Blue_C.
2007-06-30, 11:52 PM
I feel that this class is, among other things, pretty underpowered as well as somewhat underwhelming. What I am looking for are suggestions that might liven it up a bit, as well as increase it's power slightly. However, any suggestions for improvement would be appreciated.
ELDER
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dmg2_gallery/90083.jpg
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills
The elder’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Table: THE ELDER
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2||2|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Domain|3|0|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3||3|1|-|-|-|-|-
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Animal Companion|3|2|0|-|-|-|-
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4||3|3|1|-|-|-|-
6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+5|Empathy|3|3|2|-|-|-|-
7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+5||3|3|2|0|-|-|-
8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+2|
+6|Special Power|3|3|3|1|-|-|-
9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+6||3|3|3|2|-|-|-
10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+3|
+7||3|3|3|2|0|-|-
11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+3|
+7|Special Power|3|3|3|3|1|-|-
12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8||3|3|3|3|2|-|-
13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8||3|3|3|3|2|0|-
14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+4|
+9|Special Power|4|3|3|3|3|1|-
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+5|
+9||4|4|3|3|3|2|-
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10||4|4|4|3|3|2|0
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Special Power|4|4|4|4|3|3|1
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11||4|4|4|4|4|3|2
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11||4|4|4|4|4|4|3
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Special Power|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the elder NPC class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Elders are proficient with all simple weapons, and plus the shortsword, shortbow, and sap. Elders are proficient with light armor and shields (but not tower shields).
Spells: An elder casts divine spells which are drawn from the elder spell list (see below). Like a cleric, an elder must choose and prepare her spells in advance. Unlike a cleric, an elder cannot spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells.
To prepare or cast a spell, an elder must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an elder’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the elder’s Wisdom modifier.
When Table: The Elder indicates that an elder gets 0 spells per day at a particular level, the elder only gets bonus spells from having a high wisdom score, and the domain spell of that elvel. If an elder does not have a high enough wisdom score for a bonus of that level, then she likewise does not receive a domain spell for that level.
Elders, unlike wizards, do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells, receiving them as divine inspiration or through their own strength of faith. Each elder must choose a time each day at which she must spend an hour in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain her daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on whether an elder can prepare spells.
Like other spell casters, an elder can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Elder. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.
Each elder has a particular holy symbol (as a divine focus) depending on the elder’s magical tradition.
Domain: At 2nd level an elder gains access to one of the following domains: Community, Nobility, Oracle, Protection, Travel, War, or Weather. The Elder also gains the associated domain power. If War domain is selected, choose any weapon already proficient in for the Weapon focus feat. If Travel is selected, an elder gets Skill focus (Survival) feat for free. The domain spells are added to the elder's spell list, however she gets no bonus spell slot to prepare it in, as a cleric would.
Animal Companion (Ex): As the standard ranger ability.
Empathy (Ex): At 6th level, an elder gains a bonus in Diplomacy, Perform (Oratory), and Sense Motive checks equal to one half his class level against creatures of the same type as the elder (So an elf elder would get an empathy bonus against goblins or halflings, but not dryads, ogres, or throne archons).
Special Power: At 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 20th levels, an elder gains a special power of her choice from among the following:
Awe: An elder with this ability is perpetually surrounded by an aura of Awe, which they use to make lesser mortals bend to their will. She gains a bonus to the Intimidate skill equal to her Wisdom modifier (min 1). An Elder automatically makes one attempt to intimidate a person with fewer HD than her whom she has been interacting with for at least one minute, and failing this automatic attempt does not make the target more hostile (since this isn't a conscious action on the elder's part, simply the affect of her mere prescence) In addition, the attitude of the person awed by the elder shifts to neutral, not unfriendly when the effect ends. However, failing conscious attempts to intimidate still make the target more hostile, as normal.
Further, once a person has been successfully cowed once by an elder, they must succeed a will save (DC = elder's current Intimidate score modifier) in order to take any direct hostile action against her. This doesn't necessarily stop them from aiding those who act against her. In general, if an elder has lived in a certain area for a long while, count everyone else who lives in that area and who might interact with her as a victim of past intimidation.
Bonus Feat: An elder may select any feat she qualifies for as her special power.
Bonus Spell: An elder with this ability gain one extra spell at any level she may already cast, as if from a high ability score. Once the bonus spell level is selected, it may not be changed.
Divination enhancement (Ex): An elder casts divination spells that have a percentage chance of success, such as augury and divination, at 1.5 times her caster level, rounded down. For example, if a 11th level elder with this ability casts the spell augury, her percent chance of getting a correct answer is 86% instead of 81%. This modifier is applied before any spell focus modifiers or the like.
Inspire Competence (Su): An elder that selects this gians the ability to inspire competence as the third level bard ability, except that the elder must have 11 ranks in a perform skill to select this ability.
Lore (Ex): An elder can choose to gain the ability to know legends or information regarding various topics, just as a bard can with bardic knowledge. The elder adds her level and her Intelligence modifier to the lore check, which functions otherwise exactly like a bardic knowledge check.
Mettle (Su): As the pious templar ability in Complete Divine
Planar Banishment (Su): An elder with this ability has the power to banish outsiders or elementals of a particular type. An elder cannot destroy outsiders, only banish them. An elder may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her charisma modifier. Use the turning table for this banishment check, and treat outsiders as having banishment resistence equal to their Cha modifier, if any. An elder's effective cleric level for this check is her elder level.
This ability will only banish outsiders to their native plane. If the outsider is already on their native plane, this ability has no affect. Once banished, even if the outsider has the ability to plane shift, it cannot do so for 10 rounds (1 minute).
When choosing this ability, an elder selects one of the following outsider subtypes: Air, Chaotic, Earth, Evil, Fire, Good, Lawful, or Water. Censure attempts only work on the selected subtype.
This ability may be selected multiple times, choosing a different subtype each time.
Smite (Su): An elder with this ability gains a smite attack, which is an attack with a +4 attack bonus and damage bonus equal to her elder level (if it hits). An elder must declare the smite before making the attempt. This ability is usable once per day.
This ability may be selected more than once. Each time, the elder gains an additional smite attack per day.
Spell-Like Ability: An elder can choose any spell she can cast of 1st level or lower and make it a spell-like ability. If it is a 1st level spell, she may use the ability a number of times per day equal to 2 + her Charisma modifier. 0 level spells are usable at will. This ability may only be selected once.
These spell-like abilities may have whatever metamagic feats the elder knows applied to it, as long as the effective level is still 1st or lower. In this case, the effective level determines how many times a day the ability can be used.
Caster Level for these abilities is equal to an elder's class level.
Turn or Rebuke Undead (Su): An elder with this ability gains the supernatural ability to turn or rebuke undead. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. Her effective cleric level for this ability is one half her elder level. An elder with this ability does not gain the ability to spontaneuosly cast spells as a cleric does.
Elder Spell List
Elders choose their spells from the following list.
0 Level: create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, tender care, touch of fatigue.
1st Level: bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, endure elements, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law, sleep, speak with animals.
2nd Level: aid, animal trance, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, darkness, delay poison, invisibility, make whole, mirror image, resist energy, scorching ray, see invisibility, web.
3rd Level: animate dead, bestow curse, contagion, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, lightning bolt, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, tongues, water breathing.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, dismissal, dispel magic, minor creation, polymorph, restoration, stoneskin, wall of fire.
5th Level: baleful polymorph, break enchantment, commune, greater command, major creation, raise dead, true seeing, wall of stone.
6th Level: blade barrier, geas/quest, greater dispel magic, harm, heal, hero's feast, move earth, word of recall
ELDER
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dmg2_gallery/90083.jpg
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills
The elder’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Table: THE ELDER
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2||2|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Domain|3|0|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3||3|1|-|-|-|-|-
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Animal Companion|3|2|0|-|-|-|-
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4||3|3|1|-|-|-|-
6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+5|Empathy|3|3|2|-|-|-|-
7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+5||3|3|2|0|-|-|-
8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+2|
+6|Special Power|3|3|3|1|-|-|-
9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+6||3|3|3|2|-|-|-
10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+3|
+7||3|3|3|2|0|-|-
11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+3|
+7|Special Power|3|3|3|3|1|-|-
12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8||3|3|3|3|2|-|-
13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8||3|3|3|3|2|0|-
14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+4|
+9|Special Power|4|3|3|3|3|1|-
15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+5|
+9||4|4|3|3|3|2|-
16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10||4|4|4|3|3|2|0
17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Special Power|4|4|4|4|3|3|1
18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11||4|4|4|4|4|3|2
19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11||4|4|4|4|4|4|3
20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Special Power|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the elder NPC class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Elders are proficient with all simple weapons, and plus the shortsword, shortbow, and sap. Elders are proficient with light armor and shields (but not tower shields).
Spells: An elder casts divine spells which are drawn from the elder spell list (see below). Like a cleric, an elder must choose and prepare her spells in advance. Unlike a cleric, an elder cannot spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells.
To prepare or cast a spell, an elder must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an elder’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the elder’s Wisdom modifier.
When Table: The Elder indicates that an elder gets 0 spells per day at a particular level, the elder only gets bonus spells from having a high wisdom score, and the domain spell of that elvel. If an elder does not have a high enough wisdom score for a bonus of that level, then she likewise does not receive a domain spell for that level.
Elders, unlike wizards, do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells, receiving them as divine inspiration or through their own strength of faith. Each elder must choose a time each day at which she must spend an hour in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain her daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on whether an elder can prepare spells.
Like other spell casters, an elder can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Elder. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.
Each elder has a particular holy symbol (as a divine focus) depending on the elder’s magical tradition.
Domain: At 2nd level an elder gains access to one of the following domains: Community, Nobility, Oracle, Protection, Travel, War, or Weather. The Elder also gains the associated domain power. If War domain is selected, choose any weapon already proficient in for the Weapon focus feat. If Travel is selected, an elder gets Skill focus (Survival) feat for free. The domain spells are added to the elder's spell list, however she gets no bonus spell slot to prepare it in, as a cleric would.
Animal Companion (Ex): As the standard ranger ability.
Empathy (Ex): At 6th level, an elder gains a bonus in Diplomacy, Perform (Oratory), and Sense Motive checks equal to one half his class level against creatures of the same type as the elder (So an elf elder would get an empathy bonus against goblins or halflings, but not dryads, ogres, or throne archons).
Special Power: At 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 20th levels, an elder gains a special power of her choice from among the following:
Awe: An elder with this ability is perpetually surrounded by an aura of Awe, which they use to make lesser mortals bend to their will. She gains a bonus to the Intimidate skill equal to her Wisdom modifier (min 1). An Elder automatically makes one attempt to intimidate a person with fewer HD than her whom she has been interacting with for at least one minute, and failing this automatic attempt does not make the target more hostile (since this isn't a conscious action on the elder's part, simply the affect of her mere prescence) In addition, the attitude of the person awed by the elder shifts to neutral, not unfriendly when the effect ends. However, failing conscious attempts to intimidate still make the target more hostile, as normal.
Further, once a person has been successfully cowed once by an elder, they must succeed a will save (DC = elder's current Intimidate score modifier) in order to take any direct hostile action against her. This doesn't necessarily stop them from aiding those who act against her. In general, if an elder has lived in a certain area for a long while, count everyone else who lives in that area and who might interact with her as a victim of past intimidation.
Bonus Feat: An elder may select any feat she qualifies for as her special power.
Bonus Spell: An elder with this ability gain one extra spell at any level she may already cast, as if from a high ability score. Once the bonus spell level is selected, it may not be changed.
Divination enhancement (Ex): An elder casts divination spells that have a percentage chance of success, such as augury and divination, at 1.5 times her caster level, rounded down. For example, if a 11th level elder with this ability casts the spell augury, her percent chance of getting a correct answer is 86% instead of 81%. This modifier is applied before any spell focus modifiers or the like.
Inspire Competence (Su): An elder that selects this gians the ability to inspire competence as the third level bard ability, except that the elder must have 11 ranks in a perform skill to select this ability.
Lore (Ex): An elder can choose to gain the ability to know legends or information regarding various topics, just as a bard can with bardic knowledge. The elder adds her level and her Intelligence modifier to the lore check, which functions otherwise exactly like a bardic knowledge check.
Mettle (Su): As the pious templar ability in Complete Divine
Planar Banishment (Su): An elder with this ability has the power to banish outsiders or elementals of a particular type. An elder cannot destroy outsiders, only banish them. An elder may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her charisma modifier. Use the turning table for this banishment check, and treat outsiders as having banishment resistence equal to their Cha modifier, if any. An elder's effective cleric level for this check is her elder level.
This ability will only banish outsiders to their native plane. If the outsider is already on their native plane, this ability has no affect. Once banished, even if the outsider has the ability to plane shift, it cannot do so for 10 rounds (1 minute).
When choosing this ability, an elder selects one of the following outsider subtypes: Air, Chaotic, Earth, Evil, Fire, Good, Lawful, or Water. Censure attempts only work on the selected subtype.
This ability may be selected multiple times, choosing a different subtype each time.
Smite (Su): An elder with this ability gains a smite attack, which is an attack with a +4 attack bonus and damage bonus equal to her elder level (if it hits). An elder must declare the smite before making the attempt. This ability is usable once per day.
This ability may be selected more than once. Each time, the elder gains an additional smite attack per day.
Spell-Like Ability: An elder can choose any spell she can cast of 1st level or lower and make it a spell-like ability. If it is a 1st level spell, she may use the ability a number of times per day equal to 2 + her Charisma modifier. 0 level spells are usable at will. This ability may only be selected once.
These spell-like abilities may have whatever metamagic feats the elder knows applied to it, as long as the effective level is still 1st or lower. In this case, the effective level determines how many times a day the ability can be used.
Caster Level for these abilities is equal to an elder's class level.
Turn or Rebuke Undead (Su): An elder with this ability gains the supernatural ability to turn or rebuke undead. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. Her effective cleric level for this ability is one half her elder level. An elder with this ability does not gain the ability to spontaneuosly cast spells as a cleric does.
Elder Spell List
Elders choose their spells from the following list.
0 Level: create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, tender care, touch of fatigue.
1st Level: bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, endure elements, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law, sleep, speak with animals.
2nd Level: aid, animal trance, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, darkness, delay poison, invisibility, make whole, mirror image, resist energy, scorching ray, see invisibility, web.
3rd Level: animate dead, bestow curse, contagion, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, lightning bolt, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, tongues, water breathing.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, dismissal, dispel magic, minor creation, polymorph, restoration, stoneskin, wall of fire.
5th Level: baleful polymorph, break enchantment, commune, greater command, major creation, raise dead, true seeing, wall of stone.
6th Level: blade barrier, geas/quest, greater dispel magic, harm, heal, hero's feast, move earth, word of recall