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The Adherent

ardentmoth

Explorer
So this all started as a single thought: How about a Jedi without a saber or lightning?

-Of course I realize this is nothing like a Jedi; It's made for FR settings.
-It is not meant to be played beside core-class monks, though it is quite possible.
-No he isn't a martial artist. He's a kineticist/telepath/monk of the force (which i have dubber Ley-Lines in favor of the lesser-used term).
-My primary concern is with creating a "replacement" for the Psion and Monk classes in an otherwise fairly core game.

I PERSONALLY find it slightly annoying that monks are:
1) Eastern in flavor, when no China or Japan exists in most DnD games.
2) Primarily concerned with their bodies and the martial arts, when in reality most monks are neither of those.

I also find the psion class to be a little less exciting flavor-wise than some of the other classes. So coming from a replacing-the-psion stance, I mean to inject a little flavor into it.

This is in no way complete or finished, and marginally balanced at best. I would like all advice and criticism to be directed toward the class, not myself ;).

Please make sure you understand the premise in which this class has been birthed. Reread the above if necessary, before posting.
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concept: Jedi without a lightsaber or lightning. Essentially a telekinetic/telepath/clairsentient master. A new take on the monk that is psionic/magic based rather than martial. Flavor should be neither eastern or western, but instead it should be decidedly faerunian.

Think Theskan, Rashemi, and Thayan Jedi council type cloistering. In Thesk, the groups aims are to prevent the shadowmasters from gaining too much power. In Rashemen, the group aims to prevent evil witches from gaining influence and usurping control. In thay, the group is the bitter rivals of the Red Wizards, and as such are essentially anarchist abolitionist rebels. Overall, the groups aims are to promote the status quo of all citizens by way of understanding the natural ley lines woven through all things. In most cases, the adherents are True Neutral, though some chaotics are members. Sometimes an adherent is good natured; even rarer, an evil-natured adherent may exist. Another way of looking at this is a Psion without a psicrystal, combined with a Monk without martial arts.

d6 HD, 1/2 BAB. skills at (4+int modifier) x 4.

THE ADHERENT
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Alignment:
Any; Predominantly Neutral, but really no restriction.

Hit Die:
d6.

Class skills:
Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex)

Skill Points at 1st Level:
(4 + Int modifier) x4.

Skill Points at each additional Level:
4 + Int modifier.

Familiar/Psicrystal:
The Adherent does not begin with either a Familiar or a Psicrystal, though that does not prevent the gaining of one from another class. Adherent class levels do not stack with another class' levels for determining familiar or psicrystal abilities.

Uses Wisdom for Manifesting, rather than Int or Cha.

Code:
Table:
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Level    BAB    Fort    Ref    Will    PPs    P/Know    Lvl/Know    Attributes Gained
                            
1    0    0    2    2    2    3    1        Bonus Feat, Ley Sense (ex)
2    1    0    3    3    6    4    1        Bonus Feat, Evasion (ex)
3    1    1    3    3    11    5    2        Fast Movement (ex), Still Mind (ex)
4    2    1    4    4    17    6    2        Ley Sense 2, Slow Fall 20' (ex)
5    2    1    4    4    25    7    3        Purity of Body (ex)
6    3    2    5    5    35    8    3        Ley Sense 3, Slow Fall 30'
7    3    2    5    5    46    9    4        Bonus Feat
8    4    2    6    6    58    10    4        Slow Fall 40'
9    4    3    6    6    72    11    5        Improved Evasion (ex)
10    5    3    7    7    88    12    5        Ley Sense 4, Slow Fall 50'
11    5    3    7    7    106    13    6        Free Feat: Mind Over Body
12    6/1    4    8    8    126    14    6        Abundant Step (su), Slow Fall 60'
13    6/1    4    8    8    147    15    7        Bonus Feat, Diamond Soul (ex)
14    7/2    4    9    9    170    16    7        Slow Fall 70'
15    7/2    5    9    9    195    17    8        Ley Sense 5
16    8/3    5    10    10    221    18    8        Slow Fall 80'
17    8/3    5    10    10    250    19    9        Bonus Feat
18    9/4    6    11    11    280    20    9        Slow Fall 90'
19    9/4    6    11    11    311    21    9        Empty Body (su), Ley Sense Complete
20    10/5    6    12    12    343    22    9        Perfect Self, slow fall any distance
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Monk skills listed in attributes gained work as worded, but use Adherent levels for determining the effects instead of Monk levels.

Mind Over Body is a Psionic feat with this description:

Your ability damage heals more rapidly.
Prerequisite

Con 13.
Benefit

You heal ability damage and ability burn damage more quickly than normal. You heal a number of ability points per day equal to 1 + your

Constitution bonus.
Normal

You heal ability damage and ability burn damage at a rate of 1 point per day.

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Ley Sense (levels 1, 4, 6, 10, 15, 19:
An adhrent is trained to sense the Leylines which are woven accross all worlds by all things. In practice, this means they have an uncanny knack for finding what they seek.

At 1st level, the Adherent can sense the presence of a person he has met or an object he has noticed at some point in the past, effectively determining their location, by concentrating on their leylines. This takes 3 rounds to accomplish. In addition, the Adherent may telekinetically manipulate a single seen object up to half his lift strength as a move action.

At 4th level, an Adherent's control over the ley lines grows slightly. By concentrating, the Adherent is able to manipulate simple tools and implements for the purposes of skill checks involving them. For instance, if the Adherent is able to pick a lock, he may manipulate the picks telekinetically. Or if the Adherent has ranks in UMD high enough to successfully use a wand or dorje (sp?), he may do so from a distance. The distance in feet which is the maximum distance that the Adherent may manipulate the tools is exactly (1/4 Adherent Levels) x 5.

At 6th level, an Adherent learns to manipulate ley lines yet a little more. The Adherent is able to do one of the following until his concentration is broken: Levitate at same movement speed, move at double normal speed, or telekinetically summon any currently seen object, that he could normally lift and carry, to his hand (free action with no continued need to concentrate). Ley Sense manipulation does not extend to creatures until level 15.

At 10th, From this point on, concentrating for ley sense abilities is a free action unless otherwise noted. This means that the concentration involved with the manipulation of a small (half character's lift, level 1 Ley Sense) item, or a tool (level 4 Ley Sense), is a free action, though the action taken (disabling a trap, casting with a wand, use of a rope, etc) is taken at the normal rate for such an action. This essentially means that he can't be interrupted during the action, though situations may change the DC of the skill check involved. In addition, the Adherent is able to telekinetically manipulate (move or reposition, but not call to hand) an object up to twice his lift strength as a move action.

At 15th level, an adherent begins to understand the nature of a living being's ley lines. By studying a creature for a full round, the adherent can squeeze the life from (or effectively heal) a being with organs. Roll 2d8 x Adherent level for amount of damage or healing per round that concentration is maintained. Telekinetic manipulation of a single creature or up to 1d6 of objects weighing up to five times base lift strength, within line of sight, as a partial action is now possible.

at 19th level, an Adherent understands completely the nature of ley lines. As a free action, the Adherent may add 20 to any single skill for the purposes of skill checks, 3 times a day. Also, the Adherent may move any number of creatures or objects up to 2d6, within line of sight, totaling in weight up to ten times lift strength, as a partial action, hurling them or rearranging them for beneficial use once per day. When hurled, they act as if thrown for purposes of combat damage. When rearranged, they can be stacked, but still obey their hardness and weight-bearing rules.
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Just a thought, Ubiquitous Vision would make 19th Ley Sense just beastly amounts of fun...throw that lich and his minions into the nearby chasm, as they're sneaking up from the rear. Pwnt.
 
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ardentmoth

Explorer
1:
Burst
call to mind
conceal thoughts
daze, psionic
deceleration
demoralize
detect psionics
empathy
empty mind
force screen
inertial armor
know direction and location
mid thrust
missive
precognition, defensive and offensive
sense link
telempathic projection
vigor

2:
biofeedback
cloud mind
detect hostile intent
elfsight
energy push
energy stun
identify, psionic
inflict pain
knock, psionic
levitate, psionic
mental disruption
missive, mass
Object Reading
Recall agony
sense link, forced
share pain
thought shield

3:
body adjustment
body purification
crisis of breath
danger sense
share pain, forced
Telekinetic Force
Telekinetic Thrust
Ubiquitous Vision

4:
Correspond
Death Urge
Divination, Psionic
Energy Adaptation
Freedom of Movement, psionic
Telekinetic Maneuver

5:
Adapt Body
Incarnate
Power Resistance
Psychic Crush
True Seeing, Psionic

6:
Cloud Mind, Mass
Overland Flight, Psionic
Retrieve
Suspend Life

7:
Energy Conversion
Evade Burst
Insanity
Mind Blank, Personal
Reddopsi

8:
Bend Reality
Crisis of Life
Mind Blank, Psionic
True Metabolism

9:
Metafaculty
Microcosm
Psychic Chirurgery
Timeless Body
 
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Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator
Staff member
Supporter
What you're describing sounds to me almost like a Monk/Soulknife with some PsiWar/Psion abilities.

You might want to check out the Kensai (CompWar), Atavist - a Monk/Soulknife PrCl* (RoE p133) and the Blade Manifester & Plangent (both from Hyperconcious) for guidelines & inspiration.

(See this thread for other Monk stuff
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=221182 )

Perhaps each one must choose either the Psion's path of the TK or the Telepath as a major focus, with the other being a minor of sorts.

Alternatively, you could use the CompPsi's Mantles mechanics.
 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator
Staff member
Supporter
Something you might find fits your idea thematics is the Ring the Golden Bell Feat from DCv1, which lets a martial artist use his unarmed strike at range.
 

Relique Hunter

Banned
Banned
This is a very interesting class build ardentmoth. I'm not Realms fan, but I do like what you've done here. I'm going to yoink this for my next Greyhawk BBEG.
 

ardentmoth

Explorer
Dannyalcatraz said:
What you're describing sounds to me almost like a Monk/Soulknife with some PsiWar/Psion abilities.

You might want to check out the Kensai (CompWar), Atavist - a Monk/Soulknife PrCl* (RoE p133) and the Blade Manifester & Plangent (both from Hyperconcious) for guidelines & inspiration.

(See this thread for other Monk stuff
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=221182 )

Perhaps each one must choose either the Psion's path of the TK or the Telepath as a major focus, with the other being a minor of sorts.

Alternatively, you could use the CompPsi's Mantles mechanics.

yeah, i like the kensai as a monk/warrior type. pretty amazing skills with his chosen blade...

my purpose with the Adherent is to remove the unarmed combat aspect of the monk, making his discipline and whatnot stronger with psionic abilities. If a monk was a non-combatant and had a couple levels of psion he could pull this off too, but not as nicely ;)

-----
Thanks for the pointers and praise ;) glad u like it. I'll have a general (and somewhat restrictive perhaps?) set of psioic powers up tomorrow most likely.
 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator
Staff member
Supporter
my purpose with the Adherent is to remove the unarmed combat aspect of the monk, making his discipline and whatnot stronger with psionic abilities. If a monk was a non-combatant and had a couple levels of psion he could pull this off too, but not as nicely.

Then it might be more efficient for you to design some alternative class features and metapsionic feats- especially ones similar to the Reserve feats and/or some of the ones that grant Spell-like powers (as I recall, there is one that lets you use Mage Hand almost at will)
 

ardentmoth

Explorer
don't take this the wrong way dany, i mean no harm by it, but do you mind re-reading the OP?

it's implied (i'll add it so that it's explicit) only simple weapons, no unarmed strike, no stuning fist, no flurry of blows, etc. i dont want a warrior mok. i want a force-wielder, but not a guy with bigby's and saber. ;)

HOWEVER, great link up there, i may just have to use some of that info for an idea i was having (an all monk variants campaign set in 1800's kung-fu movie earth lol). I will make sure to look at some spell-like abilities while im putting together that list of powers, maybe you're right ad i can find something with just a little extra "oomph."

cheers!
 

Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator
Staff member
Supporter
I did read it, and your subsequent posts- that's why I changed direction. The link was mainly for inspiration.

You claim you don't want "bigby's," but several of the abilities you delineate are the psi equivalent. I'm not saying give the guy the feat that lets him use Mage hand at will, I'm saying design the psionic equivalent.

(BTW: some of those could stand to have some sort of Str equivalent or weight limit of some sort- levitating and moving "any currently seen object"/"objects within line of sight" is very nebulous and extremely abusable.)

The magical reserve feats let spellcasters get reusable benefits within a certain school of magic, but no such analogue exists within psionics, despite the existence of powers that are quite similar to magic spells.

A Psionic reserve feat that lets a psionic manifester do a reusable low-STR TK if he has a Lvl "N" TK power (and a PP reserve of X points), or a simple "Jedi Mind Trick" that lets the manifester nudge an NPC's disposition if he has a Telepathy power of Level "N" and "X" PP would be more flexible overall since the effect could be used by a PC with levels in any manifesting class. This would in turn let players simulate a larger variety of "Jedi" archetypes, like having a Wilder who is a bit more Sith than Jedi.
 

ardentmoth

Explorer
Powers uploaded, Now to examine feat-related balance and flavor.

---

I somewhat agree that the "hurl or rearrange any objects currently seen" might be a bit strong. Perhaps a weight restriction is in order? I think it's fine as a level twenty ability, it should be the equivalent of a 9th level power however.

Maybe "any currently seen objects totaling in weight up to 800 pounds" so that the character can't be moving a whole house, but could possibly keep a pillar from crushing his buddies if it is falling toward them. :] :D

look over the ley-lines again, i edited 6th level a little, and 20th a little. maybe more to your liking?
 
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