Anarchist (PrC)

[YuanTi]

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

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Sneak Attack +1d6, Poison Use.

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Arson.

3rd|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|Sneak Attack +2d6, Explosion 1/day.

4th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Firm Mind.

5th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Sneak Attack +3d6, Explosion 2/day.
[/Table]

Requirements
Alignment: Any Chaotic
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Bluff +4
Disquise +4
Escape Artist +8
Open Lock +8
Feats: Alertness
Skill Focus (Escape Artist or Open Lock)

Hit Die
d6
Skill Points per Level
Anarchists gain 6 Skill points each level.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Anarchists gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Poison Use
Anarchists are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.
Sneak Attack
This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 every other level (1st, 3rd and 5th). If an anarchist gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage stack.
Arson
At 2nd level the Anarchist may spend 3 rounds scouting a building and pouring oil to make a fire spread twice as quickly. Also the fire deals twice as much damage (2d6) to the building and anyone caught on fire.
Explosion (Sp)
At 3rd level an Anarchist may once per day cause an explosion in any building he can access. This explosion deals 4d8 damage to the building and all inhabitants and the building sets on fire. This can be affected by the Arson skill. At 5th level, the Anarchist can use this ability twice per day. The Anarchist much purchase explosives, cost according to the size of the building:
House: 20gp
Shop/Tavern/Group of Houses: 50gp
Tower, Large Shop: 100gp
Castle, etc: 200gp
Firm Mind (Ex)
At 4th level the Anarchist is so unbelieving in the righteousness of any other cause that he becomes immune to Charm and Dominate effects.

Any Critiques on this?

Whats good/bad?

Improvements?

Thanks,
Nick.

[TheLogman]

There are a few different PrC's that are similar in basis (REVOLT against the Municipality!) in the Manual of the Planes, but this one has a certain flavor of malcontent oppressed person that I like. However, unless this was a d20 modern PrC, I doubt anyone would take this, except for a rouge that lives in the city. I think Dm's will enjoy this one though, cause it could be an interesting opponent. (Read OH NOES! The building is on FIRE!!!!)

[Xuincherguixe]

This would have been perfect for a game I was in that died. I was playing a revolutionary.

Go rebellion!

[YuanTi]

Yeah, I agree, it would be a difficult PC choice, realy I designed it to be a NPC in a city game of mine.

I'm not a great judge of power, is it Ok powerwise?

[Ceres]

You have to be an experienced liar to become an anarchist? I think I'm offended

[YuanTi]

@Ceres: I put that in because Anarchists would often have to lie their way out of trouble regarding the latest fire at the keep etc.

[Ceres]

^^ Ok, ok. I'll agree with that. But we're watching you...

[Catch]

Yeah, I agree, it would be a difficult PC choice, realy I designed it to be a NPC in a city game of mine.

I'm not a great judge of power, is it Ok powerwise?

The explosion ability is a tad weak for 1/day, but other than that, the class is okay. It's more for flavor than CharOp, which is fine.

[YuanTi]

Would 2/day, then 3/day
or 2/day, then 4/day balance it?

Or if thats too much, d8 rather than d6?

[brian c]

My first thought is that it should have prereq of Alignment: Chaotic

Other than that, I can see how it would be good for some characters to take, and not particularly under or overpowered, except that Explosion should maybe be limited by the size of the building. Thumbs up.

[YuanTi]

Good call on Chaotic, that was in my original, but a system failure had me redoing it and it got forgotten. For now I'll up explosion to d8.

Fixed.

[Jibar]

You could do with some fluff such as:

Everybody, unknowingly, is a part of the system. Every action they take, every word that they say, every thought they might think... it's all dictated by them. But there are some who can break through. They see these invisible webs, these webs of lies, and they plan to do something. They are the Anarchists, upholders of chaos, destined to break apart the walls of opression. If there is to be order, it will be for the people and by the people. Diplomacy is not an option. All out warfare is suicide. The Anarchrists must strike deep and strike quick. And there is a force so ancient that no dictator can defeat it. Fire. They must fight evil with fire. For the people. Of course. Always for the people. But first the random arson.

I felt the italics added the right kind of madness to it.

[brian c]

Good call on Chaotic, that was in my original, but a system failure had me redoing it and it got forgotten. For now I'll up explosion to d8.

Fixed.

Well, the thing about Explosion is that as it's written right now, you can set any building in the world on fire with very minimal effort. Maybe at least you should say that you need to buy 50gp worth of explosives or something like that.

[Poppatomus]

Well, the thing about Explosion is that as it's written right now, you can set any building in the world on fire with very minimal effort. Maybe at least you should say that you need to buy 50gp worth of explosives or something like that.

That's what I was thinking to something like:

For every area beyond a 10x10x10 cube the Anarchist wishes to effect with explosion she must posess 1 gp of mundane items and materials, which are expended in preparing the explosive.

[YuanTi]

Agreed, maybe increasing costs for different buildings.

(House 20, Shop/Tavern 50, Castle 200 etc)

[Poppatomus]

I really like the class. makes me want to make a companion prestige class based on Tyler Durden.

[JackMage666]

I like the class, but the name doesn't seem to fit with it. You don't have so much an Anarchist as an Arsonist. Or a PETA member. It seems more based on lighting fires than fighting governmental society, so I don't think it fits. Also, the whole thing seems kinda evil (extra fire damage to inhabitants, Poison Use), which isn't exactly anarchistic activity (there were a number of good anarchists who didn't try to murder and kill their way to freedom, they're just less notorious.)

As somebody who believes in theoretical anarchy, I don't really like how it's presented in this. Like I said, I like it, just not as an Anarchist.

[YuanTi]

Anarchy as defined by Wiktionary.

"anarchy (countable and uncountable; plural anarchies)

1. The state of a society being without authoritarians or a governing body.
2. A chaotic and confusing absence of any form of political authority or government.
3. Anarchism; the political theory that a community is best organized by voluntary cooperation of individuals, rather than by coercive government.
4. confusion in general; disorder"

Now the Anarchist I think, should be able to be any one of those. While lighting fires and blowing up buildings seems more No.4 than any of the others, Murder, Arson and other random attacks are very much used in order to fight governments. You could have good Anarchists (Rarer than evil ones, but possible) who use these tactics to fight an unjust system which they could never defeat head-on. If the class features are used only on unjust Kings and their palaces, then it is really a heroic class.

[Maroon]

Now the Anarchist I think, should be able to be any one of those. While lighting fires and blowing up buildings seems more No.4 than any of the others, Murder, Arson and other random attacks are very much used in order to fight governments. You could have good Anarchists (Rarer than evil ones, but possible) who use these tactics to fight an unjust system which they could never defeat head-on. If the class features are used only on unjust Kings and their palaces, then it is really a heroic class.

Well, that or flower power, civil disobedience, and nude protests.

While I agree that this class could theoretically be an Anarchist, it is closer to a Rioter or a Revolter, or even a Terrorist.