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qwertyu63
2014-11-23, 11:02 AM
Ascendant:

Some seek to please the gods, to sing praise onto their names; others seek to curse them, to spit in their faces. However, a rare few seek to join them; they seek to ascend to the title of god. Those who seek the power of the gods are known as ascendants.

Requirements:
Skills: 8 ranks in any skill.
Special: Must have have been to any outer plane or have directly spoken to a god/goddess.


LevelBABFortRefWillSpecialClass Features
1st+0+2+0+0Divine Spark--
2nd+1+3+0+0Domain Control+1 level of existing class
3rd+2+3+1+1--+1 level of existing class
4th+3+4+1+1Divine Presence+1 level of existing class
5th+3+4+1+1Power of Worship--
6th+4+5+2+2Divine Presence+1 level of existing class
7th+5+5+2+2--+1 level of existing class
8th+6+6+2+2Champion+1 level of existing class
9th+6+6+3+3----
10th+7+7+3+3Ascension+1 level of existing class


Skills: The ascendant’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex) and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Hit Die: d8

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Ascendants gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Class Features:
At every ascendant level except for 1, 5 and 9, you gain class features (including spellcasting ability) and an increase in effective level as if you had also gained a level in a class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level.

You do not, however, gain the benefit of your previous class’s Hit Dice, attack progression, skill points, or saving throws. If you had more than one class before becoming an ascendant, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining class features.

Divine Spark (Ex):
The ascendant seizes a spark of divine power. This grants them many useful abilities.

The ascendant gains the effects of divine health, becoming immune to diseases and poisons. They are also immune to aging, becoming ageless.

The ascendant is now a valid source for providing divine spells, offering the domains of their alignments and additional domains of their choice such that they offer a total of 5 domains.

The ascendant can also take away the power they give. If the ascendant knows of someone drawing spells from them whose behavior they disapprove of, they can choose to withhold spells from the caster as a free action, which prevents the caster from preparing new spells/recovering used slots (reversing this choice is also a free action).

The ascendant must choose their favored weapon; they must be proficient in the chosen weapon. They set the code of conduct for their church.

The ascendant no longer counts as mortal for the effects of divine abilities.

Spellcasting:
The ascendant has access to divine power over their domains; this allows them to cast spells. At first level, the ascendant must choose one of their ability scores as their casting stat.

The ascendant casts divine spells, which are drawn from the ascendant spell list. The ascendant spell list consists of the ascendant's domains and the following spells.

Spell level 1: Inspire Mortal
Spell level 2: Hear Prayers
Spell level 3: Distant Vision
Spell level 4: Forge Plane, Plane Shift
Spell level 5: Divine Insight, Divine Sight

To prepare or cast a spell, the ascendant's casting stat must be at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a ascendant’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the ascendant’s casting stat modifier.

The ascendant must choose and prepare their spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour drawing power from their spark. While doing so, the ascendant decides which spells to prepare. The ascendant can prepare from their entire spell list.

Like other spellcasters, an ascendant can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Their daily spell allotment is given on on the following table. In addition, they receive bonus spells per day if they have a high casting stat.


Level12345
12--------
23--------
342------
44+13------
54+142----
64+14+13----
74+14+142--
84+24+14+13--
94+24+14+142
104+24+24+14+13


(In addition to the stated number of spells per day, an ascendant eventually gets wildcard spell slots. The "+1" and "+2" in the entries on this table represents those spell slots.)

Wildcard Slots:
Starting at level 4, the ascendant starts to gain wildcard spell slots. The ascendant can prepare any cleric or druid spell in their wildcard spell slots. Furthermore, the ascendant can "lose" any prepared wildcard spell in order to cast any spell of the same spell level or lower from any of their domains.

Domain Control:
Starting at level 2, the ascendant has a form of control over their domains. When the ascendant prepares their spells, they must also choose one domain. They have the granted power of the chosen domain as a cleric of their ascendant level until the next time they prepare spells. If the chosen domain adds one or more skills to your "list of cleric class skills", it instead gives a +4 bonus on all checks involving those skills.

Divine Presence (Ex):
One should not challenge a god on their home turf. Starting at level 4, the ascendant benefits from great divine power while inside any of their churches. This grants them the following effects:

+4 bonus on attack and damage rolls.
+4 bonus to armor class.
+4 bonus to all saving throws.
DR 4/-

An ascendant with a divine realm also gets these benefits while in their divine realm.

Starting at level 6, they can also grant a lesser version of these benefits to their allies. While the ascendant has the benefit of this class feature, they can grant the following benefits to any number of allies within the same church (or within 50 feet, if the ascendant is in their divine realm):

+2 bonus on attack and damage rolls.
+2 bonus to armor class.
+2 bonus to all saving throws.
DR 2/-

Power of Worship (Ex):
The ascendant can draw power from their followers. Starting at level 5, whenever the ascendant spends 1 consecutive week in their divine realm, they gain 10 worship points for each church they have. Worship points can be spent like XP, but only for the following purposes:

* Leveling up to gain a new ascendant level.
* Paying XP costs of ascendant spells.

Champion (Ex):
At level 8, the ascendant can appoint one of their high clerics as their champion. To make this appointment, the ascendant must contact that cleric; they may do this in person or by casting Distant Vision. An ascendant can have only one champion at a time.

The ascendant's chosen champion stops being a high cleric (so a new one takes their place). An ascendant's champion is effectively a cohort of the ascendant. The champion has a maximum level of the ascendant's character level minus 2; all of the champions levels are cleric levels.

Ascension (Ex):
At level 10, the ascendant completes their path to godhood; the true might of the divine swells up within them. All of their ability scores gain a +2 inherent bonus. They take on a slightly different form, allowing them to treat their creature type as outsider or their normal type, whichever is more convenient. In addition, they receive maximum hit points for each Hit Die (this applies retroactively).

Ascendant Spells:
Only an ascendant can cast these spells. Possessing a divine spark is a requirement to cast these spells. These spells can not be put into a potion, a scroll, a wand or any other form of magic item.

Inspire Mortal
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Ascendant 1
Components: V, S, XP
Casting Time: 1 full-round action
Range: 30 feet
Target: Creature within 30 feet
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The ascendant allows their divine glory to shine down upon another, inspiring that indivdual to great feats.

This spell must target a mortal within a city where the ascendant doesn't have a church. This spell only works if the targeted mortal has few levels in an NPC class* and no PC levels.

(*: The meaning of "few" varies from one campaign to another. Few is however many levels nameless commoners have in that campaign. The idea is that nameless commoners are the intended target.)

Within a week, a small church of you is built within that city. The mortal targeted becomes the high cleric of that church, who is a 2nd level cleric of you (see "High Cleric" sidebar).

XP cost: 300 XP

High Cleric (sidebar):
Your high cleric is capable of a great many feats and will assist you to the best of his or her ability.

Your high cleric will do as you request within reason (including providing free shelter, healing and food), but can not leave the city. If one of your high clerics retains that title for 2 uninterrupted months, the cleric's level increases by 1. This increase stacks with itself up to your character level -2.

If the high cleric of a your church should die, a new cleric will take their place within a week (starting at level 2). If one of your churches is destroyed, the high cleric of that church will rebuild it within a week. If both the high cleric and church are gone at the same time, they have been wiped out (you will need to cast Inspire Mortal again to replace the church).

Hear Prayers
Divination
Level: Ascendant 2
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The ascendant opens their heart and mind to hear the call of the faithful.

For the duration of this spell, you can hear any prayer directed at you. This spell grants you no ability to respond.

Distant Vision
Evocation
Level: Ascendant 3
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: See text
Target: One divine caster drawing spells from you
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The ascendant reaches out to one of their own to deliver a short message.

You contact a divine caster drawing spells from you and send a short message of twenty-five words or less to the subject. The subject recognizes you. This spell does not grant the subject any ability to respond to you.

Forge Plane
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Ascendant 4
Components: V, S, XP
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: See text
Effect: Depends on the chosen mode, see text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The ascendant re-arranges reality to create a realm of their own. This spell has two modes: Create and Modify.

Create:
To cast the Create mode, you must be on the outer plane that matches your alignment. Furthermore, you must not already have a divine realm (if you had a realm which was somehow destroyed, you may create another one).

By casting the spell in its create mode, you create a divine realm of your own. This divine realm is a demiplane 250 feet in radius. The created demiplane is coterminous with the spot on the outer plane where you cast the spell. The created plane is your divine realm (see "Divine Realm" sidebar).

You determines the environment within the demiplane when you cast this spell, reflecting most any desire the you can visualize. You determine factors such as atmosphere, water, temperature, and the general shape of the terrain (this allows you to establish things such as weather or seasons if you wish). This also allows you to choose the amount of light on the plane (including establishing a day/night cycle).

This mode can even create basic life (such as normal plants and animals) and basic construction (such as buildings and roads). This spell can not create any material more valuable than iron (1 sp per pound).

All planar traits of the plane match your native plane.

Modify:
To cast the Modify mode, you must be on your divine realm. By casting the spell in its modify mode, you can determine a new environment for the plane; you may choose any environment you could have chosen when creating the plane. Creatures on the plane are uneffected (you can remove normal animals anyway, if you wish).

XP cost: 3,000 xp (create mode), 500 xp (modify mode).

Divine Realm (sidebar):
As your divine realm, your demiplane has some strange effects.

The primary effect is that fact that it can pull the souls of your followers to it. Whenever a divine caster who draws their spells from an ascendant dies, the ascendant may choose to claim their soul. If the ascendant does, the caster becomes a solid soul on the ascendant divine realm, which acts as their afterlife.

They retain all memory of life, but do not retain their abilities from life. Instead, their stats undergo the following changes:

Ability Scores stay the same.
All class levels except their first two are lost.
Their hit dice become 2d8.
Their BAB is set to +2.
They retain all skills they had in life.
They lose all Ex, Su and Sp abilities/attacks from race/template.
Their type changes to outsider.
They can not leave your demi-plane.
They are immune to mind-affecting effects.

If someone so changed is restored to life (as this is their afterlife), they are restored to their previous form.

For each soul the ascendant accepts into their realm, the radius of the plane increases by 5 feet (this radius increase remains even if the soul is later restored to life).

In addition, the ascendant's soul is also pulled to their realm. If they die, they move to this plane for their afterlife. They remain the same except they can not leave the plane (unless raised from the dead, which pulls them back), nor can they raise themselves from the dead.

The ascendant does not need a tuning fork to plane shift to their divine realm. You can dismiss a creature from your divine realm as a standard action (DC 20 Will save negates).

Divine Insight
Divination
Level: Ascendant 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The ascendant attunes himself to his followers and learns some of their actions.

When you cast this spell, you choose 3 triggering rules (such as "says my full name" or "kills an innocent creature"). Whenever a divine caster who draws their spells from you triggers one of the chosen rules, you are instantly mentally alerted to this fact; you know who triggered the rule, what rule they triggered and where they are.

This spells duration lasts until the next time you cast this spell.

Divine Sight
Divination (Scrying)
Level: Ascendant 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: See text
Effect: Magical sensor
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The ascendant gazes upon the world to view events as they transpire.

You can see and hear some creature or location, which may be at any distance, including across planar boundaries. Unlike most scrying effects, the subject receives no saving throw. However, the subject must one of the following:

* A divine caster that draws spells from you.
* An altar dedicated to you.

In either case you can see and hear the subject and the subject’s immediate surroundings (approximately 10 feet in all directions of the subject). If the subject moves, the sensor follows at a speed of up to 150 feet.

As with all divination (scrying) spells, the sensor has your full visual acuity, including any magical effects.

Ascendant Miracle
Evocation
Level: Ascendant 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: See text
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: See text

The ascendant draws deep into his spark and unleashes great divine power.

An ascendant miracle can duplicate any cleric, druid or ascendant spell of 5th level or lower (including spells which you have access to because of your domains).

A duplicated spell allows saving throws and spell resistance as normal, but the save DCs are as for a 6th-level spell. When a miracle duplicates a spell that has an XP cost, you must pay that cost. When a miracle spell duplicates a spell with a material component that costs more than 100 gp, you must spend additional XP in the place of that component.

XP Cost: 500 XP. If duplicated spell has a material component that costs 100 gp or more, there is an additional XP cost equal to one-fifth of the cost of that component in gp.

Ascendant Feats:
Only an ascendant can take these feats. These feats directly increase the power of some ascendant spells or abilities.

Divine Reach:
You can send your divine power down into the world.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast the spell Divine Sight.
Benefit: Spells you cast from your ascendant spell slots can be cast through a scrying sensor created by the spell Divine Sight; if cast in this way, the spell takes effect as if the caster was the scrying sensor. You must provide any needed components.

Divine Expansion:
You expand your divine portfolio.
Prerequisite: Divine Spark.
Benefit: Choose a domain. Add that domain to the list of domains you offer.

Amechra
2014-11-23, 05:11 PM
Interesting...

For the Divine Realm sidebar... is there any reason why you didn't use the Petitioner template?

I'm sorta seeing an E6 game where epic characters take a "level" in this class for every 2 Epic feats they get; they would gain the class features and the spellcasting, but wouldn't get the HD.

Then Gods would just be 6th level characters with 10 Ascendent "Levels".

Extra Anchovies
2014-11-23, 05:15 PM
Hm. I like. Thematic question, however: assuming level five entry, these guys are done by level 15. What do they do with their last five levels, now that they're a god-lite? I think it might be interesting to make this a 15-level PrC that grants Divine Rank 0 (or maybe even 1) as a capstone.

qwertyu63
2014-11-24, 08:11 AM
Interesting...

For the Divine Realm sidebar... is there any reason why you didn't use the Petitioner template?

No real reason; I just don't like the Petitioner template.


I'm sorta seeing an E6 game where epic characters take a "level" in this class for every 2 Epic feats they get; they would gain the class features and the spellcasting, but wouldn't get the HD.

Then Gods would just be 6th level characters with 10 Ascendent "Levels".

You know what; someone mentioned E6 in my first "turn you into a god" PrC. I guess the idea of low-power gods just makes people think of E6.

EDIT 2: You know what; you did know that. You did it last time.


Hm. I like. Thematic question, however: assuming level five entry, these guys are done by level 15. What do they do with their last five levels, now that they're a god-lite? I think it might be interesting to make this a 15-level PrC that grants Divine Rank 0 (or maybe even 1) as a capstone.

I'd suggest 5 more levels of whatever you were before you started ascending.

As for Divine Rank, I am always very hesitant to give that out. You get quite a bit for it. I'll be back with a list.

EDIT: the list has arrived.

DvR 0:
Max all Hit Dice.
Increases Speed (60 for Medium, 50 for Small).
Bypasses DR as your alignment (the text says it only applies if you are an outsider; the Ascension class feature should allow it to work).
Immune to:
--polymorphing, petrification, or any other attack that alters its form.
--energy drain, ability drain, or ability damage.
--mind-affecting effects.
DR 10/epic.
Fire resistance 5.
Spell resistance 32.
Immortality.
All your domain spells as SLA's at will (at this DvR, you normally don't have domain spells you can grant, but with the class being discussed you do).
DvR 1:
Max all Hit Dice.
Increases Speed (60 for Medium, 50 for Small).
Bypasses DR as your alignment (the text says it only applies if you are an outsider; the Ascension class feature should allow it to work).
Don't automatically fail on a natural saving throw or attack roll of 1.
+1 divine bonus to:
--Armor class.
--Attack rolls.
--Saving throws.
--Skill checks.
--Ability checks.
--Caster level checks.
--Turning checks.
Immune to:
--polymorphing, petrification, or any other attack that alters its form.
--energy drain, ability drain, or ability damage.
--mind-affecting effects.
--electricity, cold, and acid.
-- disease and poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, and death effects, and disintegration.
DR 15/epic.
Fire resistance 6.
Spell resistance 33.
One salient divine ability.
Immortality.
All your domain spells as SLA's at will.
Senses go out to one mile.
Remote Sensing.
Block Sensing.
Portfolio and Portfolio Sense.
Automatic Actions within your portfolio.
Create Magic Items within your portfolio.
Divine Aura (10 foot radius).
Grant Spells (a bit redundant, the class has already done that).
Can spontaneously cast any spell you can grant.
Can speak any language.
Can speak to anyone within one mile of you.
Can speak to any worshiper or anyone within one mile of a site or statue of you.
Godly Realm.
Greater Teleport at will.

Rater202
2014-11-24, 10:29 AM
...Completly honest, I don't like it.

Most of the class is dead levels, a caster taking it is committing suicide, it seems too easy to get into, and the capstone is underwhelming.

Buff the capstone a little bit, and either ad a few more class features or compress it down to 5 levels.

Make it harder to get into, like a level 10-11 minimum entry

qwertyu63
2014-11-24, 11:33 AM
...Completly honest, I don't like it.

Most of the class is dead levels, a caster taking it is committing suicide, it seems too easy to get into, and the capstone is underwhelming.

Buff the capstone a little bit, and either ad a few more class features or compress it down to 5 levels.

Make it harder to get into, like a level 10-11 minimum entry

...dead levels on a casting class. I wonder if they are getting new spell levels in several of those "dead levels". By my count, they have 3 dead levels, each of which advances their previous class. They would also have new class features in those levels, but I ran out of ideas (all the class features from the previous version of this class were turned into spells and spellcasting).

With regards to casters and suicide, I could increase the previous class enhancement some, but that is about all I could do there (and I worry that could make things too strong).

The class is supposed to be easy to get into.

Rater202
2014-11-24, 12:49 PM
This mostly a matter of opinion, but "Becoming a god" really shouldn't be a thing every Tom, Richard, and Harry can potentially do-or if it is, it should be something you work your ass off to pull off.

Extra Anchovies
2014-11-24, 02:24 PM
Adding an extra "+1 to class features" at levels 3 and 7 would make it a lot more appetizing. Maybe even another one at 5th as well.

Also, I second the level 10 minimum entry. Change the prereq to 13 ranks any skill, and make the capstone a bit better. I now get your point about DR 0 being too much (I had forgotten how much it provided), but it should be a bit more than it is.

qwertyu63
2014-11-24, 06:53 PM
Adding an extra "+1 to class features" at levels 3 and 7 would make it a lot more appetizing. Maybe even another one at 5th as well.

That sounds like a plan.


Also, I second the level 10 minimum entry. Change the prereq to 13 ranks any skill, and make the capstone a bit better. I now get your point about DR 0 being too much (I had forgotten how much it provided), but it should be a bit more than it is.

Yeah, no. I put it where I want it. I've no plan to move it.

I might buff the capstone though.

sajro
2014-11-28, 10:08 PM
I was reading the class, and I must say I agree with the others that the capstone needs a buff, my first thought though was simply to when they get their capstone allow them to benefit from the Divine presence at all times, or at least gain half that bonus at all times. They would seem more godly in my humble opinion.