Wystrell
2007-06-02, 07:34 PM
Throwing Gnome
Being of small stature in a world frequented by adventurers with a 10 ft headstart can be a nuisance. Many times the gnome, being the quirkier of the two major "short" races, is more prone to a certain kind of surrender;
"Oh, fine, just throw me."
The Throwing Gnome excels in fighting while airborne. While the reasons for becoming a Throwing Gnome are usually out of the character's control, or are out of a self-depcrecating need to be useful, the extra burst of speed, height bonus, and various other abilities somehow make being thrown an ability worth having.
Prerequisites
Race: Gnome.
Skills: Jump (10 ranks), Tumble (10 ranks).
Special: Must be thrown by another character (as a weapon) 10ft or farther.
Class Skills
The throwing gnome's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Dex), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex)
Skill points per level: 4 + Int modifier
Game Rule Information
Hit Die: d8
Base Flight Speed determines how much farther a Throwing Gnome will go after being thrown; add this to the throwing distance of the character throwing the gnome. If the Throwing Gnome is self-propelled, use base land speed instead.
Table 1-1: The Throwing Gnome
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Base Flight Speed|Crash To-Hit Bonus|Crash Damage Bonus
1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Extended flight 1/day, cannonball|15ft|+1|+1
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Leap and bound|20ft|+1|+1
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Extended flight 2/day|25ft|+2|+1
4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Flight of 10,000 Squirrels|30ft|+2|+2
5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Extended flight 3/day|35ft|+3|+2
6th|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+2|Windwhipped|45ft|+3|+2
7th|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+2|Extended flight 4/day|50ft|+4|+3
8th|
+8|
+6|
+6|
+2|Self-propelled|55ft|+4|+3[/table]
Class Features
Extended flight: This ability works similar to the spell feather fall, but only increases your flight speed by an extra 10ft. This stacks with any item or armor that increases flight speed, except for feather fall, and lasts for the duration of your time in the air (if you are in the middle of a Leap or a series of Leaps, extended flight remains in effect until you land on the ground). Extended flight does not stack with itself.
Cannonball: If your thrower has "called" an opponent for you to crash into, that opponent loses their dexterity bonus until the thrower's turn ends. An effective hit stuns the opponent. Your body, on its own, deals 1d8 lethal damage when moving at a speed of 30 ft - and a crash deals 1d3 damage to you. Any stabbing weapon (spiked mail included) used on the opponent you crash into deals an extra 1d4 damage due to speed. Unless windwhipped, if you're flying faster than 60ft, upon collision, make a Tumble check to see if you land on your feet. If you fail the Tumble check, roll 1d2 for every 20ft you flew. The following is a table of damage dealt versus speed:
Table 1-2: Cannonball Damage
{table=head]Total Speed|Crash Damage|Stab Bonus
15ft|1d3|1
20ft|1d4|1d2
30ft|1d6|1d4
35ft|1d8|1d4
40ft|2d6|1d6
45ft|2d6|1d8
50ft|2d8|2d4
55ft|2d8|2d4
60ft|3d6|2d6
65ft|3d6|2d6
70ft|3d8|2d8
75ft|3d8|2d8
80ft|4d6|3d6
85ft|4d6|3d6
90ft|5d6|3d6
95ft|5d6|3d8
100ft|4d8|3d8[/table]
Level does not determine damage as much as speed does, for speed determines how hard the Throwing Gnome collides with an enemy. Your flight speed can be, at maximum, the thrower's throwing distance plus your base flight speed. However, as shown in Table 1-1, your ability to effectively hit an opponent while in flight increases as you level, both in to-hit and to damage.
Leap and Bound: You understand the physics of midair dueling enough to be able to "jump" around the battlefield. Upon contact with your Cannonball target, you can opt to jump off of him/her in the direction of another opponent. Any body-cannon damage is halved (stabbing weapon bonuses still apply), and the opponent you jump off of must make a Strength check against yours (+3 bonus to you from speed, +4 if the opponent is of greater than average stability) or be Tripped. You cannot L&B off of a character who is incorporeal or otherwise unstable (like a gelatinous cube), and you cannot L&B at an impossible angle (i.e., you cannot bounce off your opponent's chest and end up flying behind him). Any leap must be in a straight line (like a charge). Your flying speed after the Leap is halved, and if you opted to stab your inital Cannon target, it decreases another 5ft. Leaping provokes attacks of opportunity.
Flight of 10,000 Squirrels: Every gnome has the undercurrent of illusion running through her veins. The original Throwing Gnomes found a way to integrate heritage with uncontrolled flight by using a glamer mid-battle. Any gnome with Cha 12 or higher can "split" her image midair into a series of illusory doubles, whose location and trajectory are under her control. The amount of doubles created is equal to double your Cha bonus, but are often fuzzy (unless Cha is 16 or higher). The doubles disappear if you hit anything solid, or if they are attacked. This ability can only be used once per battle.
Windwhipped: Starting at 6th level, it is assumed that you have been thrown around enough that the wind begins to reshape your body structure. This only occurs if you have been thrown in battle as many times as you have points of Dexterity; however, if you hit that number at any time afterwards, you become Windwhipped as soon as you gain a level. Your frame becomes leaner, your face more hollow. This gains you an inherent +1 to Dexterity and Constitution, and increases your flight speed by 10ft. A regular cannonball no longer deals damage to you. By this, Throwing Gnomes become an alternate race of sorts.
Self-Propelled: You no longer need to be thrown by another person to create the fast, short-distance flight of your class. If you have at least 15 ranks in Jump, you can use any sturdy, upright form as a jump-start. If the target you wish to self-propel from is rickety, mortal, or otherwise unstable, make a Jump check against your target's AC - if you succeed, and if your target makes a successful counterTrip check, you use the target as a "thrower." If your jump succeeds, the target must make another counterTrip to avoid being thrown backwards from the energy it takes to propel you speedily across the battlefield. If the target is mortal and does not trip in either instance, he/she is pushed backwards 5ft after the self-propel.
---
Any input is greatly appreciated, I decided I had to do this after reading the Things I Can't Do While Gaming thread. Also, if you need to know the rationale behind any of this, just ask. Forthcoming will be related armor, perhaps feats, and a quip for multiclassed Dashing Swordsmen. ;)
Being of small stature in a world frequented by adventurers with a 10 ft headstart can be a nuisance. Many times the gnome, being the quirkier of the two major "short" races, is more prone to a certain kind of surrender;
"Oh, fine, just throw me."
The Throwing Gnome excels in fighting while airborne. While the reasons for becoming a Throwing Gnome are usually out of the character's control, or are out of a self-depcrecating need to be useful, the extra burst of speed, height bonus, and various other abilities somehow make being thrown an ability worth having.
Prerequisites
Race: Gnome.
Skills: Jump (10 ranks), Tumble (10 ranks).
Special: Must be thrown by another character (as a weapon) 10ft or farther.
Class Skills
The throwing gnome's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Dex), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex)
Skill points per level: 4 + Int modifier
Game Rule Information
Hit Die: d8
Base Flight Speed determines how much farther a Throwing Gnome will go after being thrown; add this to the throwing distance of the character throwing the gnome. If the Throwing Gnome is self-propelled, use base land speed instead.
Table 1-1: The Throwing Gnome
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Base Flight Speed|Crash To-Hit Bonus|Crash Damage Bonus
1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Extended flight 1/day, cannonball|15ft|+1|+1
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Leap and bound|20ft|+1|+1
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Extended flight 2/day|25ft|+2|+1
4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Flight of 10,000 Squirrels|30ft|+2|+2
5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Extended flight 3/day|35ft|+3|+2
6th|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+2|Windwhipped|45ft|+3|+2
7th|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+2|Extended flight 4/day|50ft|+4|+3
8th|
+8|
+6|
+6|
+2|Self-propelled|55ft|+4|+3[/table]
Class Features
Extended flight: This ability works similar to the spell feather fall, but only increases your flight speed by an extra 10ft. This stacks with any item or armor that increases flight speed, except for feather fall, and lasts for the duration of your time in the air (if you are in the middle of a Leap or a series of Leaps, extended flight remains in effect until you land on the ground). Extended flight does not stack with itself.
Cannonball: If your thrower has "called" an opponent for you to crash into, that opponent loses their dexterity bonus until the thrower's turn ends. An effective hit stuns the opponent. Your body, on its own, deals 1d8 lethal damage when moving at a speed of 30 ft - and a crash deals 1d3 damage to you. Any stabbing weapon (spiked mail included) used on the opponent you crash into deals an extra 1d4 damage due to speed. Unless windwhipped, if you're flying faster than 60ft, upon collision, make a Tumble check to see if you land on your feet. If you fail the Tumble check, roll 1d2 for every 20ft you flew. The following is a table of damage dealt versus speed:
Table 1-2: Cannonball Damage
{table=head]Total Speed|Crash Damage|Stab Bonus
15ft|1d3|1
20ft|1d4|1d2
30ft|1d6|1d4
35ft|1d8|1d4
40ft|2d6|1d6
45ft|2d6|1d8
50ft|2d8|2d4
55ft|2d8|2d4
60ft|3d6|2d6
65ft|3d6|2d6
70ft|3d8|2d8
75ft|3d8|2d8
80ft|4d6|3d6
85ft|4d6|3d6
90ft|5d6|3d6
95ft|5d6|3d8
100ft|4d8|3d8[/table]
Level does not determine damage as much as speed does, for speed determines how hard the Throwing Gnome collides with an enemy. Your flight speed can be, at maximum, the thrower's throwing distance plus your base flight speed. However, as shown in Table 1-1, your ability to effectively hit an opponent while in flight increases as you level, both in to-hit and to damage.
Leap and Bound: You understand the physics of midair dueling enough to be able to "jump" around the battlefield. Upon contact with your Cannonball target, you can opt to jump off of him/her in the direction of another opponent. Any body-cannon damage is halved (stabbing weapon bonuses still apply), and the opponent you jump off of must make a Strength check against yours (+3 bonus to you from speed, +4 if the opponent is of greater than average stability) or be Tripped. You cannot L&B off of a character who is incorporeal or otherwise unstable (like a gelatinous cube), and you cannot L&B at an impossible angle (i.e., you cannot bounce off your opponent's chest and end up flying behind him). Any leap must be in a straight line (like a charge). Your flying speed after the Leap is halved, and if you opted to stab your inital Cannon target, it decreases another 5ft. Leaping provokes attacks of opportunity.
Flight of 10,000 Squirrels: Every gnome has the undercurrent of illusion running through her veins. The original Throwing Gnomes found a way to integrate heritage with uncontrolled flight by using a glamer mid-battle. Any gnome with Cha 12 or higher can "split" her image midair into a series of illusory doubles, whose location and trajectory are under her control. The amount of doubles created is equal to double your Cha bonus, but are often fuzzy (unless Cha is 16 or higher). The doubles disappear if you hit anything solid, or if they are attacked. This ability can only be used once per battle.
Windwhipped: Starting at 6th level, it is assumed that you have been thrown around enough that the wind begins to reshape your body structure. This only occurs if you have been thrown in battle as many times as you have points of Dexterity; however, if you hit that number at any time afterwards, you become Windwhipped as soon as you gain a level. Your frame becomes leaner, your face more hollow. This gains you an inherent +1 to Dexterity and Constitution, and increases your flight speed by 10ft. A regular cannonball no longer deals damage to you. By this, Throwing Gnomes become an alternate race of sorts.
Self-Propelled: You no longer need to be thrown by another person to create the fast, short-distance flight of your class. If you have at least 15 ranks in Jump, you can use any sturdy, upright form as a jump-start. If the target you wish to self-propel from is rickety, mortal, or otherwise unstable, make a Jump check against your target's AC - if you succeed, and if your target makes a successful counterTrip check, you use the target as a "thrower." If your jump succeeds, the target must make another counterTrip to avoid being thrown backwards from the energy it takes to propel you speedily across the battlefield. If the target is mortal and does not trip in either instance, he/she is pushed backwards 5ft after the self-propel.
---
Any input is greatly appreciated, I decided I had to do this after reading the Things I Can't Do While Gaming thread. Also, if you need to know the rationale behind any of this, just ask. Forthcoming will be related armor, perhaps feats, and a quip for multiclassed Dashing Swordsmen. ;)