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View Full Version : D&D 4e 4e Homebrew Shapeshifter, WIP, Comments please.



Surrealialis
2014-02-27, 12:20 AM
Hi Everyone,
I used a class creator I found on this site http://www.theplaywrite.com/ to create a character class that I felt was really missing from the current 4e. The class is influenced heavily by the Shifter/MoMF of 3-3.5. More accurately, the class is meant to feel like playing a Shifter in the good old NWN computer game. Naturally. a lot of sacrifices had to be made in order to fit into the current design and BALANCE, but I think I have the 'idea' right. So I would love everyone's opinion on my level 1 character before I progress too far down my power ideas. My biggest concern is having a fun, epic feeling while not making the rookie mistake of throwing out obviously OP abilities.
For CharOPers and balance enthuthiasts, level 1 DPR using only at wills is about 9.5-10, comparing to a 'select all for me' greataxe barb (9.73 - plus potential multi target damage 2-4dpr extra) (a class which informs much of the design choices for this class)
And the essentials ranger(scout) 13.78 (because rangers OP). For reference, the apex MBA is (Con+5 Prof+3 KiExpertise+1) +9 vs AC [2d4] +8 (Con+5+Wis+3) and the Mimic is +9 -> 1d8+8 but mimics can use other weapons
-> +8 vs ac 1d12 +8 possible?

The class has the base design sense of the barbarian, high HP, surges and low defenses with temp hp potential. It will also borrow utility powers from druid (not implemented yet) and the druid wild shape for one build. The encounters need the most work. The daily on the other hand, using the same idea as the protector druids summon natural ally, having a scaling daily power with built in adaptability that provides a decent dpr boost. I may even borrow the funtionality of 'companions' but have the companion card replace your characters essential card and spot on the board. Dailies provide static buffs and give a dpr boost bringing you just above the ranger's at will dpr with a defense bonus, but with almost no NOVA capability and at the cost of a daily, Many until the end of encounter buffs end early if you change your form in any way. Please excuse typo's.

Well. Here goes.
Skinshifter
"All the forms of the world are available to me, but which is best for today?"
CLASS TRAITS:
Role: Striker, Secondary Roles: Defender or Controller
Power Source: No power source (Primal and Ki)
Key Abilities: Constitution, Wisdom/Charisma

Armour Proficiencies: Cloth, Hide, Leather
Weapon Proficiencies: Improvised melee, Improvised ranged, Military melee, Simple melee, Simple ranged,
Implements: Ki Focuses
Bonuses to Defense: +1 Fortitude:, +1 Reflex:, +1 Will:

Hit Points at 1st Level: 15 + Constitution score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 6
Healing Surges per Day: 8 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose 0 more trained skills at 1st level. Class Skills: Athletics, Dungeoneering, Endurance, Insight, Nature, Perception, Bluff.

Class Features: Apex Predator, Mimic, Shapechanging focus, Dextrous Form, Bodily Manipulation, Skinshift, Improvised Attack

As a skinshifter you use the power of your soul and your attunement to the primal forces of the land to create of yourself a natural weapon. All skinshifters are born to their powers somewhat unexpectedly, either out of a lycanthropic or changeling heritage or the beginnings of a career as a druid, in all cases they display an uncanny ability to change their form that far exceeds the abilities of their peers.
As a skinshifter you draw on the power of your will to manipulate your very nature into a tool that best fits the specific task. Your soul is the only anchor to your true self and it allows you to pull power from the primal forces of the land and from the matter that comprises your physical form.

Class features

Shapechanging focus: Choose either Apex Predator or Mimic.

APEX PREDATOR
You channel the primal powers of the wild as a manifestation of your will and constitution. You emulate natural and magical beasts in your quest to become the perfect predator. Make Constitution your highest score, followed by wisdom, which will empower your attacks and allow you to channel greater power from the primal forces. You gain training in Athletics and add your wisdom modifier to all attacks in beast form.

You gain the Wild Shape druid feature. In addition, while wildshaped you gain Claw natural weapons in which you are proficient (+3). These weapons deal 2d4 damage and gain the bonuses of your ki focus.
Your powers gain the Beast form keyword when using these weapons in wildshape.

    Wild Shape: You gain the Druid Wild shape class feature

MIMIC
You use the ultimate power of your mind over your body, channeling sheer force of will into impersonating creatures throughout the land, or simply turning your flesh into iron hard armor and your arms into sword like appendages.
Make constitution your highest score, followed by charisma, which will allow you to more easily take on the forms and mannerisms of the creatures you impersonate or more easily manipulate your body into a weapon. Your ability to quickly manipulate your body also allows you to adapt effective camoflauge in any environment. You gain training in Bluff and add your charisma modifer to damage rolls while evershifting form is active.

You gain a +5 bonus to bluff checks when taking on the form of another being for the purposes of an opposed insight vs. bluff check to discover your true nature. In addition, you gain the evershifting form feature
    Evershifting form: You gain the evershifting form power.

DEXTROUS FORM
While not wearing heavy armor you gain +1 to AC and Reflex. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th and +3 at 21st level.

BODILY MANIPULATION
Through your powers you can change you body to match any form or function, because of this skinshifters often resemble physically perfect specimens of their races with great health and athletics. This power over your form allows you to use your constitution modifer in place of your dexterity or strength modifer for melee and ranged basic attacks rolls and damage.

SKINSHIFT
You gain the skinshifter power as a daily power and do not gain daily attack powers at levels 5-29. Instead you gain the skinshifter power at level 1 and gain an additional use of the power at levels 5 and 9.
When you use a skinshift daily power, you must spend a healing surge but do not gain hit points.

IMPROVISED ATTACK
You gain the improvised attack power

Skinshifter Feature Powers

Wild Shape - Apex ONLY

Improvised Attack
Skinshifter Feature
Encounter * Primal
Immediate Reaction                 Personal
Trigger: An enemy targets you for an attack
Effect: You can use an at-will attack power that targets the enemy who triggered this power.

Evershifting form - Mimics ONLY
Skinshifter Attack 1
Your body is as flexible as your creativity, easily changing form to match your desires for battle or subterfuge.
At-Will * Ki, Polymorph
Minor Action                 Personal
Effect: You change your humanoid form to reflect the situation at hand. You choose one of the following options when you use this power.
- You assume the form of another medium humanoid, you gain all cosmetic characteristics related to the form and any creature must make an opposed insight vs your bluff check to see reveal your true nature. You retain all the statistics, equipment and possessions of your natural form. This persists until you use this power again.
- You assume the colour and texture of the area around yourself, you gain a +5 bonus to stealth checks made after using this power and become lightly obscured. These bonuses are lost when you move or change form.
- You meld your flesh into combat capable armor or weapons, if you are not wearing any armor, you gain armor as if you were wearing hide armor with an enhancement bonus of your ki focus -1. If you are not wielding a weapon in one of your hands, you can equip a 1d8 light blade/hand with the offhand property and a +3 proficiency. These effects persist until you change form again.

Skinshift
Skinshifter Feature
Your whole body contorts and expands, growing a protective hide and fearsome natural weapons.
Daily * Polymorph
Minor Action                 Personal
Prerequisite: You must have atleast 1 healing surge
Requirement: Spend a healing surge
Effect: All of your powers gain the beast form keyword until the end of the encounter or until you change form. You can choose from the following options:
See Skinshift level 1 forms.

Level 1 At-Will Powers CHOOSE 2

Shifting Strike
Skinshifter Attack 1
At-Will * Arcane, Weapon
Standard Action                 Personal
Effect: Shift 1 before or after the attack.
Make a melee or ranged basic attack against one target and gain a +2 bonus to reflex until the start of your next turn.

Elemental blessing - Apex ONLY
Skinshifter Attack 1
At-Will * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action                 Melee or Ranged weapon
Prerequisite: When you use this attack choose one of Cold, Fire, Lightning or Acid. This attack deals damage of the chosen type.
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Con (+5) + Wis (+3) elemental damage.

Defensive Adaptation
Skinshifter Attack 1
At-Will
Standard Action                 Personal
Effect: Make a ranged or melee basic attack against one target. Gain a +2 bonus to AC and resist 1 forced movement until the start of your next turn.

Soul Blessing - MIMIC ONLY
Skinshifter Attack 1
At-Will * Ki
Standard Action                 Melee or Ranged weapon
Prerequisite: Choose one of the following: radiant, necrotic, force, psychic. This attack deals damage of that type.
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + con (+5) + wis (+3)

Level 1 Encounter Powers

Bestial Hybrid
Skinshifter Attack 1
Encounter * Primal, Beast Form, Weapon
Standard Action                 Melee 1
Prerequisite: You must have the apex predator focus to use this attack.
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + con modifier (+5) and you gain temporary hitpoints equal to the damage dealt.
Miss: You gain temporary hitpoints equal to your con modifier.
Effect: You form yourself into a hybrid of your beast form self and your humanoid self, walking on two legs and retaining your wildshape features. You gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses until the end of the encounter or until you change form. You can choose to use powers and manipulate objects as if you were not in beast form.

Unpredictable Advance
Skinshifter Attack 1
Encounter * Primal, Weapon
Standard Action                 Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Con (+5)
Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you change forms. You gain a +2 damage bonus to charge attacks.
Apex Predator: The bonus damage is equal to your wis modifier (+3)
Special: This attack can be used in place of of a melee basic attack at the end of a charge.

Emulating Strike
Skinshifter Attack 1
You twist and turn your target until you have changed positions and then, to their horror, they realize you're wearing their face.
Encounter * Ki, Polymorph, Weapon
Standard Action                 Melee 1
Target: 1 creature
Prerequisite: You must have the Mimic focus to use this power.
Hit: 1[W] + con modifier (+5) and you and the target swap positions. If the target is a medium or smaller humanoid your form changes to match the target and you make a secondary attack. If the target is of size Large or larger, this attack deals 1[W] + cha modifier (+3) extra damage.
Secondary Target: All creatures in a burst 10
Secondary Attack: Charisma + 3 vs. Will
Effect: Until the end of your next turn anytime a creature would target you with a melee or ranged attack they must succeed on a saving throw to determine if they will attack you. On a fail they attack your initial target instead.

Level 1 Daily Power - Level 1 forms AND associated form specific attacks.

-You take the form of a powerful dire tiger gaining surge value temporary hit points, a +2 power bonus to AC and Reflex, +2 power bonus to speed, a natural bite weapon which deals 2d6 damage and takes the place of weapon attacks. While in the form of the dire tiger, you deal an extra 1d6 damage on melee attacks with combat advantage and you can make the dire tiger savage bite power once while in this shape. You can make a minor action to shift 1 at will and can make a jump move action as if you had a running start.

- You take the form of a young troll gaining a +3 power bonus to AC and regenerate 5. In addition you gain natural claw weapons that deal 2d6 damage. If you take fire or acid damage, the regeneration effect does not function on your next turn. If you are reduced to 0 hit points you fall unconscious until the start of your next turn, on your turn you will become conscious with 10 hit points. If you had taken fire or acid damage since your last turn, you will not regain consciousness this way and must be healed conventionally. You can make the troll fury attack once before the end of this form.

-You take the form of the feyspitter spider gaining a bite weapon which deals 1d6 damage and causes 5 ongoing poision damage. This weapon can be used as a light thrown weapon with a range of 5/10. You also gain a +1 power bonus to all defenses and can climb your speed. You may make the poison spittle attack once before the end of this form.

Savage Bite (Dire Tiger)
Skinshifter Attack 1
Daily * Primal, Beast Form, Weapon
Standard Action                 Melee weapon 1
Target: One creature
Attack: Constitution vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Con modifier and ongoing 5 damage (save ends)

Troll Fury (Troll)
Skinshifter Attack 1
Daily * Primal, Beast Form, Weapon
Standard Action                 Personal
Hit: Make two melee basic attacks against one target. If both attacks hits, the target is grabbed. If the target fails to escape the grab, you can use this power again with a +2 power bonus to hit.

Poison Spittle
Skinshifter Attack 1
Daily * Arcane, Poison, Beast Form
Standard Action                 Close blast 3
Prerequisite: You must be in the form of the feyspitter spider to make this attack.
Target: Each creature in blast
Attack: Constitution vs. Will
Hit: Ongoing 5+ con modifier(+5) poison damage (save ends)