SilverClawShift
2007-11-03, 08:41 PM
So my group is gearing up for our next campaign. We get told the setting, what the world is like, the relevant facts related to the population and such. This is the getting-ready phase for the players. We come up with our characters, figure out how they work in the world, how they work together, all that good stuff.
I was browsing around, looking for something to pique my interest, and I see the Master of Masks class in Complete Scoundrel. Wear a mask, and get a small list of abilities based on that masks theme? Even going so far as to detect as a different alignment? That's got potential. So I've got my character idea, a scarred, perpetually masked tinkerer. One thing is certain, the Master of Masks class is friggin sweet.
Flavorwise.
Mechanically it seems flat flat flat flat flat. LIMP. WEAK. INEFFECTIVE. Maybe I'm just looking at it wrong, but my DM agreed with me after checking it out.
A 10 level class that gives you: 1/2 BAB, +4 spellcasting levels total (not even half, and that's IF you had a spellcasting class to give them to, which is not required), 4 skill points with an 'okay' spell list, and two good saves. All you get out of that wimpy package is the masks, which are totally rockin, but riddled with problems themselves.
First off, you just flat out don't get enough of them. You start at two, and you cap at 7. That's pretty low, considering the masks are kinda weakish, and are really all you get out of the deal. At the minimum, there should be ways to increase how many masks you can create/own at any given time. Now, it's a little understandable that your mask selection is limited, based on the plain fact that almost every mask gives you a spell or two you can use once per day... but they're not THAT good.
Then there's the fact that there are only 12 masks to pick from. It's just one prestige class in a splat book made on the tail end of 3.5, so it can't get that much attention in the book, understood. But it seems like only having 12 masks to pick from, when you get 7 total...
I dunno. The thing that strikes me, looking at the class, is the feeling that it needs "More". More options, more chances to use the options, more everything.
I'm in talks with my DM about the class, and he's pretty much in agreement with me that the class will fall a little flat in actual play. Especially in a decent sized group. But I love the concept, and the DM thinks it's pretty slick as well, so he's agreed that we can touch it up without altering the actual class much. Basically, I'm going to have chances to find/create more masks than the class inherently allows, get more powerful masks at higher levels instead of having a flat pool, possibly being allowed to use feats to increase the masks powers, number of masks I have, or get a tier of more powerful masks to pick from.
Which is all a lot of talking to get to my actual point.
Does anyone know where I can find some new masks? Someone's gotta have homebrewed up a few somewhere, the concept is flavorfull enough to have deserved some attention.
If no one has, then I'll just have to sit down with my DM, crack open some books for inspiration, and brew a couple up (or maybe brew up a few during the campaign itself, with DM oversight naturally).
So, any good leads?
(and as a note: I apologize if people think this should be in the homebrew section, but I'm not sure it should be. I'm not asking people to post homebrews, I'm just curious if people know of a place to find new masks specifically).
I was browsing around, looking for something to pique my interest, and I see the Master of Masks class in Complete Scoundrel. Wear a mask, and get a small list of abilities based on that masks theme? Even going so far as to detect as a different alignment? That's got potential. So I've got my character idea, a scarred, perpetually masked tinkerer. One thing is certain, the Master of Masks class is friggin sweet.
Flavorwise.
Mechanically it seems flat flat flat flat flat. LIMP. WEAK. INEFFECTIVE. Maybe I'm just looking at it wrong, but my DM agreed with me after checking it out.
A 10 level class that gives you: 1/2 BAB, +4 spellcasting levels total (not even half, and that's IF you had a spellcasting class to give them to, which is not required), 4 skill points with an 'okay' spell list, and two good saves. All you get out of that wimpy package is the masks, which are totally rockin, but riddled with problems themselves.
First off, you just flat out don't get enough of them. You start at two, and you cap at 7. That's pretty low, considering the masks are kinda weakish, and are really all you get out of the deal. At the minimum, there should be ways to increase how many masks you can create/own at any given time. Now, it's a little understandable that your mask selection is limited, based on the plain fact that almost every mask gives you a spell or two you can use once per day... but they're not THAT good.
Then there's the fact that there are only 12 masks to pick from. It's just one prestige class in a splat book made on the tail end of 3.5, so it can't get that much attention in the book, understood. But it seems like only having 12 masks to pick from, when you get 7 total...
I dunno. The thing that strikes me, looking at the class, is the feeling that it needs "More". More options, more chances to use the options, more everything.
I'm in talks with my DM about the class, and he's pretty much in agreement with me that the class will fall a little flat in actual play. Especially in a decent sized group. But I love the concept, and the DM thinks it's pretty slick as well, so he's agreed that we can touch it up without altering the actual class much. Basically, I'm going to have chances to find/create more masks than the class inherently allows, get more powerful masks at higher levels instead of having a flat pool, possibly being allowed to use feats to increase the masks powers, number of masks I have, or get a tier of more powerful masks to pick from.
Which is all a lot of talking to get to my actual point.
Does anyone know where I can find some new masks? Someone's gotta have homebrewed up a few somewhere, the concept is flavorfull enough to have deserved some attention.
If no one has, then I'll just have to sit down with my DM, crack open some books for inspiration, and brew a couple up (or maybe brew up a few during the campaign itself, with DM oversight naturally).
So, any good leads?
(and as a note: I apologize if people think this should be in the homebrew section, but I'm not sure it should be. I'm not asking people to post homebrews, I'm just curious if people know of a place to find new masks specifically).