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Thread: Death seeker (3.5 base class PEACH)

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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    ElfRangerGuy

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    Feb 2012

    Default Death seeker (3.5 base class PEACH)

    As seen here...

    I would really appreciate some feedback on the death seeker. Any peaching is welcome :)

    Death seeker


    Look Snorri trolls!

    Seekers are dwarfs who have lost their honor, brought shame to his or her family or broke an important oath. Such a crime would be solved by death, but because Dwarfs see suicide as a waste, the death seekers were born. In order to regain their honor, seekers seek glorious death in battle against the strongest of opponents.

    Seekers have conquered their fear of death and as a result, fear very little. They are brave, stubborn and incredibly violent when in battle.

    Adventures: Leaving their home as far behind as possible, they wander in the wilderness brooding on the misery of existence. Having broken with everything he holds dear, the dwarf deliberately seeks death by hunting out and fighting large monsters. They are stern and laconic individuals, not much given to talking about themselves, and they tend to be horribly scarred as a result of their encounters with Trolls, Giants, Dragons and other monsters.

    Characteristics: Their way of life invariably means that many achieve their ambition and are slain at the hands of whatever ferocious beast they have confronted. Others, the least successful ones in a sense, tend to survive either because they are the toughest, the fastest or most determined. This process of natural selection weeds out all those who do not have exceptional abilities, so you can be fairly sure that any seeker you meet is exceptionally tough, violent, and psychopathically dangerous.

    Alignment: Oaths are extremely important for a death seeker for them their word is unbreakable even if sometimes it could be against the written law, they are not concerned with good nor evil. So most of them gravitate towards a neutral alignment, with many being lawful neutral or just true neutral.

    Religion: Most death seekers swear an oath to Valkauna the Runecarver, they seek to restore their lost honor through battle and death. They also revere Clanggedin Silverbeard the Wyrmslayer and many seek to emulate him in battle.

    Background: Dwarves are above all very proud individuals and do not cope easily with failure or personal loss. Should a dwarf suffer some terrible personal tragedy, he will be inconsolable. The loss of his family, his hoard, or failure to uphold a promise can seriously unhinge the mind of any dwarf. Young dwarves forsaken in love often never recover from the blow to their pride. Many join the seekers to clear the slate. Criminals join to avoid punishment. The dishonored join so that their houses and families need not suffer on their behalf. The bankrupted join so their debts might be forgiven. A very few join for a last chance at glory. Whatever the cause, dwarves who have suffered what they perceive to be a serious loss of honor will often forsake the fellowship of their family and friends for a life of self-imposed exile.

    Races: The path of the death seeker is integrated in dwarven tradition, and most members of other races won't even consider joining the seekers.

    Other Classes: The death seeker can respect the rectitude of the knight, paladin and samurai. As long as they don't try to redeem him he would feel comfortable with those classes. He also finds a kindred spirit on barbarians or savage characters because they can understand the inner fury that consumes them. Many death seekers don't like roguish characters, for they are unreliable and chaotic. They have few use for spells and spell casters in general, but when facing a great enemy some buffs could be slightly appreciated.

    Role: They are front line melee combatants and there is where they excel. Out of combat they have some social capacity mostly due to their intimidating skills.

    Adaptation:

    GAME RULE INFORMATION
    Death seeker's have the following game statistics.
    Abilities: Constitution is specially important for the death seeker since several class features are linked to it. As a melee front liner strength and dexterity are also helpful.
    Alignment: Any
    Hit Die: d12
    Starting Age: As barbarian
    Starting Gold: As barbarian

    Class Skills
    The Death seeker class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are
    Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Survival (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

    Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
    Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

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

    1st|
    +1
    |
    +2
    |
    +0
    |
    +0
    |AC Bonus, Mark, Ancestral weapon, fury 1/day

    2nd|
    +2
    |
    +3
    |
    +0
    |
    +0
    |Uncanny dodge, Ancestral focus

    3rd|
    +3
    |
    +3
    |
    +1
    |
    +1
    |Wild charge

    4th|
    +4
    |
    +4
    |
    +1
    |
    +1
    |fury 2/day, fearless

    5th|
    +5
    |
    +4
    |
    +1
    |
    +1
    |Improved uncanny dodge, Chase

    6th|
    +6/+1
    |
    +5
    |
    +2
    |
    +2
    |Nimble charge, Hard to kill

    7th|
    +7/+2
    |
    +5
    |
    +2
    |
    +2
    |Strength of mind, Ancestral specialization

    8th|
    +8/+3
    |
    +6
    |
    +2
    |
    +2
    |Fury 3/day, Spell resistance

    9th|
    +9/+4
    |
    +6
    |
    +3
    |
    +3
    |Mettle, Unstoppable charge

    10th|
    +10/+5
    |
    +7
    |
    +3
    |
    +3
    |Fighting Death, Fearsome fury

    11th|
    +11/+6/+1
    |
    +7
    |
    +3
    |
    +3
    |Greater fury

    12th|
    +12/+7/+2
    |
    +8
    |
    +4
    |
    +4
    |Greater ancestral focus, Fury 4/day, Far charge

    13th|
    +13/+8/+3
    |
    +8
    |
    +4
    |
    +4
    |Immune to charm and compulsion

    14th|
    +14/+9/+4
    |
    +9
    |
    +4
    |
    +4
    |Fast recovery

    15th|
    +15/+10/+5
    |
    +9
    |
    +5
    |
    +5
    |Cleaving charge, Furious intimidate

    16th|
    +16/+11/+6/+1
    |
    +10
    |
    +5
    |
    +5
    |Fury 5/day, Greater ancestral specialization

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

    18th|
    +18/+13/+8/+3
    |
    +11
    |
    +6
    |
    +6
    |Greater cleaving charge, Dreadful wrath

    19th|
    +19/+14/+9/+4
    |
    +11
    |
    +6
    |
    +6
    |Ancestral weapon supremacy

    20th|
    +20/+15/+10/+5
    |
    +12
    |
    +6
    |
    +6
    |Fury 6/day, Greater fighting death, Mighty fury[/table]

    Class Features
    All of the following are class features of the death seeker.

    Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A death seeker is proficient with
    all simple and martial weapons. Death seekers are not proficient with any armor or shields. A death seeker cannot wear armor.

    AC Bonus (Ex): While unarmored, the death seeker gains a bonus to his Armor Class equal to his Constitution bonus (if any). See the monk class feature (PH 40).

    Mark (Ex): Death seekers seek a glorious death to redeem their honor. At the start of every combat the Death seeker may select a creature with a CR higher than his character level to gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate, Listen, Sense Motive and Spot checks when using these skills against such creature. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against his mark.
    A death seeker cannot retreat voluntarily from a melee combat with his mark, and he has to approach it as soon as available. Even if he seeks a honorable death the death seeker is not required to take suicidal or obviously harmful paths to his mark.
    If there are two or more creatures with a CR higher than the death seeker's character level he must select the enemy with the highest CR.
    If the death seeker kills his mark he can select another mark, as long as there are enemies available with a higher CR than the death seeker's character level.

    Fury (Ex): A death seeker can fly into a screaming blood frenzy a certain number of times per day. In a fury, a death seeker gains phenomenal strength and durability but becomes reckless and less able to defend himself. He temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. He also gains a 10 feet bonus to his speed.
    The increase in Constitution increases the death seeker’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the fury when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are; see Temporary Hit Points, PH 146.) While furious, a death seeker cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of fury lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A death seeker may prematurely end his fury. At the end of the fury, the death seeker loses the fury modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (–2 penalty to Strength, –2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter (unless he is a 17th-level death seeker, at which point this limitation no longer applies; see below). A death seeker can fly into a fury only once per encounter. At 1st level he can use his fury ability once per day. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of six times per day at 20th level). Entering a fury takes an immediate action.
    This ability counts as rage for prerequisites.

    Ancestral Weapon (Ex): All death seeker begin play with a masterwork weapon. He must be proficient with his ancestral weapon. This is a weapon that belonged to the death seeker’s ancestors, and protecting the weapons is an important point of honor for the death seeker. As a death seeker acquires treasure through adventuring, he has the option of awakening the supernatural abilities latent in the weapons.
    At any time, a death seeker may retreat to a temple or shrine and spend time in prayer in order to awaken the ancestral spirits in his ancestral weapon. This requires a sacrifice of valuable items worth the amount shown on the Ancestral Weapon table (see below).
    This sacrifice does not have to be gold—the character can sacrifice magic items or other goods worth the required amount, rather than selling his goods (at half value) to pay for the sacrifice. The death seeker must meet the minimum character level (including any prestige class levels) shown on the table, and he must spend one day per 1,000 gp sacrificed in the shrine or temple. During this time, he must spend at least 8 hours each day kneeling before his ancestors and his weapons, not stopping to eat or rest.
    The values shown on the ancestral weapon table are the total value of sacrifice required to bring a single weapon to the listed weapon bonus. If a death seeker already has a +3 weapon, he can raise it to a +4 weapon by sacrificing 14,000 gp and spending two weeks in prayer. Before a death seeker’s ancestral weapon becomes a +1 weapon, it is an ordinary masterwork weapon in every way. Its latent supernatural powers do not cause it to be considered a magic weapon until those powers are awakened.
    A death seeker who loses his ancestral weapon is dishonored until he can recover them. He cannot enhance any other weapon in this way.

    Ancestral Weapon
    {table=head]
    Weapon Bonus
    |
    Total Sacrifice[br]Required
    |
    Minimum<br />Character Level

    +1|2000 gp|4th
    +2|8000 gp|7th
    +3|18000 gp|9th
    +4|32000 gp|11th
    +5|50000 gp|13th
    +6*|72000 gp|14th
    +7*|98000 gp|15th
    +8*|128000 gp|16th
    +9*|162000 gp|17th
    +10*|200000 gp|18th[/table]
    *A weapon can’t actually have a bonus higher than +5. Use these lines to determine price when special abilities are added in.

    Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a death seeker can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
    If a death seeker already has uncanny dodge from a different class (a death seeker with at least two levels of barbarian, for example), he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

    Ancestral focus (Ex): At 2nd level a death seeker gains weapon focus with his ancestral weapon as a bonus feat.

    Wild charge (Ex): At 3rd level a death seeker gains the pounce ability (MM 313).

    Fearless (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, a death seeker is immune to fear (magical or otherwise).

    Improved uncanny dodge (Ex): At 5th level and higher, a death seeker can no longer be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the death seeker by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has death seeker levels. If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character.

    Skill focus (intimidate) (Ex): At 5th level the death seeker gains skill focus (intimidate) as a bonus feat.

    Chase (Ex): Starting at 5th level the death seeker can follow with unbelievable speed his choosen enemy. The death seeker speed increases to match his mark's speed, or up to the double of the death seeker's land speed whichever is lower.

    Nimble charge (Ex): At 6th level, the death seeker can make a single turn, up to 90 degrees, during a charge.

    Hard to kill (Ex): At 6th level, a death seeker gains the ability to shrug off some amount of injury from each blow or attack. Subtract the death seeker's CON bonus (minimum one) from the damage the death seeker takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. He effectively gains damage reduction CON/- Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0. The death seeker damage reduction can't be higher than his death seeker level.

    Ancestral specialization (Ex): At 7th level the death seeker gains weapon specialization with his ancestral weapon as a bonus feat. A death seeker need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for the feat.

    Strength of Mind (Ex): A death seeker of at least 7th level is immune to stunning and sleep spells and effects.

    Spell resistance (Ex): Starting at 8th level the death seeker gains spell resistance equal to 11 + his death seeker character levels.

    Mettle (Ex): At 9th level and higher, a death seeker can resist magical and unusual attacks with great willpower or fortitude. If he makes a successful Will or Fortitude save against an attack that normally would have a lesser effect on a successful save (such as any spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), he instead completely negates the effect. An unconscious or sleeping death seeker does not gain the benefit of mettle.

    Unstoppable charge (Ex): At 9th level, the death seeker can charge through squares occupied by his allies or by noncombatants. It also might make intimidate checks instead of tumble checks to forego provoking attacks of opportunity from the enemies on his path.

    Fighting death (Ex): Starting at 10th level a death seeker becomes so tenacious combatant that he continues to fight without penalty even while disabled or dying. While he is below 0 HP his damage reduction from Hard to kill doubles.

    Fearsome fury (Ex): Starting at 10th level when a death seeker enters a fury he can make an intimidate check as a free action. While his fury lasts any enemy that comes within 30 feet of the death seeker must succeed in a WILL save (DC equal to the intimidate check) or become shaken for 1d4+1 rounds or the duration of the fury, whichever is longer.

    Greater fury (Ex): At 11th level, a death seeker's bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his fury each increase to +6, and his bonus on speed increases to 20 feet. The penalty to AC remains at –2.

    Greater ancestral focus (Ex): At 12th level the death seeker gains greater weapon focus with his ancestral weapon as a bonus feat. A death seeker need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for the feat.

    Far charge (Ex): At 12th level, the death seeker can move up to four times his speed when making a charge attack, rather than double.

    Immune to charm and compulsion (Ex): Beginning at 13th level, a death seeker is immune to charm and compulsion effects (magical or otherwise).

    Fast recovery (Ex): At 14th level a death seeker gains fast healing. While he is below his full hit points he gains fast healing equal to a quarter of his CON bonus. While below half his total hit points he gains fast healing equal to half his CON bonus and while he is at less than 0 hp he gains fast healing equal to his CON bonus. The death seeker fast healing can't be higher than his death seeker level.

    Cleaving charge (Ex): At 15th level, the death seeker acquires a "cleaving charge." If he drops an opponent after a charge attack, and he has at least 10 feet of movement remaining, he can immediately make a new charge attack against a second foe. All the other standard rules for a charge attack still apply, including the fact that he must have at least 10 feet of distance to make the charge. He cannot use this ability and Cleave or Great Cleave in the same round.

    Furious intimidate (Ex): At 15th level, the death seeker adds his STR bonus to intimidate checks and can demoralize (as described in the Intimidate skill description, PHB 76) as a swift action.

    Greater ancestral specialization (Ex): At 16th level the death seeker gains greater weapon specialization with his ancestral weapon as a bonus feat. A death seeker need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for the feat.

    Tireless fury (Ex): At 17th level and higher, a death seeker no longer becomes fatigued at the end of his fury.

    Greater cleaving charge (Ex): At 18th level after a cleaving charge if he drops the second foe and still has movement remaining, he can charge a third, and so on until he either fails to drop a foe, or runs out of movement.

    Dreadful attacks (Ex): Starting at level 18th when the death seeker charges or makes a full attack he gains the frightful presence ability for that round. Each enemy within a 20-foot radius of him must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 his death seeker level + his Cha modifier) or be shaken for 1
    minute. Regardless of its success or failure on the saving throw, any
    creature exposed to this effect is immune to the frightful presence of the death seeker for the next 24 hours. This is an extraordinary morale effect.

    Ancestral weapon supremacy (Ex): At 19th level the death seeker gains weapon supremacy with his ancestral weapon as a bonus feat. A death seeker need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for the feat.

    Greater fighting death (Ex): At 20th level killing a death seeker becomes almost impossible, once he is reduced to -10 HP he can keep fighting without penalty for a number of rounds equal to his CON bonus (at least one). Additionally while he is below -10 HP his fast healing from fast recovery doubles. If his body is somehow destroyed (such as by disintegrate), then he cannot act and dies. If he receives healing that leaves him with more than -10 HP he survives.

    Mighty fury (Ex): At 20th level, a death seeker's bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his fury each increase to +8, and his bonus on speed increases to 30 feet. The penalty to AC remains at –2.

    Feats
    for the death seeker
    Spoiler
    Show
    [Mark] feats: a death seeker may have only one [Mark] feat.

    Mark of spite [Mark]
    Prerequisites: Mark class feature
    Benefit:You gain a +4 bonus on trip attacks and on checks to resist an opponent's trip attacks. You can make trip attacks against your mark without provoking attacks of opportunity.
    Special: Characters with this feat may choose the Improved Trip feat even if they don't meet the other prerequisites for Improved Trip.

    Mark of hate [Mark]
    Prerequisites: Mark class feature
    Benefit:When you charge, if your melee attack hits, it deals an extra 1/2 your death seeker level points of damage. This feat only works when you make a charge, even if you're mounted. If you have the ability to make multiple attacks in a charge, you can apply this extra damage to only one of those attacks in a round.
    Special: Characters with this feat may choose the Improved Bull Rush feat even if they don't meet the other prerequisites for Improved Bull Rush.

    Mark of offense [Mark]
    Prerequisites: Mark class feature
    Benefit:When your mark damages you in melee you gain +2 AC. You also gain +4 to attacks of opportunity against your mark.
    Special: Mark of offense can be used in place of Dodge to qualify fora feat, prestige class, or other special ability.

    Mark of vengeance [Mark]
    Prerequisites: Mark class feature
    Benefit: Enemies you threaten cannot take the retreat action. Spellcasters you threaten cannot cast defensively (they automatically fail their Concentrattion checks if the attempt to do so), but are aware that they cannot cast defensively while being threatened by you.
    Special: Taking this feat reduces your caster level for all spells and spell-like abilities by 4.

    Mark of doom [Mark]
    Prerequisites: Mark class feature
    Benefit: You emmanate the fire of the forge. This fire extends 5 feet in all directions from your body, illuminating the area and inflicting 1/2 your death seeker leve points of fire damage (Reflex save for half) to any creature it touches except you.
    Special: Characters with this feat may choose the Improved Grapple feat even if they don't meet the other prerequisites for Improved Grapple.


    Items
    for the death seeker
    Spoiler
    Show
    Golden bracers: This masterwork bracers are made of gold and don't provide a bonus unless magically enhanced. A Death seeker can wear them and still be considered unarmored. The bracers can be enchanted as if they were an armor, but each enhancement costs 125% its normal cost. For example a +2 Golden bracer would cost 500 gp (the golden bracers base cost) + 4000 *1,25 = 5500 gp.
    Cost: 500 gp plus any enhancement they might have.

    Runic war paint: This orangish war paint is made with the grease of wild beasts and pigments extracted from secret dwarf minerals. The death seekers have ritualized the production of the war paint and it is almost inaccessible beyond dwarf communities. It grants a natural armor bonus of +4 and increases the existent spell resistance of the death seeker by 5. Applying a war paint takes 2 minutes and requires help, without help it takes twice the time. A character cannot have two different war paints applied at the same time.
    Craft (alchemy) DC: 25 (death seekers get a +8 bonus when crafting war paint)
    Cost: 500 gp

    Blood war paint: This red war paint is made with the blood of killed beasts. The death seekers have ritualized the production of the war paint and it is almost inaccessible beyond dwarf communities. It grants a natural armor bonus of +4 and a +2 alchemical bonus on Strength checks and Strength-based skill checks. Applying a war paint takes 2 minutes and requires help, without help it takes twice the time. A character cannot have two different war paints applied at the same time.
    Craft (alchemy) DC: 25 (death seekers get a +8 bonus when crafting war paint)
    Cost: 500 gp

    Ghost war paint: This white war paint is made with ashes and oils. The death seekers have ritualized the production of the war paint and it is almost inaccessible beyond dwarf communities. It grants a natural armor bonus of +4 and a +4 alchemical bonus to Intimidate skill checks, and to intimidate checks. Applying a war paint takes 2 minutes and requires help, without help it takes twice the time. A character cannot have two different war paints applied at the same time.
    Craft (alchemy) DC: 25 (death seekers get a +8 bonus when crafting war paint)
    Cost: 500 gp

    Oath war paint: This blue war paint is made with a paste of wild berries and roots. The death seekers have ritualized the production of the war paint and it is almost inaccessible beyond dwarf communities. It grants a natural armor bonus of +5. Applying a war paint takes 2 minutes and requires help, without help it takes twice the time. A character cannot have two different war paints applied at the same time.
    Craft (alchemy) DC: 20 (death seekers get a +8 bonus when crafting war paint)
    Cost: 250 gp
    Last edited by Aeryr; 2012-07-03 at 01:07 PM.
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