Rules/Crunch of Eyros

Thanks. Ambassador Drokarizaan of the Orrukarn will be in my next smallish blurb contributing to the other Eyros thread. Today I'm thinking up some possible generic NPCs to stat up for Eyros DMs, but the first thing that came to me was to do a sample Orrukarn NPC that might be encountered in Eyrdeyn and interacted with easily. The ambassador's honor guard is likely a small group of 1st-3rd level warriors or fighters, all Orrukarn gnolls of course, garbed like Drokarizaan in an Eyrian fashion rather than Orrukarn armor.

I'm also thinking today about the types of gear, mount, architecture, etc. used in the setting. With Indracca, there's a persian/arabic-style of gear in use. With Saagersberg there's some kind of germanic or norse style of gear (I'm not terribly familiar with any single foreign language, sadly). The elves of Nistadeen likely use some western european style of arms and armor, or perhaps something like egyptian or african style. Heck, for all we know the elves might use oriental styles of weaponry. Eyros itself is based loosely on roman styles.... Orrukar I figure is probably a blend of french, spanish, or turkish styles, or perhaps oriental kinds. I figure that rapiers, daggers, bows, falchions, scimitars, flails, maces/hammers, halberds, and glaives may be appropriate Orrukarn weapons. Still unsure.

As for a two-bladed sword-wielding prestige class, I might throw together a quick little rough sample of an idea. I've made tons of prestige classes for my homebrews so far (too bad I can never focus long enough on one homebrew to make it really complete....). My current homebrew campaign has run about a year and I'm about halfway finished with at least 1 PrC per race/subrace, plus a few others. I.E. Halfling Animist, Gilden Fusilier, Hirotashi Kinutsukai, Goblin Swarmer, Golemist, Exile, Jungle Avatar, Orcish Rampager, and Gnomish Taskmage are the PrCs I've got somewhere between 50-100% complete for my current campaign. One PC is near to taking Jungle Avatar, another might take Gilden Fusilier.

Rystil Arden said:

...Either way, 41 CR is way way way too high. Conquers Twice is already a bit on the high end of power here (and he's also worshipped), so Big Al should only be significantly more powerful if he is the most powerful dragon out there, and 41 is still too high for that. After all, at least one dragon and Taufenacht (who commands dragons) were defeated by 5 17-21st level characters.

Edit: And I did make create the Al the Dragon Ascendant stat-block that is right where he should be on power level as a super-powerful being. Advancing to 41 CR is no longer a super-powerful being, it becomes an unbeatable being (unless we are playing heavy epic).

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I think Alsixnivis being more powerful than Conquer's Twice is a good thing, as it keeps the solar from marching to the North and taking out most of Taufenacht's power in the world. As for being the most powerful dragon... well, he is a special creation of Taufenacht, though being Silver-White is giving him only 1-2 CR. Perhaps there are no older dragons; the older ones were all killed in the Deciever's War (perhaps dragons were first created to fight it? I think that will be my next contribution.) Alsixnivis is Taufenacht's ace in the hole; he could be the highest CR creature around.


As for Taufenacht himself, I think he is more like Shai'Tan in the Wheel of Time; if he were physically in the world, he'd be unstoppable, but during the Deciever's War he was only partly in the world, perhaps possessing another person's body or something similar. The heroes defeated his avatar and destroyed many of his access points; the only ones left may be the Twelve and the Cerebrum Ruby. This is why Alsixnivis never goes far from the Twelve (he can't teleport back in as the surrounding area is warder against it, but I'll talk about that later.)

A preliminary example for scrutiny regarding a possible two-bladed sword prestige class.

Master Claw of the Dragon (Eyros Prestige Class)
Prerequisites: Eyrian only, half-orc only, Base Attack Bonus +4 or higher, Bluff or Intimidate 5+ ranks, Jump 7+ ranks, Knowledge (war) 2+ ranks, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Two-Bladed Sword), Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (Two-Bladed Sword), must be formally trained in the Claws of the Dragon martial art by a recognized master in Eyros.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Dice: d8.
Class Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (war), Perform, Ride, Sense Motive, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Master Claws of the Dragon are proficient in all simple weapons, all light armors, and all medium armors.

Two-Weapon Defense: A Master Claw gains the Two-Weapon Defense feat as a bonus feat. If they already possessed the feat, they instead double the shield bonus of that feat.

Dragon's Dive: The Master Claw is skilled at leaping into the air to bear down on their foe with a whirling two-bladed sword, like a dragon on the dive. Master Claws of the Dragon add their level in this prestige class, as a competence bonus, to both their Jump checks and the maximum distance they can jump, in feet. If the Master Claw jumps high enough for at least their knees to be level with an opponent, they count as having the high ground for purposes of their attack, meaning they get a +1 circumstance bonus on the attack roll. The Master Claw may jump as part of a move, double-move, charge, or partial charge.

Sharpened Claw of the Dragon: At 2nd-level in this prestige class, the Master Claw has attained such a level of skill with the two-bladed sword that it strikes as an extension of their own arms. The penalty for fighting with two weapons or a double weapon is reduced by 2 points when wielding a two-bladed sword.

Wiles of the Dragon: When a Master Claw wields a two-bladed sword, they can use the Bluff skill to feint in combat as a move-equivalent action instead of a standard action. When they use the Bluff skill to feint in combat, the Master Claw deals +1 damage with the following attack if they successfully feint. The bonus damage is multiplied normally on a critical hit. This ability is gained at 3rd-level in the prestige class.

Bite of the Dragon: A 4th-level or higher Master Claw of the Dragon can make two attacks when charging an opponent, but only when using a two-bladed sword and jumping at least 3 feet high before the strike. In these circumstances, the Master Claw makes one attack as normal with their primary hand, with the usual bonus on the attack roll for charging, but also gains an off-hand attack without the charging bonus. The off-hand attack suffers a further -2 penalty to the attack roll.

Mastered Claw of the Dragon: At 5th-level in this prestige class, the Master Claw improves the threat range of their two-bladed sword by 1 point, after all other modifiers, and this stacks with any other threat range adjustments.

Level__BAB__Fort__Ref__Will__Special
1_____+1____+0____+2___+0___Two-Weapon Defense, Dragon's Dive
2_____+2____+0____+3___+0___Sharpened Claw of the Dragon
3_____+3____+1____+3___+1___Wiles of the Dragon
4_____+4____+1____+4___+1___Bite of the Dragon
5_____+5____+1____+4___+1___Mastered Claw of the Dragon

Abisashi said:

I think Alsixnivis being more powerful than Conquer's Twice is a good thing, as it keeps the solar from marching to the North and taking out most of Taufenacht's power in the world. As for being the most powerful dragon... well, he is a special creation of Taufenacht, though being Silver-White is giving him only 1-2 CR. Perhaps there are no older dragons; the older ones were all killed in the Deciever's War (perhaps dragons were first created to fight it? I think that will be my next contribution.) Alsixnivis is Taufenacht's ace in the hole; he could be the highest CR creature around.


As for Taufenacht himself, I think he is more like Shai'Tan in the Wheel of Time; if he were physically in the world, he'd be unstoppable, but during the Deciever's War he was only partly in the world, perhaps possessing another person's body or something similar. The heroes defeated his avatar and destroyed many of his access points; the only ones left may be the Twelve and the Cerebrum Ruby. This is why Alsixnivis never goes far from the Twelve (he can't teleport back in as the surrounding area is warder against it, but I'll talk about that later.)

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Well, I'm kinda of the opinion that we should cut back on CT also, but even so, if we want to make a viable high-level (18-20ish) adventure to beat back Taufenacht's power once more, it can't be done if Taufenacht has a CR 41 lieutenant. I agree with you on Taufenacht being like Shai'tan, I just think that Al needs to not be that powerful (and if it means cutting back on CT too, that's fine, it will be very easy to remove some or all of those Paladin levels)

Looks good. I like the special abilities, some of which are gimmes, like the lowered penalty for twf with the sword.

Is there any reason that they are limited to Half-orcs?

And another idea I had, maybe if someone decides to do a 10 level progression is to give the character something like uncanny dodge, as they're always jumping around in an acrobatic twirling style, and would be able to ward against flanking attacks, so they're never actually flanked. Then again, the class is mostly a dueling oriented one, so maybe they wouldn't have any practice. Just an idea I had.

Rystil Arden said:

Well, I'm kinda of the opinion that we should cut back on CT also, but even so, if we want to make a viable high-level (18-20ish) adventure to beat back Taufenacht's power once more, it can't be done if Taufenacht has a CR 41 lieutenant. I agree with you on Taufenacht being like Shai'tan, I just think that Al needs to not be that powerful (and if it means cutting back on CT too, that's fine, it will be very easy to remove some or all of those Paladin levels)

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Great Wurm Silver dragons are already CR 26; halving the rate at which dragons age puts Alsixnivis's CR at 33-34. If we want to provide low-epic support, then we've got:

Destroy the Cerebrum Ruby and the Illithid (most of this could be done earlier than 20th)
Defeat Vil. and his army
Defeat the dragon who set up Vil
Defeat the dragon sleeping in the Mountain
Defeat Alsixnivis (this would be rather difficult, but we could probably find some more stuff to do before this.)

Each of those is probably worth a couple of levels. I certainly understand about the CR being too high, I'm just trying to fit him in beyond great wurm but below the cap.

domino said:

Looks good. I like the special abilities, some of which are gimmes, like the lowered penalty for twf with the sword.

Is there any reason that they are limited to Half-orcs?

And another idea I had, maybe if someone decides to do a 10 level progression is to give the character something like uncanny dodge, as they're always jumping around in an acrobatic twirling style, and would be able to ward against flanking attacks, so they're never actually flanked. Then again, the class is mostly a dueling oriented one, so maybe they wouldn't have any practice. Just an idea I had.

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Well, we could make a second 5-level prestige class. Most Claw of the Dragon students only learn the dueling techniques, but those who master those moves can move on to applying the style to larger numbers of enemies. Having it as two classes makes the divide more clear. Make "Mastered Claw of the Dragon" a prerequisite for the second class (or perhaps only make "Wiles of the Dragon" the pre-req.)

I think CR 33 to 34 is just right, as you probably guessed from the fact that my stab at Al on page 4 has that CR. I think the dragon sleeping in the mountain wasn't meant to become a fight by its creator, nor does there need to be a dragon who set up Vil (I rather like Mouse's backstory for Vil as having been corrupted by the bloodtainted carnage). 33-34 for Al is high enough that he is super-powerful while still killable by a mid-20s party if they have someone who, perhaps, goes on a quest to find Wyrmdeath and then on another to reforge it to become an epic weapon. And it would still be a really spectacular fight. I'm certainly open to your statting Al up to CR 33-34 through age advancement if you have the time, but it could take a long time, so you may want to look at my Dragon Ascendant version (which is just white, rather than silver/white) as a place to start.

Part of this wariness towards CR 41 comes from my personal bias in testing the epic system in my personal campaigns and watching it break apart by level 40 (basically, by level 40, a well-built spellcaster automatically wins unless the opponent has unbeatable SR or incredible touch AC combined with Evasion and Mettle, in which case she automatically loses; if they are both well-built spellcasters, whoever wins initiative wins. For instance, I created a level 40 lich that could do multithousands of damage every round as long as her Caster Level of 48 as enough to penetrate SR and another guy who could cast 10 spells per round. For melee, there's nothing quite as crazy, although I had a paladin whose Smite attacks each did 560 bonus damage [in addition to normal damage]), so I like to get things done before the PCs hit 30 if possible.

Rystil Arden said:

I think CR 33 to 34 is just right, as you probably guessed from the fact that my stab at Al on page 4 has that CR. I think the dragon sleeping in the mountain wasn't meant to become a fight by its creator, nor does there need to be a dragon who set up Vil (I rather like Mouse's backstory for Vil as having been corrupted by the bloodtainted carnage). 33-34 for Al is high enough that he is super-powerful while still killable by a mid-20s party if they have someone who, perhaps, goes on a quest to find Wyrmdeath and then on another to reforge it to become an epic weapon. And it would still be a really spectacular fight. I'm certainly open to your statting Al up to CR 33-34 through age advancement if you have the time, but it could take a long time, so you may want to look at my Dragon Ascendant version (which is just white, rather than silver/white) as a place to start.

Part of this wariness towards CR 41 comes from my personal bias in testing the epic system in my personal campaigns and watching it break apart by level 40...

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I'll agree with that, though Alsixnivis is a rather potent caster himself. I've done most of the statting already, I was just waiting for us to figure out what the best CR for him would be.

Oh, I totally missed Mouse's explanation for the origin of Vil.

My final versions of the Eyros prestige classes for half-orc nobles, now appropriately balanced:

Dragonclaw Duelist (Eyros Prestige Class)
Experienced students in the Claws of the Dragon martial art develop some distinctive techniques with their noble weapon, the two-bladed sword. Those students who dedicate themselves to the training and earn some favor from their master teacher will acquire this prestige class, learning how to duel skillfully in the traditional Eyros style. Since the masters only teach half-orc nobles of Eyros, these students often train their courtly skills at the same time, in addition to traditional Eyrian military disciplines and duties. The Claws of the Dragon martial art emphasizes use of the two-bladed sword, especially for charging and other offensive maneuvers, intended to cut down an opponent quickly and spectacularly.

Prerequisites: Eyrian only, half-orc only, Base Attack Bonus +3 or higher, Bluff or Intimidate 5+ ranks, Jump 7+ ranks, Knowledge (war) 2+ ranks, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Two-Bladed Sword), Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (Two-Bladed Sword), must be formally trained in the Claws of the Dragon martial art by a recognized master in Eyros.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Dice: d8.
Class Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (war), Perform, Ride, Sense Motive, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: This prestige class grants no additional proficiencies.

Fury of the Dragon: A Dragonclaw Duelist can make two attacks against an opponent they are charging, but only when using a two-bladed sword and jumping at least 3 feet high before the strike. In these circumstances, the Dragonclaw Duelist attacks once normally with their primary had, with the usual charging bonus, but also gains an off-hand attack against the same opponent or any other foe within melee reach, immediately after the primary-hand attack. The off-hand attack does not gain a bonus for charging, and instead suffers a -2 penalty to the attack roll. Do not apply the normal two-weapon fighting penalties with this special charge attack. Also, when using Fury of the Dragon, the Dragonclaw Duelist's AC penalty for charging is worsened by 1 point, for as long as they suffer that charging penalty to AC.

Dragon's Dive (Ex): The Dragonclaw Duelist is skilled at leaping into the air to bear down on their foe with a whirling two-bladed sword, like a dragon on the dive. Dragonclaw Duelists of the Dragon add their level in this prestige class, as a competence bonus, to both their Jump checks and the total maximum height and distance they can jump, in feet. If the Dragonclaw Duelist jumps high enough for at least their knees to be level with an opponent's chest, they get a +1 circumstance bonus on the attack roll for effectively having the high ground. A Dragonclaw Duelist may jump as part of a move, double-move, charge, or partial charge. Dragon's Dive is an extraordinary ability.

Defense of the Dragon: A 2nd-level Dragonclaw Duelist gains Two-Weapon Defense as a bonus feat. If they already possessed the feat, instead double the shield bonus of Two-Weapon Defense.

Wiles of the Dragon: When a Dragonclaw Duelist wields a two-bladed sword, they can use the Bluff skill to feint in combat as a move-equivalent action instead of a standard action. When they successfully use the Bluff skill to feint in combat, the Dragonclaw Duelist deals +1 damage with the following attack if striking with a two-bladed sword. This bonus damage is multiplied normally in the event of a critical hit. Wiles of the Dragon is gained at 3rd-level in the Dragonclaw Duelist prestige class.

Strength of the Dragon: The training and determination of the Dragonclaw Duelist pays off in part when they reach 4th-level in the prestige class, as they learn to apply the full force of their strength with the two-bladed sword. Henceforth, whenever they attack with both ends of a two-bladed sword on their action, they treat each end of the two-bladed sword as a one-handed weapon for purposes of damage. The off-hand end still counts as light for purposes of attacking, but deals damage as though it were instead a one-handed primary weapon. Thus, they apply their full Strength bonus to damage with the off-hand as well as with the primary-hand, while feats and abilities likewise treat the off-hand end as a one-handed weapon for damage, such as for Power Attack if they have that feat.

Fangs of the Dragon: At 5th-level in this prestige class, the Dragonclaw Duelist has attained such a level of skill with the two-bladed sword that it strikes as an extension of their own arms. With a two-bladed sword, the attack penalty for fighting with a double weapon is reduced by 2 points. This does not affect Fury of the Dragon, since that ability does not use the normal two-weapon fighting penalties.

Level__BAB__Fort__Ref___Will__Special
1_____+1___+0____+2___+0___Fury of the Dragon, Dragon's Dive
2_____+2___+0____+3___+0___Defense of the Dragon
3_____+3___+1____+3___+1___Wiles of the Dragon
4_____+4___+1____+4___+1___Strength of the Dragon
5_____+5___+1____+4___+1___Fangs of the Dragon





Dragonclaw Master (Eyros Prestige Class)
Students who rise to any master rank in the Claws of the Dragon martial art tradition may begin to study the deeper meanings and uses of the art. They learn how to apply this style to mass combat situations and taking on large groups of enemies, fighting like a rampant dragon tearing through hordes of enemies. Although they may train less in defense and physical might, the advanced students gain significant offensive prowess from their mastery in Claws of the Dragon philosophy. These masters of the fighting art also work on developing more draconic cunning and awareness, learning to apply tactics and strategies more quickly and broadly. Taking this prestige class is a step in that direction, leading towards mastery in the Claws of the Dragon style. Dragonclaw Masters are not only exceptional duelists, but also master tacticians and main battle troops, making excellent centurions and legates in the Legions of Eyros. They can frighten lesser troops into surrender or retreat, and cleave through numerous foes with deadly accuracy when they foolishly offer resistance against the superior Dragonclaw Master.

Prerequisites: Eyrian only, half-orc only, Base Attack Bonus +7 or higher, Bluff or Intimidate 10+ ranks, Jump 10+ ranks, Knowledge (war) 5+ ranks, Tumble 5+ ranks, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Two-Bladed Sword), Improved Critical (Two-Bladed Sword), Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (Two-Bladed Sword), Wiles of the Dragon class ability, must be formally trained in the Claws of the Dragon martial art by a recognized master in Eyros.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Dice: d6.
Class Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (war), Perform, Ride, Sense Motive, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: This prestige class grants no additional proficiencies.

Lunge of the Dragon: When the Dragonclaw Master charges an opponent, he or she can move both before and after the charge, rather than halting once he reaches the foe. He or she is still limited in how far they can move, as normal for a charge, and they must still move in only a straight line, also as normal for a charge. The Dragonclaw Master's movement with this charge does not provoke attacks of opportunity from any opponents they charge. Additionally, the Dragonclaw Master's charge penalty to Armor Class is reduced by 1 point. Lunge of the Dragon only functions when using a two-bladed sword.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A 1st-level or higher Dragonclaw Master retains their Dexterity bonus to AC even when surprised or flat-footed, though he or she does not retain any other AC bonuses that rely on keeping the Dexterity bonus to AC. Further, once they reach 2nd-level in the prestige class, they can no longer be flanked, and thus a Rogue cannot Sneak Attack them merely by flanking. However, a Rogue with at least 4 character levels more than the Dragonclaw Master may still flank him or her, and may then use Sneak Attack against them normally. Uncanny Dodge is an extraordinary ability.

Rampage of the Dragon: Dragonclaw Masters receive the Whirlwind Attack feat for free at 2nd-level, as a bonus feat, and do not need to meet the feat's normal prerequisites.

Wings of the Dragon: By 3rd-level in the Dragonclaw Master prestige class, the character has improved their skill at leaping attacks to be truly devastating. They gain +2 on Jump checks, and on damage rolls with any attack they make with a two-bladed sword while jumping at least 5 feet high. The damage bonus is multiplied normally in the event of a critical hit. Lastly, if a Dragonclaw Master jumps at least half as many feet high as their opponent's current height, just before attacking the foe with a two-bladed sword, the Dragonclaw Master receives a free trip attempt against their opponent, using the two-bladed sword. If they fail this trip attempt, the opponent does not get a chance to trip the Dragonclaw Master, but if the Dragonclaw Master successfully trips the opponent, it occurs just before the attack. This trip attempt does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the opponent being tripped.

Voice of the Dragon (Ex): A Dragonclaw Master gains +2 on both Diplomacy checks and Intimidate checks, at 4th-level in this prestige class. When demoralizing foes with the Intimidate skill, the Dragonclaw Master panics them instead, causing the demoralized foes to flee in fear of the Dragonclaw Master in addition to the effects of being shaken. Also, the panicked foes suffer a 50% chance of dropping anything they hold, just before fleeing. Voice of the Dragon is an extraordinary ability.

Mastery of the Dragon: The threat range of any two-bladed sword, when wielded by a 5th-level Dragonclaw Master, is improved by 1 point. This stacks with any other threat range adjustments, and is factored in last. In addition, the Dragonclaw Master treats opponents as having one degree less cover when he or she attacks them with the two-bladed sword. This particular benefit does not reduce total cover, however.

Level__BAB__Fort__Ref___Will__Special
1_____+1___+0____+2___+0___Lunge of the Dragon, Uncanny Dodge (Dex to AC)
2_____+2___+0____+3___+0___Rampage of the Dragon, Uncanny Dodge (flanking)
3_____+3___+1____+3___+1___Wings of the Dragon
4_____+4___+1____+4___+1___Voice of the Dragon
5_____+5___+1____+4___+1___Mastery of the Dragon