A "Naruto" style Forsaker

[carborundum]

In my Savage Tide campaign, one player has a Forsaker. He's now a Barbarian 3 Forsaker 1.
I've been tweaking the class (a lot) and at level 1 he has:

Ability bonus +1, fast healing 2, forsake magic, SR 10 + forsaker level

My current plan (the player hasn't seen it all yet) is:

Level Special
1 Ability bonus +1, fast healing 2, forsake magic, SR 10 + forsaker level
2 Ability bonus +1, DR 2/-, Evasion
3 Ability bonus +1, natural weapons +1, tough defence (Con mod AC)
4 Ability bonus +1, fast healing 3, DR 4/-
5 Ability bonus +1, natural weapons +2, Disjuncture Strike 1x/day
6 Ability bonus +1, DR 6/-, slippery mind
7 Ability bonus +1, fast healing 4, natural weapons +3, Saves +4
8 Ability bonus +1, DR 8/-, Mettle
9 Ability bonus +1, natural weapons +4, Foresight (Wis to AC)
10 Ability bonus +1, fast healing 5, DR 10/-, Disjuncture Strike 3x/day

The Disjuncture strike is a 1% chance per Forsaker level to affect one item with a Mordenkainen's Disjunction style attack. I'm not sure if this should be suppress or remove the magical power though.

Anyway, it doesn't seem overpowered considering he has no access to magic items or spells. It's not as powerful as the Vow of Poverty anyway

The problem is the whole premise of the class. You are basically dependent on magic items to be anti-magic. After watching too many Naruto episodes I thought of giving the character a different source of power. His backstory had some nice holes in it (captured by Yuan-ti) so I have a free hand. I was thinking - what if the Yuan-ti had planted something in him? A larva of some sort in magical stasis while it grows. His first level of Forsaker is the first appearance of the thing.

Where I want to end up is have the thing develop a sort of symbiotic relationship - it protects and heals it's host but magic simultaneously affects the delicate balance of energies in him - hence his avoidance of it in all forms. I was thinking of giving him a degree of control over this at higher levels - whereby he could suppress the strict anti-magic rule in times of dire need (party must teleport somewhere etc). Otherwise he turns into BA getting knocked out when the A-Team need to fly.

That makes the class more party friendly but keeps him mostly on the straight on narrow.
Another idea is have him drain items every level (to balance treasure etc) to power the stasis around the larva.

I'm also worried about infinite fast healing - but caps like 10 points per day are useless. Perhaps a 'pool' filled by draining items and used to power the fast healing, damage reduction etc.

If anyone has any inclination to help me create such a class, or just explore the possibilities, I'd be most grateful.

 

[carborundum]

Here's what I ended up going with - sorry I forgot to post the final version sooner!

Basically, he's got a Yuan-Ti anathema growing inside him. It fit with his own backstory - escaped slave of the Yuan-Ti. He escaped before they pulled it out and it's still in the stasis.
Left to his own devices, some sort of symbiotic relationship has sprung up. The stronger he gets, the stronger it is and the more power is needed to keep it locked up and asleep. Yet the stronger he gets, the more he can safely draw on the energies inside him. He levels up, it grows, he does a ritual (burn magic items) and reinforces the cage.

Ever since it's been in there he's been repulsed by magic. It feels wrong, smells funny, tastes creepy. This is because other sources of magic can disturb the delicate web of containment spells. In the beginning he was just 'anti-magic' (a standard forsaker start) but slowly he realises what's really going on. Now his focus is keeping the cage strong - which unfortunately reinforces the growth of the thing etc etc ad infinitum. Maybe.

He knows they put something in him. He senses the energies in and around his chest, and can use them - to repair damage for example. He shows up on Detect Magic but nothing of the beast is detectable with detect alignment, thoughts, evil, good etc. The cage stops that. Arcane Sight I haven't decided.

I also haven't figured out what to do if he dies - maybe I'll let it cocoon him and charge him a point of Con. I was worried about the fast healing, but I think it'll be okay - he'll be fit between encounters, but he'll need to be careful in major encounters since he can't get healing. Some sort of tag team with the High AC, no offence rogue seems in order. Tactics = good.


Full BAB, F=Fort, R=Ref, W=Will. Hard to format a table on this board. Same prerequisites as in the old class.

1 BAB+1 F+2 R+0 W+2 Ability bonus +1, fast healing 2, forsake magic, SR 10 + forsaker level, Containment
2 BAB+2 F+3 R+0 W+3 Ability bonus +1, Evasion, Magical sensitivity
3 BAB+3 F+3 R+1 W+3 Ability bonus +1, Magic Strike, Foresight (Wis to AC)
4 BAB+4 F+4 R+1 W+4 Ability bonus +1, fast healing 3, DR = Con mod
5 BAB+5 F+4 R+1 W+4 Ability bonus +1, Improved Sunder
6 BAB+6 F+5 R+2 W+5 Ability bonus +1, Slippery mind
7 BAB+7 F+5 R+2 W+5 Ability bonus +1, Fast healing 4, Disrupt Item
8 BAB+8 F+6 R+2 W+6 Ability bonus +1, Mettle
9 BAB+9 F+6 R+3 W+6 Ability bonus +1, Adamantine Strike
10 BAB+10 F+7 R+3 W+7 Ability bonus +1, Fast healing 5, Align Weapon

Forsake Magic: In addition to avoiding all use of spellcasting, spell-like abilities, and magic items, the forsaker must also refuse any benefits from others’ magic—including magical healing. Thus, he must attempt a saving throw against any spell that allows one. For most beneficial spells, such displacement or neutralize poison, a successful save negates the spell’s effects; for a cure spell, it halves the benefit. The character must not benefit from a spell or spell-like ability of another creature.
The character henceforth is limited to only normal equipment or the masterwork version of any item. At anytime the character uses or benefits from a magic item or a magical effect, he loses the benefits of the class.
To atone, he must seek out and destroy a magic item as described under Magical Sensitivity. He cannot benefit from the atonement spell.

Ability Score increase: Each level, the character gains a +1 inherent bonus to an ability score of his choice. The maximum bonus to a single ability is +5.

Spell Resistance: The character gains Spell Resistance 10 + character levels.

Fast Healing: The character gains the ability to recover the listed amount of hit points every round.

Containment: The ‘thing’ inside you has not yet hatched. Your incredible willpower and determination has protected you until now, but as time goes on, the containment fields around it gradually weaken. You have an intuitive understanding of how to keep this working indefinitely. Each time you level up, you must destroy half your share of party magical items gained during that level and use the energy to strengthen the containment. You are visible to Detect Magic spells with a strong aura of Abjuration, which will increase over time. This aura gives the larva the benefit of a Mind Blank spell at all times.

Magical sensitivity: This has two effects.
1) Close proximity to magical auras can disturb the balance of forces holding the larva in check. When within 5’ of an ongoing magical effect (including magic items) with a caster level more than 5 levels above your own level, you must make a Fortitude save (DC10+Caster level) to avoid being stunned for a round. This takes the form of a tearing pain in your gut as the larva thrashes in the magical flux. If you remain in proximity of this item, whether or not you make the save, you take 2d6 points of subdual damage each round.
2) When you allow yourself to be affected personally by a spell (voluntarily not making a save) you must make a Fortitude save (DC14+caster level) to avoid losing all Forsaker powers for 1d6 days while the binding energies struggle to regain their equilibrium. Note that you must be affected by the spell and not just targeted. The Forsaker powers can be reinstated sooner by destroying an item of caster level equal to your own level and with a minimum value of (1000gp x your level).

Foresight: At level 3 the character can apply his wisdom modifier to his AC. This ability does not stack with other class ability that offers the same benefit. For example the AC bonus from the monk class does not stack with this ability.

Magic Strike (Su): Beginning at 3rd-level, the forsaker can fight as though he and his weapon were one. Your melee attacks are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction/hardness. This ability requires a standard action to activate and lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier. You may use this as often as you like.

Damage Reduction: At level 4 you gain Damage Reduction equal to your Con modifier. This functions like the barbarian ability, allowing the character to reduce the damage taken from any melee or range attacks by the listed amount. It stacks with the barbarian ability.

Evasion: This works like the rogue ability.

Improved Sunder: The character gains this feat.

Slippery Mind (Ex): At 6th level, the forsaker can wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel him. if he fails his saving throw against an enchantment effect, he can attempt his saving throw again 1 round later. He gets only one extra chance to succeed at his saving throw.

Mettle: This ability works like the Evasion ability. Except it applies to spells or effects that give a Fort partial or Will partial entry in its description.

Disrupt Item (Ex): At 7th-level, your melee attacks deal double damage to magic objects.

Adamantine Strike (Ex): At 9th-level, your melee attacks are treated as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction/hardness. This is an extraordinary ability and does not require activation.

Align Weapon (Su): At 10th-level, you can choose a component of your alignment (Good, Chaotic etc) and your strikes count as that type of damage (and magical) for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. This ability requires a standard action to activate and lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier. You may use this as often as you like.


Thoughts? Tips? (Especially on the death thing)