This is designed primarily as a bard class. It loses the Appraise, Pick
Pocket and (most importantly) Perform class skills, but gains skill points
per level.
The "supernaturally aligned" bit below has to do with my own house rules
on alignment. I can provide further explanation but I think the rule is
adequately explained in that paragraph.
Finally, I'm considering changing the +1 level spells per day so that yes,
they do gain spells cast and known per day +1, but not from whatever spell
list they already have access to. Instead I would provide an alternate
spell list.
Anyway, please, with the comments (specifically on balance):
[/COLOR]
Pocket and (most importantly) Perform class skills, but gains skill points
per level.
The "supernaturally aligned" bit below has to do with my own house rules
on alignment. I can provide further explanation but I think the rule is
adequately explained in that paragraph.
Finally, I'm considering changing the +1 level spells per day so that yes,
they do gain spells cast and known per day +1, but not from whatever spell
list they already have access to. Instead I would provide an alternate
spell list.
Anyway, please, with the comments (specifically on balance):
Code:
[COLOR=burlywood]Watchers of the Gate
This is designed primarily as a bard class. It loses the Appraise, Pick
Pocket and (most importantly) Perform class skills, but gains skill points
per level.
The "supernaturally aligned" bit below has to do with my own house rules
on alignment. I can provide further explanation but I think the rule is
adequately explained in that paragraph.
Finally, I'm considering changing the +1 level spells per day so that yes,
they do gain spells cast and known per day +1, but not from whatever spell
list they already have access to. Instead I would provide an alternate
spell list.
Anyway, please, with the comments (specifically on balance):
Watchers of the Gate
Magic is a dirty word these days. Most people don't even remember why
anymore. They don't keep histories of the depredations of the Archmagi
Kings, or of the valiant struggle to free humanity from their clutches
and to drive them to the frozen north. What they also don't know--what
would be considered sacrilegious today--is that the Archmagi Kings were
the only thing standing in the way of the destruction and enslavement of
the real world. There are creatures beyond the world of farms and
blacksmiths and merchant caravans, beings of pure and unmitigated evil.
Beings so vast and terrible that to truly understand them is to be
insane. Unfortunately, they have not lost their interest in the world
just because the world has overthrown its magical overlords. Thus,
protection of the world's very existence has fallen to a loose college
of loremasters and adventurers, bold men and women equipped with the
right arcane and occult knowledge, and the courage to stand against the
assembled armies of pure evil, and hold them off. They are known as the
Gatekeepers.
Gatekeepers can be found in every city and most large towns--even those
of the Nation of Suhl, where they would be burned alive for their
knowledge alone, much less for practicing their vocation. Thus, in most
places where they are found, the Gatekeepers act in secret. Each
recruitment is fraught with danger, but the danger of not replacing
those soldiers of the cause who fall in their duty is even greater.
The Gatekeepers are made up of many different disciplines: there are
those that specialize in slaying fiends, those that are best at
manipulating dimensional energies, those that use the power of their god
to tip the scales in the struggle, and many others. One of the most
important niches to be filled in the organization is that of the
Watchers of the Gate. The Watchers are charged with traveling the
world, gathering and sharing lore, reporting spots that have been worn
thin from repeated crossings and, occasionally, directly battling an
incursion. Stealth, magic, knowledge and the blade are their tools;
their constant companion: the threat of destruction and, worse,
seduction.
Bards are the most likely candidates to become Watchers of the Gate, but
rogues, rangers and even some wizards are known. Clerics and paladins
are possible Watchers, but are more often used in other areas of the
Gatekeeper organization. Fighters, barbarians and, to a lesser extent,
druids, tend to be too focused on the real world to be likely Watchers
of the Gate.
Hit Die: d6
REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become a Watcher of the Gate, a character must
fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Non-evil. The Watchers exist to defeat fiends and,
while it is possible that evil beings might wish to defend the Prime
Material as well, the temptation of dealing with such dark forces is
considered by the Gatekeepers to be too much of a danger.
Base Attack Bonus: +4.
Feats: Iron Will.
Skills: Decipher Script 4 ranks, Knowledge (The Planes) 8
ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks and Gather Information 4 ranks.
Spells: The ability to cast 2nd level Abjuration spells.
Special: The character must have been to another plane besides
the Prime Material, and must have been recruited by The Gatekeepers into
the Watchers sect. The initiation into the order usually involves a
trip to the Gatekeepers' demiplane, ensuring that anyone the Gatekeepers
want doesn't have a problem with the first requirement.
CLASS SKILLS
The Watcher of the Gate's class skills (and the key ability for each
skill) are:
Str: Climb, Jump, Swim
Dex: Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently, Tumble
Con: Concentration
Int: Alchemy, Craft, Decipher Script (exclusive skill),
Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Scry (exclusive skill),
Speak Language, Spellcraft
Wis: Intuit Direction, Listen, Profession, Sense Motive
Cha: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Use Magic
Device
Skill points at each level: 6 + Int modifier.
CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the Watcher of the Gate.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Watchers of the Gate gain no
proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Detect Illusions (Ex): As part of his training, the Watcher of
the Gate learns to scrutinize his surroundings for telltale signs of the
deceptive magics that extraplanar hordes employ. If he spends a partial
action, he is entitled to a saving throw to disbelieve an illusion
without first interacting with it. Additionally, the Watcher gains a
+10 competence bonus on any Listen or Spot check to detect invisible
creatures.
Spells: A Watcher of the Gate continues training in whatever
magical pursuits she was involved in before being welcomed into the fold
of the Gatekeepers. Thus, when a new Watcher of the Gate level is
gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if
appropriate) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class
she belonged to before adding the prestige class. She does not,
however, gain any other benefit of that class she would have gained
(metamagic or item creation feats, turning or rebuking undead, and so
on). This essentially means that she adds the level of Watcher of the
Gate to the level of some other spellcasting class the character has,
then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly. If a
character had more than one spellcasting class before she became a
Watcher of the Gate, she must decide to which class she adds each level
of Watcher of the Gate for purposes of determining spells per day (and
spells known, if appropriate) when she adds a new level.
Additionally, the following spells are added to the character's
spell list if she doesn't already have access to them. If the level for
a spell is already on her spell list, but at a different level, the
level provided here supercedes that given by the base class.
1st level--magic weapon, protection from evil
2nd level--detect thoughts, see invisibility
3rd level--greater magic weapon, magic circle against evil
4th level--break enchantment, dimensional anchor, discern lies,
dismissal, lesser planar ally, negative energy protection
5th level--contact other plane, dispel evil, lesser planar
binding, plane shift
6th level--banishment, planar ally, planar binding, true seeing
7th level--ethereal jaunt, holy word
8th level--etherealness, greater planar ally, greater planar
binding, holy aura
9th level--astral projection, gate, imprisonment
Planar lore (Ex): Watchers of the Gate are the world's
preeminent experts on lore relating to The Planes. They have the
ability to know legends or information regarding anything related to The
Planes, just like a bard can with bardic knowledge. The Watcher of the
Gate adds his level and his Intelligence modifier to Knowledge checks as
per page 29 of the Player's Handbook in the description of bardic
knowledge. If he has bardic knowledge already, he adds his bard levels
to this check as well. However, levels in Watcher of the Gate may not
be added to general bardic knowledge rolls for things that do not relate
to The Planes.
Supernaturally aligned: Unlike most creatures in the Prime
Material Plane, Watchers of the Gate are supernaturally attuned to their
alignment. This means that spells that affect alignment affect them.
For example, a chaotic evil fighter is immune to the effects of
protection from evil but a lawful good Watcher of the Gate is detectable
using detect good, and so on.
Aura of Power (Su): The forces allied against evil imbue the
Watcher of the Gate with a mystical force that evil outsiders find
caustic. Beginning at 2nd level, when a Watcher of the Gate causes
damage to an evil outsider, she gains a +1 holy bonus to damage. This
works for melee and ranged attacks, and for spells that inflict damage.
When this ability is invoked, she gains an aura of a signature color and
shape (chosen when the ability is gained and unalterable unless she
changes alignment), usually of some animal or magical beast that is seen
as the essence of that Watcher's soul. Additionally, there is the
audible crackle and sizzle of energy and some signature scent fills the
air. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level and +3 at 9th level. Use
of this ability automatically causes Hide checks to fail and imposes a
penalty of -5 times the bonus gained to Move Silently checks (for
example, a 9th level Watcher would suffer a -15 penalty to Move Silently
checks after using her Aura of Power). This ability can be suppressed,
but it is difficult. Doing so requires a Concentration check with a DC
of 20 for each successful attack.
Lesser Planar Sight (Ex): At 3rd level, the Watcher of the Gate
begins to feel the innate "wrongness" of outsiders as their natures come
into conflict with the Prime Material Plane. Watchers may Track
outsiders (as per the feat on pp. 85-86 of the Player's Handbook),
although the base DC is set by the Hit Dice of the outsider rather than
the condition of the ground. The more powerful the outsider, the easier
it is to follow the disruptions it causes in reality:
Hit Dice DC
Less than 5 20
5 to 9 15
10 to 14 10
15 or more 5
Immunity to Fear and Charm (Ex): At 6th level, the Watcher of
the Gate gains immunity to fear and charm spells and effects.
Greater Planar Sight (Ex): At 7th level, the Watcher of the
Gate is even more in tune with the vibrations of the real world, and the
ways in which visitors from other worlds can disrupt them. When a
Watcher passes within 5 feet of the site of entry or exit from the Prime
Material plane, he may make a Spot check to detect this fact.
Method of crossing Base DC
Spell, spell-like ability or supernatural ability used to tran-
sport a single creature 20
Spell (et al.) used to transport more than one creature or mag-
ic item used to transport one creature 15
Magic item used to transport more than one creature or artifact
used to transport one creature 10
Artifact used to transport more than one creature or permanent
portal used to transport any number of creatures 5
Conditions Modifier
Passage currently in use -15
Every year since passage was used -1
Greater Planar Lore (Ex): Beginning at 8th level, a Watcher of
the Gate may add twice her class levels to any lore roll involving evil
outsiders.
Outsider Apotheosis: At 10th level, a Watcher of the Gate
becomes a native outsider of the Prime Material Plane. His type changes
to Outsider and he becomes immune to spell effects which target
humanoids and to sleep spells and effects. Spells that prevent
outsiders from entering a space (magic circle against chaos or
protection from good) prevent the Watcher from entering as well.
Dismissal will not affect him, since the Prime Material is his "proper"
plane, but spells like banishment that affect outsiders, will.
Base Fort Ref Will
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special
----- ------------ ---- ---- ---- -------
1 +0 +0 +2 +2 +1 level of existing
class, Detect illu-
sions, Planar lore,
Supernaturally aligned
2 +1 +0 +3 +3 +1 level of existing
class, +1 damage vs.
evil outsiders
3 +2 +1 +3 +3 +1 level of existing
class, Lesser planar
sight
4 +3 +1 +4 +4 +1 level of existing
class, Immunity to fear
and charm
5 +3 +1 +4 +4 +1 level of existing
class
6 +4 +2 +5 +5 +1 level of existing
class, +2 damage vs.
evil outsiders
7 +5 +2 +5 +5 +1 level of existing
class, Greater planar
sight
8 +6 +2 +6 +6 +1 level of existing
class, Greater planar
lore
9 +6 +3 +6 +6 +1 level of existing
class, +3 damage vs.
evil outsiders
10 +7 +3 +7 +7 +1 level of existing
class, Outsider
apotheosis
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