.

Upon reaching 6th level, and every even level thereafter, the Berserker can choose to “forget” a previously known martial maneuver and learn a new maneuver, as long as you meet the prerequisites for that new maneuver. You can only swap a single maneuver at each opportunity.

Maneuvers Readied: A Berserker prepares his maneuvers by taking time to stoke his rage, focusing his anger into manageable, useful forms. During this meditation, the Berserker’s muscles twitch, his skin pours with sweat, his eyes roll up in his head, and a tangible heat radiates from his body. After five minutes of meditation that looks like madness, the Berserker emerges from his trance, his fury shaped into a mighty weapon.
When a Berserker emerges from his trance, his maneuvers are readied, and can be used in combat. Each Maneuver you ready can be initiated once per encounter. The Berserker can regain initiated maneuvers by taking a swift action to stoke his rage – this restores a single initiated maneuver. A maneuver regained in this way cannot be used in the same round it is recovered. Additionally, if the Berserker is struck by a critical hit, he instantly regains an initiated maneuver.

If, at any point, the Berserker wants to “swap out” his readied maneuvers for known maneuvers, he can take 5 minutes to meditate and reassign his maneuvers.

Fervor (Ex): The Berserker is driven by a powerful fury that thrums through his veins, a living, vital anger that carries nearly supernatural power. This incredible force, called Fervor, grants the Berserker incredible strength and endurance.
When battle begins, the Berserker chooses to apply his Fervor to Durability or Damage. If Fervor is applied to durability, the Berserker adds his Constitution modifier to his AC. If Fervor is applied to damage, the Berserker adds his Constitution modifier to the damage inflicted by all melee attacks.

Superior Unarmed Strike (Ex): The Berserker is incredibly deadly in close combat, using physical power and combat skill to overwhelm his opponents.
Berserker’s begin play with the Superior Unarmed Strike feat, ignoring any prerequisites for the feat.

Battle Agility (Ex): A Berserker of 2nd level is light on his feet, capable of avoiding attacks with great ease. The Berserker gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves. This bonus increases to +2 at 10th level and +3 at 17th level.

Fury in the Flesh (Su): As the Berserker grows in strength, his fury infuses his body with supernatural power. The Berserker’s skin becomes hard steel, and his blows land with unnatural force.
At 4th level the berserker gains a +1 enhancement bonus to natural weapon attacks. Additionally, the Berserker gains 1 point of Damage Reduction. These bonuses increase by 1 at levels 8, 12, 16 and 20.

Powerful Build (Ex): The Fervor that surges through the Berserker’s veins is a very real thing, a transformative energy that sculpts the Berserker’s body into a hulking, deadly weapon.
A Berserker of 5th level gains the Powerful Build feature, as his body physically increases in stature and develops impressive musculature.

Mettle (Ex): When a Berserker of 7th level is required to make a Fortitude or Will save that has a lesser effect on a successful save, the Berserker ignores that effect.

Savage Vitality (Ex): The Berserker draws strength from his fallen enemies, the lust for battle lending strength to weary arms. Each time a Berserker of 10th level reduces an opponent to 0 hp, he gains temporary hp equal to his Constitution Modifier.

Brutal Fists (Su): Near the peak of his power, the Berserker has been physically changed by his Fervor. The Berserker’s fists land like sledgehammers, his arms close with the power of a vice.
A Berserker of 13th level treats his natural weapons as being composed of Adamantine for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. Additionally, the Berserker’s natural weapons increase their critical threat range and critical multiplier by 1.

Tireless Fury (Ex): A berserker of 14th level is sustained by his Fervor, gaining immunity to fatigue. Effects that would exhaust the berserker cause him to become fatigued instead.

Eternal Fury (Ex): A Berserker of 18th level is forever altered by his Fervor, leaving worldly concerns behind him. The Berserker no longer suffers penalties for aging, though he does continue to gain bonuses. The berserker no longer requires food and drink, and is immune to natural diseases and poisons. The Berserker still dies when his allotted time is up, but can sense that date approaching and usually attempts to die in glorious combat rather than suffering a natural death.

Retributive Strike (Ex): The fury that defines the Berserker is a volatile force, one that can be unleashed to destroy enemies without effort. When a Berserker takes damage in combat, he may target his attacker with Strike as a free action. The opponent must be a valid target for the strike to be successful.
The Berserker can use this ability three times per day.

All right, guys -- this class needs all the PEACHing you can give!

Kyuu Himura
2012-04-10, 07:24 PM
Looks really good, although I don't think "Angry guy" when I hear "Setting Sun adept"
Powerful Build is great on a meele character, I think it's a really cool class.

wayfare
2012-04-10, 07:30 PM
Looks really good, although I don't think "Angry guy" when I hear "Setting Sun adept"
Powerful Build is great on a meele character, I think it's a really cool class.

Thanks!

Yeah, I wanted to give the guy some wrestling/throwing ability, but when I looked at the picture of teh setting sun adept i see this adorable litte halfling monk...it was a bit of a stretch, but if you go with a "trogdor throw you really hard" interpretation of the school, it sort of works :smallsmile:

playswithfire
2012-04-10, 08:40 PM
I like it. I'm always a fan of classes that fight effectively unarmed.

Couple very minor things:
Fervor as Durability: Does this replace Dex like Deepwarden or is it a bonus like the monk Wis to AC. If the latter: does it stack with armor? Is it limited by Max Dex of Armor? Does it apply to touch attacks?

Wrestler feel: This is sort of a self plug, but the Giant's Grip discipline (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10181180&postcount=13) from Tome of Tactics in my sig was my attempt at a wrestling style martial discipline. It's more grappling-centric than throw centric, but it works well with Setting Sun and unarmed characters. Just thought I'd point it out.

wayfare
2012-04-10, 09:18 PM
I like it. I'm always a fan of classes that fight effectively unarmed.

Couple very minor things:
Fervor as Durability: Does this replace Dex like Deepwarden or is it a bonus like the monk Wis to AC. If the latter: does it stack with armor? Is it limited by Max Dex of Armor? Does it apply to touch attacks?

Wrestler feel: This is sort of a self plug, but the Giant's Grip discipline (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10181180&postcount=13) from Tome of Tactics in my sig was my attempt at a wrestling style martial discipline. It's more grappling-centric than throw centric, but it works well with Setting Sun and unarmed characters. Just thought I'd point it out.

Its like Monk Wis to AC, with no limiters. I actually considered delaying this ability because it makes the class too dippable. Not a concern for my game, where multiclassing has to be done in 5 level increments, but for general play its a tad powered to start...until you hit level 13ish, at which point AC tends to be moot.

Siosilvar
2012-04-10, 09:50 PM
Not a concern for my game, where multiclassing has to be done in 5 level increments,...Zoidberg: That's a bad rule and you should feel bad!
Yes, yes, Zoidberg, now calm down.

I like the class, though I think you should add a note that you can't use a maneuver in the same round you recover it, else you could end up with somebody spamming the same strike every round.

wayfare
2012-04-10, 09:58 PM
Zoidberg: That's a bad rule and you should feel bad!
Yes, yes, Zoidberg, now calm down.

I like the class, though I think you should add a note that you can't use a maneuver in the same round you recover it, else you could end up with somebody spamming the same strike every round.

Good idea!

Believe it or not, that rule has saved our gaming group. We have one high system mastery guy and 4 folks who just want to play. The 5 level increment thing still allows systems mastery guy to play around, but allows everyone else to feel ok just sticking with paladin through 20.

That said, not for every group!

Eloel
2012-04-11, 05:46 AM
Battle Agility (Ex): A Berserker of 2nd level is light on his feet, capable of avoiding attacks with great ease. The Berserker gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves. This bonus increases to +2 at 10th level and +3 at 17th level.



This on a slow Reflex progression, looks out of place to me.


Nice class otherwise though :smallsmile:

DaTedinator
2012-04-11, 07:57 AM
This on a slow Reflex progression, looks out of place to me.

That's the Wizards-approved method of granting medium saves. Look at the Swashbuckler and the Scout.

On the actual class: I think it's solid. The main thing I'd like to see is the whole Fervor thing having a bigger effect. Maybe just make one or two of the class features also have Fervor options, so the choice between AC or damage is a bigger one that can have a large difference on how you play out each fight. But that's just an idea.

And I second not letting them use a maneuver in the round they recover it.