Hexer (MotW) anyone?

[Psionicist]

Hi there!

During our usual mid-game break today I picked up a friends Masters of the Wild book and begun to read. I haven't payed much attention to this book as I don't care much for druids or rangers (as a class) before but today I had nothing better to do.

Anyhow, a particular prestige class, "Hexer" caught my attention. I think this prestige class is pretty damn cool, lots of potential there if you ask me. Some sort of savage Hexer/Telepath would be a blast to play in an urban campaign.

Do you have any experience with this class? Comments? Thoughts?

 

[Olive]

it is a cool idea, but the character has to be an adept before taking it... "lightning bolt as a divine spell"...

so not to much PC potential...

great as an npc tho...

 

[Crothian]

Great concept class but not the most powerful you'll find.

 

[Capellan]

The Hexer is indeed quite cool. Lots of flavour and some interesting abilities.

I suspect that it doesn't get that much use, however, due to the fact that it requires you to be of a race like orc or goblin (though you might be able to persuade your DM that half-orc counts for this) and because you need to take at least 8 levels in the NPC class Adept in order to qualify.

Hexers make wonderful villains, however. You gotta give 'em that!

 

[Psionicist]

Re: Re: Hexer (MotW) anyone?

it is a cool idea, but the character has to be an adept before taking it... "lightning bolt as a divine spell"...

so not to much PC potential...

great as an npc tho...

That's a rather odd requirement, don't you think? What does the lightning bolt spell has to do with gaze attacks? And if you in some reason have to be able to cast the spell, what's wrong with your avarage, old-fashioned and acually quite usual and dull arcane lightning bolt?

Edit: I can see Hannibal Lecter as a low level Hexer. Can you?

 

[Christian]

Re: Re: Re: Hexer (MotW) anyone?

That's a rather odd requirement, don't you think? What does the lightning bolt spell has to do with gaze attacks? And if you in some reason have to be able to cast the spell, what's wrong with your avarage, old-fashioned and acually quite usual and dull arcane lightning bolt?

That's easy. It's to restrict the class to adepts without putting 'six levels of adept' (or whatever) in the requirements. Which would violate an 'unwritten rule' of prestige class design. Can't restrict the prestige class to one core class!

Funny. I was just reading on a totally unrelated message board about a bar that had lost its liquor license, and started a promotion where they gave away a free beer with every purchase of a fun-size candy bar for $2.00. Hey, they only need a liquor license to sell beer, right?

 

[Psionicist]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hexer (MotW) anyone?

That's easy. It's to restrict the class to adepts without putting 'six levels of adept' (or whatever) in the requirements. Which would violate an 'unwritten rule' of prestige class design. Can't restrict the prestige class to one core class!

Yeah, but why? Why adepts only? Why lightning bolt?

 

[Crothian]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hexer (MotW) anyone?

Yeah, but why? Why adepts only? Why lightning bolt?

To give support to an NPC class. I imagine they choose lightning bolt becasue there are not that many spells that are nomally arcane that only the Adept gets. Many domains give arcane spells and that would make this too easy to qualify for.

 

[Capellan]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hexer (MotW) anyone?

That's easy. It's to restrict the class to adepts without putting 'six levels of adept' (or whatever) in the requirements. Which would violate an 'unwritten rule' of prestige class design. Can't restrict the prestige class to one core class!

I personally agree with the concept that "x levels in y class" should not generally be a pre-requisite for a PrC. But assiduosly avoiding it has led to a number of fairly clunky "dodges" being used to get around the requirement: principally the use of unique class abilities as pre-reqs. For instance, if "Favoured Enemy" is a pre-requisite for Foe Hunter, how is this different from saying "must have at least 1 level of Ranger?"

The Hexer's divine lightning bolt is probably the worst offender, however, since it is so specific, so arbitrary, and so unrelated to the PrC itself. It's also easily circumvented, since a player simply need persuade their DM of the need for a "Storms" clerical domain, and then make sure Lightning Bolt gets onto the list - putting it in as a 4th level spell sounds fair.

A much better option might be to replace it with:

Spellcasting: the character must be able to cast 3rd level divine spells
Special: the character must have a familiar

Since Adepts are the only divine casters who receive a familiar as a class ability, this would require any Cleric or Druid who wanted to become a Hexer to take at least one level of Wizard or Sorcerer. That would make the class less attractive to the 'standard' divine casters without excluding them completely.

 

[Psionicist]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hexer (MotW) anyone?

I personally agree with the concept that "x levels in y class" should not generally be a pre-requisite for a PrC. But assiduosly avoiding it has led to a number of fairly clunky "dodges" being used to get around the requirement: principally the use of unique class abilities as pre-reqs. For instance, if "Favoured Enemy" is a pre-requisite for Foe Hunter, how is this different from saying "must have at least 1 level of Ranger?"

The Hexer's divine lightning bolt is probably the worst offender, however, since it is so specific, so arbitrary, and so unrelated to the PrC itself. It's also easily circumvented, since a player simply need persuade their DM of the need for a "Storms" clerical domain, and then make sure Lightning Bolt gets onto the list - putting it in as a 4th level spell sounds fair.

A much better option might be to replace it with:

Spellcasting: the character must be able to cast 3rd level divine spells
Special: the character must have a familiar

Since Adepts are the only divine casters who receive a familiar as a class ability, this would require any Cleric or Druid who wanted to become a Hexer to take at least one level of Wizard or Sorcerer. That would make the class less attractive to the 'standard' divine casters without excluding them completely.

Why not

"the character must be able to perform a gaze attack".