PDA

View Full Version : The Doormaker [Prestige Class]



Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-18, 08:03 PM
This class was inspired by the Valve game Portal. After playing the game a bit (I don't actually have it, a friend of mine does), I started thinking of what it would be like to play a DnD character with the portal gun. This prestige class is the result.

The Doormaker

Entry Requirements
Concentration 8 ranks
Special: Must have cast or otherwise used the spell Dimension Door, or any effect that replicates it.

THE DOORMAKER
Hit Die: D6
{table=head]Level|Base AttackBonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Class Features

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Place Portal[br]Fall Damage Resistance|-

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|-|+1 level of existing class features

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Ranged Portal (Blue)[br]Improved Fall Damage Resistance[br]Immune to Disorientation|-

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|-|+1 level of existing class features

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Ranged Portal (Orange)[br]Fall Damage Immunity|-[/table]
[B]Class Skills (4 + int modifier per level): Concentration, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (The Planes), Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, Use Magic Device

CLASS FEATURES

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: The Doormaker gains no weapon and armour proficiencies.
Place Portal: The Doormaker's chief ability is to create portals through which things, including himself, can travel. The Doormaker may create one set of two linked portals at a time. These portals are created by touching a spot on a flat surface large enough to hold the portal. Creating a portal is a standard action. A Doormaker with high enough base attack bonus to make multiple attacks may place multiple portals with one full round action, up to the number of attacks he/she could get by making a full attack. The portal quickly expands from the point touched, filling a space 7 feet tall by 4 feet wide. (In combat, assume 1 five foot square is covered.) The first portal's edge's are tinged blue, the second's are tinged orange. The Doormaker may make a new blue or orange portal, but doing so closes the first one. A portal may not be placed on organic matter or lead. The portal lasts 1 day per class level or until a new one is created. When someone (or something) enters one portal, it comes out of the second one, going at the same speed, with the same momentum, at the same time. If you look through the portal, you see out the other one. If only one portal currently exists, it cannot be used. It becomes a simple flat surface of the same colour as the edges. Spells and ranged attacks may be cast/fired through portals, but not melee attacks, for reasons detailed under "Reaching through Portals" below.
Fall Damage Resistance: The Doormaker learns how to take less damage from falls, a useful ability when falling out of high portals. At first level, the Doormaker can ignore up to 3d6 points of fall damage, and change the next 3d6 into non-lethal damage.
At third level, this resistance improves to 6d6 ignored and 6d6 non-lethal, and at fifth level, the Doormaker becomes completely immune to fall damage.
Existing Class Features: At second level, and again at fourth, the Doormaker gains class features as if he/she had also gained a level in one class they belonged to before entering the Doormaker prestige class. This includes spells, but not Hit Die size, skills, base attack bonus, and saves. If the Doormaker had more than one class before entering the Doormaker prestige class, he/she must decide which class to gain class features from.
Immune to Disorientation: The Doormaker becomes immune to the effects of Disorientation, described in portal mechanics, below, at third level.
Ranged Portals: At third level, the Doormaker becomes able to create the blue portal at range. The effects and restrictions are the same as for place portal, except that the portal can be created at any spot which the Doormaker has line of sight and effect to within 400ft, +40ft per Doormaker class level. An attack roll is not required. You may not create a portal through any other portal or portal like device. (Such as a gate spell)
At fifth level, the Doormaker may create both portals at range.

PORTAL MECHANICS
There are some interesting things you can do with portals, and some strange physics to deal with.
Disorientation: When gravity suddenly changes it's direction, it tends to screw you up. If a creature goes through a portal and comes out going in a different direction, they must make a will save or lose a move action on their next turn. The DC of the will save is 15 if the angle of direction change is 90 degrees or less, and 20 if the angle is 180 degrees. For example, if a creature goes through the orange portal on the floor, and comes out the blue portal on the wall (90 degree angle), it must make a will save DC 15 versus disorientation. If the blue portal is also on the ground, the creature will fall in, and then fall up, out of the ground, which is a 180 degree change in direction, therefore requireing a will save DC 20. If the blue portal was on the ceiling, the creature would just continue falling straight down, and so there would be no disorientation. At third level, the doormaker becomes immune to the effects of Disorientation.
Infinite Loops: The infinte loop is the Doormakers most potent weapon, and one of his/her most useful tools. If two portals are created with one directly above the other, and the two of them less than 10 feet apart, and infinite loop is created. A creature that falls into an infinite loop has many chances to catch itself and escape, but if it does so, it may suffer severe fall damage. A creature falling in an infinite loop accelerates to 150 ft/second in one round, and then to 300ft/sec in following rounds. This means that the creature will fall a total of 600ft in the first round, and 1800ft in each round after that. This also means that the creature has fallen far enough to take maximum fall damage within half a round. However, the creature may make several reflex saves to escape from the loop, possibly doing so before reaching maximum fall damage. When a creature first falls into an infinite loop, it recieves a reflex save, (DC 15 + Doormaker class level.) If this first reflex save is successful, the creature catches itself before falling into the loop, and takes no damage. If the save fails, the creature falls into the loop, traveling 50ft (5d6 fall damage) before getting another reflex save to get out of the loop. This save may be volentarily failed, if the creature wishes to simply continued falling, rather than taking damage. The creature recieves up to three more saves, (one at 10d6 fall damage, one at 15d6, and one at 20d6) that round. In the next and subsequent rounds, the creature is allowed up to four reflex saves per round to escape the loop, but if the save is made, 20d6 fall damage is taken.
The Doormaker can also use the Infinite Loop to accelerate themselves, so that they can suddenly move the top portal, and launching themselves out of it. However, when doing so, they must make an attack roll against the target square with a range increment of 10 ft, resolved like a thrown splash weapon with a -5 penalty to hit. This is because of the disorientation from trying to aim correctly while falling so quickly and teleporting constantly. The penalty is removed when the Doormaker becomes immune to disorientation, but the he/she must still make the attack. Other creatures may also make ranged attacks out of the infinite loop, but at a -10 penalty.
Enlarging Portals: By concentrating, the Doormaker may enlarge one or both portals. This is a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and lasts for two rounds after the Doormaker stops concentrating. The portals become larger each round, to accomodate a creature of size category large, then huge, gargantuan, and collasal. The portal may not be enlarged beyond the size of the surface it is on.
Reaching Through Portals: It can't be done. You're either all the way through or you're not in it yet. If a creature is in a position where it would go through a portal, but is unwilling to, it gets a reflex save, DC 15 + Doormaker class levels to avoid going into the portal. A portal cannot be closed while something is halfway through, because something cannot be halfway through.
Portal Resistant Surfaces: Portals may not be placed on reflective surfaces, such as glass or crystal. They may not be placed on lead. They may not be placed on organic tissue. They may be placed on anything else, (unless the DM vetos otherwise) including moving platforms.
Portals as Weapons: A common tactic of the Doormaker is to create a portal under an enemy's feet, and another on the ceiling, having them drop a great height. (and take fall damage) A creature who has had a portal created at it's feet may make a reflex save, DC 15 + Doormaker's class level to avoid falling in.
Momentum: I've done the calculations for this, but I don't want to make a huge table for them. (It would be very hard to read, and would take up way too much space and time.) Does anybody know how how I can host an excel spreadsheet?
Dispelling Portals: Portals may be dispelled with Dispel Magic. They count as a spell with caster level equal to Doormaker class level, plus the caster level of the Doormaker's highest caster level casting class, if he/she has a casting class.

TheLogman
2007-10-18, 08:26 PM
Don't know if it would help defining anything, or shaping class abilities, but I statted out the Portal Gun (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59740) if you wanna borrow some of the material.

An interesting class overall, and I like that it allows psions, or really any class at all with spellcasting or UMD. How long does it take for the Doormaker to place a Portal?

I don't mean to be rude, but wouldn't this class's abilities be kinda useless until he gets ranged portals? Maybe if combined with a Monk, or some other fast-moving class, he could serve as a supplies transport, and could effectively move the party, but at that level, teleportation may be better. I dunno, I'm not an expert.

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-19, 11:16 AM
Thanks for that link. I've added a bit about not being able to create portals in lead. I've also added a the rest of the class features, including the ranged portal creation. I know that portals are drastically less useful if you have to place them by hand, but if I allow full ranged portal use at first level, there'd be very little incentive to take the rest of the levels. Most people would just dip the class.

Fredderf
2007-10-19, 11:33 AM
I could see some balance issues with them being able to transport as they wish. Perhaps a limit/day?
I also don't see the point for fall dmg resistance. Why would I put a portal up high if I can just pop it onto the ground?

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-20, 09:18 AM
Being able to teleport around as much as you want is kinda the point of this class. I figure, if they can use dimension door, then being able to teleport around isn't going to be unbalanced. Besides, they can't do it until the third level. The fall damage resistance will make more sense once I put in the portal mechanics. (For example, it'll allow you to survive being caught in an infinite loop of falling)
Speaking of the portal mechanics, it may be a while before I finish them- I have a lot of gravity related math to do.

boomwolf
2007-10-20, 11:02 AM
Portal is that good that everyone makes stuff on it?
Damn i need to buy it.

Anyway, from the preview movie i know it rocks.


Back to topic.
The class is cute, and might be handy in some games. I can see NPC with this class setting up a trade route between two citys, taking a fee for transport with his portals (dude. instant transport! siege is useless as you can jest portal food in.)

Actually. even at level 1 doormaker is cool.
You set us an orange portal at your "home city", then travel as far as you can, open a blue, go back, "reset" the time on the orange (make a new one at the same place), next day you go back to the blue (enter orange) travel as far as possible, set up a blue portal, go home, reset orange as so on until you reach a far far city, then you put up the blue portal at the far far city, and open a trade route. ("I will deliver anything you want to that city in a day!")

But as for the portal mechanics you need to:
-Handel infant loops.
-Handel moving platforms
-Handel cross-portal fighting.
-Handel the use of portals as weapons. (dude. make a loop under your enemy's legs.) and restrict it's power.
-Handel the use of portals as siege weapons (open a portal into enemy castle.)

Anyway, you need to make up ways to close portals by people other then the doormaker to prevent cheese effects.

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-20, 11:27 AM
But as for the portal mechanics you need to:
-Handel infant loops.
-Handel moving platforms
-Handel cross-portal fighting.
-Handel the use of portals as weapons. (dude. make a loop under your enemy's legs.) and restrict it's power.
-Handel the use of portals as siege weapons (open a portal into enemy castle.)

Anyway, you need to make up ways to close portals by people other then the doormaker to prevent cheese effects.
Yep, working on all of those. For ways to close them, I should probably add a bit about dispelling them. It may be a few days before I post all of that stuff though, because I have another project to work on that's technically more important.

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-23, 07:40 PM
Portal Mechanics are up! Sorry it took so long, I had a big school project due today. Now that I've finished that, I had some time to work on the class. I have a spreadsheet that can calculated resultant distances from falling heights, but I don't know how to make it available. Anybody have any ideas?

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-24, 07:23 PM
Information on dispelling portals has been added.

boomwolf
2007-10-24, 07:46 PM
You made a mistake on "reaching through portals" there.
There is no "in" and "out", the portal connects the two and makes a hole in space-time.
There is no "sides" of the portals. both are the same. they are like back to back, nothing in between. so by making a portal you make an "overlap" and things adjacent to one portal can react to things adjacent to another as though as both are adjacent to each other. including attacking, pulling, grabbing, etc.

At least its like that with the game "portal" mechanics.

If you work this way it makes another issue: what happens if the portal closes when something is halfway through?
Simple, the things on one side are separated from the things at the other side. (get a clean cut.) which also makes a potent weapon. pull the opponent halfway through and close the portal.

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-24, 08:01 PM
Reaching through portals is now fixed. You can't close a portal on something that's going through. That's way too exploitable.

Abjurer
2007-10-25, 02:32 PM
So what if someone is falling through the infinite loop, and the top portal is dispelled? Is the faller held in extradimentional limbo stasis until a new door is made? Or is he spit back out?

TimeWizard
2007-10-25, 04:04 PM
In Portal, the removal of one portal causes the other one to "close" like a door. It doesn't open until there is a second portal. This is an instantaneous effect, so dispelling a ceiling portal causes the creature to hit the ground like normal. You cannot dispell a portal while something is in transit, as stepping through the portal is also an instantaneous effect, so you either do it before someone steps in or after they step out.

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-25, 04:15 PM
Thats a good question. If one portal is dispelled, the other one becomes useless. You can't go through it unless there's somewhere else to go.
I'll go add that to the place portal ability.

Nathrak
2007-10-25, 05:12 PM
Oooh...
Siege idea!!
It needs some stuff done, but which siege doesn't, right?
First, select the castle/town/whatever, you wish ANNIHILATED. It should be fairly close to the sea (or not, if portal'd surfaces can be teleported)
Then get some research done, on ocean terrain, to find out, at which point it is the deepest! This will be point X.
Get two, easily moved flat surfaces (like doors) which can hold the portals.
One of them must be heavy, perhaps made of steel, or somesuch.
Create blue portal on the heavy surface.
Have one of your minions take it to the sea, to point X as fast as possible (with magic, flight, i dunno) and dump it there. Leave some time for it to sink.
When you're ready to start the MAYHEM, direct the other surface at the target, and open the orange portal on it!!!
This effectively puts a drain on the sea, which results in a watercannon of IMMENSE force and nearly infinite ammo, aimed right where U want it.
Holding and manipulating the outlet end isn't changed by having it shoot a crapload of water, coz of portal mechanics.
The force of the water is such, that it can pulverize most structures with ease, especially if the sea is really deep. If the structure stays intact, it still becomes flooded (a danger to EVERYONE in the vicinity). Troops don't like that. :smallbiggrin:
Also, you can try to create the outlet portal later, like on the inside of the NME gate, once U establish a breach...
Or go suicidal, and put it on the courtyard floor... :smalltongue:

Aramil Liadon
2007-10-25, 05:48 PM
If I might offer some ideas...

First, this class has two dead levels. Could the abilities be spread out more evenly?
Secondly, do "Class Features" include spellcasting? If not, then... bleh. The clas becomes one heckuvalot less attractive.



A creature falling in an infinite loop accelerates to 150 ft/second in one round, and then to 300ft/sec in following rounds. This means that the creature will fall a total of 600ft in the first round, and 1800ft in each round after that.
You've got the formulas, shouldn't the second round (during acceleration) travel less distance than the following rounds (constant velocity)?

Also, from the SRD:

If it is too high above the ground to land, it falls straight down, descending 150 feet in the first round of falling. If this distance brings it to the ground, it takes falling damage. If the fall doesn’t bring the creature to the ground, it must spend its next turn recovering from the stall. It must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save to recover. Otherwise it falls another 300 feet. If it hits the ground, it takes falling damage. Otherwise, it has another chance to recover on its next turn.
Hah! I told you! I do have sources, see? How does this interact with your much larger numbers? One wouldn't want internal inconsistency in DnD! (heh heh)



The Doormaker can also use the Infinite Loop to accelerate themselves, so that they can suddenly move the top portal, and launching themselves out of it.
I would impose a big penalty on the ability of the caster to aim this portal. After all, you're moving at 300ft/second, and doing 180 sort-range teleports per round. That's got to screw with your aim.



Reaching Through Portals: It can't be done. You're either all the way through or you're not in it yet. If a creature is in a position where it would go through a portal, but is unwilling to, it gets a reflex save, DC 15 + Doormaker class levels to avoid going into the portal. A portal cannot be closed while something is halfway through, because something cannot be halfway through.
I don't particularly like this idea... I'll explain why tomorrow.

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-25, 06:22 PM
If I might offer some ideas...

First, this class has two dead levels. Could the abilities be spread out more evenly?
Secondly, do "Class Features" include spellcasting? If not, then... bleh. The clas becomes one heckuvalot less attractive.
This class does not have two dead levels. It has three levels with it's own class features, and two with the previous class's class features.

Existing Class Features: At second level, and again at fourth, the Doormaker gains class features as if he/she had also gained a level in one class they belonged to before entering the Doormaker prestige class. This includes spells, but not Hit Die size, skills, base attack bonus, and saves. If the Doormaker had more than one class before entering the Doormaker prestige class, he/she must decide which class to gain class features from.
Read before commenting, please.


You've got the formulas, shouldn't the second round (during acceleration) travel less distance than the following rounds (constant velocity)?
Yes, it should.


Hah! I told you! I do have sources, see? How does this interact with your much larger numbers? One wouldn't want internal inconsistency in DnD! (heh heh)
Well, my calculations say 600ft, but I ignored air resistance for simplicity and interest, so they may be wrong.



I would impose a big penalty on the ability of the caster to aim this portal. After all, you're moving at 300ft/second, and doing 180 sort-range teleports per round. That's got to screw with your aim.
That's a good idea. I'll add something along those lines.

Fako
2007-10-25, 07:33 PM
Good Class! Not something I'd play personally, but could be fun for a player of mine that loves teleportation...

Nathrak, there's one huge problem with your siege idea:


Create blue portal on the heavy surface.
Have one of your minions take it to the sea, to point X as fast as possible (with magic, flight, i dunno) and dump it there.
Based on how the game does portals, any time a surface with a portal on it changes altitude/angle, the portal is destroyed... If you have the game, play level 18 and try placing a portal on the wall that extends and angles before hitting the button. The portal is dispelled as the wall moves into position.

Charlie Kemek
2007-10-25, 09:02 PM
can you cast a spell through a portal, like if you have a spell with the range of "short" can you cast it through it? if yes, what happens if you cast a "silent image" spell on the orange protal after creating it somewhere, it's basicly like scrying and when-ever you want, you can just jump in and attack, and they can't:smalleek: . please clarify those spell mechanics.

DracoDei
2007-10-25, 09:38 PM
More like Clairvoyance/Clairaudience really... usually the range won't be all that good...

Nathrak
2007-10-26, 02:11 AM
There's nothing wrong with it, because we're not talking about the actual Portal game.
And there's evidence:
"Portal Resistant Surfaces: Portals may not be placed on reflective surfaces, such as glass or crystal. They may not be placed on lead. They may not be placed on organic tissue. They may be placed on anything else, (unless the DM vetos otherwise) --->including moving platforms<---."
This means, that moving the surface doesn't screw the portal up. The means of moving are irrelevant, so you can throw it around as much as you want...
(unless of course "moving platform" means "some flat thing, moving very slowly back and forth, on a path that is parallel to the portal's plane"
...which is "teh suck")
---BIIG question: Can a "Movable platform/surface with portal on it" be subjected to transportation magic (like teleport) without screwing up the portal???

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-26, 12:52 PM
can you cast a spell through a portal, like if you have a spell with the range of "short" can you cast it through it? if yes, what happens if you cast a "silent image" spell on the orange protal after creating it somewhere, it's basicly like scrying and when-ever you want, you can just jump in and attack, and they can't:smalleek: . please clarify those spell mechanics.
Yes, spells can be cast through portals. Ranged attacks too.

And yes, a platform with a portal on it can be subject to transportation magic.

Nathrak
2007-10-27, 07:14 AM
Tee hee...
:smallsmile:

Aramil Liadon
2007-10-27, 10:02 AM
When I said dead levels, I meant that there is no difference between a level 10 wizard/2 doormaker and a level 11 wizard/1 doormaker. Thus taking another level in the prestige class makes you no more prestigious than a level in your original class.
Look at any prestige class. It will have a separate column for spellcasting levels and other class features. The table could be made more clear.
Also, kind of neat how you still gain wildshape/sneak attack/whatever without dipping back to your original class. That doesn't happen much.

Overall, pretty neat. Just hope you don't have any players who would try the ocean cannon trick.

Rigel Cyrosea
2007-10-27, 10:45 AM
When I said dead levels, I meant that there is no difference between a level 10 wizard/2 doormaker and a level 11 wizard/1 doormaker. Thus taking another level in the prestige class makes you no more prestigious than a level in your original class.
Look at any prestige class. It will have a separate column for spellcasting levels and other class features. The table could be made more clear.
Also, kind of neat how you still gain wildshape/sneak attack/whatever without dipping back to your original class. That doesn't happen much.

Overall, pretty neat. Just hope you don't have any players who would try the ocean cannon trick.
There is some difference between Wizard 10/Doormaker 2 and Wizard 11 Doormaker 1. Doormaker has a higher hit die, more skill points per level, a different class skill list, better base attack bonus progression, and better ref save progression.