Martial Master (Prestige Class)

[Ironsmith]

Physical fighters supreme, Martial Masters are warriors who have taken the art of fighting and raised it to new heights. Often found training on their own to further their abilities, they will occasionally join adventuring parties, looking for a good fight wherever it can be found.

Fighters and Monks both find themselves naturally inclined to become Martial Masters, as this expands their abilities considerably. Paladins and Barbarians occasionally also find themselves here, as the techniques available tend to compliment their abilities nicely.

Hit Die: d8

Class Requirements:
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike
Ability Scores: A character attempting to become a Martial Master must have a base Constitution score of 12 or higher.

The Martial Master


Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Special


1
+1
+2
+2
+0
Ki use, Advanced Technique


2
+2
+3
+3
+0
Advanced Technique


3
+3
+3
+3
+1
Advanced Technique


4
+4
+4
+4
+1
Ki Efficiency 1, Advanced Technique


5
+5
+4
+4
+1
Advanced Technique


6
+6
+5
+5
+2
Advanced Technique


7
+7
+5
+5
+2
Ki Efficiency 2, Advanced Technique


8
+8
+6
+6
+2
Advanced Technique


9
+9
+6
+6
+3
Advanced Technique


10
+10
+7
+7
+3
Ki Efficiency 3, Advanced Technique



Class Skills: The Martial Master's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points At Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Martial Master is proficient with all simple and martial weapons.

Ki Use: At 1st level, a Martial Master gains the ability to manipulate their life force in a way that can manifest physically, altering their environment and themselves. A Martial Master has a total amount of Ki equal to (their Constitution modifier * their total number of Hit Dice). Every Advanced Technique (see below) that they use subtracts some amount from this total. If this number drops to half the Martial Master's maximum Ki amount, the Martial Master is Fatigued (or Exhausted if already Fatigued). If it drops to 0, the Martial Master is Exhausted. Additionally, acquiring fatigue from some other source (such as using Rage) doubles the cost of every technique until the fatigue is removed. Acquiring exhaustion from some other source temporarily locks out the use of Ki entirely, until the exhaustion is removed. Ki is replenished naturally after a full night's rest.

For the purposes of overcoming damage reduction, attacks using Ki are considered magical and share the alignment of the user (i.e. a Lawful Good Martial Master's Ki attacks are considered magical, lawful, and good).

Ki Efficiency: At 4th level and every three levels thereafter, a Martial Master becomes exceedingly good at harnessing and manipulating their life force. Reduce the cost of all techniques by 1 per time this ability would be acquired. This may not reduce the cost of any technique below 0, and thus cannot replenish Ki. Even if the cost of a technique is reduced to 0, the user must still have at least 1 point of Ki to use it. If multiple techniques are being used, this applies to each of them individually except where otherwise noted.

Advanced Technique: Every time a new level of Martial Master is acquired, the character gains access to one of the techniques listed below. No technique may be acquired more than once. Any technique requires Ki to maintain also requires concentration... if the Martial Master is distracted, they must make a successful Concentration check (see skill entry for DC) or have the technique end prematurely.

Ki Blast: The Martial Master conjures and launches a blast of energy. This is equivalent to a ranged attack, dealing (2d6 + the character's Cha modifier + their Martial Master level) points of force damage should it land. This attack cannot be a critical hit. Use of this technique reduces the Martial Master's current Ki amount by 1. Feats that apply to ranged attacks, like Manyshot and Precise Shot, also apply to Ki Blasts.

Ki Beam: The Martial Master charges and releases a beam of energy. All creatures in a 60 ft line take (2d8 + the character's Cha modifier + the character's Martial Master level) points of force damage (Reflex DC 10 + Cha modifier + Martial Master level half). Use of this technique is a full-round action and provokes an attack of opportunity from anyone in melee range. Additionally, this technique reduces the Martial Master's current Ki amount by 5, regardless of whether the attack succeeds or not.

Ki Weapon: The Martial Master forces their Ki into a physical shape, creating any simple or martial weapon they desire. This weapon cannot be dropped or moved away from the Martial Master; forcing it to do so results in it disappearing unceremoniously. If someone attempts to sunder it, the weapon has no hardness and 15 hit points. Alternatively, the Martial Master may use this technique to bolster the strength of an existing weapon. Weapons created or bolstered by this effect have an enhancement bonus of +1 per two levels of Martial Master (round down). Weapons that are already magical cannot be bolstered by this effect. Creating or bolstering a weapon is a standard action, but dismissing it or the bonus is a free action. For every round this weapon remains in existence or has the bonus applied, the Martial Master loses 2 Ki. You may create or bolster two weapons in this way (for use in two-handed fighting) without additional cost or penalty.

Ki Ball: Rather than focus the Ki into a small projectile or a complex physical shape, the Martial Master accumulates it into a gigantic orb of energy and hurls it at a target. Starting the use of this technique is a standard action. Each round after starting the technique, a Martial Master can invest an amount of Ki up to their Charisma modifier as a standard action, or double that amount as a full-round action, into the ball. If the Martial Master has Ki Efficiency, the usual cost reduction is instead invested into the ball as additional Ki. The ball grows in size in proportion to the amount of Ki invested into it (consult the chart below).



Size
Ki Invested


Tiny (1 ft diameter)
1


Small (2 ft diameter)
4


Medium (4 ft diameter)
16


Large (8 ft diameter)
64


Huge* (16 ft diameter)
256


Gargantuan* (32 ft diameter)
1024


Colossal* (64+ ft diameter)
4096


*These values are practically unattainable by normal means; assistance of considerable magnitude is generally required.
**These size values assume the lowest possible diameters; "Colossal" here describes a ball 64 feet across. It can be made bigger, but every time the size is doubled, the amount of Ki required is multiplied by 4.

As a move action, the Martial Master can hurl this ball at a creature or object, expending the invested Ki to devastating effect. If the ball is big enough to engulf the creature (one size category larger), the creature must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + Martial Master Level + Cha Modifier) or be utterly obliterated, killed instantly and their body destroyed. If they succeed the save or are hit with a ball of insufficient size, the creature instead takes 1d4 points of damage for every point of Ki invested into the ball (Reflex DC 10 + Martial Master Level + Cha Modifier halves this damage). Alternatively, the ball can be used to target an area; if so, deal damage to every object in that area as though they had succeeded the Fortitude save. The ball only holds its integrity for as long as Ki is still being put into it; every round that goes by without an investment causes the amount of Ki in the ball to halve (shrinking the ball in size as appropriate).

Inner Fire: The Martial Master's Ki manifests as flame. Invoking or dismissing this technique is a free action that provokes no attack of opportunity. For as long as this technique is active, physical and Ki attacks made by this character do an additional 1d6 points of fire damage. Every round this state is maintained reduces the Martial Master's Ki by 1.

Explosive Burst: The Martial Master harnesses latent energy for a delayed effect. This technique can be used any time a Ki Blast normally would. Attacks with this technique deal an additional 5d6 points of damage to inanimate objects, and creatures hit with this attack must succeed a Reflex save (DC damage dealt) or be knocked prone. If multiple attacks of this nature hit, the DC is based on the cumulative damage of all the attacks and only applies once. Creatures that are your size category or smaller are also launched a distance equal to 1 foot per point they fall short of the DC (thus, rolling 17 when they needed 22 launches them 5 feet) in a direction directly away from the character. Use of this technique reduces the amount of Ki available by 3.

Forceful Aura: The Martial Master's Ki takes on solid shape and pushes away opponents. This technique is invoked as a standard action. Creatures within a 10-foot radius are pushed away from the Martial Master, and must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + Cha modifier + Martial Master Level) or be pushed to the edge of this radius. This technique produces insufficient force to damage anyone. Using this technique reduces the Martial Master's available Ki by 2.

Sense Danger: A Martial Master can go into a state of high alertness, using their Ki to sense threats before they come. Invoking or dismissing this state is a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. While this technique is active, the Martial Master cannot be caught flat-footed and cannot be flanked. This ability does not apply when dealing with Undead or Constructs, as a Martial Master cannot sense them through their Ki. Maintaining this state requires 1 Ki per round.

Sense Life: A Martial Master can reach out with their Ki to find living creatures. Upon using this technique, a Martial Master immediately knows the general location and relative strength of all living creatures (Undead and Constructs are not detectable via this ability) within 120 feet. A Martial Master using this technique does not know anything else about creatures detected in this fashion (and thus, can't tell if the creature in the cave with them is a grizzly bear, a giant viper, or a donkey). Using this ability reduces the amount of Ki available by 2.

Instantaneous Movement: The Martial Master de-materializes and re-appears elsewhere instantly. A character using this technique may travel in a fashion similar to the Dimension Door spell (Caster level equal to your Martial Master level). Use of this technique reduces the Martial Master's available Ki by 4.

Flight: The Martial Master uses their Ki to enact a sort of localized telekinesis, carrying themselves up into the air. This technique grants the Martial Master a temporary flight speed equal to their current foot speed for as long as they remain in the air, with Perfect maneuverability. Every round they maintain this flight costs them 2 points of Ki. Alternatively, they may use a quick burst of Ki to give them a leg up on a Jump check. If so, they gain a +10 circumstance bonus on the check and use up 1 point of Ki.

Flash Step: The Martial Master uses their Ki to greatly enhance their foot speed. This technique can be invoked or dismissed as a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. For as long as this technique remains active, the Martial Master's movement speed is double what it normally is. Maintaining this technique requires 2 Ki per round.

Pressure Points: A Martial Master who takes this technique never needs to activate it. This technique passively increases the multiple of a critical hit by 1 (so if a critical hit would normally deal x2 damage, it instead does x3, x3 does x4, and x4 does x5). This technique costs no Ki.

Telekinesis: The Martial Master may use their Ki to replicate the effects of Telekinesis, with a caster level equal to your Martial Master level. Using and maintaining this technique requires 3 Ki per round.

Telepathy: The Martial Master may use their Ki to communicate short distances without speaking. They may communicate with any creature that has an Intelligence score in this way (except for Constructs and Undead), regardless of their respective languages. The creature must be within one mile per level, and the Martial Master must be aware of their presence. This technique costs nothing.

Multi-form: Through use of their Ki, a Martial Master can create a projection of themselves that is distinct from their physical body. The Martial Master can create one such projection for every point point of Cha modifier they have (minimum 1). These projections all carry the same gear and abilities as the original, and can act independently, but they (and the original) all share a single hit point total. Additionally, splitting focus in this way is incredibly distracting... the Martial Master must succeed a Concentration check (DC 10 + 5 per projection) every round or they will disappear. Each projection is also physically taxing; reduce the effective Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution of each projection and the original character by 2 per clone while this technique is active. Finally, other Concentration checks the Martial Master must make while this technique is active take a -2 penalty for each projection. Maintaining them requires 4 Ki per projection per round. This cost is paid all at once and Ki Efficiency only applies once.

Overdrive: The Martial Master sacrifices some of their life force for use in combat. Reduce this character's hit point total by some multiple of 4 (player's choice) and increase the amount of Ki they have available by (their Con modifier * 1/4 the hit points lost). If using this technique would result in a hit point total below 0, this character collapses and starts dying next round. This technique cannot take more than (4*the character's number of hit dice) worth of hit points per day.

Gather Ki: The Martial Master borrows some life energy from a willing subject, to be harnessed however they see fit. Reduce the subject's hitpoints by some multiple of 4 (subject's choice), and give the Martial Master an amount of Ki equal to (the subject's Con modifier * 1/4 the hit points lost.). The subject may only make as many donations as they have hit dice. There is no limit to how far away the subject can be; however, they must be aware of the need for Ki in order to qualify as willing. This technique does not work on unwilling subjects.

Bolster Life: A Martial Master that knows this technique is capable of donating their own Ki to restore lost hit points to anyone they can touch directly. This exchange is point-per-point (1 Ki restores 1 hit point). Ki efficiency does not apply to this technique.

Aura Burst: The Martial Master uses their Ki to surpass their physical limitations, becoming stronger and faster for a short period of time. Invoking this technique is a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity, but it can be dismissed as a free action. While this technique is active, the Martial Master gains a +1 for every two levels of Martial Master (round down) to Strength and Dexterity. Maintaining this state requires 8 Ki per round. If the Martial Master has the Rage ability, this bonus can be stacked onto it and only 4 Ki is consumed for the duration of the rage.

[aimlessPolymath]

Let's see.

Chassis: Monk hit die, but good BAB. Saving throws are bizarre. Not only do Ref and Will not match up to either of the standard progressions, they don't even match up to each other. Also, 0+Int skill points is unusual- editing mistake?

Features:
Ki looks mostly fine. The interactions with being fatigued are pretty neat! I would drop the alignment-related aspects, unless you have a really good fluff reason for them.

Techniques: The meat of the class.
First of all, save DCs are standardized to 10 + 1/2 level + stat for a base class, or 10 + level + stat for a prestige class. There could be reasons for going against this, but you should be aware of this default.

Going ability by ability.
Ki blast: A few points. First, in what sense is it "equivalent" to a ranged attack?I would assume that you could make a full attack with it, but Ki Volley seems to indicate otherwise. Second, it should probably scale with level in some fashion. Third, the restriction against crits is unusual. Not bad, but it shoul
d be remarked on.

Ki Beam: This is okay at low levels, and just weak at high levels. Needs to scale. Also, save DC and damage should use the same stat- martials are MAD enough as it is.

Ki volley: I would avoid scaling number of attacks by ability score. Would be more reasonable to modify a full attack in some way- perhaps all attacks made at highest attack bonus.

Ki weapon: The ability to have a weapon is just not very good- consider that the weapon is nonmagic, and this class requires Improved Unarmed Strike anyway. Reduce the cost.

Inner Fire: Similarly overpriced. Fire damage is a downgrade from force damage in virtually every situation.

Explosive Burst: Scaling a save DC based on damage, and then an effect based on the number of points failed by, are both normally problematic on their own, but combined they seem to cancel out into something that looks good!

Forceful Aura: Cool and thematic. Fix the save DC and you're good.

Sense Danger: Looks fine. Too expensive to maintain out of combat, though, so the flat-footed thing will rarely come up.

Sense Life: Seems good.

Instantaneous Movement is flat-out busted.

Flight is very strong, for doubling move speed if nothing else.

Telekinesis is pretty strong, but maybe not too much so. Looks fine.

Telepathy has no listed range, but is fine.

Multiform is pretty weird, and something to keep an eye on. It's pretty expensive, which should hopefully keep it in check, but the ability to bypass the action economy is pretty strong.

Overdrive: "The amount they would gain from one hit die" is poorly defined for multiclass characters with differing die sizes. Also, once ever per hit die they possess? Is the hit point loss permanent? I would just let them spend 2 hit points for 1 ki point, as much as they like, and the hit points spent can only heal naturally.

Gather/Release Ki: Could be pretty busted, especially with healing spells. Free healing is pretty good too. To replicate the authentic DBZ flavor and help a bit with balance, I'd have the gathered Ki disappear if not used in one round.

Aura Burst: That's... a lot of stats. Up to +10 to everything? It's pretty costly, with an upfront action cost, which helps, though. Something to keep an eye on, but not too strong.

A general question: How much Ki do you expect a character to have available?
I estimate around 15-20 at level 5, 40-50 at level 10, and 75-105 at level 15. Do these numbers seem reasonable? How does this affect your consideration of the costs of these abilities?

[Ironsmith]

Let's see.

Chassis: Monk hit die, but good BAB. Saving throws are bizarre. Not only do Ref and Will not match up to either of the standard progressions, they don't even match up to each other. Also, 0+Int skill points is unusual- editing mistake?



I kinda wanted Will to lag behind the others in terms of progression... these guys need to have an exploitable weakness of some sort. And yes, the 0+Int skill points is intentional; the general notion is that most Martial Masters take the Goku route and sacrifice basic skills to learn powerful techniques, and it's only the unusually intelligent ones that can maintain an extra set of skills.




Features:
Ki looks mostly fine. The interactions with being fatigued are pretty neat! I would drop the alignment-related aspects, unless you have a really good fluff reason for them.



Thanks! I figured since Ki is supposed to be, as explained here, a kind of life force, it would only make sense that characters running low on it would experience tiredness, and that robbing them of their energy any other way would negatively impact their ability to use it. The alignment stuff is partially just there as fluff, but it's also meant to provide a small benefit to the users (as well as a bit of a curveball in picking their fights).




Techniques: The meat of the class.
First of all, save DCs are standardized to 10 + 1/2 level + stat for a base class, or 10 + level + stat for a prestige class. There could be reasons for going against this, but you should be aware of this default.

Going ability by ability.



Duly noted. I'll see about changing the saves to these as needed.




Ki blast: A few points. First, in what sense is it "equivalent" to a ranged attack?I would assume that you could make a full attack with it, but Ki Volley seems to indicate otherwise. Second, it should probably scale with level in some fashion. Third, the restriction against crits is unusual. Not bad, but it should be remarked on.



"Equivalent" in the sense that it functions like one in terms of how its used, what it can and can't do, etc. It doesn't seek out targets like, say, a Magic Missile would, for instance, and using it is a standard action. I probably will be modifying (or possibly removing) Ki Volley in later versions of this to make the full attack rules make more sense here. Additionally, you're right in that it probably should scale... it's really just meant to be an unremarkable (except for being mildly tanky) ranged attack. Sort of a boring, but practical kind of thing. The restriction against crits is partly compensation for that (95% of the time, it won't matter, though, so not really a huge comp) and party fluff; it's not precise enough to hit just a vital region, so it's generally either hitting something valuable or doing nothing at all.




Ki Beam: This is okay at low levels, and just weak at high levels. Needs to scale. Also, save DC and damage should use the same stat- martials are MAD enough as it is.



Noticing a bit of a theme here. :smalltongue: At low levels, I imagine it's still nothing to sneeze at... the ability to hit several targets with a 2d8+ damage attack is pretty good for anyone who's not capable of manipulating thermodynamic energies with their fingertips. Still, yeah, you're right, it probably should scale... I might need to reduce the cost, too.




Ki volley: I would avoid scaling number of attacks by ability score. Would be more reasonable to modify a full attack in some way- perhaps all attacks made at highest attack bonus.



Borrow a page from the Ranger's book and add more blasts per attack, possibly?




Ki weapon: The ability to have a weapon is just not very good- consider that the weapon is nonmagic, and this class requires Improved Unarmed Strike anyway. Reduce the cost.



Maybe if the weapon came with some sort of enhancement bonus? Or possibly, if the ability was changed to granting a (temporary, Ki-consuming) enhancement bonus to an existing weapon? You're wrong about the weapon being nonmagic, though... I'd say an attack with a weapon made from Ki would count as a Ki attack, and thus have all the fluff benefits mentioned above.




Inner Fire: Similarly overpriced. Fire damage is a downgrade from force damage in virtually every situation.



Eh, I'll probably change that to "additional fire damage". If it's a downgrade, fire for fire's sake is really kind of a bad choice.




Explosive Burst: Scaling a save DC based on damage, and then an effect based on the number of points failed by, are both normally problematic on their own, but combined they seem to cancel out into something that looks good!



Glad to see this one made it through all right. The primary purpose was to allow for someone with this glass to potentially pull a Freeza and just blow up whatever surface they're standing on (they can fly, so why not, right?). I figured essentially throwing dynamite in someone's face would probably have an additional effect on them, too, though, so...




Forceful Aura: Cool and thematic. Fix the save DC and you're good.



Will do.




Sense Danger: Looks fine. Too expensive to maintain out of combat, though, so the flat-footed thing will rarely come up.



It'd be a good ability to invoke if you suspect (but can't confirm) that there's trouble nearby. Additionally, since the character gets Ki Efficiency four levels in, the cost is literally negligible from that point onward, essentially giving them Uncanny Dodge at fourth level (and samplings of it up to that point).




Sense Life: Seems good.



Yeah, I figured there wouldn't be too many problems with this, except for maybe not being informative enough. The fact that there's not really a mechanism in place to annull it kind of makes up for that, though.




Instantaneous Movement is flat-out busted.



Yeah, you gotta wonder why it's not used more often... still, the ability to spam the teleports isn't, on its own, a game breaker, is it? Any way to fix the bust-up?




Flight is very strong, for doubling move speed if nothing else.



Well, yeah, it's meant to be pretty strong. Flight's just a useful movement tool to have in general, really. Still, since the flying speed basically caps at 60-80 ft, it's still too slow to outpace anybody hustling alongside the user (and anyone flat-out running would be better off on foot).




Telekinesis is pretty strong, but maybe not too much so. Looks fine.



Yeah, I've been considering the merits of dividing that up... going with each application of the spell seems promising.




Telepathy has no listed range, but is fine.



Didn't think being able to talk with things was gonna be an issue.




Multiform is pretty weird, and something to keep an eye on. It's pretty expensive, which should hopefully keep it in check, but the ability to bypass the action economy is pretty strong.



Expensive and kind of hard to maintain. A DC 10 per round is a lot to ask over an extended period of time (assuming a reasonable intelligence and boost to Concentration, upon first getting it, that comes out to around a 20% chance of failure each round), and that's just for one clone. Doing two or three could be prohibitively expensive if the character's not specced for it.




Overdrive: "The amount they would gain from one hit die" is poorly defined for multiclass characters with differing die sizes. Also, once ever per hit die they possess? Is the hit point loss permanent? I would just let them spend 2 hit points for 1 ki point, as much as they like, and the hit points spent can only heal naturally.



For the purposes of this technique, smaller hit dice are consumed first.

Still, yeah, you're right, I probably ought to make it slightly less complicated. The exchange rate would probably be closer to 4hp -> 1 ki, though... it's meant to be something that could very well kill you if you're too liberal with ki usage, but a useful tool in moderation.




Gather/Release Ki: Could be pretty busted, especially with healing spells. Free healing is pretty good too. To replicate the authentic DBZ flavor and help a bit with balance, I'd have the gathered Ki disappear if not used in one round.



Yeah, with the healing, it's like a slightly more buff version of the Paladin's Lay on Hands... I just didn't think the ability to get ki from your allies was going to be enough (especially if it costs them hitpoints. Other martial classes could use those, and squishier classes can't really afford to give them up.)




Aura Burst: That's... a lot of stats. Up to +10 to everything? It's pretty costly, with an upfront action cost, which helps, though. Something to keep an eye on, but not too strong.



Ah, could you really call it Dragon Ball Z-inspired if there wasn't an egregious super form in there somewhere?

In all seriousness, it's not up to +10 on everything... just on "combat relevant" stats. This leaves them just as open to anything that needs a Will save when they reach that state as it did before they went into it. Additionally, you might notice that their Charisma (and with it, their ki output) stays the same, too. Besides, at the point where they can use it to that degree, the character in question is already taking on creatures that have, among other things, ability point drain... they might find themselves pulling out this technique just to break even. (For extra goodness, a lot of energy-draining monsters are also Undead, which they can't see coming... have fun with that.)



A general question: How much Ki do you expect a character to have available?
I estimate around 15-20 at level 5, 40-50 at level 10, and 75-105 at level 15. Do these numbers seem reasonable? How does this affect your consideration of the costs of these abilities?

Level 5 being the earliest opportunity to take this prestige class, right? Since it demands a base attack bonus of 5, I'd say you're looking at level 6-8 in order for this to be a viable pick to start, so the character's probably gonna end up with somewhere in the ballpark of 18-32 ki there, somewhere around the lower 50s/upper 40s midway through (depends on whether they've really invested in endurance training or not), and 60-90 at MM level 10. The costs are based on the idea that the character may indeed pick up the ability as soon as possible; thus, pricing for Telekinesis is essentially allowing a 6th level character to cast that spell (at way below its intended caster level, mind you) 6-10 times per day if they use their ki for nothing else. As Wizards gain this ability at 10th level and it's far weaker in the hands of a Martial Master than it is in a Wizard's, I figure this is a relatively fair price.

[aimlessPolymath]

I kinda wanted Will to lag behind the others in terms of progression... these guys need to have an exploitable weakness of some sort. And yes, the 0+Int skill points is intentional; the general notion is that most Martial Masters take the Goku route and sacrifice basic skills to learn powerful techniques, and it's only the unusually intelligent ones that can maintain an extra set of skills.
There are well defined save progressions: Good (2 + 1/2 level) and Poor (0 + 1/3) level. Unless you have something extremely particular in mind, I would advise you to stick to those two progressions.

On skills: I think you're overstating the lack of skills that Goku and similar characters have. Stuff like Climb, Swim, and Jump are pretty normal. If you want a point of comparison, consider the War Hulk (miniatures handbook), which had three class skills, 2+Int skill points, and a class feature that negated all mental skill ranks except Intimidate.
At minimum, this class should have the skill points to support Concentration as a class skill- 2+ Int. Goku probably had an Int penalty.


The alignment stuff is partially just there as fluff, but it's also meant to provide a small benefit to the users (as well as a bit of a curveball in picking their fights).
I'm mostly concerned with the "deal half damage to creatures sharing an alignment component" part. As a Neutral Good character, I feel that dealing half damage to Neutral Evil characters, even if I have full damage to LE or CE characters, is something I want to avoid, and makes little sense for force damage.

Selected responses on the ki powers thing:


At low levels, I imagine it's still nothing to sneeze at... the ability to hit several targets with a 2d8+ damage attack is pretty good for anyone who's not capable of manipulating thermodynamic energies with their fingertips.
I actually disagree.
Someone can take this PrC for their sixth level at the earliest. At the same level, fighters have a Strength score far higher than their Charisma bonus (+1, maybe), and can use a greatsword.
Using this, they can deal 2d6 + 1.5 * Strength + a small amount of Power Attack, twice, with higher reliability than a DC 11 + Wisdom save.
How many targets can they realistically hit with this ability? Maybe 3, if the enemy is clumped up in a line.
That would deal a total of 6d8(avg. 27 total)+3x Cha, if all fail their save.
Attacking twice with a greatsword deals 4d6(avg. 14 total) + 3x Str + 2x (other bonuses).
Suppose they have a +1 weapon, and Str 16/Cha 12.
Then they need to Power Attack for -1/+2 to have the greatsword deal more damage. They can do this without requiring the setup of moving out of position, or needing lots of enemies to make it useful.

This is pretty conservative IMO- a 4-point gap between Strength and Charisma, a +1 weapon only, etc.
The difference only widens with time.


Borrow a page from the Ranger's book and add more blasts per attack, possibly?
Consider allowing equivalents to Rapid Shot or Multishot, yeah.


It'd be a good ability to invoke if you suspect (but can't confirm) that there's trouble nearby. Additionally, since the character gets Ki Efficiency four levels in, the cost is literally negligible from that point onward, essentially giving them Uncanny Dodge at fourth level (and samplings of it up to that point).
I forgot about Ki Efficiency! Good point.


Yeah, you gotta wonder why it's not used more often... still, the ability to spam the teleports isn't, on its own, a game breaker, is it? Any way to fix the bust-up?

The thing about (nearly) at-will unlimited range teleportation is that it's less an encounter-breaker than a campaign-breaker. Need to rest up? Teleport back home. Need to infiltrate the enemy base? Teleport in. Overland travel is no longer a thing. Lack of access to markets to buy your stuff is no longer a thing. The danger of being caught alone with no escape? Gone.

It's also available way, way earlier than any other class gets the same ability.



Well, yeah, it's meant to be pretty strong. Flight's just a useful movement tool to have in general, really. Still, since the flying speed basically caps at 60-80 ft, it's still too slow to outpace anybody hustling alongside the user (and anyone flat-out running would be better off on foot).
Hmmm.
Keep in mind that this is an actual fly speed, so you can, yourself, hustle. There are two big parts to this- the doubled speed, and the flight. Both are strong on their own, but one of them is more useful in combat for tactical mobility, and the other is very powerful out of combat for granting three-dimensional movement, completely annihilating several classes of obstacles.
I would split it into two advanced techniques- one that doubles your speed, and then remove the speed doubling from this ability.



Expensive and kind of hard to maintain. A DC 10 per round is a lot to ask over an extended period of time (assuming a reasonable intelligence and boost to Concentration, upon first getting it, that comes out to around a 20% chance of failure each round), and that's just for one clone. Doing two or three could be prohibitively expensive if the character's not specced for it.
Concentration is a class skill, and is Constitution based. I'm a little rusty on the rules for cross-class skills, but by Fighter 5/MM3, you should have a +4 Con bonus, +3 from Skill Focus(loads of bonus feats off Fighter means you have enough to spare), and around 7 ranks at least. That's a +14 bonus, enough such that your minimum roll is 15, enough to sustain two clones plus yourself indefinitely.
That's ignoring the possibility of finding or buying a Concentration-boosting item.


I just didn't think the ability to get ki from your allies was going to be enough
I'm a little less concerned about 3-4 allies, and more about the Leadership feat, or literally asking a city to send you their energy.
If each of 100 people has enough hit points to give you 1 point of Ki...
It's probably for the best that the only ability that scales with incoming Ki has a Concentration check attached.



In all seriousness, it's not up to +10 on everything... just on "combat relevant" stats. This leaves them just as open to anything that needs a Will save when they reach that state as it did before they went into it. Additionally, you might notice that their Charisma (and with it, their ki output) stays the same, too. Besides, at the point where they can use it to that degree, the character in question is already taking on creatures that have, among other things, ability point drain... they might find themselves pulling out this technique just to break even. (For extra goodness, a lot of energy-draining monsters are also Undead, which they can't see coming... have fun with that.)
I'm not saying that you aren't vulnerable.
But this is a huge upgrade over comparable combat statistics available to most other classes.
-Up to +5 to all physical rolls is a large accuracy/defense bonus, larger than the next most comparable ability (Rage), which has downsides attached.
-This class has higher Will saves (and likely a higher Wisdom) than a straight fighter
-Most energy/ability damage or drain effects target Fortitude saves, which are enhanced by this.

[Ironsmith]

There are well defined save progressions: Good (2 + 1/2 level) and Poor (0 + 1/3) level. Unless you have something extremely particular in mind, I would advise you to stick to those two progressions.



Will do. I'll be fixing those in the near future.




On skills: I think you're overstating the lack of skills that Goku and similar characters have. Stuff like Climb, Swim, and Jump are pretty normal. If you want a point of comparison, consider the War Hulk (miniatures handbook), which had three class skills, 2+Int skill points, and a class feature that negated all mental skill ranks except Intimidate.
At minimum, this class should have the skill points to support Concentration as a class skill- 2+ Int. Goku probably had an Int penalty.



All right. I'll be changing that ASAP.



I'm mostly concerned with the "deal half damage to creatures sharing an alignment component" part. As a Neutral Good character, I feel that dealing half damage to Neutral Evil characters, even if I have full damage to LE or CE characters, is something I want to avoid, and makes little sense for force damage.


I probably should have been a little clearer there... the intent is that Neutral characters in any sense don't have to worry about that penalty as much. A NG vs NE fight would still result in both parties doing the same amount of damage. The alignment thing applies to the extremes (Lawful, Chaotic, Good and Evil).




I actually disagree.
Someone can take this PrC for their sixth level at the earliest. At the same level, fighters have a Strength score far higher than their Charisma bonus (+1, maybe), and can use a greatsword.
Using this, they can deal 2d6 + 1.5 * Strength + a small amount of Power Attack, twice, with higher reliability than a DC 11 + Wisdom save.
How many targets can they realistically hit with this ability? Maybe 3, if the enemy is clumped up in a line.
That would deal a total of 6d8(avg. 27 total)+3x Cha, if all fail their save.
Attacking twice with a greatsword deals 4d6(avg. 14 total) + 3x Str + 2x (other bonuses).
Suppose they have a +1 weapon, and Str 16/Cha 12.
Then they need to Power Attack for -1/+2 to have the greatsword deal more damage. They can do this without requiring the setup of moving out of position, or needing lots of enemies to make it useful.

This is pretty conservative IMO- a 4-point gap between Strength and Charisma, a +1 weapon only, etc.
The difference only widens with time.



Wow. Okay, yeah, gonna be fixing that beam.




Consider allowing equivalents to Rapid Shot or Multishot, yeah.



Alternatively, since we're talking about splitting up some of the other techniques anyway (and quantity therefore isn't going to be an issue), I'm thinking maybe I should just ditch Ki Volley and explicitly state that Ki Blasts can benefit from Rapid Shot or Multishot.




I forgot about Ki Efficiency! Good point.



It's something else to consider with the pricing, too... abilities that demand 2 ki are gonna be free at higher levels, and a max-leveled MM can do 3-ki abilities without cost.




The thing about (nearly) at-will unlimited range teleportation is that it's less an encounter-breaker than a campaign-breaker. Need to rest up? Teleport back home. Need to infiltrate the enemy base? Teleport in. Overland travel is no longer a thing. Lack of access to markets to buy your stuff is no longer a thing. The danger of being caught alone with no escape? Gone.

It's also available way, way earlier than any other class gets the same ability.



Given that it doesn't seem to be available to everyone in its home series, either, I'll probably just remove it, or maybe replace the effect with Dimension Door (a considerably shorter range).




Hmmm.
Keep in mind that this is an actual fly speed, so you can, yourself, hustle. There are two big parts to this- the doubled speed, and the flight. Both are strong on their own, but one of them is more useful in combat for tactical mobility, and the other is very powerful out of combat for granting three-dimensional movement, completely annihilating several classes of obstacles.
I would split it into two advanced techniques- one that doubles your speed, and then remove the speed doubling from this ability.



Will do.




Concentration is a class skill, and is Constitution based. I'm a little rusty on the rules for cross-class skills, but by Fighter 5/MM3, you should have a +4 Con bonus, +3 from Skill Focus(loads of bonus feats off Fighter means you have enough to spare), and around 7 ranks at least. That's a +14 bonus, enough such that your minimum roll is 15, enough to sustain two clones plus yourself indefinitely.
That's ignoring the possibility of finding or buying a Concentration-boosting item.



Maybe I should up the DC, then? Going with 10 + 5 per clone would reduce that to one indefinite clone and make two a risk...




I'm a little less concerned about 3-4 allies, and more about the Leadership feat, or literally asking a city to send you their energy.
If each of 100 people has enough hit points to give you 1 point of Ki...
It's probably for the best that the only ability that scales with incoming Ki has a Concentration check attached.



I'm honestly confused... which ability are you talking about? (Probably should still nerf or split, though.)



I'm not saying that you aren't vulnerable.
But this is a huge upgrade over comparable combat statistics available to most other classes.
-Up to +5 to all physical rolls is a large accuracy/defense bonus, larger than the next most comparable ability (Rage), which has downsides attached.
-This class has higher Will saves (and likely a higher Wisdom) than a straight fighter
-Most energy/ability damage or drain effects target Fortitude saves, which are enhanced by this.

Maybe I should have it just improve strength and speed, then, or possibly slow the scaling down. An ability that give you +1 to two or three stats doesn't seem too unreasonable at 6th level, but yeah, I guess +10 at 15th level is a bit ridiculous, especially if there's already magic items involved.

[aimlessPolymath]

I probably should have been a little clearer there... the intent is that Neutral characters in any sense don't have to worry about that penalty as much. A NG vs NE fight would still result in both parties doing the same amount of damage. The alignment thing applies to the extremes (Lawful, Chaotic, Good and Evil).
I mean, that just pushes the problem around a little- LG vs. LE is still pretty annoying, and I don't see much of a reason to penalize it on a class without a strong alignment focus.


I'm honestly confused... which ability are you talking about? (Probably should still nerf or split, though.)
Gather Ki to pull from large groups, granting you near-unlimited ki. The fact that most abilities don't scale with ki helps to some extent, though. The only ability that scales with ki investment to an unlimited degree is Multiform.


Maybe I should up the DC, then? Going with 10 + 5 per clone would reduce that to one indefinite clone and make two a risk...
Maybe? I might attach downsides beyond Concentration checks, like -2 to all rolls and to AC for each clone. Adjusting the DC is basically a matter of asking "at what level is X clones, reliably, reasonable?", and then making an assumption about skill checks by level. Personally, I might directly define the number of clones you want to allow, scaled by level.

[Ironsmith]

I mean, that just pushes the problem around a little- LG vs. LE is still pretty annoying, and I don't see much of a reason to penalize it on a class without a strong alignment focus.


All right, consider it gone.



Gather Ki to pull from large groups, granting you near-unlimited ki. The fact that most abilities don't scale with ki helps to some extent, though. The only ability that scales with ki investment to an unlimited degree is Multiform.


Ah. Well... it might help if I stipulated a range on that, though, plus it's limited by how much the person donating the ki is willing to give up. Also, I touched up the exchange rate a bit, which should help limit it... 4 hit points for 1 point of ki is more than your average low-level warrior can safely part with.



Maybe? I might attach downsides beyond Concentration checks, like -2 to all rolls and to AC for each clone. Adjusting the DC is basically a matter of asking "at what level is X clones, reliably, reasonable?", and then making an assumption about skill checks by level. Personally, I might directly define the number of clones you want to allow, scaled by level.

Except it does, sort of, scale by level. The number of clones you can have is dependent on your Charisma bonus (1 being the minimum), and then you also still have to make the high Concentration checks to maintain them, and take a penalty to any other Concentration checks you may have to make (such as to avoid losing focus on other techniques while being attacked).

[aimlessPolymath]

Ah. Well... it might help if I stipulated a range on that, though, plus it's limited by how much the person donating the ki is willing to give up. Also, I touched up the exchange rate a bit, which should help limit it... 4 hit points for 1 point of ki is more than your average low-level warrior can safely part with.
4 for 1 sounds like a fine exchange rate.


Except it does, sort of, scale by level. The number of clones you can have is dependent on your Charisma bonus (1 being the minimum), and then you also still have to make the high Concentration checks to maintain them, and take a penalty to any other Concentration checks you may have to make (such as to avoid losing focus on other techniques while being attacked).
My problem with that are
a) Charisma is optimisable. A cloak of charisma gives extra clones instantly, and it isn't hard to have a decent charisma score. When 3 clones represent an incredible amount of action advantage, there needs to be a much lower limit on how many clones can be maintained. Unless the clones have meaningfully lower combat statistics, I think Multiform is just too much power.
b) Telekinesis is the only technique that requires concentration. The -2 penalty is not a meaningful penalty in combat, especially given (see my calculations for greatswords, for example) that the most effective method for dealing damage is usually full attacks anyway.

[Ironsmith]

My problem with that are
a) Charisma is optimisable. A cloak of charisma gives extra clones instantly, and it isn't hard to have a decent charisma score. When 3 clones represent an incredible amount of action advantage, there needs to be a much lower limit on how many clones can be maintained. Unless the clones have meaningfully lower combat statistics, I think Multiform is just too much power.
b) Telekinesis is the only technique that requires concentration. The -2 penalty is not a meaningful penalty in combat, especially given (see my calculations for greatswords, for example) that the most effective method for dealing damage is usually full attacks anyway.

This is true. Maybe the clones (and the character) should be considered flat-footed while the technique is active? (With the added caveat that yes, that overturns Sense Life and Uncanny Dodge if they have it.) Or possibly a fixed Dexterity penalty?

[aimlessPolymath]

I prefer the Dex penalty (or maybe a general stat penalty? Fits with the whole "multiform reduces your power level" thing), as it seems simpler than building in an explicit exception to existing class features. Also, it could be cumulative with the number of clones, if that turns out to be needed in testing.

[Ironsmith]

I prefer the Dex penalty (or maybe a general stat penalty? Fits with the whole "multiform reduces your power level" thing), as it seems simpler than building in an explicit exception to existing class features. Also, it could be cumulative with the number of clones, if that turns out to be needed in testing.

It probably will be cumulative, since even without increasing the number of clones, their relative power scales with level (since, you know they're all YOU). I'll be revising this later.

[Morphic tide]

It probably will be cumulative, since even without increasing the number of clones, their relative power scales with level (since, you know they're all YOU). I'll be revising this later.

This would be a lot easier if it was plugged into something that had worth-mentioning central scaling values, but it's not...

[Ironsmith]

This would be a lot easier if it was plugged into something that had worth-mentioning central scaling values, but it's not...

Well, yes, but since they're all based wholesale on the character using them, their strength is 100% dependent on the user, and thus, the relative usefulness of this technique goes up with time. A level 15 character cloning themselves is a much bigger problem than a level 5.

[Morphic tide]

Well, yes, but since they're all based wholesale on the character using them, their strength is 100% dependent on the user, and thus, the relative usefulness of this technique goes up with time. A level 15 character cloning themselves is a much bigger problem than a level 5.

I know, but it makes it a lot easier to do the copy-nerf. For example, if it were innately hooked into Martial Initiation, a reduction of IL could remove access to higher level effects. This also gives a point to keeping lower level versions of the same Maneuver once you have access to higher level equivalents, as the copies can use the lower level ones at higher levels.

[Ironsmith]

I know, but it makes it a lot easier to do the copy-nerf. For example, if it were innately hooked into Martial Initiation, a reduction of IL could remove access to higher level effects. This also gives a point to keeping lower level versions of the same Maneuver once you have access to higher level equivalents, as the copies can use the lower level ones at higher levels.

...You've totally lost me. Martial Initiation isn't even mentioned here, IL is... I'm not even entirely sure what, and the techniques here only have one tier but scale with level, so you _always_ have them. For the time being, I'm just gonna go with a -1 on all "combat relevant" stats for each clone.

[Morphic tide]

...You've totally lost me. Martial Initiation isn't even mentioned here, IL is... I'm not even entirely sure what, and the techniques here only have one tier but scale with level, so you _always_ have them. For the time being, I'm just gonna go with a -1 on all "combat relevant" stats for each clone.

As an example, if the class was based on Martial Initiation in some capacity, reduction in IL (Initiator Level) would allow gating off higher-level effects when clones are in play. This makes it a lot easier to confine the nerfs to what's actually going to have an effect.

[Ironsmith]

Updated the entry (see first post). Everything look good?