malcolm_n
Adventurer
Design Goal: Create an alternative power source option for each source/class combination. These will maintain the feel of the original class while giving them an exotic appeal with a few changed abilities/features. Each class gives tips and suggestions on how to make the character feel more like the alternate power source without sacrificing (too much) power. Take the psionic barbarian, for example. It suggests that the barbarian character wield a staff to take advantage of it as an implement with the provided powers (which also allow other weapons at a cost). A staff is not usually an optimal weapon for a barbarian, but it functions as one just fine. With the option, you can also use it to greater effect as an implement, which ties in nicely if you multiclass into something like monk, or even wizard.
Why?: Better story tie-ins for some characters. Alternate Power Sources allows better blending into multiclass or hybrid. Alternatively, it gives the character a way to act like a class of a different power source without actually multiclassing/using hybrid.
Rules Clarification: The only way to gain the features/powers explained are half-elf Dilletante or choose the alternate power source class. The class features and traits are balanced against each other. Ultimately, such classes will have their own hybrid and multiclass options which would open up the original class powers while granting the reflavored power/feature.
Example: Because you are still a barbarian, you cannot multiclass into psionic barbarian to get the weakened Indomitable Will class feature. Similarly a hybrid barbarian cannot also hybrid psionic barbarian or choose Indomitable Will (hybrid) as a hybrid talent option.
BARD, MARTIAL
Flag Carriers going into combat. Trumpeters sounding the charge. Drummers playing to the tune of the march. These are the martial bards of the world. They are on the field of battle, armed and ready to help with a solemn tune or a rallying cry.
[sblock=MODIFIED CLASS TRAITS]Replace the appropriate text from the Bard Class Traits in the PH2 with the following.
Power Source: Martial. You weren't trained by a magical school, or even a wandering mage. You were brought up in the army of your home and trained to keep the morale up amongst your men.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged
Implements: Songblades
Bonus to Defenses: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex
Trained Skills: From the bard class skills list, choose four trained skills at 1st level.
Class Features: Bardic Training, Bard Weapon Talent, majestic word, Multiclass Versatility, Skill Versatility, words of friendship[/sblock]
[sblock=MARTIAL BARD CLASS FEATURES] [FONT="]Martial Bards sacrifice their choice of virtue, part of the bardic training class feature, and their song of rest for better weapon training and a steelier outlook on combat. These bards are often great skalds or weavers of fantastic tales around a camp fire.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Bardic Training[/FONT]
This class feature functions like the bard class feature, except you can only learn rituals that have bard as a prerequisite. To learn other rituals, you must still take the ritual caster feat.
[FONT="]Bard Weapon Talent (Virtue of Valor)[/FONT]
This class feature counts as the virtue of valor class feature when a power would benefit from it.
Choose light blades or heavy blades. You gain a +1 bonus to attacks with the chosen weapon group. In addition, once per round, when you miss an enemy with a melee attack using your chosen weapon, one ally within 5 squares of you can shift 1 square or make a melee basic attack against the enemy as a free action.[/sblock][sblock=MARTIAL BARD POWERS] The martial bard has access to all bard powers. You can also choose the following powers which give you a more distinct identity as a martial class. To enhance your status as a martial character, consider choosing powers with the weapon keyword.
Think Twice Martial Bard Attack 1
[FONT="]Your blade bites into the enemy’s flesh and you smile at its fearful retort.[/FONT]
[FONT="]At-will [/FONT][FONT="]*[/FONT][FONT="] Martial, Rattling, Weapon[/FONT]
[FONT="]Standard Action Melee[/FONT][FONT="] weapon[/FONT]
[FONT="]Target:[/FONT][FONT="] One creature[/FONT]
[FONT="]Attack:[/FONT][FONT="] Charisma vs. AC[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hit:[/FONT][FONT="] 1[W] + Charisma modifier damage.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT][FONT="]Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage.[/FONT]
That Old Saying Martial Bard Attack 1
[FONT="]You know; the one about how it’s sometimes hard to get out of a tough situation.[/FONT]
Daily [FONT="]* [/FONT]Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier damage. One ally adjacent to the target makes a melee basic attack against it as a free action. The ally adds your Constitution modifier to the damage.
Press On Martial Bard Utility 2
[FONT="]Despite the pain, you and your allies can continue to fight.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Encounter [/FONT][FONT="]*[/FONT][FONT="] Martial[/FONT]
[FONT="]Minor Action Melee[/FONT][FONT="] touch[/FONT]
[FONT="]Target:[/FONT][FONT="] You if you’re bloodied or one bloodied ally[/FONT]
[FONT="]Effect:[/FONT][FONT="] The target gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier.[/FONT]
Improved That Old Saying Martial Bard Attack 13
[FONT="]You know; the one about how it’s sometimes hard to get out of a tough situation.[/FONT]
Daily [FONT="]* [/FONT]Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage. Each ally adjacent to the target makes a melee basic attack against it as a free action. One of those allies adds your Constitution modifier to the damage.
Greater That Old Saying Martial Bard Attack 27
[FONT="]You know; the one about how it’s sometimes hard to get out of a tough situation.[/FONT]
Daily [FONT="]* [/FONT]Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 3[W] + Charisma modifier damage. Each ally adjacent to the target makes a melee basic attack against it as a free action. One of those allies adds your Constitution modifier to the damage.[/sblock]As always, I appreciate any thoughts/feelings on these. I'll post another one tomorrow after I finish formatting. Gonna work through each available power source/class, and I'm willing to take requests.
Here is the List of other Alternate Power Sources and other works I've completed so far for my campaign setting.
Why?: Better story tie-ins for some characters. Alternate Power Sources allows better blending into multiclass or hybrid. Alternatively, it gives the character a way to act like a class of a different power source without actually multiclassing/using hybrid.
Rules Clarification: The only way to gain the features/powers explained are half-elf Dilletante or choose the alternate power source class. The class features and traits are balanced against each other. Ultimately, such classes will have their own hybrid and multiclass options which would open up the original class powers while granting the reflavored power/feature.
Example: Because you are still a barbarian, you cannot multiclass into psionic barbarian to get the weakened Indomitable Will class feature. Similarly a hybrid barbarian cannot also hybrid psionic barbarian or choose Indomitable Will (hybrid) as a hybrid talent option.
BARD, MARTIAL
Flag Carriers going into combat. Trumpeters sounding the charge. Drummers playing to the tune of the march. These are the martial bards of the world. They are on the field of battle, armed and ready to help with a solemn tune or a rallying cry.
[sblock=MODIFIED CLASS TRAITS]Replace the appropriate text from the Bard Class Traits in the PH2 with the following.
Power Source: Martial. You weren't trained by a magical school, or even a wandering mage. You were brought up in the army of your home and trained to keep the morale up amongst your men.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged
Implements: Songblades
Bonus to Defenses: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex
Trained Skills: From the bard class skills list, choose four trained skills at 1st level.
Class Features: Bardic Training, Bard Weapon Talent, majestic word, Multiclass Versatility, Skill Versatility, words of friendship[/sblock]
[sblock=MARTIAL BARD CLASS FEATURES] [FONT="]Martial Bards sacrifice their choice of virtue, part of the bardic training class feature, and their song of rest for better weapon training and a steelier outlook on combat. These bards are often great skalds or weavers of fantastic tales around a camp fire.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Bardic Training[/FONT]
This class feature functions like the bard class feature, except you can only learn rituals that have bard as a prerequisite. To learn other rituals, you must still take the ritual caster feat.
[FONT="]Bard Weapon Talent (Virtue of Valor)[/FONT]
This class feature counts as the virtue of valor class feature when a power would benefit from it.
Choose light blades or heavy blades. You gain a +1 bonus to attacks with the chosen weapon group. In addition, once per round, when you miss an enemy with a melee attack using your chosen weapon, one ally within 5 squares of you can shift 1 square or make a melee basic attack against the enemy as a free action.[/sblock][sblock=MARTIAL BARD POWERS] The martial bard has access to all bard powers. You can also choose the following powers which give you a more distinct identity as a martial class. To enhance your status as a martial character, consider choosing powers with the weapon keyword.
Think Twice Martial Bard Attack 1
[FONT="]Your blade bites into the enemy’s flesh and you smile at its fearful retort.[/FONT]
[FONT="]At-will [/FONT][FONT="]*[/FONT][FONT="] Martial, Rattling, Weapon[/FONT]
[FONT="]Standard Action Melee[/FONT][FONT="] weapon[/FONT]
[FONT="]Target:[/FONT][FONT="] One creature[/FONT]
[FONT="]Attack:[/FONT][FONT="] Charisma vs. AC[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hit:[/FONT][FONT="] 1[W] + Charisma modifier damage.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT][FONT="]Level 21: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage.[/FONT]
That Old Saying Martial Bard Attack 1
[FONT="]You know; the one about how it’s sometimes hard to get out of a tough situation.[/FONT]
Daily [FONT="]* [/FONT]Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 1[W] + Charisma modifier damage. One ally adjacent to the target makes a melee basic attack against it as a free action. The ally adds your Constitution modifier to the damage.
Press On Martial Bard Utility 2
[FONT="]Despite the pain, you and your allies can continue to fight.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Encounter [/FONT][FONT="]*[/FONT][FONT="] Martial[/FONT]
[FONT="]Minor Action Melee[/FONT][FONT="] touch[/FONT]
[FONT="]Target:[/FONT][FONT="] You if you’re bloodied or one bloodied ally[/FONT]
[FONT="]Effect:[/FONT][FONT="] The target gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier.[/FONT]
Improved That Old Saying Martial Bard Attack 13
[FONT="]You know; the one about how it’s sometimes hard to get out of a tough situation.[/FONT]
Daily [FONT="]* [/FONT]Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage. Each ally adjacent to the target makes a melee basic attack against it as a free action. One of those allies adds your Constitution modifier to the damage.
Greater That Old Saying Martial Bard Attack 27
[FONT="]You know; the one about how it’s sometimes hard to get out of a tough situation.[/FONT]
Daily [FONT="]* [/FONT]Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex
Hit: 3[W] + Charisma modifier damage. Each ally adjacent to the target makes a melee basic attack against it as a free action. One of those allies adds your Constitution modifier to the damage.[/sblock]As always, I appreciate any thoughts/feelings on these. I'll post another one tomorrow after I finish formatting. Gonna work through each available power source/class, and I'm willing to take requests.
Here is the List of other Alternate Power Sources and other works I've completed so far for my campaign setting.
. I have each one I complete in my word doc at the moment for edits and whatnot. The final pdf will include multiclass, hybrid, and some feats.
