3.5 Psychic Barbarian - Class Smash-Up!

[gurgleflep]

Thanks to advice from Just to Browse (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=64201), I've mashed two classes into one: The Barbarian (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/barbarian.htm) and the Psychic Warrior. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/psychicWarrior.htm)
I'm posting this so I can get some advice as to whether or not it's balanced, if it needs any changes... the typical stuff asked `round these parts.

Here goes!

HD: d10
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Power Points a day|Powers Known|Max. Power Known
1|0|2|0|0|Illiteracy, Rage 1/day|0*|1|1
2|1|3|0|0|Uncanny Dodge|1|2|1
3|2|3|1|1|Trapsense +1|3|3|1
4|3|4|1|1|Rage 2/day|5|4|2
5|3|4|1|1|Improved Uncanny Dodge|7|5|2
6|4|5|2|2|Trapsense +2|11|6|2
7|5|5|2|2| |15|7|3
8|6/1|6|2|2|Rage 3/day|19|8|3
9|6/1|6|3|3|Trapsense +3|23|9|3
10|7/2|7|3|3| |27|10|4
11|8/3|7|3|3|Greater Rage|35|11|4
12|9/4|8|4|4|Rage 4/day, Trapsense +4|43|12|4
13|9/4|8|4|4| |51|13|5
14|10/5|9|4|4|Indomitable Will|59|14|5
15|11/6/1|9|5|5|Trapsense +5|67|15|5
16|12/7/2|10|5|5|Rage 5/day|79|16|6
17|12/7/2|10|5|5|Tirless Rage|91|17|6
18|13/8/3|11|6|6|Trapsense +6|103|18|6
19|14/9/4|11|6|6| |115|19|6
20|15/10/5|12|6|6|Mighty Rage, Rage 6/day|127|20|6[/table]

Skills: Autohypnosis*, Climb, Concentration*, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Psionics)*, Listen, Profession, Ride, Search, Survival, Swim.
(4+INT Modifier) x 4 at first level
4+INT for all others.
I combined the two lists of skills, some of the skills are shared with one another. Also, is the 4 to big or small? With the amount of skills he has, I feel it's not enough.

Proficient: All simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, all shields but tower.

Psionic Abilities: Use the Psychic Warrior's list (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powerList.htm#psychicWarriorPowers).

Abilties Most needed: Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution.

Alignment: Any non-lawful, but usually chaotic.

Religion: Typically gods of slaughter, battle, or war. Kord was one that popped up on both of their lists.


If anybody's got a suggestion, I would be happy to listen to you.
As for the blanks, no clue! Should I use bonus feats or something? I feel it needs to be filled in.
Edit: This is a powerful class as is (no clue what tier), so I'll probably leave the blanks blank.

[Tvtyrant]

Psychic Rage: Enemies struck by the Psychic Barbarian while it is raging take 1 int damage per hit? Maybe 1d4 int damage and a save?

Basically having the Barbarian's rage filled mind damage enemies by pure psychic run off. The Barbarian is so angry they get stronger and tougher; a Psychic Barbarian is exactly the same except they are actively interacting with opponents minds.

[gurgleflep]

Psychic Rage: Enemies struck by the Psychic Barbarian while it is raging take 1 int damage per hit? Maybe 1d4 int damage and a save?

Basically having the Barbarian's rage filled mind damage enemies by pure psychic run off. The Barbarian is so angry they get stronger and tougher; a Psychic Barbarian is exactly the same except they are actively interacting with opponents minds.

I quite like the sound of this, who all would it affect though?

[Just to Browse]

Be careful what you add. The psybar is already crazy with metamorphosis and augmentable buffs. Adding more could drive this over the edge.

Perhaps if you made it a power, it would be cool.

[gurgleflep]

Be careful what you add. The psybar is already crazy with metamorphosis and augmentable buffs. Adding more could drive this over the edge.

Perhaps if you made it a power, it would be cool.

Turn the psionic rage into a power? I was thinking of using it as a rage replacement, but it'd work rather nicely as a power.

[Tvtyrant]

I was basing it on Mind Cripple, which is a simple jump up for the Rogue and Assassin when they became Psychic. The biggest problem with int is that animals have such low scores you almost auto-crush them.

Maybe Charisma damage? Or have a low level power that amplifies normal rage into psychic rage.

[Nightgaun7]

yeah, there's no real synergy right now, it's literally just grafting the two together.

You could base Rage on the manifester stat, for starters?

[gurgleflep]

yeah, there's no real synergy right now, it's literally just grafting the two together.

You could base Rage on the manifester stat, for starters?

Manifester stat being wisdom, intelligence or charisma, right?

[inuyasha]

not to be a downer or anything but I dont think this works well as a base clas...it would make a super awesome PrC though...if you want help making a raging psion prestige class PM me and we could talk...hmmmm

[Lorien077]

I have come out of lurking to contribute my two copper pieces.

As it stands inuyasha has a good point; currently this class emulates the duality type prestige classes (is there a proper term for those?) I.E. Things like Arcane Trickster, Mystic Theurge, and Eldritch knight. If you do go that route I strongly recommend giving classes like that (and the psionic PrCs in the same vein) a good look as that will be a good starting point.

If you want to put in even more work and make a truly unique fusion of the two as a base class my first bout of suggestions are as follows:

What works:
3/4ths BAB, Psywar Power points and powers known progression, d10 HD, save progression (with a caveat to be discussed), and I think the skills are fine though the selection of class skills may need to be altered to fit the flavor and function of the new class.

What needs to change:
-Currently this class is on the overpowered side of the scale: it has too many special abilities to go with its psionic powers. What I would do is look at the progression of bonus feats that psywar grants and give the special abilities at those levels, and make sure they're not too powerful.
-It'd be best to make some unique abilities and flavor to fit the class. I would change the rage over to a psionic rage (as has been suggested) and change what it does exactly. Currently raging inhibits the manifesting of powers, and thematically that's a problem.
-You need to state which ability score is used for the manifestation of powers. Just like arcanists (wizards, sorcerers, etc) use different stats so do psionic classes.

BUT before anything else its very important to decide what flavor the class is and what the role is.

Suggestions regarding flavor:
I'd be more inclined to (partly as a nod to the Wilder class) make your psionic barbarian an emotional and wild sort. This would likely mean basing manifesting on charisma.


WHEW. Long post, and apologies fellow forum goers if its not up to standards or if it contains something stupid. Its been a terribly long time since I posted at all here.

[Tvtyrant]

See I disagree with the above statement on the grounds that the Psywarrior is literally a fighter with psychic powers. Changing the Fighter part (lots of feats) for basic Barbarian features is perfectly fair in my mind; without ACFs Barbarians and Fighters are in the same tier and are just about flat with each other. A Psybarian cannot access the Whirling/Spirit Lion/other ACFs that boost the Barbarian up above the Fighter, so it isn't a problem.

And other than rage a Barbarian's abilities are not particularly good anyways. Having a bunch of mostly useless features is the hallmark of the Monk and other weak classes. This is a Barbarian with lower BaB and casting, which puts it square with classes like the Warblade.

[inuyasha]

See I disagree with the above statement on the grounds that the Psywarrior is literally a fighter with psychic powers. Changing the Fighter part (lots of feats) for basic Barbarian features is perfectly fair in my mind; without ACFs Barbarians and Fighters are in the same tier and are just about flat with each other. A Psybarian cannot access the Whirling/Spirit Lion/other ACFs that boost the Barbarian up above the Fighter, so it isn't a problem.

And other than rage a Barbarian's abilities are not particularly good anyways. Having a bunch of mostly useless features is the hallmark of the Monk and other weak classes. This is a Barbarian with lower BaB and casting, which puts it square with classes like the Warblade.

well now that you put it that way...I dissagree with myself XD

[gurgleflep]

See I disagree with the above statement on the grounds that the Psywarrior is literally a fighter with psychic powers. Changing the Fighter part (lots of feats) for basic Barbarian features is perfectly fair in my mind; without ACFs Barbarians and Fighters are in the same tier and are just about flat with each other. A Psybarian cannot access the Whirling/Spirit Lion/other ACFs that boost the Barbarian up above the Fighter, so it isn't a problem.

And other than rage a Barbarian's abilities are not particularly good anyways. Having a bunch of mostly useless features is the hallmark of the Monk and other weak classes. This is a Barbarian with lower BaB and casting, which puts it square with classes like the Warblade.


well now that you put it that way...I dissagree with myself XD

So, it's safe..? Ya'll've officially confused me :smallfrown:

[inuyasha]

So, it's safe..? Ya'll've officially confused me :smallfrown:

dont worry :) we did that on purpose because we like your homebrewing, this is what homebrewing does :)

[gurgleflep]

dont worry :) we did that on purpose because we like your homebrewing, this is what homebrewing does :)

Seeing as this is the first thing I've homebrewed (CLASSY SMASHY!), I'll take that as a compliment :smallbiggrin:

[inuyasha]

will you make more class smashes? because if you do...an artificer paladin would be cool (techno knight) or maybe an artificer rogue (gremlin, focused on dissecting technology n such)

[gurgleflep]

will you make more class smashes? because if you do...an artificer paladin would be cool (techno knight) or maybe an artificer rogue (gremlin, focused on dissecting technology n such)

I'll see what I can do :smallsmile: It's more fun to make these than I had realized.
Edit: What book would I find the artificer in? I've been told what book it's in, give me a couple days to look through it and see what I can do.

[EdroGrimshell]

Why not throw in Soulknife as well and have it wield a weapon made of their anger?

I mean who wouldn't want to play a guy that can honestly say that rage is his weapon, and then turn around and stab someone with it?

Allow for spending power points to augment the weapon, make some changes to some soulknife features, possibly allow layering the mind blade onto an existing weapon, and BOOM, you have a really interesting class combo mashup that'd be an absolute blast to play!

[gurgleflep]

Why not throw in Soulknife as well and have it wield a weapon made of their anger?

I mean who wouldn't want to play a guy that can honestly say that rage is his weapon, and then turn around and stab someone with it?

Allow for spending power points to augment the weapon, make some changes to some soulknife features, possibly allow layering the mind blade onto an existing weapon, and BOOM, you have a really interesting class combo mashup that'd be an absolute blast to play!

Just imaging some hulking brute with psionic weaponry running at you makes this scary (but fun!) to imagine :smallbiggrin:
I'll see how I can work that in, I've not really done anything like this before.