Does anyone play a Horizon Walker? what are your experiences with the PrC? do they hold up?
Kobold Stew
Kobold Stew
Horizon Walker
- Thread starter Kobold Stew
- Start date
Snowy
Explorer
Its a nice idea, with lots of flavour but the class benefits are a little boring.
Possibly rather than the slew of +2 to a related skill and +1 to attack creatures from an area, it could be altered to give a limited ability (theres some already that are notably better the darkvision one and the I think immunity to fatigue one). Thats for the terrain masteries.
The planar masteries are a bit better I think, certainly the dimension door one looks good! I think the others are in general better as well.
If you do a rewrite or decide to get one from the hivemind in house rules please tell me so I can swipe it and play one
(oooh! just checked my books, blindsense, yummy, so scout/horizon walker with double range blindsense, never be surprised again!)
Possibly rather than the slew of +2 to a related skill and +1 to attack creatures from an area, it could be altered to give a limited ability (theres some already that are notably better the darkvision one and the I think immunity to fatigue one). Thats for the terrain masteries.
The planar masteries are a bit better I think, certainly the dimension door one looks good! I think the others are in general better as well.
If you do a rewrite or decide to get one from the hivemind in house rules please tell me so I can swipe it and play one
(oooh! just checked my books, blindsense, yummy, so scout/horizon walker with double range blindsense, never be surprised again!)
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
Having read snowy's complaint, I WAS going to say that the 'dead' terrains were problematic.
However, looking back at it, they're not +2 to a skill, they're +4 to a skill. That's a hefty bonus. A really hefty bonus.
In fact, I'd say that +4 to spot/hide/listen/move silently are AT LEAST as powerful as immunity to fatigue.
Darkvision is probably in a league of it's own - IMO, every character in every party should have it ASAP.
The planar ones suffer from dead-levelness though. Aligned plane and weightless plane in particular are totally crap. The rest are pretty awesome though.
In short - avoid the crap (ie - mountains, aquatic, aligned and weightless) and it's an awesome class that really does a lot for the average fighter-type.
I'd suggest that, perhaps, the aligned plane could be replaced with SPECIFIC aligned planes, and the benefit could be that you ignore the penalties for an opposed plane AND your weapons are treated as appropriately aligned. That brings it into line so it has beneficial effects even when not on the appropriate plane.
Weightless should probably allow you to alter your weight - a big bonus to jump checks (+10), and a modification of carry capacity (doubled, or increase strength by a few points for that purpose) would be good.
Finally - positive and negative need to be added. Positive should probably get fast healing, and immunity to the 'super-vitality explosion' side effect of a major dominant plane. Negative would give some sort of 'negative energy resistance'. Ignore a negative level per round, +4 on saves vs death effects and ignore the first 10 points of a negative energy attack would be a good bonus I think (and would let you survive on a major negative dominant plane).
However, looking back at it, they're not +2 to a skill, they're +4 to a skill. That's a hefty bonus. A really hefty bonus.
In fact, I'd say that +4 to spot/hide/listen/move silently are AT LEAST as powerful as immunity to fatigue.
Darkvision is probably in a league of it's own - IMO, every character in every party should have it ASAP.
The planar ones suffer from dead-levelness though. Aligned plane and weightless plane in particular are totally crap. The rest are pretty awesome though.
In short - avoid the crap (ie - mountains, aquatic, aligned and weightless) and it's an awesome class that really does a lot for the average fighter-type.
I'd suggest that, perhaps, the aligned plane could be replaced with SPECIFIC aligned planes, and the benefit could be that you ignore the penalties for an opposed plane AND your weapons are treated as appropriately aligned. That brings it into line so it has beneficial effects even when not on the appropriate plane.
Weightless should probably allow you to alter your weight - a big bonus to jump checks (+10), and a modification of carry capacity (doubled, or increase strength by a few points for that purpose) would be good.
Finally - positive and negative need to be added. Positive should probably get fast healing, and immunity to the 'super-vitality explosion' side effect of a major dominant plane. Negative would give some sort of 'negative energy resistance'. Ignore a negative level per round, +4 on saves vs death effects and ignore the first 10 points of a negative energy attack would be a good bonus I think (and would let you survive on a major negative dominant plane).
Snowy
Explorer
oops I checked up the planar traits and just read the terrain ones as what I assumed they were, my bad.
And I was wrong its tremorsense rather than blindsense, hmmm, so go scout ten and you get blindsense then scout 20 for blindsight then its a choice of horizon walker 6ish and tremorsense. Pretty funky.
I like the idea of alignment for weapons thats nice.
Playing around last night I made a couple of scout/horizon walkers (getting the +4s right I now notice
). In a little of a rush right now so wont post the stat block, though you're right they do get some tasty skills, hide 23 at 7th level without gear dex +5 small +4 ranks 10 terrain mastery 4, by the time you wear your cloak of elvenkind +5 and get invisible you have a tasty 48 aint gonna be spotted ever!
The ranger horizonwalker was interesting you end up with about 2 spells and a 1HD animal companion though which will be a little upsetting watching tiddles go splat so often (forgot about natures bond, that makes it a little better). Main deciding factor was the extra skill points, mmm skill points, all those plus fours mixed with synergy bonus' gets you a fair few skills 6 above max ranks.
On the shifting plane trait, I read it as dimension door "anywhere" (as in on any plane) every 1d4 rounds, is that right or just on limbo and such?
Hmmmmm, having an idea now for a ranger horizon walker with natural bond and mounted combat on their animal companion.
And I was wrong its tremorsense rather than blindsense, hmmm, so go scout ten and you get blindsense then scout 20 for blindsight then its a choice of horizon walker 6ish and tremorsense. Pretty funky.
I like the idea of alignment for weapons thats nice.
Playing around last night I made a couple of scout/horizon walkers (getting the +4s right I now notice
). In a little of a rush right now so wont post the stat block, though you're right they do get some tasty skills, hide 23 at 7th level without gear dex +5 small +4 ranks 10 terrain mastery 4, by the time you wear your cloak of elvenkind +5 and get invisible you have a tasty 48 aint gonna be spotted ever!The ranger horizonwalker was interesting you end up with about 2 spells and a 1HD animal companion though which will be a little upsetting watching tiddles go splat so often (forgot about natures bond, that makes it a little better). Main deciding factor was the extra skill points, mmm skill points, all those plus fours mixed with synergy bonus' gets you a fair few skills 6 above max ranks.
On the shifting plane trait, I read it as dimension door "anywhere" (as in on any plane) every 1d4 rounds, is that right or just on limbo and such?
Hmmmmm, having an idea now for a ranger horizon walker with natural bond and mounted combat on their animal companion.
Notice that Horizon Walker gives competence bonus to skills. That means it doesn't stack with the cloak of elvenkind, or any of the usual skill-up items.
For the dimension door, the flavor text suggests that it only works in a shifting plane - it says 'anticipates shifts in the reality of the plane', and normal planes don't shift all that much.
The function text just says spell-like dimension door every 1d4 rounds, though. So it could go either way.
For the dimension door, the flavor text suggests that it only works in a shifting plane - it says 'anticipates shifts in the reality of the plane', and normal planes don't shift all that much.
The function text just says spell-like dimension door every 1d4 rounds, though. So it could go either way.
Last edited:
werk
First Post
Rkhet said:
I read that as only working on 'shifting' planes. Much like weightless works only on planes with no ro subjective gravity. All of the other planar traits would be retained when off the plane.
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=133148
The Souljourner
First Post
The dimension door is anywhere... it specifically says in the beginning of the description that these abilities can be used on any plane.
+4 to a bunch of skills is awesome... and yeah, it won't stack with the magic items, but in most of the campaigns I've played in, those items are pretty rare.
Immunity to fatigue is freakin' awesome - "You guys are riding your horses at a walk, right? 60' movement? Ok, I'll hustle along side all day." "Sure, I'll take watch all night, what, I'm going to be fatigued the next day? Aww..."
Darkvision is tasty. Dimension door every 1d4 rounds is just plain insane.
And don't overlook the +1 to hit and damage... each one affects a *lot* of creatures... and if I remember correctly, many creatures have multiple terrains, and the bonuses stack.
Horizon Walkers are pretty sweet. The only bad thing about being a horizon walker is that you have to give up ranger levels, and rangers rock.
-The Souljourner
+4 to a bunch of skills is awesome... and yeah, it won't stack with the magic items, but in most of the campaigns I've played in, those items are pretty rare.
Immunity to fatigue is freakin' awesome - "You guys are riding your horses at a walk, right? 60' movement? Ok, I'll hustle along side all day." "Sure, I'll take watch all night, what, I'm going to be fatigued the next day? Aww..."
Darkvision is tasty. Dimension door every 1d4 rounds is just plain insane.
And don't overlook the +1 to hit and damage... each one affects a *lot* of creatures... and if I remember correctly, many creatures have multiple terrains, and the bonuses stack.
Horizon Walkers are pretty sweet. The only bad thing about being a horizon walker is that you have to give up ranger levels, and rangers rock.
-The Souljourner
The Souljourner said:
"A horizon walker also knows how to fight dangerous creatures typically found in that terrain, gaining a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against creatures with that terrain mentioned in the Environment entry of their descriptions."
Named bonuses don't stack. Its either +1 or nothing.
