NecroRebel
2007-10-07, 02:50 PM
Welcome to my second homebrew. This base class idea has been plaguing my mind for a while now, so I’ve now decided to write it out and share. Mostly, I was just looking for a mage-type class that used cards in their spells, a la Magic: The Gathering, and was surprised when I couldn’t find any. As such, I decided to create my own.
The mechanics behind the class are probably closer to the Duel Monsters card game from the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise than Magic, with a surprising amount of inspiration drawn from Pokemon in the summoning card capture system, since I felt that that would be more fun, flavorful, balanced, and easier to run than a Magic-faithful system would be. It may not work out as I hope… So if you have a better idea as to how to run a given section of the class, please feel free to suggest any changes you may have.
Palmist
Thom and his men watched from the trees as a lone man, unarmed, unarmored, and clad only in a simple tunic and trousers walked slowly down their rode. They probably would have ignored him altogether, except that he had a large pack on his back that was clearly heavy. The man reached into his pocket, and Thom tensed. Had he seen them? No, he was merely drawing out a deck of cards to shuffle idly.
Without warning, the man stopped walking and looked around the road before fanning the cards out in his hand. “Welcome to my show, good sirs. May I have a volunteer from the audience? Please, pick a card, any card!” Thom’s men whispered among themselves. Was this man crazy? After a pause, the man continued. “No one wants to volunteer? Fine, then. How about this card?” One lacquered paper appeared from nowhere in his free hand, a card painted with an angry ghost. The card glowed black for an instant, and the bandits heard a horrid scream echo through their minds before all was silent.
Smiling wickedly, the man approached one of the corpses that now littered the road. “Didn’t like that card? Too bad. It’s one of my favorites.” Laughing, he slipped his deck back into his pocket and continued on his way.
Growing out of the ranks of stage magicians and con men, Palmists are an unusual breed. Not quite spellcasters, they are nonetheless very much steeped in arcane power, though not always magic knowledge. Their strength ultimately comes from others, whether it be the beasts they card and enslave or the spells they catch in their magical cards, but once gathered a Palmist can be a force all their own.
In many areas, Palmists are greatly feared. Their ability to seemingly cast any spell makes wizards jealous, particularly since it means that another mage was the source of that spell, their ability to capture creatures and people in magical cards scares the common folk, especially when carded beasts return and fight for the Palmist, and their ability to hide even the largest items within a tiny piece of paper makes the nobles hate them.
Still, among the rogues and crooks they grew up among, a good Palmist can be a tremendous boon to their ability to get the big prizes out and to evade the guard. Who’d expect to find the fifty-foot gold statue of the Emperor in somebody’s sock, anyway?
Adventurers
Like most classes, Palmists can adventure for any number of reasons. Some adventure to find new and exciting cards to add to their collections and decks, some seek wealth or knowledge, some are fleeing from the law. Some even seek to improve the reputations of their type so people don’t always fear them anymore.
Characteristics
Many Palmists are freewheeling and impulsive, tending to rely on their cards and fate to get them out of trouble. They are almost always impudent and more than a little rude as well, particularly towards mages and priests, because only by having spells cast near them (or at them) can they increase their own repertoire. When it is required of them, though, these same men and women can be among the most focused, calm, and polite people around.
Alignment
Due to growing up on the streets and in lawless places, Palmists tend to be Chaotic. Because one of their main abilities involves capturing living beings and enslaving them through magic power, Palmists also tend to lean towards Evil. However, there is nothing really stopping a Palmist from being Lawful or Good.
Religion
Palmists can follow any religion, though most priests look down on them. Even clerics of trickster gods tend to dislike Palmists, who are seen as likely to steal the gods’ blessings from those who they are truly granted to.
Background
Palmists originally grew out of the ranks of Rogues and, to a lesser extent, Bards. As adherents to those older disciplines became more and more aware of the power of magic, many of them learned how to “fake” the skills necessary to use magic contained within various items or written on scrolls. Eventually, people started having their Wizard buddies write scrolls on simple playing cards so that they could be slipped into a deck and used for a secret weapon while gambling. The next step was the tricky part: learning to actually make these magic cards themselves. Once you get there, it’s surprisingly easy to make your entire career out of enchanted cards, so many people actually did so. These are the Palmists.
Races
Palmists are found in virtually any urban race. The skills needed to use card magic rely more on tricky fingers than on mental agility or fortitude, so even the dumber races can be a Palmist without trouble. Still, perhaps predictably, the quicker races are Palmists more often. Halflings, Humans, and Half-Elves make up the majority of the practitioners, followed by Half-Orcs, Elves, and Gnomes. There are relatively few Palmists from other races since they tend to lack the madcap city populations needed to develop the skills.
Other Classes
Palmists tend to get along best with anyone who can’t cast any spells. Rogues in particular work fantastically with a Palmist; after all, they’re really just different areas of skills for the same ends, aren’t they?
Due to their need to gather precast magic into cards to build their decks, Palmists often intentionally antagonize anyone capable of casting spells. As such, people with magical abilities tend to quickly grow annoyed with a Palmist.
Psychic characters usually are reasonably comfortable around Palmists. Most Palmists do not make any attempt to gather psychic powers for their decks, which makes them treat Psychics just like any other non-mage.
Game Rule Information
Palmists have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity is of tremendous importance for a Palmist, determining how many cards they can have in play at a time, how difficult their spell cards are to resist, and aiding in the actual carding of creatures, items, and spells. Intelligence is also important, increasing the maximum size of a Palmist’s deck as well as providing precious additional skill points.
Charisma is always useful for a Palmist, allowing them to talk their way out of trouble, and Constitution is useful when that doesn’t work, by allowing them to survive trouble that comes.
Alignment: Any; usually Neutral (N), Chaotic Neutral (CN), or Chaotic Evil (CE).
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills: A Palmist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are as follows: Bluff (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (Any, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Any, taken individually) (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at First Level: (4+Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at each Additional Level: 4+ Int modifier
The Palmist
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Sharpcard, Card: Beast, Trigger Card, Construct Deck, Playing Field
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+3|
+1|Fast Deck 1
4th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|Sharpcard: Magic
5th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|Card: Mundane Item
6th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|Fast Deck 2
7th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|Sharpcard: Silver
8th|
+4|
+2|
+6|
+2|
9th|
+4|
+3|
+6|
+3|Fast Deck 3
10th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|Card: Spell, Sidebar Trigger, Sharpcard: Cold Iron
11th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|
12th|
+6|
+4|
+8|
+4|Fast Deck 4
13th|
+6|
+4|
+8|
+4|Sharpcard: Aligned
14th|
+7|
+4|
+9|
+4|
15th|
+7|
+5|
+9|
+5|Card: Magic Item, Fast Deck 5
16th|
+8|
+5|
+10|
+5|Sharpcard: Adamantine
17th|
+8|
+5|
+10|
+5|
18th|
+9|
+6|
+11|
+6|Fast Deck 6
19th|
+9|
+6|
+11|
+6|Sharpcard: Force
20th|
+10|
+6|
+12|
+6|Card: Plane [/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Palmist. See level progression on Table: The Palmist for more information.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Palmists are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. Palmists are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. They are also considered proficient with playing cards, as per the Sharpcard ability.
Sharpcard (Su): In the hands of a Palmist, a simple playing card can be a deadly weapon. At level 1, a Palmist may treat any playing card they wield as a light slashing weapon that deals 1d4 damage, deals double damage on a critical, and threatens a critical on a roll of 20. These cards may be used as thrown weapons with a range increment of 10 feet; after the attack in which they are thrown, they lose their weapon properties until a Palmist retrieves them. At level 4, the card is treated as a magic weapon for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. At level 7, the card is treated as silver, at level 10 as cold iron, and at level 16 as adamantine.
At level 3, the Palmist's cards deal +1 damage and give a +1 attack bonus. These bonuses increase by a further +1 every 3 levels after 3.
At level 13, the Palmist may choose to make their cards Lawful, Chaotic, Good, or Evil. Once chosen, all cards the Palmist wields have the same trait. Once chosen the alignment of the cards cannot be changed.
At level 19, the Palmist may choose to have their cards deal magical Force damage instead of Slashing damage.
Card: Beast (Sp): At level 1, a Palmist has the ability to convert creatures into enchanted cards, which they may then use to fight through their other abilities.
Carding a creature is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. To card a creature, the Palmist must be within 30 feet of it and make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + the creature’s current Hit Points + the combined Spell Levels of all spells the creature is prepared to cast + half the creature's current Power Point total (if the creature cannot cast spells, has no Power Points, or have exhausted all of their spells over level 0 and Power Points, these last values are 0).
If the creature being targeted for carding had been released from a card within 1 hour per the Palmist’s class level, the DC to card it again is only 10 + ¼ the creatures current Hit Points + the combined Spell Levels of all spells the creature is prepared to cast + half the creature's current Power Point total.
Once a creature is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar. Any Spells the creature is prepared to cast remain prepared until the creature is released and uses them. Any equipment the creature is carrying falls to the ground, excluding items that are lost with the death of the creature, such as a balor's flame whip.Creatures cannot recover Spells or Power Points while carded.
Trigger Card (Su): At level 1, a Palmist can trigger the magical properties of a card. Once triggered, a card goes to the Playing Field.
Using a card is a standard action that provokes Attacks of Opportunity and requires a Sleight of Hand check. Before level 10, a Palmist can only use cards in their Deck; after level 10, they can trigger cards in their Sidebar at a price (see the Sidebar Trigger ability). The Sleight of Hand DC to activate a card varies depending on the card type and power level. If the Sleight of Hand check is unsuccessful, the card does not activate and goes into the Palmist's sidebar.
For Beast Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + the creature’s Hit Dice. When triggered, the Card is destroyed.
For Spell Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the minimum caster level necessary to cast the spell. Spells cast through a Spell Card are always cast at the minimum caster level necessary to cast it normally, though by willingly increasing the Sleight of Hand DC by 3, the caster level can be increased by 1. Increasing the DC by more than 3 further increases the caster level by 1 for every additional 3 the DC in increased by. Saving throws for resisting a Spell Card are always equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the Palmist’s Dexterity modifier.
Triggering a Spell Card of a spell with an experience component takes experience equal to the experience component of the spell. When triggered, the Card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
For mundane Item Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + half the items’ weight in pounds + 1/10 the number of items contained in the card. When triggered, the Card is destroyed.
For magical Item Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + half the item’s weight in pounds + the item’s caster level. Except for ammunition, no more than 1 magic item may be contained in a card. Up to 50 ammunition of the same type may be held on one card. When triggered, the Card is destroyed.
For Plane Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + 3 for every planar trait that the card would change. Planar traits may include Gravity, Time, Morphic, Elemental and Energy Traits, Alignment Traits, and Magic Traits. For Elemental and Energy Traits and Alignment Traits, minor strengths are considered 1 trait while major ones are considered 2. Local planar traits that the Plane Card shares are not considered changed, so these traits do not increase the DC. Removing a local trait is considered a change as well. When triggered, the Card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
(For example, activating a Elemental Plane of Air Card on a Prime Material Plane is DC 25: 10 + 3 (Normal gravity to Subjective) + 6 (non-elemental to Major Air-Dominant) + 3 (Normal Magic to Enhanced Magic Air) + 3 (Normal Magic to Impeded Magic Earth)).
Construct Deck (Ex): At level 1, a Palmist may set up a deck of cards from which they are prepared to trigger. A Deck may contain no more than 1 + the Palmist’s Intelligence modifier cards per 2 Palmist level2. Preparing a Deck takes 60 minutes per 10 cards in it.
At levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18, the time that it takes to prepare a Deck decreases by 5 minutes per 10 cards, or 55 minutes, 50, 45, 40, 35, and 30, respectively.
Any cards that the Palmist possesses which are not in their active Deck are considered to be in the Palmist’s sidebar. Newly carded cards always go into the sidebar.
Playing Field (Ex): Once triggered, cards go onto the Playing Field, where they affect the world around the Palmist in different ways depending on their type. A Palmist cannot have more cards on the playing field at once than twice their Dexterity modifier. Further, at no time can a Palmist have more than one Plane Card in play.
Beast Cards call the creature carded to a position within 10 feet of the Palmist. When called, the creature is always healthy; any damage they may have taken before being carded is removed, as are any nonpermanent magic effects on them. They will serve the Palmist loyally and without question for 1 minute per Palmist level; during this time they will even follow orders that are clearly self-destructive or suicidal. After this time, the creature is no longer considered to be on the Palmist’s playing field and will act normally, and will remember being carded and whatever it was forced to do while under the Palmist’s control. It may be hostile to the Palmist.
While under a Palmist’s control in this way, no creature will use Spells, Spell-like abilities, Powers, or Power-like abilities unless specifically ordered to. Ordering a creature to use one of these abilities is a standard action that does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity; once ordered to use an ability, the creature will do so as soon as able to the exclusion of all other actions. If the Spell or Power being used or emulated would have an experience component, the Palmist must pay that experience cost.
Item Cards, both of magical and mundane items, call the carded item or items to a position adjacent to the Palmist. Once called, the items can be used as normal by whoever picks them up. Item cards cease to be part of the Palmist’s playing field after 1 hour.
Spell Cards with no duration, an instant duration, or with a permanent duration, take effect as the spell and then leave the field. Spell cards with a duration other than instant or permanent take effect as the spell and stay on the playing field until their duration expires or they are dispelled. Spells on a playing field cannot be Carded.
Plane Cards change the planar traits of the area to those of the plane that was carded. This affects an area centered on where the Palmist was when they activated the card with a radius of 500 feet, and lasts for 10 minutes. After this period, the Plane Card leaves the playing field.
Card: Mundane Item (Sp): At level 5, a Palmist gains the ability to convert unattended nonmagical items into enchanted cards, which may then be converted back into the item.
Carding an item or items is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. To card an item or items, the Palmist must touch the item and make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + the items’ weight in pounds + the number of items to be carded. If multiple items are to be to be carded, they must all be of the same type.
Once an item is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Card: Spell (Sp): At level 10, a Palmist gains the ability to convert spells or spell-like abilities other creatures cast into enchanted cards, which can then be later used to cast the spell.
Carding a spell is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. In all cases, the Palmist must be within 30 feet of the center of the spell to be carded.
To card a spell with no duration, an instant duration, or a permanent duration, the Palmist must observe the spell being cast and identify it with a successful Spellcraft check. The Palmist must then have an action readied, must make a successful Reflex saving throw against a DC of 10 + the spell’s level + the spell’s caster’s spellcasting attribute modifier. Finally, the Palmist must make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + twice the spell’s level + twice the spell’s caster level.
To card a spell with a duration other than instant or permanent, the Palmist must first identify the spell with a successful Spellcraft check. Then, if the spell is targeted or centered on a creature, the Palmist must then make a successful ranged touch attack, which does no damage. Finally, the Palmist must make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + twice the spell’s level + twice the spell’s caster level.
In both cases, once a spell is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Sidebar Trigger (Su): At Level 10, a Palmist may begin to use even cards outside their deck at will, though with more difficulty than from their deck.
Triggering a card from the Sidebar is identical to triggering a card from the deck, but the Sleight of Hand DC is 10 higher than normal. Further, the Palmist must choose a spell card from their deck. Regardless of whether the Sleight of Hand check is successful or not, both the spell card from the deck and the card from the sidebar which the Palmist is attempting to activate are destroyed.
Card: Magic Item (Sp): At level 15, a Palmist gains the ability to convert unattended magical items into enchanted cards, which may then be converted back into the item.
Carding an item is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. To card an item, the Palmist must touch the item and make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 12 + twice the item’s weight in pounds + twice the item’s caster level.
Once an item is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Card: Plane (Sp): At level 20, a Palmist gains the ability to store a link to a plane’s fabric within an enchanted card, which can then be used to overlay that plane’s fabric upon another.
Carding a planar link requires 10 minutes of uninterrupted meditation. To card the link, the Palmist must be in the target plane and must make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 20 + 5 for every planar trait that the plane possesses. Planar traits may include Gravity, Time, Morphic, Elemental and Energy Traits, Alignment Traits, and Magic Traits. For Elemental and Energy Traits and Alignment Traits, minor strengths are considered 1 trait while major ones are considered 2.
Once the link is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Whew! That took a while to type up. Almost 4 hours… Hopefully people will think that it’s good stuff, or if not hopefully it will inspire them to think up better ways of doing this sort of thing.
Anyway, sorry for the huge wall-o-text, as well as any parts of the mechanics behind the class that might be confusing… I knew what I was going for, but I just wasn’t sure quite how to say it so that other people would know what I was going for. In any case, I’m growing tired and hungry now, so… Yeah.
Edit1: Changed some DCs around a bit. Changes are in blue. Should be somewhat less impossibly hard to Card items now.
Edit2: Added some extra stuff to the Beast Card section to accept psychics mechanically, and added Psychics to the character relations section. I'm going to call this the Final Form for now, though more changes might be made later.
The mechanics behind the class are probably closer to the Duel Monsters card game from the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise than Magic, with a surprising amount of inspiration drawn from Pokemon in the summoning card capture system, since I felt that that would be more fun, flavorful, balanced, and easier to run than a Magic-faithful system would be. It may not work out as I hope… So if you have a better idea as to how to run a given section of the class, please feel free to suggest any changes you may have.
Palmist
Thom and his men watched from the trees as a lone man, unarmed, unarmored, and clad only in a simple tunic and trousers walked slowly down their rode. They probably would have ignored him altogether, except that he had a large pack on his back that was clearly heavy. The man reached into his pocket, and Thom tensed. Had he seen them? No, he was merely drawing out a deck of cards to shuffle idly.
Without warning, the man stopped walking and looked around the road before fanning the cards out in his hand. “Welcome to my show, good sirs. May I have a volunteer from the audience? Please, pick a card, any card!” Thom’s men whispered among themselves. Was this man crazy? After a pause, the man continued. “No one wants to volunteer? Fine, then. How about this card?” One lacquered paper appeared from nowhere in his free hand, a card painted with an angry ghost. The card glowed black for an instant, and the bandits heard a horrid scream echo through their minds before all was silent.
Smiling wickedly, the man approached one of the corpses that now littered the road. “Didn’t like that card? Too bad. It’s one of my favorites.” Laughing, he slipped his deck back into his pocket and continued on his way.
Growing out of the ranks of stage magicians and con men, Palmists are an unusual breed. Not quite spellcasters, they are nonetheless very much steeped in arcane power, though not always magic knowledge. Their strength ultimately comes from others, whether it be the beasts they card and enslave or the spells they catch in their magical cards, but once gathered a Palmist can be a force all their own.
In many areas, Palmists are greatly feared. Their ability to seemingly cast any spell makes wizards jealous, particularly since it means that another mage was the source of that spell, their ability to capture creatures and people in magical cards scares the common folk, especially when carded beasts return and fight for the Palmist, and their ability to hide even the largest items within a tiny piece of paper makes the nobles hate them.
Still, among the rogues and crooks they grew up among, a good Palmist can be a tremendous boon to their ability to get the big prizes out and to evade the guard. Who’d expect to find the fifty-foot gold statue of the Emperor in somebody’s sock, anyway?
Adventurers
Like most classes, Palmists can adventure for any number of reasons. Some adventure to find new and exciting cards to add to their collections and decks, some seek wealth or knowledge, some are fleeing from the law. Some even seek to improve the reputations of their type so people don’t always fear them anymore.
Characteristics
Many Palmists are freewheeling and impulsive, tending to rely on their cards and fate to get them out of trouble. They are almost always impudent and more than a little rude as well, particularly towards mages and priests, because only by having spells cast near them (or at them) can they increase their own repertoire. When it is required of them, though, these same men and women can be among the most focused, calm, and polite people around.
Alignment
Due to growing up on the streets and in lawless places, Palmists tend to be Chaotic. Because one of their main abilities involves capturing living beings and enslaving them through magic power, Palmists also tend to lean towards Evil. However, there is nothing really stopping a Palmist from being Lawful or Good.
Religion
Palmists can follow any religion, though most priests look down on them. Even clerics of trickster gods tend to dislike Palmists, who are seen as likely to steal the gods’ blessings from those who they are truly granted to.
Background
Palmists originally grew out of the ranks of Rogues and, to a lesser extent, Bards. As adherents to those older disciplines became more and more aware of the power of magic, many of them learned how to “fake” the skills necessary to use magic contained within various items or written on scrolls. Eventually, people started having their Wizard buddies write scrolls on simple playing cards so that they could be slipped into a deck and used for a secret weapon while gambling. The next step was the tricky part: learning to actually make these magic cards themselves. Once you get there, it’s surprisingly easy to make your entire career out of enchanted cards, so many people actually did so. These are the Palmists.
Races
Palmists are found in virtually any urban race. The skills needed to use card magic rely more on tricky fingers than on mental agility or fortitude, so even the dumber races can be a Palmist without trouble. Still, perhaps predictably, the quicker races are Palmists more often. Halflings, Humans, and Half-Elves make up the majority of the practitioners, followed by Half-Orcs, Elves, and Gnomes. There are relatively few Palmists from other races since they tend to lack the madcap city populations needed to develop the skills.
Other Classes
Palmists tend to get along best with anyone who can’t cast any spells. Rogues in particular work fantastically with a Palmist; after all, they’re really just different areas of skills for the same ends, aren’t they?
Due to their need to gather precast magic into cards to build their decks, Palmists often intentionally antagonize anyone capable of casting spells. As such, people with magical abilities tend to quickly grow annoyed with a Palmist.
Psychic characters usually are reasonably comfortable around Palmists. Most Palmists do not make any attempt to gather psychic powers for their decks, which makes them treat Psychics just like any other non-mage.
Game Rule Information
Palmists have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity is of tremendous importance for a Palmist, determining how many cards they can have in play at a time, how difficult their spell cards are to resist, and aiding in the actual carding of creatures, items, and spells. Intelligence is also important, increasing the maximum size of a Palmist’s deck as well as providing precious additional skill points.
Charisma is always useful for a Palmist, allowing them to talk their way out of trouble, and Constitution is useful when that doesn’t work, by allowing them to survive trouble that comes.
Alignment: Any; usually Neutral (N), Chaotic Neutral (CN), or Chaotic Evil (CE).
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills: A Palmist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are as follows: Bluff (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (Any, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Any, taken individually) (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at First Level: (4+Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at each Additional Level: 4+ Int modifier
The Palmist
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Sharpcard, Card: Beast, Trigger Card, Construct Deck, Playing Field
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+3|
+1|Fast Deck 1
4th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|Sharpcard: Magic
5th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|Card: Mundane Item
6th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|Fast Deck 2
7th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|Sharpcard: Silver
8th|
+4|
+2|
+6|
+2|
9th|
+4|
+3|
+6|
+3|Fast Deck 3
10th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|Card: Spell, Sidebar Trigger, Sharpcard: Cold Iron
11th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|
12th|
+6|
+4|
+8|
+4|Fast Deck 4
13th|
+6|
+4|
+8|
+4|Sharpcard: Aligned
14th|
+7|
+4|
+9|
+4|
15th|
+7|
+5|
+9|
+5|Card: Magic Item, Fast Deck 5
16th|
+8|
+5|
+10|
+5|Sharpcard: Adamantine
17th|
+8|
+5|
+10|
+5|
18th|
+9|
+6|
+11|
+6|Fast Deck 6
19th|
+9|
+6|
+11|
+6|Sharpcard: Force
20th|
+10|
+6|
+12|
+6|Card: Plane [/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Palmist. See level progression on Table: The Palmist for more information.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Palmists are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. Palmists are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. They are also considered proficient with playing cards, as per the Sharpcard ability.
Sharpcard (Su): In the hands of a Palmist, a simple playing card can be a deadly weapon. At level 1, a Palmist may treat any playing card they wield as a light slashing weapon that deals 1d4 damage, deals double damage on a critical, and threatens a critical on a roll of 20. These cards may be used as thrown weapons with a range increment of 10 feet; after the attack in which they are thrown, they lose their weapon properties until a Palmist retrieves them. At level 4, the card is treated as a magic weapon for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. At level 7, the card is treated as silver, at level 10 as cold iron, and at level 16 as adamantine.
At level 3, the Palmist's cards deal +1 damage and give a +1 attack bonus. These bonuses increase by a further +1 every 3 levels after 3.
At level 13, the Palmist may choose to make their cards Lawful, Chaotic, Good, or Evil. Once chosen, all cards the Palmist wields have the same trait. Once chosen the alignment of the cards cannot be changed.
At level 19, the Palmist may choose to have their cards deal magical Force damage instead of Slashing damage.
Card: Beast (Sp): At level 1, a Palmist has the ability to convert creatures into enchanted cards, which they may then use to fight through their other abilities.
Carding a creature is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. To card a creature, the Palmist must be within 30 feet of it and make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + the creature’s current Hit Points + the combined Spell Levels of all spells the creature is prepared to cast + half the creature's current Power Point total (if the creature cannot cast spells, has no Power Points, or have exhausted all of their spells over level 0 and Power Points, these last values are 0).
If the creature being targeted for carding had been released from a card within 1 hour per the Palmist’s class level, the DC to card it again is only 10 + ¼ the creatures current Hit Points + the combined Spell Levels of all spells the creature is prepared to cast + half the creature's current Power Point total.
Once a creature is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar. Any Spells the creature is prepared to cast remain prepared until the creature is released and uses them. Any equipment the creature is carrying falls to the ground, excluding items that are lost with the death of the creature, such as a balor's flame whip.Creatures cannot recover Spells or Power Points while carded.
Trigger Card (Su): At level 1, a Palmist can trigger the magical properties of a card. Once triggered, a card goes to the Playing Field.
Using a card is a standard action that provokes Attacks of Opportunity and requires a Sleight of Hand check. Before level 10, a Palmist can only use cards in their Deck; after level 10, they can trigger cards in their Sidebar at a price (see the Sidebar Trigger ability). The Sleight of Hand DC to activate a card varies depending on the card type and power level. If the Sleight of Hand check is unsuccessful, the card does not activate and goes into the Palmist's sidebar.
For Beast Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + the creature’s Hit Dice. When triggered, the Card is destroyed.
For Spell Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the minimum caster level necessary to cast the spell. Spells cast through a Spell Card are always cast at the minimum caster level necessary to cast it normally, though by willingly increasing the Sleight of Hand DC by 3, the caster level can be increased by 1. Increasing the DC by more than 3 further increases the caster level by 1 for every additional 3 the DC in increased by. Saving throws for resisting a Spell Card are always equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the Palmist’s Dexterity modifier.
Triggering a Spell Card of a spell with an experience component takes experience equal to the experience component of the spell. When triggered, the Card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
For mundane Item Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + half the items’ weight in pounds + 1/10 the number of items contained in the card. When triggered, the Card is destroyed.
For magical Item Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + half the item’s weight in pounds + the item’s caster level. Except for ammunition, no more than 1 magic item may be contained in a card. Up to 50 ammunition of the same type may be held on one card. When triggered, the Card is destroyed.
For Plane Cards, the DC is equal to 10 + 3 for every planar trait that the card would change. Planar traits may include Gravity, Time, Morphic, Elemental and Energy Traits, Alignment Traits, and Magic Traits. For Elemental and Energy Traits and Alignment Traits, minor strengths are considered 1 trait while major ones are considered 2. Local planar traits that the Plane Card shares are not considered changed, so these traits do not increase the DC. Removing a local trait is considered a change as well. When triggered, the Card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
(For example, activating a Elemental Plane of Air Card on a Prime Material Plane is DC 25: 10 + 3 (Normal gravity to Subjective) + 6 (non-elemental to Major Air-Dominant) + 3 (Normal Magic to Enhanced Magic Air) + 3 (Normal Magic to Impeded Magic Earth)).
Construct Deck (Ex): At level 1, a Palmist may set up a deck of cards from which they are prepared to trigger. A Deck may contain no more than 1 + the Palmist’s Intelligence modifier cards per 2 Palmist level2. Preparing a Deck takes 60 minutes per 10 cards in it.
At levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18, the time that it takes to prepare a Deck decreases by 5 minutes per 10 cards, or 55 minutes, 50, 45, 40, 35, and 30, respectively.
Any cards that the Palmist possesses which are not in their active Deck are considered to be in the Palmist’s sidebar. Newly carded cards always go into the sidebar.
Playing Field (Ex): Once triggered, cards go onto the Playing Field, where they affect the world around the Palmist in different ways depending on their type. A Palmist cannot have more cards on the playing field at once than twice their Dexterity modifier. Further, at no time can a Palmist have more than one Plane Card in play.
Beast Cards call the creature carded to a position within 10 feet of the Palmist. When called, the creature is always healthy; any damage they may have taken before being carded is removed, as are any nonpermanent magic effects on them. They will serve the Palmist loyally and without question for 1 minute per Palmist level; during this time they will even follow orders that are clearly self-destructive or suicidal. After this time, the creature is no longer considered to be on the Palmist’s playing field and will act normally, and will remember being carded and whatever it was forced to do while under the Palmist’s control. It may be hostile to the Palmist.
While under a Palmist’s control in this way, no creature will use Spells, Spell-like abilities, Powers, or Power-like abilities unless specifically ordered to. Ordering a creature to use one of these abilities is a standard action that does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity; once ordered to use an ability, the creature will do so as soon as able to the exclusion of all other actions. If the Spell or Power being used or emulated would have an experience component, the Palmist must pay that experience cost.
Item Cards, both of magical and mundane items, call the carded item or items to a position adjacent to the Palmist. Once called, the items can be used as normal by whoever picks them up. Item cards cease to be part of the Palmist’s playing field after 1 hour.
Spell Cards with no duration, an instant duration, or with a permanent duration, take effect as the spell and then leave the field. Spell cards with a duration other than instant or permanent take effect as the spell and stay on the playing field until their duration expires or they are dispelled. Spells on a playing field cannot be Carded.
Plane Cards change the planar traits of the area to those of the plane that was carded. This affects an area centered on where the Palmist was when they activated the card with a radius of 500 feet, and lasts for 10 minutes. After this period, the Plane Card leaves the playing field.
Card: Mundane Item (Sp): At level 5, a Palmist gains the ability to convert unattended nonmagical items into enchanted cards, which may then be converted back into the item.
Carding an item or items is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. To card an item or items, the Palmist must touch the item and make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + the items’ weight in pounds + the number of items to be carded. If multiple items are to be to be carded, they must all be of the same type.
Once an item is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Card: Spell (Sp): At level 10, a Palmist gains the ability to convert spells or spell-like abilities other creatures cast into enchanted cards, which can then be later used to cast the spell.
Carding a spell is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. In all cases, the Palmist must be within 30 feet of the center of the spell to be carded.
To card a spell with no duration, an instant duration, or a permanent duration, the Palmist must observe the spell being cast and identify it with a successful Spellcraft check. The Palmist must then have an action readied, must make a successful Reflex saving throw against a DC of 10 + the spell’s level + the spell’s caster’s spellcasting attribute modifier. Finally, the Palmist must make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + twice the spell’s level + twice the spell’s caster level.
To card a spell with a duration other than instant or permanent, the Palmist must first identify the spell with a successful Spellcraft check. Then, if the spell is targeted or centered on a creature, the Palmist must then make a successful ranged touch attack, which does no damage. Finally, the Palmist must make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 10 + twice the spell’s level + twice the spell’s caster level.
In both cases, once a spell is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Sidebar Trigger (Su): At Level 10, a Palmist may begin to use even cards outside their deck at will, though with more difficulty than from their deck.
Triggering a card from the Sidebar is identical to triggering a card from the deck, but the Sleight of Hand DC is 10 higher than normal. Further, the Palmist must choose a spell card from their deck. Regardless of whether the Sleight of Hand check is successful or not, both the spell card from the deck and the card from the sidebar which the Palmist is attempting to activate are destroyed.
Card: Magic Item (Sp): At level 15, a Palmist gains the ability to convert unattended magical items into enchanted cards, which may then be converted back into the item.
Carding an item is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. To card an item, the Palmist must touch the item and make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 12 + twice the item’s weight in pounds + twice the item’s caster level.
Once an item is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Card: Plane (Sp): At level 20, a Palmist gains the ability to store a link to a plane’s fabric within an enchanted card, which can then be used to overlay that plane’s fabric upon another.
Carding a planar link requires 10 minutes of uninterrupted meditation. To card the link, the Palmist must be in the target plane and must make a successful Sleight of Hand check against a DC of 20 + 5 for every planar trait that the plane possesses. Planar traits may include Gravity, Time, Morphic, Elemental and Energy Traits, Alignment Traits, and Magic Traits. For Elemental and Energy Traits and Alignment Traits, minor strengths are considered 1 trait while major ones are considered 2.
Once the link is carded, the card goes into the Palmist’s sidebar.
Whew! That took a while to type up. Almost 4 hours… Hopefully people will think that it’s good stuff, or if not hopefully it will inspire them to think up better ways of doing this sort of thing.
Anyway, sorry for the huge wall-o-text, as well as any parts of the mechanics behind the class that might be confusing… I knew what I was going for, but I just wasn’t sure quite how to say it so that other people would know what I was going for. In any case, I’m growing tired and hungry now, so… Yeah.
Edit1: Changed some DCs around a bit. Changes are in blue. Should be somewhat less impossibly hard to Card items now.
Edit2: Added some extra stuff to the Beast Card section to accept psychics mechanically, and added Psychics to the character relations section. I'm going to call this the Final Form for now, though more changes might be made later.