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Feralventas
2016-06-10, 05:55 AM
Changing this thread into a container for more ideas than just the one I needed it for at first. Going to be posting more as they come up for reference and inviting critiques if there's interest.

Feralventas
2016-06-30, 11:33 PM
The Necropath is a psionically talented individual whose specialized abilities work almost exclusively with death and the dead, particularly in a mix of latent psionic imprints on places and objects (usually a body) or in causing effects that align with those subjects. They are not overwhelmingly powerful on their own, but over time they garner the aid of several, more potent and enduring psionic entities either by cultivating old, fading imprints back into a simulacrum of their former selves, or in finding and manipulating self-sufficient undead spirits that are willing to work with or serve them.

d6 Hit Dice per level.
3/4ths Base Attack Bonus (As Clerics, Bards and Rogues)
Poor Fortitude saves.
Poor Reflex Saves.
Good Will Saves
4+Int Modifier skill points per level (x4 at 1st in 3.5)

Class Features
1st: Psionic Powers, Necromantic Psionics, Turn or Rebuke Undead, Staying Alive
2nd Walk the Path I
3rd Lesser Animate Dead (SLA)
4th 1st Possession
5th Walk the Path II
6th Staying Alive (Immediate Action)
7th Spiritual Aid I, Animate Dead (SLA)
8th 2nd Possession
9th Walk the Path III
10th Necropathic Apotheosis
11th Spiritual Aid II
12th 3rd Possession
13th Walk the Path IV
14th Necropathic Apotheosis (Evolved Undead)
15th Spiritual Aid III
16th 4th Possession
17th Walk the Path V
18th Necropathic Apotheosis (2nd iteration)
19th Spiritual Aid IV
20th 5th Possession, Final Destination

Necropaths are proficient with with Simple weapons and Light armor.

Bluff, Concentration, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (History, Planes, Psionics and Religion), Perform, Profession, Psicraft (Spellcraft if Magic/Psionic Transparency is in effect) Sense Motive, and Use Magic Device are all class skills for a Necropath.

The Necropath learns one Power per level, taken from the Necromancy Spell School via Spell To Power conversion. At 2nd level, and every other even level after they may select a bonus power known from any manifesting class so long as it doesn't exceed their available Highest Power Known (advancing as a Psychic Warrior, 1st level at Necropath level 1, 2nd level powers at NP4, 3rd level powers at NP7 and so forth to 6th level powers at NP16.) Their power-points per day however accrue as if a psion (2, 6, 11, 17 and so forth at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Necropath level). A Necropath must have an intelligence score of at least 10 plus the level of a power to select it as a power known. The DC for any powers a Necropath manifests is 10+the power level+ the necropath's wisdom modifier.

For example, a 5th level Necropath knows 5 Necromancy Powers and 2 Psionic powers drawn from other classes. 3 of those Necromancy Powers and One of the Psionic powers would be 1st level power, and One of each would be a 2nd level power.

Turning and Rebuking: A Necropath may Rebuke or Control undead as if a Cleric of their level.

Staying Alive: A Necropath is a conduit for lingering spirits and vestigial minds to live again, and accordingly they lend you what power they can to keep you alive and protect that conduit. You may manifest the Vigor power as if you'd spent a number of power points equal to your Necropath level 3+Cha Mod times per day. At 6th level, you may do this as an immediate action in response to taking damage that would drop your HP below 0.

Walk the Path: Necropaths are already a narrow manifestation of psionic power, but the practical application of this discipline varies from one practitioner to the next. A Necropath selects a single path to walk in their practice and must not deviate from it once they've begun. (I currently have two of these completed and would be open to working on more if you have an idea in mind. I'll elaborate on them below.)

Lesser Animate Dead (Psi): As their powers develop, Necropaths begin to reach out to the residual psychic energy left in the bodies of the dead, and can use it to create a facsimile of life as per the Lesser Animate Dead spell starting at 3rd level. A Necropath may control a number of HD of undead equal to their Charisma Modifier multiplied by their necropath level.

Possession: At 4th level and each four levels after, the Necropath gains control or alliance of a particularly potent spirit. This spirit's aid functions as an Evil Outsider with HD equal to the Necropath's level, though the spirit's actual alignment and type are not required to be that of an Evil Outsider. See the Book of Vile Darkness for Possession rules. In brief, each possessing spirit may grant a +4 Profane bonus to an ability score if possessing an "ally" such as the Necropath in this case. They may possess a weapon or armor item, granting it a magical enhancement of a market price value up to 2000gp per effective HD of the possessing spirit. Spells, Abilities, and Effects which would expel a possessing spirit or malign entity temporarily banish possessing spirits until the Necropath can take 1 minute to recollect and reform its spiritual presence. A possessing spirit may also be directed toward another creature, granting the same bonuses if the Necropath orders it to do so. At 8th level, a Possessing Spirit's powers expand to be usable offensively, possessing an enemy within medium (100+10/necropath level) range and either applying a -4 profane penalty to one of the target's ability scores, or attempting to control it as Dominate Person, allowing a new save to shake it off every round. At 12th level, a victim may only make a new save to force the spirit out once every hour, and once per day at 16th. No single spirit may grant more than one of these effects at once; Ability Score Enhancements, Item Enhancements, or Offensive Possessions are mutually exclusive actions on the spirit's part.

At 7th level, so long as the Necrpath has at least one possession active, they may select from the following bonuses; +1 to attack rolls, +1 to damage rolls, +1 AC, +1 to saving throws, DR1/-, Resist Energy 5 or +5 HP. At 11th, 15th, and 19th levels another of these may be selected. Each bonus is cumulative, so a 19th level Necropath might select +1 to AC twice and +1 to saving throws twice, gaining +2 to AC and +2 to their saves. The Necropath selects how to allocate these bonuses each time they recover power points.

At 7th level, the Necropath's ability to animate bodies with latent psionic imprints improves, making their Psi-like ability to Animate the dead function as Animate Dead rather than Lesser Animate Dead.

Necropathic Apotheosis: At 10th level, one of the myriad spirits which have begun to follow the Necropath proves to be more lucid and aware of reality than the others. You gain a Cohort as per the Leadership feat, with their ECL being three lower than would normally be indicated by your Leadership score and the limitation of your cohort's level being your own -2 at most, resulting instead in a -5 total cap. At 14th level your cohort may either reduce this penalty by one to -4 or gain the Evolved Undead template from Libris Mortis. This opportunity arises again at 18th level, and may be repeated with the same option both times or both the template and reducing the penalty once each.

Final Destination: At the peak of their development, a Necropath's powers are fine-tuned to their methodology. This manifests differently depending on which Path they choose to walk.



PATHS

The Martial Path.

1: At the first stage of a Martial Necropath's development, they gain the insight of warriors and soldiers who have passed on. They gain Martial Weapon Proficiency, and they grant their own Weapon and Armor proficiency to any undead they control or create. In addition, they do not learn Bonus Powers from other psionic classes, but instead learn Martial Adept Maneuvers. They must still spend Power Points as a Spell or Power of the Martial Maneuver's level.
2: At the second stage of a Martial Necropath's growth, they gain Medium Armor Proficiency and may ignore 1 point of Armor Check Penalty per possessing spirit (To a maximum of ignoring 5ACP at 20th level).
3: The Necropath gains Shield Proficiency and the effects of the Toughness feat (As per Pathfinder Toughness or 3.5's Improved Toughness feat). This does not prevent them from taking the feat itself.
4: The Necropath gains Heavy Armor Proficiency and never takes any penalty to their movement due to Medium or Heavy armor.
5: The Necropath's weapons, when chosen for a Possession augmentation, deal permanent damage which cannot be healed except with a Wish or Miracle cast to undo it. Regeneration still treats this as Non-Lethal damage unless it is otherwise bypassed, but still cannot Heal the damage dealt. This ability only functions if the Necropath has at least One possessing spirit bound to the weapon being used to deal damage.
Final Destination: Ghastly Resilience: The Martial Necropath is not one warrior, but an army in one body. They may ignore one effect or penalty per possession currently active on their person or equipped items for a number of rounds equal to their charisma modifier.



The Hive Path.

1:The Hive Necropath isn't so much in command of the residual psyches and spirits that congregate around them, often being at their behest. When all parties agree, this is a beneficial arrangement. The Hive Necropath uses Charisma to determine their highest available Powers to manifest, their power's save DCs, and their bonus power points.
2:Not every spirit or mind is that of an ally, however. The second part of the Hive Path allows the Necropath to gain additional multi-tasking skill at the risk of betrayal. The Necropath may forego the effects of one Possession for 1d4 rounds in order to gain an extra move action. However, there is a 15% chance that giving up control allows a capricious spirit to act independently of the Necropath's will, as decided by the DM, for that specific move action.
3: No risk, no reward. Hopefully you can trust your ghostly friends. The 3rd part of the Hive Path allows the Necropath to forego the effects of Two possessions for 1d6 rounds in order to gain an extra Standard Action in their turn, but there is a 25% chance that the DM will decide how it is used.
4:While some of your "allies" are unhelpful at time, the majority give you greater insights and protection with their influence of your actions: Gain the Unearthly Grace feature, adding your Charisma modifier to your saving throws as an Insight modifier, and to your AC as a Deflection modifier.
5:Who's even in your head anymore? Up to Three possessions may now be suppressed so as to redirect those spirits to other actions. They'll need 1d8 rounds to return to service, and grant a full-round action in addition to your current round's actions, but this risks a 35% chance of DM control.
Final Destination: Confederacy of Idiots- Everyone do SOMETHING. You may suppress All of your possession effects in order to gain 5 additional full-round actions. Each full-round action granted has a 35% chance of being directed by the DM. Take each action separately; if convenient the extra rounds may be taken all at once, or in sequence with each subsequent full round taking place at the Necropath's initiative -4, and -4 more (-8, -12, -16 and -20) for each full round after.

Feralventas
2016-12-28, 07:54 AM
River Vassal

Down on their luck, out of options and out of time; these are the traits which call to the River King. In turn, he calls out to desperate souls with little to lose and everything to gain in order to make an offer. If they will offer to sate his hunger at a later time, he will see a swift escape from their troubles and opportunity to repay his generosity. Usually, this might amount to needing to offer some great wealth, painstakingly accrued over time after his aid was given, but one must be careful with exactly how they recover from their needs; whatever fortunes you recover, the River King will help himself to ravenously be they monetary, material, or even familial.

A lucky or unfortunate few are clever enough to instead ask for a fragment of the River King's own debts, his Hunger. In place of a repayment in the future, they take on service to the King, seeking to sate his hungers by finding others to fulfill it, while cursed to carry on despite now sharing in that hunger themselves. For their oath of servitude, they take on aspects of the River King's form and inherit a small measure of his talents to cultivate as their own. The hunger drives them onward, and while some may find themselves in a worse situation than whatever desperation they sought to escape in the first place, a practiced River Vassal carries themselves with a silver tongue, an unnatural appetite, and a knowledge of The River, a preternatural waterway that seems to have mouths and inlets just about anywhere.

"Boy, the World's all one river, and I am its King. Ain't no place I ain't been, ain't no place I can't go again."

D10 Hit Dice

Full Base Attack Bonus (BAB=Class Level)
Good Fortitude and Reflex Saves.
Poor Will Save.


2+Int Modifier Skill Points Per level.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Balance, Jump, and Tumble), Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (Dungeoneering, Goegraphy, History, Local, Nobility, Planes), Linguistics (Speak Language), Perception (Spot, Listen), Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Slight of Hand, Spellcraft, Stealth (Hide, Move Silently), Survival, Swim, and Use Magic Device.

1: Curse of Hunger, Cruel Insights.
2: Resilient Mobility, Bonus Feat (Improved Grapple)
3: Gullet, Devour I
4: Tricks of the Trade (1st level spells)
5: Silver Tongue's Reach (+5), Thick Skin 1/day, Grab (Monstrous Ability)
6: Briefly Sated, Fast Healing 1
7: Riverwalk I
8: Gullet, Devour II, Tricks of the Trade (2nd level spells)
9: Riverwalk II, Fast Healing 2
10: Silver Tongue's Reach (+10)
11: Thick Skin 2/day, Tricks of the Trade (3rd level spells),
12: Gullet, Devour III, Fast Healing 3
13: Riverwalk III,
14: Tricks of the Trade (Key Feature & 4th level spells)
15: Gullet, Devour IV, Silver Tongue's Reach (+15), Fast Healing 4
16: Riverwalk IV
17: Gullet, Devour V, Thick Skin 3/day
18: Fast Healing 5
19: Consume
20: Riverwalk V, Silver Tongue's Reach (+20)

A River Vassal is proficient with only Simple Weapons and Natural Weapons and no armor or shields.

Curse of Hunger: Ravenous hunger wracks A River Vassal's body in stressful situations. You gain none of the benefits from spells or magic items that provide nourishment, such as goodberry, heroes' feast, or a ring of sustenance. You also gain a slam attack that deals an amount of bludgeoning damage appropriate for your size (1d8 for a Large creature, 1d6 for Medium, 1d4 for Small) as a secondary natural attack. At 5th level, you gain the grab monster special ability on slam attacks against creatures smaller than yourself. At 10th level, your slam attack deals damage as if you were one size category larger.

Cruel Insights: A River Vassal need not be quick witted or forceful, only perceptive and long-remembering. He learns and recalls old wants, needs, and is talented at ferreting out the things people want and need. Add Wisdom Mod to all Charisma skills, and to AC as an Insight Bonus when unarmored and not helpless.

Resiliant Mobility: A River Vassal's hunger often leads to a lifestyle that would diminish physical finesse, but their physique belies their agility. Add Constitution modifier to all Dexterity skills and to AC as a Natural Armor bonus.

Gullet: At 3rd level, the River Vassal's hunger has forced new, supernatural adjustments to fit its needs. They may stow away goods and tools and the like in their belly as if their gullet was a Type 1 Bag of Holding. At 8th level, their gullet expands to the size of a Type 2 Bag of Holding. At 12th level, type 3. At 15th, type 4. At 17th level, the River Vassal's Gullet expands to contain a space equal to a Type 4 Bag of Holding multiplied by its Constitution modifier.

Devour: The River Vassal's belly can contain more than just its equipment. They gain the Swallow Whole monster ability at 3rd level and can contain creatures as if one size larger (Treating a Medium sized River Vassal as Large size to determine the size of the creatures it can swallow whole.) At 8th level, the River Vassal is treated as Huge size for the use of its Swallow Whole ability. At 12th, Gargantuan. At 15th, Colossal.

Tricks of the Trade: The River Vassal 's preternatural hunger lends little in knowledge or supernatural insights, but the natural flow of the River Kings' abode carries spiritual whispers of darker waters. At 4th level, the River Vassal may select one of the following class's spell lists and casting systems for himself, usually determined by his environmental influences and the nuances of how the Hunger has driven them:
Bloodrager (Bloodrage)
Medium (1 spirit bound)
Paladin (Lay on Hands)
Ranger (Favored Enemy)
Spellthief (Steal Spell)
Savant (Academic Lore)

The River Vassal's Wisdom Score is used to determine their highest level spells prepared or known, bonus spells from ability scores, and any save DC's for their spells. At 14th level, the jack of the trade efforts and insights manifest more succinctly, granting a key feature of the class whose spells were selected treating Half their River Vassal levels as their effective class level for the feature.

Silver Tongue's Reach: The Tongue Slam granted by the Curse of Hunger grows in reach with the River Vassal's power, gaining +5 reach at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.

Thick Skin: Once per day as an immediate action, a River Vassal may let themselves drift in the flow's strange currents, moving forward even as the flows of time are reversed; They gain an amount of Temporary HP equal to the difference of their Current and Total HP, diminishing at a rate of their Constitution Modifier per level. At 11th level, the River Vassal can draw on the River to do this Twice per day. At 17th, three times per day.

Briefly Sated: A snack can deter the Curse of Hunger...for a while. While the River Vassal has a creature in its Gullet or consumed by its Devour ability, the River Vassal gains a bonus to its Will Save equal to its Constitution Modifier as its hunger is sated and its wits return.

Fast healing: The River Vassal 's hunger, when humored, fulfills its purpose with fervor. The River Vassal gains Fast Healing so long as it is not currently Starving.

Riverwalk: The River Vassal's most potent skill is to simply let the river take its course; directly to its next meal. At 7th level, the River Vassal may step into the flow of the River and step from its shore a short distance away, as per Dimension Door once per day. At 9th level, the River Vassal dares travel further into the watery depths. They may use the short distance jaunts 3 times per day, and one grand journey as per Teleport once per day. At 13th, the River Vassal is adept at the River's winding currents. The River Vassal may journey as per Greater Teleport once per day, Teleport three times per day, and Dimension Door 3+Constitution Modifier per day. At 16th level, the River Vassal may take the river to places stranger still, treating it as Planeshift once per day, Greater Teleport three times per day, Teleport 3+Constitution Modifier per day, and Dimension Door at will. At 20th level, the River Vassal has mastered the River's ebb and flow, and knows it may take anyone, anywhere, always leading back to its source. This is manifest as Interplanetary Teleport once per day, Planeshift three times per day, Greater Teleport 3+Constitution Mod per day, and Teleport or Dimension Door at will. Riverwalk may be used to carry others with the River Vassal, but unless they are safely inside his Gullet for the trip, they always risk teleportation error as per the Teleport Spell, as if they had only viewed the destination once. Each traveler must roll for themselves as to their result.

Consume: It's always dangerous to be in any creature's mouth, Especially a hungry River Vassal. At 19th level any creature consumed by the River Vassal's Swallow Whole ability may be subject to being consumed immediately, and must make a Fortitude Save (DC 10+1/2 the River Vassal's Level+the River Vassal's Constitution Modifier.) Upon success, the swallowed victim is not safe for long; if they do not escape before the River Vassal's next turn, they must save again so long as they remain swallowed by the River Vassal once per turn until they escape, fail, or somehow convince the River Vassal not to eat them.