Jormengand
2014-02-21, 03:40 PM
So, you wanna be a Dragon Disciple. That's a pity, because this campaign is starting at first level and isn't expected to get past fifth. No Dragon Disciple for you.
Or maybe you want to be an assassin; you've always liked the idea of having a sneaky gish-type. Well, that's a pity, because you can only take 10 levels in it, and paladins laugh at your spell selection.
Let's face it, prestige classes were a good idea done badly. So, how's about trying to do them as base classes?
Let's do it alphabetically, I guess. Arcane Archer, go!
The Arcane Archer
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial 0lvl1st2nd3rd4th5th6th
1st+1+2+2+0Imbue Arrow (1st), Enhance arrow +1 Strikethrough (Bludgeoning and Slashing)63—————
2nd+2+3+3+0Strikethrough (Alignment, cold iron and silver)64————[/td]—
3rd +3+3+3+1Imbue Arrow (2nd), Enhance arrow +2653————
[td]4th +4+4+4+1Seeker Arrow 1/day664————
5th +5+4+4+1Enhance arrow +3, Enchant arrow665————
6th +6/+1+5+5+2Imbue Arrow (3rd)6653———
7th+7/+2+5+5+2Enhance arrow +46664———
8th +8/+3+6+6+2Strikethrough (Adamantine), Seeker Arrow 2/day6665———
9th +9/+4+6+6+3Imbue Arrow (4th), Enhance arrow +566653——
10th +10/+5+7+7+3Phase Arrow 1/day66664——
11th +11/+6/+1+7+7+3Strikethrough (-), Enhance arrow +666665——
12th +12/+7/+2+8+8+4Seeker Arrow 3/day, Imbue Arrow (5th)666653—
13th+13/+8/+3+8+8+4Enhance arrow +7666664—
14th +14/+9/+4+9+9+4Hail of Arrows666665—
15th +15/+10/+5+9+9+5Phase Arrow 2/day, Imbue Arrow (6th), Enhance arrow +86666653
16th+16/+11/+6/+1+10+10+5Seeker Arrow 4/day6666664
17th +17/+12/+7/+2+10+10+5Enhance arrow +96666665
18th +18/+13/+8/+3+11+11+6Strikethrough (Epic)6666666
19th +19/+14/+9/+4+11+11+6Enhance arrow +106666666
20th+20/+15/+10/+5+12+12+6Arrow of Death, Phase Arrow 3/day, Seeker Arrow 5/day6666666
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d8
Class Skills
The arcane archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
Weapon and armour proficiency
An arcane archer is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.
Spellcasting:
Spells
An arcane archer casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below). While wearing light or medium armour, she does not incur arcane spell failure chance.
To learn or cast a spell, an arcane archer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an arcane archer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the arcane archer’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, an arcane archer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Arcane Archer. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score.
An arcane archer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. An arcane archer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and a single 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new arcane archer level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Arcane Archer Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a arcane archer knows is not affected by her Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Arcane Archer Spells Known are fixed.) These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the arcane archer has gained some understanding of by study. The arcane archer can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered arcane archer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), an arcane archer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the arcane archer "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level arcane archer spell the arcane archer can cast. An arcane archer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.
Unlike a wizard or a cleric, an arcane archer need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level. she does not have to decide ahead of time which spells she’ll cast.
Table: Arcane Archer Spells Known
Level01st2nd3rd4th5th6th
1st41-----
2nd52-----
3rd63-----
4th632----
5th643----
6th644----
7th6442---
8th6443---
9th6444---
10th64442--
11th64443--
12th64444--
13th644442-
14th644443-
15th644444-
16th6444442
17th6444443
18th6555443
19th6555444
20th6555554
Enhance Arrow (Su)
At 1st level, every nonmagical arrow an arcane archer nocks and lets fly becomes magical, gaining a +1 enhancement bonus. Unlike magic weapons created by normal means, the archer need not spend experience points or gold pieces to accomplish this task. However, an archer’s magic arrows only function for her. For every two levels the character advances past 1st level in the prestige class, the magic arrows she creates gain +1 greater potency (+1 at 1st level, +2 at 3rd level, +3 at 5th level, and so on).
At 11th level, it becomes necessary to use the Enchant Arrow class feature on the Arcane Archer's arrows to prevent them being epic - that is, no arrow may have an enhancement bonus greater than 5.
Imbue Arrow (Sp)
At 1st level, an arcane archer gains the ability to place a first or zero-level spell upon an arrow. If it is an area spell, when the arrow is fired, the spell’s area is centered on where the arrow lands, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. If it is a cone spell, the arcane archer is treated as standing one square behind the struck creature and casting the spell. If it is a line spell, the line goes from the arcane archer as normal, and terminates when it hits the target. If the spell is single-target, the target is affected as normal, even if the spell would normally only affect the caster.
This ability allows the archer to use the bow’s range rather than the spell’s range. It takes a standard action to cast the spell and fire the arrow, but only spells with a standard action cast time can be used in this way. The arrow must be fired in the round the spell is cast, or the spell is wasted. If the spell has more than one target, the spell can be cast through several arrows as part of a full attack action; if it affects a single target a full attack action can still be made with the spell as part of it.
At later levels, the Arcane Archer can use this ability on spells of the highest arcane archer spell level she can cast.
Strikethrough (Su): At first level, the arcane archer's arrows ignore DR/Slashing and DR/Bludgeoning (as well as DR/piercing, even if they are not piercing damage for some reason). At second level, the Arcane Archer's arrows ignore DR that is ignored by cold iron, alchemical silver or a specific alignment. At 8th level, this extends to adamantine. At 11th level, this applies to all DR except DR/epic, and at 18th this applies to all damage reduction.
Enchant Arrow (Su):
At fourth level, an arcane archer can swap part of the enhancement bonus from her arrows for a weapon for an equivalent weapon special quality. She must keep at least +1 enhancement bonus.
Seeker Arrow (Sp)
At 4th level, an arcane archer can launch an arrow once per day at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target, even around corners. Only an unavoidable obstacle or the limit of the arrow’s range prevents the arrow’s flight. This ability negates cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Every fourth level, the arcane archer gains one additional use of this ability per day.
Phase Arrow (Sp)
At 10th level, an arcane archer can launch an arrow once per day at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target in a straight path, passing through any nonmagical barrier or wall in its way. (Any magical barrier stops the arrow.) This ability negates cover, concealment, and even armor modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally.
Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Every fifth level thereafter, the Arcane Archer can use this ability once more per day.
Hail of Arrows (Sp)
In lieu of her regular attacks, once per day an arcane archer of 14th level or higher can fire an arrow at each and every target within range, to a maximum of one target for every arcane archer level she has earned. Each attack uses the archer’s primary attack bonus, and each enemy may only be targeted by a single arrow.
Arrow of Death (Sp)
At 20th level, an arcane archer can create an arrow of death that forces the target, if damaged by the arrow’s attack, to make a Fortitude save or be slain immediately. The DC for this save is as one would expect of a seventh-level spell, that is, 17 + the arcane archer's charisma modifier. It takes one day to make an arrow of death, and the arrow only functions for the arcane archer who created it. The arrow of death lasts no longer than one year, and the archer can only have one such arrow in existence at a time.
Or maybe you want to be an assassin; you've always liked the idea of having a sneaky gish-type. Well, that's a pity, because you can only take 10 levels in it, and paladins laugh at your spell selection.
Let's face it, prestige classes were a good idea done badly. So, how's about trying to do them as base classes?
Let's do it alphabetically, I guess. Arcane Archer, go!
The Arcane Archer
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial 0lvl1st2nd3rd4th5th6th
1st+1+2+2+0Imbue Arrow (1st), Enhance arrow +1 Strikethrough (Bludgeoning and Slashing)63—————
2nd+2+3+3+0Strikethrough (Alignment, cold iron and silver)64————[/td]—
3rd +3+3+3+1Imbue Arrow (2nd), Enhance arrow +2653————
[td]4th +4+4+4+1Seeker Arrow 1/day664————
5th +5+4+4+1Enhance arrow +3, Enchant arrow665————
6th +6/+1+5+5+2Imbue Arrow (3rd)6653———
7th+7/+2+5+5+2Enhance arrow +46664———
8th +8/+3+6+6+2Strikethrough (Adamantine), Seeker Arrow 2/day6665———
9th +9/+4+6+6+3Imbue Arrow (4th), Enhance arrow +566653——
10th +10/+5+7+7+3Phase Arrow 1/day66664——
11th +11/+6/+1+7+7+3Strikethrough (-), Enhance arrow +666665——
12th +12/+7/+2+8+8+4Seeker Arrow 3/day, Imbue Arrow (5th)666653—
13th+13/+8/+3+8+8+4Enhance arrow +7666664—
14th +14/+9/+4+9+9+4Hail of Arrows666665—
15th +15/+10/+5+9+9+5Phase Arrow 2/day, Imbue Arrow (6th), Enhance arrow +86666653
16th+16/+11/+6/+1+10+10+5Seeker Arrow 4/day6666664
17th +17/+12/+7/+2+10+10+5Enhance arrow +96666665
18th +18/+13/+8/+3+11+11+6Strikethrough (Epic)6666666
19th +19/+14/+9/+4+11+11+6Enhance arrow +106666666
20th+20/+15/+10/+5+12+12+6Arrow of Death, Phase Arrow 3/day, Seeker Arrow 5/day6666666
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d8
Class Skills
The arcane archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
Weapon and armour proficiency
An arcane archer is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.
Spellcasting:
Spells
An arcane archer casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below). While wearing light or medium armour, she does not incur arcane spell failure chance.
To learn or cast a spell, an arcane archer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an arcane archer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the arcane archer’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, an arcane archer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Arcane Archer. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score.
An arcane archer’s selection of spells is extremely limited. An arcane archer begins play knowing four 0-level spells and a single 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new arcane archer level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Arcane Archer Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a arcane archer knows is not affected by her Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Arcane Archer Spells Known are fixed.) These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the arcane archer has gained some understanding of by study. The arcane archer can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered arcane archer level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), an arcane archer can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the arcane archer "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level arcane archer spell the arcane archer can cast. An arcane archer may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.
Unlike a wizard or a cleric, an arcane archer need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level. she does not have to decide ahead of time which spells she’ll cast.
Table: Arcane Archer Spells Known
Level01st2nd3rd4th5th6th
1st41-----
2nd52-----
3rd63-----
4th632----
5th643----
6th644----
7th6442---
8th6443---
9th6444---
10th64442--
11th64443--
12th64444--
13th644442-
14th644443-
15th644444-
16th6444442
17th6444443
18th6555443
19th6555444
20th6555554
Enhance Arrow (Su)
At 1st level, every nonmagical arrow an arcane archer nocks and lets fly becomes magical, gaining a +1 enhancement bonus. Unlike magic weapons created by normal means, the archer need not spend experience points or gold pieces to accomplish this task. However, an archer’s magic arrows only function for her. For every two levels the character advances past 1st level in the prestige class, the magic arrows she creates gain +1 greater potency (+1 at 1st level, +2 at 3rd level, +3 at 5th level, and so on).
At 11th level, it becomes necessary to use the Enchant Arrow class feature on the Arcane Archer's arrows to prevent them being epic - that is, no arrow may have an enhancement bonus greater than 5.
Imbue Arrow (Sp)
At 1st level, an arcane archer gains the ability to place a first or zero-level spell upon an arrow. If it is an area spell, when the arrow is fired, the spell’s area is centered on where the arrow lands, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. If it is a cone spell, the arcane archer is treated as standing one square behind the struck creature and casting the spell. If it is a line spell, the line goes from the arcane archer as normal, and terminates when it hits the target. If the spell is single-target, the target is affected as normal, even if the spell would normally only affect the caster.
This ability allows the archer to use the bow’s range rather than the spell’s range. It takes a standard action to cast the spell and fire the arrow, but only spells with a standard action cast time can be used in this way. The arrow must be fired in the round the spell is cast, or the spell is wasted. If the spell has more than one target, the spell can be cast through several arrows as part of a full attack action; if it affects a single target a full attack action can still be made with the spell as part of it.
At later levels, the Arcane Archer can use this ability on spells of the highest arcane archer spell level she can cast.
Strikethrough (Su): At first level, the arcane archer's arrows ignore DR/Slashing and DR/Bludgeoning (as well as DR/piercing, even if they are not piercing damage for some reason). At second level, the Arcane Archer's arrows ignore DR that is ignored by cold iron, alchemical silver or a specific alignment. At 8th level, this extends to adamantine. At 11th level, this applies to all DR except DR/epic, and at 18th this applies to all damage reduction.
Enchant Arrow (Su):
At fourth level, an arcane archer can swap part of the enhancement bonus from her arrows for a weapon for an equivalent weapon special quality. She must keep at least +1 enhancement bonus.
Seeker Arrow (Sp)
At 4th level, an arcane archer can launch an arrow once per day at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target, even around corners. Only an unavoidable obstacle or the limit of the arrow’s range prevents the arrow’s flight. This ability negates cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Every fourth level, the arcane archer gains one additional use of this ability per day.
Phase Arrow (Sp)
At 10th level, an arcane archer can launch an arrow once per day at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target in a straight path, passing through any nonmagical barrier or wall in its way. (Any magical barrier stops the arrow.) This ability negates cover, concealment, and even armor modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally.
Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Every fifth level thereafter, the Arcane Archer can use this ability once more per day.
Hail of Arrows (Sp)
In lieu of her regular attacks, once per day an arcane archer of 14th level or higher can fire an arrow at each and every target within range, to a maximum of one target for every arcane archer level she has earned. Each attack uses the archer’s primary attack bonus, and each enemy may only be targeted by a single arrow.
Arrow of Death (Sp)
At 20th level, an arcane archer can create an arrow of death that forces the target, if damaged by the arrow’s attack, to make a Fortitude save or be slain immediately. The DC for this save is as one would expect of a seventh-level spell, that is, 17 + the arcane archer's charisma modifier. It takes one day to make an arrow of death, and the arrow only functions for the arcane archer who created it. The arrow of death lasts no longer than one year, and the archer can only have one such arrow in existence at a time.