Anyone Play A Fatespinner?

[Oni]

Have you played as a Fatespinner (a PrC from Tome and Blood)? What are your thoughts on the class? Fun to play? Worth the sacrifice of caster levels? Where you still able to contribute or did you feel left behind by the rest of the party?

 

[Sagrabah]

I have not directly, but I adapted it to a divine PrC for a player of mine who's character is a priest of the goddess of luck. I found that it was much more interesting that way, and it has worked out nicely for him. It was nice for him to have the exta usage of the Luck domain power.

I thought the spell progression was stunted when I looked at some comparable classes available in Defenders of the Faith, so I adjusted it upward.

I know that he liked it since as clerics advance, they don't get any nifty abilities other than increased spell advancement. He and I both agreed that the powers the PrC offers seem better fit for a cleric anyhow.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Salutations,

This discussion may have some insights for you:

Fatespinner -- Anyone Tried it?

SD

 

[Angelsboi]

yeah i hade one. A specialist Diviner 5/Cleric 1 (with the Luck and Fate Domains)/ Fate Spinner 4 (2 spell levels in Wizard)

He also threw razor edged tarot cards. He was awesome

 

[wolff96]

I'm the one who started the thread linked by Sagan Darkside.

Since then, I've had the opportunity to play two sessions with my new Fatespinner.

All I have to say is that I wonder if the Fatespinner should have even less access to spell levels. One or two spells (and spin) and I can have most anything eating out of my hands.

Not to mention the Disintegrate I threw this past week with a DC of 38. (6 Spell + 20 die roll + 2 Spell Focus: Trans + 7 Int Mod + 3 Spin). That's a tough spell to resist.

 

[Oni]

Mechanical question regarding the fatespinner and +1 level of existing class spell advancement in general.


In the example of spin fate, the refer to the caster level of a 5th level mage/1st level fate spinner as being caster level 6. I had been under the impression that caster level only advanced with the +1 level of existing class. If a mage5/fatespinner1 goes to beat a creatures SR does he roll 1d20+5 or 1d20+6? Because the fatespinner PrC is a spellcasting class does each level add +1 to caster level?




On a totally unrelated note, what sorts of roleplaying quirks do you think would be common to fatespinners? How would the ability to affect fate and probability change a person?

 

[Tzarevitch]

I modified the class slightly to a divine spellcasting prestige class restricted to high-ranking servants of a deity of luck or fate. I am not terribly fond of the class to begin because it seems mighty powerful to me (and I think the "spin" concept is stupid), but it makes no sense to me as an arcane casting class. I can see a priest praying directly to the Norns or something to pluck the strings of fate and affect another person's luck, but where does an arcane caster get the power do the same. (Admitedly, I also have problems with game settings that don't clearly say where arcane magic actually comes from.)

In answer to your actual question, I have never played the class myself but I consider it easily worth the loss of spellcasting levels. It is quite powerful and other than the loss of some spellcasting levels it has no real downside. It has been quite a while since I looked at it, but as I recall, the class is pretty easy to abuse at high levels. You can build up spin easily "off camera" by casting spells and effects where the DCs don't matter and then expending the resulting positive spin casting spells with devastating DCs on your foes. I would happily postpone some ultra-high-level spellcasting in return for getting some mid-level spells with devastatingly high DC when I need them.

Tzarevitch

 

[Sagan Darkside]

On a totally unrelated note, what sorts of roleplaying quirks do you think would be common to fatespinners? How would the ability to affect fate and probability change a person?

I could see different possiblities:

1) The person believes that the role people serve is more important then the people themselves, and those that attempt to defy their role needs to be dealt with. They might hunt down intelligent undead (for living beyond when fated to die), other fatespinners, or perhaps some other hated enemy thought to be outside the norm. Psionics for example.

"There is no luck or good/bad fortune, and I can prove it."

2) Fate is a natural force- and once one understands the rules of Fate, then like any other natural force.. it can be manipulated for one's own purpose. A good fatespinner might feel it is this power that will allow them to use this knowledge to better the world around them, an evil one might just better it for themselves.

"There is luck, and it is like any other tool. It can build or it can destroy."

3) Fate is a natural force- and the grand tapestry of the universe is open to the fatespinner. Every decision has it a domino-like series of results that can change the world, and no decision should be taken lightly- especially ones of life and death. The fatespinner is nearly paralyzed when faced with a multitude of options- as they consider how each one could impact the tapestry of the world.

"Luck?! A word used by those who should be grateful for how ignorant they are."

SD

 

[wolff96]

In the example of spin fate, the refer to the caster level of a 5th level mage/1st level fate spinner as being caster level 6. I had been under the impression that caster level only advanced with the +1 level of existing class. If a mage5/fatespinner1 goes to beat a creatures SR does he roll 1d20+5 or 1d20+6? Because the fatespinner PrC is a spellcasting class does each level add +1 to caster level?

He rolls 1d20 + 5. The class description from Tome & Blood is poorly written. Caster Level is defined for the PrC (in Spin Fate and Spin Destiny) differently than it is normally defined.

Only the levels with "+1 Level of Existing Class" actually add to the caster's level for Spell Resistance, the level-based spell effects, and spell durations. For the Fatespinner abilities specifically, however, it is defined differently.

Poor wording.

On a totally unrelated note, what sorts of roleplaying quirks do you think would be common to fatespinners? How would the ability to affect fate and probability change a person?

I think one quirk would be paranoia. Seriously. Someone who directly interacts with fate and luck should quickly realize that the same guy that just incinerated four orcs without breaking a sweat could misstep and fall down a set of stairs to their death. Other options are bravado (can't happen to me) and insufferably smug (I can affect my fate, you can't change yours.)

I know in the case of my little Kobold Fatespinner, it is a definite belief in the fragility of life. All of his old (bandit) partners were killed by an adventuring group when he suddenly came down with stomach flu. He doesn't realize he's now travelling with the same group that killed his larcenous friends. Fate is like that.