Archivist Class (Cleric Variant)

After breaking down and picking up a PHB from the local bookstore last night (one of the late-adopter guys at the table will get a present when my Amazon order shows up) and trying to convert an Archivist PC from a PBP game that I rather liked (Khalia ir'Indari, I decided that although I could make a fairly respectable version of her as a Cleric, it wasn't quite right. So here's some hasty early morning scribbling...

Archivist

as cleric, except as noted

Key Abilities: Intelligence, Charisma
Armor profs: cloth, leather
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Con score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 4

Trained Skills: Arcana, Religion. From the class skills list below, choose three more trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills: Arcana, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Perception, Religion, Streetwise

Class features: Dark Knowledge, Healing Word, Ritual Casting, Prayerbook

Dark Knowledge - once per encouncter, an archivist can draw upon her expansive knowledge of monsters, granting her allies benefits against the creatures they face

Dark Knowledge attacks often are [Knowledge Skill] vs. defense.
[Knowledge Skill] is determined by creature type.
arcana - elemental, fey, shadow
dungeoneering - aberrant
nature - natural
religion - immortal or undead

Dark Knowledge: Tactics Archivist Feature
You draw on your extensive knowledge of creatures of the foe's type in order to advise your allies on how best to defeat it.
Daily * Divine
Standard Action Area: Burst 3 within 10 squares
Attack: [Knowledge Skill] vs. Will
Hit: Until the end of the encounter, your allies gain +1 power bonus to hit members of a specific type of creature within the area of effect
At 11th level, this bonus increases to +2. At 21st level, this bonus increases to +3

Dark Knowledge: Puissance Archivist Feature
With a quick word, you tell your allies you to avoid the foe's attacks.
Encounter * Divine
Minor Action Ranged: 10
Attack: [Knowledge Skill] vs. Will
Hit: Your allies gain +1 power bonus to defenses against a specific type of creature within the area of effect until the end of your next turn. At 11th level, this bonus increases to +2. At 21st level, this bonus increases to +3.

Prayerbook - as per a wizard's spellbook, except that it functions for prayers, not spells; feats and magic items which affect spellbooks affect prayerbooks, and magic items that can be used as spellbooks can be used as prayerbooks (this feature isn't very useful with just PH1; as more divine prayers become available, this will become more useful)

Powers - An archivist can use Intelligence instead of Wisdom for for all Cleric powers, but does not gain access to powers with the weapon keyword. An archivist can also use the wizard's Utility powers, though they count as prayers for an archivist.

New Feats
(heroic tier)
Dark Knowledge: Foe's Weakness
Prerequisite: Dark Knowledge class feature.
You gain the use of Foe's Weakness as a Dark Knowledge ability.

Dark Knowledge: Foe's Weakness
You learn any vulnerabilities the target has and make an immediate attack, exploiting this knowledge.
Prerequisite: You must have Knowledge skill training in the skill corresponding with the creature's type to use this power.
Encounter * Divine
Standard Action Ranged: 10
Target: One creature
Attack: INT vs. AC
Effect: Learn one vulnerability of the target. Until the end of your next turn, any ally exploiting the creature's vulnerability inflicts an addition 1d6 damage.
Hit: 1d10 + INT damage, plus if you exploit the creature's vulnerability with the appropriate damage type, the creature is dazed until the end of your next turn.
Miss: The creature isn't dazed and takes half damage. However, until the end of your next turn, any ally exploiting the creature's vulnerability inflicts an addition 1d6 damage.

(paragon tier)
Dark Knowledge: Dread Secret
Prerequisite: Dark Knowledge class feature.
You gain the use of Dread Secret as a Dark Knowledge ability.

Dark Knowledge: Dread Secret
Every creature has a secret it wishes were known to none. But the Archivist knows.
Prerequisite: You must have Knowledge skill training in the skill corresponding with the creature's type to use this power.
Daily * Divine
Standard Action Ranged: 10
Target: One creature
Attack: INT vs. Will
Effect: Learn the darkest secret of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the target is Stunned.
Hit: 2d8 + INT damage.
Miss: The creature takes half damage.

Dark Knowledge: Foreknowledge
Prerequisite: Dark Knowledge class feature.
You gain the use of Foreknowledge as a Dark Knowledge ability.

Dark Knowledge: Foreknowledge
A master archivist often can predict the moves of her enemies almost perfectly, and act on this information.
Prerequisite: You must have Knowledge skill training in the skill corresponding with the creature's type to use this power.
Daily * Divine
Standard Action Ranged: burst 2 within 10 squares
Target: All creatures of one type in area of effect
Attack: INT vs. Will
Hit: You anticipate the next attacks the target will make. Until the end of the encounter, your allies gain a +3 bonus to AC vs. that target.
Miss: Your knowledge of the target is less complete; you only provide a +1 bonus to AC.

That's a big 'ole to-hit bonus for an encounter power. I'd make it Daily or limit it to the "end of your next turn."

DonAdam said:

That's a big 'ole to-hit bonus for an encounter power. I'd make it Daily or limit it to the "end of your next turn."

Click to expand...

Yeah, I know; the closest effect to what I wanted was Bless, and that's a Daily, but in 3.5 the Dark Knowledge abilities are essentially per-encounter (they start as 3x/day and end up as 9x/day). I've changed it to a daily, though I'm going to add another Dark Knowledge that's an encounter power to the starting list.

(move this to core)

I love this, but I would change healing Word, I am not sure how yet, but diffrent, or maybe gone all togather, it just doesn;t seam to fit.

My buddy oe was talking about multi classing Cleric with Warlord, or Wizard with warlord to get the archivast feel, but I will have him look this postt over

I think the concept you are working with is great. I would work some more on the fluff reconciling Intelligence/Charisma as primary abilities with a Divine power source. What's going on there? Are you unearthing the forbidden secrets of gods? Deciphering angelic texts and communing with celestial spirits?

I think "Dark Knowledge: Puissance" needs to be re-thought - a standard action to help an ally is a no-no of 4e. Standard actions usually involve some sort of offense, even if no damage is actually dealt, you do something to the enemy. I think you could just make it last until the end of your next turn.

So the class features might look like this...

ARCHIVIST CLASS FEATURES
Channel Divinity: Turn Undead --> Dark Knowledge: Puissance
Channel Divinity: Divine Fortune --> Dark Knowledge: Foe's Weakness
Healer's Lore --> Prayerbook
Healing Word --> Blessed Ward
Ritual Casting

Blessed Ward (Alternate Cleric Feature)
Replaces: Healing Word
Encounter * Divine, Healing
Minor Action
Target: You or one ally
Effect: The target can spend a healing surge and gains [+1 or Cha] to their next defense check or saving throw before the end of your next turn.

Dark Knowledge: Foe's Weakness
You learn any vulnerabilities the target has and make an immediate attack, exploiting this knowledge.
Prerequisite: You must have Knowledge skill training in the skill corresponding with the creature's type to use this power.
Encounter * Divine
Standard Action Ranged: 10
Target: One creature
Attack: INT vs. AC
Effect: Learn one vulnerability of the target. Until the end of your next turn, any ally exploiting the creature's vulnerability inflicts an addition 1d6 damage.
Hit: 1d10 + INT damage, plus if you exploit the creature's vulnerability with the appropriate damage type, the creature is dazed until the end of your next turn.
Miss: The creature isn't dazed and takes half damage. However, until the end of your next turn, any ally exploiting the creature's vulnerability inflicts an addition 1d6 damage.

GMforPowergamers said:

I love this, but I would change healing Word, I am not sure how yet, but diffrent, or maybe gone all togather, it just doesn't seam to fit.

Click to expand...

Perhaps it's not the greatest fit, but the Warlord's Inspiring Word is mechanically identical, so I kind of think the ability is sort of iconic to the Leader role. I know when Khalia was the only major divine caster in the party, I ended up spending several feats to make her a better healer... and when we got a melee cleric for the second PBP game with the same core, it helped a lot.

GMforPowergamers said:

My buddy oe was talking about multi classing Cleric with Warlord, or Wizard with warlord to get the archivast feel, but I will have him look this postt over

Click to expand...

There's not all that much synergy either way. What you really want in either multiclass, if you're trying for the archivist feel, is the utility powers; the basic attacks from a warlord are always based off melee attacks (not too useful for most low-str archivists), and really the cleric's selection of attack prayers isn't bad at all so you don't need to snatch spells from wizard for it.

Quickleaf said:

I think the concept you are working with is great. I would work some more on the fluff reconciling Intelligence/Charisma as primary abilities with a Divine power source. What's going on there? Are you unearthing the forbidden secrets of gods? Deciphering angelic texts and communing with celestial spirits?

Click to expand...

Well, the 3.5 Archivist was excerpted in the Heroes of Horror preview, so you can check there for flavor (WotC's professionals and freelancers being much better at writing the stuff than I am).

Quickleaf said:

I think "Dark Knowledge: Puissance" needs to be re-thought - a standard action to help an ally is a no-no of 4e. Standard actions usually involve some sort of offense, even if no damage is actually dealt, you do something to the enemy. I think you could just make it last until the end of your next turn.

Click to expand...

Well, I was thinking Sustain: minor wasn't enough of a cost, and I guess I'm a bit too caught up in the 3.5 effects of Dark Knowledge, which always essentially lasted for the entire encounter after one skill check. Probably should be just a turn, though.

Note that 3.5's Dark Knowledges were Move actions - one of the very, very few offensive actions you could take with a Move action, at that.

I've made some revisions to the original post, tweaking the Dark Knowledge powers and cleaning up the formatting. Also turned Quickleaf's Foe's Weakness into a feat.