The Vassal-Thrower (3.5 PrC, PEACH)

[Jormengand]

Based on a phenomenally silly character build using Fling Ally and Deliver Touch Spells...

Prerequisites:
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast at least one spell with a range of touch and a level of third or higher.
Feat: Fling Ally
Class Feature: Obtain Familiar; familiar must be able to Deliver Touch Spells.

LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial
Spellcasting
1st+1+0+0+2Improved Familar-Throwing
+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd+2+0+0+3Familiar Resilience
+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd+3+1+1+3Returning Familiar
+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th+4+1+1+4We have reserves!
+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th+5+1+1+4Double Effect
+1 level of existing spellcasting class

Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d4

Class Skills:
The vassal-thrower’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armour Proficiency
The vassal-thrower gains proficiency in all creatures.

Spellcasting
At each level, the vassal-thrower gains improved spellcasting as though they had gained a level in a spellcasting class they had previously.

Improved Familiar-Throwing (Ex)
For the purposes of this class, it's assumed that fling ally allows you to target creatures as normal for a thrown weapon, that hitting the target's touch AC with a thrown familar discharges the touch spell on them, and that you can still make an attack as part of casting a touch spell even if it's not you who's actually delivering the touch spell. If for some reason your DM rules that one of these isn't generally the case, a first-level vassal-thrower gains the ability to do all of then.

Also, a vassal-thrower's range increment with a thrown familiar doubles (this multiplies as a real-world value with other increases to the range increment, such as far shot), and the familiar deals as much damage as a thrown light hammer of the vassal-thrower's size if the vassal-thrower wishes.

Familiar Resilience (Ex)
From second level, the vassal-thrower's familiar has three-quarters of the vassal-thrower's hit points and has DR/- and resistance to everything equal to the vassal-thrower's class level.

Returning Familiar (Su)
From third level, the vassal-thrower may have the familiar immediately return to their hand when thrown. This allows the vassal-thrower to make multiple attacks with a spell such as chill touch at once.

We Have Reserves!
From fourth level, a vassal-thrower's familiar recovery is changed. When the familiar dies, no loss of experience occurs, and a new familiar can be regained immediately in a ritual requiring 8 hours and no money.

Double Effect (Su)
From fifth level, when the vassal-thrower throws their familiar and thereby delivers a touch spell, the familiar retains the charge of the spell for up to one round even though the effect is also inflicted on the target. On its own turn, the familiar can deliver that charge to any other creature, but not the creature who was just struck.

[Morphic tide]

*twitches* ...Full casting progression and full BAB? I'm really starting to think that you kinda refuse to consider anything for casters other than cheese builds as competition, because far too many of the things you make are really clearly made to have their penalty for selection be "you didn't get a cheese PRC."

Setting aside designing for high-op as a problem, because that's just something you do and I don't exactly oppose optimization, Improved Familiar Throwing is a pretty important necessity to ensuring that it functions properly and making it viable for proper ranged combat. A 30 ft. range increment is kinda the minimum to be practical for decent distance.

Familiar Resistance works best when you've gone for one of the methods to merge Animal Companion and Familiar progressions, and does a decent job of making the Familiar able to survive a hit or two. Although it'd work better if the HD was something useful like a d8, you can always use gish builds that optimize health at least a little as a prelude to entry.

Returning Familiar is a bit of a boring utility, but an important utility. Even with merged initiative, you're still looking at some pretty heavily wasted damage potential

We Have Reserves! makes this class mandatory for the battle-Familiar build, as it carves out one of the biggest annoyances of it in the game. Sure, XP as a river mechanics make it only an annoyance, but that encounter or two of being behind the party is absurdly depressing. The 8-hour ritual is annoying, but a day of downtime isn't that hard to get.

Double Effect is... Boring. Yay, you get to use two Touch Attack spells at once. Alternatively, give the Familiar something to do with their actual actions by letting them store Touch Attack spells within themselves. It's a good effectiveness booster, mind you, especially with stuff like Chill Touch, but it's mechanically simple.

Understandable, for a quick request class, but it's a simple way of doing it. I'm fine with that, as the person who requested it, because it makes a silly playstyle work out fairly well. I'll probably address these issues I have with it in a PRC contest, using Smiting Spell as a requirement instead of having a Familiar, mainly for Druids throwing Animal Companions at people.

[Jormengand]

*twitches* ...Full casting progression and full BAB? I'm really starting to think that you kinda refuse to consider anything for casters other than cheese builds as competition, because far too many of the things you make are really clearly made to have their penalty for selection be "you didn't get a cheese PRC."

To be fair, the penalty is twofold: one, you didn't get any other PrC - you're not using those five levels to get any one feat, a bonus 1st- and 2nd-level spell, bardic knowledge and a bonus language if you're using them to throw your familiar at things and buffing your spellcaster's BAB which they shouldn't be using, or shouldn't be glad they're using. The other penalty is that it gives you a fairly nasty tax: a feat is one thing, but a second feat (which you don't even intend to use), a level-adjust, enough point buy points to get your base strength to 15 and honestly wasting your race is nothing to take in your stride.


Improved Familiar Throwing is a pretty important necessity to ensuring that it functions properly and making it viable for proper ranged combat. A 30 ft. range increment is kinda the minimum to be practical for decent distance.

Admittedly, I've seen most combats actually work out to be within a 60 foot diameter so I'm not sure how essential it is.


Familiar Resistance works best when you've gone for one of the methods to merge Animal Companion and Familiar progressions, and does a decent job of making the Familiar able to survive a hit or two. Although it'd work better if the HD was something useful like a d8, you can always use gish builds that optimize health at least a little as a prelude to entry.
Honestly, I think that with the familiar's inherent improved evasion, the fact that its AC tends to be decent, and the DR and resistance to everything as well as the fact that it has 3/4 of the hit points of someone who has a racial CON bonus anyway (if you have base 12 CON, it still has 27 hit points and DR 3/- at level 8, enough to shield it from errant fireballs and the odd attack actually directed at it).


Understandable, for a quick request class, but it's a simple way of doing it. I'm fine with that, as the person who requested it, because it makes a silly playstyle work out fairly well.

To be fair, it worked out surprisingly well when I played it, although having LA buyoff in play helped with that.