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RFLS
2012-04-20, 11:32 AM
Hey, I have a homebrew class my DM worked up for me. It's supposed to have a feel very similar to that of the benders from avatar. I'm aware that there's already a homebrew class for that, but he wanted to do it himself because....I'm not sure. Anyway, here's what he cooked up. I'd like opinions on builds and whatnot, and any other suggestions you may have. I've posted a thread discussing balance in the homebrew section.

{table=head] Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Spells per Day | AC | Speed | Unarmed
1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3/0 | 0 | 0 | 1d6
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3/0 | 0 | 0 | 1d6
3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3/1 | 0 | +5 | 1d6
4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4/1 | 0 | +5 | 1d6
5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4/2 | 0 | +5 | 1d8
6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4/2/0 | 1 | +5 | 1d8
7 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5/3/0 | 1 | +5 | 1d8
8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5/3/0 | 1 | +5 | 1d8
9 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5/4/1 | 1 | +5 | 1d8
10 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6/4/1/0 | 1 | +5 | 1d10
11 | 6/1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6/5/1/0 | 2 | +10 | 1d10
12 | 7/2 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 6/5/2/1 | 2 | +10 | 1d10
13 | 7/2 | 4 | 8 | 8 | -/6/2/1 | 2 | +10 | 1d10
14 | 8/3 | 4 | 9 | 9 | -/6/2/2/0 | 2 | +10 | 1d10
15 | 8/3 | 5 | 9 | 9 | -/-/3/2/1 | 2 | +10 | 2d6
16 | 9/4 | 5 | 10 | 10 | -/-/3/3/1 | 2 | +10| 2d6
17 | 10/5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | -/-/4/3/2 | 2 | +10| 2d6
18 | 10/5 | 6 | 11 | 11 | -/-/4/4/2/1 | 2 | +10| 2d6
19 | 11/6/1 | 6 | 11 | 11 | -/-/5/4/3/2 | 2 | +10| 2d6
20 | 11/6/1 | 6 | 12 | 12 | -/-/5/5/4/3 | 2 | +10| 2d8
[/table]
A - indicates unlimited spells of that level per day.
HD=d8
Caster level is treated as half class level.

Spells
All Warmage spells EXCEPT- cantrips, accuracy, fist of stone, true strike, fire trap, melf's acid arrow, whirling blade, poison, ring of blades, stinking cloud, contagion, evard's black tentacles, phantasmal killer, cloudkiller, prismatic ray, and orbs of force

Blades of fire does not stack with punching-people-buff

Acid Orbs are treated as Orbs of Earth and deal physical damage.

Cantrips are as follows, and only useable outside of combat.

Air
1 + 1/2 level bonus to- Jump, Move Silently
10 lbs of push/level / 5 feet / 5 seconds- max range of 50 feet

Fire
Light a fire- range of 30 feet.
Illuminate an area like a torch
Setting someone on fire is Will Save at DC 10 + Caster level

Earth
Lowers Climb DC by 1 + 1/2 level on cliff/stone (not metal/other)
3 cubic feet/level of earth or stone able to be moved/rearranged roughly. Max Range of 50 feet. Limited to 10 seconds of manipulation.

Water
1 + 1/2 level bonus to- Swim
Manipulate/freeze 1 gallon/level of water. Max Range of 50 feet. Limited to 10 seconds of manipulation.

A cantrip can be used to aid in perform checks, at 1 + 1/2 level bonus. The player may also come up with new cantrip uses at DM discretion/spellcraft check.

Class skills


Unarmed Strike: Avatars are highly trained in fighting unarmed, giving them considerable advantages when doing so. At 1st level, an avatar gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. An avatar’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that an avatar may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for an avatar striking unarmed. An avatar may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes. Usually an avatar’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling. An avatar’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons (such as the magic fang and magic weapon spells). An avatar also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table 3–10: The Avatar. The unarmed damage on Table 3–10 is for Medium avatars. A Small avatar deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large avatar deals more damage; see Table 3-11: Small or Large Avatar Unarmed Damage.

Flurry of Blows (Ex): When unarmored, an avatar may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, he may make one extra attack in a round at his highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. The resulting modified base attack bonuses are shown in the Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus column on Table 3–10: The Avatar. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. When an avatar reaches 8th level, the penalty lessens to –1, and at 10th level it disappears. An avatar must use a full attack action (see page 143 of the Player’s Hand Book) to strike with a flurry of blows. When using flurry of blows, an avatar may attack only with unarmed strikes. When a monk reaches 11th level, her flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack she gets from flurry of blows, she gets a second extra attack at her full base attack bonus.

Stunning Fist (Ex): Avatars know how to strike opponents in vulnerable areas.
Benefit: You must declare that you are using this feat before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Con modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for 1 round (until just before your next action). See the glossary of the player’s handbook 3.5 (page 313) for effects of being stunned. You may attempt a stunning attack once per day for every avatar level you have attained, plus once per day per four levels of other classes, and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned.

Counter Elements (Ex): An avatar of 2nd level or higher can avoid elemental attacks by redirecting their flow. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a fireball), he instead takes no damage. Counter Elements can be used only if an avatar is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless avatar (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Combat Reflexes (Ex): Avatars can respond quickly and repeatedly to opponents who let their defenses down.
Benefit: When foes leave themselves open, you may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity equal to your Dexterity bonus. For example, an avatar with a Dexterity of 15 can make a total of three attacks of opportunity in 1 round—the one attack of opportunity any character is entitled to, plus two more because of his +2 Dexterity bonus. If four goblins move out of the character’s threatened squares, he can make one attack of opportunity each against three of the four. You can still make only one attack of opportunity per opportunity. With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.

Elemental Strike (Su): At 4th level, an avatar’s unarmed attacks are empowered with the elements. His unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction (see Damage Reduction, page 291 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Elemental Strike improves with the character’s avatar level. At 10th level, his unarmed attacks are also treated as weapons of any of the four elements for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, his unarmed attacks are treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction.

Arcane Channeling (Su): Beginning at 5th level, you can use a standard action to cast any touch spell you know and deliver the spell through your fists with a melee attack. Casting a spell in this manner does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved. At 13th level, you can cast any touch spell you know as part of a full attack action, and the spell affects each target you hit in melee combat that round. Doing so discharges the spell at the end of the round, in the case of a touch spell that would otherwise last longer than 1 round. At 20th level, you can cast any touch spell you know as part of a flurry of blows attack. When you do this, your unarmed attacks carry the energy of the spell with them, and you become capable of throwing them up to thirty feet. You can attack any opponent within your range as if they were standing next to you, landing the physical damage along with the touch spell on every hit, although cover rules still apply.

Improved Trip (Ex): Avatars are trained not only in tripping opponents safely but also in following through with an attack.
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent. If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt. For example, at 11th level, Tordek gets three attacks at bonuses of +11, +6, and +1. In the current round, he attempts to trip his opponent. His first attempt fails (using up his first attack). His second attempt succeeds, and he immediately makes a melee attack against his opponent with a bonus of +6. Finally, he takes his last attack at a bonus of +1.

Fist of Energy (Su): Once per round as a free action, an avatar of 7th level or higher can spend one of his daily stunning attempts to imbue his unarmed strikes with electricity, fire, or ice. The avatar chooses the energy type each time she activates the ability. For 1 round, each of his unarmed strike that hits deals an extra 1d6 points of damage (electricity, ice, or fire, depending on the choice).
At 10th level and higher, an avatar can cause his energy-imbued unarmed strikes to burst with flame or lightning on a critical hit. In addition to dealing an extra 1d6 points of energy damage, his unarmed attacks deal an extra 1d10 points of energy damage on a successful critical hit. If the avatar’s unarmed critical multiplier is ×3, he adds an extra 2d10 points of energy damage instead, and if the multiplier is ×4, he adds an extra 3d10 points of energy damage.

Improved Counter Elements (Ex): At ninth level, an avatar’s counter elements ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon’s breath weapon or a fireball, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless avatar (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.


Skills
Skills: (4+int)x4
Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Escape Artist?, Handle Animal?, Intimidate, Knowledge(Nature), Knowledge(The Planes), Tumble, Swim, Sense Motive, Perform, Profession, Spellcraft, Search, Listen, Spot

McToomin
2012-04-20, 12:59 PM
Reading the BAB, saves, and spells like that hurts my brain. A table that you can simply fill in your information with what you've got, it's stickies in the homebrew forum. I'd link it but I'm on my phone.

gbprime
2012-04-20, 04:57 PM
Why not go with a multiclass PC instead? Monk/Wizard/Enlightened Fist.

I did something similar for an E6 competition a while back. And if you can do it in E6, you can certainly do it under normal rules. :smallcool: Link...

Ardere - Fire Monk (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11167716&postcount=32)

RFLS
2012-04-20, 09:35 PM
Fixed. Anyway, the reason for not multiclassing is because the DM said so. His rules for the campaign were that he would brew up a new class for each of us based on our preferences, and we couldn't multiclass.

gbprime
2012-04-20, 11:10 PM
No multiclassing. Gotcha. Weird.

It stacks up okay when compared to a Duskblade, with the exception of the base attack progression. I'd ask the DM to raise it to a 3/4 BAB like the monk gets now. I see why he did it, but it's way too low to be a melee combatant. Benders learn actual martial forms, after all...

Empedocles
2012-04-20, 11:21 PM
I'll PEACH this soon but...doesn't this belong in the homebrew forum?

Flickerdart
2012-04-20, 11:32 PM
This class is worst than Duskblade in almost every way possible. Its mediocrity astounds me.

RFLS
2012-04-20, 11:38 PM
I'm not looking for a criticism of the class; just viable build options. I'm absolutely terrible at equipping characters.

Empedocles
2012-04-20, 11:40 PM
I'm not looking for a criticism of the class; just viable build options. I'm absolutely terrible at equipping characters.

Whoops. My bad......

RFLS
2012-04-21, 12:55 AM
Eh, it's NBD. The OP was like.... HOMEBREW CLASS build question. Anyway, how does VoP stack up here? It feels like it would go decently with the character I have in my head, but I'm a little worried that it's just not going to be viable.

Flickerdart
2012-04-21, 12:56 AM
VoP is barely viable on a real spellcaster, which this ain't. Don't waste the feats.

RFLS
2012-04-21, 10:59 AM
Can you explain why this is the case? I'm not disagreeing with you or anything, but the material value of the bonuses you get with VoP is ~970000 at level 20...I think. I could be wrong. I just don't understand what's UP about it.

OracleofWuffing
2012-04-21, 11:38 AM
Can you explain why this is the case? I'm not disagreeing with you or anything, but the material value of the bonuses you get with VoP is ~970000 at level 20...I think. I could be wrong. I just don't understand what's UP about it.
First thing's first, being able to buy items means that your character has a lot more options to enhance itself compared to someone that can't.

Several of the VoP bonuses aren't actually all that useful. Being able to go without food or water isn't important when Create Water is a 0-level spell, Goodberry is a Druid 1 spell, and Create Food and Water exists- That's forgetting that food is cheap. Resistance 5 against energy types isn't really protecting you all that much at level 13. Regeneration's handy, but it won't occur during combat (heck, at level 17, if you can get a single minute to pass while in combat, something's up). There's not usually enough Exalted feats to go around, and of those, not all of them are good ideas.

Then, like, the big one everyone jumps on, is that you don't have a reliable means to fly, so enemies can just fly around you and pluck you off.

Finally, interpretations can easily cause you to lose your Exalted feats (willingly commit any evil act is kind of broad, no?) and you also lose them in antimagic areas, which is how some folks turn off the power on people who do use magic items.

RFLS
2012-04-22, 02:48 PM
VoP sucks. Gotcha xD So... should I try for a standard issue duskblade build? I realize I'd have to apply Ki Focus to any weapons I picked up, but it would be more than worth it. You're right about the BAB/caster level issues, but my DM thinks my class is "balanced or OP" right now, and has said we'll adjust it on the fly -.- Not the best, but I'll take it.

eggs
2012-04-22, 03:14 PM
I am going to say something, and you are going to think I am an ass. That's okay.

The main thing you're going to want to do is ignore all your class features. Your attacks aren't going to hit, your spell effects are going to be negligible and at level 10+, your melee attacks are probably going to be energy resisted/immunitied into total ineffectuality.

What you can do with this is totally ignore your class features and do something like this with your feat progression:
Wild Cohort/Hidden Talent -> Psicrystal Affinity -> Leadership -> Undead Leadership -> Dragon Cohort -> Arcane Strike -> Improved Cohort

I add Arcane Strike because at level 15, it's +∞d4 to your melee attacks, which is nothing to sneeze at.

In terms of tactics, let your allies fight things and spam Sleet Storm and Pyrotechnics to mess with enemies vision.

But really. Get the class fixed. Making Elemental Strike toggle, adding Full CL and bumping up to Cleric BA would be a start.

EDIT:
And Shocking Grasp and Poison are the only spells this thing can channel. So you'll probably want to get some touch spells onto a character's spell list through Arcane Disciple, or something along those lines.

Fouredged Sword
2012-04-22, 07:19 PM
If your DM is homebrewing anyway I could make a suggestion

https://sites.google.com/site/avatard20/bending-version2.0

There, exactly like a bender.

Otherwise, take a good look at his homebrew class and say no thank you, and that you will play a straight duskblade.

Take superior unarmed strike from Tomb of Battle and you are punching people like a monk. Get a monks belt and now you have wis to AC. Or just get good light armor and use that to be less crazy mad.