Flame_Excess
Explorer
First time ever someone approaches that class here on EnWorld!
(If not, it doesn't appear in the new sticky post of all classes.)
Please, critics are welcome. Tell if you find it's balanced or not.
All sources of inspiration given at the end.
Inquisitor
Source: http://members.core.com/~sayger/stuartsayger.com/master.jpg
Game Rule Information
Life and past:
Role:
An Inquisitor is a true faithful that destine his life into bringing back order to things, and at all cost. They are the ultimate authority, the unholy secret police of a nobleman, fighting internal corruption, heresy, ineffeciency, treason, and the fey.
In a team, it makes an excellent scout (can't find traps though), an average fighter but especially a good disabling/strategic spells disrupter.
Background:
Rumors tell that the origins of inquisitors is back in the 25th year before the new age when Izrador himself created the first high inquisitors. Their order, the Order of Law and Obedience, took its orders and authority directly from him, without any interference of the Night Kings and their minions. The identity of the grandmasters of the order has been a strictly guarded secret ever since the order's founding.
Inquisitors are usually former legates who love to work undercover for extended periods of time before reveiling their true nature - which is easy since only inquisitors have characteristic horrifying magical facial tattoos that they can cause to turn invisible at will, and which also work as their holy symbols when visible. (Those tattoos have no impact on game except for roleplay purpose or when using their "Break enchantment" special ability which exalt from those.) At least, in theory, a member of an order can demand any help from any other servant of the shadow, if he deems it necessary to carry out his duty - and the duty of all inquisitors is to unveil and punish any and all cases of heresy, bribery, criminal inefficiency, and treason, as well as cases of murder and theft within the ranks of his lord's forces.
The orders, while not widely known outside of the lord's forces, is the main cause of paranoia in servants of the shadow. In every city, in every military unit, in every temple or slave camp there could be the hidden but watchful eyes and ears of an inquisitor undercover, waiting to make his move. And, if things are looking really bad, an inquisitor may even decide to make an official inspection of an outpost or city government, in which case he carries enough authority to send anyone and everyone to the gallows. The first to reply will frequently be the members of the same order of the inquisitor.
Worship: Most inquisitors are true believer, while others inspire themselves, of a deity. St Cuthbert is the god many inquisitors worship. Since they use their common sense, wisdom (wit wise) in their acts and that they are true examples of honesty, truth, discipline and law, they stand on the side of St Cuthbert and his will upon strenght of destruction in the name of goodness and protection of everyone.
To summarize, if we could compare the inquisitor modern-wise, we should interpret the inquisitor as a secret agent having a particular hate toward any sort of manipulation (charm, illusion, lies, etc). He will often be haunted by past event(s) that lead him to lose much from such manipulation. He works for the law and his pride leads him to go beyond any regular officer by finding truth over lying criminals, investigating with much ease with their developed senses good at searching. When they feel there is the need to, they will use strenght to ostrasize any information from troublemakers. To them, the best way to punish is to deal reciprocaly with the criminal as he inflicted to his victim.
Oath of Feudalism:
An Inquisitor has gained his religious rank among of clerics first before to become an Inquisitor. To become officially an inquisitor, he must be accepted within the lord's court. Only once after he declares the oath of feudalism will he become part of an official order named by the lord. Before a ceremonial oath occur, the inquisitors of the future order are tested upon their faith and loyalty to the lord and toward eachother until everyone prooves it adequately. Thereafter, any within that group (order) of inquisitors represents law as much as a lord or a sheriff does and has the right to severe any who doesn't follow his rules - the lord's rules.
Adventuring Purposes:
Some Inquisitors seek their way to redemption while others simply try to cleanse evil from the rest of the world. Although they remain loyal to the nobleman they have sworn to obey to, they have no restriction to not leave this nobleman's lands since the oath isn't exercised in a goal of granting protection.
Redemption:
Most inquisitor aspire to become as such a great example of purity as paladins. Since they often act cruelly and that they portrait their work as not always perfect, they seek a way to redeem themselves by looking for people in need that they could help. They believe that taking baths in magical waters enchanted by good creatures are also curative to their wounded soul. They explain it that each time you commit an evil action, your soul gets wounded - curing these wounds would help it not to die and fall under the command of hells.
Tatoos:
They are the marks of devotion for the inquisitor. He can turn them invisible at will. (Or else it would unmask him very easily) They become apparent when they use break enchantment or when they are in zeal.
-----------------------------
Alignment: Any lawful.
An Inquisitor tends to be Lawful Evil since he doesn't consider pity a good excuse not to punish evil acts although he does it in the name of rightousness.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local)(Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty)(Int), Knowledge (religion)(Int), Listen(Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession(Wis), Ride(Dex), Search(Int), Sense Motive(Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot(Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
An inquisitor is some sort of fighter with a cleric background so he has access to many athletic skills (climb, jump, move silently, ride, swim.) as well as knowledge (craft, handle animal, heal, all three knowledge, profession, spellcraft). Since his tasks are many and are of being a master of investigation and of law enforcement, he has developped many talents (Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Listen, Search, Sense motive, Spot, Use rope.)
Ability Scores: Charisma is the most benefic characteristic an inquisitor can have. Strenght and Intelligence will make fights and skill checks, respectively, much easyer. Con, Dex & Wis should not really help but they should be chosen in that order, if you have some good scores left to distribute. (Inquisitors are no paladins since they believe with intelligence, not true faith. That's one good reason to explain their lawful EVIL tendancy opposed to being lawful good.)
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Inquisitors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, heavy armors, and all shields.
Aura (Ex)
An Inquisitor of a good or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity’s alignment (see the detect evil spell for details).
Heresy: Heretics are people that don't follow rules because they think it's not right or that they don't believe in gods because it's pointless. Robin Hood would be a good example of an heretic character for his continuous disloyalty to the ruling sheriff. Mainly, only heretics would let an Inquisitor to become zealous. Otherwise, it is to the discretion of the GM to judge if someone was willingly constesting or interfering an Inquisitor's activities.
Aura of Trust : (1st level) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: You can see people affected by an illusion spell (such as invisibility) as they really are upon a successful will check (DC 15+spell level).
Greater Psyche & Will: (2nd level) You gain a +3 to your saving throws vs enchantment and illusion school spells. (Effective when trying to see through illusions with aura of trust)
True Minded : (3rd level) You don't have to study illusions to disbelief in them. (You don't have to interact with an illusion to be granted your will save to see if you believe in it. See Illusions description in PHB for more details)
Break Enchantment: (4th level) Once per day, Break Enchantment;
Time: Standard action
Range: 30ft
Target: One creature
No spell resistance
It frees victims from enchantments, transmutations, curses and dispells any illusion granted.
Break enchantment can reverse even an instantaneous effect. For each such effect, you make a caster level check (1d20 + inquisitor level, maximum +15) against a DC of 11 + caster level of the effect. Success means that the creature is free of the spell, curse, or effect. For a cursed magic item, the DC is 25.
If the spell is one that cannot be dispelled by dispel magic, break enchantment works only if that spell is 5th level or lower.
If the effect comes from some permanent magic item break enchantment does not remove the curse from the item, but it does frees the victim from the item's effects.
You gain more uses per day at level 6,8,11,14 and 18.
Aura of Justice: (5th level) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: Everyone within the aura of the inquisitor gets -4 to rolls of forgery, escape artist, open lock, sleight of hand skills.
Zeal for Non-Heresy: (7th lvl) A maximum of your charisma modifier per day, when you get contested, interfered or have a good reason to think a creature should be punished (such as when you have spot liers within your lord's lands), you may enter in a state of zeal where you gain temporary hit points equal to your level, add your charisma modifier (if any) to your attack rolls and must attack any foe within 100ft. You may end your zeal at will.
Greater Ego: (9th) You gain a +3 to your saving throws vs transmutation school and curse spells.
Aura of Truth: (10th lvl) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: Everyone within the aura of the inquisitor gets -4 to rolls of bluff, disguise, hide skills and they do not have to study illusion spells to disbelief in them. (See Illusions description in PHB)
Disruptive Cleansing: (12th lvl) Break Enchantment now affects up to one creature per level, which must all be within 30' of each other.
Zeal of the Guided: (13th lvl) Whenever in zeal, add your charisma modifier to saves (if any), you also gain damage reduction of *your charisma modifier*/magic if your charisma score is 10 or higher.
Aura of Penitence: (15th lvl) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: A heretic standing within that aura's range that insisted to break laws he was aware of will receive your charisma modifier of damage every round he remains in the aura. This damage dealt continuously causes the victim to screem in agony albeit a will save (DC 15) can prevent the victim from shouting and from suffering hence dealing no damage that round. You gain +3 to all of your intimidation rolls vs that victim if they are made the same day the heretic commited his act.
Divine Psyche & Will: (16th lvl) You gain a +6 to your saving throws vs enchantment and illusion school spells. (Effective when trying to see through illusions with aura of trust)
Disruptive Veteran: (17th) Break Enchantment is made as a move action.
Zeal of Gods: (19th) Whenever in zeal, you gain an extra attack made at your highest Base Attack Bonus minus 20 and gain spell resistance equal to your charisma score.
Aura of Law: (20th) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: A foe of an inquisitor being aware of the inquisitor's rules and doesn't follow them receives a minus equal to your charisma modifier (if any) to all of his rolls whenever he stands within the aura of the inquisitor. (This effect stacks with the malus to the skill checks from the aura of truth.)
That's it. I've based myself on the Paladin Core Class when working it out.
Leave your opinion, working on a class is quite some time and comments are really appreciated.
(If not, it doesn't appear in the new sticky post of all classes.)
Please, critics are welcome. Tell if you find it's balanced or not.
All sources of inspiration given at the end.
Inquisitor
Source: http://members.core.com/~sayger/stuartsayger.com/master.jpg
Game Rule Information
Life and past:
Role:
An Inquisitor is a true faithful that destine his life into bringing back order to things, and at all cost. They are the ultimate authority, the unholy secret police of a nobleman, fighting internal corruption, heresy, ineffeciency, treason, and the fey.
In a team, it makes an excellent scout (can't find traps though), an average fighter but especially a good disabling/strategic spells disrupter.
Background:
Rumors tell that the origins of inquisitors is back in the 25th year before the new age when Izrador himself created the first high inquisitors. Their order, the Order of Law and Obedience, took its orders and authority directly from him, without any interference of the Night Kings and their minions. The identity of the grandmasters of the order has been a strictly guarded secret ever since the order's founding.
Inquisitors are usually former legates who love to work undercover for extended periods of time before reveiling their true nature - which is easy since only inquisitors have characteristic horrifying magical facial tattoos that they can cause to turn invisible at will, and which also work as their holy symbols when visible. (Those tattoos have no impact on game except for roleplay purpose or when using their "Break enchantment" special ability which exalt from those.) At least, in theory, a member of an order can demand any help from any other servant of the shadow, if he deems it necessary to carry out his duty - and the duty of all inquisitors is to unveil and punish any and all cases of heresy, bribery, criminal inefficiency, and treason, as well as cases of murder and theft within the ranks of his lord's forces.
The orders, while not widely known outside of the lord's forces, is the main cause of paranoia in servants of the shadow. In every city, in every military unit, in every temple or slave camp there could be the hidden but watchful eyes and ears of an inquisitor undercover, waiting to make his move. And, if things are looking really bad, an inquisitor may even decide to make an official inspection of an outpost or city government, in which case he carries enough authority to send anyone and everyone to the gallows. The first to reply will frequently be the members of the same order of the inquisitor.
Worship: Most inquisitors are true believer, while others inspire themselves, of a deity. St Cuthbert is the god many inquisitors worship. Since they use their common sense, wisdom (wit wise) in their acts and that they are true examples of honesty, truth, discipline and law, they stand on the side of St Cuthbert and his will upon strenght of destruction in the name of goodness and protection of everyone.
To summarize, if we could compare the inquisitor modern-wise, we should interpret the inquisitor as a secret agent having a particular hate toward any sort of manipulation (charm, illusion, lies, etc). He will often be haunted by past event(s) that lead him to lose much from such manipulation. He works for the law and his pride leads him to go beyond any regular officer by finding truth over lying criminals, investigating with much ease with their developed senses good at searching. When they feel there is the need to, they will use strenght to ostrasize any information from troublemakers. To them, the best way to punish is to deal reciprocaly with the criminal as he inflicted to his victim.
Oath of Feudalism:
An Inquisitor has gained his religious rank among of clerics first before to become an Inquisitor. To become officially an inquisitor, he must be accepted within the lord's court. Only once after he declares the oath of feudalism will he become part of an official order named by the lord. Before a ceremonial oath occur, the inquisitors of the future order are tested upon their faith and loyalty to the lord and toward eachother until everyone prooves it adequately. Thereafter, any within that group (order) of inquisitors represents law as much as a lord or a sheriff does and has the right to severe any who doesn't follow his rules - the lord's rules.
Adventuring Purposes:
Some Inquisitors seek their way to redemption while others simply try to cleanse evil from the rest of the world. Although they remain loyal to the nobleman they have sworn to obey to, they have no restriction to not leave this nobleman's lands since the oath isn't exercised in a goal of granting protection.
Redemption:
Most inquisitor aspire to become as such a great example of purity as paladins. Since they often act cruelly and that they portrait their work as not always perfect, they seek a way to redeem themselves by looking for people in need that they could help. They believe that taking baths in magical waters enchanted by good creatures are also curative to their wounded soul. They explain it that each time you commit an evil action, your soul gets wounded - curing these wounds would help it not to die and fall under the command of hells.
Tatoos:
They are the marks of devotion for the inquisitor. He can turn them invisible at will. (Or else it would unmask him very easily) They become apparent when they use break enchantment or when they are in zeal.
-----------------------------
Alignment: Any lawful.
An Inquisitor tends to be Lawful Evil since he doesn't consider pity a good excuse not to punish evil acts although he does it in the name of rightousness.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local)(Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty)(Int), Knowledge (religion)(Int), Listen(Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession(Wis), Ride(Dex), Search(Int), Sense Motive(Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot(Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
An inquisitor is some sort of fighter with a cleric background so he has access to many athletic skills (climb, jump, move silently, ride, swim.) as well as knowledge (craft, handle animal, heal, all three knowledge, profession, spellcraft). Since his tasks are many and are of being a master of investigation and of law enforcement, he has developped many talents (Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Listen, Search, Sense motive, Spot, Use rope.)
Ability Scores: Charisma is the most benefic characteristic an inquisitor can have. Strenght and Intelligence will make fights and skill checks, respectively, much easyer. Con, Dex & Wis should not really help but they should be chosen in that order, if you have some good scores left to distribute. (Inquisitors are no paladins since they believe with intelligence, not true faith. That's one good reason to explain their lawful EVIL tendancy opposed to being lawful good.)
Code:
LEVEL BAB FORT REF WILL SPECIAL ABILITIES
1 0 0 0 2 Aura of Trust
2 1 0 0 3 Greater Psyche & Will
3 2 1 1 3 True Minded
4 3 1 1 4 Break Enchantment (1)
5 3 1 1 4 Aura of Justice
6 4 2 2 5 Break Enchantment (2)
7 5 2 2 5 Zeal of Non-Heresy
8 6/1 2 2 6 Break Enchantment (3)
9 6/1 3 3 6 Greater Ego
10 7/2 3 3 7 Aura of Truth
11 8/3 3 3 7 Break Enchantment (4)
12 9/4 4 4 8 Disruptive Cleansing
13 9/4 4 4 8 Zeal of the Guided
14 10/5 4 4 9 Break Enchantment (5)
15 11/6/1 5 5 9 Aura of Penitence
16 12/7/2 5 5 10 Divine Psyche & Will
17 12/7/2 5 5 10 Disruptive Veteran
18 13/8/3 6 6 11 Break Enchantment (6)
19 14/9/4 6 6 11 Zeal of Gods
20 15/10/5 6 6 12 Aura of LawClass Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Inquisitors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, heavy armors, and all shields.
Aura (Ex)
An Inquisitor of a good or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity’s alignment (see the detect evil spell for details).
Heresy: Heretics are people that don't follow rules because they think it's not right or that they don't believe in gods because it's pointless. Robin Hood would be a good example of an heretic character for his continuous disloyalty to the ruling sheriff. Mainly, only heretics would let an Inquisitor to become zealous. Otherwise, it is to the discretion of the GM to judge if someone was willingly constesting or interfering an Inquisitor's activities.
Aura of Trust : (1st level) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: You can see people affected by an illusion spell (such as invisibility) as they really are upon a successful will check (DC 15+spell level).
Greater Psyche & Will: (2nd level) You gain a +3 to your saving throws vs enchantment and illusion school spells. (Effective when trying to see through illusions with aura of trust)
True Minded : (3rd level) You don't have to study illusions to disbelief in them. (You don't have to interact with an illusion to be granted your will save to see if you believe in it. See Illusions description in PHB for more details)
Break Enchantment: (4th level) Once per day, Break Enchantment;
Time: Standard action
Range: 30ft
Target: One creature
No spell resistance
It frees victims from enchantments, transmutations, curses and dispells any illusion granted.
Break enchantment can reverse even an instantaneous effect. For each such effect, you make a caster level check (1d20 + inquisitor level, maximum +15) against a DC of 11 + caster level of the effect. Success means that the creature is free of the spell, curse, or effect. For a cursed magic item, the DC is 25.
If the spell is one that cannot be dispelled by dispel magic, break enchantment works only if that spell is 5th level or lower.
If the effect comes from some permanent magic item break enchantment does not remove the curse from the item, but it does frees the victim from the item's effects.
You gain more uses per day at level 6,8,11,14 and 18.
Aura of Justice: (5th level) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: Everyone within the aura of the inquisitor gets -4 to rolls of forgery, escape artist, open lock, sleight of hand skills.
Zeal for Non-Heresy: (7th lvl) A maximum of your charisma modifier per day, when you get contested, interfered or have a good reason to think a creature should be punished (such as when you have spot liers within your lord's lands), you may enter in a state of zeal where you gain temporary hit points equal to your level, add your charisma modifier (if any) to your attack rolls and must attack any foe within 100ft. You may end your zeal at will.
Greater Ego: (9th) You gain a +3 to your saving throws vs transmutation school and curse spells.
Aura of Truth: (10th lvl) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: Everyone within the aura of the inquisitor gets -4 to rolls of bluff, disguise, hide skills and they do not have to study illusion spells to disbelief in them. (See Illusions description in PHB)
Disruptive Cleansing: (12th lvl) Break Enchantment now affects up to one creature per level, which must all be within 30' of each other.
Zeal of the Guided: (13th lvl) Whenever in zeal, add your charisma modifier to saves (if any), you also gain damage reduction of *your charisma modifier*/magic if your charisma score is 10 or higher.
Aura of Penitence: (15th lvl) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: A heretic standing within that aura's range that insisted to break laws he was aware of will receive your charisma modifier of damage every round he remains in the aura. This damage dealt continuously causes the victim to screem in agony albeit a will save (DC 15) can prevent the victim from shouting and from suffering hence dealing no damage that round. You gain +3 to all of your intimidation rolls vs that victim if they are made the same day the heretic commited his act.
Divine Psyche & Will: (16th lvl) You gain a +6 to your saving throws vs enchantment and illusion school spells. (Effective when trying to see through illusions with aura of trust)
Disruptive Veteran: (17th) Break Enchantment is made as a move action.
Zeal of Gods: (19th) Whenever in zeal, you gain an extra attack made at your highest Base Attack Bonus minus 20 and gain spell resistance equal to your charisma score.
Aura of Law: (20th) An aura emanates from you 10' radius per point of your charisma modifier and grants you bonuses: A foe of an inquisitor being aware of the inquisitor's rules and doesn't follow them receives a minus equal to your charisma modifier (if any) to all of his rolls whenever he stands within the aura of the inquisitor. (This effect stacks with the malus to the skill checks from the aura of truth.)
That's it. I've based myself on the Paladin Core Class when working it out.
Leave your opinion, working on a class is quite some time and comments are really appreciated.
Last edited:
