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Network
2012-07-27, 07:06 PM
Here is my first homebrew on this forum. It wasn't pretested but I wanted some feedbacks about it. I didn't complete the translation yet.

The Fighter fights, the Wizard casts spells, the Cleric serves his god, the rogue disarms traps. And that's without mentioning the Barbarian, Druid and Sorcerer. Each of them may be defined by some common abilities that defines all class members, but that's not enough for the Polymaster, who thinks the use of magic should be combined with sneak attacks and shapechanges. As rare as they are, they see themselves as superior to all other adventurers, their arrogance seeming limitless.

Although few admit it, most Polymasters focus all their attention on a single class. In this regard, we find among them as much Bards, Paladins or Wizards as Druids, Fighters and even Clerics. Of course, none of them can take levels in this class without multiclassing, which explains why they are so rare. XP Loss incurred due to unbalanced levels still applies. Some also take levels in the prestige class of Uncanny Trickster (cf. Complete Scoundrel).

Requirements :
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Base Save Bonus: +3 in all three saves
Skills: 8 ranks in any one skill, 4 ranks in any two other skills
Special: The character must have at least three scalable class features (referred to hereafter as a ''focus''). See the third post for more details.

Skills :
All skills are class skills for the Polymaster.
Skill points per level : 4 + Int Modifier

Hit dices : d4

{table=head]Levels | Good save | Poor saves | Special | Focus
1st | +2 | +0 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
2nd | +3 | +0 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
3rd | +3 | +1 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
4th | +4 | +1 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
5th | +4 | +1 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
6th | +5 | +2 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
7th | +5 | +2 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
8th | +6 | +2 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
9th | +6 | +3 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
10th | +7 | +3 | Fused ability | +1 previous class
[/table]

Class features :
Saves: At level 1, the Polymaster chooses a save that will be treated as a Good save, the two others being Poor saves.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A Polymaster gains no proficiency with weapons or armors, but he may already possess some.
Focus: At each level in this class, the Polymaster chooses a scalable class feature referred as a ''focus''. The effective level in this class is considered one point higher for this class feature. See the third post for the description of most of them. It is not required to choose the same focus at each level.
Fused ability: At each level of Polymaster, the character chooses a special power, referred as a ''Fused ability'', that let him use the class features of its different classes jointly.

Note on multiclassed characters: A character becoming a Polymaster may continue to progress in a class imposing restrictions on multiclassing, such as the Monk or the Paladin, provided that he chooses the focus of the class at a given level. He can also freely take levels in other classes for which he did the same. In addition, if he lost an extraordinary focus due to a change of alignment (as the berserker rage), he retrieves it if he chooses this focus at a given level.


Campaign Information
Playing a Polymaster
Every Polymaster is unique. Someone can easily pick two or three of them and realise that the first one is a wizard in armor, the second a very pious crusader, and the other a monk with psionic powers and a Mind Blade. Due to this, no generality can be done on them.

Polymasters in the World
This Prestige Class is very flexible, but also require the character to be multiclassed. To put this in simple ways, it allow to follow counter-intuitive paths at the same time.
Daily life: A Polymaster not only want to learn more paths, he want to learn how to use them jointly. For example, if a sorcerer Polymaster knows how to wear medium armors, he won't try to learn how to wear heavy armors, but how to cast spells in armor. For this reason, they take most of their time training, learning new things being a secondary choice.
Notables: Hubert Whiteleaf is a Binder/Druid/Samurai. Raised by a Druidic circle, he travelled to a distant realm a long time ago, where after proving his value he became a Samurai. This was before encountering a Binder, that finally taught him all he knew. Now, Hubert is a old man that follow the path of Polymaster, relying on his great reputation to find new students.
Organizations: If some supposed there was a link between Polymasters and Chameleons (cf. Races of Destiny), at least regarding their versatility, Polymasters doesn't form very organized groups. A couple of people has spontaneously become Polymasters after zig-zagging between multiple organizations. Others receives personal training by the hands of older members, and for most, this will be the only connection they had with other Polymasters.
NPC Reactions: Many people won't trust a new adventurer as a spellcaster if he's in full plate. This is a problem that most Polymasters will have to face. On the other side, once their reputation is made, they will be treated as versatile. When the skills of an entire group of adventurers is needed, one Polymaster can make the job, at least most of the time.

Network
2012-07-27, 07:07 PM
Here are the Fused abilities. They can be classed in three categories : static fused abilities (always taken into account), active (requires a conscious choice), and passive (not always active, gives a bonus in some very specific cases).

A Fused Ability can be read as follow :

(The name of the ability)
Requirements: (The two class features required to learn it)
(The advantage it grants)

Static Fused Abilities
These abilities are permanent and invariable. Most of them can be taken many time.


Base Attack Bonus Increase
Requirements: Must be able to choose the Fighting Class focus, and must be proficient with at least six martial or exotic weapons.
The Base Attack Bonus from the Polymaster class becomes 3/4 of the level (as a cleric).
This Fused Ability can only be taken twice. The second time, the Base Attack Bonus from the Polymaster class becomes equal to the level (as a fighter).


Expanded Spell Knowledge
Requirements: Two focuses, one giving access to spontaneous spellcasting, the other allowing to prepare spells.
The character adds a spell he can prepare (from a spellbook or by mind) to the list of spells known for a spontaneous casting class. The spell must figure on the spell list of both classes, so a cleric/sorcerer can't learn Death Ward with this Fused ability (but Dimensional Anchor would, however, be an acceptable choice).
The character can learn those spells even if he can't spontaneously cast spells of that level. In this case, he would know the spell but wouldn't be able to cast it until he has spell slots of the appropriate level. In all case, the level of the chosen spell must be lower than the Polymaster level of the character divided by 2 (rounded down, at least 1).


Furry of Blows with Mind Blade
Requirements: Furry of Blows class feature, Mind Blade class feature.
The character threats his Mind Blade (in all its shapes) as a Monk Weapon, and may use it for a Furry of Blows.
Unlike most Static Fused Abilities, Furry of Blows with Mind Blade may only be taken once.


Psychic Natural Weapon User
Requirements: Ability to manifest at least one power from the list below, must have a focus than may grant natural weapons.
The character studied the use of his mind to strengthen his natural weapons. For the powers of the list below, he adds his level in the class that grants him natural weapons to his manifester level to know how many power points he can spend on a single use of the power (duration does not increase). The levels from both class also stack to determine the number of bonus power points he receives, but power points gained this way can only be spend on the powers from the list below.
This Fused Ability apply for the following powers : Bite of the Wolf, Claw of Energy, Claws of the Beast, Claws of the Vampire, Dissolving Touch, Duodimensional Claw, Form of Doom, Metaphysical Claw, Painful Strike, Prevenom, Psychic Vampire and Truevenom.
Psychic Natural Weapon User may be taken more than once, but its effect does not stacks. Instead, it applies to a different class which may grant the character natural weapons.
Note: Evolutionists (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240717), Ozodrins (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153536), Pariahs (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243695) and Totemists are eligibles, because all of them can possibly gain natural weapons from their respective classes.


Sneak Attack on Favored Enemy
Requirements: Favored Enemy class feature, Sneak Attack class feature.
If the character hit a favored enemy on a sneak attack, he adds half his favored enemy bonus to the number of bonus damage dices the sneak attack inflict.


Spells in armor
Requirements: Proficient with medium armors and shield, Must be an arcane spellcaster.
The character chooses an arcane spellcasting class (like the Bard or the Warlock). For the focus of this class, the Arcane Spell Failure Chance is reduced by 5% when the character wears an armor or a shield. This Fused ability may be taken many times for the same class. It can reduce the Arcane Spell Failure Chance to 0, but not below.

One other is planed

Active Fused Abilities
These abilities use the following rules (except otherwise mentioned) :
-They require no action to use, but a given ability can only be used once a round (there's no limit on the number of abilities used per round).
-If the Fused ability require the expense of a spell slot or of psi points to use, the character can only expend one spell slot at a time or a number of psi points equal to his global manifester level.
-A given ability can only be chosen once. The character knows it or not.

Fused abilities for core classes (including the Expanded Psionic Handbook) :

Divine Bardic Music
Requirements: Bardic Music class feature, Turn or Rebuke class feature.
The character may expend two turn or rebuke attempts to gain one additional use of his Bardic Music for the rest of the day.


Divine Stunning Fist
Requirements: Stunning Fist feat, Turn or Rebuke class feature.
The character may expend two turn or rebuke attempts to gain one additional use of his Stunning Fist for the rest of the day.


Magical Sneak Attack
Requirements: Ability to cast 1st level spells, Sneak Attack class feature.
When the character makes a Sneak Attack (and before any damage reduction, if applicable), he may choose to expend a spell slot. The damage he deals is increased by 2 x the level of the spell slot, to a maximum equal to the result of the bonus damage dices.


Magic Power Recuperation
Requirements: Ability to cast 1st level spells and to manifest 1st level powers.
The character can expend a spell slot to recover power points. If this makes him exceed his maximum, the excess is lost. The number of power points gained depends of the level of the spell expended :
-A 0 level spell grants nothing.
-A 1st level spell grants 1 power point.
-Spells above 1st level grant a number of power points equal to (spell level -1) x2.


Psionic Spell Recuperation
Requirements: Ability to cast 1st level spells and to manifest 1st level powers.
The character can expend power points to recover his spell slot or his used spells. The cost for a 0 or 1st level spell is only one power point. The cost for a higher-level spell is equal to (spell level x2) -1.


Psionic Sneak Attack
Requirements: Ability to manifest 1st level powers, Sneak Attack class feature.
This ability is similar to Magic Sneak Attack (and potentially cumulative with it). The damage the character deals is increased by 1 per power point used. If both Fused Abilities are used at the same time, the maximum is counted independently.

For official but non-core classes :

Charnel Blast
Requirements: Charnel Touch class feature, Eldritch Blast class feature.
The character can use a 1st level Eldritch Essence invocation known as the Charnel Blast. When he use it, he adds the damage of his Charnel Touch to his Eldritch Blast. If he wants, he can use only the former damage (and negate the damage from the latter). This effectively allows him to use his Charnel Touch from a distance.


Divine Maneuver Recuperation
Requirements: Must know a Martial Maneuver, Turn or Rebuke class feature.
The character may expend a turn or rebuke attempt to recover one expended maneuver. If he is a crusader, the recovered maneuver is immediately available as a granted maneuver.


Hideous Sneak Attack
Requirements: Must know the Hideous Blow invocation, Sneak Attack class feature.
Sneak attacks of the character are treated as if he used the Hideous Blow blast shape invocation. This allow him to use Hideous Blow on an Attack of Opportunity or with a ranged weapon. The eldritch blast damage only apply once, even if the character used it for his sneak attack. The normal rules of the eldritch blast (such as the necessity to surpass spell resistance) always apply.
As the others Active Fused Abilities, Hideous Sneak Attack can only be used once per round ; the regular usage of Hideous Blow does not count.


Magic Utterance
Requirements: Ability to cast 1st level spells, must know at least one utterance.
The character can expend a spell slot to gain an insight bonus on truespeak checks. The bonus is equal to the spell level x 2 (or +1 for a 0 level spell). It disappears at the beginning of his next turn.


Major Cursing Aura
Requirements: Minor Cursing Aura fused ability, must know at least one major aura.
This ability is similar to Minor Cursing Aura (see below), but the character can choose a major aura instead of a minor aura. Hardy Soldiers can't reduce a damage reduction to less 0, and Motivate Urgency will reduce the base land speed by 5 ft x the penalty of the Hexblade Curse, but not below 5 ft.


Minor Cursing Aura
Requirements: Hexblade Curse class feature, must know at least one minor aura.
When the character uses of his Hexblade Curse, he can choose a minor aura he knows. The penalty of his Hexblade Curse also apply to the effects granted by the aura as a circumstance penalty. This is cumulative with the normal penalties of the Hexblade Curse, and someone may be the victim of multiple cursing auras.
If this ability is used to reduce damage, it can't reduce the damage of an attack to less than 0.
The penalty disappear at the same time that the other penalties of the Hexblade Curse, and is overlapped by the bonus of a minor aura of the same type.


Midnight Astral Construct
Requirements: Ability to manifest Astral Construct, ability to shape soulmelds.
The character can combine incarnum with his manifesting abilities when he uses Astral Construct. This may occur in one of two ways :
-He can invest essentia in an astral construct. By doing this, he can grants one or more essentia modifications as allowed for a midnight construct (Magic of Incarnum, p.185). Some powers require the astral construct to have a minimum level ; 6th level or higher astral constructs qualify as standard midnight constructs, while 8th level or higher qualify as greater midnight constructs for the purpose of investing essentia.
-He can also choose to create a Midnight construct instead of a regular astral construct when manifesting the power. A lesser midnight construct counts as a 4th level astral construct ; a standard counts as a 6th level one ; a greater counts as a 9th level astral construct. In addition to regular essentia modifications, these midnight constructs can receive powers specific to astral constructs. For one essentia point, the character can give them an ability from the A menu. For two points, he can choose one from the B menu, and an ability from the C menu requires 4 essentia points. A midnight construct can't have more astral construct abilities than an astral construct of equivalent level.


Psionic Charnel Touch
Requirements: Ability to manifest 1st level powers, Charnel Touch class feature.
The character can spend power points when he uses his Charnel Touch class feature. Each power point increase the negative energy damage dealt by 1.


Psionic Utterance
Requirements: Ability to manifest 1st level powers, must know at least one utterance.
The character can expend power points to gain an insight bonus on truespeak checks. The bonus is equal to the number of expended power points and disappears at the beginning of his next turn.

For unofficial/homebrew classes :

Chaotic Power Recuperation
Requirements: Ability to manifest 1st level powers and to use Chaos Magic.
The character can use Chaos Magic to recover power points he expended before. He needs a standard action and the caster DC is equal to 14 + the number of power points to recover (this functions as with a chaos spell). The character chooses the amount in the limit of his manifester level. If he exceeds the DC, he doesn't receive more.
The recovered power points are subject to the restrictions of Chaos Magic : they can't be used in a power of the Clairsentience discipline or the Healing subdiscipline (from the Psychometabolism discipline). They also can't be used to heal a creature or increase its hit points by any mean.
Note : Made for the chaos mage base class, by Mongoose Publishing.


Chaotic Spell Recuperation
Requirements: Ability to cast 1st level spells and to use Chaos Magic.
The character can use Chaos Magic to recover spells or spell slots he expended before. He needs a standard action and the caster DC is equal to 13 + (2 x the level of the spell to recover). If he exceeds the DC, he doesn't receive an higher level spell slot or recover an higher level spell.
If the character recovers spells, the spells must not be of the Divination, Invocation (healing) or Invocation (summoning) school or subschools, and must not be able to heal a creature or increase its hit points by any mean.
If the character recovers a spell slot as a spontaneous spellcaster, the recovered spell slot is subject to the same restrictions.
Note : Made for the chaos mage base class, by Mongoose Publishing.


Psionic Outcast
Requirements: Ability to manifest 1st level powers, must know the Alien Mentality blemish.
When Alien Mentality is readied, the character doesn't receive only one power point. Instead, he receives a number of power points equal to his warp. In addition, he can add the highest level of power he can manifest to half of his warp for the purpose of prerequisites.
Alien Mentality is not enough to take this fused ability. The character must be able to manifest real psionic powers.
Note : Made for the Pariah (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243695) base class, by Amechra.

Passive Fused Abilities
These abilities are similar to Static abilities, however they aren't active all the time. Every fused ability that works when the character is bound to a vestige, in wild shape or in berserk rage is mentioned as Passive.


Binder of Curses
Requirements: Hexblade Curse class feature, Soul Binding class feature.
When the character is bound to a vestige, the save DC for his Hexblade Curse increase by 1. If he is bound to more than one, the increase is cumulative.


Binder of Incarnum
Requirements: Ability to shape soulmelds, Soul Binding class feature.
For every vestige with which the character is bound, he gains 1 point of essentia. Moreover, he can invest essentia in a vestige. This essentia cannot be altered and remains invested for 24 hours (except if the vestige is expelled before that point), but increases his effective binder level by 1 per point of essentia. This also affect his Pact augmentation and Soul guardian class features, if any.


Incarnated Bardic Music
Requirements: Ability to shape soulmelds, Bardic Music class feature.
Once per day, the character can invest essentia in this Fused ability. This essentia cannot be altered and remains invested for 24 hours (as with a feat). The character gains another use of his bardic music for every point of essentia invested.


Psionic Binder
Requirements: Ability to manifest 1st level powers, Soul Binding class feature.
For every vestige with which the character is bound, he gains 2 power points. They are real psi points (increasing his maximum as well), that will eventually disappear with the vestige. Also, if he possess the Pact Augmentation class feature, he may choose to gain 5 power points as an ability.


Raging smite
Requirements: Rage or Frenzy class feature, Smite class feature.
When the character is in rage or in a frenzy, he adds his class level in the class granting this ability to that of the class giving the smite ability to determine the bonus damage he inflicts. For example, a barbarian 5/paladin 3 will inflict 8 bonus damages if he uses smite evil when he is enraged.


Smite in Wild Shape
Requirements: Smite class feature, Wild Shape or other shapechanging class feature.
This Fused ability is similar to Raging smite, but it apply when the character uses his Wild Shape or other shapechanging class feature.

ToDo list :
Dodge in Armor (Fighter/Monk)
Ki Pool Aura (Marshal/Ninja)
And a couple of others...

Network
2012-07-29, 01:08 PM
A focus is a set of abilities that defines a class. Most classes have only one focus, but the Bard and Trissociate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234951), as well as many divine casting classes, have more. A similar focus, granted by two different classes, is effectively considered another focus (example : a sorcerer/wizard would count both classes separately).

The Polymaster may choose any of the following at every level :
Association
A Polymaster with levels in Trissociate may choose to advance two of his associations as a single focus. The effective level in both associations increase by 1.

Bardic Knowledge
A Polymaster with bard levels may choose to improve a couple of useful class features instead of his Bardic Music (see below). His effective bard level increases for his Bardic Knowledge and spellcasting class features. He also gains two more skills points at this level.

Bardic Music
A Polymaster with the Bardic Music ability may choose to increase his effective bard level by 1 for his Bardic Music class feature, including abilities such as Inspire Competence, Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness, and Song of Freedom. He also gains two more skills points at this level, as with Bardic Knowledge.

Fighting Class
A fighting class refers to a class with a cleric Base Attack Bonus and d8 hit dices (or better). The character must announces he advances a fighting class before rolling his hit points. The hit dice for the level increases from d4 to d8. His effective level in the chosen class increases by 1 (to fulfil requirements), improving most class features, with the following specifications :
* Bonus feats aren't granted if they are gained at a specific level (Combat style are exceptions). They are granted normally if they are part of a repeated pattern.
* Class features that improve with level are granted, but not those that are gained at a specific level and doesn't improve later.
* Soul shaping improves normally.
* Martial arts are not improved (see below)
* Spellcasting is improved normally for a class with a half-spellcaster progression (such as the paladin or ranger). Otherwise, it improves only half as fast (rounded down).
For example, a Polymaster is also a 2nd level ranger and decides to increase his ranger focus. His level stack for his Combat style, Favored Enemy, and Wild Empathy class features. He doesn't gain Endurance as a bonus feat because this ability is gained at 3rd level and doesn't improve later. If he took another ranger level, he would gain an animal companion and spellcasting, as a fourth level ranger.

Incarnum
A Polymaster with the ability to shape soulemelds may increase his effective soul shaper level by 1. In the case of the Soulborn and Totemist, this focus is effectively redundant with the Fighting Class focus. This is not the case for the Incarnate.

Martial Art
The effective martial adept level of the character increases by 1, granting him new Maneuvers and Stances according to his increased level. He does not receives other benefits of the class, such as bonus feats or an increased damage pool from Steely Resolve.

Spellcasting
The caster level of the character increases by 1, granting him more spells per day and new spells know (if applicable). He does not receives other benefits of the class, such as a better familiar.
Because the Invocations and Shadow Magic works in a similar fashion, they are also part of this category.

Other Classes
Every class have a focus (except NPC classes). If a class doesn't fit in any of the cases above, it is subject to DM discretion.

Original post :
Does anyone has a comment to make?

I can see the thread was read, but I don't have any feedback. I changed the name and added RP stuff, as well as some of the Fused Abilities I made. More will be added soon.