Tryxx
2014-01-15, 12:16 AM
I'm talking about the Nightstalker found in the Dragonlance supplement Races of Ansalon on page 153. I don't plan on ever playing one, but I find the chasis pretty interesting. It's something of a rogue with a divine bend to it, and the reason I assume it's not talked about (it hasn't made Person_Man's Niche thread at any rate) is because the class has a hard time deciding what it wants to be.
It's d6 HD and Medium BAB are nothing to write home about. The low HD seems exceptionally terrible, really. Most classes already have to put a heavy amount of investment in Constitution normally, but this class is already dependent on both Wisdom and Charisma for spellcasting. That's to say nothing about the rather expansive skill list (24 skills, notably: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Hide, Move Silently, Disable Device, Open Lock, Search, Listen, Spot, Knowledge (Arcana, Local, and Religion), and Use Magic Device), and yet only 4 skill points per level.
The actual class features are pretty weird, too. Rogue proficiencies and Trapfinding are pretty standard. Death Sight isn't bad, but it's only situationally good. Spiritual Resilience and Spectral Symbiosis just eventually end up saving you a spell or item slot (death ward is on the spell list, though every bit on a save or die helps). Whispers of the Dead is another campaign dependant ability, and almost a fairly tolerable one, until you get to the "enclosed area" bit - I can't use the ability in a graveyard, really? Advanced Learning is probably the second or third best class feature the Nightstalker posseses, as it lets it add some limited variety (oxymoron anyone?) to their spell-list. Spiritual Companion - ghostly leadership? Pretty powerful in the right hands - I don't have the experience to call it gamebreaking, but given the sheer opportunities available I'd put the probability on high.
It's Spellcasting and Rebuke Undead is what I find most interesting. The spell list is based on Divination and Necromancy, and it's limited but has a couple gems: the cure/inflict and restoration line of spells, unseen servant, animate dead, death ward, enervation, and true seeing for sure. I haven't looked much into the Divine builds, but I understand that having access to turn/rebuke attempts is a big deal and gives you some powerful options. I don't know if stuff like Divine Might can be optimized here or what utility Divine Metamagic will provide for the class.
So, what would you guys do to optimize the Nightstalker if you sat down at the table on "deck of many character sheets" night and drew the Nightstaker? What would you build? Are there any real options here?
It's d6 HD and Medium BAB are nothing to write home about. The low HD seems exceptionally terrible, really. Most classes already have to put a heavy amount of investment in Constitution normally, but this class is already dependent on both Wisdom and Charisma for spellcasting. That's to say nothing about the rather expansive skill list (24 skills, notably: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Hide, Move Silently, Disable Device, Open Lock, Search, Listen, Spot, Knowledge (Arcana, Local, and Religion), and Use Magic Device), and yet only 4 skill points per level.
The actual class features are pretty weird, too. Rogue proficiencies and Trapfinding are pretty standard. Death Sight isn't bad, but it's only situationally good. Spiritual Resilience and Spectral Symbiosis just eventually end up saving you a spell or item slot (death ward is on the spell list, though every bit on a save or die helps). Whispers of the Dead is another campaign dependant ability, and almost a fairly tolerable one, until you get to the "enclosed area" bit - I can't use the ability in a graveyard, really? Advanced Learning is probably the second or third best class feature the Nightstalker posseses, as it lets it add some limited variety (oxymoron anyone?) to their spell-list. Spiritual Companion - ghostly leadership? Pretty powerful in the right hands - I don't have the experience to call it gamebreaking, but given the sheer opportunities available I'd put the probability on high.
It's Spellcasting and Rebuke Undead is what I find most interesting. The spell list is based on Divination and Necromancy, and it's limited but has a couple gems: the cure/inflict and restoration line of spells, unseen servant, animate dead, death ward, enervation, and true seeing for sure. I haven't looked much into the Divine builds, but I understand that having access to turn/rebuke attempts is a big deal and gives you some powerful options. I don't know if stuff like Divine Might can be optimized here or what utility Divine Metamagic will provide for the class.
So, what would you guys do to optimize the Nightstalker if you sat down at the table on "deck of many character sheets" night and drew the Nightstaker? What would you build? Are there any real options here?