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Legendxp
2014-01-04, 11:24 PM
I wanted to add these class features but I wasn't sure if they were too powerful for level in which they were granted. These would be for a soulknife class.

Focusing Strike (Ex): At 7th level, as a full round action, and when making a psychic strike, a soulsword may forgo any extra attacks granted through his base attack bonus. For each attack forfeited this way he gains a cumulative +2 bonus on attack rolls and an additional 2d8 points of damage. This extra damage may be given up for his 'slash the psych' or 'slash the soul' class features.

Walk the Ęther (Su): After attaining 11th level, a soulsword may choose to become ethereal whenever he moves. This lasts until the end of his movement. Opponents may still make attacks of opportunity against you (If they are capable of seeing and striking ethereal creatures), but you may now move through walls. Additionally, while in the ethereal plane you still move at your full speed (Instead of one-half).

Thoughts?

SowZ
2014-01-04, 11:25 PM
I wanted to add these class features but I wasn't sure if they were too powerful for level in which they were granted. These would be for a soulknife class.

Focusing Strike (Ex): At 7th level, as a full round action, and when making a psychic strike, a soulsword may forgo any extra attacks granted through his base attack bonus. For each attack forfeited this way he gains a cumulative +2 bonus on attack rolls and an additional 2d8 points of damage. This extra damage may be given up for his 'slash the psych' or 'slash the soul' class features.

Walk the Ęther (Su): After attaining 11th level, a soulsword may choose to become ethereal whenever he moves. This lasts until the end of his movement. Opponents may still make attacks of opportunity against you (If they are capable of seeing and striking ethereal creatures), but you may now move through walls. Additionally, while in the ethereal plane you still move at your full speed (Instead of one-half).

Thoughts?

Yeah, that's fine. I'm sure there are some abuse able tricks with Walk the Ęther, but since you can't end your movement in an object should be mild compared to what a spellcaster could do with a spell that makes them ethereal for X minutes. Besides, the way most players would use it would be obvious.

Grek
2014-01-05, 08:54 AM
You should probably note in the description that Walk the Ęther lets you fly, since ethereal creatures can fly.

As written, Focusing Strike does not appear to do anything - it requires a full round action and leaves you no action to actually attack with. A better way to word it would be:

"Focusing Strike (Ex): At 7th level, a soulsword making a full attack may elect to make a single psychic strike instead. This psychic strike gains a cumulative +2 bonus on attack rolls and an additional 2d8 points of damage for every extra attack he would have otherwise been entitled to during his full attack. The extra damage granted by this ability may be given up for his 'slash the psych' or 'slash the soul' class features."

Xefas
2014-01-05, 05:06 PM
Besides, the way most players would use it would be obvious.

Sneak into the girls' locker room? We're assuming this game takes place at Sigil Prep, right?

Legendxp
2014-01-05, 11:19 PM
This is how the final version worked out.

Focusing Strike (Ex): At 7th level, when making a full-attack and if his weapon is imbued with psychic strike, a soulsword may forgo any extra attacks granted through his base attack bonus. For each attack forfeited this way he gains a cumulative +2 bonus on his attack roll and deals an additional 2d8 points of damage with his psychic strike. These extra dice of damage may be given up for his 'slash the psych' or 'slash the soul' class features. Any other attacks that he would have made during this full-attack are also forfeited, including ones from feats, spells, powers, or items, but these do not grant any bonuses (Any extra attacks he would have made after his full attack action would work as normal. Cleave, for example, would still grant an attack but not the haste spell). A soulsword can only use his focusing strike ability to make a melee attack. He does not receive any benefits if he attempts to use this ability for a ranged attack.

Seerow
2014-01-06, 01:13 AM
Honestly there's almost no two class features you could add to the Soulknife that made any degree of sense that would be too powerful or break the game.


Honestly, your Focused strike is way too weak. You're requiring a full round action, where he gives up all of his other attacks for the round, but only gains bonus hit/damage for attacks gained from BAB. So at most he's gaining +4 to hit and +4d8 damage. As a full round action. Also, imbueing the weapon for Psychic Strike still takes a move action, so he can only do this every other round, and is completely immobile the entire time. Like seriously, using this feature is worse than not using it, every time, and that's bad.

Oh and at level 7 when he gets it? He doesn't even have a bonus attack from BAB to use it with. The feature is useless until level 8.

There's two routes I could see going with it:

1) You want the really big full round action strike. In this case, add something somewhere along the line that makes imbuing a swift action instead of a move action. You now gain +2 to hit and multiply your Psychic Strike damage for every attack you sacrifice. You also get sacrifice stuff from haste, two weapon fighting, etc for this. Possibly also consider adding .5x str mod and power attack multiplier for each attack sacrificed. So you have a level 20 TWFing Soulknife with Haste and +8 strength who channels all of his 7 attacks into one big blow? He's hitting it for (+12 to hit) 1d6 (weapon)+35d8 (psychic strike)+32 (strength)+(4*power attack).

That makes for a fairly impressive hit, but still nowhere near the level of high level chargers, and much more easily negated (because he's completely stationary while doing it, and it doesn't work against things immune to mind affecting effects).


2) Aim for a more mobile soulknife who can utilize this capability much more easily, but gain less damage out of it. Make it activate anytime the Soulknife only makes one attack for the round (so it can activate if he moves and attacks, if he charges, if he uses spring attack, etc). When the ability activates, he gains +2d8 Psychic Damage for every 3 points of BAB he possesses, regardless of how many attacks he could normally make in a round. Additionally, any time this ability activates, it automatically recharges your Imbue Weapon, so your following attack has your normal Psychic Strike available. So if a 20th level Soulknife uses only one attack every round, he gets +15d8 psychic damage with each attack. If he switches into a full attack, then he only gets 5d8 on the first attack, and followup attacks get normal damage.

Before you flip out about 'omg 15d8 psychic damage!', I'm just going to point out a rogue gets to add his 10d6 sneak attack damage to every attack he makes (he can make as many attacks a round as he wants), and has more ways to get around stuff being immune to sneak attack than the Soulknife has ways to get around stuff being immune to mind affecting.

Personally I prefer the second one, because while it's less powerful, it's more flavorful and fits better with your level 11 ability. Give him something so that the Speed of Thought speed bonus keeps progressing, and a free spring attack, and it could be a really awesome skirmisher.

Legendxp
2014-01-06, 05:26 PM
Oh and at level 7 when he gets it? He doesn't even have a bonus attack from BAB to use it with. The feature is useless until level 8.

I probably should have posted a link to my rework. So sorry about that, I apologize... (Here's the link (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16666609), prepare yourself for massive amount of text:smallbiggrin:) However, you are assuming I'm keeping the same BAB as a regular soulknife. I've bumped it up a bit (as a fighter).


That makes for a fairly impressive hit, but still nowhere near the level of high level chargers, and much more easily negated (because he's completely stationary while doing it, and it doesn't work against things immune to mind affecting effects).

I've made it so that his psychic strike still deals-half damage against creatures immune to mind affecting attacks. However, if it is immune to mind affecting attacks and doesn't have a soul (such as an ooze or construct), then it still deals no damage.


2) Aim for a more mobile soulknife who can utilize this capability much more easily, but gain less damage out of it. Make it activate anytime the Soulknife only makes one attack for the round (so it can activate if he moves and attacks, if he charges, if he uses spring attack, etc). When the ability activates, he gains +2d8 Psychic Damage for every 3 points of BAB he possesses, regardless of how many attacks he could normally make in a round. Additionally, any time this ability activates, it automatically recharges your Imbue Weapon, so your following attack has your normal Psychic Strike available. So if a 20th level Soulknife uses only one attack every round, he gets +15d8 psychic damage with each attack. If he switches into a full attack, then he only gets 5d8 on the first attack, and followup attacks get normal damage.

I definitely like this, amazing idea. I'll try to implement it.


Before you flip out about 'omg 15d8 psychic damage!', I'm just going to point out a rogue gets to add his 10d6 sneak attack damage to every attack he makes (he can make as many attacks a round as he wants), and has more ways to get around stuff being immune to sneak attack than the Soulknife has ways to get around stuff being immune to mind affecting.

Don't worry, I foresaw some of these same drawbacks. A regular soulknife is horrendously under powered, even if it had +10d8 damage at level 20. A level 20 rogue, for example has 3 attacks (6 if two-weapon fighting) and can deal 10d6 damage with each hit. Average damage is 115.5 if using a shortsword (Twice as much with two-weapon fighting). An improved level 20 soulknife with 10d8 psychic strike damage can deal 58.5 damage (since psychic strike only applies once in a full-attack). :smallfrown:


Give him something so that the Speed of Thought speed bonus keeps progressing, and a free spring attack, and it could be a really awesome skirmisher.

I gave him some bonus feats (taken from a list) instead of speed of thought, wild talent, and weapon focus.

Thanks for the insight by the way. Is there anything that you want me to look at? (Classes, feats, etc?)

EDIT:Another thing I was worried about was attacks not made during his turn. I still wanted him to be able to make an attack of opportunity if he needed to. I didn't know how to word it this way.

Seerow
2014-01-06, 06:55 PM
I probably should have posted a link to my rework. So sorry about that, I apologize... (Here's the link, prepare yourself for massive amount of text) However, you are assuming I'm keeping the same BAB as a regular soulknife. I've bumped it up a bit (as a fighter).

I'll go check it out, and respond further there. The OP in this thread gave the impression that these two new features were the only things being changed, which is a significant difference.


Thanks for the insight by the way. Is there anything that you want me to look at? (Classes, feats, etc?)


Well you already hit up my recent Hexblade. You can check through my sig for anything that interests you. I have a Soulknife fix as well (with more of a focus on manifesting, but also some cool features you may be interested in making use of), and if you liked my Hexblade you'd probably also be interested in my Paladin and Swashbuckler+Duelist. [Edit: To be clear just recommending things I think you might like/be interested in. I'm pretty sure some of those are too old to be posted in any more. I'm not directly asking for feedback on all of it, but recommending things I think you might find interesting to read]