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Eita
2008-03-15, 01:35 AM
I've had this idea floating around in my head for awhile, and a few hours ago I thought up a cool name for it -which I promptly forgot- and would like some help with it. And by help, I mean someone making the entire thing for me besides the basic idea. No, it's not just that I'm lazy. It's that I have no idea what to do.

Alright, here's the basic idea...

As the man skulked through the dark corridors, he tried with all of his might not to shudder in revulsion. His black robes and porcelain mask hid his entity from mundane means, and a powerful spell concealed his true alignment. Passing through the doorway, he saw his target. A massive demon stood in the back of the room, alongside several other acolytes. Pushing through the crowd until he was near enough to the monster, he breathed in, said a prayer, threw back the robes and mask, and unleashed the light.

Essentially, it's a good Assassin with a very powerful ability and one that masks his true alignment.

You Die Not In Vain [Class Feat]: In instances of extreme need, a [insert eventual name of PrC here] may decide to use this ability. With divine aid, he may have D10 beams of light erupt from his body, harming all in the way. This act kills him, but, on a roll of 15 or above on a d20+EK-NK by the beams (DM may choose to up this due to the following) his patron god deems that he may still serve him in life and gives him the ability to resurrect when the time is right at half-health.

EK=Enemies killed
NK=Non-enemies killed

I recommend that the DM either adds in a rule for easy rez on a bad roll or some sort of afterlife campaign if he has anyone play it.

I am highly aware that this is rather basic and potentially unbalanced.

CASTLEMIKE
2008-03-15, 02:03 AM
Sounds like the Extraordinary Undetectable Alignment class special from the Zhentarim Spy in PGtF.

I like the ideal of applying the Extraordinary Deep Cover capstone ability for an Assassin (Nothing short of a Power will identify the cover identity) to foil all the standard divination magics. Ordinary adventurer or craftsman etc by day with an alter ego assassin identity that is tough to track down with divination magic.

The Spymaster PRC from Complete Adventurerer had the same class specials.

As extraordinary abilities they are not foiled by antimagic or dispels and are not subject to standard divinations. Basically a variant limited Mind Blank for cover identities. (So perform the assassinations in one of the cover identities).

Sounds like a Balor or the Jade Phoenix Immolation class special without the Ressurection a few rounds later.

sonofzeal
2008-03-15, 02:16 AM
"You Die Not In Vain" seems to be problematic. The wording needs to be cleaned up, and the mechanic needs to be more easy to compute. Beyond that, a self-destruct ability just doesn't fit well into D&D. It'd be underpowered in PC hands, and overpowered in NPC hands, and that's not the sort of balance you want.

Eita
2008-03-15, 03:07 PM
Hmm... Perhaps it does the same thing, but only activates when your character is killed?

sonofzeal
2008-03-15, 03:30 PM
Hmm... Perhaps it does the same thing, but only activates when your character is killed?
1) You need to define "harm". Rigorously.

2) Basing the chance on enemies killed is horribly exploitable (just depopulate the nearest goblin warren) and nearly impossible to track. You seriously need to scrap that and find something else.

3) "Gives him the ability"? Does that mean the player chooses when to Rez themself, even though they're dead? That seems horribly odd.

4) If you want people coming back like that, just look into the Martyr class from BoED.

Eita
2008-03-15, 10:33 PM
1. Searching for a proper spell. I am too lazy to come up with a number on my own.

2. I meant the number of enemies killed by the actual beams of light.

3. It's so the guy doesn't resurrect with enemy reinforcements coming right at am. And I just realized that I didn't mention he's at half health when coming back...

4. Don't have that book. Care to explain?

Glyde
2008-03-15, 11:12 PM
"You Die Not In Vain" seems to be problematic. The wording needs to be cleaned up, and the mechanic needs to be more easy to compute. Beyond that, a self-destruct ability just doesn't fit well into D&D. It'd be underpowered in PC hands, and overpowered in NPC hands, and that's not the sort of balance you want.


There's a couple, if not a few, in book of exalted deeds. They're EFFING AWESOME.

Sacrifice spell components are amazing to roleplay.

Two that come to mind are Exalted Fury (Last known HP + 50 in damage to evil in 40ft radius, you die.) and Phoenix Fire (2d6 per level in fire damage, you're consumed then rise from the ashes one level lower after a while)

Eita
2008-03-18, 11:40 PM
Errr.... Hello? sonofzeal?

CASTLEMIKE
2008-03-19, 12:25 AM
The Pryokineticsit gets Conflagration.