PDA

View Full Version : D&D 3.x Class Need some help with homebrew PrC design: "Master Specialist (Teleportation)"



FrancisBean
2015-06-12, 03:23 PM
I've got a character with background history that makes him obsess over teleportion spells. He was originally built as a Focused Conjurer into Master Specialist (Conjuration) because that was the closest I could get. I've been talking to my DM about retraining or retconning him into a homebrew Master Specialist (Teleportation) PrC. I'm looking for ideas for the class. I've been careful to keep my caster in a support role to stay in balance with the rest of the party -- it's a very low optimization group of players. So the fluff is more important than the power.

Here's the direction I'm going.

MS prerequisites include Spell Focus in your school, which gives +1 to the DC of saves in that school. The PrC also gives Greater Spell Focus at MS/3, for total +4 to sv DC. As a subschool, Teleportation isn't eligible for Spell Focus. This would be left as Spell Focus / Greater Spell Focus (Conjuration). If it's to be restricted to Teleportation, it probably needs a boost -- very few Teleportation spells work on an unwilling target anyway (although Baleful Transposition is awesome!).

The Expanded Spellbook (Teleportation) is strictly weaker than the Conjuration version. I'm good with that, unless there are some better ideas from the audience.

Finally we come to the Esoterica, the meat-and-potatoes of the Master Specialist.

Minor Esoterica: (Ripped from the Wayfarer Guide PrC's Enhanced Capacity) When casting any spell with the teleportation descriptor that allows other willing creatures to be brought along, a Master Specialist can bring along one additional Medium touched willing creature (carrying gear or objects up to its maximum load) per class level, subject to the same restrictions given in the teleport spell description.

Moderate Esoterica: A Master Specialist's understanding of teleportation is so great that (s)he can now learn Divine teleportation spells as if they were arcane. E.g., the 6th level Druid spell Transport Via Plants would be available as a 6th level Wizard spell. (This could affect the level at which spells become available, since Plane Shift is Cleric/5 but Wizard/7.)

Major Esoterica: Teleportation spells are intuitively so much simpler for the Master Specialist that they can optionally be memorized as 1 level lower than they are. E.g., Teleport could be memorized in a level 4 slot.

Does anyone have better ideas for handling Spell Focus/Greater Spell Focus? Or better ideas for the Esoterica?

Zaydos
2015-06-12, 03:50 PM
Well for spell focus, this doesn't help with the prerequisite, but maybe grant the Dimensional Jaunt reserve feat (from Complete Mage) instead of Greater Spell Focus or grant a +2 to CL with Teleportation subschool spells/effects. If you really want something to use instead of Spell Focus as a prereq I tried my hand at making some teleportation stuff here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?418301-So-I-heard-you-like-Teleportation-%28Feats-Domain-and-PrC%29) and maybe the Distant Teleportation feat could work? Also just a note, 3.5 Greater Spell Focus is just an extra +1 to save DC, for a total of +2 not +4.

As for the esoterica, isn't only the minor esoterica always active? With Moderate and Major granting a bonus for a few rounds after casting a spell and 3/day respectively?

My suggestions, therefore, would be to make it so Expanded Spellbook let you pick the new spell from any spellcasting base class with 9th level spells (cleric, druid mainly) and make the Moderate something like:

You may teleport your speed as a move action, or 4x that as a full round action, for a number of rounds equal to the spell level of the cast Conjuration (Teleportation) spell.

As for Major... 3/day ignore Dimensional Anchor/Lock effects? Might be too strong with scry or die.

FrancisBean
2015-06-12, 07:37 PM
Well for spell focus, this doesn't help with the prerequisite, but maybe grant the Dimensional Jaunt reserve feat (from Complete Mage) instead of Greater Spell Focus or grant a +2 to CL with Teleportation subschool spells/effects.

Eh, I've already got Abrupt Jaunt, so Dimensional Jaunt isn't a big boost. The +2 CL would make me a happy man (er, gnome), though!



As for the esoterica, isn't only the minor esoterica always active? With Moderate and Major granting a bonus for a few rounds after casting a spell and 3/day respectively?

My suggestions, therefore, would be to make it so Expanded Spellbook let you pick the new spell from any spellcasting base class with 9th level spells (cleric, druid mainly) and make the Moderate something like:

You may teleport your speed as a move action, or 4x that as a full round action, for a number of rounds equal to the spell level of the cast Conjuration (Teleportation) spell.

As for Major... 3/day ignore Dimensional Anchor/Lock effects? Might be too strong with scry or die.

I didn't pick up on the pattern when I read through the esoterica from the book. That makes more sense. I think your suggestions are much better than my own ideas. And since the character isn't big on scry-and-die tactics anyway -- he has only three direct damage spells, one of which is Acid Splash(!) -- that's not the overwhelming advantage it could be. It certainly fits his obsession, which is to make sure he can always free himself from any cast-a-way/imprisonment sort of situation.

Thanks muchly! I think I'm halfway home.