[Revised] Playable Adept - Please critique

[Angel Tarragon]

All right, I'm pretty sure I've got spell progression nailed down.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Okay, now the revised PDF:

 

[Nifft]

Okay, spells look sane now, though they're very "jumpy" -- more like a Bard or Specialist Wizard than like a Cleric or Druid.

It's odd that they get Call Lightning Storm but not Call Lightning. I also think Air Walk would be better than Overland Flight & Teleport. And why no Plane Shift? It seems to be treading on the Arcane spell list when it could make better use of the Divine spell list -- particularly if you want the poor dude to be able to use Scrolls. (Wands don't care, of course.)

Level 5 looks kinda bare. I'd move Brew Potion down one level; getting a ton of new spell slots (and a level-based feat) should be enough goodness for 6th level.

I'm not seeing any mechanical benefit to Prescience.

I'm not seeing any daily use limit for Speak with Spirits. Given that they're generally likely to tell the truth, this would imply mass polling as a valid strategy in overcoming the DM's devious misinformation rolls -- and that's bad.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Slapzilla]

What's the theme? It seems the original had a pretty durn good handle on a village Witch. A wise (man or) woman who was vital to a community's health and well being. Not a grand adventure type character but if he/she is the only spellcaster withing 4 day's hard ride then it's a powerful class. The second run-thru seems to have lost that element somewhat but is a more capable adventurer in many ways. Still rural but not tethered to a village. A high magic campaign would leave this character behind but a low magic campaign... very powerful. I like the nature and Spirit connections so I'd say leave them alone. Eschew Materials takes away some of the Witchy fun, but that is just my take. Going on that theme I'd drop Evocation entirely and re-load with Illusion and Charm spells, but I'm a big fan of the Witch archetype.

Dropping my Witch obsession for a bit, you've got set up a strong class for any type of shaman or elder type. Perhaps not a dungeon crawler but a less-violent-than-a-Druid natural world protector that relies on deflective measures rather than offence. This creates a great opportunity for divinations and other means of handling threats, so as a DM, you can't just throw orcs at this class.

I agree with Nifft that 5th level is looking bare. One more second level spell when BAB, Saves and Special are static. Brew Potion at 5th removes that sting.

 

[Quartz]

Bah, IE munched my reply. Let's try again.

There are a couple of typos: a double L under Seduction and you call the class Commoner in the class skills section.

Basically, it's now too powerful: I'd suggest dialling back the BAB to Poor and the HD to d6. I also don't like automatically granting Eschew Materials and Still Spell straight off. Finding special material components is a quest staple. On a read, as is the class seems particularly powerful combat-wise in multiclass situations - 2-4 levels of Fighter or Monk transform it totally.

Feats: bump Brew Potion to 4th level and add Craft Staff at 14th (Timeless Body being granted at 16th).

Given the class has Eagle's Splendour, I don't see the point of granting the Seduction ability.

I think you can do away with the Spirit abilities: surely the spirits are just SFX for Commune With Nature? Grant Etherealness instead of Spiritform.

Wild Lore also seems a bit powerful, yet paradoxically limited. How about making it a version of Bardic Lore instead?

Percipience seems to be a version of Foresight and so should be granted much later.

I'm slightly puzzled by the spells: why Guards and Wards when you have Forbiddance? Why Teleport when you have Transport via Plants? Thematically, neither of the first fit. Equally spells like Earthquake and Storm of Vengeance do. Call Lightning might be better thematically than Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning, Entangle better than Web.

It seems to me that thematically the adept has Divination, Animal, Plant, Enchantment, Air, Protection, Healing, and Earth spells, with a bit of Water thrown in. That's quite a lot, actually.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

It's odd that they get Call Lightning Storm but not Call Lightning. I also think Air Walk would be better than Overland Flight & Teleport. And why no Plane Shift? It seems to be treading on the Arcane spell list when it could make better use of the Divine spell list -- particularly if you want the poor dude to be able to use Scrolls. (Wands don't care, of course.)

Duly noted, and spell selection changed.

Level 5 looks kinda bare. I'd move Brew Potion down one level; getting a ton of new spell slots (and a level-based feat) should be enough goodness for 6th level.

Don't you mean 7th level gets a ton of spells? 6th level gets the same amout of spells as 5th level.

I'm not seeing any mechanical benefit to Prescience.

I've added the following:

When an area is devoid of sprits or if spirits around the adept are agitated, the adept cannot be caught flat-footed and the character gains a +3 deflection bonus to her AC. This bonus lasts for only the first round of combat.

I'm not seeing any daily use limit for Speak with Spirits. Given that they're generally likely to tell the truth, this would imply mass polling as a valid strategy in overcoming the DM's devious misinformation rolls -- and that's bad.

Good point I've added the following:

The adept can speak with spirits once per day for every three levels she has plus one additional time per point of Wisdom bonus.

 

[Nifft]

Don't you mean 7th level gets a ton of spells? 6th level gets the same amout of spells as 5th level.

It's not nice to change the table and then post something like this. When I wrote the comment, 6th level Adept got his first (two) 3rd level spell slots.

- - -

What does "devoid of spirits" mean?

Cheers, -- N

 

[Angel Tarragon]

It's not nice to change the table and then post something like this. When I wrote the comment, 6th level Adept got his first (two) 3rd level spell slots.

Honestly, I haven't changed the spell progression since I said I had it nailed down.

What does "devoid of spirits" mean?

Meaning absent.

 

[avr]

How would a GM decide whether an area should be 'devoid of spirits' or not?