PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next 5e Totemist Prestige Class (work in progress)



Vegvisir
2017-11-20, 05:33 PM
Here is a Totemist prestige class that I've been working on creating for 5 levels. The idea was to create something like the Rune Scribe for a Barbarian/Druid to join that captured some of the feel of the old 3e class and allowed magic effects to be used while wild shaped.

Prerequisites:
* Lvl 5
* Wis 13
* Can cast speak with animals
* Must complete a spirit journey with a spirit animal.





Totems
Totem

Spell Slots



Level
Features
Crafted
Bindings
1st
2nd
3rd


1st
Totem Magic, Craft Totems
3
(1)
2
-
-


2nd
Wild Shape
4
1 (1)
3
-
-


3rd
Double Bind
4
1 (1)
4
2
-


4th
Ability Score Improvement
5
2 (1)
4
3
-


5th
Spirit Wild Shape
5
3 (1)
4
4
2



Totem magic -
You gain spell slots per level as indicated in the table. You gain no known spells but may expend spell slots to activate an ability of a bound totem ability like casting a spell with no requirements. This may be done even if you are wild shaped
You also gain your first totem binding, the Spirit totem, that is a bonus attunement that is in addition to your standard 3 attunements.

Craft Totems -
You may craft spirit totems that you may use that day up to your limit. These may be chosen from the full list of totems. You may re-craft all your totems as part of a long rest.
Crafted totems may be associated with your hands, feet, head, heart, or spirit to gain specific abilities based on the location worn. These abilities function even if you are wild shaped. Where the totems are worn can be changed during a short rest changing the abilities that they grant (though the the totems crafted remain the same).
In addition, you gain proficiency with Woodworking and Leatherworking tools.

Wild Shape -
You have two uses of wild shape. If you already have wild shape from the Druid class this isn't additive. You can transform into a beast with a CR equal to your combined Totemist and Druid levels divided by 3 (minimum 1). Totemist levels count as Druid levels for determining creature abilities available and otherwise functions just like the Druid wild shape ability.

Totem Bindings
You can bind a totem to the location that it is worn. This unlocks more complex abilities that require spell slots to activate. The ritual of binding a totem is done during a long rest and is similar to attuning to a magical item.

Double Bind -
You may now bind one totem to two different locations and gain the benefits of both.

Ability Score Improvement -
You may increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. You may also instead take a feat.

Spirit Binding -
Gain the benefits of binding a totem to your spirit. This is a bonus attunement and it doesn't preclude the use of any magical items.

Hand Binding -
Gain the benefits of binding a totem to your hands. This uses one of your attunements. You cannot benefit from magical rings, gloves, or bracers while benefiting from this binding.

Foot Binding -
Gain the benefits of binding a totem to your Feet. This uses one of your attunements. You cannot benefit from magical belts, boots, or pants while benefiting from this binding.

Head Binding -
Gain the benefits of binding a totem to your head. This uses one of your attunements. You cannot benefit from magical hats, helms, or eye-ware while benefiting from this binding.

Heart Binding -
Gain the benefits of binding a totem to your heart. This uses one of your attunements. You cannot benefit from magical armor, cloaks or necklaces while benefiting from this binding.

Spirit Wild Shape -
You can use wild shape to transform into the creature that corresponds to the totem bound to your Spirit (typically a monstrosity). You must still abide by the CR and ability limits of the Wild Shape ability.

Sample Totem: Winter Wolf

Spirit - Simple: Gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide in snow or ice.
Hand - Simple: As an action, you touch the surface of any volume of water. The water freezes in a 10-foot radius around the spot where you touched.
Head - Simple: You can track by smell and gain advantage to Wisdom (Survival) checks made to track.
Heart - Simple: Ignore the effects of extreme cold temperatures

Spirit - Complex: *Cold breath attack 15-foot cone. Does 2d8 cold damage +1d8 cold damage per spell slot above 1st level. Dex save for half damage.
Hand - Complex: *Tactics of the Wolf - You and a chosen ally add +1 damage per spell slot level to a foe you are both flanking. This effect lasts 1 minute per spell level.
Head - Complex: *As a bonus action, imbue your bite attack with Cold energy dealing 1d8 Cold damage per spell slot level.
Heart - Complex: *Resistance to Cold that lasts 1 minute per spell slot level. Natural and unarmed attacks add 1 Cold damage per spell level during this time.

The basic idea -

Totems that you can craft (initially 3 but up to 5) can be worn in any of the 5 bindings (spirit, hand, foot, head, heart) and give you the simple ability. You can move these around as part of a short rest to change which simple ability is active. For example, the Winter Wolf totem can be moved from your spirit, that gave you advantage to stealth, to your heart to give you endurance to cold.

Binding a totem is like attuning to a magic item. You bind the totem to a location during a long rest and while that totem remains in that location, you have access to a complex ability that you can spend spell slots on to activate like a spell. You can only bind a totem to one location until you unlock double bind, in which case you can bind the same totem to two locations. Using up your attunements restricts the magic items you can use but the totems can be used during a wild shape, which may be attractive to a druid that wouldn't be getting use out of items while shapechanged anyways.

In general, I'm wondering how this class might balance compared to others. For the prestige class I've left the requirements pretty open so classes other than druids may take it. I have a player who is a totem barbarian that wishes to multiclass into druid and is very interested in capitalizing on the wild shape forms, but is less interested in reaching full spell casting potential.

I'm also looking for ideas for simple and complex abilities that would be good. I have a spreadsheet of 16 creatures (mostly monstrosities but there's an elemental and an aberration as well) but I can't post that until I get my site posts up.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Vegvisir
2017-11-20, 05:52 PM
Totems that I have been working on:
* Ankheg
* Basilisk
* Behir
* Bulette
* Chimera
* Chuul
* Darkmantle
* Displacer Beast
* Flail Snail
* Girallon
* Gorgon
* Manticore
* Phase Spider
* Remorhaz
* Shadow Mastiff
* Winter Wolf