Machiavelli
First Post
You may remember the Arcane Tussler PrC I came up with and posted here not too long ago. I've slightly revised it such that now it looks like this:
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Well, I'm quite happy with that until I can convince a DM at some point to allow me to play the class, or until I DM a game myself. It appears to be a solid PrC without an over-the-top set of bizarre abilities, despite a slightly bizarre original concept (anyone who does not wince at the thought of a half-celestial template is already jaded to that sort of thing, anyway).
But I'm restless. I'm looking for a way to set up the Arcane Tussler as a base class. My basic draw to this idea is that a spellcaster may indeed apply his powers to permanently alter his own body structure to his advantage, yes, but why would he then be inherently compelled to wrap his arm around a monster's neck-like appendage and squeeze until it dies? Wrestling may not be "his thing", you know? So I've decided I'll make the Arcane Tussler into a 20-level base class. I'm also a customization whore, I can't get enough of it, and 20 levels (maybe even with combat styles like the monk!) provide ample opportunity to indulge myself.
So, the ideas I have are flowing wildly in my head, but I've never built a base class before, so I'm looking for your ideas, folks! So far here's a list of the random ideas I've had:
1.) Make the benefits generic:
Lots of possibilities! Anyone who enjoys fleshing out others' ideas, feel free to lend me your brain for a post or two, and you're welcome to borrow mine to pick at
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Code:
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| Arcane Tussler |
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Concept:
The Arcane Tussler is blessed with both innate arcane powers and a measure of physical bulk. He has
decided to channel part of his arcane abilities inward, to grant him exceptional control over his
body's energies and to imbue his flesh with arcane power. In this pursuit he gains extraordinary
physical capabilities. His body becomes his weapon, and his mind becomes the appendage with which
his weapon is wielded and its power fully realized. Because it is quite rare for a brawny
individual to be gifted with and actually devote time to developing innate arcane power, there are
no organized groups of Arcane Tusslers in existance. One who pursues this path must due so alone,
devoting much of his daily arcane efforts to the task. His motivations for becoming a physical
weapon may vary widely. A future Arcane Tussler may think it a waste to underutilize the physique he
was born with, or perhaps he wants to be more able to defend himself in very close, brutal
engagements. Perhaps he simply appreciates the shock value he shares with monks, when an unarmed
man leaps into a fight and manages to be at least as effective as those armed with steel. Whatever
the Arcane Tussler's motivations, his is a path of attuned energies and enhanced body, so he may
lack some of the skill demonstrated by the stricter unarmed fighting classes. However, none who
watch him fight question his considerable usefulness in a close-combat tussle.
Adventuring:
In order to optimize his unique Grasp ability, the Arcane Tussler should maintain levels in the
Warmage or Sorcerer class two or three less than his Arcane Tussler levels. Unfortunately, that
many caster class levels tend to reduce his melee combat effectiveness, but they offer him a unique
role in an adventuring party. His grappling prowess makes him quite lethal to any spellcasters he
can get his hands on, while Warmage levels allow him to blast his way through to the spellcasters,
and Sorcerer levels offer utilitarian spells that may allow him to bypass any obstacles between
himself and a spellcasting foe. In that way, the Sorcerer's flexibility nicely compliments the
Arcane Charge ability, allowing the Arcane Tussler to truly shine as one of the best ways to defeat
enemy magi.
Prerequisites:
Base attack bonus +3
Permanently use 5 levels of arcane spell slots
(can be split between multiple spell slots, each 0-lvl counts as 1/2 lvl)
Improved Unarmed Strike
Improved Grapple
Hit Die: d8
Skill Points: 2+Int per lvl
Weapon/Armor Proficiency:
The Arcane Tussler gains proficiency with all light weapons and light armor.
Lvl BAB Fort Ref Will Special Spells
1 +1 +0 +2 +0 Grasp 1st Growth +1 level spell slots/per day
2 +2 +0 +3 +0 Clever Grapple +1 +1 caster level
3 +3 +1 +3 +1 Powerful Build DR 1/-
4 +4 +1 +4 +1 Grasp 2nd Arcane Charge 1/day +1 level spell slots/per day
5 +5 +1 +4 +1 Clever Grapple +2 +1 caster level
6 +6 +2 +5 +2 Strength +2 DR 2/- +1 caster level
7 +7 +2 +5 +2 Grasp 3rd Clever Grapple +3 +1 level spell slots/per day
8 +8 +2 +6 +2 Exceptional Build Arcane Charge 2/day
9 +9 +3 +6 +3 Clever Grapple +4 DR 3/- +1 caster level
10 +10 +3 +7 +3 Grasp 4th +1 level spell slots/per day
......Spells: As the Arcane Tussler's skills advance, he hones his abilities as a spellcaster. At
the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 9th levels, his caster level increases in one arcane caster class, chosen
immediately when he levels up. This increased caster level only applies to the save DC of his
spells, checks made to penetrate spell resistence, and any spell effects dependent upon caster
level. He gains no spells known or spells per day at these levels. Starting at 1st level, and
every third level after that, The Arcane Tussler gains spells per day and spells known in the single
arcane caster class from which his 5 permanently used spell slots came, as though he gained one
level in that class. He gains no other benefits from that caster class, except that his effective
caster level when casting spells increases, as above.
.....Grasp: The daily inward focus of the Arcane Tussler's spells infuses his flesh with arcane
energy. Using a free action, he can use the touch spells he knows as supernatural abilities while
grappling, delivering the effects using an unarmed strike in the midst of a grapple. Using the
Grasp ability does not require a Concentration check. The Arcane Tussler may apply this ability to
any spell he knows of 0- or 1st-level that is delivered by a touch attack, which increases to
include 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-level spells at 4th, 7th, and 10th Arcane Tussler levels, respectively.
All melee touch attack spells function normally, but because ranged touch attack spells are intended
to trigger some distance from the caster, they deal damage to both the target and the grappling
Arcane Tussler. Spells with non-damage negative effects deal 1d6/spell level negative energy damage
to the caster, while all spells that deal normal damage to the target deal 1 point of the same type
of damage per damage die. The Arcane Tussler can use his Grasp ability a number of times each day
equal to his Charisma score. Delivering a spell's effects in this manner does not exhaust a spell
slot for the day. Metamagic feats may be applied to the spells, without adding a casting time or
otherwise increasing the effort needed to use the Grasp ability for that spell, but the Arcane
Tussler must be capable of casting the metamagic spell normally. This means that a 5th level
Wizard/1st level Arcane Tussler can use his Grasp ability to apply the effects of an Empowered Chill
Touch spell if he has the Empower Spell metamagic feat, even if he has not prepared Chill Touch for
that day. The Arcane Tussler may not use his Grasp ability while wearing gauntlets or gloves made,
in any part, from metallic or crystalline materials.
.....Growth: Starting at 1st level the Arcane Tussler applies his arcane skills in a constant
effort to transmute his body and improve his physique. His height increases by 4 inches for every
Arcane Tussler level, and his limbs become disproportionately long, but his posture droops and his
reach remains the same. Also, at every Arcane Tussler level, his weight increases by 5 pounds plus
5 more pounds per size above Small. By themselves, these are superficial changes.
.....Clever Grapple: The Arcane Tussler knows how to use his changing physique to his advantage,
gaining a +1 bonus at 2nd level to all grapple checks and attacks made while grappling. This bonus
increases to +2 at 5th level, +3 at 7th level, and +4 at 9th level. He loses this bonus while
wearing medium armor or carrying a medium load.
.....Powerful Build: From 3rd level onward, the physical stature of an Arcane Tussler allows him to
function in many ways as a creature one size category larger. Whenever an Arcane Tussler is subject
to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks,
bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the Arcane Tussler is treated as one size category larger if
doing so is advantagous to him. He is also considered to be one size larger when determining
whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as Improved Grab or Swallow Whole) can
affect him. An Arcane Tussler can use weapons designed for one size category larger without
penalty, but only if he is proficient with them. However, his space and reach remain those of a
creature of his actual size. The benefits of this class ability stack with the effects of abilities
and spells that change the subject's size category.
.....Arcane Charge: The magically altered nature of the Arcane Tussler's body allows it to be more
easily warped and pushed through time and space, so that a sufficiently powerful burst of aggressive
energy can cause limited teleportation. At 4th level the Arcane Tussler can use Dimension Door once
per day as a spell-like ability to close the distance between himself and a foe, increasing to twice
per day at 8th level. To determine the effects of the Dimension Door, he uses the caster level of
the arcane caster class from which he spent 5 permanent spell levels. His destination must be
adjacent to an opponent, using this ability counts as a move action, and upon arriving he must
immediately make a melee attack or attempt to initiate a grapple against this opponent.
.....Damage Reduction: The Arcane Tussler's lanky frame belies a supernaturally induced toughness
that only similar magic can pierce. At 3rd level the Arcane Tussler gains damage reduction 1/-,
which improves to DR 2/- at 6th level and DR 3/- at 9th level.
.....Strength +2: The Arcane Tussler's conditioning of his physique also pays off in shear brute
power, with a +2 bonus to his Strength.
.....Exceptional Build: At 8th level, the Arcane Tussler gains +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, and a
+1 competance bonus to his armor class.Well, I'm quite happy with that until I can convince a DM at some point to allow me to play the class, or until I DM a game myself. It appears to be a solid PrC without an over-the-top set of bizarre abilities, despite a slightly bizarre original concept (anyone who does not wince at the thought of a half-celestial template is already jaded to that sort of thing, anyway).
But I'm restless. I'm looking for a way to set up the Arcane Tussler as a base class. My basic draw to this idea is that a spellcaster may indeed apply his powers to permanently alter his own body structure to his advantage, yes, but why would he then be inherently compelled to wrap his arm around a monster's neck-like appendage and squeeze until it dies? Wrestling may not be "his thing", you know? So I've decided I'll make the Arcane Tussler into a 20-level base class. I'm also a customization whore, I can't get enough of it, and 20 levels (maybe even with combat styles like the monk!) provide ample opportunity to indulge myself.
So, the ideas I have are flowing wildly in my head, but I've never built a base class before, so I'm looking for your ideas, folks! So far here's a list of the random ideas I've had:
1.) Make the benefits generic:
a.> My flavor text "the magically altered nature of the Arcane Tussler's body allows it to be more easily warped and pushed through time and space..." could be translated into things other than Arcane Charge (thanks again to clay_more for the original ArCh suggestion, which I still drool over.), though I haven't thought of anything specific yet.
b.> "The Arcane Tussler's lanky frame belies a supernaturally induced toughness..." could translate into many things, not necessarily just damage reduction. Natural armor bonus or temporary hit points, maybe?
2.) Offer options for existing abilities:b.> "The Arcane Tussler's lanky frame belies a supernaturally induced toughness..." could translate into many things, not necessarily just damage reduction. Natural armor bonus or temporary hit points, maybe?
a.> "Growth" could have effects in addition to, or even entirely different from, those I listed. Instead of becoming lankier, perhaps you could choose to become sturdier, like a dwarf; that sort of thing.
b.> Group the options together into unique "directions" of physical change. A sturdier Growth might make for increased Constitution instead of strength, for example. Let the player choose at first level which "direction" to take.
3.) Needs new abilities to fill out 20 levels:b.> Group the options together into unique "directions" of physical change. A sturdier Growth might make for increased Constitution instead of strength, for example. Let the player choose at first level which "direction" to take.
Any ideas? My head is still spinning with the myriad possibilites, so no concrete ideas have come to me yet.
4.) Completely revamp Grasp ability as a unique set of abilities:a.> No need to rely on normal spells now. Instead offer a list of touch abilities specifically designed to work with "Grasp". Perhaps they could even be identical to existing spells, with rules presented for allowing "new" spells from D&D books, but a fixed list would present many fewer balancing problems.
b.> Perhaps use something akin to the Power Points that psionic characters use, and then advance the effectiveness and number of the touch abilities known, and the number of power points available, as the character levels up.
c.> As an option parallel to a non-wrestling Growth "direction", perhaps instead of touch spells, weapon buffs, personal buffs, or (haha, awesome idea just came to me!) illusory spells would be available.
b.> Perhaps use something akin to the Power Points that psionic characters use, and then advance the effectiveness and number of the touch abilities known, and the number of power points available, as the character levels up.
c.> As an option parallel to a non-wrestling Growth "direction", perhaps instead of touch spells, weapon buffs, personal buffs, or (haha, awesome idea just came to me!) illusory spells would be available.
Lots of possibilities! Anyone who enjoys fleshing out others' ideas, feel free to lend me your brain for a post or two, and you're welcome to borrow mine to pick at
