New class, please help with balance issues

[Tatsukun]

Thanks, keep them comming!

Hey thanks for the great ideas everyone!

I don’t have any psionics in my game, they don’t really fit with the overall flavor of the world (society hangs on a rivalry between two major guilds, the mages and the church. I don’t know how psionics would fit in).

Also, I am looking for this to be a class, not a PrC. That said, thanks for the great ideas Korasukage, I really like those abilities. I am thinking of a way to use them in a PrC I am mulling over.

As for grappling, I think I will just add that the mind blade is always considered a light weapon, with which you get your normal strength bonus (so it’s like a monk’s unarmed attack).

I really like the idea of allowing the player to choose abilities for the blade, rather than being stuck with law, magic, and adamantine.

How about this…

Reality of intent-
4th level – Your mind blade has become more real. You have managed to form the intent of the blade as a physical property. Your mind blade takes on one of the following attributes (player choice); law, chaos, good, evil, magic.

Reality of effect-
10th level –Your mind blade has become more real. You have managed to form the effect of the blade as a physical property. The mind blade takes on any weapon attribute with a +1 bonus (for example, Flaming, Frost, or simply +1). This bonus stacks with any other bonuses attained via class abilities (for example the Kensei’s infuse weapon ability).

True reality-
16th level – Your mind blade has become real. You have formed the blade fully and now can benefit from it’s base material. Your mind blade takes on one of the following attributes (player choice); silver, adamantine, cold iron.


Also, I agree that this class doesn’t need improved grapple and deflect arrows. What do people think I should replace them with? I like dodge and mobility respectively.

Thanks for the help, balance always gives me a headache!

-Tatsu

 

[Tatsukun]

So here's the whole thing...

Saluki Warrior
Alignment: Any Lawful
Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills
(same as monk)

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Saluki warrior.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Saluki warriors are proficient with the mind blade, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, javelin, quarterstaff, heavy mace, and sling.

Saluki warriors are not proficient with any armor or shields
When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a Saluki warrior loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.

AC Bonus (Ex): (same as monk)

Flurry of Blows (Ex): Same as monk, but she can use only the Mind blade, no other weapon or unarmed.

Basic martial training: Before a Saluki Warrior can summon a mind blade, she must master her own mind and body. She undergoes extensive martial training to this effect. At 1st level, a Saluki Warrior gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A Saluki Warrior’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a Saluki Warrior may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a Saluki Warrior striking unarmed. A Saluki Warrior may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.
Usually a Saluki Warrior’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling. XXX (no enchanting unarmed attacks as manufactured) XXX.

XXX (No bonus damage for unarmed attacks) XXX

Mind Blade: At first level, a Saluki Warrior can form a mind blade. This mind blade is an extension of her will. It is the physical manifestation of all her Ki. As such, she can use it for the flurry of blows ability. If a Saluki Warrior were to drop a mind blade it would disappear. As a result, she cannot be disarmed of her mind blade (rather, she can, but another one instantly appears in her hand and the disarm has no effect). For the same reason, a mind blade cannot be sundered.

A mind blade can take any form desired (dagger, short sword, long sword, katana, great sword, etc.). This shape is chosen at first level and remains constant. Regardless of form, a mind blade is always a light weapon, and a Saluki Warrior always adds her full strength bonus (not half or 1.5 times the bonus, even if wielding the blade two handed).

Creating or dismissing a mind blade is a free action that can be taken at any time. This is an exception to the rule that a free action must be taken on a PC’s turn. A Saluki Warrior’s mind blade must be created in her hand(s). If it looses contact with her, it dissipates, though another one can be summoned instantly if desired.

A saluki Warrior is in perfect control of her mind blade. As a result, she can use her mind blade to inflict nonleathal damage with no penalty to hit.

A Saluki Warrior’s mind blade is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

(Damage for the mind blade is thge same for a monk's unarmed attack)

Bonus Feat: At 1st level, a Saluki Warrior may select either Dodge or Stunning Fist as a bonus feat. At 2nd level, she may select either Combat Reflexes or Mobility as a bonus feat. At 6th level, she may select either Improved Disarm or Improved Trip as a bonus feat. A Saluki Warrior need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.

Evasion (Ex): (same as monk)

Fast Movement (Ex): (same as monk)

Still Mind (Ex): (same as monk)

Reality of intent- At 4th level, a Saluki Warrior’s mind blade becomes more real. She has managed to form the intent of the blade as a physical property. Her mind blade takes on one of the following attributes (player choice); law, chaos, good, evil, magic.

Slow Fall (Ex): (same as monk)

Purity of Body (Ex): (same as monk)

Wholeness of Body (Su): (same as monk)

Improved Evasion (Ex): (same as monk)

Reality of effect- At 10th level, a Saluki Warrior’s mind blade becomes more real. She has managed to form the effect of the blade as a physical property. The mind blade takes on any weapon attribute with a +1 bonus (for example, Flaming, Frost, or simply +1). This bonus stacks with any other bonuses attained via class abilities (for example the Kensei’s infuse weapon ability).

Diamond Body (Su): (same as monk)

Abundant Step (Su)same as monk)

Diamond Soul (Ex): (same as monk)

Quivering Blade (Su): Same as monk's quivering palm, but the Saluki Warroir must use the mind blade for the attack.

True reality- At 16th level a Saluki Warrior’s mind blade has become real. She has formed the blade fully and now can benefit from its base material. The mind blade takes on one of the following attributes (player choice); silver, adamantine, cold iron.

Timeless Body (Ex): (same as monk)

Empty Body (Su): (same as monk)

Perfect Self: (same as monk)

Ex-Saluki Warriors (same as monk)
----

I kind of like it, any other sugestions?

Thanks a ton!

-Tatsu

 

[Darklone]

I like your stuff very much.

Some other ideas: Give the blade a certain number of hitpoints & hardness. Let the player channel his Wis mod in hitpoints per round into the blade as a move equivalent action or twice that amount as a standard action. The blade is material as soon as he reaches full hitpoints. Bonuses to this channeling (and perhaps later half of that amount as free action each round) are gained with levels.

That would mean that he can't create a blade instantaneously at first level but needs a few rounds preparation. Then I would exclude some other monk abilities from use while he concentrates on the blade. If the blade is sundered, he can restore hitpoints to it.

Then I wouldn't let him choose most abilities by himself, I'd think about some "career paths" for the blades, possibly taught in different schools... these teach some basic abilities and allow minor adjustments.

I'd rather remove some monk specials and allow access to WS (mindblade) and some other fighter bonus feats, give a dodge bonus to AC (perhaps like the swashbuckler in CW)... and the possibility to create twin mindblades later (for a certain school).

Whirlwind attack sounds nice

Have a look at the Dervish prestige class... some abilities might fit nicely.

 

[the Jester]

Hmm, looks pretty darn cool. However, strictly speaking, I think he's better than a monk. This is because, starting at 10th level, the character's attacks with his mindblade become superior to the monk's unarmed strike; at the least he's getting a +1 enhancement bonus, but it's more likely something like flaming or frost- adding an extra d6 of damage- or keen- the equivalent of another bonus feat. Compare this to the monk's ki strike ability- all it does is help the monk penetrate DR. No extra damage, nothing. And the saluki warrior already has that lawful strike anyway from 4th level.

Balance this by taking stuff away. I see this guy as a variant monk that's more specialized. Why does he have wholeness of body, purity of body, abundant step (!), timeless body, empty body, diamond soul, and perfect soul? Maybe take all those abilities away and give the saluki the chance to add a +2 and then a +3 ability to his blade instead. Fewer abilities, spaced a little differently, and more focused on his mindblade... that's my advice.

 

[Tatsukun]

Well, I have taken some stuff away. A Saluki (Pronounced with a long 'I' at the end) warrior can't use any other weapons for flurry (which hurts his ability to break DR, can't use all those exotic monk weapons (which admittedly suck), and can't use his weapon while grappling without a minus.

That said, I agree that he needs to give something up. I don't really like Quivering palm (blade) in this build it doesn't seem like it fits the rest to me. How about we nix that?

Thanks for all the advice!

-Tatsu

 

[the Jester]

Heh... I like the Quivering Blade ability because it ties in to the mindblade. I'd say whatever you trim from him should be irrelevent to the blade, personally. Of course, that's just me, and it's your game, so whatever you do should satisfy you, rather than me.