Lumberjack-PrC for Commoners

[MarkusWolfe]

Bards sing of mighty heroes of the famed PC classes. Despite your superior strength and ruggedness compared to the other commoners, you pale in comparison to these heroes. It makes you feel kind of sad sometimes. But you know what? You're a Lumberjack, and you're ok.

Spoiler

Show

Spoiler

Show

Prerequisites: 6 ranks in profession (Lumberjacking), 14 STR, 14 CON, Power Attack, Improved Sunder
Hitdie:d8
Class features:
{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special
1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Axe Proficiencies, Applied Logging Theory
2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Merry Whistle
3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | No Longer a Greenhorn
4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Merry Whistle
5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Consummate Logger
6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Merry Whistle
7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Power of the Tree Feller
8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Merry Whistle
9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Forest Instinct
10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | The Great Lumberjack [/table]
Skills per level: 4+INT
Class skills: Balance(Dex) Climb (Str), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Perform (Sing), Profession Lumberjack (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex).
Proficiencies: A Lumberjack gains proficiency with all martial axes.
Applied Logging Theory: Starting at the first level, a Lumberjack may add his Profession (Lumberjack) to his attack and damage bonus when making sunder attempts against trees or logs, as well as normal attacks made against creatures of the Plant type.
Merry Song: Starting at the second level, a lumberjack must choose one of the following effects:

• +5 ft/round move speed, unaffected by rough terrain, unaffected by slippery terrain
  
  +2 to FORT saves against inclement weather
  
  +3 to all Balance checks

He can take the same effect up to twice to receive double the benefit. Whenever he is walking, he may perform a Merry Song (Performance (Sing) DC 20) and benefit from the effect he has chosen. He may share this effect with one other person for every 5 he beats the DC by. He gets to choose another effect at every 2 levels thereafter.
No Longer a Greenhorn: Starting at level 3, a Lumberjack may apply half his Lumberjack level to his attack and damage bonus on sunder attempts against trees and logs, as well as on normal attacks against creatures of the Plant type. He also gains the Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Grapple feats, even if he does not qualify for them.
Consummate Logger: As of level 5, the hands of the Lumberjack, as well as any axe wielded by them, are considered to have the Bane (Plant) enhancement on them. He also applies half his lumberjack level on grapple checks against animals and humanoids.
The Power of the Tree Feller: Starting at level 7, a lumberjack can score critical hits against trees and logs. He also ignores the hardness of wood when sundering trees or logs, and the DR of creatures of the Plant type. If using an adamantine axe, he gains a +4 to damage against those targets.
Forest Instinct: If he is within 300 ft of a tree, a ninth level Lumberjack gets a +5 to all Survival checks
The Great Lumberjack: Whenever a Lumberjack of the tenth level attempts to sunder a tree or log or attack a creature of the plant type, he always hits, even on a natural 1.

Does this look good to you guys?

[The Mentalist]

It looks sound but not good.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10313

You can find tables there, everything makes more sense on a table.

How many levels does this class run? (Most PrCs run to 10 at the most) Why does it get 8 skillpoints and have so few class skills? and this may be a stylistic thing but Merry Whistle doesn't really seem to fit.

[LOTRfan]

It has at least 15 levels, considering the wording of the Power of the Tree Feller class feature.

[Welknair]

More on topic: Yeah, a table would be nice. 15 levels is not a usual progression... And I don't think "Lumberjacking" is a word.

[MarkusWolfe]

You're all right, it DOES look better with the chart. And now that I think about it, it also looks better as a 10 level progression.

Merry Whistle? That's just to help him move through the forest. The spells he'd need to do give him too much of a caster feel.....better to do it with the ability to raise his own spirits. Besides, I always felt that stereotypical lumberjacks were barbarians with just a little bit of bard.

Skill points? I have reason to doubt that he's going to have a high INT (lacking PC level stats and all).

As for the Lumberjacking profession? That's used to find trees that are good to cut down. High ranks in it probably means you know advanced clear cutting techniques.

[Welknair]

I think that would still just be Profession (Lumberjack). As I said, I don't believe "Lumberjacking" is a word. Or if it is, I think it could be interpreted in an unwanted way...

[Super_Fluous]

Hmm, do you think there would be any way for them to get a blue oxe animal companion at later levels?

[MarkusWolfe]

Only if a giant takes it.

[Super_Fluous]

This does seem sensible.

[Welknair]

Given the perquisites, couldn't you take this at 4th level?

Or is there something where NPCs have a max of their class levels instead of class levels + 3 for skills? If so, I seem to have missed that...

[Debihuman]

If this is a Commoner Prestige Class, then it should follow that it should be less appropriate for a standard PC. I recommend the following changes:

1. Hit Die d8. The only class that gets a d12 is a Barbarian. Even the Fighter only gets a d10. This makes it less desirable as a class for PCs but better than Commoner, which gets a d4.

2. Skills per level should be halved. 4+Int (x4 at 1st level) is more than sufficient.

Perform (whistle) is not a standard perform skill. If you are going to use this, then it should be a prerequisite for the class. I would recommend changing Perform (whistle) to Perform (Sing) in any case. The ability modifier for this is Cha. Merry Whistle should also have Perform (Sing) as its basis.

In the prerequisite line, it should be Profession (Lumberjack).

3. Merry Whistle is a bit confusing. You have a comma instead of "and" or "or". Does the Lumbarjack get the +5 round move speed to both rough terrain and slippery terrain, or does he have to choose which terrain?

Merry Whistle: Starting at the second level, a lumberjack must choose one of the following effects:

• +5 ft/round move speed, unaffected by rough terrain and/or unaffected by slippery terrain
• +2 to Fortitude saves against inclement weather
• +3 to all Balance checks.

He can take the same effect up to twice to receive double the benefit.

I think treants (and the lorax) would have a special hatred of lumberjacks.

Debby

[Mangles]

Does a PC who takes this have to put on womens clothing and hang around in bars?

[Debihuman]

Isn't that why Perform (sing) should be a class skill?

The lumberjack just proves that wearing women's clothing isn't delegated just to the wizard in the frou-frou robe. Besides all adventurers hang around in bars; they just call them "taverns."

Debby

[MarkusWolfe]

Fixed, fixed and fixed.

[Siosilvar]

PrCs never quadruple skill points at first level.

PrCs generally don't have ability score requirements, as those are subsumed in the feat requirements.

Ability score requirements are generally odd numbers.

Other than those, I don't really have much to comment. Everybody else made the Monty Python references already.