PDA

View Full Version : [Base Class] Elder (Repost)



Blue_C.
2007-12-25, 12:36 PM
comments?

ELDER
"Listen to me, do exactly as I say, and we may just find our way out of this alive. I know these creatures, and they have no chance against my will."
--Krista Badgerkin, elder of the Screaming Skies Caravan.

Some draw magic from knowledge, their own personality, their dedication to an outside force, or even pacts with outsiders or dragons. An elder does all of these things, and none of them exclusively. An elder's primary focus, however, is to her people and her home. While not as personally powerful as a druid, a cleric, or a wizard, an elder can draw upon experience to defend her "fief" in ways those characters would be pressed to beat. Under certain circumstances, she can even pass on the fruits of her study to her allies.

While some elders never stray from the village they were born in, many do take to wandering the world. In those cases, their definition of what is their "home" is quite a bit wider, and includes both the entire world and every person within.

Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills
The elder’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Alignment: Any. There are many ways of leadership, all of them valid. Most tend towards lawful alignment, but that is simply because part of being an elder is having firm ideas as to the nature of "yours," "mine," and "everybody's."
Starting Gold: 4d4x10 (100 gp).
Starting Age: As bard.


Table: THE ELDER
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th

1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Confidence (+2, 1/day)|2|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Domain|3|0|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Confidence (2/day)|3|1|-|-|-|-|-

4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Animal Companion|3|2|0|-|-|-|-

5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Confidence (3/day)|3|3|1|-|-|-|-

6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+5|Empathy|3|3|2|-|-|-|-

7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+5|Confidence (4/day)|3|3|2|0|-|-|-

8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+2|
+6|Special Power|3|3|3|1|-|-|-

9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+6|Confidence (5/day)|3|3|3|2|-|-|-

10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+3|
+7|Confidence (+3)|3|3|3|2|0|-|-

11th|
+8/+3|
+7|
+3|
+7|Confidence (6/day)|3|3|3|3|1|-|-

12th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8|Special Power|3|3|3|3|2|-|-

13th|
+9/+4|
+8|
+4|
+8|Confidence (7/day)|3|3|3|3|2|0|-

14th|
+10/+5|
+9|
+4|
+9|Confidence (+4)|4|3|3|3|3|1|-

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+5|
+9|Confidence (8/day)|4|4|3|3|3|2|-

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Special Power|4|4|4|3|3|2|0

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Confidence (9/day)|4|4|4|4|3|3|1

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11|Confidence (+5)|4|4|4|4|4|3|2

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11|Confidence (10/day)|4|4|4|4|4|4|3

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Special Power|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]


Class Features
All of the following are class features of the elder NPC class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Elders are proficient with all simple weapons, and plus the shortsword, shortbow, and sap. Elders are proficient with light armor and shields (but not tower shields).

Spells: An elder casts divine spells which are drawn from the elder spell list (see below). Like a cleric, an elder must choose and prepare her spells in advance. Unlike a cleric, an elder cannot spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells.
To prepare or cast a spell, an elder must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an elder’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the elder’s Wisdom modifier.
When Table: The Elder indicates that an elder gets 0 spells per day at a particular level, the elder only gets bonus spells from having a high wisdom score, and the domain spell of that level. If an elder does not have a high enough wisdom score for a bonus of that level, then she likewise does not receive a domain spell for that level.
Elders, unlike wizards, do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they meditate or pray for their spells, receiving them as divine inspiration or through their own strength of faith. Each elder must choose a time each day at which she must spend an hour in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain her daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on whether an elder can prepare spells.
Like other spell casters, an elder can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Elder. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.
Each elder has a particular holy symbol (as a divine focus) depending on the elder’s magical tradition.

Confidence (Ex): An elder is, above all else, confident in her actions and those she directs. Once per day, an elder gains a +2 competence bonus to any wisdom or intelligence based skill check that takes one minute or less to complete. She can apply this bonus to her own skill checks, or that of any ally within 20 feet. An elder need not have ranks in the skill to apply this bonus to the skill check, but if she has no ranks in a trained only skill, she cannot attempt the skill check herself.
At 10th level, the skill check bonus from this ability increases to +3. At 14th level, it increases again to +4, and at 18th level, it increases to +5.
At 3rd, and every higher odd level, she gains an additional use per day of this ability. Confidence is a mind-affecting ability.

Domain: At 2nd level an elder gains access to one of the following domains: Community, Nobility, Oracle, Protection, Travel, War, or Weather. The Elder also gains the associated domain power. If War domain is selected, choose any weapon already proficient in for the Weapon focus feat. The domain spells are added to the elder's spell list, however she gets no bonus spell slot to prepare it in, as a cleric would.

Animal Companion (Ex): As the standard ranger ability.

Empathy (Ex): At 6th level, an elder gains a bonus in Diplomacy, Perform (Oratory), and Sense Motive checks equal to one half his class level against creatures of the same type as the elder (So an elf elder would get an empathy bonus against goblins or halflings, but not dryads, ogres, or throne archons).

Special Power: At 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th levels, an elder gains a special power of her choice from among the following list. Most powers can be selected more than once; follow the specified rules for choosing the same ability in the ability entry below. If it does not say it can be selected multiple times, it can only be selected once.

Aura of Equilibrium (Su): An elder with this ability is immune to the checked, nauseated, and sickened status effects. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against checked, nauseating, and sickening effects. This ability functions while the elder is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering).

Awe (Su): An elder with this ability is perpetually surrounded by an aura of Awe, which they use to make lesser mortals bend to their will. She gains a bonus to the Intimidate skill equal to her Wisdom modifier (min 1). An Elder automatically makes one attempt to intimidate a person with fewer HD than her whom she has been interacting with for at least one minute, and failing this automatic attempt does not make the target more hostile (since this isn't a conscious action on the elder's part, simply the affect of her mere presence) In addition, the attitude of the person awed by the elder shifts to neutral, not unfriendly when the effect ends. However, failing conscious attempts to intimidate still make the target more hostile, as normal.
Further, once a person has been successfully cowed once by an elder, they must succeed a will save (DC = elder's current Intimidate score modifier) in order to take any direct hostile action against her. This doesn't necessarily stop them from aiding those who act against her. In general, if an elder has lived in a certain area for a long while, count everyone else who lives in that area and who might interact with her as a victim of past intimidation.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty).

Bonus Feat: An elder may select any feat she qualifies for as her special power.
An elder may select this ability more than once.

Bonus Spell: An elder with this ability gain one extra spell at any level below the highest she may already cast, as if from a high ability score. Once the bonus spell level is selected, it may not be changed.
An elder may select this ability more than once, but each time, she must select a different level for the bonus spell.

Explorer (Ex): An elder with this ability can always take 10 on balance, climb, jump, and swim checks, even if rushed or threatened. She can also apply her confidence ability to these skill checks. She does not use up one of her daily uses when applying confidence to her own balance, climb, jump, or swim checks, but she does when she boosts the skill checks of her allies.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Geography).

Gambler's Providence (Ex): In lieu of rolling, an elder with this ability can choose as an immediate action once per day to have her immediately prior natural (unmodified) d20 roll result on a second d20 roll. They need not be the same type of roll, but they do need to be consecutive. For example, an elder that rolls a natural 15 on a will save can, as an immediate action, choose to use that natural roll result on a second roll, be it another save, a skill check, or even an attack roll. All appropriate modifiers apply to the roll result. If an elder has not had reason to roll a d20 since the last time she slept, she cannot use this ability.
An elder can select Gambler's Providence more than once. Each time she does, she gains an additional use per day.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Local).

Lore (Ex): An elder can choose to gain the ability to know legends or information regarding various topics, just as a bard can with bardic knowledge. The elder adds her level and her Intelligence modifier to the lore check, which functions otherwise exactly like a bardic knowledge check.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (History).

Mettle (Su): As the pious templar ability in Complete Divine.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Dungeoneering).

Planar Banishment (Su): An elder with this ability has the power to banish outsiders or elementals of a particular type. An elder cannot destroy outsiders, only banish them. An elder may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her charisma modifier. Use the turning table for this banishment check, and treat outsiders as having banishment resistance equal to their Cha modifier, if any. An elder's effective cleric level for this check is her elder level.
This ability will only banish outsiders to their native plane. If the outsider is already on their native plane, this ability has no affect. Once banished, even if the outsider has the ability to plane shift, it cannot do so for 10 rounds (1 minute).
When choosing this ability, an elder selects one of the following outsider subtypes: Air, Chaotic, Earth, Evil, Fire, Good, Lawful, or Water. Planar banishment attempts only work on the selected subtype.
This ability may be selected multiple times, choosing a different subtype each time.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (the Planes).

Savagery (Su): An elder with this ability can once per day as a swift action enter a savage state that transforms her body closer to that of a beast. The elder gains a primary bite attack (at her full base attack bonus) and two secondary claw attacks (at her base attack bonus -5 and adding only half her Strength bonus on damage rolls). The bite attack deals bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage equal to a short sword of the elder's size (1d6 for a Medium elder, or 1d4 for a Small elder), while the claws deal piercing and slashing damage equal to a dagger of the elder's size (1d4 for a Medium elder, or 1d3 for a Small elder). The elder also gains the scent ability. An elder can stay in this savage form a number of rounds equal to 3 + her wisdom modifier. She can exit her savage form as a swift action early. While in her savage form, an elder cannot cast spells.
An elder can select this ability multiple times. Each time, the elder gains an additional use per day.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Nature).

Smite (Su): An elder with this ability gains a smite attack, which is an attack with a +4 attack bonus and damage bonus equal to her elder level (if it hits). An elder must declare the smite before making the attempt. This ability is usable once per day.
This ability may be selected more than once. Each time, the elder gains an additional smite attack per day.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Heal.

Spell-Like Ability: An elder can choose any spell she can cast of 1st level or lower and make it a spell-like ability. If it is a 1st level spell, she may use the ability a number of times per day equal to 2 + her Charisma modifier. 0 level spells are usable at will. This ability may only be selected once.
These spell-like abilities may have whatever metamagic feats the elder knows applied to it, as long as the effective level is still 1st or lower. In this case, the effective level determines how many times a day the ability can be used.
Caster Level for these abilities is equal to an elder's class level.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana).

Turn or Rebuke Undead (Su): An elder with this ability gains the supernatural ability to turn or rebuke undead. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. Her effective cleric level for this ability is one half her elder level. An elder with this ability does not gain the ability to spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells as a cleric does.
To select this ability, an elder must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (Religion).


Elder Spell List
Elders choose their spells from the following list.

[B]0 Level: create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, tender care, touch of fatigue.
1st Level: bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, endure elements, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law, sleep, speak with animals.
2nd Level: aid, animal trance, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, darkness, delay poison, invisibility, make whole, mirror image, resist energy, scorching ray, see invisibility, web.
3rd Level: animate dead, bestow curse, contagion, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, lightning bolt, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, tongues, water breathing.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, dismissal, dispel magic, minor creation, polymorph, restoration, stoneskin, wall of fire.
5th Level: baleful polymorph, break enchantment, commune, greater command, major creation, raise dead, true seeing, wall of stone.
6th Level: banishment, blade barrier, geas/quest, greater dispel magic, heal, hero's feast, move earth, word of recall

Blue_C.
2007-12-25, 02:50 PM
So what do people think?

I am contemplating a couple different tweaks.

Turn Animal companion and empathy into special powers, offer an additional special power at 4h level, and another +1 to confidence at level 6 (making the bonus +3 at level 6, +4 at 10, and so on). Animal Companion would have to duke it out with savagery to determine who would remain, and Empathy would have a stare down versus Gambler's Providence. The reason for this modification is because special powers seem to do the real heavy lifting for this class, so granting more of them might help a bit with the power level.
Pulling Domain, the special powers, and the confidence boosts down to the odd numbered levels, and pushing the number of confidence uses per day to even levels.
Scraping the whole base class idea and turning it into a prestige class, perhaps a 15 level one, but probably 10 level. This would then be primarily taken by druids and clerics, with perhaps levels in bard or rogue.

Stycotl
2007-12-26, 07:50 PM
overall, i like it. i would have to study it more to see playability and balance issues, but not too bad.

i really like the awe ability. i see that being a great asset to the elder

aura of equilibrium is way too weak in my opinion. it applies only to sickening effects, which is a rare effect anyway. not worth it to take as one of only four (make sure i counted right...) special abilities on the way to 20th level. i would apply it to other effects as well. maybe give it two or three more rare effects, or one not-so-rare, like sickened and dazed, or sickened, staggered, and checked, or something.

ultimately though, make sure that the effects fit with the theme.

aaron out.

Blue_C.
2007-12-26, 09:58 PM
RE: Aura of Equilibrium, while I'm not certain staggered would fit well, checked might. So too could Nauseated.

I think I'll make the correction.