Witch Embodiment (Template)

[I_am_an_undead]

Disclamer: The witch embodiment idea is not mine. It belongs to Square Enix, along with all of Final Fantasy 8. I am shamelessly stealing the name and general idea, mainly because I can. Here's a link (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Sorceress_Power). If you want to flame me for being unoriginal and stuff, you can, I won't blame you, but I'll also ignore you.

So, I wanna use the witch embodiment in a D&D game. I could just represent it with levels in the sorcerer class and be done with it, but I won't. Instead, I'll make it into a template. The reason I post it here, instead of hiding it, is that in it's current state, given my "talent" at these kinds of things, is probably pretty bad, so I'd like help at making it better. Also, I don't know what the level adjustement of this would be. As to not confuse those with the witch embodiment with the sorcerer class, I'll call the former witches. So, on with it.

HOLDER OF THE WITCH EMBODIMENT
This is an aquired template that can be applied to any humanoid.

Size/Type:
Unchanged

Hit dice:
Unchanged

Special Qualities:
Hyne’s gift: At the moment she receive the witch embodiment, and each time she gains a level, a witch may exchange her level in her previous class for levels of sorcerer. If she stops being qualified for one of her feats in this manner, she cannot benefit from said feat. At the discretion of the DM, she may be able to retrain the feat for another feat she does qualify for.

Thematic spells: When she first receive the witch embodiment, a witch must choose a spell “theme”. When she casts a sorcerer spell that is included in her theme, she uses it with a +2 caster level. The theme is usually a sub-school, such as fire or mind-affecting, but at the DM’s discretion, the player may create a theme himself. A witch also gains one supplementary spell slot for each level of arcane spell she can cast. These spell slots can only be used to cast a spell from the witch’s theme.

Warped form: the witch embodiment is a force that slowly warps its holder as she grows in power. A high-level witch may have an unnatural skin, hair, or eye color, horns, claws, fangs, wings, or other limbs growing on her. After attaining her fifth level of sorcerer, a witch needs a disguise check to pass as a normal human, but also receive a +2 to her intimidate checks. At 10th level, she is concidered as a different race for the purpose of her disguise checks, and receive an additional +2 to her intimidate checks.

Succession of witches: A witch can not die while holding the embodiment. This does not mean that she can continue to live forever. When she has –10 hit points, the witch automatically transfer her powers to the nearest elligible recipient. A witch can also transfer her powers without dying, and doing so requires only a small, 1-hour ritual of which both participants, the witch and the recipient, must willingly take part.

Abilities:
+2 cha. Witches are naturally impressive being, as the power that course through them reflects in some way through their demenaor.

Level adjustement:
I don’t know yet.



Multiple witch embodiments
It is possible to have multiple witch embodiments, simply by being on the receiving end of more than one succession of witches ability. A witch receiving an aditional witch embodiment does not receive the template again, nor does she gain a new theme. Instead, she gains new abilities. The first witch embodiment after the initial one grants the witch the ability to use her thematic spells of 0 and 1st level as supernatural abilities. They still require a spell slot to cast. afterwards, each new witch embodiment allow the next two spell levels to be used as supernatural abilities.


{table]Number of witch embodiments|Effects
1|gains the template
2|use 0-1st level theme spells as supernatural abilities
3|use 2nd-3rd level theme spells as supernatural abilities
4|use 4th-5th level theme spells as supernatural abilities
5|use 6th-7th level theme spells as supernatural abilities
6|use 8th-9th level theme spells as supernatural abilities
7 and more| I have no idea[/table]

[Stycotl]

interesting idea. needs more fleshing out.

no one is going to ridicule you for taking ideas from other games/works of fiction. take a look at the boards and see all of the fan-creations.

how does one initially gain the template? is it a ritual as it seems to allude to in the succession ability? or is it something else? is it always an acquired template, or is it ever inherited?

hyne's gift: so basically it allows you to multiclass? am i missing something? most campaigns are run by dm's who allow multiclassing, though this just might make the sorcerer a favored class to someone who didn't already have it as such before, allowing fewer xp penalties. is there more to it than that?

succession of witches: need more info here. need to tell us what happens when a witch takes over another body, either through death or ritual. give us mechanics in particular, but fluff too so we can imagine it.

i'm sure i'm missing something. we'll see.

[I_am_an_undead]

Thanks for the feedback. It's really apreciated.

Hyne's gift does not allow you to multiclass, that's already possible. What it does is allow you to trade the levels of other classes you might have had before gaining the template into sorcerer levels. As an exemple, Dora, a 5th level rogue, gains the template, and decides to trade in three levels of rogue for sorcerers: She becomes a 2nd level rogue/3rd level sorcerer. Later, she gains a level, and decides she wants all of the power of the witch embodiment, and since she leveled the Hyne's gift ability kicks in and she can become a full 6th level sorcerer. I think the Blackguard has a similar ability in regard of trading paladin levels.

The Succession of witches ability interveines if, and only if the witch is about to die, because she was brought to -10 HP or targeted by a death spell or whatever else, or if she does the ritual. Once it activates, the "witch embodiment" is transfered to the recipient. In effect, the witch loses the template and it is transfered to the recipient. If a witch had many "witch embodiments", the whole lot is transfered. As for that ritual thing, it doesn't cost money or XP, has a casting time of 1 hour, requires both participant to be willing, and is the only way to pass on the embodiment without dying.

Is it getting clearer?

Edit: Oh, and I completly forgot about how you get it. Well, you have to receive it from another witch, so it's only obtainable trough the Succession ability.

[EvilElitest]

If you want to flame me for being unoriginal and stuff, you can, I won't blame you, but I'll also ignore you.
Meh, about 1/4 of this board are inspired by other ideas, no sweat. Good luck
from
EE

[Stycotl]

Meh, about 1/4 of this board are inspired by other ideas, no sweat. Good luck
from
EE

it might even be higher than that. i would bet more than 1/4 is directly and consciously (some might say stolen...) from other ideas, and another 1/2 is indirectly or unconsciously inspired.