Looking for some homebrewed madness.

[TroubleBrewing]

(I'm posting this from my phone, so forgive me for not providing links or proper credit...)

I'm a huge Cthulhu Mythos fan, and I'm looking to run a 3.5 game heavily influenced by those elements. I want the players to choose from a list of base classes I'm preparing: classes that are horrifying and vaguely Lovecraftian in nature. I've only got three as of right now: one I cannot remember, the Ozodrin, and the (very excellent) Swarmlord. I'm having difficulty finding others, so I'm wondering if anybody else has tried this, or if you've run across any other base classes of this type. I'm trying to stay away from PrC's, in the interest of seeing these classes played to their intended conclusions.

Once I get the game up and running, I'll post a campaign journal in the 3.5 forum!

[Debihuman]

Do you have access to Cthulhu D20 or not?

[TroubleBrewing]

Nah. I'd rather stick to homebrew, rather than try and balance it against 3rd party stuff AND WotC stuff.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Call of Cthulu is a system, though it's designed for you to play the squishy investigators who maybe stop the elder horror from being summoned and maybe die horribly.

[TroubleBrewing]

Sigh. I'm well aware of the system. I'm not running CoC. I'm running a Lovecraft-inspired 3.5 game, and I need suggestions for homebrew base classes along the lines suggested in the OP. I'm not looking for alternate systems.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Sorry, I misread your reply to Debihuman. I'm afraid I can't think of much beyond the Ozodrin. Maybe you could re-fluff/re-work the Binder to have more drastic physical changes when he binds vestiges?

[TroubleBrewing]

I thought about that, but I'm looking more for a "servitor" or "avatar" vibe, rather than a "worshipper or devotee" vibe.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Take my Beastman class and give them Aberration Wild Shape instead of normal Wild Shape.

Also, wait wait wait. Xenoalchemist. Xenotheurgy.

[TroubleBrewing]

That's a nifty class you made! I think I'll give the Aberration version for free. And the xeno stuff is PERFECT.

[DracoDei]

Well, it may not be quite as out there as you are looking for, but a swordsage focused on The Far Realms Discipline discipline could be good.

Maybe mix in a little Kaleidoscopic Dream with slight refluffing?

My own Falling Anvil (see sig) has two strikes and one stance that inflict sanity damage on anyone you hit, but while it is a reality warping discipline, the overall effect is much more Toon Physics than "things humanoids were not meant to know". Of course, a little refluffing might fix that, but that is true for most things. The first level stance for instance could be easily refluffed as calling upon dangerous powers to unmake injuries you are in the process of taking, but at a cost to your sanity.

[Debihuman]

Nah. I'd rather stick to homebrew, rather than try and balance it against 3rd party stuff AND WotC stuff.

FYI, Call of Cthulhu D20 is a WotC product.

Debby

[vinihigino]

The link got a PrC first, but I'm posting cause of the aberrant feats in the second part. Maybe it could add somehow.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291906

[DracoDei]

Oh, you might give The Harrowed a look, since a bit of refluffing of The Beast Within (and really, The Beast Within's behavior when it breaks out is mostly fluff based)

[Demidos]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but Madness is the theme of the current base class challenge for 'brewing on these boards.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...php?p=15464432

Enjoy!

[Deepbluediver]

If you are looking for a heavy-melee class, something like a Barbarian that makes use of a rage-like mechanic would probably work. You might want to flavor it to be less controllable though; perhaps not letting them end rage early, or risking temporary insanity each time they activate it.

Also, I would suggest at least one non-crazy monk/scholar type of option; it would make for good contrast and inter-party, I think.

[Xefas]

If you are looking for a heavy-melee class, something like a Barbarian that makes use of a rage-like mechanic would probably work. You might want to flavor it to be less controllable though; perhaps not letting them end rage early, or risking temporary insanity each time they activate it.

O hai, that's my cue. I made a barbarian-esque class, but fueled by an eldritch horror that coerces you into acting with inhuman brutality and rage! At the higher levels, you can become unto a seething horde of madness, forever devouring itself as its immortal heart scours the world of all sense and purpose, before consuming the sun and disgorging impotent hate into the void as it waits for the universe to collapse and new worlds to be born, so that it can violate them anew.

Its abilities are called "Mythos". I hope this is applicable to the thread.

[qazzquimby]

I made a Prc that combines Ozodrin and Swarmlord here.

Also I'm a big fan of xenotheurgy which can be added on to any character for a dose of tempting yet hard to control power, and I've heard good things about the Blasphemous Preacher class by the same guy.

This lets you combine two playable races into one hybrid, which isn't strictly far realmsy, but lets you make some really strange stuff. Try taking two incredibly different races or a humanoid race and something strange and squishy.

The Xenoalchemist and Connoisseur classes both let you take on the features of other creatures. Connoisseur is probably more fitting for your theme.

Finally parasites are wonderful, and playable parasites are even better.

[Bhu]

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=4007.0

also has links to cthulhu stuff on gitp

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=900.0 some monsters

[EdroGrimshell]

In His House At R'lyeh
The Stars Are Right
Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie
At The Mountains of Madness

Vestiges based on a good number of the Elder Gods and Great Old Ones

[STRANGE]

Just a vague idea for a class or a race- no raw stats.

Xenoleech (class)

Uses spells that deal damage or dispels magic in return for healing or bonuses

Xenoleech (race)

Has a special Siphon ability that acts as Dispel Magic but heals the character based on spell level of the magic that was dispelled.

Have fun!!

[Amechra]

I have this little project.

It needs an overhaul, but it should work.