VirgilCaine
First Post
I'd like an evaluatio of this PrC. Strong? Weak? Useless?
I've included the house rule that partly inspired it.
Bearer of the Branch (BrB)
Prereq:
Know: Arcana: 8+
Know: Geography: 8+
Spellcraft: 8+
Special: Must have a Staff, and be accepted by the Bearers.
Hit die: d4
BAB: Poor (as wizard)
Saves: Will high
Skill Points: 2+ Int bonus
Skills: Spellcraft, Know: Arcana, Know: Geography, Know:History,
Abilities
1. Voices of the past +2, +1 spellcasting level
2. Untold Experience, +1 spellcasting level
3. VotP +4, +1 spellcasting level
4. Untold Experience +4, +1 spellcasting level
5. VotP +6, +1 spellcasting level
6. Untold Experience +6, Legend Lore 1/day.
7. VotP +8, +1 spellcasting level
8. Vision instead of Legend Lore, +1 spellcasting level
9. VotP +10, +1 spellcasting level
10. Foresight 1/month
Note: In order to meditate with his staff, the Bearer of the Branch must have the same conditions it takes to prepare spells--e.g. no overt disturbances nearby, no severe weather, etc.
Voices of the Past: The BrB can meditate for 1 minute while holding his staff and gain the listed bonus on his next Knowledge (category must be specified in advance) or Spellcraft check made within the next hour. The BrB can use this ability once per day for each odd level of Bearer of the Branch he has attained.
Untold Experience: The BrB can meditate for one full hour while holding his staff to gain insight into a specific monster's weaknesses, psychology, habits, etc. The creature must be a specific species, such as "blue dragons" or "medusas" not "dragons" or "Monstrous humanoids."
The listed bonus applies to all skill checks, attack rolls, saves and weapon damage against creatures of the specified species.
Note: The experience of the elders is limited. AT THE DM'S PREROGATIVE, some creatures may not have been encountered by the elders. In which case the BrB can meditate after encountering a creature and "submit" his findings to the elders, who will consider the information, and then receive the benefit of this ability, at half bonus. This "half-bonus" takes two hours of meditation to receive.
Legend Lore: The BrB can cast Legend Lore once per day by meditating with his staff.
Foresight 1/month: The BrB must meditate during the casting time.
The Wizard's Staff
It's a handy item any wizard may create at 6th level.
The following staff capacities may only be used by the wizard who crafted it.
Cantrip: A wizard's staff may be used to cast a cantrip at will. The cantrip must be known at creation time, and can't be changed thereafter.
Spell Storage: A wizard's staff may be used as a spellbook. Upon casting a spell (either from a prepared slot, or from a spell completion item like a scroll), the wizard can touch his staff and imbue it with the spell. Storing a spell in the staff costs 10 XP per spell level, but do not requires expensive focus, material components, or the expense of an XP cost associated with the spell. The staff may store up to four spells plus one spell per caster level.
Spell Preparation: By clutching his staff, a wizard may prepare spells from it as if it was a spellbook. The spells that are prepared must be stored within the staff. Preparing spells this way requires only contact with the staff and mental concentration, no light is required.
It is possible to prepare spells from the staff and from another source, such as a book. Preparing a spell doesn't expend it from the storage.
Spellcasting: As a full-round action, a wizard wielding his staff may nigh instantly prepare and cast a spell that is stored within. Doing so requires a full round action (or one more round than the normal casting time, if casting time is greater than 1 action), and the expenditure of any XP cost associated with the spell.
Expensive material components (more than 1 GP) and focus (more than 20 GP) must be provided, but the staff otherwise works as a focus removing the need for lesser material components and focus. Casting a spell that way
requires an empty spell slot of appropriate level, which is used for the rapid preparation and casting, and erase the spell from the staff (it is no longer stored).
Staff Power: Upon casting a spell, a wizard may get energy from the staff to increase the spell's potency. This requires draining the staff of one stored spell of the same or higher level as the spell being cast (thus erasing it as if it had been cast). This increases the save DC and caster level of the spell by 2.
Spell-Resistance: When subjected to the effects of a spell, a wizard holding his staff may, as a free action, expend stored spells to get a SR against that spell equal to the sum of the expended spell levels (cantrips count as being level 1/2). This SR stacks with a possible already existing SR.
Invigorate: A wizard clutching his staff with both hands may, as a full-round action, expend stored spells to cure a number of hit points equal to the sum of expended spell levels (cantrips count as level 1/2).
A typical wizard staff has a hardness of 12, 50 hit points, and a break DC of 30. It can be used in combat as a quarterstaff appropriately sized. It costs 1000 GP, 80 XP, and one day to create.
The staff being attuned to the wizard having created it, in nigh similar way to a familiar, if the staff is broken, the wizard lose 120 XP. If the staff is stolen or lost (in fact, if the wizard cannot get ahold of his staff for more than a week), then the bond is broken, and 120 XP are lost while the staff lose all magical properties. A wizard cannot have more than one staff (if a staff is stolen, he has to recover it or wait for it to be unbound before being able to craft a new one).
A wizard whose staff is stolen suffers a -5 penalty to Bluff, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive rolls made against the current staff wielder, and is denied his Will saving throws against Enchantment spells cast at him by the current staff wielder. (However, this doesn't affect SR.)
I've included the house rule that partly inspired it.
Bearer of the Branch (BrB)
Prereq:
Know: Arcana: 8+
Know: Geography: 8+
Spellcraft: 8+
Special: Must have a Staff, and be accepted by the Bearers.
Hit die: d4
BAB: Poor (as wizard)
Saves: Will high
Skill Points: 2+ Int bonus
Skills: Spellcraft, Know: Arcana, Know: Geography, Know:History,
Abilities
1. Voices of the past +2, +1 spellcasting level
2. Untold Experience, +1 spellcasting level
3. VotP +4, +1 spellcasting level
4. Untold Experience +4, +1 spellcasting level
5. VotP +6, +1 spellcasting level
6. Untold Experience +6, Legend Lore 1/day.
7. VotP +8, +1 spellcasting level
8. Vision instead of Legend Lore, +1 spellcasting level
9. VotP +10, +1 spellcasting level
10. Foresight 1/month
Note: In order to meditate with his staff, the Bearer of the Branch must have the same conditions it takes to prepare spells--e.g. no overt disturbances nearby, no severe weather, etc.
Voices of the Past: The BrB can meditate for 1 minute while holding his staff and gain the listed bonus on his next Knowledge (category must be specified in advance) or Spellcraft check made within the next hour. The BrB can use this ability once per day for each odd level of Bearer of the Branch he has attained.
Untold Experience: The BrB can meditate for one full hour while holding his staff to gain insight into a specific monster's weaknesses, psychology, habits, etc. The creature must be a specific species, such as "blue dragons" or "medusas" not "dragons" or "Monstrous humanoids."
The listed bonus applies to all skill checks, attack rolls, saves and weapon damage against creatures of the specified species.
Note: The experience of the elders is limited. AT THE DM'S PREROGATIVE, some creatures may not have been encountered by the elders. In which case the BrB can meditate after encountering a creature and "submit" his findings to the elders, who will consider the information, and then receive the benefit of this ability, at half bonus. This "half-bonus" takes two hours of meditation to receive.
Legend Lore: The BrB can cast Legend Lore once per day by meditating with his staff.
Foresight 1/month: The BrB must meditate during the casting time.
The Wizard's Staff
It's a handy item any wizard may create at 6th level.
The following staff capacities may only be used by the wizard who crafted it.
Cantrip: A wizard's staff may be used to cast a cantrip at will. The cantrip must be known at creation time, and can't be changed thereafter.
Spell Storage: A wizard's staff may be used as a spellbook. Upon casting a spell (either from a prepared slot, or from a spell completion item like a scroll), the wizard can touch his staff and imbue it with the spell. Storing a spell in the staff costs 10 XP per spell level, but do not requires expensive focus, material components, or the expense of an XP cost associated with the spell. The staff may store up to four spells plus one spell per caster level.
Spell Preparation: By clutching his staff, a wizard may prepare spells from it as if it was a spellbook. The spells that are prepared must be stored within the staff. Preparing spells this way requires only contact with the staff and mental concentration, no light is required.
It is possible to prepare spells from the staff and from another source, such as a book. Preparing a spell doesn't expend it from the storage.
Spellcasting: As a full-round action, a wizard wielding his staff may nigh instantly prepare and cast a spell that is stored within. Doing so requires a full round action (or one more round than the normal casting time, if casting time is greater than 1 action), and the expenditure of any XP cost associated with the spell.
Expensive material components (more than 1 GP) and focus (more than 20 GP) must be provided, but the staff otherwise works as a focus removing the need for lesser material components and focus. Casting a spell that way
requires an empty spell slot of appropriate level, which is used for the rapid preparation and casting, and erase the spell from the staff (it is no longer stored).
Staff Power: Upon casting a spell, a wizard may get energy from the staff to increase the spell's potency. This requires draining the staff of one stored spell of the same or higher level as the spell being cast (thus erasing it as if it had been cast). This increases the save DC and caster level of the spell by 2.
Spell-Resistance: When subjected to the effects of a spell, a wizard holding his staff may, as a free action, expend stored spells to get a SR against that spell equal to the sum of the expended spell levels (cantrips count as being level 1/2). This SR stacks with a possible already existing SR.
Invigorate: A wizard clutching his staff with both hands may, as a full-round action, expend stored spells to cure a number of hit points equal to the sum of expended spell levels (cantrips count as level 1/2).
A typical wizard staff has a hardness of 12, 50 hit points, and a break DC of 30. It can be used in combat as a quarterstaff appropriately sized. It costs 1000 GP, 80 XP, and one day to create.
The staff being attuned to the wizard having created it, in nigh similar way to a familiar, if the staff is broken, the wizard lose 120 XP. If the staff is stolen or lost (in fact, if the wizard cannot get ahold of his staff for more than a week), then the bond is broken, and 120 XP are lost while the staff lose all magical properties. A wizard cannot have more than one staff (if a staff is stolen, he has to recover it or wait for it to be unbound before being able to craft a new one).
A wizard whose staff is stolen suffers a -5 penalty to Bluff, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive rolls made against the current staff wielder, and is denied his Will saving throws against Enchantment spells cast at him by the current staff wielder. (However, this doesn't affect SR.)
