PEACH: Base class Samurai [3.5]

[afroakuma]

Hi all; just found this part of the forum today, it might really help me balance this one.

I hate both of the printed Samurai (the OA one who just keeps his swords around, and the CW warrior one who... shouts... a lot...) so I homebrewed one up; this one is more ki focused, as well as feat-heavy (I realize I'll have to drop some of them) but as for the main attraction...well, I'll just post the damn thing.

Samurai

Hit Die: d10
Alignment: Any lawful

Skills: Balance (Str), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis)

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Augments

1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Ki focus, Quick Draw|
-

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0||
-

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1|Combat style|
-

4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1|Swift stride|
-

5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|Ki augment +1, Cleave|
1

6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+2|Ki prescience|
1

7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+2|Warrior's wisdom|
1

8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+2|Ki masterstroke|
2

9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+3|Ki awareness, Blind-Fight|
2

10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+3|Ki augment +2|
2

11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+3|Ki resistance|
3

12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+4|Ki meditation|
3

13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+4|Great Cleave|
3

14th|
+14/+8/+3|
+9|
+4|
+4||
4

15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+5|Ki augment +3|
4

16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+5|Ki perfection|
4

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

18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+6|Ki ripples|
5

19th|
+19/+14/9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+6||
5

20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Ki augment +4|
6[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The samurai is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as the sai and siangham. Additionally, a samurai uses bastard swords as though she had Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword). Samurai are also proficient with light and medium armor, but not with shields.

Ki Powers: A samurai has a number of uses of ki per day equal to half her level rounded up plus her Wisdom bonus (minimum 1.) Ki will only replenish after eight hours of rest. Ki powers, unless otherwise noted, are activated as an immediate action and have a duration of one round plus the samurai’s Wisdom bonus (minimum 1 round); this duration increases by one round per augment learned. A samurai with no uses of ki remaining becomes fatigued and suffers a –4 penalty to all saving throws.

Ki Focus (Su): A samurai can expend a daily use of ki to add a +1 competence bonus to her attack and damage rolls. Ki focus cannot be stacked with itself, but does stack with other competence bonuses.

Combat Style: At third level, the samurai may choose one of the following as a bonus feat: Combat Expertise, Mounted Combat, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus.

Swift Stride (Ex): At fourth level, the samurai can take a 10-ft step instead of a 5-ft step.

Ki Augment (Su): A samurai learns to wield her weapon as an extension of her soul. Using ki, she can impart unique powers to her weapon. At 5th level and every three levels thereafter, the samurai chooses one augment (from the list of melee weapon special abilities in the DMG). The samurai can apply a +1 augment to her weapon at level 5 by spending a use of ki. At 10th level, she can expend up to two uses of ki for either one +2 augment or two +1 augments. At 15th, +3 augments can be used, and at 20th level up to four total pluses can be applied at once. Activating any number of augments together is an immediate action. No further augments may be applied to an active augmentation once the samurai reaches her limit. If an additional augment could be applied, it lasts only as long as the first active augment. Ki augments may only be used with a melee weapon of masterwork quality or better, and only with one weapon at a time.

Ki Prescience (Su): At 6th level, the samurai can expend a use of ki to gain the benefits of the Evasion class ability. When making a Reflex save for half damage, she instead takes no damage on a successful save.

Warrior’s Wisdom: At 7th level, the samurai chooses one of Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will or Toughness.

Ki Masterstroke (Su): At 8th level, the samurai can expend a use of ki to guarantee a critical hit. The samurai makes an attack roll as normal. Success indicates a critical hit; failure is a miss, and the masterstroke is wasted. Regardless of whether or not she attempts an attack, the masterstroke fades in 1 round.

Ki Awareness (Su): At 9th level, the samurai can extend her awareness of combat. By expending a use of ki, the samurai may make an extra number of attacks of opportunity as though she had the Combat Reflexes feat. These extra attacks do stack with that feat if the samurai has it, but are only available for one round.

Ki Resistance (Su): At 11th level, the samurai can expend two uses of ki to grant herself damage reduction 5/-. This damage reduction stacks with other effects that grant DR, excepting those originating from ki

Ki Meditation: By expending two uses of ki, the samurai can heal herself. This requires a Concentration check, restoring HP equal to twice the check result on a success.

Ki Perfection: At 16th level, the samurai may expend a use of ki to add a +2 competence bonus to AC and all saves.

Ki Ripples: At 18th level, the samurai may expend two uses of ki to roll two additional d20 on a check, attack roll or save, taking the best of the three rolls. This is a free action that may only be used once on any check, attack roll or save.

Thoughts?

[Zeta Kai]

Wow, that's actually pretty good. For a non-ToB class, this is fairly powerful, & it fits the concept well, unlike the CW version.

[afroakuma]

Wow, I honestly expected it to be considered overpowered.

Maybe I should get around to reading ToB.

[Burley]

I like it. I hope you don't mind if I rip it off for my own twisted purposes, i.e. NPCs. :smile:

I'm a little wary about the amount of feats, though. I believe that's how many a monk would get, but I think the low Ki alotment compensates for that, along with full BAB and better abilities...

I think it's great. Very nice for your first Brewup on the forum.

[afroakuma]

By all means, take 'er away.

With the feats, I tried to go more for a few branched out combat options. The bonus feat at 17th or so is just because I don't think, around those levels, that those are particularly good picks for the main feat slot. That being said, they stack and have a use, so the player (and character concept) benefits somewhat.

[Mando Knight]

How long does Ki Focus last? Is it just until the next attack, for 5 minutes, or until the end of the day?

[afroakuma]

Ki powers, unless otherwise noted, are activated as an immediate action and have a duration of one round plus the samurai’s Wisdom bonus (minimum 1 round); this duration increases by one round per augment learned.

Shouldn't have put it all in one big block of text. :smalltongue:

[afroakuma]

Just noticed two missing things; would probably help anyone looking to actually use this class.

Skill Points: (2+Int mod) x 4 at first level, (2+Int mod) each level thereafter.

Ex-Samurai: A samurai who ceases being lawful loses the use of all samurai ki abilities except for ki augment. If the samurai had access to the Axiomatic augment, it is replaced by the Anarchic augment. Other ki abilities, such as Stunning Fist, are unaffected.

In addition, the samurai loses ki from Wisdom bonus, and the duration of her augment is no longer increased by her Wisdom bonus.

A samurai may only regain her former status through the use of atonement or a similar effect. Even after, she will lose one of her known augments, and will require a second atonement to regain it.

[KKL]

In my opinion, Warrior's Wisdom and Meditation come far too late, and the Ki pool is far too small to be of as major use as it seems to be both the cornerstone of and the Samurai's best and mose useful feature. Other than that, this class is pretty solid.

Also, Masterstroke as I understand it is comedy gold with a weapon that has a high crit multiplier.

[afroakuma]

Any recommendations on Warrior's Wisdom/meditation, then?

As for the ki pool, yes, it is the samurai's key feature, but as an example, look at the fifth level samurai. With 10 Wisdom, the samurai has three uses of ki per day and two powers, both of which cost only one use. If the samurai chose shock, frost or flaming as her 1st augment, she's looking at an extra +1d6 damage for four rounds. She can pull that off three times per day, or add the ki focus once, or... what have you.

I understand that it might be a bit low, especially where some of the more costly abilities are concerned, but when planning it, I assumed a player who would choose a high Wisdom score. Wis 16 at fifth level is six ki uses, which comes out to quite a bit of extra damage/critical threat/etc.


Masterstroke as I understand it is comedy gold

To clarify (although it still may be comically potent) on an activation of Ki masterstroke, you are automatically considered to have rolled a critical, and your attack roll is now the confirmation roll. However, if the confirmation fails, you don't just lose the critical, you also lose the attack.

[KKL]

Any recommendations on Warrior's Wisdom/meditation, then?
7th level, which has nothing going for it, for Wisdom.

Meditation in my opinion should go to second level, or around there. Although as written, moving it to second level would be bad, as it would make it very powerful, as you'd be able to heal back all of your HP very quickly.

And don't get me started on the ******ry a Warblade with a two level dip in Samurai can do if it's focused on Diamond Mind. At 4th level, by what you've written in your post, a Warblade 2/Samurai 2 with 12 Wis would have a pool of three ki points. Assuming 16 Con (+3) on the Warblade, and max ranks in Concentrate (7), you'd heal anywhere from 11 to 30 HP, with an average HP of 24, you'd heal anywhere from half, to enough to bring yourself from the brink of death to perfectly dandy.

All in all, 2nd to 6th level is where I'd suggest, preferably 5 or 6 to prevent dipping madness.


As for the ki pool, yes, it is the samurai's key feature, but as an example, look at the fifth level samurai. With 10 Wisdom, the samurai has three uses of ki per day and two powers, both of which cost only one use. If the samurai chose shock, frost or flaming as her 1st augment, she's looking at an extra +1d6 damage for four rounds. She can pull that off three times per day, or add the ki focus once, or... what have you.

I understand that it might be a bit low, especially where some of the more costly abilities are concerned, but when planning it, I assumed a player who would choose a high Wisdom score. Wis 16 at fifth level is six ki uses, which comes out to quite a bit of extra damage/critical threat/etc.

I see what you're getting at now. Perhaps keep it at half your level, but add twice your wisdom bonus?


To clarify (although it still may be comically potent) on an activation of Ki masterstroke, you are automatically considered to have rolled a critical, and your attack roll is now the confirmation roll. However, if the confirmation fails, you don't just lose the critical, you also lose the attack.

Interesting. Thanks for the clarification.

And as a final note, Quick Draw is a bonus feat gained as a class feature, I suggest you add something stating that at first level you gain Quick Draw as a bonus feat. Same with Warrior's Wisdom. Ki Frenzy is also extremely underwhelming, even with the attack and damage bonus.

[afroakuma]

Interesting. A couple of thoughts:

Part of the reason I put Ki meditation where it is is that it can be activated as an immediate action. Also, I felt that self-recovery should be kept far away from the low levels, as a Vicious augment would just become that much more... savage. But I'm the first to admit that it's weaker than one might want at that level, especially considering that it can fail.

As for Warrior's Wisdom, I really do see that as belonging at lower levels. At present, it was something of an artifact - the original called for a selection of two of those feats.

I'll definetely add the bonus feat reminders. Good call.

Ki frenzy... I had actually thought it fairly powerful, as it allowed Whirlwind Attack (with bonuses) without the prerequisites. If you have any opinions on moving/improving it, I'm all ears.

[Averagedog]

Hello, I just stumbled upon your base class remake.

Your Ki augment on the table is different from the ki augment description in the list of class features.

There is also no Ki Frenzy listed anywhere in that post either.

lastly, Masterstroke is extremely powerful. I suggest creating a concentration check at the DC of 5 + the opponent's AC in addition to the need to confirm.
why?: well if the Samurai lets say, uses a Scythe and uses his weapon augments to get flaming and shocking burst, we are looking at like 4d4 + 6d6 + 2x power attack damage + 2x1.5 str damage. Seems rather silly from an optimization standpoint. I also think that concentration is flavorful for this class's ability considering that Ki is already like a mystical concentration.
I also do not see why a samurai shouldn't be able to apply this to a bow considering that you cannot power attack with it. There were also samurai that did use bows in feudal japan.

As for the actual number of ki points you get, I think that the pool is too limited to compete with martial adepts from TOB who essentially have encounter abilities with uses of like around 7 maneuvers per encounter at level 20(comparing to the warblade), which they can regenerate at like 1 per standard action if they spend it and get the feat in order to do it. Their 8th and 9th level maneuvers are also more powerful than most of various ki abilities you have with exception of the ki augments if the MiC is valid for it and Masterstroke.