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View Full Version : the righteousness of a paladin, the bathing habits of a ranger! [base class]



reorith
2007-12-23, 05:55 PM
green knight (the name needs work)

alignment: any good
hit die: d8

class skills:
bluff(cha), climb(str), concentration,(con), craft(int), diplomacy(cha), handle animal(cha), heal(wis), hide(dex), intimidate(cha), jump(str), knowledge(geography), knowledge(nature), knowledge(religion), listen(wis), move silently(dex), profession(wis), ride(dex), sense motive(wis), spot(wis), survival(wis), swim(str),use rope(dex),
skill points at 1st level: (6 + int modifier) × 4.
skill points at each additional level: 6 + int modifier.

{table=head]level|base attack bonus|fort save|ref save|will save|special|1st|2nd|3rd|4th

1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|aura of good, detect evil, smite evil 1/day|—|—|—|—

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|track, wild empathy|—|—|—|—

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|aura of courage, divine health|—|—|—|—

4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|animal companion|0|—|—|—

5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|smit evil 2/day|0|—|—|—

6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+5|
+2|divine grace|1|—|—|—

7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+2|woodland stride|1|—|—|—

8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+6|
+2|swift tracker|1|0|—|—

9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+3||1|0|—|—

10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+7|
+3|smite evil 3/day|1|1|—|—

11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+7|
+3||1|1|0|—

12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+8|
+4|evasion|1|1|1|—

13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+8|
+4|camouflage|1|1|1|—

14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+9|
+4||2|1|1|0

15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+9|
+5|smite evil 4/day|2|1|1|1

16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+10|
+5||2|2|1|1

17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+5||2|2|2|1

18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+11|
+6||3|2|2|1

19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+11|
+6||3|3|3|2

20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+12|
+6|smite evil 5/day|3|3|3|3

[/table]



weapon and armor proficiency
green knights are proficient with all simple and martial weapons as well as whips and nets, with all types of armor (light, and medium), and with shields (except tower shields and bucklers).

code of conduct
a green knight will always serve and revere nature. she is a protector of the natural order and should live as an exemplar of virtue. a green knight never squanders resources whether they are financial, material or time without reason. a green knight helps others at all times.


aura of good (ex)
the power of a green knight’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her green knight level.

detect evil (sp)
at will, a green knight can use detect evil, as the spell.

smite evil (su)
once per day, a green knight may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. she adds her charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per green knight level. if the green knight accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.

at 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the green knight may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on the class table, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.

track (ex)
a green knight gains track as a bonus feat at 2nd level

wild empathy (ex)
a green knight can improve the attitude of an animal. this ability functions just like a diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. the green knight rolls 1d20 and adds his green knight level and her charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. the typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. to use wild empathy, the green knight and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. the green knight can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.

aura of courage (su)
beginning at 3rd level, a green knight is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects.

this ability functions while the green knight is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.

divine health (su)
at 6th level, a green knight gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.

animal companion(ex)
at 4th level, a green knight gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (small or medium viper), haevy warhorse, warpony or wolf. if the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the following creatures may be added to the green knigh’s list of options: manta ray, porpoise, medium shark, and squid. this animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the green knight on his adventures as appropriate for its kind.

this ability functions like the druid ability of the same name, except that the green knight’s effective druid level is three less than her effective green knight. like a druid, a green knight cannot select an alternative animal if the choice would reduce her effective druid level below 1st.

spells
beginning at 4th level, a green knight gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from the green knight spell list. a green knight must choose and prepare her spells in advance.

to prepare or cast a spell, a green knight must have a wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. the difficulty class for a saving throw against a green knight’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the green knight’s wisdom modifier.

like other spellcasters, a green knight can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. her base daily spell allotment is given on table: the green knight. in addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high wisdom score. when table: the green knight indicates that the green knight gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her wisdom score for that spell level the green knight does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.

a green knight prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to spontaneously cast a cure spell in its place. a green knight may prepare and cast any spell on the green knight spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

through 3rd level, a green knight has no caster level. at 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her green knight level.

1st
animal messenger
bless
bless water
bless weapon
create water
cure light wounds
calm animals
charm animal
delay poison
detect animals or plants
detect snares and pits
endure elements
hide from animals
longstrider
magic fang
pass without trace
read magic
restoration, lesser
speak with animals
summon nature’s ally i

2nd
barkskin
bear's endurance
bull’s strength
cat's grace
eagle’s splendor
owl’s wisdom
remove paralysis
resist energy
shield other
snare: creates a magic booby trap.
speak with plants
summon nature's ally ii
zone of truth

3rd
cure moderate wounds
daylight
discern lies
dispel magic
darkvision
diminish plants
magic fang, greater
neutralize poison
plant growth
reduce animal
remove disease
repel vermin
summon nature’s ally iii
tree shape
water walk

4th
animal growth
break enchantment
commune with nature
cure serious wounds
dispel evil
freedom of movement
holy sword
mark of justice
restoration
summon nature’s ally iv
tree stride



divine grace (su)
at 6th level, a green knight gains a bonus equal to her charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.

woodland stride(ex)
starting at 7th level, a green knight may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.

however, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

swift tracker(ex)
beginning at 8th level, a green knight can move at his normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty. he takes only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.

evasion(ex)
at 12th level, a green knight can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. if she makes a successful reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. evasion can be used only if the green knight is wearing light armor, medium armor or is unarmored. a helpless green knight does not gain the benefit of evasion.

camouflage(ex)
a green knight of 13th level or higher can use the hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.


what do you think?
edits: scrapped heavy armor prof, hide in plain sight and moved evasion from lvl 9 to 12

Balkash
2007-12-23, 07:03 PM
I like the idea, but I think this might be a tad overpowered. It has the best attacks, some casting, loads of skill points, that bonus to all saves, and even evasion and hide in plain sight. I see that the "can only do good, not evil" might hinder the character and make it more balanced, but I'd think maybe tone it done a bit. Maybe give it only +15/+10/+5 at 20th. Or take away hide in plain sight. I think this is pretty much a Gestalt of ranger and paladin isnt it? Besides just turning it down a little, I love this idea. I always thought something like this would be really neat.

Xefas
2007-12-23, 07:09 PM
Actually, if your campaign has full-casters in it, this isn't really overpowered. I mean, compared to the non-casting, non-initiating classes, it's way overpowered, but thrown up against the Tome of Battle or a full-caster, it's fine.

reorith
2007-12-23, 09:35 PM
i scrapped hide in plain sight and heavy armor proficiency. a green knight has some brutal mad. they need strength for damage, charisma for several class features, wisdom for spells and constitution to improve hit points.

CthulhuM
2007-12-23, 10:11 PM
I'd cut it down to 6 skill points, at least. As it is, you're kinda stepping on the rogue's toes. Hell, not even factotums get 8 skill points per level, and that's supposed to be the "I can do everything" class.

Balkash
2007-12-23, 10:42 PM
Ya, I'm really liking the layout now. Less rogue, still all toughness. Looks really good.

Raistlin1040
2007-12-23, 10:46 PM
7 dead levels, all above level 10. That needs to be fixed.

reorith
2007-12-23, 10:54 PM
7 dead levels, all above level 10. That needs to be fixed.

like what? i already scrapped hide in plain sight.
remove disease is subpar
lay on hands would be out of place.
combat style wouldn't help later levels.

look at the cleric, that has nothing but dead levels after the initial turn undead

Blue_C.
2007-12-23, 11:56 PM
I find this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20061013a) and this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20070227x) page to be of use when looking at alleviating dead levels.

In this case, since you're looking at a class that whomps on non-spellcasters from the word go, I'd not go too overboard with the abilities. I suggest something small that increases at each even level 12 and above (save 20), another ability at 11 that increases at 19 (possibly based off the divine health or aura of courage ability at level 3), and then another ability that only it can do at 17th.

My suggestions are:

Stalwart companions (Su): A green knight knows that at any time he may be called upon to sacrifice himself for nature, for it is not in nature's way that things last forever. Despite this knowledge, he remains resolute, knowing that even in death he can serve a high purpose. Some of that courage can be shared by his companions.

At 11th level, a green knight's aura of courage ability can buffer his allies, even after the green knight himself has fallen. For one round after a green knight falls unconscious or dead, his aura of courage continues to affect his allies within 30 ft. This bonus does not continue if the green knight's body is destroyed, such as from the destruction spell.

At 19th level, a green knight's aura of courage continues for two rounds after he falls unconscious or dead.

Provisioning (Su): At 12th level, a green knight's rapport with nature increases his ability to thrive in the wild. When attempting to get along in the wild (using the survival skill), he gain a +1 insight bonus on this check. His bonus to survival checks to get along in the wild increases to +2 at 14th, +3 at 16th, and +4 at 18th level. See Survival on page 83 of the Player's Handbook.

Pure Spirit (Ex): At 17th level, a green knight has a knack for communicating with wild beasts. A green knight can reroll a wild empathy check once per day, but only when attempting to influence the attitudes of undomesticated animals or magical beasts. A green knight must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll. See Diplomacy on pg. 73 of the Player's Handbook.

Cryopyre
2007-12-24, 12:00 AM
How about "Verdant Knight" (at least it's more poetic)

Verdant means: abundant in greeness, but it has the connotation of referring to nature

EvilElitest
2007-12-24, 12:26 AM
fluff please, such as more detail on the code of conduct
from,
EE

Blue_C.
2007-12-24, 12:29 AM
"Verdant" is also an overused word in designs, as people tend to slap it onto their designs to make them seem more "fantasy."

Green Knight has a strong literary connotation for both paladins and fey creatures, and also states exactly what the class is about. I'd suggest keeping the current title.

Cryopyre
2007-12-24, 12:45 AM
I hadn't heard the word Verdant till a couple weeks ago, and I've played and read fantasy since a little kid, it really isn't overused.

reorith
2007-12-24, 12:50 AM
I hadn't heard the word Verdant till a couple weeks ago, and I've played and read fantasy since a little kid, it really isn't overused.

overused or not, there is already a prc with verdant in the name :(

Cryopyre
2007-12-24, 01:12 AM
aaahhhhhhh

Fizban
2007-12-24, 03:48 AM
I find this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20061013a) and this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20070227x) page to be of use when looking at alleviating dead levels.

In this case, since you're looking at a class that whomps on non-spellcasters from the word go, I'd not go too overboard with the abilities. I suggest something small that increases at each even level 12 and above (save 20), another ability at 11 that increases at 19 (possibly based off the divine health or aura of courage ability at level 3), and then another ability that only it can do at 17th.

My suggestions are:

Stalwart companions (Su): A green knight knows that at any time he may be called upon to sacrifice himself for nature, for it is not in nature's way that things last forever. Despite this knowledge, he remains resolute, knowing that even in death he can serve a high purpose. Some of that courage can be shared by his companions.

At 11th level, a green knight's aura of courage ability can buffer his allies, even after the green knight himself has fallen. For one round after a green knight falls unconscious or dead, his aura of courage continues to affect his allies within 30 ft. This bonus does not continue if the green knight's body is destroyed, such as from the destruction spell.

At 19th level, a green knight's aura of courage continues for two rounds after he falls unconscious or dead.

Provisioning (Su): At 12th level, a green knight's rapport with nature increases his ability to thrive in the wild. When attempting to get along in the wild (using the survival skill), he gain a +1 insight bonus on this check. His bonus to survival checks to get along in the wild increases to +2 at 14th, +3 at 16th, and +4 at 18th level. See Survival on page 83 of the Player's Handbook.

Pure Spirit (Ex): At 17th level, a green knight has a knack for communicating with wild beasts. A green knight can reroll a wild empathy check once per day, but only when attempting to influence the attitudes of undomesticated animals or magical beasts. A green knight must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll. See Diplomacy on pg. 73 of the Player's Handbook.
I fail to see how this class whomps on anything. It's basically a paladin with the celestial stuff swapped for ranger stuff. Paladins don't whomp on anything, this isn't any more powerful. (Unless there has been some edit since your post).

I'm also of the opinion that filling dead levels with throwaway abilities is rather insulting, but that's a personal thing. However, the provisions ability is a joke at 12th level, by which time the charater should have enough money to hire an entire kitchen to follow him everywhere, or at least a self-filling ration pouch. Even if you're providing for a very large group alone, each point of bonus is only half a person. (note: I just realized that each person that succesfully aids another is pulling their own weight on the skill check). The other two can be useful, though if you need wild empathy that bad at level 19 something fishy's going on.

reorith
2007-12-24, 10:17 AM
I fail to see how this class whomps on anything. It's basically a paladin with the celestial stuff swapped for ranger stuff. Paladins don't whomp on anything, this isn't any more powerful. (Unless there has been some edit since your post).

it used to have hide in plain sight, but i removed that and dropped evasion to level 12 instead of 9.


I'm also of the opinion that filling dead levels with throwaway abilities is rather insulting, but that's a personal thing.

are the empty levels really "dead?" a green knight gets a bonus to her saves, her spells and her base attack bonus. i feel like that should be enough.

Blue_C.
2007-12-24, 06:58 PM
I'm also of the opinion that filling dead levels with throwaway abilities is rather insulting, but that's a personal thing.

Really? Why is that? I disagree (obviously), but I would be interested to know your thoughts, since they are such a departure from my own.


are the empty levels really "dead?" a green knight gets a bonus to her saves, her spells and her base attack bonus. i feel like that should be enough.

In a sense, they are. While many players are going to be using prestige classes or other kinds of multiclassing to avoid the effects of "dead levels," in a situation where a character does progress through all twenty levels one by one, dead level abilities are designed to give a character something to look forward to when they level up besides another +1 to spot checks.

When I first wrote that post, you had empty slots at 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Of these, you did get at least a bonus to a save, an additional attack per round, or a firm (not bonus spells only) new spell level at all but 17 and 19. These two really are dead levels, because you don't have much of anything to anticipate. Just an extra spell (in a class that does not focus on spells, and because of MAD has barriers even to attempt such focus) and a higher base attack bonus (which you get every level, making it not so special). 11th level is also important to draw in players, because of prestige classes in level 20 builds. That's why the more interesting abilities were at levels, so that if a player did not take the levels they weren't smacking their foreheads, but if they did they could do something different. The flavor only ability was just to fill in the rest of the open slots.

If you feel that the levels past 10 are fine as they are, then okay. It is a solid looking class either way.

DracoDei
2007-12-24, 06:58 PM
"Provisioning" COULD be seen as simply a poor choice of name... 'Getting along in the wild' includes more than finding food... Avoiding subdual damage from adverse conditions etc... not sure this is a big deal in most campaigns.