Darkrunner Variant help

[artimus261]

So I'll get right into it. I have a player who is a darkrunner, out of the Lords of Madness book, in the campaign I'm managing. He loves the class and has darkvision and waterbreathing all the time as a draconic half-elf dragon shaman so he has a pretty interesting niche when it comes to the dark flooded depths of the underdark. ANYWAYS, he is looking for a replacement for tunnelport, greater tunnelport, and stonewalking as he is hoping to avoid overly magical effects like teleporting and earthswimming and whatnot. I'm trying to give him some other options but since they have hinges and limited daily uses it's hard for me to quantify them properly. An option i do have for them is a +10ft bonus to their landspeed, a climb speed equal to their landspeed, and a swim speed equal to their landspeed but it feels like this might overshadow some of their other bonuses to these skills and such; if these things are even enough to replace the other things. If anyone could help my hash some ideas out i'd appreciate it!

[Inevitability]

Perhaps let him have an animal companion, with the ability to choose from several Underdark creatures?

Swim and climb speed seem like good ideas too, if a bit insignificant.

What's the party makeup and optimization level like?

[artimus261]

Well I should mention for starters it is a gestalt campaign. The party is a ranger/dragon shaman (the player i'm trying to work with), a sorcerer/bard, a druid/barbarian, and a binder/fighter.

We really don't optimize at all so that's not too big a concern, we mostly focusing on the role playing aspect, though of course what would dnd be without combat.

He's already exchanged his normal animal companion for something else so i don't think he'd be wanting another. I also forgot he picked the Aquatic Adaptation draconic invocation out of dragon magic so he already has a swim speed as well.

What about raising the bonuses on the aberration effects that class gets. Maybe picking two new specialized ones or raising the bonuses of the specialized one by 2 then 4 to a total of +8 against their most common adversary. would be aboleths for him and i don't think he'd mind it, just not sure if that's too little or too much. +8 attack, skills, and saves against them is limited sure but damn those poor aboleths xP

[Nifft]

Expanding on Favored Enemy is a good idea. It's thematic and advances the Ranger's side.


Other ideas:

- Grant a couple more Underdark-thematic Draconic Invocations (e.g. Voidsense, Humanoid Shape, or Walk Unseen).

- Is there a Draconic Aura which improves stealth skills? If not, maybe add one.

[Eladrinblade]

He's trying to become less powerful in a gestalt campaign, because he doesn't like D&D's level of magic?

He may not enjoy himself in the future.

[artimus261]

Expanding on Favored Enemy is a good idea. It's thematic and advances the Ranger's side.


Other ideas:

- Grant a couple more Underdark-thematic Draconic Invocations (e.g. Voidsense, Humanoid Shape, or Walk Unseen).

- Is there a Draconic Aura which improves stealth skills? If not, maybe add one.

Ooooh, I do like those ideas, though those might be a little too good in the end but maybe not. May end up just raising the base bonus darkrunners get on attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws against all aberrations to +4 and the bonus they get against their chosen aberration to +8, doubling both of them so he's still getting a nice boost against all of them and an extreme bonus against his hated aboleth foes xD

[artimus261]

For anyone still checking in would a Blindsense -> Blindsight feature work and remain balanced? Like a slow growth of blindsense going from 10ft, 20ft, then 30ft and becoming blindsight at 10th with same distance? although tremorsense would also be a cool feature @_@ but the blindsense stuff feels more powerful and given their darkvision growth it doesn't feel out of character for the class. losing long range rapid special movement for a short range extrasensory ability. see him in a few days and i'm trying to give him two or three options and see what he prefers

[Inevitability]

Blindsight is a pretty cool ability that probably won't be overpowered (I'd argue it makes the horror of combat with an invisible foe somewhat more balanced and fun).