A magic using pilot. Tell me what you think.

[Storyteller01]

Witch Ace

Hit Die: d6

Requirements:

Skills:
-Pilot: 7 ranks
-Spellcraft: 5 ranks
-Use Device: 5 ranks

Special:
-Pilot Evasion class ability (pnce per day you can Ref save so your vehicle only takes half damage)
-The ability to cast 1st level spells

Class Skills:
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Freefall (Dex), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Navigation (Int), Pilot (Dex), Profession (Int), Repair (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Device (Int)

Average BaB. Good Ref and Will saves. Gains spellcasting improvement at levels 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9.


Level
1-Vehicle Link
2-Linked Vehicle Boost
3-Gremlin
4
5-Vehicle Link (Standard)
6-Linked Vehicle Boost (Move)
7
8-Gremlins
9-Vehicle Link (Move)
10-Linked Vehicle Boost (Free)

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Witch Ace gains no new weapons or armor proficiencies.

Vehicle Link (Su): With a full round action, a touch, and the sacrifice of a spell per day a Witch Ace may link with a vehicle. This provides the pilot with a link to their vehicle similar to that of a paladin and their mount. See Table 1-1 for the bonuses provided. The link lasts for a number of hours equal to the level of the spell sacrificed.

At 5th level, the Witch Ace may link with a vehicle as a standard action. This improves to linking as a move action at 9th level.

Linked Vehicle Boost (Sp): As a standard action and a touch, the Witch Ace may sacrifice a spell to increase any one vehicle trait of the vehicle they are currently linked to. The attribute is increased by the sacrificed spells level, and lasts until the beginning of the Witch Ace’s next turn.

At 6th level the Witch Ace may use this ability as a move action. This improves to using a free action at 10th level, but counts as the casters quickened spell for the round. The Witch Ace may continue to use this ability as a move action if desired.

Gremlin (Sp): At 3rd level the Witch Ace may, with a touch and a sacrificed spell, animate any vehicle as per the animate object spell. The spells weight restrictions are waived, but the object must be a vehicle in order for this ability to be effective. Treat these vehicles as animated objects of the appropriate size per the DMG when figuring hit die, saves, stats, and such. The vehicles base statistics do not change. Only one such gremlin may be animated at a time. This lasts for a number of hours equal to the spell level sacrificed. This ability is a standard action.

Gremlins will follow spoken commands as long as they can be heard. Smart Ace’s will keep comm. channels open to monitor the gremlin and change commands as necessary.

These animated vehicles will have ranks in Pilot and Use Device equal to twice the Witch Ace’s class level.

Unattended vehicles do not get a save for this ability. Vehicles with pilots use their Will save against this ability, rolling against a DC of 10 + the sacrificed spell level + the Witch Ace’s primary casters stat modifier. Failure means the vehicle is under the Ace’s control. Those piloting the vehicle make ‘fight the controls’ preventing the gremlin from fulfilling its orders. Such attempts force a contested Pilot check between the vehicle and its pilot. This requires a standard action. The winner may use their remaining move action to maneuver the vehicle as appropriate.

At 8th level, the Witch Ace may have two gremlins active at the same time.


Table 1-1: Linked Vehicles

Witch Ace level/piloting bonus/stealth bonus/ability
1st to 3rd/+4/+2/Improved Pilot Evasion
4th to 6th/+6/+4/Pilot Evasion +1 per day/Share Spells
7th to 9th/+8/+6/Share with Gremlins
10th/+10/+8/Spell Resistance


Piloting Bonus: This competence bonus is added to any Piloting skill checks the Witch Ace attempts while piloting their linked vehicle.

Stealth Bonus: This luck bonus is added to the stealth attribute of the Witch Pilot’s linked vehicle. (NOTE: a vehicles stealth trait is the DC needed to attain weapons lock, spot the vehicle with sensors, etc).

Improved Evasion: While piloting their linked vehicle, all Pilot Evasion checks reduce the damage to one quarter on a successful save.

Pilot Evasion +1/day: The Witch Ace gains an additional use of their Pilot Evasion ability when in their linked vehicle.

Share Spells: Any spells cast by the Ace upon themselves also work on the linked vehicle they are piloting, provided the spell can on constructs.

Share with Gremlins: Any spell currently being shared with a link vehicle now also affects any active gremlins. A gremlin can be any distance from you for this to be effective, but it cannot be on another plane of existence.

Spell Resistance: The bonded vehicle gains Spell resistance equal to the Witch Ace's character level +5.

 

[Storyteller01]

WARNING: A lack of responses promotes shameless bumping!!!


Help woild be nice. Any help would be appreciated, especially on how to improve the concept.

Thanks Again.

 

[arwink]

My comments on a quick, half-asleep read-through:

Sans setting description, my first reaction is that it seems a little more appropriate to a Wierd War's style WW1 setting than anything else. It's kind of hard to guage the abilities without these kind of details though - this will be far more complex in a SF setting that uses capital ships than a game where the only airborne vehicles are blimps and bi-planes.

I'm a little hazy on the spell sacrifice details; what does this actually cost, what benefits does the witch pilot actually get?

I'd limit the size of the vehicle the grimlins can animate (although this is a setting vagueness problem). A canny player will spend a lot of time looking to animate very big vehicles in order to crash them into very small objects.

 

[Storyteller01]

My comments on a quick, half-asleep read-through:

Sans setting description, my first reaction is that it seems a little more appropriate to a Wierd War's style WW1 setting than anything else. It's kind of hard to guage the abilities without these kind of details though - this will be far more complex in a SF setting that uses capital ships than a game where the only airborne vehicles are blimps and bi-planes.

I'm a little hazy on the spell sacrifice details; what does this actually cost, what benefits does the witch pilot actually get?

I'd limit the size of the vehicle the grimlins can animate (although this is a setting vagueness problem). A canny player will spend a lot of time looking to animate very big vehicles in order to crash them into very small objects.

You have to sac spells to use most of the abilities, similar to clerics saccing spells to use healing. The benefits depends on what was used:

Linked vehicle: You gain the linked vehicle bonuses for number of hours equal to the spell level.

Augmenting: one trait of the vehicle (top speed, handling, AC, etc) increases by the spell level. Until 10th level, it means they reduce their reaction time to increase a vehicle trait (one less action in the round to use).

Gremlins: It's an animated object under their control for a number of hours equal to the spell saced, provided they can give verbal commands to it.


Watching for control of capital ships is a concern, but I'm playing it as 1) getting into range to touch the vehicle without getting shot (or being put into a position where they can be) will be problematic. 2) Vehicles of that size are rarely without a skeleton bridge crew aboard, so someone would be there to make the save or make pilot checks to prevent catastrophy.