PDA

View Full Version : Paragon Base Class (from Guildwars)



Necromas
2006-12-26, 08:44 PM
I'm just gonna put down my ideas for the class so far, feel free to give suggestions, yell at me, whatever. Think of it as a beta, or rather, alpha version of the class.

BAB: Full
HD: d8
Class Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Nobility) (Int), Knowledge (History) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), and Spot (Wis).
Skill Points Per Level: 2+int, x4 at first level.
Saves: Good Fort, Bad Reflex and Will.
Proficiencies: All Simple and Martial Weapons. Light, Medium, and Heavy Armor. Shields (except tower shields).

Abilities

Aura of Courage (Su):
Beginning at 3rd level, a paragon is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of him gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions while the paragon is conscious, but not if he is unconscious or dead.

Spear Mastery:
At 1st level, a paragon is treated as having the rapid shot feat when using spears, javalins, and similar weapons subject to DM approval (such as an exotic version of a javelin, will now be referred to as spear-like weapons. Only weapons with ranged incriments should be used). For the purpose of meeting feat and prestige class requirements, treat the paragon as having the normal rapid shot feat. A paragon can add both his paragon and fighter levels (even if he has no fighter levels) to qualify for weapon related feats, such as weapon specialization, but only for spear-like weapons. The paragon can apply weapon feats he knows for one spear-like weapon to other spear-like weapons he is proficient with.

At 6th level, the paragon gains the far shot feat when throwing spear-like weapons.

This reflects the paragons specialization with spears, and the spears faster rate of fire.

Paragon Techniques:
The paragon has a limited list of special abilities, at the beginning of each day he may choose 5 techniques he knows to prepare, only one of which may be an elite technique, if the paragon knows any. Each skill may be used a number of times per day specified under the skill description. He may not use a skill more times per day by choosing it multiple times as one of his 5 choices, even if he does not know 5 skills yet.

This reflects the ability to only choose 8 skills to use at a time in guildwars. I reduced it to 5 for balance reasons.

For the purpose of spell resistance, saving throws, and such when applicable, treat paragon techniques as spells of a level equal to the characters paragon level divided by 2, rounded down. Use wisdom to calculate save DC's.

Notes: Haven't quite figured out the techniques known progression, but they would start out with only one or two techniques known, and not gain elite techniques until level 15. Techniques would either be usable a very limited number of times per day, or unlimited times per day but only once per encounter, with the exception of adrenal ones.

Adrenal Techniques System:
Some of a paragons techniques are powered from within by the paragons adrenaline as the fight draws on. A paragon gains one strike of adrenaline in each round that he manages to hit an opponent with a weapon. When a strike of adrenaline is gained, each adrenal technique is charged with one strike. When an adrenal skill is used, that skill loses all charged strikes of adrenaline, and all other adrenal techniques lose one charged strike of adrenaline. A strike of adrenaline is also gained when the cumulative damage a paragon has taken, even if some of the damage has been healed, reaches his massive damage threshold (even if massive damage rules are not being used). At the end of an encounter, the paragons adrenaline levels go back to normal, and all adrenal techniques are reset to zero strikes.

I suck at wording things, so here's an example.

I have 2 adrenal techniques, technique A and technique B, both require 3 strikes of adrenaline to use.

I spend 3 rounds hitting people, technique A and technique B both gain 3 strikes of adrenaline.

I use technique A in the next round, technique A goes back down to 0 strikes and technique B goes down to 2 strikes.

Next round I hit someone, so A goes up to 1 strike and B goes up to 3.

I can now use B, which happens to be a weapon attack, so A stays at 1 strike because it gained one for B hitting but lost one because B was used. B goes down to 0 because I used B.

Note: This might be a bit much to keep track of, so I might just take out adrenal techniques alltogether.

A few rough technique ideas:

Lightning Javelin
Action: Part of an attack
Special Requirements: Attack must be made with a spear-like weapon.
Usable: 3/day or 1/encounter
Description: One of the paragons attacks during this round deals lightning damage instead of physical damage, and deals additional lightning damage equal to 1d6/4 paragon levels. The attack also ignores 1 point of damage reduction per paragon level. This attack is made in lieu of one of the characters normal attacks during that round, using the same bonuses or penalties of the replaced attack. (this has no effects on any other attacks made during the round)

Anthem of Flame
Action: Standard
Special: Treat as a spell like ability with a vocal component.
Usable: 3/day or 1/encounter
Range: Short (25ft +5/2 levels)
Duration: 2 rounds, or when expended
Spell Resistance: Yes
Save: Reflex, see text
Description: All allies within range (including yourself) become effected with Anthem of Flame, the next attack made while under this effect causes the enemy to catch fire and take 1d6+1/4 levels fire damage per round, until X rounds have passed. The fire is magical and cannot be put out with water, but each round after the first a reflex save may be attempted to put it out. An enemy already burning from the effects of this skill is not effected if hit by another attack made under the effect of anthem of the flame, but the attack still uses up the effect.

"Stand your ground!"
Action: Swift
Usable: Unlimited
Cost: 3 strikes of adrenaline
Special: Treat as a spell like ability with a vocal component
Range: Short (25ft +5/lvl)
Duration: 3 rounds
Description: Each ally within range of this shout that can hear it gains a +1/3 paragon levels competence bonus to AC, provided they move no more then 5ft during their turn. If they move, the effect is not removed but they lose the AC bonus until their next turn.

Sodiers Fury [elite]
Action: Swift
Usable: 1/day
Special Requirements: Only works with spear-like weapons
Description: The caster attacks at a drastically increased speed for the next 10 rounds. The caster gains the benefit of the haste spell for the techniques duration.

P.S. crap, forgot to add [PEACH]

[edit] Added some stuff in reply to fangthanes post.

fangthane
2006-12-27, 01:09 PM
1. It needs to be fleshed out a bit more in terms of the basics; saving throw progression, notions of what sort of abilities you want to grant and at what levels (the ones you've listed are interesting but need some work and need to be added to the class' feature list at specific levels to work their balance)
2. Lightning Javelin - does it sacrifice the javelin thrown? Does it hit targets in a line with the initial strike? Does it increase the range increment for that single attack?
3. Anthem of Flame - most every spell or ability I can find which causes a target to combust allows a reflex save to eliminate the flame, magical or not. When you say "close" does that mean a 20' radius, a 30' radius, a radius of 25'+5'/2 levels or something else?
4. Soldier's Fury - Does this temporarily increase the number of attacks too? Say, for example, we have a level 16 character who normally gets 4 attacks, at base of +16/11/6/1. He uses his Soldier's Fury ability, so does he now receive attacks at +16/13/10/7/4/1 or does he receive them at +16/13/10/7? What if he's level 10 and normally only gets two attacks? Does he receive extras up to the normal limit of 4, or is he limited to the same number he'd ordinarily receive at his level? Finally, how does this affect two-weapon style attacks if the character's taken appropriate feats?
5. You can't really call them skills; that concept's already been used in D&D. Can't use feats either, really (unless they're made class-specific), but you could treat them simply as class-feature SLAs.
6. Paragons already exist, but are racially-oriented. You can find then in the Unearthed Arcana supplement. As such, while this is still a slightly different name from (for example) the orcish or half-elf paragon classes, it probably needs a different name. From the general sense you seem to want with the javelin/spear thing, you might consider calling this class a Hoplite or something. That may also be taken by one of the supplements I don't have though... :)

Other benefits to consider:
Does the class receive additional benefits (or feats/features) directed toward increasing damage (or attack rolls) when set for a charge?
Does it receive a larger range increment for its favoured weapons being thrown?
Does it receive any defensive/offensive considerations when using (say) a light spear and a shield? (for example, a two-weapon fighting style involving a bash-and-stab might be appropriate, if balanced properly)

Necromas
2006-12-27, 03:13 PM
1. Working on it.

2. Yes, no, and no, I didn't think the wording was confusing.

3. Ya, close was intended as the spell range, should have clarified that.

4. Fixed.

5. I'll call em techniques for now, really should think of something better. I might have still called them skills somewhere that I didn't notice when changing it.

6. Well I figured it'd be fine making a class with a name that's also used to describe the racial paragon variants. Without there being an actual connection to them.

fangthane
2006-12-27, 03:53 PM
Looking a little tighter now for sure... Might be an idea to make the technique progression work more or less similarly to a warlock's invocations, but that might be tricky with the per-day limits too (i.e. might underpower your Paragon design since the 'lock can cast an invoc or two every round all day long)
2. If the attack consumes the spear/javelin, that should be explicitly stated - it's not that the wording's confusing, as such... Just that there're a lot of people who try to work any advantage they can, and what's not explicit can be argued by a sufficiently clever or determined player.

4. One last clarification; the total number of attacks granted shouldn't be permitted to exceed 4 generally; even epic attack progression doesn't allow that, for class-based characters at least. If it does, it needs a balancing penalty.

Another thought occurs though... The Adrenal strikes seem a bit unclear in terms of how they relate to the other items... I note that Adrenal Techniques indicates some kind of counter (based on ability to hit in a round) and a prescribed method to reduce the counters but no mechanism to actually make use of the counters so reduced. At the moment, the Adrenal Techniques don't actually appear to apply directly to any other items, and it almost appears that that section may have been an alternate attempt to balance use of the techniques per day/per combat or whatever, prior to having selected a #/day format instead. Otherwise, it's just in need of a bit further development before we see how it relates to the techniques and the ability to use them.

I dunno about Guildwars, but for some reason, I'm getting a total Diablo 2 flashback... ;)

Necromas
2006-12-27, 04:58 PM
Cleared up lightning javelin, changed soldiers fury to be a haste effect, tried to explain the adrenaline system and added an adrenal skill.