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  1. - Top - End - #301
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    kestrel404's Avatar

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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    OK, for those who are interested, I've started my own little side project.

    Since reading the Tome of Radiance, I've been toying with the idea for what the villianous side of things should look like.

    Here's the result of my musings.

    Still a work in progress. Invocations instead of Evocations - and when I get the mechanics for those hammered out fully, they will be different enough to be really interesting.

    Dark Raiment will end up looking very similar to costumes and devices, with some effects being straight copies and some completely different, but that will be after I've dealt with Invocations.

    Fluff will be added to the mechanics as my muse or peoples suggestions strike me.

    Any PEACHes would be appreciated.
    Last edited by kestrel404; 2013-02-20 at 09:05 PM.

  2. - Top - End - #302
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by Garryl View Post
    Possible solution? Model it as several parallel lines, each with start/endpoints offset by 5 feet from the next line.
    Could work. Another way is to just say it also hits squares adjacent to ones the line hits.
    Quote Originally Posted by jamieth View Post
    ...though Talla does her best to sound objective and impartial, it doesn't cover stuff like "ask a 9-year-old to tank for the party."
    My Homebrew

  3. - Top - End - #303
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by kestrel404 View Post
    OK, for those who are interested, I've started my own little side project.

    Since reading the Tome of Radiance, I've been toying with the idea for what the villianous side of things should look like.

    Here's the result of my musings.

    Still a work in progress. Invocations instead of Evocations - and when I get the mechanics for those hammered out fully, they will be different enough to be really interesting.

    Dark Raiment will end up looking very similar to costumes and devices, with some effects being straight copies and some completely different, but that will be after I've dealt with Invocations.

    Fluff will be added to the mechanics as my muse or peoples suggestions strike me.

    Any PEACHes would be appreciated.
    Might have to consider a different name than "invocations" since that name is already taken by the system used by the Warlock.
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  4. - Top - End - #304
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Remind me to see how meshing Evocation with Spellshaping works. =V

  5. - Top - End - #305
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Alright, so I was inspired by kestrel404 and decided to try my own spin on this concept. Thus, the Scrolls of Electricity. It's my first Homebrew ever so it's probably super crappy, so you should give it some crit! :3
    Last edited by caledscratcher; 2013-03-02 at 10:21 PM.

  6. - Top - End - #306
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    @Serafina, weren't there more prestige classes?
    Homebrew:

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  7. - Top - End - #307
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Ugggghhhhh. Not dead. I keep saying it, but at some point a bunch of flesh is just going to peel off my face and the jig will be up. Not a huge update, but should be some more stuff coming on an actual reasonable timetable soon. For now though, show of hands - who likes blowing stuff up?

    • Demolitions Blast Foundation added! Is it collateral damage if you're trying to level a city block? Does it matter?
    • Flare Blast Foundation added! Because... wait... wait, Lux, get out of here, shoo, you have your own game to mess around in!
    • Bomb Blast Shape added! Carpeting an area with boom, now complete with ominous ticking noises.
    • Imbue Blast Shape added! Giving up some of Assault's action economy for flexibility, Imbue offers some new options to evokers with an AoO focus or magical girls who want to dabble in the Sublime Way.
    Lovely Rita Mordio avatar by Zefir! Thank you!

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  8. - Top - End - #308
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    Flare Blast Foundation added! Because... wait... wait, Lux, get out of here, shoo, you have your own game to mess around in!
    I was imagining this sadly enough.

  9. - Top - End - #309
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    A question on the Imbue: would it be OP to make it Immediate instead of Swift? (better synergy with AoO, I suppose... Also, I'm a bit insufficiently knowledgeable on the question of swifts in general; I suppose you can't Swift and Full Attack on the same turn, right? What about Immediate and FA the following turn? Not that it would matter, since the Imbueing would dissipate before you can turn make use of it anyway... I guess the only real benefit from it being Immediate would be, Surge, than Imbue to AoO).
    Love the Bomb, just the thing a tactical-minded Stargazer needs to sculpt the battlefield.
    Flare sets up nice multi-character combos, a very fitting thing for the genre. Ruling question, though - how do mutiple Flares stack? Since the initial attack doesn't deal damage, per se, I assume that the second Flare doesn't trigger the release; so, do the target. contains double dose of luminous energy until something else hits it, and then bursts epically with the force of all three attacks combined? (Also, would be a nice thing to make it so that the attack triggering the Release and the Flare damage counts as a single attack for overcoming DR)Oh, and as for Demolitions... "- Even if you found my position, no way you'll get here in time through the entire ship! - No, but I'm not going to. Raising Heart, Breaker Three! DIVINE BUSTER!"
    Tome of Radiance, a Magical Girl sourcebook for 3.5/PF.

    "Jamie" is fine. TH is mostly there to make sure the name would be free on any forum I'd want to register :-)

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  10. - Top - End - #310
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by jamieth View Post
    A question on the Imbue: would it be OP to make it Immediate instead of Swift? (better synergy with AoO, I suppose... Also, I'm a bit insufficiently knowledgeable on the question of swifts in general; I suppose you can't Swift and Full Attack on the same turn, right? What about Immediate and FA the following turn? Not that it would matter, since the Imbueing would dissipate before you can turn make use of it anyway... I guess the only real benefit from it being Immediate would be, Surge, than Imbue to AoO).
    Actually, you can Swift + Full Attack. Full-round actions are misleadingly named - they're really just a combined Move and Standard action, when your compliment of actions each turn is really Standard, Move, Swift. An Immediate action consumes the Swift action of your next turn. I considered making Imbue immediate, but ultimately went with Swift, largely to mirror the Boosts of martial adepts and make the decision between Assault and Imbue a bit more of a tradeoff.

    Quote Originally Posted by jamieth View Post
    Flare sets up nice multi-character combos, a very fitting thing for the genre. Ruling question, though - how do mutiple Flares stack? Since the initial attack doesn't deal damage, per se, I assume that the second Flare doesn't trigger the release; so, do the target. contains double dose of luminous energy until something else hits it, and then bursts epically with the force of all three attacks combined? (Also, would be a nice thing to make it so that the attack triggering the Release and the Flare damage counts as a single attack for overcoming DR)
    This is correct - it is explicitly stated that multiple application of latent Flare damage stack, and all the damage will rush in as a single massive dose when the target takes actual damage. It's good for setting up team attacks as you say - but it also gives a rather potent mid-combat bargaining chip! Enemies are likely going to be less keen to keep fighting once they realize they'll explode violently if they so much as prick their finger.

    Oh, also:

    • Beams can now be widened, with sufficient ranks in the component!
    Lovely Rita Mordio avatar by Zefir! Thank you!

    Homebrew:

  11. - Top - End - #311
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Oh, pretty new things. And one of my own for you too actually. Finished this a while back actually, but formatting it for posting took quite a bit longer than I expected - and I kinda wanted to wait until you posted something before I fired another PrC at you. Now however

    Immortal

    "You have chosen to stand against me in this. You have chosen poorly. You will open the gates of Hell itself, and I will not yield. You will bloat the sun with arrows and black magic, and I will not bend. You will bring to me all the sovereigns of the heavens and the earth, and I will not bow.

    They believe in me. And for them, I will never stop."

    - Of the Doom of Tyrants by Immortal Jaenasia

    Very few choose to walk the path of the Immortal. Not out of disinterest or lack of desire, but for it is difficult and demanding. The Immortal walks an ascetic path, devoting herself completely and utterly to a single cause. Her heart is cleansed of impurity and vice, dedicated wholly to the people who have put their trust in her.

    There is no greater friend, no greater companion and no greater ally than one who walks the path of the Immortal. They are so known not due to their inability to meet a natural death, but due to their truly staggering resilience and the legacy which they inevitability leave behind. They act as inspiration to those who doubt, their body an aegis that defies what others consider impossible, breaking all assaults upon it as if mere inconveniences.

    No matter how difficulty or inconvenient this goal of hers might become, an Immortal never surrenders their purpose. It is from this wellspring of belief, faith and determination that the great and amazing power others have called 'the immortal stance' originates.

    She is a believer amongst believers. Her loyalty beyond reproach. Her will withstanding all comers.

    Pity the darkness for the futility of its war against the Light.

    Requirements
    To become an Immortal, you must fulfil the following criteria:
    Alignment: Any Lawful
    Skills: Concentration 9 ranks
    Feats: Diehard
    Special: Evoker Level 6

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    Another level seven entry class here, but it really fits to a lot of these. And yes, there's an alignment restriction.


    Class Skill List: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge [Local] (Int), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis) Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magical Device (Cha)

    Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.

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    Champion skills, 'nuff said.


    Immortal
    Hit Dice: d12
    Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Illuminations AC Bonus
    1st
    +1
    +2
    +0
    +2
    Enhanced Weaving, Unbreakable
    +2
    2nd
    +2
    +3
    +0
    +3
    I Will Not Yield
    +1 level of existing class
    +2
    3rd
    +3
    +3
    +1
    +3
    Never Falter
    +1 level of existing class
    +3
    4th
    +4
    +4
    +1
    +4
    I Will Not Bow
    +3
    5th
    +5
    +4
    +1
    +4
    +1 level of existing class
    +4
    6th
    +6
    +5
    +2
    +5
    +1 level of existing class
    +4
    7th
    +7
    +5
    +2
    +5
    I Will Not Bend
    +5
    8th
    +8
    +6
    +2
    +6
    +1 level of existing class
    +5
    9th
    +9
    +6
    +3
    +6
    +1 level of existing class
    +6
    10th
    +10
    +7
    +3
    +7
    Immortal
    +6

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    Lower EL progression, two good saves, full BAB, d12 HD. Oh, and an AC Bonus. A reasonably strong chassis, but it loses a lot in the way of reduced Illumination power and doesn't have as many class powers as most of my other PrCs. The relative strength of those powers, however.


    Illuminations: An Immortal’s power flows in strange ways, pouring through heart and mind and flesh and changing them all in ways that none – not even themself – can truly comprehend. But this power limits them in other ways. An Immortal continues to progress access to Illuminations from their Evoking Class, as well as their Evoker Level, as shown. If they have more than one Evoking Class, then they must choose one of them when they takes their first level in Immortal. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.

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    As per normal. Look at table, work out EL.


    AC Bonus: An Immortal gains the listed bonus to AC at level 1, increasing by one every two levels to a maximum of +6 at level 9. This AC bonus is only valid when the Immortal is either unarmoured or in their Costume.

    Enhanced Weaving (Ex): An Immortal remains fully capable of weaving their Light into protective shells as she could before awakening her heritage. And the primordial, impossible strength that flows from that heritage grants her great power.

    An Immortal gains additional costume elements as if her levels in Immortal were levels in her previous evoking class or Empath, whichever is more advantageous.

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    Not much really to be said here.


    Unbreakable (Su): Immortals are many things, but they are among a precious few evokers that can be said to be truly and utterly unbreakable by that which the world heaps upon them. This power manifests in many ways, but this is one the most iconic.

    At 1st level, an Immortal gains a special costume effect that is always active and gained in addition to all others. Furthermore, she automatically has (class level) motes invested into it, without lowering her mote pool and bypassing normal investment limits.

    Effect: The Immortal gains DR 1/-, as well as 25% fortification, giving her a chance to negate any sneak attack or critical hit and force damage to be rolled normally.

    Essence Boost: For every 2m invested into this effect, increase the granted DR by 1. If the evoker has 8 motes or more invested into this effect, she gains Evasion. If another class would grant her evasion, this effect improves to Improved Evasion. If 16 motes or more are invested, she gains Mettle.

    Cartridge Boost: When a Cartridge is expended to fuel this effect, the Immortal is wreathed in a great mantle of furious light that shields her from harm. She gains the effect of the Starmantle spell (BoED), for rounds equal to her (Evoker Stat Modifier).

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    Unbreakable from Light's Artist. Fits so bad it hurts.


    I Will Not Yield (Ex): The vitality of an Immortal is a wonder to behold. Where others flicker and gutter against the choking darkness, they merely expand and blaze forth more violently under the pressure. Pain does not slow them down. And the deadliest of magics cannot touch their diamond soul. For all purpose, in this more than anything else, they live up to their chosen name. They simply do not surrender to their coming death quietly. From this resolute denial, the frailties of human flesh shed off them as if falling petals.

    Whenever an Immortal is called to make a fortitude saving throw, they may roll it twice and pick the best result. In the event that they nonetheless fail, they may elect once per day to treat their failure as a natural 20. Should they succeed on their fortitude saving throw, the blinding radiance within explodes forth into an invigorating blast, light streaming from their wounds as they heal 1d6 points of damage per class level.

    At level seven, Immortals become immune to penalties that may accrue due to pain and blood loss. They also do not fall unconscious when they reach negative hit points and may continue to act until their death unimpeded.

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    And here is the first of the three class features that make Immortals live up to their name. Powerful, but not overwhelmingly so - in that a competent GM can - at this point - capitalise on their low reflex save and the fact that they don't get an effective block on that for another six levels.


    Never Falter: An Immortal stands in the face of all that attempts to lay them low. Against fire and flood, storm and avalanche, they will hold and never, ever, falter in their conviction. Even as blows rain down on them, they endure. Even as deadly magic ravages them, they will not fall. And even bleeding, shattered and broken, the Light within them endures – and with it so too their bodies.

    The Immortal gains the Toughness feat and universal energy resistance 10 and no longer dies at -10 hp, instead requiring a negative hitpoint value equal to her Constitution score times one third her class level (maximum 3 at level 9) to be rendered dead. At level five, her universal energy resistance increases to 20.

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    Oh please, try to kill me. Amusingly enough, this is partially a balancing mechanism due to their capstone.


    I Will Not Bow (Ex): Those without resolve could never hope to awaken the power of the Immortal within them. To be an Immortal is to be a creature of exceptional willpower and conviction. Those who attempt to subvert or fool an Immortal often find themselves reeling against the breathtaking mental fortress that is their heart and mind and their piercing awareness. In this regard, the nature of the Immortal is only barely short of inviolate.

    Whenever an Immortal is called to make a will saving throw, they may roll it twice and pick the best result. In the event that they nonetheless fail, they may elect once per day to treat their failure as if they instead had rolled a natural 20. Should they succeed on their will saving throw, their opponent must make a will saving throw at a DC of (10+1/2HD+Evoker Main Attribute) or be dazed for one round.

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    The fluff here explains in part as to why you don't get non-lawful Immortals, and also gives a rather nasty trick that you can pull on hostile enchanters.


    I Will Not Bend (Ex): The body of an Immortal is honed like no other, their Light gifting them with endurance beyond any of their sisters. Blows that would send them sprawling, they simply shrug aside. Blasts of power that would lift them bodily from their feet find them as to a rock within a stream, immovable and seemingly untouchable by raw power. And as a rock in a stream, an Immortal’s body opens a wake in the blasts of magic, shielding their allies from harm with an aegis formed of their blessed flesh and blood.

    Whenever an Immortal is called to make a reflex saving throw, they may roll it twice and pick the best result. In the event that they nonetheless fail, they may elect once per day to treat their failure as if they instead had rolled a natural 20. Should they succeed on their reflex saving throw, they may choose to exclude their square and an additional (class level/3) squares directly behind her from the effect that prompted the saving throw.

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    Not going to lie, I loved writing this one. It literally allows you to turn your character into a shield for the squishies in the party, which is something that D&D lacks on this sort of level.


    Immortal (Su): At long last, the full promise of this ascetic path blossom before the Immortal. In their heart, they know they are ready for the time they will be called to perish for their cause. When that time comes, they slump down to one knee no matter what kind of damage or effect should have murdered them... and then they simply refuse to acknowledge death. The shadow of the inevitable recoils in horror and spite as the Immortal is surrounded by a pure white aura of burning light hotter than the sun itself. Anyone adjacent to the Immortal takes 10d6 points of untyped damage. As the blinding display dies down, the Immortal stands back up and with a defiant glare, speaks the words: "There remains one task. I apologize; I have broken my word and have knelt. It shall not happen twice." and with these words, despite their grievous wounds, they rejoin the battle.

    In effect, the Immortal is completely and perfectly healed. All HP is returned, all negative conditions are cancelled, lost limbs are returned immediately, any drain effect or ability damage is cured and their mote pool is immediately refreshed. This miracle only applies to any negative effects which have been applied during the current encounter. They may also act immediately while retaining their previous initiative count. They gain a +4 perfection bonus to all rolls for the duration of the encounter. Similarly, they are considered immune to all death effects for the duration of the encounter.

    Lastly, they do not need to confirm for critical hits against the one who has murdered them and may ignore any concealment, Damage Reduction and immunities that may prevent them from inflicting damage upon that foe. This does not apply to effects which do not directly cause hit points damage. Furthermore, attacks by the Immortal against said foe cannot be healed magically for the next 24 hours and bypass both Regeneration and Fast Healing.

    This ability may only be activated once per encounter, and only when the Immortal would be reduced to negative hitpoints sufficient to render her dead. At the end of the encounter, the Immortal must make a DC 20 Constitution check. If they succeed, they endure with a single HP. If they fail, they simply die.

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    And...yeah. Hi. This is the capstone. Due to the nature of Never Falter and I Will Not Yield, this is actually a rather difficult power to invoke, but it's also one that you likely won't want to invoke all that often considering the consequences if you fail your ability check. Those of you who have played Exalted might recognise the thematics of a particular Malfeas charm in this. Yes, that is what it is written to mimic.
    Last edited by Snowfire; 2014-04-02 at 01:16 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by QuintonBeck View Post
    Many thanks to Snowfire for collating all these. He's a madman, but he's a helpful madman.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mynxae View Post
    Damn you Snowfire. I cried.
    Quote Originally Posted by Falcon777 View Post
    T_T I swear, you just made me cry.
    Quote Originally Posted by Qwertystop View Post
    Well, here's another for your sig, Snowfire.

    <struck dumb>

  12. - Top - End - #312
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

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    DRIVEN BEYOND DEATH


    Ahem.

    Two details.

    Enhanced Weaving references the Child of Light. Immortal (the capstone) references a "Constitution test" at the end. The proper terminology for 3.5E is "Constitution check".
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    Homebrewing

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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    A third detail: effect of the Unbreakable costume references Artist
    Tome of Radiance, a Magical Girl sourcebook for 3.5/PF.

    "Jamie" is fine. TH is mostly there to make sure the name would be free on any forum I'd want to register :-)

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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by Draken View Post
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    DRIVEN BEYOND DEATH


    Ahem.

    Two details.

    Enhanced Weaving references the Child of Light. Immortal (the capstone) references a "Constitution test" at the end. The proper terminology for 3.5E is "Constitution check".
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    Why yes, that would be correct.


    Both are now fixed. Many thanks.

    Quote Originally Posted by jamieth View Post
    A third detail: effect of the Unbreakable costume references Artist
    And so is this. Thank you.
    Quote Originally Posted by QuintonBeck View Post
    Many thanks to Snowfire for collating all these. He's a madman, but he's a helpful madman.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mynxae View Post
    Damn you Snowfire. I cried.
    Quote Originally Posted by Falcon777 View Post
    T_T I swear, you just made me cry.
    Quote Originally Posted by Qwertystop View Post
    Well, here's another for your sig, Snowfire.

    <struck dumb>

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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Beam and Cascade blast shapes are missing the [shape] tag that all other shapes seem to have.

    May I suggest altering Cascade slightly? At present, it has an ugly exception of being usable with 0 ranks. Instead, have the first rank cost 0 motes, and just remove the extra +1 from everywhere that uses its ranks (number of targets). This also lets you list it up top above the 1m shapes so that the true 0m base cost is visible and obvious for low level evokers.
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    Cascade [Champion, Empath, Stargazer]
    [Mote Cost: 0m + 3m/rank beyond the first]
    A single blast of power is the calling card of many magical girls. Brutal, overpowering... and incredibly inelegant. For situations calling for a measured hand and precise aim, it is common for magical girls to configure a barrage of lesser blasts, annihilating enemy forces with the precision of a laser blade. The illumination targets up to one creature per rank in the Cascade component within a 60' base range with a ranged touch attack. The evoker makes only a single attack roll, comparing it to the touch AC of each of her targets.


    For Bomb, how do the explosions actually result? Bursts are normally centered on a corner of a space, but the bombs themselves are fully inside a space. Additionally, since each explosion seems to function separately, this appears to be an excessive damage multiplier. Against a creature moving in only 2 dimensions, it takes only 8 bomb bundles (4 for large and larger creatures), less if it's up against a wall or in a narrow corridor, ensuring that the damage is taken at least once, or multiple times if it doesn't take a move action (potentially provoking an AoO and certainly preventing a full attack) to move away and not take the hit of multiple explosions when they detonate.

    On a related note, I am reminded of those dastardly caltrops catapult shots in Act 5 of Diablo 2. Lovely.
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    Oh, also:

    • Beams can now be widened, with sufficient ranks in the component!
    MARRY ME
    Uh.
    Ahem.
    Yay.

    Quote Originally Posted by Draken View Post
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    DRIVEN BEYOND DEATH


    Ahem.

    Two details.

    Enhanced Weaving references the Child of Light. Immortal (the capstone) references a "Constitution test" at the end. The proper terminology for 3.5E is "Constitution check".
    Oh lol it is as well.

    Looks fine to me.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    It's like the feng shui version of an orbital death laser.

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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Valkyrie


    "I can think of about a dozen ways to crush you right now - since I'm such a nice gal, I'm gonna let you pick."
    -Olivia, a Valkyrie

    When the Temple of Nine Swords fell to the hordes of darkness on that fateful night so long ago, many would claim that the golden age of the Sublime Way had come to an end, the secrets of the swords lost in the chaos and confusion. To some extent, this was undoubtedly true, and none since have managed to unify the disciplines in the same manner as the wise and mighty Reshar. Yet, in the scattered nooks and crannies of the world, masters and students still train in the old ways, and more warriors study the secrets of perfection than ever before.

    With this newfound ubiquity, it was inevitable that one of the many dojos of the Sublime Way would eventually find a student blessed with the inner radiance of a magical girl. None can say who, precisely, was the first to walk the path of the valkyrie, turning the same techniques used to achieve mastery of the Way upon her own inner radiance - all that is known is that, with time, their teachings spread to all corners of the world. Through patience, discipline, and a peerless understanding of the nuances of their power, a valkyrie wields the light as a weapon to match any of the Nine Swords.

    Requirements
    To become a valkyrie, you must fulfill the following criteria.
    Base Attack Bonus: +5
    Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Martial Lore 5 ranks
    Feats: Weapon Focus (Device)
    Illuminations: Must know at least one illumination with a mote cost of at least 2m
    Martial Maneuvers: Must know at least two martial maneuvers, including one strike, one of which must be of at least 2nd level

    Spoiler
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    Valkyrie is a theurge class - which translates into relatively strict prerequisites. The easiest entry by far lies in a build of Champion 2/Crusader 2, and a 5th level in any class with full BAB and concentration as a class skill. That said, if you are willing to enter at a slightly later level, it is still fully possible to take the full 10 levels in this PrC with any combination of ToR and ToB classes - a Swordsage/Empath offers peerless martial versitility, while a Warblade/Stargazer presents a strong option for magical girl warriors focusing on intelligence.

    While feat-intensive, it is even possible to enter the class without taking any proper ToB class levels at all - the alternative recharge method offered by Illuminant Adept does much to mitigate the usual weakness of such builds.


    Class Skill List: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge [History] (Int), Knowledge [Local] (Int), Knowledge [Religion] (Int), Martial Lore (Int), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magical Device (Cha)
    Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

    Spoiler
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    A melding of the Champion and Crusader skill lists, simple enough. The path of a valkyrie is a rigorous one, and leaves its students with training in a much broader field than its component parts alone could offer.


    Valkyrie
    Hit Dice: d10

    Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Illuminations
    1st +1 +2 +0 +2 Illuminant Adept ---
    2nd +2 +3 +0 +3 +1 level of existing class
    3rd +3 +3 +1 +3 Martial Evoker +1 level of existing class
    4th +4 +4 +1 +4 +1 level of existing class
    5th +5 +4 +1 +4 Extra Imbuement ---
    6th +6 +5 +2 +5 +1 level of existing class
    7th +7 +5 +2 +5 Warrior of Light +1 level of existing class
    8th +8 +6 +2 +6 +1 level of existing class
    9th +9 +6 +3 +6 Faultless Zenith Stance ---
    10th +10 +7 +3 +7 Eternal Blaze +1 level of existing class

    Level Maneuvers Known Maneuvers Readied Stances Known
    1st 1 0 0
    2nd 0 0 0
    3rd 1 1 0
    4th 0 0 0
    5th 1 0 1
    6th 0 1 0
    7th 1 0 0
    8th 0 0 0
    9th 1 1 0
    10th 0 0 0

    Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A valkyrie is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields (but not tower shields).

    Spoiler
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    A powerful chassis offers full BAB, d10 HD, and two good saves, along with 7/10 Illumination progression and standard Initiator PrC progression. Like most theurge classes, the dual progression is the key feature of the class, and while a valkyrie will never match her single-progression counterparts in luminosity or martial prowess, she is fully capable of holding her own in either.

    And while most valkyries will likely already posses full proficiencies upon class entry, the champion proficiency line will serve as a small treat for those that managed to go without.


    Illuminations: At each indicated level, a valkyrie gains an increase in evoker level, illuminations known, illuminations readied, innate illuminations, and personas known as if they had gained a level in an illumination-using class to which they belonged before adding the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If she had more than one illumination-using class before becoming a valkyrie, she must decide to which class to add each level for the aforementioned purposes.

    Radiant Armaments: At 5th level, the valkyrie increases her Imbuement limit by one.

    Spoiler
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    All the core elements of an evoker class are present, though at slightly less than full force. Ultimately, an evoker loses three evoker levels in taking the PrC to completion, and Empaths and Champions lose a single costume element as well.


    Maneuvers: At 1st level, the valkyrie selects three martial disciplines to form the core of her fighting style. Once made, this decision can never be altered.

    At each odd-numbered level, the valkyrie gains a new maneuver known from one of her chosen disciplines. She must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to learn it. A valkyrie may add her full class level to her initiator level to determine her total initiator level and her highest-level maneuvers known.

    At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, a valkyrie gains an additional readied maneuver.

    Stances Known: At 5th level, the valkyrie learns a new stance from one of her chosen disciplines. She must meet a stance’s prerequisites to learn it.

    Spoiler
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    Fitting with the high level of customization available to magical girls, a valkyrie may select any three disciplines from which to draw her powers. A champion aiming to lead and protect from the front might focus on the Devoted Spirit and White Raven disciplines, while one preferring a more nuanced approach might seek mastery of Diamond Mind or Shadow Hand.


    Illuminant Adept (Su): As a student of both her inner light and the splendor of the Sublime Way, a valkyrie can do battle with a grace and precision few mundane warriors could ever hope to match. With practice, her maneuvers come to flow through her with the same ease as the illuminations that infuse her soul. As a free action, no more than once per round, the valkyrie may recover a single martial maneuver by expending motes equal to twice the level of that maneuver. She may only use this technique to recover maneuvers of a level is no greater than her class level. This ability does not allow the valkyrie to ready new maneuvers – merely to recover expended ones.

    Spoiler
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    Of all the valkyrie's abilities, this is arguably the most important in cementing their role as a powerful and flexible melee combatant. In essence, your maneuvers now function much like illuminations, ensuring you're never caught with your most vital tools expended and useless. Though a swordsage valkyrie has a bumpy road to class entry, the advantage offered by their expansive Maneuvers Known and Readied selection still arguably places them among the best candidates for the job!


    Martial Evoker (Su): A true warrior must learn proficiency with all the weapons at their disposal. While there is a time and a place for elegant mysticism, a valkyrie is a warrior first and foremost. Beginning at 3rd level, whenever the valkyrie uses a Blast illumination, she may treat it as if it possessed either the Imbue blast shape or the Assault blast shape. This replaces any effects the blast’s previous shape might have imparted, but does not alter the illumination’s final cost in any way.

    Spoiler
    Show
    No magical girl ever has quite enough Readied slots to prepare all the illuminations she'd like to bring to a fight, and with a reduced EL, that issue is only exacerbated. Martial Evoker eases things significantly by eliminating the demand for multiple permutations of the Imbue and Assault illuminations that make up a valkyrie's bread and butter, freeing up those precious slots for more interesting fare.


    Warrior of Light (Su): Many magical girls would hold to the claim that light is their weapon, but for a valkyrie, this statement is true in a very literal sense. Eschewing the crude physical constructs most evokers require to channel their power, a valkyrie of 7th level or higher is capable of manifesting arms and armor of pure radiant energy. A costume manifested from radiant energy allows the valkyrie to add its armor bonus to her Touch AC, as well as her normal AC. A device manifested from radiant energy deals untyped energy damage, rather than physical damage. Any additional damage imparted by martial maneuvers executed while wielding a radiant device may likewise be converted to untyped energy damage. A valkyrie chooses whether to deploy her armaments in their physical or radiant form each time she manifests them.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Touch attacks are the bane of many armored characters, and a defense against them in any capacity is always welcome. The boost to weapons is arguably less vital, but the ability to bite through DR on a whim is quite useful... and a justification to make lightsaber noises at the rest of the table is something that can't be priced.


    Faultless Zenith Stance (Su): At 9th level, a valkyrie masters one of the most difficult and fundamental links between the paths of initiator and evoker, mastering their personal flow of light as an extension of their own body. As a swift action, the valkyrie may exit any stance she is currently occupying to enter the Faultless Zenith stance. As part of this action, the valkyrie selects a single surge illumination she knows (though it does not need to be readied). So long as she remains in the Faultless Zenith stance, the valkyrie gains the full effect of the chosen surge, and her mote pool is reduced by a value equal to the mote cost of the chosen surge. The valkyrie may end this stance at any time as a swift action, or she may simply switch to a different stance – either way, upon exiting the Faultless Zenith stance, her reduced mote pool will refresh to its normal value at the beginning of her next turn.

    Spoiler
    Show
    In effect, every surge you know is now a stance. While the price to maintain such a powerful stance is undoubtedly steep, being able to 'lock in' your favorite surges gives an enormous edge in the action economy, freeing up your precious Swift actions for boosts, counters, and management of costume imbuements.


    Eternal Blaze (Su): At 10th level, a valkyrie’s melding of blade and brilliance is, at long last, truly seamless. A barrage of light is no greater a challenge than a graceful dance of blows, and she gives no more thought to her simple illuminations than a veteran soldier gives to the practiced strokes of their weapon. Once per round, the valkyrie may evoke a blast illumination with the Imbue shape component as a free action.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Never again watch an Imbued attack fizzle and fade - the class capstone offers peerless reliability to your martial blasting, allowing you to apply the blast you need when and where you need it, without ever having to worry about wasting the charge on a miss or expending an action.


    Sample Valkyrie
    Olivia the Indominable: Crusader 3/Champion 2/Valkyrie 7
    CR 12 Humanoid (Halfling), Chaotic Good
    Last edited by Selinia; 2014-04-22 at 01:18 AM.
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  18. - Top - End - #318
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Shouldn't the requirement be 8 ranks in Concentration, not 9? You mention entering after 5 class levels.

    If you can stomach the delayed entry due to lost BAB (perhaps by taking other PrCs immediately at level 6 and then taking Valkyrie later on), a single level of Stargazer for Complex Formula meets the evoking requirements, rather than needing two levels of any other class. Is this intentional?

    With the standard ToB disciplines, entry is impossible until after level 6 as there are no 2nd level stances to take, thus requiring a 3rd level stance instead. I'd suggest changing it to a 2nd level maneuver instead, thus also not impeding a Warblade entry more so than other ToB classes and being more consistent with other ToB PrCs.

    Other than the issues with the entry, the Valkyrie class looks pretty darn good.
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  19. - Top - End - #319
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by Snowfire View Post
    [CENTER]Immortal

    ~Snip~
    This is a very interesting class in concept, but a few things do jump out at me with regards to it.

    First and foremost, it is a frighteningly good dip for any sort of melee-oriented evoker. A champion taking a level in this loses nothing more than a single evoker level (something Practiced Evoker is capable of fixing if it is of great concern), an in exchange gains a significant boost to Will and Fort, a typeless AC pump, a free and always-active upgraded version of an existing costume element, and free rerolls on every fort save you will ever make. Rerolls are strong on their own, and here they come as one component of a very strong framework. You mention a weak reflex balancing that out, but Champion (again, the most obvious entry point), is a Good-reflex class, and the high Max Dex Bonus on costumes make a solid dexterity score advantageous for many evokers. Barring a very brick-like build, reflex will be middling at worst.

    Compounding this is that you have essentially no prerequisites - literally any chump evoker can just walk in and take 1st level with no effort on her part whatsoever. Given the thematics of the class, at bare minimum I'd require Concentration ranks, Diehard, and possibly the evoker's choice of a feat from the Iron Will/Great Fortitude/Lightning Reflexes set.

    I also find the Lawful pre-req rather distasteful, particularly given how well the unbreakable, unstoppable warrior archetype fits with the most popular examples of chaos. File off the serial numbers, and I'd call this class a sterling example of everything that a Barbarian stands for - brawn, toughness, and a refusal to be bowed by any force. While the fluff says 'ascetic', the class itself is fun and flexible and there isn't really any reason to bar entry if someone wants to bar entry to someone who wants to play it more in accordance with their own story. The valkyrie, as-written, emphasizes the discipline needed to meld their differing paths together, but nothing mechanically requires the player to do that if they don't feel like it.

    Honestly though, that is just a fluff quibble, as I'd hope most DMs would just waive alignment requirements as the silliness they are. My main issue is that monster of a 1st level - if you just moved some of that stuff deeper into the class and put some modest prequisites on entry, it'd be much less of a "Why not?" selection and more a choice for those wishing to dedicate themselves to being truly durable.

    Quote Originally Posted by Garryl View Post
    Beam and Cascade blast shapes are missing the [shape] tag that all other shapes seem to have.
    ...eeehehehe, actually, those two are the ones in the right here. The [Shape] tags are a relic from the previous Illumination crafting system, before Shape Components were their own category.

    Quote Originally Posted by Garryl View Post
    May I suggest altering Cascade slightly? At present, it has an ugly exception of being usable with 0 ranks. Instead, have the first rank cost 0 motes, and just remove the extra +1 from everywhere that uses its ranks (number of targets). This also lets you list it up top above the 1m shapes so that the true 0m base cost is visible and obvious for low level evokers.
    Spoiler
    Show

    Cascade [Champion, Empath, Stargazer]
    [Mote Cost: 0m + 3m/rank beyond the first]
    A single blast of power is the calling card of many magical girls. Brutal, overpowering... and incredibly inelegant. For situations calling for a measured hand and precise aim, it is common for magical girls to configure a barrage of lesser blasts, annihilating enemy forces with the precision of a laser blade. The illumination targets up to one creature per rank in the Cascade component within a 60' base range with a ranged touch attack. The evoker makes only a single attack roll, comparing it to the touch AC of each of her targets.
    That is a much more elegant wording. Adopted, and many thanks.

    Quote Originally Posted by Garryl View Post
    For Bomb, how do the explosions actually result? Bursts are normally centered on a corner of a space, but the bombs themselves are fully inside a space. Additionally, since each explosion seems to function separately, this appears to be an excessive damage multiplier. Against a creature moving in only 2 dimensions, it takes only 8 bomb bundles (4 for large and larger creatures), less if it's up against a wall or in a narrow corridor, ensuring that the damage is taken at least once, or multiple times if it doesn't take a move action (potentially provoking an AoO and certainly preventing a full attack) to move away and not take the hit of multiple explosions when they detonate.

    On a related note, I am reminded of those dastardly caltrops catapult shots in Act 5 of Diablo 2. Lovely.
    That is a bit of an oversight, I admit. Bombs have been tweaked to clarify the lack of multiplying damage. However, creatures surrounded by explosions do now face a much more difficult saving throw (bordering on impossible if they are completely surrounded), preserving the choice of "Stay still and eat the explosions, or run for it and handle a much more manageable blast?".

    Quote Originally Posted by Garryl View Post
    Shouldn't the requirement be 8 ranks in Concentration, not 9? You mention entering after 5 class levels.

    If you can stomach the delayed entry due to lost BAB (perhaps by taking other PrCs immediately at level 6 and then taking Valkyrie later on), a single level of Stargazer for Complex Formula meets the evoking requirements, rather than needing two levels of any other class. Is this intentional?

    With the standard ToB disciplines, entry is impossible until after level 6 as there are no 2nd level stances to take, thus requiring a 3rd level stance instead. I'd suggest changing it to a 2nd level maneuver instead, thus also not impeding a Warblade entry more so than other ToB classes and being more consistent with other ToB PrCs.

    Other than the issues with the entry, the Valkyrie class looks pretty darn good.
    Thanks for pointing these out - they were oversights, mostly, though the concentration ranks one was a legitimate typo.

    As for the Stargazer being able to sneak in with fewer levels on a late entry, yes, that is intentional. As much as the 'obvious' way in is Champion/Crusader, there are actually quite a few ways into the Valkyrie, and I like to think that most of them have their own merits. Fast-tracking your evoker pre-reqs with Stargazer will obviously result in weaker illumination capabilities by the end of your build, but it's a solid option if you're looking to focus as a martial adept who only dabbles in the channeling of light.
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  20. - Top - End - #320
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    That is a bit of an oversight, I admit. Bombs have been tweaked to clarify the lack of multiplying damage. However, creatures surrounded by explosions do now face a much more difficult saving throw (bordering on impossible if they are completely surrounded), preserving the choice of "Stay still and eat the explosions, or run for it and handle a much more manageable blast?".
    You can still eat multiplied blast damage by triggering multiple bundles separately (ex: move through multiple bundles, move into a bundles then sit next to others that detonate). A particularly nasty combo would be to lay down lots of bomb bundles adjacent to an opponent with the Tactics component, and then trigger them all by moving through them yourself (or asking one or more allies to do it for you).

    If you wanted, you could further restrict it to one time getting damaged, period, with something like this:
    Spoiler
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    "The first time a creature would be affected by a given evoking of a bomb illumination, it must make a Reflex saving throw. On a failure, it takes damage normally. On a success, it takes only half damage. Additional detonations within the same round from the same evoking of the illumination do not directly cause additional damage or effects. However, the energy of a bomb lingers for a moment. For every 2 points by which the subject succeeded on its saving throw, it is protected from the additional effects of one additional detonation. A creature that automatically succeeded on its saving throw (such as from rolling a natural 20) is instead protected from all additional detonations. If the creature would be affected by more detonations than this limit, the creature immediately takes the remaining damage that was prevented by its initial saving throw. This damage is not considered to be from the same source as the initial damage, so effects that reduce damage or otherwise mitigate the illumination's effects do not separately apply to this new damage. Only the parts that would have applied had the saving throw been failed in the first place affect the additional damage, and any changes to the creature's defensive abilities after the initial detonation do not affect the additional damage. For example, if an Animated Object with hardness 8 were to succeed by 3 on a saving throw for half damage of a 10 point bomb, it would take 5 damage initially, all of which is prevented by its hardness. If, later in the round, it was affected by 2 additional bomb detonations, it would immediately take the remaining 5 damage, of which only 3 (the remainder of its hardness from the initial damage) would be prevented. Any subsequent detonations would cause no additional harm to the Animated Object."

    ... but that's horrendously complex.

    Thanks for pointing these out - they were oversights, mostly, though the concentration ranks one was a legitimate typo.

    As for the Stargazer being able to sneak in with fewer levels on a late entry, yes, that is intentional. As much as the 'obvious' way in is Champion/Crusader, there are actually quite a few ways into the Valkyrie, and I like to think that most of them have their own merits. Fast-tracking your evoker pre-reqs with Stargazer will obviously result in weaker illumination capabilities by the end of your build, but it's a solid option if you're looking to focus as a martial adept who only dabbles in the channeling of light.
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  21. - Top - End - #321
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    This is a very interesting class in concept, but a few things do jump out at me with regards to it.

    First and foremost, it is a frighteningly good dip for any sort of melee-oriented evoker. A champion taking a level in this loses nothing more than a single evoker level (something Practiced Evoker is capable of fixing if it is of great concern), an in exchange gains a significant boost to Will and Fort, a typeless AC pump, a free and always-active upgraded version of an existing costume element, and free rerolls on every fort save you will ever make. Rerolls are strong on their own, and here they come as one component of a very strong framework. You mention a weak reflex balancing that out, but Champion (again, the most obvious entry point), is a Good-reflex class, and the high Max Dex Bonus on costumes make a solid dexterity score advantageous for many evokers. Barring a very brick-like build, reflex will be middling at worst.
    I have shifted I Will Not Yield to level 2.

    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    Compounding this is that you have essentially no prerequisites - literally any chump evoker can just walk in and take 1st level with no effort on her part whatsoever. Given the thematics of the class, at bare minimum I'd require Concentration ranks, Diehard, and possibly the evoker's choice of a feat from the Iron Will/Great Fortitude/Lightning Reflexes set.
    Barring, of course, the alignment restriction. I have added in Concentration ranks (8) as a pre-req in addition to Diehard (even though it basically becomes obselete when the Immortal hits level 7 and the secondary effect of I Will Not Yield kicks in.

    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    I also find the Lawful pre-req rather distasteful, particularly given how well the unbreakable, unstoppable warrior archetype fits with the most popular examples of chaos. File off the serial numbers, and I'd call this class a sterling example of everything that a Barbarian stands for - brawn, toughness, and a refusal to be bowed by any force. While the fluff says 'ascetic', the class itself is fun and flexible and there isn't really any reason to bar entry if someone wants to bar entry to someone who wants to play it more in accordance with their own story. The valkyrie, as-written, emphasizes the discipline needed to meld their differing paths together, but nothing mechanically requires the player to do that if they don't feel like it.

    Honestly though, that is just a fluff quibble, as I'd hope most DMs would just waive alignment requirements as the silliness they are.
    And here is where the same argument that I had with Lix comes in. Because, yes, file off the fluff and this becomes generic. But here's the thing. If you file off the fluff, you destroy the class as it has been written to be. It is really that simple.

    Prestige classes exist to be more complex to enter, to be something that it takes a degree of directional character building to reach. This is deliberate, and is one of the few things that makes them special compared to base classes. What you are saying above, regardless of how you have framed it, spits directly in the face of that ideal.

    Why do you think that 3.0 and 3.5 Faerun PrCs are sometimes hellishly restrictive in their ability to enter? And why, perhance, do you think people still take those incredibly restrictive classes? It's because that, at its core, the PrC system is designed to reward focus. It's designed to reward the playing of a character just as much as it rewards the building of the character on paper - quite possibly more so to the former. And this, here, is the thing that I'm trying to say.

    If a DM takes this class and decides to "waive alignment requirements as the silliness they are." then the class isn't an Immortal anymore. It's just a generic, incredibly-hard-to-kill beatstick. Sure, you can give it alternate fluff. But that does nothing to the statement that I have already made in that it is, at that point, no longer an Immortal in any sense of the term.

    An Immortal is not what they are because they are, themselves, powerful. They do not become what they are through a need for self-empowerment for the sake of self-empowerment. An Immortal, by their very nature, becomes powerful so that they can protect. A person, an ideal, a nation, a miniature giant space hamster, whatever. They become stronger through channeling their Light through that utter commitment to that ideal. And that sort of commitment is, by definition, Lawful.

    A lot of people look at Lawful and assume that they have to follow the rules of the land, or a lord, or an outside force or code. Lawful is none of those things. Lawful is the following of a creed, the commitment freely granted to a shield-sib or even one's own family. Those are all Lawful concepts. Because when it comes right down to it, the primary example that most give as a Chaotic Good character (well, that I've heard at least) - that being Robin Hood - is far more Lawful than Chaotic.

    And that is the same way that Immortals are always Lawful over Chaotic. If you want a nigh invincible warrior of Chaos, play a barbarian. Or make a ToR PrC that lets you do that, because the warriors of Chaos are innately aggressors. They aim to destroy those attacking themselves and those that they might protect. A Lawful character - at least in the matter of an Immortal - exists to protect those under their care, or the ideal that they've devoted themselves to or etc. etc. etc. You get the idea.

    Now here's the most important part. Can an Immortal be an aggressor? Yes, they can. But Immortals, in contrast to the idea of Barbarians, attack through defence. Barbarians in this system are charging death machines. Yes, they're very hard to kill, but the primary purpose of a barbarian in regards to what their class is able to do, is to kill the enemy. That of an Immortal...is very different.

    So I thank you kindly for your opinion, but I disagree absolutely and totally with it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    My main issue is that monster of a 1st level - if you just moved some of that stuff deeper into the class and put some modest prequisites on entry, it'd be much less of a "Why not?" selection and more a choice for those wishing to dedicate themselves to being truly durable.
    Which is a big part of why the alignment restriction existed. Also part of why I've taken some of your advice in regards to pre-reqs. But there's a bigger point here - and it's one that really needs to be addressed.

    You're making these assumptions from a character creation point of view. Now yes, that's fine and all. But when it comes right down to it, that's not what PrCs exist for. Hell, that's not what multi-classing exists for. Both of these things, interlinked as they might be, exist for the growth of the character that you have brought into being. And those choices are meant to fit the character over the player.

    The class and level of a character are part of them and - yes - do in some way define them. But there is so much more to it. And I know you know that Selinia.

    Regardless. I have fixed it as much as I feel ok with.
    Last edited by Snowfire; 2013-04-09 at 07:42 AM.
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    Many thanks to Snowfire for collating all these. He's a madman, but he's a helpful madman.
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    Damn you Snowfire. I cried.
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    T_T I swear, you just made me cry.
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    Well, here's another for your sig, Snowfire.

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  22. - Top - End - #322
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    What-Ho. The great and terrible blight has come to an end! The New Age of GitP is upon us, and may it last long and bring much prosperity! In celebration of this glorious rebirth, I'm happy to announce I've got another batch of stuff just about ready to... including... hm, that's, odd...

    ...

    It appears we are back, ladies and gentlemen! As stated, there is quite a metaphorical bundle in store for the next week or so. Updates of a unique flavor. The Light isn't all sunshine and rainbows, after all - however much some people would like you to believe otherwise, it is a terrible, terrible thing. What, after all, is more horrifying than the mortal heart?

    Maybe a few things. But that's what we are here for, isn't it?

    So kick back and relax - the Dire Radiance update is well underway.

    Ehehehe.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Selinia View Post
    The Light isn't all sunshine and rainbows ... What, after all, is more horrifying than the mortal heart?

    ...

    So kick back and relax - the Dire Radiance update is well underway.

    Ehehehe.
    THE LIGHT, IT BURNS!

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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Can't stop running, they never do.
    Can't hide, they find everything.
    Can't even cry, I need the water.
    The light has no mercy, it burns all opposition...
    Forgive me...
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    Instant subscription. I will be watching this thread with expectation.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sachiko-K View Post
    Instant subscription. I will be watching this thread with expectation.
    It's a good thread, but not much change to it.
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    Default Re: Tome of Radiance: Mastering the Power of Love and Justice

    Quote Originally Posted by kestrel404 View Post
    It's a good thread, but not much change to it.
    Well, just in case, I will keep it in my subscriptions. If only because that way I can access it quickly!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sachiko-K View Post
    Instant subscription. I will be watching this thread with expectation.
    Glad you're enjoying it! Also, welcome to the forum, if nobody's said it already.

    Quote Originally Posted by kestrel404 View Post
    It's a good thread, but not much change to it.
    I admit, my update schedule is rather sporadic. Classes keep me busy pretty constantly, but I do try to get work in on this when I can. Hopefully at some point things will clear enough that I can get a measure of consistancy, but for now, I just take openings where I can get them.

    Regardless! Changelog!
    • Added the Vile Blast Secondary Component! The seasons come and go, but the firelight of the Inferno stays lit through the ages. Brilliant at denying goody-two-shoes' the precious mercy their healing so relies upon. Or hey, turn it on some bad guys for the greater good - there's absolutely no way something so useful could ever corrupt your soul, right?
    • Added the Consumption Surge Foundation! Turns out that when you destabilize a shard of radiant power and slam it into someone's soul, it kind of messes them up. Something about 'too much of a good thing'. Who knew, right? The other side might trounce you today, but we'll see who's laughing when they're screaming their lungs out to a universe of withering, resplendent pain. It's you. You're the one laughing.
    • Added the Isolation Surge Foundation! You've heard of these things called 'friends'. You think maybe it is something you are supposed to eat? Whatever they are, they're not going to be helping the sorry soul you slam with this particular jinx.

    Just a few tidbits at the moment, but there's a bit more right down the line.
    Last edited by Selinia; 2013-05-01 at 02:26 AM.
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    I liiiike these new components >:D
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    Redeemer of Nine


    "So what do you say? Miracles and magic! Help those you love! Put wrongdoers somewhere they'll never escape! All you need to do is sign the contract, dear, and all this and more could be yours!"
    -An infernal contractor, to a prospective Redeemer of Nine

    For centuries uncounted, evokers have been in a thorn in the side of the accountants of Hell. Oh, sure, every now and then they could be useful, but as a whole the wielders of light tended to be too pristine to contaminate or too willful to entrust with the delicate mechanisms of corruption. Many devils saw simple extermination as the best answer to the evoker problem, while those with more stable dispositions merely sighed and prepared to write off their losses to infuriating redemption from the pure of heart, and obstinate competition from the wicked.

    But of late, clever devils have stumbled upon an alternate answer to the age-old dilemma - one that is as fiendish in its simplicity as it is in its origins. Rather than oppose magical girls in their goals, these canny counters of souls proposed that errant evokers simply be enticed into using their powers to more 'productive' ends. When they next appeared to the magical girls of the world, these fiends did so not with smoke and flame, but with a suit, a smile, and an all-too-reasonable proposal: Collect the souls of the already-damned, and be rewarded with miraculous powers with which to do good in the mortal world.

    The experiment was a rousing success. Those magical girls who accepted a contract hoping to redeem the powers of Hell itself soon found themselves among its fastest-growing and most profitable industries. Capable of snatching of wicked spirits that might otherwise have scattered across the less desirable planes of the cosmos, Redeemers of Nine tap valuable new sources of soulstuff, and they do it in a way that is extremely difficult for many of Hell's chronic problem-causers to intervene with a clear conscience. After all, they're only trying to help. Usually.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sidebar: Adapting the Redeemer of Nine
    While the default assumption is that a redeemer of nine works on behalf of the fiendish fellows in the nine hells, it is quite simple to modify it for any number of potential patrons. Simple decide on a prerequisite feat, an appropriate Knowledge skill to be able to seek out such a pact in the first place, an alignment axis your would-be patron has a keen interest in exterminating, and a pair of bonus feats to grant along the way. For an amusing twist with a primarily-evil party, consider inverting the class entirely - a sort of celestial faustian bargain in which a wicked evoker is granted boons by a holy force for showing mercy to those she defeats.
    Requirements
    To become a redeemer of nine, you must fulfill the following criteria.
    Skills: Knowledge [The Planes] 8 ranks
    Feats: Devil's Favor (Fiendish Codex II, p 81.)
    Illuminations: Must know at least one illumination with a mote cost of at least 5m

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    Entry isn't free, but it isn't exactly taxing either. Given that redeemers of nine, by definition, possess at least one pact with a devil of some description, you should definitely talk to your dungeon master about the nature of the arrangement. Remember that the Nine Hells are assumed to be actively recruiting potential redeemers, and that they tend to couch their offers in a more altruistic guise than those working to corrupt their charge directly.

    While some patrons will offer Faustian Pacts (Fiendish Codex II, p 23.), most are happy to offer a prospective redeemer of nine a much simpler, more benign pact - the pact yields no real reward for the redeemer, and asks nothing of her beyond a pledge to join the ranks of the redeemers when she feels she is ready. While they are victims of infernal manipulation as much as any other to sign a pact with a devil, redeemers of nine are tools, not merchandise unto themselves. Keeping them content and productive is viewed as more important than overseeing their personal damnation - though rest assured, any infernal patron would veritably giggle with glee if a redeemer in their service were to fall into law and evil as a natural outcome of the systematic executions encouraged by the nature of their powers.


    Class Skill List: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge [History] (Int), Knowledge [Local] (Int), Knowledge [Religion] (Int), Knowledge [The Planes] (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magical Device (Cha)
    Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

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    A redeemer of nine has quite the hearty skill list - those entering from Empath obviously won't be impressed, but for Champions and Stargazers, there's a fair few skills they might otherwise lack access to.


    Redeemer of Nine
    Hit Dice: d8

    Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Illuminations
    1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Soul Gem, Detect Tyranny, Miracle Worker (2 Domains) ---
    2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 +1 level of existing class
    3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 Brand of the Nine Hells +1 level of existing class
    4th +3 +1 +1 +4 +1 level of existing class
    5th +3 +1 +1 +4 Miracle Worker (3 Domains), Extra Imbuement ---
    6th +4 +2 +2 +5 +1 level of existing class
    7th +5 +2 +2 +5 Mark of the Master +1 level of existing class
    8th +6 +2 +2 +6 +1 level of existing class
    9th +6 +3 +3 +6 Miracle Worker (4 Domains) ---
    10th +7 +3 +3 +7 Agent of the Nine +1 level of existing class

    Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A redeemer of nine gains no proficiency with any weapons or armor.

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    Not the world's most exciting chassis. With 7/10 illumination progression, medium BAB, and only one good save, you're really here for one reason, and it isn't the numbers on that table. Stargazers might appreciate the higher BAB, but it isn't going to make them combat superstars any time soon.


    Illuminations: At each indicated level, a redeener of nine gains an increase in evoker level, illuminations known, illuminations readied, innate illuminations, and personas known as if they had gained a level in an illumination-using class to which they belonged before adding the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If she had more than one illumination-using class before becoming a redeemer of nine, she must decide to which class to add each level for the aforementioned purposes.

    Radiant Armaments: At 5th level, the redeemer of nine increases her Imbuement limit by one.

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    Standard, low-end evoker feature progression. Not much to say here.


    Soul Gem (Su): Upon entry into this class, the patrons of the redeemer of nine painlessly embed a small, brightly-colored gemstone into the skin somewhere on her body. Henceforth, the stone is effectively a part of her – it can only be removed with surgery, and will regenerate in 1d4 hours if it is taken from her in this manner. The soul gem of a redeemer of nine serves as a receptacle for the lives she takes in combat, compiling them neatly within its facets for later retrieval by the devils that crafted it.

    Whenever a lawful or evil creature or a creature with the Law or Evil subtype dies within [10 * class level] feet of the redeemer of nine, or whenever she strikes the killing blow against such a creature regardless of distance, she may make an opposed Will save against the deceased entity (which uses its will save at the time of its death, including any modifiers it might have accrued). If the redeemer of nine loses this opposed roll, there is no further effect. If her target loses the roll, however, she draws its soul into her soul gem for later use. For every hit die of the newly reaped creature, the redeemer of nine’s soul gem gains a single soul point. The redeemer of nine’s soul gem is capable of holding up to [class level * 5] soul points at any given time – any HD over this limit are lost, and the redeemer is incapable of harvesting souls with a full soul gem. However, devils are no strangers to mutilating soulstuff, and if a soul would be too large to fit within a soul gem’s remaining storage space, it will happily vacuum up enough of a portion to top itself off. Even creatures without proper souls, such as constructs or many forms of undead, can be harvested with this ability - their animating essence is less useful to a devil than a 'real' soul, but it is useful enough to pay for nonetheless.

    Due to its nature as a conduit, a soul gem has difficulty holding on to the individuals it consumes. As such, being harvested by this ability does not interfere with one’s ability to be raised from the dead – doing so simply yanks the harvested soul from wherever it has been sent. This resurrection-induced leakage is acknowledged and accounted for by the infernal clerks behind the operation, however, and mechanisms are in place to seamlessly reimburse a redeemer of nine’s soul gem of any soul points that might be filched from it without its bearer being any the wiser.

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    In a nutshell, the redeemer of nine runs on murder. She is potentially quite versatile and powerful, but if she doesn't regularly kill things and package their souls off to a comfy retirement amid eternal torment and hellfire, the class does very little for her. While redeemers don't have a formal code, you can bet that 'show no mercy' comes close, out of sheer pragmatism.


    Detect Tyranny (Sp): At will, a redeemer of nine can use detect evil or detect law, as the spells.

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    You don't go countless centuries being bombarded by evildar without figuring out how to replicate it. Being the considerate fellows they are, a redeemer's patrons are sure to kit her out so she can ruthlessly harvest the proper kind of souls.


    Miracle Worker (Sp): Even devils do not expect their minions to work for free, and the redeemer of nine is no exception to this perverse infernal ‘fairness’. In exchange for her loyal reaping of the damned, the wayward evoker is gifted with the capacity to perform miracles above and beyond the capabilities of any mere servant of the light. At 1st level, the redeemer of nine selects two clerical domains. By expending soul points equal to [spell level * 3], the she may cast any spell from the selected domain as a spell-like ability, so long as its spell level is no greater than her class level. Unlike normal spell-like abilities, the ones acquired through this ability retain any experience cost they might have. If the spell-like ability has an expensive material component, it must be supplied normally. Spell-like abilities never require a focus. Save DCs for these abilities are based on her evoker stat, and her effective caster level is equal to her evoker level, rather than her HD.

    The redeemer of nine does not gain any other benefit from the domains she selects, such as their granted powers or the ability to take feats or prestige classes which have them as a prerequisites. At 5th level, and again at 9th level, the redeemer of nine may select an additional domain from which to purchase spells.

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    This. This is why you're playing a redeemer of nine. Despite an extremely limited 'spell list', and uses restricted by a need to recharge via murder, the fact remains that with well-picked domains, a redeemer of nine's miracles can be extremely potent. With all nine spell levels to work with, a clever redeemer of nine can bring tremendous utility and versatility to bear, augmenting their illuminations with just the right trick for the task at hand.


    Brand of the Nine Hells: At 3rd level, the redeemer of nine gains Brand of the Nine Hells (Fiendish Codex II, p 81.) as a bonus feat, even if she would not normally meet its prerequisites. The brand is considered to be associated with whichever archdevil is most closely associated with the redeemer's patron, and by extension, the redeemer herself.

    Mark of the Master: At 7th level, the redeemer of nine gains the Mark of Hell (Fiendish Codex II, p 84-85.) feat appropriate to her brand's associated archdevil as a bonus feat, even if she would not normally meet its prerequisites.

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    Who doesn't like bonus feats? Brand of the Nine Hells is not a stellar feat, but the Mark of Hell feats are, collectively, quite potent in their own ways. They also serve as a stark reminder of the toll of dealing with infernal powers. Like it or not, there's simply no way to channel the power of the hells in the volume that redeemers do and not be changed by it on some level. Obviously, simply having these feats isn't going to turn a good redeemer to evil, but they're certainly a nudge in that direction.

    And for heaven's sake, have some pity on the poor girls who signed into a compact with Glasya or Baalzebul - their brands may be less insidious than some of their peers' but they're much grosser.


    Agent of the Nine (Su): At 10th level, a redeemer of nine is no longer a mere servant of her employers – she is a valued and much-beloved tool, capable of regularly ensuring the sort of harvests which less adventurous pact-makers might require decades to cultivate. Her status as a favored disciple of whatever entity has contracted her powers is well-known in the Nine Hells, and her infernal patrons have imbued her with protections suitable for such a rare and precious investment.

    Unless presented specific circumstances to the contrary, devils and other natives of the Nine Hells will generally possess an attitude of Indifferent towards the redeemer of nine and her immediate allies. While most will offer no direct aid to her, they will generally be happy to let her carry out her work in peace, and the redeemer may walk the cities of the Nine Hells as she pleases without fear of ambush around every corner.

    Additionally, so long as the redeemer of nine possesses at least one soul point, her infernal patron will intercede to preserve her essence in the event of her death. Assuming she is not raised by other methods in this timeframe, her patron will restore her to life, as with the True Resurrection spell, 1d4 days after her demise. The evoker is brought to life on whichever layer of Hell her personal patron calls home, and while specifics of the arrangement vary, she will generally be offered a meal, a lecture, and a Plane Shift to a plane of her choosing. Each time this occurs, the redeemer of nine loses 30 soul points. If she does not possess that many soul points, her soul point total simply drops to a negative value – she must pay off this debt before beginning to accumulate soul points normally again.

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    Professional courtesy, now in class feature form. Aside from the potentially potent diplomatic recognition, the meat of this feature lies in a sort of conditional immortality. So long as the redeemer doesn't make a habit of it, her patrons are plenty willing to fudge the numbers and slide a useful piece back onto the board for minimal cost.
    Last edited by Selinia; 2014-04-04 at 11:00 AM.
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