Here's a rough sketch of a unique magic-using class. I was thinking about ability-based spell bonuses for different magic-using classes, such as Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom. As a half-joke challenge, I tried to imagine a class that used some other unlikely ability, such as Constitution or Dexterity, for its spell bonuses. The "Nature's Conduit" was the result.
Does this class seem unbalanced? I tried to cross some features of the sorcerer and druid. I didn't add any special abilities (yet), but the monk and druid have some special abilities that might be applicable (if this class is not already too powerful). Any ideas?
Nature's Conduit
A Nature's Conduit is spontaneous caster (like a sorcerer), but channels "nature's energy" as divine spells with Range: Touch (such as Inflict Light Wounds, Burning Hands, Harm, and Slay Living), Range: 0 ft., or Range: Personal (like Iron Body, Protection from Energy, and Entropic Shield). While other magic users use their Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom abilities for spell bonuses, the Nature's Conduit uses his Constitution ability. Imagine a magic user whose high Constitution makes him tough enough to channel more powerful magic energy, more often. The Nature's Conduit has to be tough because he has to get in close because his magic has such a short range (Touch, 0 ft., or Personal).
Alignment: Any chaotic
Hit Die: d8
Class skills:
The Nature's Conduit's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Nature's Conduit.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Nature's Conduits are proficient with all simple weapons.
Nature's Conduits are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. (A Nature's Conduit may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. See the ironwood spell description). Nature's Conduits are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.
A Nature's Conduit who wears prohibited armor or carries a prohibited shield is unable to cast spells or use any of her supernatural or spell-like class abilities while doing so.
Spells:
A Nature's Conduit casts divine spells drawn from both the cleric and druid spell lists with Range: Touch, Range: 0 ft., or Range: Personal. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must.
To learn or cast a spell, a Nature's Conduit must have a Constitution score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Nature's Conduit spell is 10 + the spell level + the Nature's Conduit's Constitution modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Nature's Conduit can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Constitution score.
A Nature's Conduit’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A Nature's Conduit begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of your choice. At each new Nature's Conduit level, he gains one or more new spells. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a Nature's Conduit knows is not affected by his Constitution score; the numbers on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known are fixed.) The Nature's Conduit can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered Nature's Conduit level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a Nature's Conduit can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the Nature's Conduit "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level Nature's Conduit spell the Nature's Conduit can cast. A Nature's Conduit may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a Nature's Conduit need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level. He does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast.
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Spells/Day
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 5,3,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 6,4,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 6,5,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 6,6,3,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
5th +3 +1 +1 +4 6,6,4,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
6th +4 +2 +2 +5 6,6,5,3,-,-,-,-,-,-
7th +5 +2 +2 +5 6,6,6,4,-,-,-,-,-,-
8th +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 6,6,6,5,3,-,-,-,-,-
9th +6/+1 +3 +3 +6 6,6,6,6,4,-,-,-,-,-
10th +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 6,6,6,6,5,3,-,-,-,-
11th +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 6,6,6,6,6,4,-,-,-,-
12th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 6,6,6,6,6,5,3,-,-,-
13th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 6,6,6,6,6,6,4,-,-,-
14th +10 +4 +4 +9 6,6,6,6,6,6,5,3,-,-
15th +11 +5 +5 +9 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,4,-,-
16th +12 +5 +5 +10 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,5,3,-
17th +12 +5 +5 +10 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,4,-
18th +13 +6 +6 +11 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,5,3
19th +14 +6 +6 +11 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,4
20th +15 +6 +6 +12 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6
Does this class seem unbalanced? I tried to cross some features of the sorcerer and druid. I didn't add any special abilities (yet), but the monk and druid have some special abilities that might be applicable (if this class is not already too powerful). Any ideas?
Nature's Conduit
A Nature's Conduit is spontaneous caster (like a sorcerer), but channels "nature's energy" as divine spells with Range: Touch (such as Inflict Light Wounds, Burning Hands, Harm, and Slay Living), Range: 0 ft., or Range: Personal (like Iron Body, Protection from Energy, and Entropic Shield). While other magic users use their Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom abilities for spell bonuses, the Nature's Conduit uses his Constitution ability. Imagine a magic user whose high Constitution makes him tough enough to channel more powerful magic energy, more often. The Nature's Conduit has to be tough because he has to get in close because his magic has such a short range (Touch, 0 ft., or Personal).
Alignment: Any chaotic
Hit Die: d8
Class skills:
The Nature's Conduit's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Nature's Conduit.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Nature's Conduits are proficient with all simple weapons.
Nature's Conduits are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. (A Nature's Conduit may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. See the ironwood spell description). Nature's Conduits are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.
A Nature's Conduit who wears prohibited armor or carries a prohibited shield is unable to cast spells or use any of her supernatural or spell-like class abilities while doing so.
Spells:
A Nature's Conduit casts divine spells drawn from both the cleric and druid spell lists with Range: Touch, Range: 0 ft., or Range: Personal. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must.
To learn or cast a spell, a Nature's Conduit must have a Constitution score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Nature's Conduit spell is 10 + the spell level + the Nature's Conduit's Constitution modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Nature's Conduit can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Constitution score.
A Nature's Conduit’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A Nature's Conduit begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of your choice. At each new Nature's Conduit level, he gains one or more new spells. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a Nature's Conduit knows is not affected by his Constitution score; the numbers on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known are fixed.) The Nature's Conduit can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered Nature's Conduit level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), a Nature's Conduit can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the Nature's Conduit "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level Nature's Conduit spell the Nature's Conduit can cast. A Nature's Conduit may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a Nature's Conduit need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level. He does not have to decide ahead of time which spells he’ll cast.
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Spells/Day
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 5,3,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 6,4,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 6,5,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 6,6,3,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
5th +3 +1 +1 +4 6,6,4,-,-,-,-,-,-,-
6th +4 +2 +2 +5 6,6,5,3,-,-,-,-,-,-
7th +5 +2 +2 +5 6,6,6,4,-,-,-,-,-,-
8th +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 6,6,6,5,3,-,-,-,-,-
9th +6/+1 +3 +3 +6 6,6,6,6,4,-,-,-,-,-
10th +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 6,6,6,6,5,3,-,-,-,-
11th +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 6,6,6,6,6,4,-,-,-,-
12th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 6,6,6,6,6,5,3,-,-,-
13th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 6,6,6,6,6,6,4,-,-,-
14th +10 +4 +4 +9 6,6,6,6,6,6,5,3,-,-
15th +11 +5 +5 +9 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,4,-,-
16th +12 +5 +5 +10 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,5,3,-
17th +12 +5 +5 +10 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,4,-
18th +13 +6 +6 +11 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,5,3
19th +14 +6 +6 +11 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,4
20th +15 +6 +6 +12 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6
Last edited: