Xerlith
2013-06-29, 07:12 PM
This... Is a rework, primarily intended as a strict nerf.
Well. It uses Tome Of Battle. I love me some ToB. It's more like an addiction, actually.
Oh well. I'll probably post the non-ToB version. Sometime later. Maybe. I think. I wish I'd actually do that. Yep. I really do.
Ladies, Gentlemen and Warblades... I present you:
Abjurant Champion
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Martial Arcanist, Abjurant Armor Stance| -
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Swift Abjuring|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Arcane Defense|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Mettle|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Masterful Abjurations|+1 level of existing spellcasting class[/table]
Maneuvers
{table=head]Known|Readied|Stances
1|
0|
0|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
0[/table]
HD: d10
Skill Points: 2+Int mod
Class Skills:
Climb(Str), Concentration(Con), Craft(Int), Handle Animal(Cha), Intimidate(Cha), Jump(Str), Knowledge (arcana)(Int), Ride(Dex), Spellcraft(Int), Swim(Str), Martial Lore (Int)
Requirements:
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 8, Martial Lore 6
Maneuvers: Must know and be able to initiate and refresh Iron Heart Surge.
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 1st-level arcane spells, including at least one Abjuration spell.
Feats: Spell Focus (Abjuration)
Special:Caster level cannot be higher than Initiator Level.
Class Features:
Spellcasting: At each level except first, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming an Abjurant Champion, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Maneuvers: You may pick maneuvers from the Iron Heart discipline and one discipline to which you had access before taking levels in this class.
At 1st, 3rd and 5th level you gain a new maneuver known. At 2nd and 4th level you gain a new maneuver readied.
You add your full class level to your initiator level.
Stances: At 3rd level you gain a new stance, which must be chosen from the disciplines available to you.
Martial Arcanist: Unless it would otherwise be higher, your caster level equals your initiator level. However it is restricted to your original caster level + your Abjurant Champion class level until level 5th, when this restriction is lifted.
Abjurant Armor Stance: At first level you learn a potent defensive stance. While in it, you gain the following benefits:
If you or your allies no further than 20ft from you are under effects of an Abjuration spell that gives shield or armor bonus to AC and that you cast yourself, you increase the spell's bonus based on your spellcraft ranks, up to the maximum of your level in this class:
0-4: +1
5-8: +2
9-12: +3
13-16: +4
17+: +5
Furthermore, while in this stance, if you are under the effects of a Shield spell you cast on yourself, you gain the benefits of Evasion (as rogue, but without armor restrictions) and add the stance's AC bonus to your reflex saves.
If you have 15 or more ranks in Spellcraft skill, this changes to Improved Evasion.
This stance is an extraordinary ability, however every effect (such as an Antimagic Field or the spell being dispelled) that rids you (or your allies) of the spell's bonus to AC rids you of this stance's benefits as well.
Nerf. You get Evasion, but your AC Bonus is now more spread throughout the levels. No dipping, because it's capped out on your Abjurant Champion level too.
Swift Abjuring: If you use your standard action for something other than casting a spell, you can cast an abjuration spell as a swift action, as if you had applied the Quicken Spell feat to it (but without any change in level).
The maximum level of spell you can quicken in this way is equal to 1/2 your class level (rounded up).
If your standard action was a martial strike that succesfully hit, you add +1 to your caster level of the Abjuration spell you cast this way.
A power shift from overspamming spells to being able to attack and protect yourself in the same round. Better fits the flavor.
Arcane Defense (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the ability to burn arcane energy to empower your martial abilities. As a swift or immediate action, you can spend one of your uncast spells or spell slots to grant yourself one of the following insight bonuses for 1 round.
Bonus to AC equal to the spell's level.
Bonus on saving throws equal to the spell's level.
Resistance to acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic equal to 5 × the spell's level.
Mettle (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, you can resist effects that would shake those less hardened than you. If you succeed on a Fortitude or Will save against an attack that would normally produce a lesser effect on a successful save (such as a spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), you instead negate the effect. You do not gain the benefit of mettle when you are unconscious or sleeping.
Masterful Abjurations (Ex): At fifth level you start to fully depend on your abjuration spells to protect you and your allies in battle. Whenever you cast an abjuration spell, it is treated as if you had applied the Extend Spell feat to them (but without any change in level or casting time).
Additionally, whenever casting Abjuration spells of a 3rd level or lower with a duration other than immediate and a range greater than personal, you may divide it between as many recipients as you wish.
Finally, you may treat the Mage Armor as an abjuration spell for the benefits of this class.
You add it to your spellbook/list of spells known if you did not have it already.
The capstone. Since i moved the Martial Arcanist down to the first level, I wanted the 5th to be worth it. Here I migrated the auto-Extend and mixed it with the ability to buff your whole team and friends. And family too. It previously didn't have the "range greater than personal" disclaimer, but a whole-party Shield spell would probably be too much. And they can probably have it from other sources anyway.
Okay. That's all. The capstone is very similar to the one I used in the offensive counterpart, the Arcane Armsmaster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15505530#post15505530), because, which I mentioned in that classes' thread, these two are meant to be two sides of the same coin.
This Abjurant Champion is now much more defense-focused (namely, self-defense mostly), while retaining some retaliation ability thanks to the Iron Heart maneuvers.
...PEACH please? :D
Well. It uses Tome Of Battle. I love me some ToB. It's more like an addiction, actually.
Oh well. I'll probably post the non-ToB version. Sometime later. Maybe. I think. I wish I'd actually do that. Yep. I really do.
Ladies, Gentlemen and Warblades... I present you:
Abjurant Champion
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Martial Arcanist, Abjurant Armor Stance| -
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Swift Abjuring|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Arcane Defense|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Mettle|+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Masterful Abjurations|+1 level of existing spellcasting class[/table]
Maneuvers
{table=head]Known|Readied|Stances
1|
0|
0|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
1|
0|
0[/table]
HD: d10
Skill Points: 2+Int mod
Class Skills:
Climb(Str), Concentration(Con), Craft(Int), Handle Animal(Cha), Intimidate(Cha), Jump(Str), Knowledge (arcana)(Int), Ride(Dex), Spellcraft(Int), Swim(Str), Martial Lore (Int)
Requirements:
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 8, Martial Lore 6
Maneuvers: Must know and be able to initiate and refresh Iron Heart Surge.
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 1st-level arcane spells, including at least one Abjuration spell.
Feats: Spell Focus (Abjuration)
Special:Caster level cannot be higher than Initiator Level.
Class Features:
Spellcasting: At each level except first, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming an Abjurant Champion, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Maneuvers: You may pick maneuvers from the Iron Heart discipline and one discipline to which you had access before taking levels in this class.
At 1st, 3rd and 5th level you gain a new maneuver known. At 2nd and 4th level you gain a new maneuver readied.
You add your full class level to your initiator level.
Stances: At 3rd level you gain a new stance, which must be chosen from the disciplines available to you.
Martial Arcanist: Unless it would otherwise be higher, your caster level equals your initiator level. However it is restricted to your original caster level + your Abjurant Champion class level until level 5th, when this restriction is lifted.
Abjurant Armor Stance: At first level you learn a potent defensive stance. While in it, you gain the following benefits:
If you or your allies no further than 20ft from you are under effects of an Abjuration spell that gives shield or armor bonus to AC and that you cast yourself, you increase the spell's bonus based on your spellcraft ranks, up to the maximum of your level in this class:
0-4: +1
5-8: +2
9-12: +3
13-16: +4
17+: +5
Furthermore, while in this stance, if you are under the effects of a Shield spell you cast on yourself, you gain the benefits of Evasion (as rogue, but without armor restrictions) and add the stance's AC bonus to your reflex saves.
If you have 15 or more ranks in Spellcraft skill, this changes to Improved Evasion.
This stance is an extraordinary ability, however every effect (such as an Antimagic Field or the spell being dispelled) that rids you (or your allies) of the spell's bonus to AC rids you of this stance's benefits as well.
Nerf. You get Evasion, but your AC Bonus is now more spread throughout the levels. No dipping, because it's capped out on your Abjurant Champion level too.
Swift Abjuring: If you use your standard action for something other than casting a spell, you can cast an abjuration spell as a swift action, as if you had applied the Quicken Spell feat to it (but without any change in level).
The maximum level of spell you can quicken in this way is equal to 1/2 your class level (rounded up).
If your standard action was a martial strike that succesfully hit, you add +1 to your caster level of the Abjuration spell you cast this way.
A power shift from overspamming spells to being able to attack and protect yourself in the same round. Better fits the flavor.
Arcane Defense (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, you gain the ability to burn arcane energy to empower your martial abilities. As a swift or immediate action, you can spend one of your uncast spells or spell slots to grant yourself one of the following insight bonuses for 1 round.
Bonus to AC equal to the spell's level.
Bonus on saving throws equal to the spell's level.
Resistance to acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic equal to 5 × the spell's level.
Mettle (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, you can resist effects that would shake those less hardened than you. If you succeed on a Fortitude or Will save against an attack that would normally produce a lesser effect on a successful save (such as a spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), you instead negate the effect. You do not gain the benefit of mettle when you are unconscious or sleeping.
Masterful Abjurations (Ex): At fifth level you start to fully depend on your abjuration spells to protect you and your allies in battle. Whenever you cast an abjuration spell, it is treated as if you had applied the Extend Spell feat to them (but without any change in level or casting time).
Additionally, whenever casting Abjuration spells of a 3rd level or lower with a duration other than immediate and a range greater than personal, you may divide it between as many recipients as you wish.
Finally, you may treat the Mage Armor as an abjuration spell for the benefits of this class.
You add it to your spellbook/list of spells known if you did not have it already.
The capstone. Since i moved the Martial Arcanist down to the first level, I wanted the 5th to be worth it. Here I migrated the auto-Extend and mixed it with the ability to buff your whole team and friends. And family too. It previously didn't have the "range greater than personal" disclaimer, but a whole-party Shield spell would probably be too much. And they can probably have it from other sources anyway.
Okay. That's all. The capstone is very similar to the one I used in the offensive counterpart, the Arcane Armsmaster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15505530#post15505530), because, which I mentioned in that classes' thread, these two are meant to be two sides of the same coin.
This Abjurant Champion is now much more defense-focused (namely, self-defense mostly), while retaining some retaliation ability thanks to the Iron Heart maneuvers.
...PEACH please? :D