The Medicine Man PEACH

[drack]

Medicine Men

Becoming a Medicine Man: Medicine men are raised from a young age by other Medicine Men. They remain isolated in their mentor's cave for melenia sustaining themselves off of shadow and necromantic energy from Ka-Dul which slowly twists them into negative energy creatures who's notion of family time is hunkering down next to a large pile of cadavers.

So the idea of this class is to utilize the bodies of fallen foes in a variety of ways allowing the class much flexibility as to how to do whatever it's doing. Traditional these creatures serve as "medicine men" for a remote area in a far away multivers. Basically they serve the purpose of old wise man, crazy loon who lives in the mountains, village creep, healer, and the dude to whom you give the deceased to be taken care of (such that they don't bread disease, take up space, etc.), and from this members of the the class, are commonly referred to as medicine men (plural) or the Medicine Man (singular) They resemble ghouls with ghostly pale skin stretched over a hunched and boney form. In truth they are large but they are more comfortable hunched and therefore their size is effectively medium for the vast majority of their lives; not revealing the full grotesqueness of their true figure, but all the same giving them an immensely disturbing air.

Adventuring: Medicine Men rarely ever leave their caves (which commonly contain many deceased left about. When they do go they usually are as a representative of their people backing a cause (usually used as a form of temporary exile), they go out to gather new information about the world around them (gathering maps and cultures, as well as more commonly than not getting hopelessly lost despite any maps), or if they simply go mad and decide to embark on their Dul-Kazar in which they embark from their home to wonder the earth seeking death and spreading Ka-Dul (or spreading the shadow)

Characteristics: Medicine men aren't proficient with many weapons or armors relying solely on their ability to control the dead in ways never dreamed of by "the outside races". They tend to be gaunt hunched over forms constantly murmuring their atrocious tongue from the shadows.

Alignment: Medicine Men tend to be aloof from the world concerning themselves solely with concern for the villages to which they are Medicine Men to, therefore they tend to be considered neutral by common standards. though they could also be considered evil by others in that they channel power very similar to divine Necromancy (though it is not wholly divine).

Religion: Medicine Men are the only true worshipers of Ka-Dul which is a shadowy creature in a multiverse so far away that even devoting their entire lives to it none could reach Ka-Dul, and knowing this none attempt to do so. Despite this Ka-Dul is slowly devouring the plane of shadow binding all multiverses together. fortunately (yet unfortunately to the Medicine Men) Ka-Dul will not reach anywhere close to the material plane within hundreds of generations of Medicine Men, though they still feel Ka-Dul's slow approach throughout their many millennia long lifespan.

Races: any (usually not larger than large sized)

Other classes: as the cleric is the glue holding the party together and everyone's friend, Medicine Men tend to unnerve the party and cause severe agitation. This is because in a room of the creepiest dudes in the aria this guy is particularity so.

Role: Though Medicine Men specialize in Knowledge and healing checks as would be expected of a village healer a Medicine Man's combat style tends to be fairly aggressive and involve a few too many flying bone fragments for most people's comfort. Medicine Men tend to favor the rear in combat summoning, casting, and commanding their way out of difficulties, though they will not hesitate to take a more frontward stance usually still able to maintain their naturally long lifespan.

d4HD
Table:
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|

+2

|rebuke undead, unnatural life

2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+0

|

+3

|disturbing form

3rd|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|-

4th|

+2

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|greater disturbing form, rebuke undead

5th|

+2

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|lift undead 1

6th|

+3

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|unnatural life

7th|

+3

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|-

8th|

+4

|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|rebuke undead

9th|

+4

|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|-

10th|

+5

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|lift undead 5

11th|

+5

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|-

12th|

+6/+1

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|rebuke undead

13th|

+6/+1

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|timeless body

14th|

+7/+2

|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|-

15th|

+7/+2

|

+9

|

+5

|

+9

|lift undead 10

16th|

+8/+3

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|rebuke undead

17th|

+8/+3

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|-

18th|

+9/+4

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|-

19th|

+9/+4

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|-

20th|

+10/+5

|

+12

|

+6

|

+12

|lift undead 20 rebuke undead[/table]

Class Skills:
Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Decipher script, Diplomancy, Gather information, Intimidate, Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Move silently, Spellcraft
skill points at first level
(2+int modifier)x4



Class Features:
medicine men are proficient with daggers and light armor (though they seldom bother with either).

spells: Medicine men prepare spells through channeling negative energy into a deceased body with HD equal to or greater than the spell level of the desired spell . Through this process all but the skull withers into dust, and within the skull resides the fully prepared spell (in the form of negative energy). The skull must be commanded (as per command undead) in order to be cast, therefore excess spells can be prepared, but than one finds one’s self doing command undead checks on ones own spells possibly in the middle of combat. (can only create/command spells with spell level equal to half or less the Medicine Man's level) each spell has HD equal to its spell level, 5 Hp/HD and 5 hardness. The skull is consumed in the casting. Spells that animate dead in any way utilize the body used therefore eliminating the options of choosing a corps during the actual casting. Also level 0 spells will count as zero just because being able to cast 2000 cantraps at one time shouldn't hurt the balance of the class (plus you'd need 2000 of the deceased in order to do so) Also when the skulls are broken through any means other than releasing the spell inside. they release a negative energy burst equal to 1d8Xspell level negative energy damage through the weapon of the attacker to the attacker, or if destroyed at a range they deal it in a 5X5X5 burst. A Medicine Man would never intentionally destroy one of his own spells as Doing so would violate the traditions of his or her people.

rebuke undead: as the cleric ability of the same name, except that Medicine Men also add their Cha mod to their HD of commendable undead each level up to a maximum of +1/2 their level (this bonus does not apply to the limit given by the animate dead spell.) At first level medicine men have 3+cha mod uses/day of this ability, but through prolonged exposure to these dark energies medicine men find that they can siphon more and more of their god's power allowing them to use this ability an additional 3+cha mod times/day every four levels

unnatural life: they are immune to poison, sleep, disease, and death effects (they don't sleep and they eat through preparing their magic (see below)), they can see in any darkness, and due to the alterations to their anatomy they are only physically capable of one language, but they can get the jest of any language that they hear for a short while, so they tend to need a medium to translate for whomever happens to be talking to it. The one language they do speak is called "The Whisper of Ka-Dul" Ka-Dul is their deity and in truth an immensely powerful creature dating back to before there were multiverses. The language it's self consists of many low moans and screeches which settle into the background unnerving all who hear it. This is their native language that no other spices can naturally imitate, and when intentionally directed at undead it's meaning slowly sinks into their bones chilling them more than death its self had, such that slowly the meaning becomes clear to them.

Disturbing form: +2 racial bonus on intimidate

Greater Disturbing form:+4 intimidate

Lift Undead: At 5th level they gain Lift undead which starts out limited to 1 at fifth level, than progresses to 5 at 10th level, and henceforth doubles at level 15 and 20 and so on such that at level 25 it may lift 40 undead. Now what this does is as follows: It allows medicine men to channel negative energy through other bones making the equivalent of swords and shields out of different bones rather than making spells out of the creature's skulls. This too consumes the body and the swords/shields have 5 HP/HD of the body used. The swords do 1d6 damage per round and have DR5/-, keep in mind this is less health and attack than a skeleton of any HD would do so long as they are at least medium size. The shields have DR10/- and can lock on between any one creature (one per shield) and wield themselves attack that creature, or if it is a 'shield' it may place it's self between two creatures and grant either full cover from the other (absorbing the damage themselves instead). Both can move at a speed of 20 ft per turn (though attacking or blocking is regarded as a free action of sorts since any skeleton could move that speed and still attack (or move double that, also note that they may only make a single attack/turn). Each of these takes up one lift undead and their HD out of the total one could command with the animate dead spell. This ability allows it to survive a more forward roll despite its lowered con and d4 HP. All lifted undead must stay within 60’ of the Medicine Man, and lifted spells can only be cast within the Medicine Man’s space

SPELLS:
level 0:
cure minor wounds
detect magic
inflict minor wounds
know direction
light
flare
Prestidigitation
Mage hand

(All spells with light cast an eerie purple light which I for got to state above is also the color of their eyes, but their eyes don't glow. They are also hare less.)

level 1:
bane
cause fear
command
cure minor wounds
deathwatch
detect undead
doom
entangle (with shadows rather than vegetation)
inflict light wounds
obscuring mist
Pass without trace
comprehend languages
Reaving aura(SC)
summon undead I(see below)
Unseen servant
(rather than going with the standard summon undead my DM has allowed me to simply follow the summon spell trend of anything with CR equal to or down to one less than the summon undead number (ex I means CR 0-1) rather than the tiny summon undead lists provided therefore allowing up to summon undead IX)

level 2:
Bonefiddle
cure moderate wounds
darkness
death knell
desecrate
detect thoughts
enthrall
Genital repose
Ghoul glyph
Hold person
Inflict moderate wounds
Invisibility
See Invisibility
Suggestion
Summon undead II
Undetectable alignment
Zone of truth
Boneskin (as stone skin)
Chill metal
Escalating enfeeblement
Whispering Wind

level 3:
Animate dead
bestow curse
blindsight
contagion
cure serious wounds
deeper darkness
deep slumber
dispel magic
glyph of warding
helping hand
inflict serious wounds
meld into stone
Phantom steed
remove curse
Skull watch
speak with dead
summon undead III
poison
bottle of smoke
ring of blades
Undead torch
Vampiric touch

level 4:
black tentacles
blindsight, greater
cure critical wounds
death ward
divination (consults bones like a fortune teller)
enervation
inflict critical wounds
Shadow Conjuration
status
tongues
rusting grasp
wither limb
doom tide
poison needles
wall of bones
Vecna's infernal whisper
touch of years

level 5:
break enchantment
circle of doom
Death throes
greater command
permanency
raise dead
Shadow Evocation
slay living
summon undead V
true seeing
unhallow
Awaken undead
wall of bone (this one is a wall of stone made of bones rather than stone)
Night's caress revive undead
quillblast (bone fragments instead of quills)
freezing fog

level 6:
Animate objects
anti-life shell
bone barrier (as blade barrier but with bones)
create undead
greater dispelling
greater glyph of warding
harm
heal
suggestion mass
summon undead VI
word of recall
Ray of entropy
stone tell
ghoul gauntlet
arrow of bone


level 7:
blasphemy
creeping doom
cure serious wounds, mass
finger of death
inflict serious wounds, mass
regenerate
repulsion
resurrection
scrying greater
Shadow Conjuration, Greater
summon undead VII
creeping doom

level 8:
anti-magic field
create greater undead
Greater undead ally (as greater plainer ally)
horrid wilting
Shadow Evocation, Greater
summon undead VIII
symbol
unholy aura
finger of death
veil of undeath

level 9:
Astral projection
energy drain
Gate (may call undeads)
heal, mass
Power word kill
Shades
soul bind
summon undead IX
time stop
true resurrection
sympathy
foresight

[Unrest]

It is not about being shorter, it is about being readable, not tiring for the eyes and brain. A wall of text like this simply does not attract attention, moreover, deters it with promise of nailing you to a wall like Plato and then asking you to make sense out of the shadows on the wall. Sorry, it's the 21st century, and time and energy are considered very valuable assets.

[drack]

This may be somewhat true, but quite frankly I'm new to the forum, and don't know how to make a table, not to mention that the table would honestly just be adding more to this "promise of nailing you to a wall like Plato and then asking you to make sense out of the shadows on the wall". Also mind you that Plato's shadows on the wall are the reality we perceive in life, and thus it should be far easier to decipher than the alternative. Furthermore I would hoped that people's eyes and brains could handle far more than this without being wearied, otherwise humanity has fallen.

[hamishspence]

A good start might be breaking the paragraphs up, and careful use of Bold and Italic to make each heading stand out.

[drack]

Done, better?

[BladeofOblivion]

Try this. It helps.

[drack]

I guess I'll apply a table since that appears to be peoples primary complaint. (though it is nearly identical to the druid/cleric table, with the addition of an ability.)

[sigurd]

Thanks for the effort drack!

I think its interesting but I think you should split it into a generic class and a separate race.

Are these constructs? Always outsiders? Built to be Medicine Men?


Sirgurd

[drack]

If you want to think of it in terms of a race, or a class you can instead think of it as a race with level adjustment equal to it's unique advancement. similar to how other creatures gain HD, and size these would gain a tolerance of tapping into Ka-Dul's energies, thus allowing it access to more spells, abilities excreta "similar" to level advancement, but all in all I think I prefer it as a class/race.

As to type I had compleatly forgoten to mention : outsider. As for the whole bringing back outsiders goes it is up to DM house rules, but I would generally say no.

[Unrest]

<Plato and humanity_fallen = 1 >

My reference to Plato was only superficial, and meant that it's simply not a pleasant position to do anything in :p And humanity has verily fallen, citizen! And is lazy. Sorry, I'm only human.

But, now that it looks more appealing, I'd say I kinda like it, but would have to read in. It's strange how it blends race and class, but that's solvable, I guess. One thing that is rather uncommon I think is matching a d4 hit die to 3/4 BAB, but saying, I'd need to read in more.

[drack]

Yes having a race/class is slightly odd, but I don't feel overly inclined to change it, as to the 4 HD that is allegedly balanced out by the 10th level ability (lift undead) which allows it to take more damage, though when I think about it you probably have a point in that the BAB can be toned down, seeing as it isn't expected to need it. that is just there because I used the cleric/druid table as a base. (changed)