Hello EN World. I am new, and was really only wanting the opinion of forum browsers as to wether or not this PrC is balanced or not. I always wanted my sorecress to be profecient with weapons, but I didn't want to fall behind in the arcane spells area either. Eldritch Knight held my interest, and will be what I go with unless my DM will allow this, the Eldritch Weapon Master. This idea is NOT my own, and comes from Xorial of the Wizards.COMmunity forums. Too many people there generalized and so my DM is still not sure if he will allow it or not, so please let me know if this PrC is balanced, or if I should stick to Eldritch Knight.
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"This PrC is derived from a number of sources. I originally started to work on this class back when the Psychic Weapon Master was posted on the Wizard's website under the Mind's Eye articles. I didnt like my results & largely gave up on it. Since then, I found a number of abilities that I liked from other posted PrCs. You can find some things borrowed from the Ruathmari BattleMage (Arcane Focus and Sublime Weapon), the Psychic Weapon Master (Using a familiar ability of the bonded weapon in place of the psicrystal), and the Kensai class in Dragon 310 (Weapon Mastery). There is even a little of the Eldritch Knight in this class. I look at this as a variant EK. I dont see it as a replacement though. Many different EKs can exist, as there are many different knighthoods. The core EK really caters to wizards more, so I look at it as an Arcane Knight, rather that Eldritch.
ELDRITCH WEAPON MASTER
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Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +0 +0 +2 +0 Bonded Weapon, Eldritch Defense
2nd +1 +0 +3 +0
3rd +2 +1 +3 +1 Weapon Mastery +1
4th +3 +1 +4 +1 Enscroll Weapon
5th +3 +1 +4 +1 Eldritch Critical 1/day
6th +4 +2 +5 +2
7th +5 +2 +5 +2 Spell Resistance
8th +6 +2 +6 +2 Weapon Mastery +2
9th +6 +3 +6 +3
10th +7 +3 +7 +3 Eldritch Critical 2/day
Level Spells per Day
1st ----
2nd +1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd +1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th ----
6th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th ----
10th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
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The eldritch weapon master is a deadly opponent. Combining sorcery with weaponry, he can make any foe nervous. Eldritch weapon masters come mainly from fighter/sorcerers, though you can find a few former bards. Not too few are former kensai/sorcerers. (Kensai are from Dragon #310.)
The eldritch weapon masters are loosely organized into an order of knighthood. Typically, they get along with most Eldritch Knights. Although, they tend to view the wizard dominated order as Arcane Knights. They reserve the right to refer to sorcerers as eldritch. This causes some small tension, but is mainly looked upon as an idiosyncrasy of the order. The “Arcane” Knights choose to ignore the comments for the most part.
The eldritch weapon masters are differentiated from the traditional “arcane” knights by their specialization. While the latter order tends to be generalist, in combat and magic skills, the former are more specialized. This is exemplified by the traditional focus of sorcerers, with their limited spell selection, and the fact that they concentrate their combat skills into one weapon.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a eldritch weapon master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
BAB: +5.
Feats: Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Weapon Focus (any).
Spellcasting: Able to cast 3rd-level arcane spells without preparation.
Special: Must not have a familiar. Having the familiar class ability is NOT a requirement. The character just must not have a familiar at the time he takes this class.
Special: The weapon to be bonded must be a masterwork weapon without any enchantments.
Class Skills
The eldritch weapon master's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana, history) (Int), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Tumble (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha). See Skills Overview and further of the SRD for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + INT modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the eldritch weapon master prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Eldritch weapon masters gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.
Spells Per Day/Spells Known: At each eldritch weapon master level (except 1st, 5th, and 9th), the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that he adds the level of eldritch weapon master to the level of whatever spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.
If the character had more than one spontaneous arcane spellcasting class before becoming a eldritch weapon master, the player must decide to which class to add each eldritch weapon master level for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Bonded Weapon (Su): The eldritch weapon master can form a special bond with a single melee weapon. The weapon must be the same type as her weapon of choice. The weapon must be a masterwork melee weapon (may not have any enchantment). The rite to bond a weapon requires three days and 1,000 gp in magical materials as well as a masterwork weapon.
The bonded weapon also acts as a type of familiar. The bonded weapon is awakened a little more as the master advances in levels.
If a bonded weapon is destroyed by accident or on purpose, the arcane weapon master must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 15). If the saving throw fails, the eldritch weapon master must sacrifice an additional 500 XP upon awakening her next bonded weapon. A successful saving throw reduces the loss to 250 XP. An eldritch weapon master 's experience can never go below 0 as a result of a bonded weapon's destruction. An eldritch weapon master can have only one bonded weapon at a time. The bonded weapon will have the same alignment as the eldritch master.
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Level Mental Stats Special
1st–2nd Two at 8, one at 6 Arcane Focus, empathic link
3rd–4th Two at 9, one at 7 Deliver touch spells
5th–6th Two at 10, one at 8 Sublime Weapon
7th–8th Two at 11, one at 9
9th–10th Two at 12, one at 10 Scry on weapon
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Mental Stats: Bonding with a weapon awakens it, giving the weapon an Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. The player chooses how to arrange the scores. Once the eldritch weapon master attains 9th level, the bonded weapon is fully awakened. It now gains the benefits of an intelligent magic item as described in the SRD. Starting at the appropriately listed mental stats on the Table: ITEM INTELLIGENCE, WISDOM, CHARISMA, AND CAPABILITIES.
Arcane Focus (Su): The bonded weapon acts as a focus for his spells. The bonded weapon can replace any material component of less than 50 gp value in the casting of spells. The weapon is not consumed or damaged by its use as a focus, although it must be in hand to be used in this way. The eldritch weapon master gains +1 caster level with any spell cast through his sword focus.
Empathic Link (Su): The master has an empathic link with his bonded weapon out to a distance of up to 1 mile. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his bonded weapon does.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If the master is 3rd level or his bonded weapon can deliver touch spells for him. The master may channel a touch spell through his bonded weapon with a successful melee attack, or touch attack, with his bonded weapon.
Sublime Weapon (Su): The save DC of any spell cast through the bonded weapon increases by 1.
Scry on Weapon (Sp): If the master is 9th level or higher, he may scry on his familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day.
As an eldritch weapon master gains experience, she can sacrifice an amount of experience points (XP) to awaken supernatural abilities within her bonded weapon. This sacrifice cannot exceed the XP that she has gained since she last gained a level.
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Bonded Weapon Enhancements
Bonus Total XP Min Level Meditation
+1 40 XP 1 1 day**
+2 160 XP 2 +3 days
+3 360 XP 3 +5 days
+4 640 XP 4 +7 days
+5 1,000 XP 5 +9 days
+6* 1,440 XP 6 +11 days
+7* 1,960 XP 7 +13 days
+8* 2,560 XP 8 +15 days
+9* 3,240 XP 9 +17 days
+10* 4,000 XP 10 +19 days
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* A weapon can't actually have a bonus higher than +5 see the above text.
** This is the base meditation time for a +1 weapon. All numbers following it are added to this base number. For example, a +3 bonus would cost 1 + 3 + 5 = 9 days.
At any time, an eldritch weapon master can spend time meditating to awaken the abilities in her bonded weapon. This requires a sacrifice of XP equal to the amount shown on Table 1-1: Bonded Weapons. An eldritch weapon master must meet the required minimum level and must meditate 8 hours a day for a number of days in a row equal to the XP sacrificed divided by 100.
The XP values shown on the table are the total value of the sacrifice required to bring a single weapon to the listed weapon bonus. If an eldritch weapon master already has a +3 longsword, she can raise it to a +4 longsword by sacrificing 700 XP and spending 7 days meditating.
A weapon can't have a bonus higher than +5. Use the weapon bonus on Table 1-1 below to determine the XP sacrifice when special abilities are added. Special abilities can be added from Table 8-15: Melee Weapon Special Abilities in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Example: An eldritch weapon master who has a +4 longsword can transform it into a +4 goblin bane with a sacrifice of 2,000 XP since bane is a special ability worth a +2 bonus.
Eldritch Defence (Su): The eldritch weapon master learns to use his magical nature to make himself harder to hit. For each level of eldritch master, he adds +1 of his Charisma bonus to his armor class as an armor bonus whenever he is wearing no armor. This ability has a max AC adjustment equal to his Charisma modifier. As long as he is conscious, he retains this bonus to AC.
Weapon Mastery: At 3rd and 8th levels, the eldritch weapon master gains the listed bonus to attack and damage rolls when using his bonded weapon. These bonuses are not applied to any weapon, but the bonded weapon.
Enscroll Weapon: This power lets the eldritch weapon master store spells in his weapon. Effectively, he gains the Scribe Scroll feat using an alternative medium. All rules, XP costs, and expenses that apply to Scribe Scroll also apply to this ability with the following exceptions. Once cached, the spell remains within the eldritch weapon master’s weapon and is displayed as runes of power on the blade. These runes are undecipherable to any who is not an eldritch weapon master. Calling on a cached spell is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. By touching his weapon to another willing individual, he can confer a cached spell on that target.
A eldritch weapon master can store a maximum number of spells in his weapon equal to his eldritch weapon master level plus his Charisma modifier. Enscrolled spells are never accidentally lost during combat. If the weapon is ever broken, all the spells enscrolled therein are immediately ruined. If the eldritch weapon master loses his weapon or stops using it, any spells stored in it dissipate at the rate of one spell per day, beginning with the highest level spells first.
Eldritch Critical (Su): The eldritch weapon master has learned to channel his spell energy into his bonded weapon, increasing his critical threat range. This ability adds the eldritch weapon master's Charisma modifier to the critical threat range of his weapon. This ability is usable once per day at 5th level, the twice per day at 10th.
Spell Resistance (Su): At 7th level, the eldritch weapon master gains spell resistance equal to 10 + Eldritch Master class level."
=========================================================
All responses and ideas and suggestions are welcome, thank you.
-Tinari.
=========================================================
"This PrC is derived from a number of sources. I originally started to work on this class back when the Psychic Weapon Master was posted on the Wizard's website under the Mind's Eye articles. I didnt like my results & largely gave up on it. Since then, I found a number of abilities that I liked from other posted PrCs. You can find some things borrowed from the Ruathmari BattleMage (Arcane Focus and Sublime Weapon), the Psychic Weapon Master (Using a familiar ability of the bonded weapon in place of the psicrystal), and the Kensai class in Dragon 310 (Weapon Mastery). There is even a little of the Eldritch Knight in this class. I look at this as a variant EK. I dont see it as a replacement though. Many different EKs can exist, as there are many different knighthoods. The core EK really caters to wizards more, so I look at it as an Arcane Knight, rather that Eldritch.
ELDRITCH WEAPON MASTER
code:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +0 +0 +2 +0 Bonded Weapon, Eldritch Defense
2nd +1 +0 +3 +0
3rd +2 +1 +3 +1 Weapon Mastery +1
4th +3 +1 +4 +1 Enscroll Weapon
5th +3 +1 +4 +1 Eldritch Critical 1/day
6th +4 +2 +5 +2
7th +5 +2 +5 +2 Spell Resistance
8th +6 +2 +6 +2 Weapon Mastery +2
9th +6 +3 +6 +3
10th +7 +3 +7 +3 Eldritch Critical 2/day
Level Spells per Day
1st ----
2nd +1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd +1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th ----
6th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th ----
10th +1 level of existing spellcasting class
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The eldritch weapon master is a deadly opponent. Combining sorcery with weaponry, he can make any foe nervous. Eldritch weapon masters come mainly from fighter/sorcerers, though you can find a few former bards. Not too few are former kensai/sorcerers. (Kensai are from Dragon #310.)
The eldritch weapon masters are loosely organized into an order of knighthood. Typically, they get along with most Eldritch Knights. Although, they tend to view the wizard dominated order as Arcane Knights. They reserve the right to refer to sorcerers as eldritch. This causes some small tension, but is mainly looked upon as an idiosyncrasy of the order. The “Arcane” Knights choose to ignore the comments for the most part.
The eldritch weapon masters are differentiated from the traditional “arcane” knights by their specialization. While the latter order tends to be generalist, in combat and magic skills, the former are more specialized. This is exemplified by the traditional focus of sorcerers, with their limited spell selection, and the fact that they concentrate their combat skills into one weapon.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a eldritch weapon master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
BAB: +5.
Feats: Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Weapon Focus (any).
Spellcasting: Able to cast 3rd-level arcane spells without preparation.
Special: Must not have a familiar. Having the familiar class ability is NOT a requirement. The character just must not have a familiar at the time he takes this class.
Special: The weapon to be bonded must be a masterwork weapon without any enchantments.
Class Skills
The eldritch weapon master's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana, history) (Int), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Tumble (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha). See Skills Overview and further of the SRD for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + INT modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the eldritch weapon master prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Eldritch weapon masters gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.
Spells Per Day/Spells Known: At each eldritch weapon master level (except 1st, 5th, and 9th), the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that he adds the level of eldritch weapon master to the level of whatever spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.
If the character had more than one spontaneous arcane spellcasting class before becoming a eldritch weapon master, the player must decide to which class to add each eldritch weapon master level for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Bonded Weapon (Su): The eldritch weapon master can form a special bond with a single melee weapon. The weapon must be the same type as her weapon of choice. The weapon must be a masterwork melee weapon (may not have any enchantment). The rite to bond a weapon requires three days and 1,000 gp in magical materials as well as a masterwork weapon.
The bonded weapon also acts as a type of familiar. The bonded weapon is awakened a little more as the master advances in levels.
If a bonded weapon is destroyed by accident or on purpose, the arcane weapon master must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 15). If the saving throw fails, the eldritch weapon master must sacrifice an additional 500 XP upon awakening her next bonded weapon. A successful saving throw reduces the loss to 250 XP. An eldritch weapon master 's experience can never go below 0 as a result of a bonded weapon's destruction. An eldritch weapon master can have only one bonded weapon at a time. The bonded weapon will have the same alignment as the eldritch master.
code:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level Mental Stats Special
1st–2nd Two at 8, one at 6 Arcane Focus, empathic link
3rd–4th Two at 9, one at 7 Deliver touch spells
5th–6th Two at 10, one at 8 Sublime Weapon
7th–8th Two at 11, one at 9
9th–10th Two at 12, one at 10 Scry on weapon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mental Stats: Bonding with a weapon awakens it, giving the weapon an Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. The player chooses how to arrange the scores. Once the eldritch weapon master attains 9th level, the bonded weapon is fully awakened. It now gains the benefits of an intelligent magic item as described in the SRD. Starting at the appropriately listed mental stats on the Table: ITEM INTELLIGENCE, WISDOM, CHARISMA, AND CAPABILITIES.
Arcane Focus (Su): The bonded weapon acts as a focus for his spells. The bonded weapon can replace any material component of less than 50 gp value in the casting of spells. The weapon is not consumed or damaged by its use as a focus, although it must be in hand to be used in this way. The eldritch weapon master gains +1 caster level with any spell cast through his sword focus.
Empathic Link (Su): The master has an empathic link with his bonded weapon out to a distance of up to 1 mile. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his bonded weapon does.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If the master is 3rd level or his bonded weapon can deliver touch spells for him. The master may channel a touch spell through his bonded weapon with a successful melee attack, or touch attack, with his bonded weapon.
Sublime Weapon (Su): The save DC of any spell cast through the bonded weapon increases by 1.
Scry on Weapon (Sp): If the master is 9th level or higher, he may scry on his familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day.
As an eldritch weapon master gains experience, she can sacrifice an amount of experience points (XP) to awaken supernatural abilities within her bonded weapon. This sacrifice cannot exceed the XP that she has gained since she last gained a level.
code:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonded Weapon Enhancements
Bonus Total XP Min Level Meditation
+1 40 XP 1 1 day**
+2 160 XP 2 +3 days
+3 360 XP 3 +5 days
+4 640 XP 4 +7 days
+5 1,000 XP 5 +9 days
+6* 1,440 XP 6 +11 days
+7* 1,960 XP 7 +13 days
+8* 2,560 XP 8 +15 days
+9* 3,240 XP 9 +17 days
+10* 4,000 XP 10 +19 days
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* A weapon can't actually have a bonus higher than +5 see the above text.
** This is the base meditation time for a +1 weapon. All numbers following it are added to this base number. For example, a +3 bonus would cost 1 + 3 + 5 = 9 days.
At any time, an eldritch weapon master can spend time meditating to awaken the abilities in her bonded weapon. This requires a sacrifice of XP equal to the amount shown on Table 1-1: Bonded Weapons. An eldritch weapon master must meet the required minimum level and must meditate 8 hours a day for a number of days in a row equal to the XP sacrificed divided by 100.
The XP values shown on the table are the total value of the sacrifice required to bring a single weapon to the listed weapon bonus. If an eldritch weapon master already has a +3 longsword, she can raise it to a +4 longsword by sacrificing 700 XP and spending 7 days meditating.
A weapon can't have a bonus higher than +5. Use the weapon bonus on Table 1-1 below to determine the XP sacrifice when special abilities are added. Special abilities can be added from Table 8-15: Melee Weapon Special Abilities in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Example: An eldritch weapon master who has a +4 longsword can transform it into a +4 goblin bane with a sacrifice of 2,000 XP since bane is a special ability worth a +2 bonus.
Eldritch Defence (Su): The eldritch weapon master learns to use his magical nature to make himself harder to hit. For each level of eldritch master, he adds +1 of his Charisma bonus to his armor class as an armor bonus whenever he is wearing no armor. This ability has a max AC adjustment equal to his Charisma modifier. As long as he is conscious, he retains this bonus to AC.
Weapon Mastery: At 3rd and 8th levels, the eldritch weapon master gains the listed bonus to attack and damage rolls when using his bonded weapon. These bonuses are not applied to any weapon, but the bonded weapon.
Enscroll Weapon: This power lets the eldritch weapon master store spells in his weapon. Effectively, he gains the Scribe Scroll feat using an alternative medium. All rules, XP costs, and expenses that apply to Scribe Scroll also apply to this ability with the following exceptions. Once cached, the spell remains within the eldritch weapon master’s weapon and is displayed as runes of power on the blade. These runes are undecipherable to any who is not an eldritch weapon master. Calling on a cached spell is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. By touching his weapon to another willing individual, he can confer a cached spell on that target.
A eldritch weapon master can store a maximum number of spells in his weapon equal to his eldritch weapon master level plus his Charisma modifier. Enscrolled spells are never accidentally lost during combat. If the weapon is ever broken, all the spells enscrolled therein are immediately ruined. If the eldritch weapon master loses his weapon or stops using it, any spells stored in it dissipate at the rate of one spell per day, beginning with the highest level spells first.
Eldritch Critical (Su): The eldritch weapon master has learned to channel his spell energy into his bonded weapon, increasing his critical threat range. This ability adds the eldritch weapon master's Charisma modifier to the critical threat range of his weapon. This ability is usable once per day at 5th level, the twice per day at 10th.
Spell Resistance (Su): At 7th level, the eldritch weapon master gains spell resistance equal to 10 + Eldritch Master class level."
=========================================================
All responses and ideas and suggestions are welcome, thank you.
-Tinari.
