The Keeper of the Balance

My campaign has a big conflict between law and chaos goin' down. There are long-established prestige classes for the two sides (warrior of chaos and guardian of order), but recently something one of my players said made me ponder a specialist for neutrality. This is draft 1- what do you think?

Keeper of the Balance

As the clash between Law and Chaos grows in ferocity, those who wish to stay out of it are more and more caught in the middle. They are the ones who suffer as armies rampage across the land and seas. Moreover, if one side were to come to a total victory, what would happen?

The balance between these forces is crucial, in the view of some; and those who dedicate themselves to keeping the great powers balanced are few and secretive. Still, anyone with the right philosophy and outlook can become a keeper of the balance.

Hit Dice: d8
Prerequisites: True neutral alignment. Ability to cast divine spells. Knowledge (nature) (8 ranks), Knowledge (religion) (4 ranks), Diplomacy (3 ranks).

Class Skills: Bluff (cha), Concentration (con), Craft (int), Diplomacy (cha), Disguise (cha), Escape Artist (dex), Gather Information (cha), Handle Animal (cha), Heal (wis), Knowledge (history, nature, religion, the planes) (int), Listen (wis), Profession (wis), Ride (dex), Sense Motive (wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (int), Survival (wis), Use Magic Device (cha), Use Rope (dex). Skill points per level: 4 + int bonus.
Base Attack: Good (as fighter).
Good Saves: Fort and Will.
Poor Saves: Ref.

Level---Special Abilities
1-----Analyze balance, bonus domain
2-----Equalize Spell, +1 caster level
3-----Smite extremist 1/day, +1 caster level
4-----+1 caster level
5-----Word of moderation 2/day
6-----Smite extremist 2/day, +1 caster level
7-----Banish extremist 3/day
8-----+1 caster level
9-----Smite extremist 3/day, +1 caster level
10----Blast of utter balance 1/week

CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A keeper of the balance gains proficiency in light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). He also gains proficiency in any two martial weapons.

Analyze Balance (Sp): At will, the keeper of the balance can use the analyze balance as a spell-like ability.

Bonus Domain: The keeper of the balance gains access to the Balance domain. See Complete Divine for rules on adding domains.

Equalize Spell (Su): A keeper of the balance gains a special ability that is similar to a metamagic feat. He can prepare any spell that deals damage as an equalized spell, which deals only half-damage to true neutral creatures. Furthermore, half of the damage it deals is divine damage. An equalized spell takes up a slot one level higher than normal.

Smite Extremist (Su): A keeper of the balance can choose to smite extremists on any normal attack. An extremist is a creature with no neutral alignment component. The keeper of the balance gains a bonus on his attack roll equal to his wisdom bonus, and deals 1 extra point of damage per class level.

Word of Moderation (Sp): 2/day the keeper of the balance can pronounce a word of moderation. This functions like a holy word, except it affects extremists rather than evil creatures. Also, it staggers rather than blinds, dazes rather than paralyzes, and lignifies rather than kills (turns creatures into trees).

Banish Extremist (Sp): 3/day as a swift action, the keeper of the balance may attempt to banish extraplanar extremists. This works just like a banishment spell cast at the keeper of the balance’s character level (save DC 17 + wis bonus).

Blast of Utter Balance (Su): 1/week, as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunities, a keeper of the balance can call down a blast of utter balance on a cleric or champion of extreme alignment. Unless the victim makes a Will save (DC 20 + wis bonus), he is pulled into the earth by plants and vines and destroyed forever, beyond the capacity of non-epic magic to recover.

Balance domain and spells

The domain mentioned in the post above (as well as at least one of the abilities) is homebrewed. Here it is:

BALANCE

Granted Power: Your Balance domain spells have their caster level increased by one.

1-Analyze Balance
2-Protection from Extremism
3-Magic Circle vs. Extremism
4-Dismissal
5-Atonement
6-Dispel Extremism
7-Refuge
8-Aura of Balance
9-Summon Nature’s Ally IX


ANALYZE BALANCE
Divination
Level: Balance 1

As detect evil, but instead of evil you detect how far out of balance creatures and objects in the area are. “In balance” is defined as true neutral; “moderate” is one neutral alignment component (lawful neutral, for example); and “extreme” is a completely non-neutral alignment. Thus the first round you determine whether the area has unbalanced auras in it; etc.

AURA OF BALANCE
Abjuration
Level: Balance 8
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20’
Targets: One creature/level in a 20’ radius burst centered on you
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

A green aura of pacific energy springs into being around the subjects, protecting them from attacks, granting spell resistance to spells cast by extreme creatures, and causing extremist creatures to become stunned when they strike the subject. (An extremist creature is wholly non-neutral, i.e. LG, LE, CG or CE.) This abjuration has four effects.

First, each warded creature gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus to saves. These bonuses apply against all attacks.

Second, each warded creature gains SR 25 against spells cast by extremist creatures or extreme spells. (An extremist spell is one that has two alignment descriptors.)

Third, the abjuration blocks possession and mental influence, just as protection from extremists does.

Finally, if an extremist creature succeeds on a melee attack against a warded creature, the offending attacker is stunned for 1d3 rounds unless he makes a successful Fort save against aura of balance’s save DC.

Focus: A tiny reliquary containing some sacred relic, such as a scrap of cloth from a saint’s robe or a piece of parchment from a holy text. The reliquary costs at least 500 gp.

DISPEL EXTREMISM
Abjuration
Level: Balance 6

As dispel evil, except that it functions against creatures of extreme alignment (LG, LE, CG, CE).

MAGIC CIRCLE AGAINST EXTREMISM
Abjuration
Level: Balance 3

This spell functions like magic circle against evil, except that it functions against creatures of any extreme alignment (LG, LE, CG, CE).

PROTECTION FROM EXTREMISM
Abjuration
Level: Balance 2

This spell functions like protection from evil, except that it works against all extreme alignments (LG, LE, CG, CE) rather than any evil creatures.

Nobody has an opinion??

C'mon, guys, help a fellow gamer out!

The "Lignify" part of the Word of Moderation power is very, very cool. I love the possible implications that the "uncaring" natural world is either the heart of ballance or ballances servent, and the fact that flavor text of the class prefers neither cosmological relationship.

I haven't "run the numbers" on it, but the class itself doesn't seem particularly over-powered or underpowered. I definately think I like it a lot.

The various "extremist" and "ballance" powers and spells that have aligned analogs in the core rules don't seem too overpowered, even though they affect creatures from four of the possible alignments, and the core spells and powers affect only three (i.e. smite good affects only LG, NG, and CG).

The depending on how law and chaos are represented, and the demographics of your campaign world, the core powers and spells of this prestige class won't work too well against (what I would expect most people well versed in 3.X would think of as) the "core" movers and shakers of those alignments: Inevitables and Slaad. I'm pretty sure that you've got this covered in your campaign, though, and that you've probably got the old-school law associated with good and chaos associated with evil thing going on - so we've got heinous demons and over-zealous angels competing for the hearts and minds of men.

I like your class a lot, but I'd like to look at it with a more meta-gamey critical eye sometime.
-George

Oh!

I forgot to mention that I thought the charisma-based skills fit the concept nicely, though I was rather intrigued by the inclusion of "Use Magic Device".

I like it. Though BAB as fighter might be a little too good imo. But it's special abilities are off set nicley by the loss of caster levels.

Zoatebix said:

The various "extremist" and "ballance" powers and spells that have aligned analogs in the core rules don't seem too overpowered, even though they affect creatures from four of the possible alignments, and the core spells and powers affect only three (i.e. smite good affects only LG, NG, and CG).

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I think this is offset by the fact that it is harder to acquire these abilities. (I do have a deity or two who grants the Balance domain imc, but I have yet to see anyone play a pc with the domain (though I think one of the pcs imc will take levels in this prc in, hm, two levels?)

The depending on how law and chaos are represented, and the demographics of your campaign world, the core powers and spells of this prestige class won't work too well against (what I would expect most people well versed in 3.X would think of as) the "core" movers and shakers of those alignments: Inevitables and Slaad. I'm pretty sure that you've got this covered in your campaign, though, and that you've probably got the old-school law associated with good and chaos associated with evil thing going on - so we've got heinous demons and over-zealous angels competing for the hearts and minds of men.

Click to expand...

Actually I like to work in shades of grey. The Great War of Ethics involves angels against angels, devils and archons working against demons and beast lords, etc. It's Lawful Everyone against Chaotic Everyone, in the cosmic sense. (But I digress. )

Glad you liked it!

Aust Diamondew said:

I like it. Though BAB as fighter might be a little too good imo.

Click to expand...

Hmm, you may be right. I really want to keep that, though, since it helps equalize the Keeper of the Balance with the Guardian of Order and the Warrior of Chaos.

I'll have to mull this over. Perhaps I'll drop Banish Extremist to 1/day and drop the caster progression by one more level... which could easily drop it to advance every even level (2, 4, 6, 8, 10). I think that would even out the full BAB advancement.

Hmm, also (metagamey note) the pc who's going to take it will be epic level by the time he gets there, so the BAB and two good saves won't even help him out! But I want to keep the class' balance and integrity for anyone else who takes it later...

Since Law/Chaos seems to be the dominant axis in your campaign, I'd define "extremist" with that in mind: anyone who is Lawful or Chaotic, as opposed to LG/LE/CG/CE. This makes the anti-extremism spells more powerful, but I think it's worth it in terms of campaign flavour.

Word of moderation could be broken, given that it's more powerful than blasphemy, which is pretty much agreed to be near-broken. Although given the reduced caster level progression, maybe it's not so much broken as nerfed.... Also, given that you have spell analogues of protection from evil, dispel evil, magic circle vs evil and holy aura, why not analogues of holy smite and holy word as well?

How about a Sword of Balance?

it would be Anarchic, Axiomatic, Holy, and Unholy.
That's what, +2d6 or +4d6 against non-neutral creaures?
The only barrier I see is the interesting story on how such an item was made.

The Holy Avenger of the Keepers of the Balance.