A new class

[Sourcemaster2]

Here's one of my few base classes. I tried posting it on a few other forums, but couldn't get much feedback. It's a bit odd, focusing on high versatility mixed with unchangable spell choices. Like the wizard, it is stuck with whatever it chooses, but like the sorcerer, it only acquires new ones upon leveling. Countering this is the lack of a set spell per day table; the imbuer can specialize its selection with few direct limits. Also, the class is unable to use both metamagic and item creation feats, as well as having spells that can't be ID'd with spellcraft-but neither can they ID the spells of others easily. For potential flaws: the spell progression might need to be staggered, so that it doesn't gain both a Su and new spell level at the same level. It's definitely unusual, so help is appreciated.

The Imbuer​

There are many paths to mastery of magic. Some look to the gods, drawing power from divine sources. Others are born with arcane talents, or study mystic tomes. Another path, only recently discovered, is the magic of the imbuer. Imbuers have a powerful and personal connection with magic. They gain their abilities through study of beings with magical powers, such as dragons, fey, or demons. Even the learned spells of wizards, sorcerers, druids, or clerics can be of interest to them. By gaining a mystical affinity for various kinds of magic, imbuers find a resonation within themselves, drawing power from their own essence, giving them access to certain spells. These spells are cast not through arcane formulae or faithful prayers, but through certain individual-specific phrases and gestures, drawn from an innate understanding of the necessary magic. With enough time, an imbuer can even obtain a few supernatural abilities.

The Imbuer​

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d4.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the imbuer.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Imbuers are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield.

Class Skills
The imbuer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Decipher Script(Int), Search(Int), Sense Motive(Wis), Spot(Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

SG (Spells Gained): Every time an Imbuer gains a level, he acquires a certain number of spells per day. These spell points (for lack of a better term) can be used to gain either a new spell or to increase the uses per day of an ability he already possesses. An Imbuer cannot choose spells of a level higher than his level allows. The formula for gaining spells is:

*spell level X uses per day = point cost

*orisons or cantrips cost 1/2 the uses per day chosen, rounded down, with a minimum of 1

Max Lvl(Sp) is the highest level spell available at this level.

Max Uses: This is the maximum uses per day a spell can be raised to.

*note: The levels that a new Su are available are the only levels that one can be chosen; at other levels, only spells are gained.


Level----SG-----Max Lvl----Special-------------------Max Uses
1--------3---------1----------------------------------------3
2--------3--------------------------------------------------3
3--------3---------2--------(Su)----------------------------3
4--------3--------------------------------------------------4
5--------5---------3----------------------------------------4
6--------5------------------(Su)----------------------------4
7--------5---------4----------------------------------------5
8--------5--------------------------------------------------5
9--------7---------5--------(Su)----------------------------5
10-------7--------------------------------------------------6
11-------7---------6----------------------------------------6
12-------7------------------(Su)----------------------------6
13-------9---------7----------------------------------------7
14-------9--------------------------------------------------7
15-------9---------8--------(Su)----------------------------7
16-------9--------------------------------------------------8
17------11---------9----------------------------------------8
18------11------------------(Su)----------------------------9
20------11--------------------------------------------------9

Su 1(level 3)
Telepathy: A creature with this ability can communicate telepathically with any other creature within 100 feet that has a language. It is possible to address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time.

Low-Light Vision: A creature with low-light vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Fast Healing 1: A creature with the fast healing special quality regains hit points at an exceptionally fast rate, usually 1 or more hit points per round, as given in the creature’s entry. Except where noted here, fast healing is just like natural healing. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow a creature to regrow lost body parts. This ability can be chosen multiple times, each selection increasing fast healing by 1.


Su 2(level 6)
Gaze of Control: Charm Person, sleep, or command as the spell, useable 3 times per day.

Spell Resistance 5:A creature with spell resistance can avoid the effects of spells and spell-like abilities that directly affect it.To determine if a spell or spell-like ability works against a creature with spell resistance, the caster must make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level). If the result equals or exceeds the creature’s spell resistance, the spell works normally, although the creature is still allowed a saving throw. This ability can be chosen multiple times, each selection adding 5 to spell resistance.

Resistance to Energy 5: A creature with this special quality ignores some damage of the indicated type each time it takes damage of that kind (commonly acid, cold, fire, or electricity). This ability can be chosen multiple times, each selection adding 5 to the chosen resistance.

Disguise Self: A character with this ability can use illusion(as disguise self cast at their class level) to assume another form. This ability lasts for one hour per day per imbuer level, which can be divided as desired.

Su 3(level 9)
Ray:This form of special attack works like a ranged attack. Hitting with a ray attack requires a successful ranged touch attack roll, ignoring armor, natural armor, and shield and using the creature’s ranged attack bonus. Ray attacks have no range increment. Maximum range is 30 feet, damage can be 1d8 of fire, cold, or electricity (type chosen upon acquiring ability), useable 3+class level times per day

Alternate Form: The character can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day. This ability functions as a polymorph spell cast on itself at its caster level, except that the character does not regain hit points for changing form and can only assume the form of one creature (chosen upon acquiring ability). The character can remain in its animal or humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.

Su 4(level 12)
Water Breathing: A character with this ability can breathe underwater as the spell water breathing, as well as having a swim speed of 50.

Flight: A creature with this ability can cease or resume flight as a free action.

Su 5(level 15)

Regeneration: A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Damage dealt to the creature is treated as nonlethal damage. The creature automatically heals nonlethal damage at a 3hp a round. Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, deal lethal damage to the creature, which doesn’t go away. A regenerating creature that has been rendered unconscious through nonlethal damage can be killed with a coup de grace. The attack cannot be of a type that automatically converts to nonlethal damage.
Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage ignore regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts; details are in the creature’s descriptive text. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally.
A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability.

Su 6(level 18)
Breath Weapon: A breath weapon attack of an "old" dragon of the character's choice, useable 2+1/4 class level times per day


All opinions and questions are welcome.

 

[Arkhandus]

Firstly, you aren't very clear or complete with your descriptions, which would confuse some folks. You weren't terribly clear with your wording when you basically tried to state that Imbuers cannot utilize metamagic feats nor item creation feats with their spells from this class. Neither were you quite clear mentioning the Spellcraft spell-identification thing; are Imbuers utterly incapable of identifying the spells of others, or no? You made it obvious at least that no one else could identify an Imbuer's spell, meaning they couldn't counterspell the Imbuer unless they used Dispel Magic or Greater Dispelling to do it. The same would be true for Imbuers if they cannot identify other casters' spells, which would be fair.

Second, you left out any details of the class' Base Attack Bonus and Base Saving Throws progression. I assume they are the same as a wizard or sorcerer in that regard? If not, then it would probably be too powerful.

Third, you did not mention how the Imbuer casts spells. Is their spellcasting arcane or divine? Do they need to meet and divine focus components for divine spells? Do they need arcane foci for arcane spells? Are their spells based on Intelligence, or Wisdom, or Charisma? Do they need to meet a requisite ability score to learn or cast their spells? (i.e. a wizard needs an Int of 10 + spell level in order to learn or cast any given wizard spell, and the save DC against a wizard's spell is 10 + spell level + Int modifier)

Fourthly, how exactly does the Spells Gained benefit work? How many spell points does it take to learn, for instance, a 4th-level spell? Or a 9th-level spell? With how many uses per day? How many spell points does it cost to increase the number of uses per day for a particular spell level? Your formula is woefully inadequate and unclear. Until this is clarified, I cannot really tell if the class is either more powerful than a sorcerer, just as powerful as a sorcerer, or horribly weaker than a sorcerer.

Fifthly, the supernatural abilities are not entirely clear in some cases, and their potency or versatility varies widely from level to level; i.e. Low-Light Vision is a horribly terrible choice compared to Telepathy or Fast Healing 1. Do the Imbuer's supernatural abilities work simply as described in the core rules (which base them by default on Charisma and hit dice), or are they based on the same ability score, caster level, save DC, and such as Imbuer spells? I advise providing the supernatural abilities each one class level later than you have them now, by the way.

A quick scan of the supernatural abilities...... Fast Healing 1 is far too powerful to gain at a low level, it should not be available until the Imbuer gains at least their third or fourth supernatural ability. Low-Light Vision is too weak of a choice compared to that and Telepathy, you'd need to improve it to Low-Light Vision x4 at the very least, or replace it with Darkvision 120 feet or something. Does the Telepathy allow mental communication with someone who doesn't share a language with the character? If so, then it makes Comprehend Languages, Tongues, and the Speak Language skill terribly useless starting at a very early level. Telepathy should probably simply be bumped up to a choice for the third or higher supernatural abilities, unless you restrict it to working with creatures who share a language with the telepath.

Spell Resistance 5 is quite worthless at the level it's available, and only becomes worthwhile at 12th-level onward if the character takes it every time besides 3rd-level. By 20th-level it would thus be acquired 5 times giving SR25 in total, making other 20th-level casters fail against the Imbuer 25% of the time. At that point I suppose it's fair, what with the character giving up all their supernatural ability options besides 3rd-level in exchange for an enemy mage fizzling a spell against them one out of every four times. However, it would still suck at the middle and lower levels, and would suck horribly if it were only ever taken a few times.

Disguise Self and Gaze of Control would be more suited to becoming available at 3rd-level rather than 6th. Disguise Self is quite underpowered for an ability available only at 6th-level onward, and Gaze of Control may or may not be in the same boat. Is Gaze of Control a gaze attack though, or is it only called Gaze of Control for flavor? Is Energy Resistance 5 incapable of being chosen for resisting sonic damage?

Ray and Alternate Form are I suppose fine for the level they can be acquired at. Water Breathing and Flight are perhaps fine for their level, but I'm not entirely certain. You do recall of course that having a Swim speed means the creature automatically has also a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks, can always take 10 on Swim checks, never needs to make Swim checks for normal swimming, and can run or charge while swimming as long as they swim in a straight line? How does Flight work exactly anyway, what fly speed does it give, with what maneuverability rating?

Regeneration is too powerful, and should be reduced to Regeneration 1 or maybe, just maybe, Regeneration 2. Never, never, never use 'typically' or 'commonly' or 'usually' in a game rule description for how an ability works; you must specify exactly what attack types bypass Regeneration. You also didn't specify how long it takes to regrow a lost limb, or how long it takes for a severed part to wither away. It looks to me like you just copy-pasted from the System Reference Document without editing it for the specifics of the Imbuer's Regeneration.

The Breath Weapon probably has too many uses per day, make it instead 1/day per 6 Imbuer levels (thus 3 times per day at 20th). Never, ever just say something like 'as per an old dragon type of the player's choice'. You do NOT want players giving their character the Breath Weapon of an Old Prismatic Dragon, Old Force Dragon, or the like (if you're 'not in the know', those are from the Epic Level Handbook for 3E, and they're suitably Epic in power level; an Old Force Dragon's breath weapon deals 40d12 force damage for instance). Probably don't want to allow breath weapons from the psionic dragons of the Monster Manual II, or the dragons from Monsters of Faerun, or the planar dragons from a recent issue of Dragon Magazine. You should restrict the Breath Weapon to being of one type from a chromatic or metallic dragon of the character's choice. For instance, they might choose the fire breath weapon of an old gold dragon, which deals 16d10 fire damage, with a Reflex DC of 31 for half damage. Even that is probably too powerful; maybe use the breath weapons of Adult dragons instead of Old dragons. Should the PC be able to choose non-damaging Breath Weapons, such as a Silver Dragon's paralyzing gas or a Copper Dragon's slow gas?

Lastly, why are there so few supernatural abilities to choose from, and so few of them available for selection multiple times, especially at higher levels?

 

[Sourcemaster2]

Oops. I more or less copied and pasted an old post onto here, and forgot to list some of the finer details. In all honesty, I had almost all of this typed out in another file, but I've gotten so little feedback in the past I didn't bother carefully overlooking it this time and so left a lot out. So, to answer a few queries concerning the (admittedly) gaping holes in the description.

Casting: An imbuer is an arcane spellcaster. It does not need material foci or spell components, but I'm considering making spells with costly components/foci drain perhaps 1/25 the amount of gold in XP, though the amount is open to alteration. Thoughts?

BAB, Saving Throws: Correct, they are the same as the wizard. I was going for a more flexible counter for the mage, and didn't want to encourage melee.

Stats: In the original post(not here, one made long before), I directed a general question over which mental stat seemed most appropriate. Int seems most appropriate, as the class focuses on study, but their understanding is nearly spiritual, so Wis is justifiable also. Opinions are welcome here. Whatever the choice, the spellcasting stat restricts the available levels of spells in the ordinary manner, but the imbuer does not recieve bonus spells for a high stat.

Spellcraft: Imbuers' spells are totally unique to the individual, and are therefor not subject to identification. Since they don't research the technicalities of the spellcraft of others (though they do observe the effects and "shape" of caster-style magic) they have no bonus to Spellcraft checks. It seems to make little sense to make them innately unable to comprehend normal modes of spellcasting, but I can understand that this gives them a bit of an edge. Perhaps their spells could instead have a higher DC to be identified, and, because their own minds are aligned to their own methods, they find it difficult to understant normal casting, giving them an equal Spellcraft penalty to identify standard spellcasting(not unlike the Shadow Weave feats, though obviously a bit different in application)?

Spells Gained: I don't see the difficulty here. The formula is fairly simple: spell level X uses per day=cost. So, a 3/day feather fall would be 1 X 3=3 points. To increase the uses per day just use the formula again. A 2/day fireball you want to increase to 3/day, add 3 (fireball level) x 1(additional use desired) for a total cost of 3. It effects only that spell. To avoid PCs choosing a half dozen blasting spells /day, I may impose a limit of spells known, but I would hate to do that. The class is all about versatility, and limiting that would be a pain. Although, it could be a good use for the prime ability score. As it stands, there's little reason to advance the score very far, so making the maximum spells known dependent on it could help a good deal.
Supernatural Abilities: These are where I need real help. The rest of it I'm fairly confident about and can explain/defend, but I'm terribly at balancing class features like these. I sprinkled them around with as much appropriatness as I could manage, but I could see flaws pretty easily. So, to sum up your suggestions and answer questions, here comes a list.
1) Fast healing cannot be gained until 12th or 15th level.

2) Low-Light Vision seemed far too weak, but I didn't want to give darkvision yet, so I'll take your advice and raise it to x4.

3) Telepathy doesn't cross language barriers. The target(s) can "hear" a voice in their head, but without additional magic they won't understand what's being "said." As a side option, it could be made a ladder ability, becoming usable on people who speak a different language atadditional selections.

4) Spell Resistance raised to 12th level. The base amount would need to be raised, though I'm not sure how high to go.

5) Disguise Self was originally unlimited duration, usable at will, but it seemed a bit too good. Maybe keep it as it is and lower it to 3rd?

6) Gaze of Control lowered to 3rd; it is a gaze attack, but mimics the spells' effects (yes, even command, if you were wondering; the word is silent)

7) Yes, energy resistance can be chosen to resist sonic damage.

8) The Swim stuff I'm fairly familiar with, and it doesn't seem unbalanced compared with flight unless I'm missing something.

9) Flight is similar to an ogre mage's ability, allowing purely magical flight akin-though not exactly the same-to a fly spell. Fly speed is 40 (too good?) and maneuverability is good, though I'm a little shaky and open to suggestion on this. Perfect maneuverability would make sense, but might be too attractive to players. One idea occured to me: an upgradable base ability that starts off as a feather fall (possibly limited to uses/day, though I'd prefer continuous) that increases to levitation (same as feather fall, whichever option we use) and eventually becomes flight. I'd like to emphasize increasing abilities, but at the same time, I don't want to restrict a char to one path....any opinions?

10) Regeneration: Guilty as charged. SDR-copier is me, though (again) there are better altered posts from when I was actually awake and naive enough to expect help. This is the first useful review I've gotten on the damned thing, and I even posted it on the WotC boards! I've rarely dealt with regeneration, so I'll listen and lower it to 1. As for the technicalities, fire and acid bypass it, with other options acceptable if someone here has a good reason (magic, magical weapons, sonic damage, ect.) Lost limbs wither away within ten minutes, completely dissolving into very fine black powder, and regrow in twice that time.

11) Breath Weapon: I'll lower the uses per day to 1/day per 6 levels. I considered a ladder scheme for this also, but a breath weapon seems too good to have at early levels, however hamstringed we might make it. The old dragon type should have been more specific; I meant the standard metallic/chromatic dragons. Yes, a PC can choose a non-damaging breath, but whatever he picks when he chooses the ability is what he's stick with.


Final: There are few abilities, but I'm open to input on new ones. It took a while to balance the spellcasting, so I'm turning now to the more tricky Sus. Making some scalable with additional choices is one of my goals, so help on that oart is highly appreciated.

 

[Sourcemaster2]

A selfish bump.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Just curious to know: what inspired you to write up this class?

 

[Sourcemaster2]

Sorry for taking so long to reply; my computer was unavailable for a while. The imbuer starter off as a wizard PrC that gave spell-like abilities from the mage's study of an affinity for magical creatures. After fiddling with it, I decided to go for a base class, and changed the spell-like abilities to spells. As for the spellcasting system: any flaws noticable? The imbuer gets a huge number of 1st-2nd level spells, but considerably fewer high-level ones-though customization is certainly possible, and is my intent.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I think spell resistance should start at 10 at the least; SR 5 is useless against 4th level casters and 1st-level (human) casters with GSP. and even a typical 1st-level caster has an 80% chance to get the spell past.