New Prestige class "Holy Justice of Tyr"

[Malachai_rose]

This is a prestige class me and the DM worked up for his FR campaign set in the Vilhon Reach, Alaghon more specifically. Was wondering what yall thought any ideas or sugestions as well as whether you think it is overpowered, underpowered or just plain stupid It was designed for clerics and paladins of Tyr , a FR lawful good God of Justice.


ok here goes....







HOLY JUSTICE OF TYR

"Holy Justices know the laws and legal codes of the lands that they live in and the land in which they were raised.
They automatically know all commonly known and uncommonly known information within that body of law and its attendant proceedures. "
--from Faiths and Avatars

Holy Justices see the world in clear-cut moral terms and want to see Faerun morally cleansed and ordered by laws are evenly and diligently applied. Tyr bestows special favor and abilities on certain individuals who possess great faith and desire to spread Tyr's precepts of justice and law to those less civilized and to bring those who break the law to face justice.

REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to be a Holy Justice, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria
alignment: Lawful Good
skills: Knowledge (relegion) 8 ranks, Diplomacy 8 ranks, Knowledge (local) 2 ranks
feats: weapon focus (longsword)
spellcasting: Ability to cast divine spells, ability to turn undead.
patron: The holy justice must have Tyr as his patron diety.

CLASS SKILLS
Concentration (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Wis), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (relegion) (Int), Profession (law) (Int), Scry (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Rope (Dex)

Skill points at each level 4 + Int modifier

Table 1: Holy Justice
Level BAB Fort Ref Will
1 +1 +2 +0 +2
2 +1 +3 +0 +3
3 +2 +3 +1 +3
4 +3 +4 +1 +4
5 +4 +4 +1 +4

Special
1 Detect Evil, Controlled Strike
2 Exotic wpn. proficiency manacles, Skill Focus
3 Reveal the Truth
4 Resist Illusion, Unyielding Will of Tyr
5 True Form

Spells per day
1 +1 of existing class
2 +1 of existing class
3 +1 of existing class
4 +1 of existing class
5 +1 of existing class


CLASS FEATURES


Weapon and Armor proficiency: holy justices are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields


Detect Evil (Sp): At will the holy justice can detect evil. This ability duplicates the effects of the spell detect evil.


Controlled Strike (Ex): The holy justice can choose to deal subdual damage with his weapon without incurring the normal -4 penalty.


Exotic Weapon Proficiency:manacles (Ex): The holy justice is able to wield manacles as a melee weapon. If the holy justice strikes his target with the manacles, he then makes an opposed strength check. If the check is successful the opponent is manacled.


Skill Focus (Ex): the holy justice chooses a skill focus in one of his class skills.


Reveal the Truth (Su): Detect a deliberate falsehood a number of times per day equal to the character's wisdom modifier. There is no saving throw to resist this supernatural ability. However, if the target is four levels or hit dice
above the holy justice (total character levels), the power does not function.


Resist Illusions (Ex): a holy justice of 4th level or higher gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against illusions.


Unyielding Will of Tyr (Su): the holy justice can choose to ignore mind-affecting spells or abilities, charms or compulsions. Doing so causes one negative level per round the affect or spell is resisted. The holy justice may re-roll his saving throw during his initiative each round to resit the spell or ability at the new modified saving throw. If because of level loss, the holy justice reaches 0 hit points, he succumbs to the effect and regains the lost levels. Also, he can voluntarily end this effect at any time and succumb to the spell or ability. This also allows him to regain lost levels. The level loss is temporary and returns once the holy justice makes his saving throw or succumbs to the spell or effect in question at the rate of 1 level per turn.


True Form (Su): The holy justice may use one of his turning attempts to force creatures altered by magical effects or through supernatural abilities to their true form. This ability is treated as turning undead for purposes of determing number and level of creatures so affected. For this ability, the levels of holy justice add to any previous ability to turn undead.


Spellcasting: a holy justice adds +1 level to his existing divine spell-casting level, but does not gain any other abilities (turning undead, feats, etc.) inherrant to any previous class.


__________________________________________________


Well there it is, any feedback would be greatly appreciated

Malachai "Benito" Rose
Hero of the Vilhon Reach

 

[Malachai_rose]

El Bumpo

Anyone ? opinions criticisms ect... Just lookin for some feedback

 

[Quetzocoatl]

Ask and ye shall recieve...

I've always like the justicar/judicator/justice/truthfinder/etc. PrC types, and no matter how many I've seen, the concept doesn't get old to me (unlike with other common PrCs like bladedancers and such). This one has some good ideas and abilities, but a few things need to be adressed, IMO.

Table 1: Holy Justice
Level BAB Fort Ref Will
1 +1 +2 +0 +2
2 +1 +3 +0 +3
3 +2 +3 +1 +3
4 +3 +4 +1 +4
5 +4 +4 +1 +4

Why the wierd BAB progression? I'd cut it down to the standard cleric one for balance and for ease of use (for lack of a better term).

1 +1 of existing class
2 +1 of existing class
3 +1 of existing class
4 +1 of existing class
5 +1 of existing class

Cut it down to increases at first, third, and fifth level. With all the nifty abilities the justice gets, as well as better BAB, this becomes quickly overpowered otherwise.

Reveal the Truth (Su): Detect a deliberate falsehood a number of times per day equal to the character's wisdom modifier. There is no saving throw to resist this supernatural ability. However, if the target is four levels or hit dice
above the holy justice (total character levels), the power does not function.

How exactly does this work? Does it function for the first lies he hears? Or does the Justice turn it on? Or something else?

Unyielding Will of Tyr (Su): the holy justice can choose to ignore mind-affecting spells or abilities, charms or compulsions. Doing so causes one negative level per round the affect or spell is resisted. The holy justice may re-roll his saving throw during his initiative each round to resit the spell or ability at the new modified saving throw. If because of level loss, the holy justice reaches 0 hit points, he succumbs to the effect and regains the lost levels. Also, he can voluntarily end this effect at any time and succumb to the spell or ability. This also allows him to regain lost levels. The level loss is temporary and returns once the holy justice makes his saving throw or succumbs to the spell or effect in question at the rate of 1 level per turn.

This is overly complicated, IMO, and does not jibe well with negative level rules. I'd just give em SR 15 + Justice level vs mind-affecting stuff.

True Form (Su): The holy justice may use one of his turning attempts to force creatures altered by magical effects or through supernatural abilities to their true form. This ability is treated as turning undead for purposes of determing number and level of creatures so affected. For this ability, the levels of holy justice add to any previous ability to turn undead.

I really like this. Do the targets recieve a saving throw?

All in all, I think the class is really neat, but just needs a few nits picked. Nice job!

 

[EOL]

I would have to agree that its somewhat over-powered. strip away the special abilites and it's essentially a cleric, which means no one would choose a cleric over this, the requirements give you a little bit of leeway, but not enough to justify all the special abilites.

I mostly agree with Quetzocoatl's criticism, it would seem the best way to balance this character would be to cut the +1 spellcasting to every other level. Alternatively you could impose some disadvantages, some ideas might be an inability to lie or resist local law enforcement or perhaps having to cut of your hand (which would prevent you from using a shield or having a second ring), just some ideas.

Finally the one thing I disagree with Quetzocoatl on is the mechanism for Unyielding Will. I think it's original I like the idea of as long as I want to sacrifice effectiveness in every other area and channel it into willpower I can resist it's effects. What you might want to do is rather than call it a "negative level" you could just impose the same cumulative penalties that a negative level imposes.

 

[Malachai_rose]

much thanks

Hey guys just wanted to say thanks for the well thought out and well presented ideas. These are definitely things I will adress. I figure I will change the BAB back to that of a cleric or prhaps for balance tune it down to that of a wizard, though I think the idea of going every other level on spell progression is definitely something that could work and would probably be the easiest solution. Also the idea of restrictions on behavior as possible balancing solutions are intruiging as they add more flavor to the PRC, perhaps inability to lie or bend the truth along with penalties for circumventing the laws of any land the Justice may find himself in, ie. loss of abilities untill some atonement is made. Well thanks again for the ideas and if anyone else has any ideas or criticisms please post them as the only way to balance a PRC is from many and multiple outside opinions

Malachai "Benito" Rose
Hero of the Vilhon Reach