How Would You Build a Prescient Character?

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Hey everyone, I'm trying to make a backup character for a game I'm in, probably around levels 4-6. It seems like there's a classic archetype in literature of a seer or someone born with prophetic sight though not necessarily with spellcasting ability and I was wondering how to mimic that mechanically (besides story solutions like the Divination spell and such). Basically, how would I build someone who could see a few seconds in the future?

There's a variant on Diviner that allows them to gain a bonus equal to their Int modifier as an insight bonus 1/day (+1 use at 5th level and every 5 levels after that), which is a start. Another idea would be psionic character using Offensive/Defensive Precognition and standard Precognition, though I wouldn't want any of the crazier powers. Other than that, I'd like them to be more effective in melee than spell-power. Re-flavoring of abilities is fine with me (like saying the Monk's bonus to AC comes from the precognition), I'm just interested in the different ways I can represent this insight.

Any suggestions/ideas/thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[Nifft]

Swordsage. Get a high Wisdom. Put ranks in Sense Motive, Spot, Listen and Tumble. Describe Tumbling as just plain walking around, but somehow not being open to AoOs.

Take Improved Initiative. Together with the Swordsage's initiative bonus, you should be going first quite often. "Yes, an ambush of three hobgoblins, just as I had expected..."

Take lots of Counters. "Your charge was no surprise for me. But here, I have a surprise for you!"

Consider Dragontouched and Draconic Aura (senses). Expensive, but stacks with everything, and applies to your whole party.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion Nfft, I hadn't considered the Sword Sage. Is it just me though or are there not very many useful counters until decently higher level? The Diamond Mind ones look interesting, but they still take up one of your 'slots' for something you might not use (for the substitute Will for Fort/Ref ones, at least). The campaign I'm in probably won't reach much higher level than 8 or 9 and I'm going to be coming in at 4 so I don't really have much time to wait on developing my character abilities.

I don't have Dragon Magic (is that where the Dragon Touched is from?) but the Dragon Shaman's senses aura would make sense, maybe I could re-flavor the class differently to justify some of its abilities for a more mental-based character and take a few levels in it. Is Dragon Might worth looking into for the Dragon Touched or is there not much material besides that there?

Thanks again for the help, Nfft

 

[avr]

For the counters, check out the Setting Sun discipline. You can start with Baffling Defence and/or Counter Charge. Clever Positioning is a strike you might like also. Later on, there's a level 4 strike Strike of the Broken Shield and practically all the level 5 manoeuvres fit your concept I think.

Also, the Diamond mind strikes work for you, particularly Emerald razor and Insightful strike. None of this stuff is particularly magical to look at - not all of the Tome of Battle is about wire-fu etc.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) A classic way for doing that these days is using Action Points- burning an AP represents your PC having a precognative flash that lets him change the outcome of a particular event.

2) As I recall, there may be a luck-based class in the Planar Handbook.

3) There may also be something to help you in CompScoundrel's Luck feats.

4) An AP variant is to let the player shift his die rolls at any time. If the player rolls a good number, he may "bank it" for use later (keeping track of which kind of die it was rolled on), immediately rerolling and accepting the second roll. At any point after that time, he may use a "banked" roll to sub for a roll he doesn't like. He can bank as many rolls as he likes, but he can only sub for a roll whatever he has banked. For example, if he doesn't have a d12 roll banked away, he can't sub for a d12 roll until he banks one. The die-roll bank empties at the end of the campaign's "day."

It takes a little more bookkeeping, but it really does make the PC look luckier. Huge crit or spell damage rolls don't get wasted on opponents down to a few HP- those rolls get saved until someone really needs them!