A *Balanced* Radiant Servant of Pelor?

[trav_laney]

If this has already been handled in a previous thread, please point me in the right direction...

Is it just me, or is the Radiant Servant of Pelor the most unbalanced prestige class ever published in an authorized Wizards of the Coast product? Take a look at it: free proficiency with all martial weapons, a free cleric domain, class abilities that mimic metamagic feats (except that they do not use higher spell slots), immunities, and abundant use of the Greater Turning ability.

And what sacrifice must this cleric make in order to gain all of this power? A d6 Hit Dice, instead of d8. That's all. Spell advancement continues like normal, turning undead continues like normal, the BAT continues like normal, and saves all continue like normal (even getting a +1 boost to Fort and Will by virtue of "multiclassing.") Aside from that d6 Hit Dice instead of a d8, there is no drawback to consider before taking this class.

Naturally, the cleric player in my group wants to adopt this prestige class. But I'm hesitant to allow such a front-loaded class into my game. I need to rework this class in a way that (1) is balanced, and (2) still appealing to players. This is what I think would work:

1. Eliminate the spell progression altogether, because it just doesn't make sense. This prestige class seems to focus on turning the undead and improving the cleric's existing magic...not the learning of new magic.

2. Remove the proficiency with all martial weapons (heck, Pelor's favored weapon isn't even a martial weapon!)

3. Require the Maximize Spell and Empower Spell metamagic feats instead of Extra Turning.

4. Leave the HD as d8.

Thoughts? Have any of you ever tried to "fix" the RSoP prestige class before? And if so, how did you go about doing it?

 

[green slime]

I, too, feel that the RSoP is too good to be true.

Off the top of my head, I'd do the following (keeping in mind the focus is the ability to defeat undead):

Retain clerical spellcasting. (losing spellcasting is a huge loss)
Reduce Fort saves from Good to Bad.
Keep the special turning abilities of the RSoP.
Martial weapon profs. are not gained.
Require Extra Turning (its in the flavour of the theme)
Require a specific Domain (Sun?)
Require a specific Knowledge (undead) (4 ranks)
Require the ability to cast 3rd level Divine spells.
Not grant access to another domain (may reconsider).
d6 HD.
Keep moderate BAB.

 

[Evilhalfling]

Reducing Fort saves is a problem, unless they are compensated with a bonus to saves vs level draining. (I am unsure of the immunities this class grants, this may not be a factor.)

Dropping the domain and martial weapon profs is a good idea, it reduces the power of the servant over a straight cleric.

Then you have a class that trades HD for :class abilities that mimic metamagic feats (except that they do not use higher spell slots), immunities, and abundant use of the Greater Turning ability. Its probably better than a strait cleric, but its more of a choice.

Do not require empower or maximize, they are decent feats, and not much of a handy-cap.

The ultimate in balancing this would be to remove 1-2 levels of spell progression
Even taking spell progression down to half would make people avoid this class.

 

[comrade raoul]

A few lost levels of spellcasting progression can do wonders to balance almost any spellcasting prestige class. Just drop spellcasting at 1st and 5th level and you're good to go: you're an awesome healer and undead-hunter, but you still cast spells of a whole level lower than your more conventional friends.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I really don't think that losing 9th level spells is enough to balance it as it's written, myself.

The problem with the class, as I see it, is that it's really two concepts pushed together without any sort of compensation - a more powerful healer, and a powerful anti-undead knight. Were I to make something of the class, I would probably divide those two concepts - make it one or the other, but not both.

 

[Nifft]

A few lost levels of spellcasting progression can do wonders to balance almost any spellcasting prestige class. Just drop spellcasting at 1st and 5th level and you're good to go: you're an awesome healer and undead-hunter, but you still cast spells of a whole level lower than your more conventional friends.

Yeah. Lose two levels of spellcasting and the martial weapon profs. That sounds about right.

The HD is already d6, right? So being support and healing focused seems reasonable.

Cheers, -- N

 

[FireLance]

I think the best thematic losses would be to drop martial weapon proficiency and lower BAB to +1/2 levels.

Note that the free metamagic only applies to healing spells prepared in the domain slots, and not all healing spells cast. It's really only there to provide an incentive to use domain slots for healing spells instead of relying on spontaneously cast cures.

 

[Nifft]

I think the best thematic losses would be to drop martial weapon proficiency and lower BAB to +1/2 levels.

The lower BAB is a false loss, though, because divine power exists. Lowering caster level is the only way to lower a Cleric's potential BAB.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Crothian]

I'd lower the BAB, lower the fort save, get rid of the martial weapons, and lose spells at first level.

 

[Kurashu]

I'd allow the class as is and I'm running a very undead heavy campaign. The free metamagic only applies to domain spells cast from the Healing domain, so spontaneously casting domains spells (Domain Spontaneity) works on that. The bonus domain is a little much, but let's face it the Sun and Healing domains aren't the best domains. Basically, the cleric would be pigeonholed into the walking hospital and battlefield medic without undead to fight. The reduced hit die makes him less of a bruiser.

I would remove the martial weapons. But only because that doesn't fit with the flavor of the class.

At any rate, I am less concerned with the RSoP than I am with the Ur-Priest.