Wolf Clan Bladerunner PrC

[Super Rats]

This is a PrC that my DM is letting me make for a homebrew campaign, so I need to know if I'm going overboard either way. It is based off the Dervish, which both my DM and I agree is a little off for the Clan my character is from. Just can't see her clan having battle dancers.

Edit #2

Wolf Clan Bladerunner
The blade runner is the ancestral champion and protector of the Wolf Clan. With her speed she closes in and assaults her foes with a storm of blade techniques which uses her stride to strike with cold efficiency. With her insight and intuition she leads her warriors around danger.

<snipped some of the campaign specific fluff>

Hit Die: d10

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	AC	Special
1st	+1	+0	+2	+2	+1	Blade Run 1/encounter, Fast Movement +10
2nd	+2	+0	+3	+3	+1	Movement Mastery, Skirmish (1d6)
3rd	+3	+1	+3	+3	+1	Augury 1/day
4th	+4	+1	+4	+4	+1	Blade Run 2/encounter
5th	+5	+1	+4	+4	+2	Fast Movement +15
6th	+6	+2	+5	+5	+2	Skirmish (2d6)
7th	+7	+2	+5	+5	+2	Blade Run 3/encounter
8th	+8	+2	+6	+6	+2	Augury 2/day
9th	+9	+3	+6	+6	+3	Fast Movement +20
10th	+10	+3	+7	+7	+3	Blade Run 4/encounter, Skirmish (3d6), A Thousand Cuts

Requirements:
To qualify to become a Wolf Clan blade runner, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:
Alignment: Any Good.
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Diplomacy 2 ranks, Gather Information 2 ranks, Sense Motive 3 ranks, Survival 3 ranks, Tumble 3 Ranks.
Feats: Weapon Focus (any slashing weapon), Dodge, Mobility, Leadership.
Special: Must be a member of the Wolf Clan and have protected the clan from a major threat.

Class Skills:
The Wolf Clan blade runner’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Cha), Knowledge Local (Cha), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

CLASS FEATURES

Blade Run (Ex): A blade runner takes down its prey using the natural rhythm of her run to slash her blades across an enemies’ gut without losing a step. Blade runs are martial sword techniques of the Wolf Clan that have been passed down for generations. While in a blade run, she can take a full attack action (for melee attacks only) and still move up to her speed. However, she must move a minimum of 5 feet between each attack when using this ability. During this movement, she may not reverse her course. Normal movement rules apply, such as triggering attacks of opportunity when leaving a threatened square, but she may tumble normally as part of her move. She cannot perform a blade run in armor heavier than light armor.

The blade runner gets a bonus to her attack rolls, while performing a run. This bonus is +1 at first level and an additional +1 at every odd level.

A blade run is a full round action and has a duration of 1 round. It can be performed with any slashing weapon. She can run her blades once an encounter without experiencing fatigue, twice an encounter at 4th level, three times at 7th and four times at 10th level. If she exceeds her limit, she is fatigued until the end of the encounter. In addition she cannot blade run again that encounter without a successful fortitude check (DC 14 + the number of blade runs made that encounter). If she fails this check, she cannot attempt another run during the encounter.

Fast Movement (Ex): At first level, the Wolf Clan blade runner gains a +10 foot enhancement bonus to her base land speed. At 5th level, this bonus increases to +15 feet, and +20 at 9th level.

Fast movement is lost when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Movement Mastery (Ex): At 2nd level the blade runner can take 10 on Jump and Tumble checks even in combat and other stressful situations.

Skirmish (Ex): Normal Skirmish rules, but a modified progression, i.e., no AC bonus.

Augury (Su): Just as a wolf is said to have the ability to see the future, at third level the blade runner gains the ability to use augury as a spell-like ability. Her class level is as her caster level.

A Thousand Cuts (Ex): Once per day, the blade runner can double the normal number of attacks she can make for one round. If performed in a blade run, she can make up to two attacks for each 5-foot movement. (Like the Dervish)

 

[Nyaricus]

Looks tasty dude, I really like the flavour in it.

Maybe up augury to be able to be used 3/day by 10th level - say 1/day @ 3rd level, 2/day @ 6th level, and 3/day @ 9th. It's only a 2nd level spell, so no biggie - and I love the flavour of that BTW

Are there any restrcictions on the types of weapons used in a Blade Run? It's obvious you mean this to be for swords only, but you don't explicitly state that in your 'crunchy' bits - be sure to do so. Also, any size restrictions? 1H? Light? 2H? Be a little more specific, and you're good.

ATM, I'm not sure if this is just a little overpowered for the level requirements - maybe a BAB of +7 would be a better idea? I'll leave mroe of that to the boards.

Anyways, I have to say that I love it

 

[Nyaricus]

Also, why a good will save prog? Just curious.

 

[Graf]

It’s a good flavorful class.
I haven’t looked at the dervish recently (but in an old game the twink player was gunning for it like no tomorrow so I think it’s probably on the high side of the power spectrum).

I realize that having a bab primary character who wears light armor is a disadvantage, and that you’ve packed it with lots of out of class skills to make it more punishing.

Having said that it’s got too many really good abilities that aren’t usually available together combined with best bab and high hit points.

You have
Best Bab
D10 hit points
4 skill points (equal to or better than every primary bab class I can think of except ranger with a skill list that is extraordinarily broad... diplomacy, all the hiding and spotting skills, survial and tumble?)
Better-than-Barbarian Barbarian fast movement (this doesn’t stack with barbarian does it?)
The main ability of a dervish
+ skirmish (which is really really good since, unlike sneak attack, you pick when you use the power)
take 10 on tumble (The 10th level rogue power) – very good because it means you never need to put more than 5 skill points in tumble
An incredible power at 10th level (is this a dervish power?)

(I don’t mind the augury power, since it would enhance role-playing, but its probably inappropriate in a melee oriented class that already has all these other abilities).

It looks too powerful to me and a lot of the limits are 1) non-standard (the books never have a “per encounter” restriction on powers) 2) not much of a limit (you can always run away from a fight, wait a minute and then come back and get all your super abilities back again) 3) The tumble check is a fixed DC and laughably easy (even without getting the ability to take .

Even if you can convince your DM to accept this class you need to plug some holes:
1. Does fast movement stack?
2. What’s an encounter? Is it any time you stop using initiative...? You face a new foe? (DnD usually uses more concrete limits like 1/day)
3. How does the Thousand Cuts power actually work…. Are the doubled attacks just doubles of your existing bab progression? It needs to be a bit clearer.

Personally, if I were your DM I’d make you use
secondary (rogue) bab
Blade Run on a per day basis, no to hit bonus (its how rage works)
Fast movement would probably be +5 at 5th and +10 at 10th
No taking 10 on tumble (it’s a very low set DC check with some levels, skill or stat enhancing items is automatic already… )
Maybe drop or limit the skirmish power to +2d6 max. At tenth level that’s still an extra (hypothetical) +12d6 of damage
Make you drop diplomacy, sense motive and gather info.... everybody wants their character to be good at everything but its waay too many.

If you want to keep bab primary I’d make you drop skirmish. Generally you’re either a rogue type and you get extra dice of damage or you’re a fighter type and you don’t. Especially since it seems like it would work with ranged attacks as well (and thus step on the toes of classes like scout).

 

[Land Outcast]

Comparing with Dervish:

The "Leadership" requirement means you can't get it until lvl 7.
(One level later than the Dervish)

Same
Saves, AC bonus, HD, & skills as Dervish...
(Diplomacy, Gather Information, Hide, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot: additions to the Dervish list)

Power at lvl 10.


Better than Dervish
Fast movement +10 at lvl 1 instead of +5 at lvl 2.
The other spped increments are double as dervish's (+5 at lvl 5, +5 at lvl 8)

Blade Run: Modeled almost identical to the Dervish's dance (including the "per encounter" limit), but the Dervish ends up with 5/day, and this guy ends up with 4/encounter!.

+1d6 Skirmish at lvl 2, 6, 10.

Take 10 on tumble checks. (BTW: the DC not to cause AoO is equal to 15+2/enemy threatening the square, modified by surface conditions)


Worse than Dervish
No "Slashing Blades" (Scimitars are considered light weapons for all purposes)

No free Spring Attack at lvl 3

No free Cleave at lvl 4

No +2 to initiative at lvl 6

No "Elaborate Parry" at lvl 7 (+4 AC when fighting defensively)

No tireless at lvl 9 (meaning he still becomes fatigued)



Recomendations:
*Reduce the Skill list
*Change Blade Run to be at lvl 9 5/day (as dervish). (The "per encounter" limitation still applies, as Dervish)
*Move the +10 bonus to speed from 1st lvl to 2nd lvl.

That should put it on par with the Dervish.

 

[Land Outcast]

Oh, yeha, forgot:

I like it, I really do​

 

[Super Rats]

How about if I remove Hide and Move Silently? Those were mainly there because the clan she's from are hunters. The primary role of the PrC is of a leader and warrior, so I'd rather keep the social skills over the stealth skills, if it's a question of having too many skill types for a melee class.

With the per encounter thing, I was trying to come up with something that would make it so the main feature wasn't something that's on the entire combat like Dervish Dance or Barbarian's rage. Blade run lasts for 1 round (I guess I didn't make that clear). I was trying for something that would be a tactical decision as to when to blade run or not vs. something you generally turn on as soon as you can. Is per encounter too easy to abuse? So at 1st level, she can blade run for 1 round per encounter, though at 10th level it's 4 rounds per encounter...is that too much?

Would setting a higher entry point be appropriate in order to keep the rest intact? Like BAB +6 or +7? Or would that not really matter in terms of balance?

 

[Land Outcast]

Comparing it (again) with the dervish, I'd say it doesn't matter.

Lets see:

The Wolf Clan blade runner’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Cha), Knowledge Local (Cha), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Now, that skill list should be good enough. I don't see the need for Bluff, Gather Information, nor Balance, and the "Stealth" skills have been removed, but Diplomacy and intimidate have been kept.


Oh...... Then I guess the limitation of 4/encounter for the Blade Run is ok... even more, it's a nice thing... Smite Evil should work similarly...


On the "taking 10": it's kind of the High lvl Rogue's shtick, so... move it to a higher level.
Lets say, minimum level 13. (Which is to say, Dervish lvl 7).


What do you think?

 

[Nyaricus]

How about if I remove Hide and Move Silently? Those were mainly there because the clan she's from are hunters. The primary role of the PrC is of a leader and warrior, so I'd rather keep the social skills over the stealth skills, if it's a question of having too many skill types for a melee class.

With the per encounter thing, I was trying to come up with something that would make it so the main feature wasn't something that's on the entire combat like Dervish Dance or Barbarian's rage. Blade run lasts for 1 round (I guess I didn't make that clear). I was trying for something that would be a tactical decision as to when to blade run or not vs. something you generally turn on as soon as you can. Is per encounter too easy to abuse? So at 1st level, she can blade run for 1 round per encounter, though at 10th level it's 4 rounds per encounter...is that too much?

Would setting a higher entry point be appropriate in order to keep the rest intact? Like BAB +6 or +7? Or would that not really matter in terms of balance?

Yeah, this character seems to be fairly frontline, while others in the tribe would be sneaking around. Hide adn MS should go (didn't notice those before ) Since Leadership (gaw! Didn't notice that either) is a requirement, social skills makes waaay mroe sense to keep than not.

I think a higher entry point would be a good idea in any case. Graf hit it on the spot when he said that this is a really lucrative class to get into. A Swashbuckler / Fighter / Derish / Duelist build gets some REALLY nice bonuses in there - make no mistake. Int should actually be the highest stat for this character. But enough of min/maxing

As for Blade runner, I'll have to get back to you on that. Personally, I'd stick to something closer to what the Dervish Dance is, but modified appropriately (meaning minimally).

And, again, why the good will prog and what kinds of swords/weapons can be used?

 

[Super Rats]

I equated strong will with an unshakeable desire to defend the clan. The clan territory borders demon lands. Her clan is like the first line of defense for the other clans. These demons have mind control and fear abilities, so the champions need to have strong resolve so as not to easily succumb to the trickery of demons. Without getting too much into telling you all about the Wolf Clan, their exposure and role has lead them to be a culturally strong willed people (who are resistant to change, which in some respects makes them a little backwards compared to the other clans in the nation). It's mostly a culturally based decision. The Dervish had two good saves, so I kept it.

Weapons that can be used would be any slashing.