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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Class The Dungeon Master (Base class 1st place entry) (PEACH)



Jormengand
2015-04-18, 08:18 AM
The Dungeon Master

http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/089/a/e/the_dungeon_master_by_erebusred-d4ufoaf.jpg
"The Dungeonmaster" by Erebusred.

Roll for initiative.
-Every DM ever.

All mortals fear the wrath of the legendary dungeon master. Munchkins are no match for his righteous fury.

Adventures: The DM doesn't adventure. He's the DM.

Characteristics: The DM is capable of creating interesting encounters for the player characters, as well as escaping to fight another day, because being able to kill the DM would be silly.

Alignment: Usually either painfully neutral evil, painfully lawful neutral, or painfully true neutral. Hypothetically, DMs of any alignment are possible.

Religion: Many DMs worship gods either of healing and love, or of war and judgement, or no god at all.

Background: Becoming a DM involves a complicated ritual. One version of this ritual involves approaching four or so of the would-be-DM's friends, and uttering the sacred words, "Who wants to play a really cool game?" Variations on this ritual include hitting the pre-existing DM in the face with the PHB and forcing him to play a truenamer instead of DMing, just because he was a bit of a jerk if we're honest.

Races: DMs are usually human, though awakened animals are also common.

Other Classes: The DM reacts to NPC classes by controlling them mercilessly, and PC classes by controlling them in a way that lets them think they're not being railroaded horribly.

Role: The DM contributes loot and XP to the adventuring party.

Adaptation: The DM doesn't change to fit the campaign world unless they have really insistent players. On a more serious note, in a more serious campaign, the DM class can be used as a very controlling Big Bad. In a campaign with a lot of politicking and a lot more fighting people with each other's armies, consider tweaking the class to allow someone to play it.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Dungeon masters have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Mental ability scores are more important than physical ability scores - a DM in physical combat is probably doing it wrong.
Alignment: Any, usually lawful and usually evil.
Hit Die: d3
Starting Age: 14+1d6 years
Starting Gold: As Aristocrat

Class Skills
All skills are class skills of the Dungeon Master

Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

DUNGEON MASTER
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial
Max Encounter Level
1st+0+2+2+2Create Encounter 1/day
1/2
2nd+1+3+3+3Diplomancy and Minionmancy 1
1
3rd+1+3+3+3I Brought Rope
2
4th+2+4+4+4Escape Kit 1
3
5th+2+4+4+4Diplomancy and Minionmancy 2
3
6th+3+5+5+5Turns Out He Had A Magic Item
4
7th+3+5+5+5Escape Kit 2
5
8th+4+6+6+6Diplomancy and Minionmancy 3
6
9th+4+6+6+6Advancement Mastery
6
10th+5+7+7+7Escape Kit 3, Create Encounter 2/day
7
11th+5+7+7+7Diplomancy and Minionmancy 4
8
12th+6/+1+8+8+8Template Mastery
9
13th+6/+1+8+8+8Escape Kit 4
9
14th+7/+2+9+9+9Diplomancy and Minionmancy 5
10
15th+7/+2+9+9+9I Remember This Monster
11
16th+8/+3+10+10+10Escape Kit 5
12
17th+8/+3+10+10+10Diplomancy and Minionmancy 6
12
18th+9/+4+11+11+11Rocks Fall
13
19th+9/+4+11+11+11Escape Kit 6
14
20th+10/+5+12+12+12Create Encounter 3/day, Screw this!
15


Class Features
All of the following are class features of the dungeon master.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The dungeon master is proficient in the DMG, the katana, the PHB, the spiked chain, and the unarmed strike.

The dungeon master is not proficient with any type of weapon or armour.

Create Encounter (Ex)
Dungeon masters can create encounters. Once per day, a dungeon master can create an encounter with an encounter level as given on table: the dungeon master. This encounter consists of un-templated, unadvanced creatures from the monster manual and any other supplements to which the dungeon master might have access, and traps again from any source the DM might have, as well as anything else with a challenge rating (such as a cave-in that is triggered by a specific event occurring). These creatures are equipped as given in their entries, and the entire encounter must fit within 240 feet of the DM.

The encounter is not loyal to the dungeon master as such, but the traps will not trigger at his touch nor creatures attack him for defiling their location. Further, if the DM can think of a reasonable goal that these creatures might wish to accomplish, he can inspire them to do so.

The dungeon master can only have one encounter active at a time. If he creates another, the previous encounter disbands. The traps collapse into nothing, and the creatures leave at the next opportunity along with any equipment left on their person and treasure they carry with them. They are never heard from again unless the DM specifically calls them back with a later use of create encounter. Further, any DM who attempts to tackle his own encounter receives no experience for doing so, and the encounter's treasure crumbles to dust if the DM tries to take it. DMs cannot create encounters on behalf of their allies just to allow them an easy way of leveling up or gaining treasure.

At tenth level, the DM can create another encounter, and at twentieth, a third. This dictates both the number of encounters a DM can make at once and the number he can make a day. If he goes over the limit of how many he can sustain, he chooses which to disband. Encounters refuse to collaborate, and will enter conflict if they appear in the same area unless there is an obvious way to dissociate with each other (such as by moving to another floor of the same dungeon).

Example: Freddie is a 10th-level DM, entitling him to make up to 2 EL 7 encounters at once. Each encounter could be 2 CR 5 creatures, or 2 CR 3 creatures and a CR 5 trap, just to name two examples. He opts to create eight 1st-level drow warriors as one of his encounters, giving them the task of "Attack the village to the east and kill everyone there." The eight drow appear, and immediately start conspiring about the battle plan, ignoring both the DM's presence and their own sudden creation.

Then, he creates an encounter consisting of two burning hands traps and a very young red dragon, tasking her with "Prevent Bob the Fearless from crossing the Bridge of Doom." Despite not knowing who Bob is, the dragon awaits him at the bridge, and will fight him when to the best of her ability when he approaches.

The next day, Freddie finds himself fighting Bob the Fearless and his party of truenamer/monk/disciple of the word hybrids. Unable to cope with the OP-fu, Freddie is forced to drop an avalanche on them. He sets another avalanche to drop on them the moment Bob is freed, and the drow - who were mainly messing around doing nothing anyway, having completed their task - abscond, as does the dragon if Bob hasn't killed her. If he's looted her treasure, it doesn't go flying off with her, though.

Diplomancy/minionmancy and Escape Kit (Sp)
The DM's choice of spells is extremely limited, and pertains only to spells that allow him to get the hell out of whatever situation he's in, and spells which allow him to get other people into situations he wants them in. However, they have the advantage of being spell-like abilities usable once per twenty minutes.

At the levels given, on table: the dungeon master, the DM gains a single spell from one of the following spell lists, as relevant:

Diplomancy and Minionmancy
1st: Charm Person, Summon Monster I, Summon Nature's Ally I, Ventriloquism
2nd: Command Undead, Summon Monster II, Summon Nature's Ally II, Summon Swarm, Whispering Wind
3rd: Suggestion, Summon Monster III, Summon Nature's Ally III, Tongues
4th: Animate Dead, Lesser Geas, Summon Monster IV, Summon Nature's Ally IV
5th: Animal Growth, Dominate Person, Lesser Planar Binding, Mage's Faithful Hound, Summon Monster V, Summon Nature's Ally V
6th: Create Undead, Planar Binding, Mass Suggestion, Quest, Summon Monster VI, Summon Nature's Ally VI, Symbol of Persuasion

Escape Kit
1st: Entangle, Expeditous Retreat, Feather Fall, Hold Portal, Mount, Obscuring Mist, Silent Image
2nd: Fog Cloud, Hypnotic Pattern, Invisibility, Levitate, Minor Image, Mirror Image, Spider Climb, Web
3rd: Blink, Haste, Hold Person, Gaseous Form, Wind Wall
4th: Air Walk, Black Tentacles, Dimension Door, Illusory Wall, Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice
5th: Cloudkill, Interposing Hand, Overland Flight, Tree Stride, Wall of force, Wall of Stone, Wall of Thorns
6th: Acid Fog, Antilife Shell, Blade Barrier, Mislead, Transport Via Plants, Wall of Iron, Wind Walk, Word of Recall*

*You can designate the location whenever you are in the location, or when you wake up after eight hours' rest.

The save DC for the Escape Kit is intelligence-based, and that for the Diplomancy and Minionmancy is charisma-based.

I Brought Rope (Ex)
From third level, the DM can set aside any amount of money to buy a cheap mundane item. Any non-magical item worth 10 gp or less can be bought instantly by the DM with this money set aside - in reality, the DM bought the item far earlier, in the knowledge that he would need it now. Taking this item out takes no more effort than if the dungeon master had bought it normally. However, once he takes the item out, he must account for it as he would any other item in his possession.

Turns Out He Has A Magic Item (Ex)
From sixth level, the DM can use I Brought Rope to gain consumable items, which may be magical. Any item with a limited total number of uses - wand, potion, arrow, feather token, bomb, and so forth - can be bought in the same way as with I Brought Rope.

More to the point, the limit is not 10 GP but level^2*100 GP, for consumable items only.

Advancement mastery
From 9th level, the DM can advance monsters, so long as a relevant CR is given for the advancement. Encounters should use the non-player character Wealth By Level guidelines.

Template Mastery
From twelfth level, the DM can use templates when making encounters, so long as the CR increase of the template is given. The effective character level and consequent wealth by level of the character increases as normal.

Example: Once Freddie hits 12th level, he can make CR 9 encounters. He could make a half-dragon drow barbarian, level 6. This monstrosity would receive the same wealth as a non-player character of the eighth level. A half-dragon drow adept, level 7, would get the wealth of a ninth-level NPC.

I Remember This Monster (Ex)
At 15th level, the dungeon master knows all about dungeoneering. He doesn't need to take a knowledge check to recognise a creature of CR less than or equal to his level plus five - instead, he simply looks at the monster's statistic block.

Rocks Fall (Sp)
Once per day from eighteenth level, the DM can declare that Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies. An area with radius 30 ft that the DM can see is immediately subject to a cave-in, with the slide zone extending a further 30 feet, even if the DM is not underground. If he is underground or in a building, the ceiling collapses, otherwise rocks simply appear.

However, this is no normal cave-in. The DC of the reflex save is 30, and the cave-in does double damage at all times. The damage is all lethal, and no constitution check is allowed for an unconscious creature - they simply keep taking lethal damage until dead or freed. The DC of the strength check to escape is 40. The rocks weigh three times as much as normal, so they take thrice as long to clear.

Screw This! (Su)
Once per day at 20th level, a dungeonmaster can decide he's had enough and flip the table. All opponents within 60 feet of the dungeon master are subject to the effects of the spells Shout, Confusion and Reverse Gravity. No save is allowed against any of these effects. They also take 10d6 damage from the table being flipped. Each creature affected then takes a DC 30 reflex save to avoid being thrown off the table. A creature who is thrown off the table dies, and its body disappears.

Magikeeper
2015-04-19, 02:52 PM
Although I'm not going to look at the balance of this class too seriously, it really suffers from not having enough to do.

I'd suggest reworking minionmancy and escape kit. Also, the DM lacks a way to build dungeons. Perhaps both these issues could be solved by adding a third selection of abilities - dungeoncrafting - that are usable At-Will. The spell-likes also lack a stated caster level, and some of the levels have spells that are clearly much more versatile than others (which, since the class gets so few of them, kinda makes it unlikely the others will ever be chosen).

Also, a 20th level DM can't give the expected 4 encounters per day? I think the class should start with 2/day encounters to fix this grievous issue. :smallbiggrin:

The DM lacks a way to see what the party is doing as well.

Jormengand
2015-04-19, 03:31 PM
I'm a bit wary of allowing a DM to create 4 CR 15 encounters - which is tantamount to a CR 19 encounter, IIRC - and then also be able to drop a summoned creature of each level on you as well, not to mention that he has two really powerful save-or abilities, one of which is also a pretty powerful no-save-just ability.

Ways to make a dungeon would be cool, but not sure what spells actually help you do that. Transmute Rock to Mud? Snare? Consecrate/Desecrate? Fabricate? Fire trap? (Not that I want to hand that out as a nearly at-will SLA) Guards and Wards? Hells, Explosive Runes and Sepia Snake Sigil? The CL is meant to equal the DM's level, incidentally.

I will add some kind of scry protagonist ability in tomorrow, when I'm actually awake.