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Greyfeld85
2012-05-23, 12:00 PM
Pathfinder
http://changedesktop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Maple-Lined-Silver-Creek-Trail-Silver-Falls-Or-300x300.jpg

Pathfinders are rare, even among adventurers. With a penchant for danger, they delve into the deep, dark places most dare not go, searching for the lost and forgotten. Their uncanny knack for finding the correct path borders on the supernatural; many even claim to be able to see the path laid out before them before ever setting foot on it.

Intentions for the class
This is a low-entry 10 level prestige class. I'd like this PrC to serve sort of as a "find anything, anywhere" sort of class. I picture the Pathfinder focusing on his target and seeing his mind rush off along the landscape until he finally finds what he's looking for.

I'd like the class to sit no lower than tier 4. Tier 3 would be a nice settling place, but I expect this sort of PrC to be used in low-magic settings.

Requirements
Skills: Knowledge (Geography) 6 ranks, Gather Information 6 ranks


{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+0| Unerring Direction, Track, Trapfinding

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+0| Pass Without Trace, Evasion

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+1| Locate Object, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance

4th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1| Unerring Strike

5th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1| Locate Creature

6th|
+4|
+5|
+5|
+2| See the Path

7th|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+2| Scrying

8th|
+6|
+6|
+6|
+2| Walk the Path

9th|
+6|
+6|
+6|
+3| Discern Location

10th|
+7|
+7|
+7|
+3| Set the Path [/table]
Class Skills: Appraise, Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (all, taken separately), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device, Use Rope
Skill points per level: 8 + int modifier
Hit Die: d6

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Pathfinders gain one exotic weapon proficiency of their choice, but gain no additional armor proficiencies.

Unerring Direction (Ex)
Pathfinders have an instinctive sense of which direction is north, even when they are underground or otherwise unable to see the sky or other visual cues.

Track
A pathfinder gains Track as a bonus feat.

Trapfinding
Pathfinders can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.

Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

Pathfinders can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

A pathfinder who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with his party) without disarming it.

Pass Without Trace (Ex)
At level 2, a pathfinder can follow his path without leaving a trace of his passage. He is treated as constantly being under the effect of the Pass Without Trace spell.

Evasion (Ex)
At 2nd level and higher, a pathfinder can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the pathfinder is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless pathfinder does not gain the benefit of evasion. If a pathfinder already has the Evasion ability from another class, he gains Improved Evasion instead.

Locate Object (Ex)
At 3rd level, a pathfinder's mind can lock onto any object he's searching for. At will, he may use Locate Object, as the spell. A pathfinder does not need an arcane focus to use this ability. Use the pathfinder's class levels to determine all variables based on caster level.

Clairaudience/Clairvoyance (Ex)
At 3rd level, a pathfinder's mind can begin to see his path. At will, he may use Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, as the spell. A pathfinder does not need a material component to use this ability. Use the pathfinder's class levels to determine all variables based on caster level.

Unerring Strike (Ex)
At 4th level, a pathfinder can study the destination of his blows and instinctively send them along the right path. After taking a full-round action to study his opponent, the pathfinder's target is flat-footed against his attacks until the end of his next turn. In addition, any precision damage dealt on a successful attack is doubled while the target is flat-footed due to this ability.

Locate Creature (Ex)
At level 5, a pathfinder's ability to hone in on his target continues to improve. At will, he may use Locate Creature, as the spell. A pathfinder does not need a material component to use this ability. Use the pathfinder's class levels to determine all variables based on caster level.

See the Path (Ex)
At level 6, a pathfinder can see the path set before him as it truly is. The pathfinder gains blindsight out to 30 feet. He can make a search check of any square within the range of his blindsight, and can take 10 on search checks even when stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so.


Scrying (Ex)
At 7th level, a pathfinder's ability to see his path grants glimpses of his target. At will, he may use Scrying, as the spell. A pathfinder does not need a material component, focus, or divine focus to use this ability. Use the pathfinder's class levels to determine all variables based on caster level.

Walk the Path (Ex)
At 8th level, a pathfinder's experience in danger helps him avoid it. The pathfinder gains an insight bonus equal to 1/2 his class level to his dodge AC, reflex saves, and initiative.

Discern Location (Ex)
At level 9, a pathfinder can fully blend his ability to see with his connection to his target. At will, he may use Discern Location, as the spell. Use the pathfinder's class levels to determine all variables based on caster level.

Set the Path (Ex)
At 10th level, a pathfinder meets danger on his own terms. Once per turn, if the pathfinder would be successfully hit by an attack or any effect that would grant a saving throw, he may roll a reflex save to avoid it altogether. An attack is avoided if his reflex save result is greater than the opponent's attack roll. If an effect would grant a saving throw, a pathfinder may make a reflex save before the effect's regular save, at the same DC, to avoid the effect altogether (even if the effect would normally call for a reflex save anyway).

Greyfeld85
2012-05-24, 11:53 AM
I didn't realize the class was that bad >.>

Greyfeld85
2012-05-26, 01:33 PM
/bump for great critiquing justice!

Debihuman
2012-05-26, 02:26 PM
This prestige class just gives you features you could get by multi-classing as a ranger/rogue. As such, it doesn't give enough new features to entice me to use it.

Debby

Greyfeld85
2012-05-29, 10:25 PM
/bumpdiggity

Exirtadorri
2012-05-29, 10:47 PM
My biggest and only real problem i see is how much potential damage could be done by stacking up precision damage and the doubling up. Precision damage always stacks. By 10th level thats almost one shots to anything.

Greyfeld85
2012-05-30, 12:26 AM
My biggest and only real problem i see is how much potential damage could be done by stacking up precision damage and the doubling up. Precision damage always stacks. By 10th level thats almost one shots to anything.

Yeah, but you have to take a full round action to set it up. You're essentially taking 2 rounds to do the same amount of damage as if you'd attacked for both rounds.

TuggyNE
2012-05-30, 01:33 AM
There's nothing really wrong with this class (although I'd change some of its abilities to (Sp), because I'm contrary like that), but it's not very exciting. It adds some useful things to a build, but nothing earth-shaking, or surpassingly cool, or absurdly ill-thought-out for that matter, so it's hard for people to comment on. As Debby said, it's basically like a rogue and a ranger had a baby.

You could either leave it as is, with minor tweaks, or try to make it more intriguing in some way.

Greyfeld85
2012-05-30, 01:44 PM
There's nothing really wrong with this class (although I'd change some of its abilities to (Sp), because I'm contrary like that), but it's not very exciting. It adds some useful things to a build, but nothing earth-shaking, or surpassingly cool, or absurdly ill-thought-out for that matter, so it's hard for people to comment on. As Debby said, it's basically like a rogue and a ranger had a baby.

You could either leave it as is, with minor tweaks, or try to make it more intriguing in some way.

Yeah, I had a feeling it might be something like that. See, I've gotten a few comments from another website as well, and while a few people seem to like it, I've been getting a lot of complaints about the SLAs ("Omg, they can do that at-will!? That's overpowered!!"). Of course, I've ignored most of those comments, because they've never given me a logical reason for their assertion (No, "because nobody else gets to," is not a logical reason).

On the other side of the spectrum, I realize that SLAs (without some form of interactivity with other class features) are boring. Ultimately, that's what the trouble with this class boils down to.

However, I ran into the problem when I was originally writing the class that the class features I'd intended to write up are pretty well covered by those specific spells. Which is why I went with SLAs instead of writing up entirely new class features.

*Ponders* I suppose if I really want to make the class more interesting, I'll have to rip them out altogether and write up individual class features mirroring the usage of those SLAs, but give them other interesting uses, and make them interact with one another in some way.

Spiryt
2012-05-30, 02:09 PM
I must say that this is very fine idea for PC, good to see ideas like that, but got to agree that actual class doesn't look all that good.

It seems like pretty straightforward option for Rangers and Rogues... But it pretty much grants a lot of their own class abilities 'again'... Medium BaB also doesn't look too good, and while some scrying etc. abilities are great, they're not enough.

Unerring strike seems rather unpractical to me.