[PEACH] Broken Corpse

[Morph Bark]

Continuing the series of PrCs based off Commoner Flaws!
Earlier: Pig Master!
Start: Chicken Master!
And the follow-up after this one: the Tasted!



BROKEN CORPSE
Alternatively: Corpse Master

Spoiler

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[OMG]it'shardtofindafittingpictureforthishelpplease?[/OMG]

What is broken? Broken is something that does not work as it is supposed to. So basically, undead are corpses that are broken. They do things corpses shouldn’t be capable of, like moving.

You’re dead, but you still managed to get into this Prestige Class! You’re awesome!

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Flaws: Corpse (Dragon 330, page 87)

Spoiler

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Corpse
You are dead.
Benefits: You're dead, but you get an extra feat!

Class Skills
No skills are considered class skills for a Corpse.
Skills Points at Each Level: 1 + Int

Hit Dice: d1

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

0|

--

|

--

|

--

|

--

|Barely Sentient

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|I Fight With My Brain!, Improvement

2nd|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|I Fight With My Brain!, Improvement

3rd|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|I Fight With My Brain!, Improvement

4th|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

| I Fight With My Brain!, Improvement

5th|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|I Fight With My Brain!, Improvement

6th|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|I Fight With My Brain!, Improvement

7th|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|I Fight With My Brain!, Improvement

8th|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|Improvement, You’re Awesome![/table]

Barely Sentient: A Corpse has reawakened itself by pure willpower to stay in the world of the living - or just by pure chance, a random effect of magic or science, perhaps kept alive by a fridge with a degree in Existential Philosophy even. It’s ability scores become Int 3, Wis 1 and Cha 1. It has no Str, Dex or Con to speak of. Its type is still the same as when it was (or would have been) alive, but it isn’t affected by positive energy, nor negative energy. You have hardness 1 as if you were an object (which, actually, you are!). An Animate Dead spell or similar can be used on a Corpse to turn it into an undead. An Animate Objects spell or similar can be used on a Corpse to turn it into a construct. A Raise Dead spell turns all gained Broken Corpse levels into Commoner levels, but can only be used if the Corpse is willing.

I Fight With My Brain!: Besides having already defied the universe by being a living corpse, a Corpse further defies the universe by being capable of two simple actions through the power of his dead intelligence (or what is left of it). At level 1, he can attack anyone within 30 feet of him with a mental shock of power, automatically dealing 1d6+Int bonus damage, as a full-round action. Secondly, he can telekinetically drag himself 5 feet as a full-round action.

At level 2 and every level thereafter, a Corpse’s Int score increases by 1. Also, if a Corpse ever gains Str and Dex scores, he can use his brain as a +1 throwing returning brain. (A brain's weapon statistics are like those of a sap, except with a range of 10 ft.)

Improvement: At every level you can improve an amount of your class features equal to the number of that level (so 1 at level 1, 2 at level 2, etc). You can increase the Corpse’s HD size (d1 -> d2 -> d3 -> d4 -> d6 -> d8 -> d10 -> d12), the amount of skill points per level by 1, increase a save from always +0 to bad or from bad to good, increase BAB from +0 per level to +1/4 per level to +1/2 per level to +3/4 per level to +1 per level, gain a single skill as a class skill, or gain a feat that grants armour/shield/weapon proficiencies.

Additionally, you can improve an ability score by 1, or increase the distance you can drag yourself as a full-round action by 5 ft, or increase the damage your I Fight With My Brain! mental bolt deals by 1d6. However, you cannot increase the distance by more than 5 ft per level in this class or increase the mental bolt's damage by more than 1d6 per level in this class.

Furthermore, at any point in the class’ progression, a Corpse can trade in two Improvements to gain Str 1 and Dex 1 and a base movement speed of 30 ft.

Lastly, a Corpse can also use one Improvement to make his brain deal lethal damage. If he chooses this option, he also gains a +4 bonus to attack rolls if he decided to deal nonlethal damage with his brain.

You’re Awesome!: At level 8, you become awesome! Your Str, Dex, Wis and Cha scores all go up by 1! Now they are 2! 1 + 1 = 2! You can do math, because you’re awesome! (Of course, if you increased any of these scores through your Improvement class feature prior to this, they won't be 2, but will still go up by 1.)


Adaptation
The incredibly low mental ability scores might make it hard to RP a Broken Corpse true to what they should be like: corpses that don't work they way they should. You can rule that awaken undead or awaken construct work on the Broken Corpse, or simply let them start with ability scores of Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 3. This should make a Broken Corpse role-playable for most - though their physical capabilities might still make it a little tough sometimes. Of course, the Int increasements of I Fight With My Brain! should be taken out if this is done.

[Lix Lorn]

Useless at level 1, and actually decent at level 6? XD

[Morph Bark]

Exactly.

[Magicyop]

This cracks me up, especially if I imagine the broken corpse making comments similar to the class features. Great class, I'd say give it more levels though, to the point where it can actually become highly effective.

Can you make it so an option for improvement is adding 1d6 to your mental shock or 5 ft. to your drag distance?

Also, what does the corpse flaw do? Just make you dead?

[DaragosKitsune]

That is exactly what it does. You get an extra feat, but you are dead.

[olelia]

Broken image in spoiler

[Temotei]

I think that image code should be [OMG][/OMG]. It fits better, I think.

[Morph Bark]

That is exactly what it does. You get an extra feat, but you are dead.

Exactly this, yeah.

Broken image in spoiler

I think that image code should be [OMG][/OMG]. It fits better, I think.

Fixed. Insofar as it can be "fixed" in the sense that there still is no image due to me not having found myself capable enough of finding a picture both appropriate to the topic and not highly disturbing or real rather than the comedic direction I had intended this to go into.

[Zhalath]

So I can kill people with my brain? Once my Intelligence is massive in this class (cuz it totally will be), I'll be sure to become a psion, for more brain-killing powers.

Also, I'm sure this makes you a hit at parties.

[Temotei]

How about this?

[DracoDei]

How about this?

Well, he is a bit too nicely dressed for a commoner, but other than that, it looks about right.

[Temotei]

Well, he is a bit too nicely dressed for a commoner, but other than that, it looks about right.

Perhaps he has a few levels in this class, arbitrarily granting more wealth (WBL).

[Morph Bark]

So I can kill people with my brain? Once my Intelligence is massive in this class (cuz it totally will be), I'll be sure to become a psion, for more brain-killing powers.

Also, I'm sure this makes you a hit at parties.

Yeah, but remember that at level 1 of this class, your Int is 3. At level 5, it's 7. You will need one of 'em Tomes for +5 inherent Int and some other items to keep up your Psion-ness.

Perhaps he has a few levels in this class, arbitrarily granting more wealth (WBL).

That's, as they say, rich.

[Lix Lorn]

If It weren't for the Int=3 thing, this would be a PC class. And a FUN one.

[Morph Bark]

If It weren't for the Int=3 thing, this would be a PC class. And a FUN one.

I can always include the possibility for them to be affected by some sort of awaken spell that takes away the I Fight With My Brain! Int increases (to balance it out of course). Ending up with Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 3 wouldn't be bad for this.

I'm actually still amused why nobody has asked the question on how to get into this PrC in the first place.

[Lix Lorn]

That'd be epic.

Okay, how do you enter the class? XD

[Morph Bark]

That'd be epic.

Okay, how do you enter the class? XD

Good question, I don't know. XD


To be perfectly honest, after making the Chicken Master and the Pig Master, I looked over the list of Commoner flaws in Dragon 330 and thought the Corpse flaw would be most hilarious to work with next. I pondered on what would fit for a class for someone who isn't living, undead or construct, but I didn't really think about how one would actually be able to enter it.

It is, of course, possible to enter by simply being raised or resurrected (since you still possess the flaw, you just no longer suffer from it) and just deal with -2 Con for one level and needing to pay off a debt to a Cleric for the first few levels, but once you'd take a level in the class it'd be like "BAM! You now no longer have Str, Dex or Con scores! Your Int, Wis and Cha drop horrendously! HAHAHA!"

Another possibility would be that because you are dead, you rule you have lost a level, thus being level 0, which is impossible so you get a level in something you can get a level in, so instead of a Commoner level you take a level in this. It's paradoxical and works a lot like negative level shenanigans that I've heard about, so I'm not sure if that'd work. XD

The third possibility I can think of is... it was super-magic that made you gain a level, a kind of magic that also works on objects (or at least on corpses).


So... yeah.

[Magicyop]

"BAM! You now no longer have Str, Dex or Con scores! Your Int, Wis and Cha drop horrendously! HAHAHA!"

*giggle*. That's hilarious.

[firemagehao]

This could make a good opponent for low-level PC's.
Nice job, can you do one for the 'delicious' flaw next?

[Lix Lorn]

This could make a good opponent for low-level PC's.
Nice job, can you do one for the 'delicious' flaw next?

Check his signature. He has. XD

[Morph Bark]

This could make a good opponent for low-level PC's.
Nice job, can you do one for the 'delicious' flaw next?

Check his signature. He has. XD

Yeap. After this, the Chicken Master and the Pig Master, I made the Tasted. I am actually still working on the Tasted, while this one and the other two are prettymuch done.

[DracoDei]

Regarding class entry: What if you had enough XPs to get your next level, but had not actually trained in commoner. Then you take the flaw (thus dying), then get your first level in this (since it requires even less training than commoner, or even sorcerer).

This could make a good opponent for low-level PC's.
Nice job, can you do one for the 'delicious' flaw next?

Actually, he already did. Editing it in with the other two links at the top might be good though... I know I have a series of undead I have been working on for years, and every time I finish another one, I try my best to go back and edit the links in all the other ones.

[firemagehao]

I now realize that.
How about one for the weresheep flaw.

[Magicyop]

I really think you should add the following things to improvement to make it more playable:

-Exchange improvements for ability scores on a 1-1 basis
-Boost damage of mind shock by 1d6
-Increase telekinetic drag distance

[Morph Bark]

I now realize that.
How about one for the weresheep flaw.

That was one of the flaws I had thoughts of working on next, actually.

I really think you should add the following things to improvement to make it more playable:

-Exchange improvements for ability scores on a 1-1 basis
-Boost damage of mind shock by 1d6
-Increase telekinetic drag distance

Hmmm... that's certainly a good idea. If I do that perhaps I might as well increase the amount of levels to 8.

[Magicyop]

That was one of the flaws I had thoughts of working on next, actually.



Hmmm... that's certainly a good idea. If I do that perhaps I might as well increase the amount of levels to 8.

Yes, yes, do so! I would actually play this class if you added those things to improvement and added two more levels.

[Morph Bark]

The changes have been made. Improvement now has an extra paragraph, the class has 8 levels now and You're Awesome! has been moved to level 8.

[Magicyop]

EXCELLENT! I'm now looking forward to playing this someday.

Because I'm awesome!

[Morph Bark]

EXCELLENT! I'm now looking forward to playing this someday.

Because I'm awesome!

You will be once you hit level 8!

[Urpriest]

As an amusing sidenote, the fact that this class grants exponential feats for proficiencies, rather than simply granting proficiencies, makes this an ideal candidate for the uber-cheesy Dark Chaos Shuffle. I do not see this as a negative trait.