Someone
Adventurer
There´s a series of fantasy books (not translated to English, so I don´t think you know them) I´m considering translating into a D&D setting. The hero in the books is a “Witcher”, an altered human breed and trained to kill monsters. I´d like to count with some opinions and feedback to create the rules for them.
In the books, witchers are feared monster hunters. The transformation to become a witcher starts when the subject (always a human, though in the books appear halfling, dwarves elves and gnomes very close to the D&D standard) is very young. Witchers are always male. He´s feed special and rare herbs and mushrooms, and infected with viruses that alter him. Only few, one or two in ten, survive the changes.
After the transformation, the young witcher trains very hard with some of the better swordmen in the world. The books describe some of the exercises: they emphasize speed, balance and stamina over brute strenght, and is taught to recognize common monsters and the ways to fight them. When the witcher reaches adulthood, he´s a warrior to be feared, he´s given his weapons (a masterwork sword and a silver sword) and wanders the world killing monsters for money. Thanks to their altered bodies, witchers are almost immune to illness and age very slowly. To summarize:
-Witchers are a race (altered humans) and a class. Since even the lowliest witcher is a dangerous warrior, the class should be a prestige class.
-Witchers are stronger and quicker than normal humans; that comes from the Changes, special diet while they are still children and hard training. They are universally feared and mistrust, and the changes leave in them unusual side effects –like weird skin or eye coloration-. So they would have a bonus to Strenght and Dexterity and a penalty to Charisma or Charisma related skills. Witchers can adjust their eyes at will, and have low light vision.
-Witchers can drink an alchemical concoction of drugs that would be deadly to a normal human. They boost the witcher´s strenght, stamina and speed for one or two hours, but leaves them drained.
-Witchers should have a good score in Balance and Tumble, be able to recognize monsters and their weaknesses, and be a good fighter. None of them is described using heavy armor or shields.
-Thay can use minor spell-like abilities with simple somatic components. One is the Sign or Aard, it´s a short ranged telekinetic thrust used to push enemies and trip them (in one or two books it´s used more creatively, like aiming it at the dusty road to create a cloud of dust), the other is the Sign of Igni, that deals fire damage.
With that, I have in mind something like this:
Witcher race:
-+2 Strenght, +4 Dexterity, -2 Charisma.
-Medium size.
-Speed 30 feet, but have a racial bonus of +10 feet when wearing light armor or no armor and unemcumbered.
-Low light vision.
-+4 racial bonus to fortitude saves against poison and disease.
-Free Athletic feat.
-Favored class: Fighter
-LA +1 ?
Witcher class:
Hit die d8 or d10, good BAB, good Fort save. Requisites witcher race, 9 ranks in Balance, Jump and Tumble, BAB +5, Feats: at least Dodge and Combat Expertise. The only problem is the requisite of Int 13 of Combat expertise, not every witcher has to be very smart.
Benefits: Witcher´s elixir (+X unnamed or enhancement bonus to Str/Dex and/or Con plus Darkvision for 1 hour, then it leaves them Exhausted and deals 1d6 Constitution damage), Monster Knowledge (add class level to checks to know monster´s vulnerabilities) Sign of Aard (works like the second use of the Telekinesis spell) and Sign of Igni (Ranged touch attack dealing Xd6 fire damage)
Other things that would fit the class but are not directly based on the books would be Dodge bonuses to AC when wearing light or no armor, and extra attacks when wielding a one handed or light weapon in one hand and no shield.
Comments? suggestions?
In the books, witchers are feared monster hunters. The transformation to become a witcher starts when the subject (always a human, though in the books appear halfling, dwarves elves and gnomes very close to the D&D standard) is very young. Witchers are always male. He´s feed special and rare herbs and mushrooms, and infected with viruses that alter him. Only few, one or two in ten, survive the changes.
After the transformation, the young witcher trains very hard with some of the better swordmen in the world. The books describe some of the exercises: they emphasize speed, balance and stamina over brute strenght, and is taught to recognize common monsters and the ways to fight them. When the witcher reaches adulthood, he´s a warrior to be feared, he´s given his weapons (a masterwork sword and a silver sword) and wanders the world killing monsters for money. Thanks to their altered bodies, witchers are almost immune to illness and age very slowly. To summarize:
-Witchers are a race (altered humans) and a class. Since even the lowliest witcher is a dangerous warrior, the class should be a prestige class.
-Witchers are stronger and quicker than normal humans; that comes from the Changes, special diet while they are still children and hard training. They are universally feared and mistrust, and the changes leave in them unusual side effects –like weird skin or eye coloration-. So they would have a bonus to Strenght and Dexterity and a penalty to Charisma or Charisma related skills. Witchers can adjust their eyes at will, and have low light vision.
-Witchers can drink an alchemical concoction of drugs that would be deadly to a normal human. They boost the witcher´s strenght, stamina and speed for one or two hours, but leaves them drained.
-Witchers should have a good score in Balance and Tumble, be able to recognize monsters and their weaknesses, and be a good fighter. None of them is described using heavy armor or shields.
-Thay can use minor spell-like abilities with simple somatic components. One is the Sign or Aard, it´s a short ranged telekinetic thrust used to push enemies and trip them (in one or two books it´s used more creatively, like aiming it at the dusty road to create a cloud of dust), the other is the Sign of Igni, that deals fire damage.
With that, I have in mind something like this:
Witcher race:
-+2 Strenght, +4 Dexterity, -2 Charisma.
-Medium size.
-Speed 30 feet, but have a racial bonus of +10 feet when wearing light armor or no armor and unemcumbered.
-Low light vision.
-+4 racial bonus to fortitude saves against poison and disease.
-Free Athletic feat.
-Favored class: Fighter
-LA +1 ?
Witcher class:
Hit die d8 or d10, good BAB, good Fort save. Requisites witcher race, 9 ranks in Balance, Jump and Tumble, BAB +5, Feats: at least Dodge and Combat Expertise. The only problem is the requisite of Int 13 of Combat expertise, not every witcher has to be very smart.
Benefits: Witcher´s elixir (+X unnamed or enhancement bonus to Str/Dex and/or Con plus Darkvision for 1 hour, then it leaves them Exhausted and deals 1d6 Constitution damage), Monster Knowledge (add class level to checks to know monster´s vulnerabilities) Sign of Aard (works like the second use of the Telekinesis spell) and Sign of Igni (Ranged touch attack dealing Xd6 fire damage)
Other things that would fit the class but are not directly based on the books would be Dodge bonuses to AC when wearing light or no armor, and extra attacks when wielding a one handed or light weapon in one hand and no shield.
Comments? suggestions?
