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The Cats
2014-01-17, 12:09 AM
Wardkeeper

Kami are the ancient spirits of nature, created by the gods as guardians for those parts of nature that could not protect themselves. Immortal and powerful, kami rarely give thought to the tiny, short-lived mortal races. Once in a great while, though, a mortal catches the attention of a powerful kami and gains its favour through providing a service to or otherwise honoring the kami.
The kami, usually a jinushigami, bestows upon the mortal a gift disguised as a further service to the kami. He is charged with the lifelong protection of a shikigami and its ward.
The newly-made wardkeeper is granted amazing power by his jinushigami patron and their shikigami ward; power enough to protect his ward and empower any allies who may aid him.

Role: While no pushovers on their own, Wardkeepers truly shine as part of a team. With abilities that strengthen both themselves and their allies, a group of adventurers with a wardkeeper among them is a force to be reckoned with.

Alignment: Any non-evil

Religion: Wardkeepers must be followers of Kami-do

Hit die: d10

Starting Wealth: 3d6 × 10 gp (average 105gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills: The wardkeeper’s class skills are Craft (all), diplomacy, heal, knowledge (geography), knowledge (nature), knowledge (religion), perception, profession (all), sense motive, stealth, survival and use magic device.

Skill ranks per level: 4+int modifier

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1|+0|+2|+0|+2|Sutra Caster, Sutra, Ward Sight, Kami Ward, Ward Bonus
2|+1|+3|+0|+3|Ward Bonus, Ward Feat
3|+2|+3|+1|+3|Kami Familiar, Sutra
4|+3|+4|+1|+4|Ward Bonus, Weapon Ward, Magic Ward
5|+3|+4|+2|+4|Split Ward 1, Sutra
6|+4|+5|+2|+5|Ward Bonus, Ward Feat
7|+5|+5|+3|+5|Merge With Ward, Sutra
8|+6/+1|+6|+3|+6|Ward Bonus, Returning Ward
9|+6/+1|+6|+4|+6|Sutra
10|+7/+2|+7|+4|+7|Ward Bonus, Ward Feat
11|+8/+3|+7|+5|+7|Split Ward 2, Sutra
12|+9/+4|+8|+5|+8|Ward Bonus
13|+9/+4|+8|+6|+8|Merge With Split Wards, Sutra
14|+10/+5|+9|+6|+9|Ward Bonus, Ward Feat
15|+11/+6/+1|+9|+7|+9|Animate Ward, Sutra
16|+12/+7/+2|+10|+7|+10|Ward Bonus
17|+12/+7/+2|+10|+8|+10|Split Ward 3, Sutra
18|+13/+8/+3|+11|+8|+11|Ward Bonus, Ward Feat
19|+14/+9/+4|+11|+9|+11|Animate Split Wards, Sutra
20|+15/+10/+5|+12|+9|+12|Blessing of the Kami[/table]

Weapon and armor proficiencies: Wardkeepers are proficient with all simple weapons. Wardkeepers are proficient with light armor, medium armor and shields (except tower shields).

Sutra Casting(Ex) Wardkeeper are shown the secrets of magical sutras by their patron kami to aid them in protecting their ward from oni and other evil spirits. Wardkeepers gain Sutra Caster as a bonus feat at 1st level, even if they do not meet all the prerequisites. Wardkeeper is a sutra caster class. Wardkeepers know one sutra at 1st level. At every odd level the wardkeeper learns a new sutra. If the wardkeeper already knows the maximum amount of sutras (twice their unenhanced wisdom modifier) they will learn the new sutra as soon as they increase their unenhanced wisdom modifier.

Ward Sight(Su) A wardkeeper can inherently tell if a something is a kami’s ward and if a kami or wardkeeper is merged with the ward by looking at it. A wardkeeper can determine the direction of all wards within ten miles by concentrating for one minute.

Kami Ward(Ex) At 1st level, a wardkeeper is charged with protecting a shikigami’s ward. The ward must be a decorative object made of wood or stone that is one or two size categories smaller than the wardkeeper. As long as the ward is in the wardkeeper’s or the wardkeeper’s shikigami familiar’s possession, it only weighs 1/2lbs if two size categories smaller than the wardkeeper or 2lbs if one size category smaller than the wardkeeper. When in anyone else’s possession a diminutive wooden ward weighs 1lbs and diminutive stone ward weighs 5lbs. For every size category above diminutive, multiply the ward's weight by 4. Wooden wards have a hardness of 5. Stone wards have a hardness of 8. Diminutive wards have 5 hitpoints plus one per class level. Tiny wards have 10 hitpoints plus one per class level.

The shikigami within the ward will only emerge to aid the wardkeeper if its ward is in direct danger and will fight to the death to protect its ward, until the wardkeeper reaches 3rd level.

The wardkeeper has an empathic link with the ward and can always tell how far away and in what direction it lies, no matter the distance. This link also allows the wardkeeper to tell if the ward is in another creature’s possession and the alignment of any creature possessing the ward. This link ceases to function if the ward is taken to a different plane than the wardkeeper but resumes functioning once the two are on the same plane again.

If the ward becomes broken or destroyed the wardkeeper takes a -1 penalty on attack, AC and saving throws until the ward is repaired or replaced. Ward bonuses do not function if the ward is broken or destroyed. A ward can be repaired normally as any object. A ward can be replaced by crafting a new one. (DC10, 50sp value) If the shikigami within the ward is killed the wardkeeper’s kami ward is considered broken until the shikigami is replaced. The wardkeeper can attract a new shikigami to the ward with a ritual that lasts 12 hours and requires 100gp worth of rare herbs and oils. The wardkeeper gets a +10 ward bonus to the required craft skills when using it to repair or create a ward.

Ward Bonus(Ex) A kami ward grants a number of bonuses to whoever has it in their possession. At first level the kami ward grants a +1 ward bonus to attack and a a +1 ward bonus to AC. Every even level thereafter the wardkeeper adds a new ward bonus of his choice from the list below. If the wardkeeper has more than one ward he chooses which one grants the new bonus when it is gained. Ward bonuses on the same ward stack. Ward bonuses do not stack with ward bonuses from other wards.. The wardkeeper can suppress or activate all bonuses a ward grants as a free action. This ability suppresses or activates every bonus a ward grants and cannot be used to only suppress or activate individual bonuses. Ward bonuses can only be active when the ward’s shikigami kami is merged with it. When the shikigami emerges from a ward all ward bonuses are suppressed until the shikigami re-merges with the ward. Ward bonuses to AC do apply to touch AC.

Ward bonuses: The following ward bonuses can be taken a total of three times each: +2 any skill (can be taken three times for each skill), +2 initiative, +2 concentration, +2 CMB, +1 rounds ward bonuses remain active after shikigami emerges
The following ward bonuses can be taken a total of twice each: +1 AC, +1 attack, +1 will save, +1 reflex save, +1 fortitude save

Starting at level 10 the wardkeeper adds the following additional choices:
Three times each: +2 melee damage, +2 ranged damage, +5 hitpoints
Twice each: +1 melee attack, +1 ranged attack
Only once: +2 any ability score, +5’ land speed, +1 all saves

Ward Feats(Ex) At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, a wardkeeper chooses a teamwork feat as a bonus feat. He must meet all prerequisites for these feats. He only has access to these feats as long as his kami ward is within 30’ of him. Any creature benefitting from any of the wardkeeper’s ward bonuses are granted all of his ward feats for as long as they are benefitting from the bonuses, even if they do not meet the prerequisites.

Kami Familiar(Ex) At 3rd level the shikigami within the wardkeeper’s kami ward grows to respect and trust the kami speaker enough to become his familiar. This ability is identical to the wizard's arcane bond with a familiar and the Improved Familiar feat, using the wardkeeper’s class level in place of the wizard level.

The wardkeeper’s kami ward is the shikigami’s ward. It always emerges holding its ward. The wardkeeper’s kami familiar benefits from the ward bonuses of a ward it is holding even if they are suppressed. At 5th level when the wardkeeper gains the split ward ability his kami familiar gains the merge with split wards ability. This is identical to the merge with split wards ability the wardkeeper gains at 13th level

Weapon Ward(Ex) At 4th level the wardkeeper’s kami ward can be used as an effective weapon. Any creature who is benefitting from any of the wardkeeper’s ward bonuses gains the benefits of the Throw Anything and Catch Off Guard feats when attacking with a kami ward. A diminutive wooden ward deals 1d3 damage. A tiny wooden ward deals 1d4 damage. A small wooden ward deals 1d6 damage. Stone wards deal damage one die step higher than wooden wards. Kami wards are improvised weapons unless they are wielded by their wardkeeper.

When wielded by the wardkeeper, his kami ward is considered a simple weapon that he is proficient with. The ward’s damage die increases by one step. Wards two size categories smaller than the wardkeeper are one-handed and can be thrown with a range increment of 20 feet. Wards one size category smaller than the wardkeeper are two-handed and can be thrown with a range increment of 10 feet. Wooden wards have a critical range of 19-20 x2. Stone wards have a critical range of 20 x3. All wards deal bludgeoning damage.

Magic Ward(Ex)At 4th level the wardkeeper may add enhancement bonuses or magic weapon special abilities to his kami ward using the magic item creation rules as though he had the Craft Magical Arms and Armor feat. The wardkeeper can use craft(sculpting) or craft(carving) in place of any spellcraft checks required to enchant his wards.

Split Ward(Ex) At 5th level a wardkeeper’s shikigami familiar takes a second object as its ward. Like the first ward, the second ward must be a decorative object made of wood or stone one or two size categories smaller than the wardkeeper.

The second ward is treated as the same as the first in regards to all of the wardkeeper’s ward-based abilities.

The wardkeeper can choose to split his ward bonuses between his two wards. By meditating for an hour at dawn with both wards in his possession, the wardkeeper can rearrange which ward grants which bonuses. For example; if he has ward bonuses that grant +2 AC +1 attack +1 all saves and +2 perception, he can choose to make his first ward grant +1 AC and +1 attack and his second ward grant +1 AC, +1 all saves and +2 perception. The second ward does not grant any bonuses until the wardkeeper rearranges his bonuses like this.

At 11th level the wardkeeper’s shikigami familiar takes a third object as its ward. At 17th level it takes a fourth. The third and fourth wards have all the same properties as above.

Merge with Ward(Su) At 7th level as a standard action, a wardkeeper can merge his body and mind with his kami ward. When merged, the wardkeeper can observe the surrounding region with his senses as if he were using his own body. He has no control over his ward, nor can he communicate or otherwise take any action other than to emerge from his ward as a standard action. The wardkeeper benefits from all of the kami ward’s ward bonuses when merged with it, even if they are suppressed. A wardkeeper must be holding his kami ward to merge with it. The wardkeeper emerges holding his kami ward. If the wardkeeper has more than one kami ward he can only merge with one of them at a time. Only true seeing or ward sight can detect a wardkeeper once he is merged. If the wardkeeper’s kami ward becomes broken while he is merged with it, the wardkeeper is expelled from the ward and takes 4d6 damage. If the kami ward is destroyed while he is merged with it the wardkeeper is expelled from the ward and must make a DC25 fortitude save or die. If he makes the save he takes 4d6 damage.

Returning Ward(Su) At 8th level as a swift action a ward keeper can summon his kami ward into his hands from any distance as long as it is on the same plane as the wardkeeper and not in the possession of another creature. In addition, if the wardkeeper or his shikigami familiar use his kami ward as a thrown weapon it is treated as having the returning special ability.

Merge With Split Wards(Su) At 13th level the wardkeeper can choose to merge with all of his kami wards at once. When he merges with his wards this way he is considered merged with all of them and can choose to emerge from any one of them. He can shift the focus of his senses allowing him to observe the surrounding region from one ward to another as a free action. If a ward is taken to another plane while the wardkeeper is merged with it he loses his connection with it until it is back on the same plane as him. This otherwise functions as the merge with ward ability.

Animate Ward(Su) At 15th level the wardkeeper can choose to animate one of his kami wards whenever he merges with it. This functions like a Possess Object spell with no time limit. He can only animate one of his wards at a time. While a ward is animated he cannot shift his senses to or emerge from any other ward. He chooses which ward is animated when he merges with his wards.

The wardkeeper’s kami wards each have two construction points when animated regardless of their size. Stone kami wards must take the stone ability as one of their construction points. All other construction point abilities are chosen by the wardkeeper the first time he animates a ward and cannot be changed afterwards. Kami wards cannot have the metal abilitiy. Wooden kami wards cannot have the stone ability. Kami wards should only have abilities that their mundane form would allow. For example, a tiny wooden statue kami ward should have carved wings if it were to have the fly ability when animated.

A kami ward’s hitpoints when animated are equal to their base object’s hitpoints. If the kami ward has any enhancement bonuses it adds those bonuses to its animated form’s natural attacks. If the kami ward has any special abilities its animated form also has those abilities. If they are offensive abilities it adds them to its natural attacks.

Animate Split Wards(Su) At 19th level the wardkeeper can choose to animate two of its kami wards at once whenever he merges with them.

Blessing of the Kami(Ex) At 20th level the wardkeeper is filled with the power of kamis. His creature type changes to native outsider, he becomes immune to bleed, mind-affecting effects, petrification, and polymorph effects, he gains Resist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10 and he no longer has to eat, breathe or sleep. In addition, as long as he has at least one of his kami wards in his possession, the wardkeeper does not gain the extraplanar subtype when travelling to other planes. Unlike other native outsiders, wardkeepers can still be raised from the dead.

The Cats
2014-01-17, 12:10 AM
Feats

Extra ward bonus
Prerequisite: Ward bonus class feature
Benefit: Your kami ward gains a ward bonus of your choice.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times.

Extra ward feat
Prerequisite: Ward feat class feature
Benefit: You gain a teamwork feat of your choice as a ward feat. You must meet all prerequisites for the chosen feat.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times.

Metal ward
Prerequisite: Kami ward class feature
Benefit: Your kami ward is plated in either cold iron or silver. It's base hardness increases to 10. It's damage increases by one die step. It's weight when not in your possession doubles. If you have more than one kami ward or gain another kami ward you can choose to have them plated as well. If you animate a metal ward it always has the metal construction point ability.

The Cats
2014-01-18, 10:45 PM
Archetypes


Onikeeper
While wardkeepers gain there boons by impressing kami spirits with their honor and generosity, onikeepers attract the attention of the vile oni through displays of cruelty and heartless ambition. A powerful oni might be amused enough by a such displays to not only let the mortal live, but grant him great powers and the bound service of a spirit oni.

Alignment: Any evil

Class Skills: Onikeepers add intimidate to their class skills and remove diplomacy.

Oni Sight(Su) An onikeeper can inherently tell if a someone is an oni in disguise by looking at him. An onikeeper can determine the direction of all oni within ten miles by concentrating for one minute. This replaces the Ward Sight ability.

Oni Mask(Ex) At 1st level an onikeeper is given a hideous wooden oni mask by his oni patron. This mask weighs 2lbs, has a hardness of 5 and 10 hitpoints. The onikeeper gains a +2 ward bonus to intimidate when wearing his mask.

At third level the mask becomes a spirit oni.

The onikeeper has an empathic link with the mask and can always tell how far away and in what direction it lies, no matter the distance. This link also allows the onikeeper to tell if the mask is in another creature’s possession and the alignment of any creature possessing the mask. This link ceases to function if the mask is taken to a different plane than the onikeeper but resumes functioning once the two are on the same plane again.

If the mask becomes broken or destroyed the onikeeper takes a -1 penalty on attack, AC and saving throws until the mask is repaired or replaced. Ward bonuses do not function if the mask is broken or destroyed. A mask can be repaired normally as any object. A mask can be replaced by crafting a new one. (DC10, 50sp value) If the onikeeper's spirit oni familiar is killed the onikeeper suffers the same penalties until the onikeeper summons a new spirit oni with a ritual that lasts 12 hours and requires 100gp worth of rare herbs and oils. The onikeeper gets a +10 ward bonus to craft(carving) when using it to repair or create an oni mask.

The mask functions exactly like a wardkeeper's kami ward for the purpose of granting ward bonuses and ward feats. The spirit oni familiar is considered merged with wards always up to 3rd level and when using it's mask symbiosis ability thereafter. This replaces the kami ward ability.

Oni Familiar(Ex) At 3rd level the onikeepers oni mask is possessed by a spirit oni. This ability is identical to the wizard's arcane bond with a familiar and the Improved Familiar feat, using the wardkeeper’s class level in place of the wizard level.

Whenever the oni familiar is not using it's mask symbiosis ability, it benefits from all ward bonuses and ward feats it would grant to the person wearing it if it were using it's mask symbiosis ability. This replaces the kami familiar ability.

Magic Mask(Ex) At 4th level the onikeeper gains the ability to add magical abilities to his oni familiar as though it were an item and he had the craft wondrous items feat. The oni familiar has access to and can activate any abilities added to it as long as the no one is wearing it with mask symbiosis. This replaces the weapon ward and magic ward abilities.

Grant Ward Bonuses(Ex) At 5th level the onikeeper can grant some of his ward bonuses to another person. To do this, the person receiving the bonuses must prick his finger on the onikeeper's oni familiar's horn. This causes 1d2 charisma damage. The person then has the benefit of some of the onikeeper's ward bonuses for as long as at least 1 point of the charisma damage remains. Once the charisma damage is fully healed all ward bonuses granted to the person automatically return to the onikeeper's oni familiar.

The onikeeper can choose which bonuses are granted. For example; if he has ward bonuses that grant +2 AC +1 attack +1 all saves and +2 perception, he can choose to grant +1 AC and +1 attack to the person and keep +1 AC, +1 all saves and +2 perception with his oni familiar.

At 5th level the onikeeper can only grant his bonuses to one other person at a time. Attempting to grant a bonus to anyone else before the first person's charisma damage is fully healed has no effect. At 11th level he can grant bonuses to up to two people at once. At 17th level he can grant bonuses to up to three people at once. At 20th level there is no limit to the number of people he can grant bonuses to. This replaces the split wards ability.

Oni Form(Su) At 7th level the onikeeper has much in common with his oni patron. He is granted the power to shapechange into a monstrous mockery of his normal form once per day. This functions like the spell monstrous physique I except the onikeeper must take a shape that is the same size he is. At 10th level this functions like monstrous physique II. At 13th level this functions like monstrous physique III. At 16th level this functions like monstrous physique IV. The onikeeper can still only take a shape that is the same size he is. Every two levels after 7th the onikeeper gains an additional use of this ability per day. At 20th level he can use this ability at will. This replaces the merge with ward, returning ward, merge with split wards, animate ward, animate split wards and blessings of the kami abilities.



Kodama Friend
Some wardkeepers are lucky enough to be given the honor of protecting the ward of a kodama kami instead of a shikigami kami.

Kodama Kami Ward(Ex) A kodama friend's first kami ward must be a small sized tree sapling that must be kept in a pot of soil. The tree, pot and soil weigh 10lbs altogether. The tree requires daily watering and sunlight to remain healthy. If it does not get water and sunlight for three days in a row it becomes sickly. This grants the same penalties as if the kami ward were broken. After two days of regular watering and sunlight the tree returns to health. If the tree does not receive water or sunlight for seven days in a row it dies. This grants the same penalties as if it were destroyed. If the tree dies or is destroyed it can be replaced with another small sapling found in a forest. (not a within a settlement)

Every time the kodama friend gains a level the tree grows, increasing in weight by 1lbs. By 7th level the tree is too large to carry and must be planted in a permanent location.

Any subsequent wards gained with the split ward ability are regular kami wards but must be made out of wood.

The ability replaces and otherwise functions as the kami ward ability, replacing any instance of shikigami with kodama.


Kami Companion(Ex) At 4th level the kodama kami within the ward grows to respect and trust the kodama friend enough to become his constant companion. The Kodama Kami friend uses the same advancement as a druid’s animal companion with the following changes:

Starting Statistics: Size small; Speed 30 ft. AC +1 natural armor; Immune bleed, mind-affecting effects, petrification, polymorph;Attack2 claws (1d3) Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 17; Special Attacks Distracting Gaze: Staggered for 1d4 rounds, 30 feet, Will DC 16 negates. This is a mind-affecting effect that requires the kodama to be visible to those it wishes to affect. The save DC is Charisma-based.;Languages Common, speak with plants, telepathy 100ft; Special Qualities merge with ward, ward (kodama kami ward); spell-like abilities (CL 6th), At will--speak with plants, 3/day -- charm animal.

10th-Level Advancement: Size Medium Ability Scores Str +2, Con +2; Special Qualities DR5/cold iron; Reist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10; spell-like abilities (CL 6th), at will-- tree shape, 3/day-- entangle, tree stride

HD
The kodami kami companion uses ten-sided dice for it’s hit-die.

Skills
Multiply the listed value by 2 to determine the Kodama's skill ranks. If the Kodama increases its Intelligence to 12 or higher, it gains bonus skill ranks as normal. Kodama Kami can have ranks in any skill; it’s class skills are climb, escape artist, perception, sense motive, stealth and survival. It cannot have more ranks in a skill than it has Hit Dice.

Feats
The kodama kami companion may select any feat for which it qualifies.

The Kodama Kami does not gain bonus tricks.

The kodama friend's kodama kami ward is the kodama’s ward. The kodama friend’s kami companion benefits from the ward bonuses of a ward it is holding even if they are suppressed. At 5th level when the wardkeeper gains the split ward ability his kami companion gains the merge with split wards ability.

The kodama friend’s effective druid level for his kodama kami companion is equal to his druid level-3. This ability replaces the kami familiar, weapon ward and magic ward abilities.

Teleport to Ward(Su) At 7th level a kodama friend can teleport to his original kodama kami ward. This requires a ritual that takes ten minutes and can only be performed once per day. The kodama friend can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn't exceed his maximum load. After a kodama friend teleports to his ward he may choose to teleport back to the exact location he left so long as he does so within a number of hours equal to his kodama friend level-6. He must be adjacent his original ward to teleport back. At 13th level the ritual required to teleport only takes 1 minute. At 19th level it is a full round action. The kodama friend can only teleport to his original kodama kami ward, not to any of his subsequent wards gained with the split ward ability. This ability replaces the merge with ward, merge with split wards and returning ward abilities.

Animate Kodama Ward(Su) At 15th level the kodama friend's kodama kami companion can choose to animate one of his kami wards whenever he merges with it. If the kodama animates the original kodama kami ward this way it has the statistics of a treant but without a move speed or the animate trees ability. This replaces and otherwise functions as the animate ward ability.

Animate Split Kodama Wards(Su) At 19th level the kodama friend's kodama kami companion can choose to animate two of its kami wards at once whenever he merges with them. THis ability replaces and otherwise functions as the animate split wards ability.

Jormengand
2014-01-25, 02:02 PM
Okay, I don't understand a large amount of this class, so forgive me if this is just pointing out mistakes, but there are a few things I did notice:

You keep using "It's" when you mean "Its."

a mortal catches the attention of a powerful kami and gains it’s favour...

...He is charged with the lifelong protection of a shikigami and it’s ward...

...Ward Sight(Su) A wardkeeper can inherently tell if a something is a Kami’s ward and if the kami is merged with it’s ward by looking at it...

...The shikigami within the ward will only emerge to aid the wardkeeper if it’s ward is in direct danger and will fight to the death to protect it’s ward, until the wardkeeper reaches 3rd level...

...It always emerges holding it’s ward...

...Split Ward(Ex) At 5th level a wardkeeper’s shikigami familiar takes a second object as it’s ward...

...At 11th level the wardkeeper’s shikigami familiar takes a third object as it’s ward...

...If the kami ward has any enhancement bonuses it adds those bonuses to it’s animated form’s natural attacks. If the kami ward has any special abilities it’s animated form also has those abilities. If they are offensive abilities it adds them to it’s natural attacks...

...Animate Split Wards(Su) At 19th level the wardkeeper can choose to animate two of it’s kami wards at once whenever he merges with them.

Doesn't necessarily matter, but it looks unprofessional.

You underestimate the size of a weapon.


A weapon’s size category isn't the same as its size as an object. Instead, a weapon’s size category is keyed to the size of the intended wielder. In general, a light weapon is an object two size categories smaller than the wielder, a one-handed weapon is an object one size category smaller than the wielder, and a two-handed weapon is an object of the same size category as the wielder.


Diminutive wards are one-handed and can be thrown with a range increment of 20 feet. Tiny wards are two-handed and can be thrown with a range increment of 10 feet.

This makes no sense unless the Wardkeeper is an awakened cat or something.

Unlimited healing may be a bad idea, even as a capstone.


In addition, as long as he has at least one of his kami wards in his possession, the wardkeeper has fast healing 5

I'm not saying you necessarily have to change it, but infinite healing doesn't really fit with this class's otherwise T3-ness.

You have to merge with all or none of your wards at thirteenth level, you can no longer merge with just one.


When he merges with any one of his wards he is considered merged with all of them

This wouldn't be a problem on its own, but:


If the wardkeeper’s kami ward becomes broken while he is merged with it, the wardkeeper is expelled from the ward and takes 4d6 damage. If the kami ward is destroyed while he is merged with it the wardkeeper is expelled from the ward and must make a DC25 fortitude save or die. If he makes the save he takes 4d6 damage.

You might, conceivably, not want to merge with all your wards, but merge with just one instead because you know you have a fairly high chance of being instagibbed if you merge with the one owned by Smashalot the Wardkeeper 1/Barbarian 12, but you want to have a look at the one in the Forest of Not Very Dangerous Animals. From thirteenth level onwards, you can no longer do so.

Ward Bonuses shouldn't stack with other wards.


All ward bonuses stack with each other.

You can get +24 to initiative if you have 4 wards. You can also get +8 to all saves (or more, but it starts costing more), +8 to, oh, let's say Strength... you get the idea. You basically do not die, ever, you always always go first (as in, not even an Illumian with the right sigil and stoopidhuge DEX and several buffs and feats can compare to that).

The one that concerns me the most, though, is the possibility of +24 to any skill. If you knew anything about me, you knew this was going to involve truenamers: The ability to boost your truespeak so high and the fact that you can take utterances with feats will make your DM's brain ache - you can utter at things exceptionally well with no levels in truenamer. Or just, y'know, give them to the party's truenamer (because no party should be without a truenamer). Let's face it, no self-respecting truenamer (they exist, really!) is going to Leadership in a Wardkeeper for a nice +24 to the skill that runs his class, and to his leadership. UMD may be another candidate for abuse, too.

In fact, let's be honest, everyone wants one of these as a cohort just so they can steal all their wards and run around with +24 initiative and +lots to all their saves, leaving the poor Wardkeeper back home to fend off any eighteenth-level aristocrats who are threatening the PC's base of operations.

There are a few random other mistakes

By meditating for an hour at dawn with both wards in his possession, the kami druid can rearrange which ward grants what bonuses.

You're a Wardkeeper, not a Kami Druid. And "Which ward grants which bonuses" would make that sentence read better.


A wardkeeper can inherently tell if a something is a Kami’s ward and if the kami is merged with it’s ward by looking at it.

Again, I assume this means "A wardkeeper can inherently tell if a something is a wardkeeper’s ward and if the wardkeeper is merged with its ward by looking at it."


Wardkeepers are proficient with all simple weapons. Wardkeepers are proficient with light armor, medium armor and shields. (except tower shields)
The sentence in parentheses should go before the full stop, and if it did not it would have a capital letter anyway.




Otherwise, it looks pretty cool. Really, with a bit of work it could be right in the middle of the big box with "Tier 3" written on it. Good work!

The Cats
2014-01-25, 03:48 PM
I keep using "It's" when you mean "Its."
Ugh. English is hard.

You underestimate the size of a weapon.
I imagined the ward being more unwieldy than a regular weapon, thus the more hands than normal. Still, tiny and small would make more sense. I realize I didn't take into consideration the possibility of different-sized wardkeepers.

Unlimited healing may be a bad idea, even as a capstone.
Noted.

You have to merge with all or none of your wards at thirteenth level, you can no longer merge with just one.
Yeah, that was a major oversight. I'll change it. Also, just to clarify: You can only merge with your own wards, not wards owned by other kamis/wardkeepers.

Ward Bonuses shouldn't stack with other wards.
You don't get a ward bonus for each ward you own: You only get one ward bonus every other level and you can choose which of your wards gives that bonus. The most you can get is +6 initiative, +8 to any one skill, +4 to any one save and +2 to strength, split between 4 wards. And you'd have to be level 24 to do it.

The spit wards is to allow the wardkeeper to help his allies a little and activate his teamwork feats. And yes, a wardkeeper would make a pretty good cohort.

EDIT: Of course, if you were a party of 4 wardkeepers, one of you would be pretty majorly badass. I've tweaked the class as per your suggestions. (besides the stacking thing) Thanks for the suggestions!

Jormengand
2014-01-25, 04:32 PM
Ward Bonuses shouldn't stack with other wards.
You don't get a ward bonus for each ward you own: You only get one ward bonus every other level and you can choose which of your wards gives that bonus. The most you can get is +6 initiative, +8 to any one skill, +4 to any one save and +2 to strength, split between 4 wards. And you'd have to be level 24 to do it.

Oh, that makes more sense, though remember the ward grants +1 to each save automatically. Still, the wards can grant some pretty nice bonuses, but yeah, that looks a lot more sensible now.

I'm still worried that, for example, +1 to attack rolls, +1 to AC and +1 to all saving throws (the basic effect of the totem) is already the equivalent of two-and-three-halves of a feat, which is really putting fighters out of a job, even in PF where they actually have class features. +6 initiative is also a big deal, especially when you can take Improved Initiative too.

I guess that what's really troubling me is that this class seems really boring to play, just because you would end up handing your wards over to someone competent, but also the kind of thing that a truenamer would give his twentieth level to get his hands on.

Oh, and one more thing. When I brought up Leadership, I specifically mentioned Cohorts... but what about followers? Even if you have a leadership score of only 22 (A fairly easy task - A human sorcerer 8 with 22+4 charisma for a +8 modifier can do this with the +6 from random modifiers) you can be running around with +91 to all saves, attack rolls and your AC and +44 to your initiative (or your truespeak score, even) without even looking at your cohort. Lord forbid you port this over to 3.5: Epic Leadership and Legendary Commander would make your spellcraft check ascend to godhood in its own right, not to mention your saving throws, attack bonus and AC which are somewhere in the tens of thousands. Now that's epic.

WARD. BONUSES. SHOULD. NOT. STACK. WITH. OTHER. WARDS.

Oh, and you checked the PEACH exchange thread, right?

The Cats
2014-01-25, 05:00 PM
Ha, yeah. Breaking news: Leadership can be exploited for ridiculous gain. Luckily, outside of theorycrafting, sensible DMs are a thing. I get your point though, no need to shout and over-emphasize.

The initial bonus looks like a lot, but considering the wardkeeper is 3/4 BAB and can't wear heavy armor I think a fighter compares favourably. I'll remove the +1 to all saves at level one though. It is 3/2 of a feat, now that you point it out.

I don't think the class would be boring. Feat-starved, maybe. It's a hard support class. You're supposed to be handing out wards. Then, since wards also give teamwork feats, you're still not useless, especially if your party likes tactics. Add in the sutras (which have variety of effects that scale with your level) and the fact that you can hand a ward (and some wands) to your familiar when you're alone to make full use of your features (At low levels a shikigami is decent. At high levels he doesn't have to fight, he can just be invisible and get in position) and you've got plenty to do. At high levels (with merge with split wards and animate wards) you could even be an unorthodox infiltrator!

You won't be smashing crazy face or breaking physics, but your party will love you and you won't be stuck in the back plinking away with a crossbow.

Jormengand
2014-01-25, 05:37 PM
Heh. Now that leadership shenanigans have been sunk (Though you can still have one follower who gives you initiative, one who gives you fortitude, one who gives you AC, and so on) it looks a lot better. Good work!

Now, you just need copious amounts of playtesting, and see if any problems come up in play which you didn't think of before.

The Cats
2014-01-25, 05:41 PM
Yep. Only issue right now is a lack of anyone I know willing or interested in playing a hard support class. Time to beg my GM to let me play a homebrew race of my design! That's sure to go well.

Jormengand
2014-01-25, 05:54 PM
Yep. Only issue right now is a lack of anyone I know willing or interested in playing a hard support class. Time to beg my GM to let me play a homebrew race of my design! That's sure to go well.

I dunno, if I made a homebrew-testing PbP game, would you be interested? After all, I have spells to sling, so I need it as much as you do.

The Cats
2014-01-25, 06:02 PM
Hahaha, oh heck yes!

Jormengand
2014-01-25, 07:08 PM
Hahaha, oh heck yes!

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=327592

For your convenience.

The Cats
2014-01-26, 08:57 PM
SO I added some basic feats and an archetype (that could kinda just be it's own class for the amount of stuff it replaces.)