Erk
2007-05-10, 06:10 PM
Tweak might be too weak of a word. I am rebalancing the main classes for a very homebrew campaign. Most of the tweaks were inspired either by stuff on this board or by Unearthed Arcana.
#1: Prestigify.
Barbarian (renamed Berserker), Bard, Druid, Monk, Paladin, and Ranger are all prestige classes now. Bard, Pally, and Ranger will use existing prestigification rules, although I will tweak them further if any of my players are considering being one since they are no longer in line with the power balance in my campaign (principally pally and ranger. Bard is quite nicely balanced as-is)
-Berserker has pretty low requirements, mainly just that it can't be entered from 1st level. It will get a few minor bonuses as well as its existing stuff.
-Monk and druid are available as a base class to people born into an appropriate culture, which is not where the pc's will be starting. I will make prestige versions of them available when the PC's enter regions with those classes.
#2: Tweakzorz
Cleric: Split in twain! There is a spells-heavy cleric and a fights-heavy cleric.
-The "priest" class is the same as the "cloistered cleric", but with spontaneous spellcasting. Priests with the "healing" domain have their heal spells die increased to d12 instead of d8 as well as casting as 1 level higher.
-the "cleric" class is mostly the same as the old "cleric" class, but can cast 1 fewer spell per day, only gets to choose 1 domain, and gets Turn Undead 1 level lower and turns as a cleric 1 level lower. Clerics must have their holy symbols exposed and visible in order to cast any spell, and enemies can prevent cleric casting by destroying the holy symbol. When creating a good cleric or neutral cleric who can heal, choose one of the following:
1) can spontaneously cast heal only to heal other people
2) can spontaneously cast heal only to heal self
3) can spontaneously cast domain spells
Fighter:
I will be using Bears with Lasers' charged-up fighter class (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30692). Since I am toning down casters, I might tone down BWL's mod a bit too, but since we are starting at low levels I have lots of time to think about it.
Rogue:
The first change is that I am not going to include any traps that a rogue cannot find. There will be some devious traps that cannot be sprung by a naked barbarian running through the dungeon screaming, but will be sprung by the party passing by unsuspecting. Also, knock causes a loud noise. Only a rogue can open a lock without alerting a wide area.
Rogue itself has been pumped a bit.
1) bonus feat at level 4, 6, 10, and 14.
choose from Weapon Finesse, improved critical, improved initiative, any skill-increasing feat, combat expertise and its derivatives, combat reflexes, run, point blank shot and its derivatives, quick draw, rapid reload, or a spelltouch feat (from my spelltouched mod).
2) +1 to fort or will save at levels 5, 10, 15, 20 (player chooses each time)
3) every level of trap sense also counts as a competance bonus towards Search checks to find traps. Dodge bonuses from trap sense to avoid traps are doubled. The rogue hears that infinitessimal "clink" the instant she sets off a trap, and before she is even aware of it in her mind, razor-honed reflexes send her flying out of the path of the poisoned dart.
Sorceror:
Ah, the redheaded stepchild caster.
-cast spells using spellpoints as per unearthed arcana. Metamagic costs extra spell points.
-d6 hit die, good reflex save
-4sp rather than 2
-add class skills: diplomacy, gather info, handle animal, intimidate, knowledge:nobility, perform, sense motive
-no familiar
-can select a Domain which grants one bonus spell known per spell level. Just as with cleric domains, the player doesn't get to pick which spells... they are intrinsic to the domain. My domains will all have several esoteric, less-commonly-chosen spells that still have use.
Wizard:
-Mostly the same, but the wizard must actually have his spellbook out and visible to cast a spell from it, unless he has taken Spell Mastery in that spell or it is a spell of his specialist school. The spellbook can be attacked and destroyed: the wizard can (concentration check) finish casting the spell he was working on if this happens, but is afterwards limited to his other powers and his specialist school spells. He still can't prepare spells in his specialist school without his spellbook.
-A wizard may create "loose pages" with spells inscribed on them, as backups of the spells in his spellbook.
To "pamphletise" spells costs 10 gp in materials per cubed level of the spell (so, 10 for level 1, 80 for level 2, 270 for level 3, up to a bit over 7000 for a 9th level spell).
Pamphelts can be used in place of a spellbook in all ways. A wizard can have a number of spells equal to his spells/day secreted away in pamphlets; they don't have to be the same as the spells he has prepared, and they are as persistent as the spellbook (so the same pamphlet can be used to cast magic missile 3 times if the wizard prepared magic missile 3 times that day). Of course he can make multiple pamphlets of the same spell for extra security, too. He can't make a pamphlet until he has the spell scribed in his spellbook, though; the pamphlet is created by copying out of the spellbook.
-Wizards will have increased access to spelltouched feats, gaining them as bonus feats at levels 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16. (note that there are a lot more spelltouched feats available in my campaign)
Extra spells/feats so far:
Floating Papers
Universal
Level: Wiz 0
Components: V
Casting Time: Free action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Until spell is cast
The wizard utters the name of a spell he needs, and a loose paper with the spell inscribed floats to where he can see it freely. If written on mundane paper, the paper has AC 16 and 1 hit point. It gains AC bonuses from a shield spell, or any large or tower shield the wizard is wielding, but not from Mage Armour or other spells clinging tightly to the wizard's body.
The paper will float at ready until the wizard reads from it. It will float for days if then ignored, but the wizard cannot summon another paper to hand unless he either casts his readied spell or dismisses it back into his robes (a free action).
Floating Book
Universal
Level: Wiz 1
Components: V
Casting Time: Free action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Until dismissed
This functions as Floating Papers, but it summons the wizard's spellbook, which then flips open to the page he requests. See individual spellbook descriptions for information on their AC, hardness, and hit points. As with Floating Papers, the spellbook gains AC bonuses from protection spells which affect a small area around the wizard, but not those which cling to his body.
Once this spell is cast, the book will float at ready until the wizard dismisses it, flipping itself open to spells as he requests them. It will float there for days if not dismissed.
The feat Dodging Book increases the spellbook's AC.
Dodging Book [Metamagic]
The wizard's spellbook gains a sort of sentience, dodging and weaving away from attacks of its own accord.
Prerequisites: Able to cast Floating Book.
Benefits: Add the wizard's caster level to the Spellbook's AC. Additionally, the wizard gains 1 use per day of Floating Book as a spell-like ability.
Attacks against the spellbook which miss but fall inside this bonus AC cause it to bob and weave distractingly. If the wizard is attempting to cast a spell from the book at the time, he must pass a concentration check equal to 12+his caster level.
Spontaneous Wizardry [Metamagic]
The wizard can spontaneously cast spells he has scribed onto loose pages ("pamphlets").
Benefits: Any spell that has been scribed onto a pamphlet can be cast spontaneously as normal. However, to cast the spell, two prepared spells of the same level must be sacrificed.
What are your thoughts about this rebalance? Any suggestions? Have I pumped anyone up too far or nerfed anyone too seriously?
#1: Prestigify.
Barbarian (renamed Berserker), Bard, Druid, Monk, Paladin, and Ranger are all prestige classes now. Bard, Pally, and Ranger will use existing prestigification rules, although I will tweak them further if any of my players are considering being one since they are no longer in line with the power balance in my campaign (principally pally and ranger. Bard is quite nicely balanced as-is)
-Berserker has pretty low requirements, mainly just that it can't be entered from 1st level. It will get a few minor bonuses as well as its existing stuff.
-Monk and druid are available as a base class to people born into an appropriate culture, which is not where the pc's will be starting. I will make prestige versions of them available when the PC's enter regions with those classes.
#2: Tweakzorz
Cleric: Split in twain! There is a spells-heavy cleric and a fights-heavy cleric.
-The "priest" class is the same as the "cloistered cleric", but with spontaneous spellcasting. Priests with the "healing" domain have their heal spells die increased to d12 instead of d8 as well as casting as 1 level higher.
-the "cleric" class is mostly the same as the old "cleric" class, but can cast 1 fewer spell per day, only gets to choose 1 domain, and gets Turn Undead 1 level lower and turns as a cleric 1 level lower. Clerics must have their holy symbols exposed and visible in order to cast any spell, and enemies can prevent cleric casting by destroying the holy symbol. When creating a good cleric or neutral cleric who can heal, choose one of the following:
1) can spontaneously cast heal only to heal other people
2) can spontaneously cast heal only to heal self
3) can spontaneously cast domain spells
Fighter:
I will be using Bears with Lasers' charged-up fighter class (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30692). Since I am toning down casters, I might tone down BWL's mod a bit too, but since we are starting at low levels I have lots of time to think about it.
Rogue:
The first change is that I am not going to include any traps that a rogue cannot find. There will be some devious traps that cannot be sprung by a naked barbarian running through the dungeon screaming, but will be sprung by the party passing by unsuspecting. Also, knock causes a loud noise. Only a rogue can open a lock without alerting a wide area.
Rogue itself has been pumped a bit.
1) bonus feat at level 4, 6, 10, and 14.
choose from Weapon Finesse, improved critical, improved initiative, any skill-increasing feat, combat expertise and its derivatives, combat reflexes, run, point blank shot and its derivatives, quick draw, rapid reload, or a spelltouch feat (from my spelltouched mod).
2) +1 to fort or will save at levels 5, 10, 15, 20 (player chooses each time)
3) every level of trap sense also counts as a competance bonus towards Search checks to find traps. Dodge bonuses from trap sense to avoid traps are doubled. The rogue hears that infinitessimal "clink" the instant she sets off a trap, and before she is even aware of it in her mind, razor-honed reflexes send her flying out of the path of the poisoned dart.
Sorceror:
Ah, the redheaded stepchild caster.
-cast spells using spellpoints as per unearthed arcana. Metamagic costs extra spell points.
-d6 hit die, good reflex save
-4sp rather than 2
-add class skills: diplomacy, gather info, handle animal, intimidate, knowledge:nobility, perform, sense motive
-no familiar
-can select a Domain which grants one bonus spell known per spell level. Just as with cleric domains, the player doesn't get to pick which spells... they are intrinsic to the domain. My domains will all have several esoteric, less-commonly-chosen spells that still have use.
Wizard:
-Mostly the same, but the wizard must actually have his spellbook out and visible to cast a spell from it, unless he has taken Spell Mastery in that spell or it is a spell of his specialist school. The spellbook can be attacked and destroyed: the wizard can (concentration check) finish casting the spell he was working on if this happens, but is afterwards limited to his other powers and his specialist school spells. He still can't prepare spells in his specialist school without his spellbook.
-A wizard may create "loose pages" with spells inscribed on them, as backups of the spells in his spellbook.
To "pamphletise" spells costs 10 gp in materials per cubed level of the spell (so, 10 for level 1, 80 for level 2, 270 for level 3, up to a bit over 7000 for a 9th level spell).
Pamphelts can be used in place of a spellbook in all ways. A wizard can have a number of spells equal to his spells/day secreted away in pamphlets; they don't have to be the same as the spells he has prepared, and they are as persistent as the spellbook (so the same pamphlet can be used to cast magic missile 3 times if the wizard prepared magic missile 3 times that day). Of course he can make multiple pamphlets of the same spell for extra security, too. He can't make a pamphlet until he has the spell scribed in his spellbook, though; the pamphlet is created by copying out of the spellbook.
-Wizards will have increased access to spelltouched feats, gaining them as bonus feats at levels 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16. (note that there are a lot more spelltouched feats available in my campaign)
Extra spells/feats so far:
Floating Papers
Universal
Level: Wiz 0
Components: V
Casting Time: Free action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Until spell is cast
The wizard utters the name of a spell he needs, and a loose paper with the spell inscribed floats to where he can see it freely. If written on mundane paper, the paper has AC 16 and 1 hit point. It gains AC bonuses from a shield spell, or any large or tower shield the wizard is wielding, but not from Mage Armour or other spells clinging tightly to the wizard's body.
The paper will float at ready until the wizard reads from it. It will float for days if then ignored, but the wizard cannot summon another paper to hand unless he either casts his readied spell or dismisses it back into his robes (a free action).
Floating Book
Universal
Level: Wiz 1
Components: V
Casting Time: Free action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Until dismissed
This functions as Floating Papers, but it summons the wizard's spellbook, which then flips open to the page he requests. See individual spellbook descriptions for information on their AC, hardness, and hit points. As with Floating Papers, the spellbook gains AC bonuses from protection spells which affect a small area around the wizard, but not those which cling to his body.
Once this spell is cast, the book will float at ready until the wizard dismisses it, flipping itself open to spells as he requests them. It will float there for days if not dismissed.
The feat Dodging Book increases the spellbook's AC.
Dodging Book [Metamagic]
The wizard's spellbook gains a sort of sentience, dodging and weaving away from attacks of its own accord.
Prerequisites: Able to cast Floating Book.
Benefits: Add the wizard's caster level to the Spellbook's AC. Additionally, the wizard gains 1 use per day of Floating Book as a spell-like ability.
Attacks against the spellbook which miss but fall inside this bonus AC cause it to bob and weave distractingly. If the wizard is attempting to cast a spell from the book at the time, he must pass a concentration check equal to 12+his caster level.
Spontaneous Wizardry [Metamagic]
The wizard can spontaneously cast spells he has scribed onto loose pages ("pamphlets").
Benefits: Any spell that has been scribed onto a pamphlet can be cast spontaneously as normal. However, to cast the spell, two prepared spells of the same level must be sacrificed.
What are your thoughts about this rebalance? Any suggestions? Have I pumped anyone up too far or nerfed anyone too seriously?