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View Full Version : Bow to your sensei!!! ['NPC' PrC]



Maerok
2007-04-19, 10:43 PM
Sensei

"Do you believe you are my match?"
"No."
"Are you aware I kill at will?"
"Yes."
"Is it your wish to die?"
"No."
"Then you must be stupid... so stupid."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Kill_Bill_Vol_2_screenshot_1.jpg

For every hero, there is a mentor who has forged such a mighty legend from a lowly mongrel. They are teachers, former legends, who wish to pass on their skills, whether its a need to continue their legacy or to see the next generation of heroes, or villains, succeed. A sensei is an invaluable ally to any would-be-hero, though this is usually not the initial feelings as many are stubborn or seemingly uncaring. Yet beneath their stoic veneer is a heart that yearns for its followers to strive for excellence. Nonetheless, senseis demand nothing but respect and perfection.

Alignment: A sensei can come from any way of life, but are generally neutral or lawful as chaotic people tend to be against the strict regimen demanded.

Classes: Every class has at least one sensei, and typically there are more sensei for the common classes such as Fighter or Wizard. The Exemplar (CAdv) is a great prestige class for any skill-based sensei.

HD: d8

Prerequisites:
Feats: Mentor, Skill Focus (two associated skills).
Skills: 13 ranks in two of the four skills associated with the mentor type.
Special: Must have conducted a great quest in service to a former mentor.

Skills: The four skills associated with the mentor type, Concentration, Craft, Knowledge (all), and Spellcraft.
Skill Points: 4 + Int modifier

{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0
|
+2
|
+2
|
+2
|Renown; Bonded Aid Another; The Watchful Eye

2nd|
+1
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|Channel the Master; Admiration or Intimidation?; The Watchful Soul

3rd|
+2
|
+3
|
+3
|
+3
|The Best, at a Price; Advanced Mentor; The Watchful Mind; Wise Beyond Years[/table]

Class Features:
Weapons and Armor: The sensei does not gain any weapon or armor proficiencies.

Special Advancement:
Choose one of the following ways* the sensei advances in his previous base classes. Once chosen, it cannot be changed:
Bard: Levels stack for the purpose of determining new bardic effects and uses per day.
Barbarian: First level, rage +1/day. Third level, damage reduction improved by 1/-.
Spellcaster: The sensei's spellcasting advances in his last spellcasting class as normal, if any.
Monk: The sensei's unarmed attack damage, AC bonus, and unarmed speed bonus continue to advance each level as normal.
Fighter: At first and third level, the sensei gains one Fighter feat.
Rogue: At first and third level, the sensei gains +1d6 sneak attack damage, which stacks as normal.
Other: Class levels stack with another class level for the purpose of determining ability effects but not to gain new abilities. This includes mounts, familiars, domain abilities, ki uses, bardic music uses, and the attack/damage bonus of smite attempts. Spellcasting is not affected by this, see the Spellcaster option.*Additional ones may be created by the DM.

Renown (Ex): The sensei receives a bonus to his mentorship score equal to his class level. He also adds that bonus to his Leadership score.

Bonded Aid Another (Ex): Whenever the sensei or his apprentice use the aid another action on each other, they receive an additional +2 bonus to the check. When they flank, the bonus is improved to +4 (doesn't stack with The Watchful Mind bonus that will most likely apply when they flank).

The Watchful Eye (Su): The sensei is under a continuous status effect, which tells him the condition of his apprentice. He gains a +4 bonus to Spot checks as his keen eye for detail is enhanced as well.

Channel the Master (Su): Once per day per class level, as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the sensei may act through his apprentice as long as he can perceive him. This, in effect, allows the sensei to use his abilities from the apprentice's location, as if the apprentice had been affected by mind jar. This is mostly class features, making checks, and basic actions, except movement; racial or template abilities, or movement, cannot be utilized unless both the sensei and the apprentice has the ability or movement type. An unwilling apprentice requires a DC 25 + apprentice's HD mentor score check. The apprentice must be in sight or be seen through effects such as scrying.

Admiration or Intimidation? (Ex): At the end of each training session, the apprentice receives a -3 penalty to each of his associate skills and then gains a bonus of 1d6 to each of those skills (rolled independently). If the penalty cannot be taken or has no effect, then the bonus cannot be gained either.

The Watchful Soul (Sp): The sensei may use scrying once per hour as a spell-like ability, but it only targets his apprentice and can only report what the apprentice is aware of. The effective caster level is the sensei's HD plus his sensei level (so it counts twice).

The Best, at a Price (Ex): The sensei no longer suffers a penalty to his mentorship score for any apprentices killed in the line of duty. Deaths irrelevant to training or the sensei's profession still count. This is applied retroactively. His training is infarmously harsh or rigorous, and he must push his apprentices to the extremes of their professions. Those training under him face obstacles of the appropriate CR + 2, and gain an additional 5% XP. In order to complete one's training with the sensei, they must pass an Overpowering obstacle (see the CR-ECL guide in the DMG).

Advanced Mentor (Ex): The sensei gains the benefit of the Apprentice feat as long as he has an apprentice. If he still has the Apprentice feat, he may switch it for another feat he could qualify for at the time he took it. He still benefits from this ability in that case.

The Watchful Mind (Su): The sensei and his apprentice can communicate as per telepathic bond and a two-way status, as a continuous effect. When within 30 feet of each other, they gain a +2 bonus to attack, saves, and checks associated to his type of mentorship.

Wise Beyond Years (Ex): At third level, the sensei gains a permanent +2 bonus to his Wisdom score. He no longer ages, as per Timeless Body, and may choose to ignore any age penalties and bonuses accrued so far (the choire is made once upon attaining this level). To the untrained eye, they still look as old no matter the choice.

Lord Iames Osari
2007-04-19, 10:48 PM
Hmm. Very flavorful, but a tad weak, methinks.

Maerok
2007-04-19, 11:00 PM
Well I wouldn't plan to use it with a PC, but how could I bring this up to par?

Lord Iames Osari
2007-04-19, 11:05 PM
I'm not really sure. I would say up the prerequisites a bit and give it an ability that lets it emulate the basic abilities of whatever class the character belonged to before. Like, a monk would continue to improve unarmed damage, unarmored speed, and AC (I think), a spellcaster would get +1 casting level, it would stack with bard levels for the purpose of bardic knowledge and bardic music per day, something like that.

That might be a bit overpowered though, I'm just throwing out an idea.

Tor the Fallen
2007-04-19, 11:13 PM
Perhaps retroactively removing aging penalties and preventing more from accruing?

Also, are the special abilities ex, su, sp, what?

Demented
2007-04-19, 11:16 PM
If it's an NPC PrC, it's not supposed to be powerful! =P

Maerok
2007-04-19, 11:26 PM
How does Special Advancement look?

Edit: Only works for base classes; no extra Mystic Theurge/Geomancer bonuses with Spellcaster. :D

Lord Iames Osari
2007-04-19, 11:29 PM
The "Other" portion is too much, but other than that it looks okay to me.

Falconsflight
2007-04-19, 11:45 PM
What book are the prereq feats from? Mentor?

Lord Iames Osari
2007-04-19, 11:47 PM
Mentor is in the... DMGII, I believe...

Maerok
2007-04-19, 11:59 PM
The "Other" portion is too much, but other than that it looks okay to me.

I didn't mean all that, but like 'pick one' out of the other.

Magnor Criol
2007-04-20, 12:08 AM
Yeah, the mentor thing is in either PHII or DMGII.

I love the feel and ideas of this clas. I don't however, understand the "Admiration or Intimidation?" ability; they take a 3 rank hit, then add 1d6 to the skills affected each time they train? So there's a chance that a training session might end up hurting them in a certain skill? That seems strange. And the benefits are permanent?

Eldritch_Ent
2007-04-20, 03:54 AM
Well, looking at it statistically, if they roll these results on a D6, this will happen-

1- Ends up being a -2 penalty
2- Ends up being a -1 penalty
3- Break Even
4- +1 bonus
5- +2 bonus
6- +3 bonus

So it's actually, statistially speaking, going to help the student in the long run.

Maerok
2007-04-20, 07:17 AM
It's like the Wild Mage (CArc) ability that could potentially improve the CL of the mage or reduce it. But that is done on a spell-by-spell basis.

EvilElitest
2007-04-22, 07:18 PM
more fluff?
from
EE

Maerok
2007-04-22, 08:32 PM
How about now?

Valgunn
2007-12-23, 09:24 AM
It looks really cool, may even try and use it in a campaign. I do like the Kill Bill Example you used.