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Baron Corm
2008-12-13, 03:36 AM
Overlord... one of the most amazing games I've ever played. Not done with it yet so don't spoil me. I thought it would be fun to play an overlord-type character in D&D so here it is. If you want fluff - GO PLAY THE GAME IT'S AWESOME!

But basically, you're a warrior brought back from the dead and imbued with evil powers by these goblin-like creatures who then proceed to declare yourself their master and obey your every command, sacrificing themselves if need be without a single thought. The only thing I would take out here is being brought back from the dead: Being an overlord is being chosen by dark spirits to spread evil, and granted powers and minions to do so. Over time, as you do well, the spirits grant you greater powers as you become more worthy of them. This is starting to sound like a melee warlock... hey let's just fit some invocations in and call it a day.

Trying to fit the minion system to 3e might have some balance problems so I'm especially curious what you all think of the stat blocks for minions and number of minions I'm allowing at a time.

Overlord
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Dark Armament
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0|Least Invocation
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Summon Minion, Minion Ability
4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|Least Invocation
5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Improved Dark Armament
6th|+6/+1|+5|+2|+2|Lesser Invocation
7th|+7/+2|+5|+2|+2|Minion Ability
8th|+8/+3|+6|+2|+2|Lesser Invocation
9th|+9/+4|+6|+3|+3|Greater Dark Armament
10th|+10/+5|+7|+3|+3|Lesser or Greater Invocation
11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+3|+3|Minion Ability
12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+4|+4|Greater Invocation
13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+4|+4|Superior Dark Armament
14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+4|+4|Greater Invocation
15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+5|+5|Minion Ability
16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+5|+5|Greater or Dark Invocation
17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+5|+5|Vile Armament
18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+6|+6|Dark Invocation
19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+6|+6|Minion Ability
20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+6|+6|Dark Invocation[/table]

Alignment: Any Evil
Hit Die: d12
Skill Points: 2 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

Overlords are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They are proficient with all armors, but not with any shields.

Dark Armament (Su)

The dark spirits imbue your worn items with malice and villainy. As long as you are wearing heavy armor, you gain damage reduction 1/good. Any weapon you wield deals half of its base damage as vile damage.

Invocations (Sp)

Beginning at level 2, the overlord may cast invocations as a warlock. He gains invocations known as shown on the table. The overlord may switch out an invocation he has learned for another one of the same level at levels 6, 10, and 16. He selects his invocations known from the spoiler below.

New invocation type: Incantation - requires a standard action to initiate and a swift action to sustain.

Least

Eldritch Bomb - Shape, Changes area to burst.
Incite Depravity - Incantation, Minions deal 1 point of Constitution damage to creatures they hit.
Abominable Blast - Essence, Changes damage to cold damage.
Least Dominate - Essence, Select damaged creature's next swift action.

Lesser

Bend Will - Attacks against target creature have a 50% chance to hit a different creature within reach instead. One creature at a time limit.
Hellfire Blast - Essence, Changes damage to hellfire damage, but reduces damage die to d4.
Lesser Dominate - Essence, Select damaged creature's next swift or move action.
Unholy Resistance - Incantation, Grants you resistance to all energy types equal to twice the amount of damage reduction/good you have.

Greater

Unholy Shield - Incantation, Doubles any damage reduction/good you have. Half of any damage that gets through is dealt to the attacker.
Vitrolic Blast - Essence, As warlock
Incite Corruption - Incantation, Minions deal 1d4 points of vile Constitution damage to creatures they hit.
Mindwarp - Target creature is confused for 1 round.
Greater Dominate - Essence, Select damaged creature's next swift, move, or standard action.

Dark

Incite Rage - Incantation, Doubles your minions' physical ability scores, but gives them a 25% chance each round to disobey any current orders and attack the nearest object or living thing.
Vile Blast - Essence, Changes all damage to vile damage, and increases damage die to d8
Dark Dominate - Essence, Select the actions of damaged creature for the next round.
Dark Deflection - The next attack or spell that hits you is negated.

In addition, the overlord receives eldritch blast as a warlock, with damage equal to 1d6 per 2 levels, except that it deals fire damage instead of untyped damage.

Summon Minion (Su)

At level 3, as a standard action, you may summon a minion. Minions follow any commands you give them, as long as you have one hand free to direct them (you do not have a hand free if you wield a 2-handed weapon). Directing any amount of minions takes 1 move action. Minions have one hit dice per 2 class levels. They are like goblins in shape and so can wear any gear you give them that a goblin could wear. Statistics for minions are in the spoiler below.

Brutal Minion
Size/Type: Small Outsider (Evil)
Hit Dice: 1d8+7 (11 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 feet
Armor Class: 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 size)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d4+5)
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee (1d4+5)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: -
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +2, Will -3
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 10, Con 25, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: -
Enviroment: Any
Organization: -
Challange Rating: 1
Treasure: None, unless equipped
Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 1-10 (Small)
Level Adjustment: —

Infernal Minion
Size/Type: Small Outsider (Evil)
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 feet
Armor Class: 16, touch 16, flat-footed 11 (+1 size, +5 dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-3
Attack: Fireball +7 ranged touch (1d6 fire)
Full Attack: Fireball +7 ranged touch (1d6 fire)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Control fire
Special Qualities: Immune to fire
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +7, Will -3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 20, Con 10, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: -
Enviroment: Any
Organization: -
Challange Rating: 1
Treasure: None, unless equipped
Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 1-10 (Small)
Level Adjustment: —

Fireball

Has a range of 30 feet.

Control Fire (Su)

An infernal minion can extinguish or move any unattended flame. They can extinguish or move it from a distance of 10 feet, at a rate of 5 feet per round, as a move action.

Viral Minion
Size/Type: Small Outsider (Evil)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (6 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 feet
Armor Class: 18, touch 18, flat-footed 11 (+1 size, +7 dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d3+2)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d3+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Leaping Backstab
Special Qualities: Immune to acid
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +9, Will -3
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 25, Con 15, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: Weapon FinesseB
Enviroment: Any
Organization: -
Challange Rating: 1
Treasure: None, unless equipped
Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 1-10 (Small)
Level Adjustment: —

Leaping Backstab (Ex)

If a viral minion moves at least 5 feet in a jump, it may make a sneak attack at the end of that jump dealing an extra 1d6 damage. This functions just like a rogue's sneak attack.

Skills

Viral minions have a +10 racial bonus to Jump, +1 per HD, and can take 10 on Jump checks even in combat. They also have a +30 racial bonus to Hide.

Abominable Minion
Size/Type: Small Outsider (Evil, Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 feet, 30 feet swim
Armor Class: 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 size)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-3
Attack: Ice claw +2 melee touch (1d2 cold)
Full Attack: Ice claw +2 melee touch (1d2 cold)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Revive minion
Special Qualities: -
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will -3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: -
Enviroment: Any
Organization: -
Challange Rating: 1
Treasure: None, unless equipped
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 1-10 (Small)
Level Adjustment: —

Amphibious (Ex)

Abominable minions can breathe water as easily as they breathe air.

Revive Minion (Su)

With a full-round action, an abominable minion may return a dead minion within 5 feet to full health. The dead minion's corpse must be relatively intact, and the minion must not have been dead for more than 1 minute. This ability may not be used if the overlord is at his maximum minion number.

You may have up to 1 minion per 4 class levels summoned at any time. Once a minion you have summoned has died, you must pray to your dark benefactors for 1 hour before they will grant you more. After that hour you may summon any additional amount, up to your maximum.

Minion Ability

At levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19, you may select an ability from below which will from then on apply to all minions you summon.

Bonus Feat: All minion types receive a feat of your choice as a bonus feat, as long as they qualify for it. You may select different feats for each minion. You may select this minion ability more than once.
Skill Points: All minion types receive ranks in a skill equal to its HD, x4 for the first HD. You may select different skills for each minion. You may select this minion ability more than once.
Elite Minions: All minion types use the elite array to determine their ability scores instead of the standard array. You may select which ability bonuses go to which abilities each time a new minion is summoned.
Ice Blast: Your abominable minions may use their ice claw attack from a range of 30 feet, and their damage die is increased one size.
Demon Priest: Your abominable minions can revive minions after any period of time, as long as the body is still intact, and it takes only a standard action.
Firebomb: Your infernal minions' fire blast attack deals damage in a 10 foot radius spread from the initial target, has a range of 60 feet, and the damage die is increased one size. All targets other than the initial receive a Reflex save for half damage equal to (10 + HD + Dexterity modifier). The initial target must also make a Reflex save or be dealt half fire blast damage for 1d6 rounds after.
Inferno: Your infernal minions can extinguish or move flame from a range of 30 feet. They can also expand the flame into essentially a 60 foot line originating from the source which deals fire damage equal to their fire blast damage, with a Reflex save for half damage equal to (10 + HD + Dexterity modifier). Those who fail the save take the same damage each round for 1d6 rounds after.
Dissolving Touch: Your viral minions' claw attack deals acid damage instead of its normal type, is a touch attack instead of a normal attack, and the damage die is increased one size.
Sneak Mastery: Your viral minions' Leaping Backstab deals an additional 1d6 damage, and they can use the hide skill even while being observed, and without cover. They also receive a +30 racial bonus to Move Silently.
Ravaging Claws: Your brutal minions' claw attacks are treated as being wielded with two hands, and their claw damage is increased one die size.
Thick Skull: Your brutal minions receive damage reduction/- equal to half their HD, and resistance to every energy type equal to their HD.

Improved Dark Armament

At level 5, your weapon increases its damage die one size. Your damage reduction improves to 3/good.

Greater Dark Armament

At level 9, your weapon doubles its base damage. Apply this after any damage die size increases. Your damage reduction increases to 5/good. All of the base damage of your weapon is dealt as vile damage.

Superior Dark Armament

At level 13, your weapon increases its damage die one size. Your damage reduction improves to 7/good.

Vile Armament

At level 17, your damage reduction increases to 9/good, and all damage you deal with a weapon is dealt as vile damage.

Ex-Overlords: Though an overlord may occasionally aid a village in need, as part of his nefarious plot to have them indebted to him, if he ever falls into the realm of true compassion, he loses all class features until he atones.

DracoDei
2008-12-13, 09:28 AM
Well if The Leadership Feat, Animal Companions, Special Mounts, Familiars, and summoning/calling spells can all be done then minions should be a problem... although you MIGHT run into some of the same problems that lead to them changing the way animal companions worked between 3.0 and 3.5 such that in 3.5 you only get one at a time, but its power scales based on yours.

Baron Corm
2008-12-14, 02:10 PM
Made it more streamlined and D&D-playable. Need some help with invocations and minion abilities.

Solaris
2008-12-15, 09:53 AM
Glad to see you reduced the strength of the Dark Armament. First-level characters automatically dealing double dice and getting adamantine full plate for free was bad.
You might wanna consider changing this class to be nongood, rather than explicitly evil. I would make it open for any alignment (with appropriate changes), but I understand the flavor you're going for here. However, evil-only classes tend to be... trouble.
I'd change the Dark Armament thing to be simply getting one-half (or even lower, like one-quarter) the class level in DR/good, prob'bly drop the damage die increases. This is to make room for putting in bonus feats from the fighter's list (only have vile feats from the BoVD added in to be trule ebil). I'd go with every 4 levels.