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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Class "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the tip of my sword!"



Magery
2015-01-08, 09:48 AM
There's a place for everything in Dungeons and Dragons.

The Wizard, with more intelligence than Cortana, and a large enough spellbook to send the average schoolboy to sleep just by looking at it. The Bard, with more Charisma than the lovechild of Natalie Dormer and Winston Churchill, and enough genre savvy to expect the Spanish Inquisition. The Cleric, with more Wisdom than Confucius, and enough divine power to feed the hungry, heal the sick, walk on water, and smite the Romans.

But sometimes, all that just isn't enough. So what if you can make your own demiplane, or bluff the nearest country into believing you're their monarch, or turn the tides of an entire battle with a single spell? Sure, it's cool and all, but we all have those days where we just want to smash the crap out of everything with a sword. Except, y'know, without sucking.

So, if you're having one of those days... boy oh boy do I have the class for you.

Some say it's the illegitimate lovechild of Kenpachi Zaraki and Sephiroth. Others wonder if it's entirely a function of my obsession with small female characters wielding gigantic swords. And a strange, precious few believe it to be nothing more than Yet Another Badly Built Fighter Fix.

But me?

I just call it the Godsword.

Alignment: Any
Starting Gold: As Warblade
Skill Points: 4 + INT
Hit Die: d10



Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
MK
MR
SK


1
+1
+2
+2
+0
My Sword Is Bigger Than Yours +1
3
3
1


2
+2
+3
+3
+0


3
3
1


3
+3
+3
+3
+1
Brawn Over Beauty
3
3
1


4
+4
+4
+4
+1


4
3
1


5
+5
+4
+4
+1
Reach Out And Touch Somebody (10'), My Sword Is Bigger Than Yours +2
4
3
1


6
+6/+1
+5
+5
+2
Size Does Matter (AC Bonus)
4
4
2


7
+7/+2
+5
+5
+2
Bonus Feat
5
4
2


8
+8/+3
+6
+6
+2


5
4
2


9
+9/+4
+6
+6
+3
My Sword Is Bigger Than Yours +3
5
4
2


10
+10/+5
+7
+7
+3
Bonus Feat
6
4
2


11
+11/+6/+1
+7
+7
+3
Strength Of A Hundred
6
5
3


12
+12/+7/+2
+8
+8
+4
Size Does Matter (AC Bonus)
6
5
3


13
+13/+8/+3
+8
+8
+4
My Sword Is Bigger Than Yours +4, Bonus Feat
7
5
3


14
+14/+9/+4
+9
+9
+4


7
5
3


15
+15/+10/+5
+9
+9
+5
Reach Out And Touch Somebody (15')
7
5
3


16
+16/+11/+6/+1
+10
+10
+5
Bonus Feat
8
6
4


17
+17/+12/+7/+2
+10
+10
+5
My Sword Is Bigger Than Yours +5
8
6
4


18
+18/+13/+8/+3
+11
+11
+6
Size Does Matter (Total Cover)
8
6
4


19
+19/+14/+9/+4
+11
+11
+6
Bonus Feat
9
6
4


20
+20/+15/+10/+5
+12
+12
+6
World Of Cardboard
9
6
4


Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex)

Weapon And Armour Proficiencies: A Godsword is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light and medium armour, but not shields.

Maneuvers Known: A Godsword learns maneuvers from the Iron Heart and Stone Dragon disciplines. They ready, refresh, and recover their maneuvers as Warblades do. However, levels in the Godsword class count as initiator levels only for maneuvers granted by this class, as their maneuvers are especially designed and modified to take into account their oversized weaponry, unlike those of other martial classes.

At level 4, and every two levels thereafter, the Godsword may swap out any maneuver they know for any other maneuver they are capable of learning. This follows the same rules, and functions in the same way, as the Warblade's ability to trade in maneuvers.

In reference to the table, MK indicates Maneuvers Known, MR indicates Maneuvers Readied, and SK indicates Stances Known.

My Sword Is Bigger Than Yours (Ex): At level 1, the Godsword can use weapons one size category larger than normal without penalty. At levels 5, 9, 13, and 17, this size category increases by one step. This ability stacks with their Strength of a Hundred class feature, as well as everything their Strength of a Hundred class feature stacks with.

Brawn Over Beauty (Ex):​ At level 3, the Godsword may use their Strength modifier as a replacement for their Charisma modifier when it comes to the Intimidate skill, and the Leadership feat. This does not, and indeed cannot, apply to any other skill that has Charisma as its key ability modifier (including, but not limited to, Bluff, Diplomacy, Iaijutsu Focus and Use Magical Device). They also gain a +4 on their Intimidate check for every size category their weapon is larger than their opponent's. For the purposes of this ability, an unarmed opponent is treated as having a weapon appropriate for their own size category.

Bonus Feat: The Godsword gains a bonus feat at levels 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19, taken from the Fighter Bonus Feat list. For the purposes of these feats, their Fighter level is equivalent to their Godsword level - 3. These effective fighter levels stack with levels of Fighter gained from other classes, be they actual levels of Fighter, or other effective fighter levels gained from classes such as Warblade, for the purposes of qualifying for feats.

Reach Out And Touch Somebody (Ex): At level 5, the Godsword gains 10’ reach, as they learn to make better use of their oversized weaponry . They gain another 5’ of reach at level 15. This ability does not stack with reach gained from size.

Size Does Matter (Ex): At level 6, as an immediate action, the Godsword can interpose their sword between them and their enemy, granting them +4 to AC as a shield bonus against all melee or ranged projectile attacks from a single enemy. If they use the total defence action, they gain this bonus against all such attacks from all enemies until their total defence ends.

At level 12, this bonus improves to +8 (half of which applies to their touch AC, to represent the sheer size of their sword interfering with even the most precise of attacks), and also grants them a +4 bonus to Fortitude and Reflex saves against area attacks (regardless of their progenitor). If they use the total defence action, they gain this bonus against all such attacks from all enemies until their total defence ends.

At level 18, as an immediate action, the Godsword can use their sword for total cover (as, by then, their blade is easily long and wide enough to match an appropriately-sized Tower Shield) against the attacks of a single enemy. This functions in all ways like using a Tower Shield for total cover, except that they also gain a +4 bonus to Fortitude and Reflex saves against area attacks (regardless of their progenitor). If used as part of the total defence action, they still only gain this bonus against the attacks of a single enemy (though the save bonuses apply the same way they have before); however, they also gain +8 to AC (half of which applies to their touch AC) against all other attackers until their total defence ends.

This ability is only applicable while the Godsword is wielding either an oversized two-handed weapon, or two oversized one-handed weapons.

Strength of a Hundred (Ex): At level 11, a Godsword's intense training, physical prowess, and general reality-revising ridiculousness combine to grant them Charles Atlas Superpowers, in the form of the Powerful Build trait.

World of Cardboard (Ex): At level 20, when the Godsword makes a melee attack with an oversized weapon, they may, instead of applying their attack roll to a single target, choose either a ([character's reach] + 5’ for every two weapon size categories above medium) cone or a ([2*character's reach] + 10’ for every two weapon size categories above medium) line, and apply their attack roll to all valid targets (including unattended objects) in that area.

Furthermore, when using this ability, their Power Attack damage is doubled on each attack. This does not stack with feats such as Leap Attack, the Valorous enchantment, or any other ability that multiplies attack damage except for a critical hit.

The Godsword cannot use a martial maneuver in conjunction with this ability (aside from remaining in a martial stance), as they are exchanging any finesse for raw, devastating power.

All targets (unless otherwise incapable) get a Reflex save for half damage against this ability. The DC is 10 + ½ class level + their STR modifier + (1 per every weapon size category above medium).

Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick: Requires Snowflake Wardance, BAB +6, Perform (dance) 9 ranks.

The benefits of the Snowflake Wardance feat may now be applied to any weapon you wield, provided it is at least two size categories larger than you are.

Magery
2015-01-08, 09:52 AM
So, there you have it. The Godsword, in all its glory.

I'd appreciate any feedback on how to make it more balanced - it has been playtested, but only at level 5, and by 'playtested' I mean 'it was one or two-hitting every enemy so I moved Strength Of A Hundred back ten levels'. My DM also gave me a fair bit of feedback, but that was mostly on World of Cardboard.

So yeah.

If you see anything that just screams out to you 'fix this it hurts my eyes please make your horrible class design stop', scream that at me​, and I'll see what I can do.

(Oh, and if anyone could direct me to how to get the standard GiantITP forum font back in the first post, that'd be great, too. I had to copy a lot of things over from the Google Doc I wrote them on, and then couldn't get the proper font back)

Extra Anchovies
2015-01-08, 01:50 PM
This is probably the best attempt at a "big sword" class that I've seen. However, critiques:

This class needs something at levels 2 and/or 3. They currently don't even gain any maneuvers there.

You fail to mention whether they can swap out old maneuvers known for new ones at even levels. Not sure if that was intentional.

Reach Out and Touch Faith (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26DD0JwAbAc) Somebody seems a bit much. I'd remove the reach increases at levels 10 and 20.

Size Does Matter seems too powerful. I'd change the shield bonuses to +4 and +8, but am not sure what to do about the level 18 ability. Being able to say "no" to anything a single opponent does 1/round effectively lets you ignore that opponent entirely, and it's no fun when you can't be targeted by the BBEG's spells.

I'd recommend changing the base areas of World of Cardboard to 10' and 20' for cone and line respectively.

Magery
2015-01-08, 09:25 PM
This class needs something at levels 2 and/or 3. They currently don't even gain any maneuvers there.

Good point. I'll see if I can figure anything out.


You fail to mention whether they can swap out old maneuvers known for new ones at even levels. Not sure if that was intentional.

Completely my bad; you need to be able to do that if you want to have any level-appropriate maneuvers.


Reach Out and Touch Faith (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26DD0JwAbAc) Somebody seems a bit much. I'd remove the reach increases at levels 10 and 20.

I wanted to have the class gain Colossal-size reach without having to actually go and get somebody to make them Giant Sized, but, looking back, I realise that since they have access to whatever that Iron Heart stance is that gives you 5' extra reach, if the player wants it, they can get up to 20ft reach, so I will remove those two.


Size Does Matter seems too powerful. I'd change the shield bonuses to +4 and +8, but am not sure what to do about the level 18 ability. Being able to say "no" to anything a single opponent does 1/round effectively lets you ignore that opponent entirely, and it's no fun when you can't be targeted by the BBEG's spells.

Yeah, didn't really think that last one through. I think I'll change it so you're literally just using your sword as a stand-in Tower Shield.


I'd recommend changing the base areas of World of Cardboard to 10' and 20' for cone and line respectively.

Based on your suggestion, and the input of my DM, I've decided to modify the base cone and line size so that they scale based on the Godsword's own reach (base reach for the cone, double base reach for the line), which puts them anywhere between 15' and 30' to what it currently has (20' and 40').

Thanks for all the excellent feedback!