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View Full Version : [Base Class] The Rune Soldier (New Name)



Khoran
2007-05-20, 04:23 PM
Alright, so here is my feeble first attempt at attempt at making a Base Class. I know the name is probobly overused, but I was unable to come up with a better one. So, tell me what's good and what's bad about this class.
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The Rune Soldier | Hit Die: d8 | 4d4x10 Starting Gold
{table=head]Level|
Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2| Rune Weapon, Armored Casting 10%, Somatic Weaponry|4|2

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3| Spell Power, Spell Power: Accuracy|5|3|

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Armored Casting 15%|5|4|

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4| Spell Power: Strength, |5|5|2|

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Bonus Feat|5|5|3|

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Armored Casting 20%|5|5|4|2|

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5||5|5|5|3|

8th|
+6/1|
+2|
+6|
+6|Spell Power: Sheilding|5|5|5|4|2|

9th|
+6/1|
+3|
+6|
+6|Armored Casting 25%|5|5|5|5|3|

10th|
+7/2|
+3|
+7|
+7|Bonus Feat|5|5|5|5|4|2|

11th|
+8/3|
+3|
+7|
+7| |5|5|5|5|5|3|

12th|
+9/4|
+4|
+8|
+8|Spell Power: Endurance, Armored Casting 30%|5|5|5|5|4|2|

13th|
+9/4|
+4|
+8|
+8||5|5|5|5|5|5|3|

14th|
+10/5|
+4|
+9|
+9||5|5|5|5|5|5|4|2|

15th|
+11/6/1|
+5|
+9|
+9|Bonus Feat, Armored Casting 35%|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|3|

16th|
+12/7/2|
+5|
+10|
+10|Spell Power: Resistance|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|4|2|

17th|
+12/7/2|
+5|
+10|
+10| |5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|3|

18th|
+13/8/3|
+6|
+11|
+11|Armored Casting 40%|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|4|2

19th|
+14/9/4|
+6|
+11|
+11| |5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|3

20th|
+15/10/5|
+6|
+12|
+12|Spell Power: Alliance, Bonus Feat|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|5|4[/table]
Skill Points: 2+Int (2+Intx4 at first level)
Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge(Arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int)

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Rune Soldiers are proficient with all Simple Weapons, Light Armor, Light Sheilds and Medium Armor.

Spells: A Rune Soldier casts arcane spells which are drawn primarily from the Rune Soldier list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must.

To learn or cast a spell, a Rune Soldier must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Rune Soldier’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Rune Soldier's Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a Rune Soldier can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Rune Soldier. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.

Spells Known: As Sorcerer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/sorcererWizard.htm#tableSorcererSpellsKnown)

Rune Weapon:At first level, a Rune Soldier binds a weapon to them. The Battle Sorcerer gains Martial Weapon Familiarity with that Weapon if it is a Martial Weapon. If it is an Exotic Weapon, a feat is still required. See Table: Rune Weapons for their advancement.

If a Rune Weapon is sundered or otherwise destroyed, it may etither be repaired or reforged. If a Rune Weapon is repaired, the Rune Soldier takes no penalty. However, if the weapon is reforged, the Rune Soldier must reattune himself with the new weapon, costing 200xRune Soldier level XP. If the weapon is a different type then the old weapon, a Rune Soldier becomes familiar with the new weapon so long as it is not exotic.

Armored Casting: Starting at first level, a Rune Soldier may cast in armor and ignore 10% Arcane Spell Failure for each item of armor, at 3rd level and every 3 levels after that, this increase by 5% (15% at 3, 20% at 6 ect.)

Somatic Weaponry:At first level, the Rune Soldier is treated as having the Somatic Weaponry feat.

Spell Power (Su): Once per day per two Rune Soldier levels, a Rune Soldier can spend one of his spell slots to gain power to aid him in battle. Activating Spell Power is a Swift Action. Spell Power lasts until the start of the Rune Soldier's next round.

Accuracy: At 2nd level, The Rune Soldier gains +1 to hit per spell level spent (1st = +1, 9th=+9). The Weapon is treated as Magic for purpose of this attack.

Strength: At 4th Level, The Rune Soldier gains +1 Damage per spell level spent with light and one handed weapons, and +1.5 Damage per spell level spent for Two Handed Weapons. The Weapon is treated as magic for this attack.

Sheilding: At 8th level, The Rune Soldier gains a deflection bonus equal to the spent spell level.

Endurance: At 12th level, The Rune Soldier gain 5xSpell Level Temporary Hit Points.

Resistance: At 16th level, the Rune Soldier gains 25+Spell level Spell Resistance.

Alliance: At 20th level, the Rune Soldier can spend two uses of Spell Power to grant the bonus to an ally that he is able to touch.

Bonus Feat: At 5th level and every 5 levels after that, a Rune Soldier gets a bonus feat from either the Wizard or Fighter bonus feat list that dose not require levels in either Fighter or Wizard.

Spell List
0: Resistance, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Daze, Dancing Lights, Flare, Light, Ray of Frost, Disrupt Undead, Touch of Fatigue, Mending, Arcane Mark, Prestidigitation
1:Endure Elements, Shield, Mage Armor, Mount, Obscuring Mist, Comprehend Language, Identify, True Strike, Burning Hands, Floating Disk, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Magic Aura, Chill Touch, Ray of Enfeeblement, Enlarge Person, Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall, Jump, Magic Weapon, Reduce Person
2: Protection from Arrows, Resist Energy, Acid Arrow, Fog Cloud, Glitterdust, See Invisibility, Continual Flame, Darkness, Flaming Sphere, Gust of Wind, Scorching Ray, Shatter, Blur, Invisibility, False Life, Bear's Endurance, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Eagle's Splendor, Fox's Cunning, Owl's Wisdom, Dark Vision, Levitate, Rope trick, Spider Climb
3: Dispel Magic, Non Detection, Protection from Energy, Phantom Steed, Arcane Sight, Heroism, Hold Person, Rage, Daylight, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Wind Wall, Invisibility Sphere, Ray of Exhaustion, Vampiric Touch, Blink, Flaming Arrow, Fly, Gaseous Form, Haste, Keen Edge, Greater Magic weapon, Slow, Water Breathing
4: Fire Trap, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Remove Curse, Stoneskin, Dimension Door, Detect Scrying, Fire Shield, Ice Storm, Resilient Sphere, Shout, Greater Invisibility, Bestow Curse, Enevervation, Mass Enlarge Person, Mass Reduce Person
5: Break Enchantment, Dismissal, Mage's Faithful Hound, Feeblemind, Hold Monster, Cone of Cold, Interposing Hand, Sending, Waves of Fatigue, Fabricate, Overland Flight, Passwall, Permanency
6: Greater Dispel Magic, Glove of Invulnerability, Repulsion, True Seeing, Greater Heroism, Chain Lightning, Contingency, Forceful Hand, Freezing Sphere, Shadow Walk, Eyebite, Mass Bear's Endurance, Mass Bull's Strength, Mass Cat's Grace, Disintegrate, Mass Eagle's Splendor, Mass Fox's Cunning, Mass Owl's Wisdom, Transformation
7: Banishment, Spell Turning, Phase Door, Greater Arcane Sight, Mass Hold Person, Delayed Blast Fireball, Grasping Hand, Mage's Sword, Prismatic Spray, Mass Invisibility, Waves of Exhaustion, Ethereal Jaunt, Reverse Gravity, Statue
8: Mind Blank, Protection from Spells, Incendiary Cloud, Trap the Soul, Moment of Prescience, Clenched Fist, Polar Ray, Greater Shout, Sunburst, Telekinetic Sphere, Iron Body
9: Freedom, Imprisonment, Mage's Disjunction, Foresight, Mass Hold Monster, Crushing Hand, Meteor Swarm, Energy Drain, Soul Bind, Etherealness, Timestop

Rune Weapon
{table=head]Level|Enchantment|Bonus Hardness|Bonus HP|Special

1-2|
-|
+1|
+2| Bound

3-4|
+1|
+2|
+4| Deliver Touch Spells

5-6|
+2|
+3|
+6| Conscious, Speak with Master

7-8|
+3|
+4|
+8|

9-10|
+4|
+5|
+10|

11-12|
+5|
+6|
+12| Spell Resistance, Scry on Weapon

13-14|
+6*|
+7|
+14|

15-16|
+7*|
+8|
+16|

17-18|
+8*|
+9|
+18|

19|
+9*|
+10|
+20|

20|
+10*|
+10|
+20| Intelligent[/table]
*A weapon can’t actually have a bonus higher than +5. Use these lines to determine price when special abilities are added in.
Bound (Su): The Runeweapon is linked to the wielder and weakens anyone else who attempts to wield it.
The Runeweapon bestows a negative level against anyone wielding it besides the master and does not have access to the special abilities or enchantments on the weapon.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su): As familiar ability

Conscious (Su): Upon the master reaching 5th level, The Runeblade also gains what mirrors a personality. It is only able to communicate with it's master via Speak with Master, to all others it seems like it is just a regular weapon.

Speak with Master (Su): As Familiar Ability

Spell Resistance (Ex): As Familiar Ability

Scry on Weapon (Sp): As Familiar Ability

Intelligent (Su): When the master reaches 20th level, the Runeweapon becomes intelligent. However, the weapon remains loyal to the master and can never become superior to the caster, regardless of its ego score. If the Master changes alignments, so does the Runeweapon.

Neek
2007-05-20, 04:46 PM
I like the flavor, the Rune Weapon idea is awesome. I would suggest as alternative class names the names Runic Fighter, Runic Warrior, Runic Swordsman, ad nauseum. I'd like to see some more fluff, though.

A couple things to bring up: The Armored Casting makes this class a bit too lucrative. In lieu of utterly removing arcane spell failure, I would offer a percentile reduction a la Spellsword; I probably wouldn't start reduction until second level.

I'm not sure how I feel about the HD, as a fighter/mage class, survivability IS key. They do get some mighty nice buffs, however...

Khoran
2007-05-20, 05:11 PM
The name will be revised and I will keep those in mind. Also, I will post some fluff once I figure out exactly how to express it in words.

The Armored Casting was based more off of the Duskblades, who get it by armor type. However, I have and still am considering the idea of dong it by % like the Spellsword.

As for the Hit Die, I originially had it at d8 and decided to knock it down because it seemed pretty strong, but looking at it again, you do raise a good point of that they would not have enough Hit Points. So, updated.

Darkbane
2007-05-20, 05:58 PM
What is the "Somatic Weaponry" Feat? Also, being able to choose from both the fighter and wizard bonus feat lists seems a bit overpowered.

Khoran
2007-05-20, 06:05 PM
What is the "Somatic Weaponry" Feat? Also, being able to choose from both the fighter and wizard bonus feat lists seems a bit overpowered.

I might edit that so you don't need a suplement to understand that, but the name should give a good idea of what the feat does, which is allow you to use somatic components when your hand is occupied by a weapon.

As for the overpoweredness of getting to choose from both the Fighter and Wizard bonus feat list, care to explain how. You get 4 bonus feats that can be taken from one list or the other. However, it's still only 4 feats from 2 limited lists, and anything class specific (Such as Weapon Specilization and up) is not available to them.

JackMage666
2007-05-20, 07:57 PM
The Feats need work - Wizard or Fighter list is fine, but take out the fact that they don't need to meet the required level. That's just unfair. They should have to meet ALL requirements, as normal (also, the Wizard specific feets would be useless to him, but hey).

Also, Medium armor makes this class much more powerful - Normally, you'd need to spend a feat to do so, which is fine, but giving that away for free makes it really good.

Also, take a note from the Battle Sorcerer variant in Unearthed Arcana, and reduce spells known/per day. He can cast the most commonly used sorcerer spells (namely, blasting spells), so he should have some penalties so he doesn't completely overshadow the Sorcerer in all aspects.

Runic Weapon is really good... Kensai get the same thing, and that's a PrC. They should at least have a penalty if it gets destroyed (not just forging a new one) like a familiar. Also, they should have to pay to have it enhanced. Even if it costs 1/2 less to enhance, that'll be so much better than free weapon enhancement every two levels, with intelligence as well.

It's a good start, but balance it with existing classes - Right now, it overshadows Duskblade and Sorcerer, and is essentially the Battle Sorcerer variant on PCP. Noone in their right mind would take Sorcerer over this, so I'm saying it's a tad overpowered. Reduce some stuff, and it'll be golden.

Darkbane
2007-05-20, 08:21 PM
The Feats need work - Wizard or Fighter list is fine, but take out the fact that they don't need to meet the required level. That's just unfair. They should have to meet ALL requirements, as normal (also, the Wizard specific feets would be useless to him, but hey).

I don't think it means that you can ignore the class-specific level requirements, but rather that you can't take feats from those lists if they have a fighter or wizard level requirement. The wizard class also has metamagic and item creation feats on its bonus feat list, so those are open.

Khoran
2007-05-20, 08:52 PM
Also, Medium armor makes this class much more powerful - Normally, you'd need to spend a feat to do so, which is fine, but giving that away for free makes it really good.
Well, I've considered re-evaluating this so that it's % based rather than based on armor types. However, the Duskblade also gets a similar ability, as do some other classes.


Also, take a note from the Battle Sorcerer variant in Unearthed Arcana, and reduce spells known/per day. He can cast the most commonly used sorcerer spells (namely, blasting spells), so he should have some penalties so he doesn't completely overshadow the Sorcerer in all aspects.
Variant noted, used to inspire this class somewhat. Less Spell/Day then Sorc, though not by much. Also, while a lot of Sorc go for blasting spells, you must realize that there is the penalty that the Battlemage can only do blasting or buffing. Unless I made a mistake somewhere, they don't have any Save V.S. Death spells that can make a high level Sorc or Wiz very dangerous. Blasting power is fun, but it's just not as good as Save or dies.


Runic Weapon is really good... Kensai get the same thing, and that's a PrC. They should at least have a penalty if it gets destroyed (not just forging a new one) like a familiar. Also, they should have to pay to have it enhanced. Even if it costs 1/2 less to enhance, that'll be so much better than free weapon enhancement every two levels, with intelligence as well.
I'll re-examine this. Also, I am thinking of making it money cost for repair (Like resing a familiar) and XP cost to get it reforged. As for paying for Enhanced, once again, I'm considering reworking that area.


It's a good start, but balance it with existing classes - Right now, it overshadows Duskblade and Sorcerer, and is essentially the Battle Sorcerer variant on PCP. Noone in their right mind would take Sorcerer over this, so I'm saying it's a tad overpowered. Reduce some stuff, and it'll be golden.
Overshadow the Duskblade, possibly. However, Sorcerer I would be forced to disagree, since the Sorcerer has a wider spell choice that can make a huge difference in combat. And your right, no one would take Sorc over this, but as I've seen, no one takes Sorc over Wizard either. I probobly will be doing some toaning down though.

Remember, first shot at a class here. Also, something of this sort of power level can be achieved simply by multiclassing certain ways, so I wouldn't say it's power is too outrageous.

JackMage666
2007-05-20, 08:57 PM
Yeah, Sorcerer basic is pretty weak. I make my Sorcerer's more like Favored Souls (in terms of spells known, and when they can trade out spells), to give them a slight boost. Not much, but better than what Wizards gave us.

Khoran
2007-05-20, 09:03 PM
Yeah, Sorcerer basic is pretty weak. I make my Sorcerer's more like Favored Souls (in terms of spells known, and when they can trade out spells), to give them a slight boost. Not much, but better than what Wizards gave us.
Well, when I designed this class, I looked at Favored Souls, Clerics and Warmages(Though they were the least of what I looked at), and tried to reach some sort of middleground between all of those.

JackMage666
2007-05-20, 09:11 PM
Oh, another thing I jsut noticed - Spell Power - Resistance needs to get some boost. At max, it's SR 19, and you don't get it until 16th level (Which, Max at that level is SR 18). By that level, enemy spellcasters will scoff at you're petty SR 19 that you used a 9th level spell slot for.

Khoran
2007-05-20, 09:18 PM
Oh, another thing I jsut noticed - Spell Power - Resistance needs to get some boost. At max, it's SR 19, and you don't get it until 16th level (Which, Max at that level is SR 18). By that level, enemy spellcasters will scoff at you're petty SR 19 that you used a 9th level spell slot for.
Hmm, should I buff it to 15+Spell Level? When I thought about it originally, it almost felt like it was too much though.

Gralamin
2007-05-20, 09:28 PM
Hmm, should I buff it to 15+Spell Level? When I thought about it originally, it almost felt like it was too much though.

Thats too low. Remember, a level 20 wizard has +20 to his check from his level alone, and will generally be supplemented a few caster levels by things like Ioun stones.
SR of 24 is easily beaten by his +20 bonus (at least), as its a 20% failure rate.
At level 17, SR 24 means there is a 35% failure rate, before items.

JackMage666
2007-05-20, 09:33 PM
At 16th level, I think you may even deserve to go as far as 25+Level. 16 levels in one class, no muticlassings, is a dedicated path, and they deserve some rewards. Even so, Max SR is 34, and that's burning a 9th level spells. Also, it only lasts one turn, not 1 round/level. It'll negate a few Wizard spells, but you'll also be losing your own. It's actually just a less reliable Counterspell.

Khoran
2007-05-20, 10:23 PM
Alright, I've given Spell Power: Resistance 25+Spell Level, but it feels a bit like overkill to me.

Cruxador
2007-05-20, 10:40 PM
I would actually go Class Level + Charisma Bonus + Spell Level, but I like my variables laid on thick. That keeps it useful longer as well.

Khoran
2007-05-21, 12:32 AM
Updated

I've altered a few things about the class. The main change is how Arcane Casting works, I've both tonned it down and upped it at the same time by making it % based, but giving it what I feel is a slower progression. Then, obviously, I've changed the name. This name, however, is still tentative and if someone suggests something better then I will most likely change it again. I've also upped Spell Power: Resistance and retooled it so that the Runesoldier has less Spells/Day then Sorcerers.

Neek
2007-05-21, 10:36 PM
I can dig it.

Are we to expect any other Runic classes, hm? :D

Khoran
2007-05-21, 10:55 PM
I can dig it.

Are we to expect any other Runic classes, hm? :D

Hadn't planned on it, but I might try something else rune based.

Human Paragon 3
2007-05-22, 11:56 AM
Since he is a Rune soldier, why not give him some rune-based spells on his list like the Symbols and Glyphs? Magic Circle could also be a good rune-based spell.

Matthew
2007-05-24, 07:56 PM
Looks okay. It really could do with some fluff, though.