4e Fan Creations and House RulesWorking on variant powers? Statting up a PC race or your version of a monster? Creating or converting an adventure? Put it here!
Originally Posted by The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
“It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
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Originally Posted by The Last Wish
"There is a grain of truth in every fairy tale" said the witcher quietly. "Love and blood. They both possess a mighty power. Wizards and learned men have been racking their brains over this for years, but they haven't arrived at anything except that-"
"Except what Geralt?"
"It has to be true love."
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Originally Posted by Dracula, ch. 9
He is a seemingly arbitrary man, this is because he knows what he is talking about better than any one else. He is a philosopher and a metaphysician, and one of the most advanced scientists of his day, and he has, I believe, an absolutely open mind. This, with an iron nerve, a temper of the ice-brook, and indomitable resolution, self-command, and toleration exalted from virtues to blessings, and the kindliest and truest heart that beats, these form his equipment for the noble work that he is doing for mankind, work both in theory and practice, for his views are as wide as his all-embracing sympathy.
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Originally Posted by The Raven in the Foregate
"Truth and justice are not always wholly compatible."
Sherlock Holmes, The Witcher, Van Helsing, Brother Cadfael. Detectives, monster-hunters, scientists, inquisitors and confessors. They are the inspiration for a class I'm designing: The Inquisitive.
I'm not sure where this concept will go, but I figure something useful for my game will come out of exploring it.
Alchemist
Gain Alchemy as a bonus feat, allowing you to prepare alchemical mixtures. You know 3 formulas at 1st level, gaining an additional formula at levels 5, 11, 15, 21, and 25.
Canny Ruse
Using the canny ruse power you can manipulate the position of enemies adjacent to you.
Canny Ruse (Inquisitive Feature) With calculating footwork, you manipulate the enemy’s position to your advantage.
At-Will ♦ Martial
Minor Action, Close burst zone 1
Target: All enemies within the burst
Effect: Slide each of the targets one square, and all squares count as difficult terrain as long as the zone persists. You may switch places with one target within the zone if you wish.
Sustain Minor: The zone persists.
Penetrating Sight
When you attack a target, whether you hit or miss, you may choose to mark the target, reducing the effectiveness of their cover and concealment in regards to you and any adjacent allies. Superior cover and concealment are reduced to partial cover and partial concealment. Partial cover and partial concealment are negated entirely.
The mark lasts until the end of your next turn. A creature can be subject to only one mark at a time. A new mark supersedes a mark that was already in place.
I'm thinking of adding this to the class features...
Inquisitive Technique
Choose one of the following techniques:
Piercing Bolter: When you wield a crossbow, you may use specially treated bolts to overcome a target’s resistance by an amount equal to half your level (rounded up). When you reload your crossbow you may change the type of resistance you are firing against.
Iron Shackler: Gain proficiency with the spiked chain. When you hit with a spiked chain you may choose to restrain a foe up to one size category larger than you with the chain rather than dealing damage; doing so disarms you of the spiked chain as long as your foe is restrained and immobilized. Your restrained foe may escape as a standard action with Acrobatics to slip free or Strength to break the chain (DC 15 + half your level).
Man-catcher: Gain proficiency with the man-catcher. When you hit with a man-catcher you may choose to pin a foe your size or smaller rather than dealing damage; doing so sacrifices making further attacks while your opponent is pinned. A pinned foe is knocked prone and cannot move toward you or away from you – only in a circle around you. Destroying the man-catcher or making a successful attack against you frees your opponent.
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution score Hit Points per Level Gained: 4 Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier
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Trained Skills: Insight and Perception. From the class list below choose four more: Class Skills: Athletics, Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Heal, Intimidate, Religion, Stealth, Streetwise, Thievery
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Inquisitives are part detective and part monster-hunter, shrewd individuals who exploit enemies’ weaknesses, hinder and distract their foes, and manipulate the terrain and circumstances of the battle. When a foe must be taken unharmed or under special circumstances, inquisitives excel. Their uncanny knack for uncovering dark secrets makes them feared, and at the same time they are often the only ones wealthy lords can turn to in the face of unsolvable mysteries; thus they are begrudgingly respected.
Living in a complex world of grays, you always seek the truth. You might be a church inquisitor suspecting your superiors were involved in the curse transforming your brother into a werewolf, a wrongly accused knight turned bounty-hunter with a grudge against the king who exiled you and now needs your help, a traveling alchemist cataloguing supernatural beasts in the hope of finding your selkie beloved who vanished on an autumn night, a spy undercover in a demonic cult faced with complicity in increasingly wicked acts to keep your cover, or an amnesiac physician investigating the crimes of a serial killer who seems to know your missing past.
Silvered bolts await their place in your crossbow, alchemical flasks line your belt, and a barbed chain is coiled at your side. While you are no saint, neither are you a devil. You are a warrior in the shadows, an inquisitive with the mind of a mousetrap and the cold wrath of a coiled viper. Peering from beneath your cloak, you look unflinchingly into the heart of darkness and see the truth gazing back.
Shot Through Inquisitive Attack 1 You instinctively take a shot at a fleshy part of the foe before you, sending the bolt through the creature and striking a surprised enemy behind them.
Encounter ♦ Martial, Weapon
Standard Action, Ranged weapon
Requirement: Must be wielding a crossbow
Primary Target: One creature in melee range
Primary Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W], and make secondary attack
Secondary Target: One creature in straight line from first target, according to your line of fire
Secondary Attack: Dex -2 vs. AC
Hit: 1[W], and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
Increase damage to 2[W] at 21st level.
Special: You don’t provoke an opportunity attack due to using a ranged weapon while in melee when using this power.
Warding Chain Inquisitive Attack 1 Weaving in an intricate pattern, your chain glints in the light before you unleash it upon your foes.
Encounter ♦ Martial Weapon
Standard Action, Close burst 1
Requirement: Must be wielding a spiked chain
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier and push the target 1 square
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, any creature moving adjacent to you provokes an attack of opportunity with your spiked chain. If your attack succeeds they are unable to move adjacent to you.
Increase damage to 2[W] + Strength modifier at 21st level.
Level 3 Encounter Exploits
Kick the Dead Horse Inquisitive Attack 3 You unleash a furious kick on a prone foe, attempting to keep them down.
Encounter ♦ Martial
Standard Action, Melee
Target: One prone creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 2d4 + Strength modifier and push the target 1 square. The target is dazed (save ends).
Special: You may shift one square before your attack even if you have already shifted your turn.
Level 6 Utility Exploits
Snarling Poise Inquisitive Utility 6 Your enemy’s intimidation evokes little from you beyond a fierce snarl.
Encounter ♦ Martial
Immediate Reaction, Melee
Trigger: When an enemy uses a power with the fear keyword or a push effect
Target: Attacking creature
Effect: You add your whole level to your defense (instead of half). If you succeed you may turn the fear or push attack against the creature. If the attack involves both fear and push effects, choose which one you counter when you use this power.
Level 7 Encounter Exploits
Sidestep Inquisitive Attack 7 You deftly sidestep your enraged foe as they go barreling into an obstacle.
Encounter ♦ Martial
Immediate Reaction, Melee
Target: One creature charging you
Attack: Dexterity vs. Reflex
Hit: Their attack misses and if their movement would lead them into an obstacle they take 1d6 damage if they are Medium size, 2d6 if Large, 3d6 if Huge, and 4d6 if Gargantuan. They are knocked prone and dazed (save ends).
I'm trying to make my design process transparent, jotting down my thoughts and understanding of how powers are built and a constant theme maintained across all power levels.
DESIGN PROCESS
#1. I started with a list of power concept I could see an Inquisitive using.
Personal Defense
Aura repelling/pushing/sliding weaker (OA when moving adjacent to you)
Hit Multiple Enemies at Once
Area attacks ignore concealment
Change Battlefield
Create difficult terrain
Destroy existing terrain
Create hazard
Turn enemy’s superior cover into regular cover
Gain partial concealment from target (missed ranged attacks hit target)
Restrict Enemies
Do X else Y
If you do X then Y
Can’t gain line of effect/sight to allies
Target denied combat advantage against allies under condition X
Target denied ability to shift
Can’t use second wind
Target denied regeneration
Target’s forced movement provokes OA
Forced movement doesn’t require clear path – destroy object and push right on through?
Bull rush enemy into object for damage/knock prone
Interrupt to include enemy in attack
Strip temporary HP
Gain OA on reach attacks through your square/adjacent squares
Strip enemy’s morale/leadership bonus (mess with leader’s powers?)
Weaken a bloodied enemy
Target becomes difficult terrain/impassable to its allies
Special
Can sustain power when you delay
Maintain grab when you are forced to move
Attacks missing you hit your grabbed victim
Don’t provide combat advantage when running
Use at-will power on OA
Temporarily gain threatening reach
#2. I set down some guidelines based on the powers of other classes.
Encounter Powers: Heroic 2[W], Paragon 3[W], Epic 4[W]; ends of your next turn
Least to Worst Conditions: Deafened, Slowed, granting Combat Advantage, Prone, Immobilized, Dazed, Weakened, Blinded, Restrained, Petrified (assuming it is as temporary as any other effect), Stunned, Dominated, Unconscious.
Dont see healing / inspiring .. not a leader... dont see big consistantly available damage boosts coming in as a core feature not a striker... 4 hitpoints a level.. dude why dont you have Martial Controller stamped on it ;-)
A lot of the powers came from that Witcher video, and the class features are to evoke a feel. The concept is the most important thing, I could care less about the role/power source. I was figuring striker, but now that you mention it...
Thanks for responding. Any kind of feedback is better than none.
I could see Striker, with a dash of Controller, or vice versa, depending on how you go with the powers.
If you go Controller, I definitely see a tougher version of a Controller, with better defenses and higher HP, because the Inquisitive is in the midst of the action, rather than standing far back and blasting.
I updated the pdf with several new powers (it's now in the first post).
I understand reading through blocks of powers can be rather off-putting, so I'll dress it up more in the future. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to playtest this class (the most important part) until August or thereabouts.
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Originally Posted by Mentat55
I could see Striker, with a dash of Controller, or vice versa, depending on how you go with the powers.
If you go Controller, I definitely see a tougher version of a Controller, with better defenses and higher HP, because the Inquisitive is in the midst of the action, rather than standing far back and blasting.
I really like the flavor, BTW.
Hey, glad you like the flavor. I took your suggestion about buffing up the hit points to be on par with the rogue. For now I'll call it a controller, but it'll probably end up some striker/controller hybrid.
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Originally Posted by Garthanos
Yes, I will echo the flavor is quite nice! There is a race bouncing around called a Dhampyr combined with this I get, Vampire hunter D, heheh.
Yeh the 4hp per level could be a problem though that would be a might fragile striker.
Vampire hunter is definitely what I'm going for. Actually just got ahold of an old Van Richten's guide from Ravenloft and lots of ideas to mine there.
1. Why martial melee weapons? It seems the Inquisitive either focuses on alchemical items, crossbows, or gets proficiency in the spiked chain or man-catcher (presumably a superior weapon). Do swords, axes, and hammers really fit the archetype (honest question, I am uncertain)?
2. I really like canny positioning.
3. For iron shackler, does the inquisitive actually drop the spiked chain? If not, it might be better to say that the inquisitive cannot use the spiked chain to make attacks while the target is restrained (immobilized is redundant with restrained, I think). Also, I would probably stick with the Acrobatics vs. Reflex or Athletics vs. Fortitude mechanic for escaping grabs, for simplicity, and because breaking your inquisitive's spiked chain all the time is probably not cool (DC 15 + 1/2 level is not hard for a level appropriate brute to achieve on a Str check).
3. Penetrating Sight -- I wouldn't make this a mark, especially since that is the core mechanic for defenders. Instead, I would call it something else and stick with the mechanics you have there.
4. What is the inquisitive's primary attack stat? I saw powers that referenced Intelligence, Dexterity, Strength -- even an Intimidate vs. Will. If you want to go the two different stat options, that might be ok...but frankly I think one attack stat, with two possible secondary stats, is probably the way to go. And the class description at the beginning lists Charisma, Dexterity, and Intelligence, with no mention of Strength.
Personally, I think the flavor of the class favors Intelligence or Wisdom as a primary (being smart or perceptive, defeating your foes with your mind rather than brawn). Then keep one of those as a secondary, and add another secondary.
5. Either add another class feature (which might be too much), or modify the existing ability of canny positioning or the Inquisitive Techniques to use those secondary ability scores.
After some thought, I think Intelligence would make a good primary ability score, especially since this class is inspired by characters like Van Helsing, Sherlock Holmes, and Cadfael. This would have the added benefit of increasing the character's Reflex defense and AC (unless the inquisitive chooses to wear chainmail). Then the secondary ability scores would map to your two build names: Wis for the cunning inquisitive, Cha for intimidating inquisitive. In either case, the inquisitive also gets a good Will defense.
1. Why martial melee weapons? It seems the Inquisitive either focuses on alchemical items, crossbows, or gets proficiency in the spiked chain or man-catcher (presumably a superior weapon). Do swords, axes, and hammers really fit the archetype (honest question, I am uncertain)?
I agree, though swords do fit the archetype, so I'll add Longsword and Shortsword instead of all military melee weapons. I'm tempted to add rapier to the list. Also I've removed chainmail proficiency.
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2. I really like canny positioning.
I couldn't find a way to incorporate Intelligence into it, but I think it stands fine as is.
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3. For iron shackler, does the inquisitive actually drop the spiked chain? If not, it might be better to say that the inquisitive cannot use the spiked chain to make attacks while the target is restrained (immobilized is redundant with restrained, I think). Also, I would probably stick with the Acrobatics vs. Reflex or Athletics vs. Fortitude mechanic for escaping grabs, for simplicity, and because breaking your inquisitive's spiked chain all the time is probably not cool (DC 15 + 1/2 level is not hard for a level appropriate brute to achieve on a Str check).
Good point, I changed this as you recommended.
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3. Penetrating Sight -- I wouldn't make this a mark, especially since that is the core mechanic for defenders. Instead, I would call it something else and stick with the mechanics you have there.
Ok, changed it.
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4. What is the inquisitive's primary attack stat? I saw powers that referenced Intelligence, Dexterity, Strength -- even an Intimidate vs. Will. If you want to go the two different stat options, that might be ok...but frankly I think one attack stat, with two possible secondary stats, is probably the way to go. And the class description at the beginning lists Charisma, Dexterity, and Intelligence, with no mention of Strength.
I agree. I was striving to make the powers unique and overdid it with the various abilities. Intelligence is the primary stat, and Wisdom or Charisma are the secondary stats.
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In either case, the inquisitive also gets a good Will defense.
Agreed, changed it.
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5. Either add another class feature (which might be too much), or modify the existing ability of canny positioning or the Inquisitive Techniques to use those secondary ability scores.
I think another class feature would be too much. I guess I could add little notes to the bottom of encounter powers which add Charisma or Wisdom modifiers to attack/damage/save penalties with the corresponding Inquisitive Technique. For example, Iron Shackler might add your Charisma modifier to your AC when you use the Warding Chain power.
Perhaps canny positioning should be an Intelligence + 2 vs. Will attack? It is pretty useful, and a minor action at-will at that. At 11th level, it could be Int +4, and at 21st level, Int +6.
You could add a small Wisdom or Charisma-based benefit to Alchemic Warrior, Iron Shackler, Man-catcher, and Piercing Bolt. Alchemic Warrior already has an Int-based benefit, perhaps that could be changed to Wisdom. Iron Shackler could give the grabbed opponent a penalty to escape equal to your Charisma modifier; Man-catcher could impose a penalty to attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier as well. And Piercing Bolt could ignore resistances equal to half your level plus your Wisdom modifier.
I looked at penetrating sight again, and think that extending it to adjacent allies stretches credulity.
Anyhow, here's what I've done with Canny Positioning - I like it even better now.
Canny Positioning Inquisitive Feature With calculating footwork, you manipulate the enemy’s position to your advantage.
At-Will ♦ Martial
Minor Action, Close burst 1 Target: All enemies within the burst Attack: Intelligence +2 vs. Will Hit: Slide the target one square, and you may switch places with the target if you wish. The burst moves with you as you hit, allowing you to maneuver through a group of foes. The maximum number of times you can switch places is equal to your Intelligence modifier. Hit or Miss: All squares within the burst at your final location count as difficult terrain for your enemies until the end of your next turn.
At 11th level, increase your attack to Intelligence +4, and at 21st level to Intelligence +6.
I've been doing a lot of design but have little to show so far. Still here's an update with everything cleaned up a bit and couple new powers (see the first post).
It's interesting to be working on a class that is something of a frankenstein of archetypes... Sherlock Holmes, Batman, Brother Cadfael, the Shadow, the Witcher, Van Helsing...they're all in the pot together and I'm trying to make sense of it within the context of 4e. Fun but grueling.
I definitely have a lot more sympathy and respect for others who've made classes on these boards and the Wizards R&D folks too.
Hi, I came here from the Martial Controller thread. I really like what I see in the PDF so far (not read the tread closely yet). But I have an issue with it. Could you change the permissions on the PDF so that its commentable? It much easier to make running comments as stickies in the PDF.
Edit: Hm, on further considerations, security setting seem to be set to allow this. I need to learn how to use this program...
__________________ Carl Cramér
Member of the Netbook of Feats review board.
Vampire hunter is definitely what I'm going for. Actually just got ahold of an old Van Richten's guide from Ravenloft and lots of ideas to mine there.
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