gamerprinter
Mapper/Publisher
responses...
First of all between the two prestige classes, the nosferatu was easiest as all the vampire tropes offered many options for weaknesses and powers, the loup garou is way too powerful, and I should have kept it more balanced as the nosferatu is...
The FC and Hide in Plain Sight should be switched I agree.
Regarding the hibernation cycle, perhaps I should avoid tomb/coffin tropes and allow nosferatu to sleep in proper beds, in proper residences or within an adventurer's campsite, and 'blend' into a party of living fellow members. This would also mean removing the Tomb Bound class feature with something altogether different.
I think 8 hours a day better fits into society, thus makes an easier cycle to play, should one become a nosferatu adventurer.
Perhaps as the nosferatu levels up, it requires longer periods of hibernation, such as hibernation is 8 hours +1 hour per level attained, thus a 10th level nosferatu master must sleep for 18 hours each 24 hour period, and limited to 6 waking hours per 24 hour period. (I think I prefer working within 24 hour periods vs. longer ones as suggested above.) Perhaps this is the job for a nosferatu's minions - protecting the master as she hibernates, in addition to normal assigned duties.
Perhaps unlike true vampires, nosferatu are not immortal, but can 'live' extensive periods, perhaps 1,000 years, but suffer some type of aging effect, perhaps requiring longer periods of sleep. Maybe 1,000 years is too long...
Other changes I want to make. Children of the Night, while this ability so truly follows vampire lore, I've never really understood it how an undead could have some powers over living animals. Summoning their nosferatu minions is understandable and should belong to the master as an ability, but summoning beasts need to be replaced I think - need to get away from the tropes.
Perhaps some kind of leap or pounce ability to trade with Children of the Night. And/or perhaps a burrow through earth movement?
I think I'll change the name of Fast Movement to Uncanny Movement, fits better.
Funny, before I type in the list for DR, the actual progression was DR +1/silver every two levels so that it topped out at DR 5/silver (I should have stuck with my first instincts.)
I agree, that's why I alluded in my Loup Garou post, I thought this PrC was more 'iffy'. Somehow I wanted to grant the Loup Garou enhanced werewolf powers, and that's the wrong way to go. The nosferatu is in many ways a weaker vampire, thus a loup garou should be a weaker werewolf. The problem here is that the base 'werewolf' in the Bestiary is not all that tough. I see a werewolf as something scarier. But then I'm letting 'feelings' getting in the way of logic and balance.
I will definitely create some weaknesses to balance it out, and lower the power expectations to a degree.
I like this.
Dogs will always hate this guy in whatever form!
Perhaps the pheremone is so strong, it can be easily detected by humanoids as well, which force loup garou to live apart from humanity in the wilderness reaches as appropriate for legendary werewolves. Perhaps as it levels up this pheremone could be masked at least from humanoid detection, the beings with scent can always detect a loup garou.
I think I'll pull the large hybrid and dire wolf base, and tone down some of those granted feats, both less feats and less powerful feats (I was looking at the granted feats of Dire wolves in my PrC feat selection.)
Another thought is limiting the Loup Garou to hybrid form only, and not animal base form, as both a weakness (not being to infiltrate as a normal animal) and a further difference from standard werewolves.
Final point, I'm thinking of limiting my original huge cast of new monster prestige classes to three, with rules of doing so, but I'm not sure what I should do. Undead and lycanthropes fit best, as these intended horror prestige classes are afflictions acquired by normal PCs who begin in another base class into a forced transformation.
What should my third monster prestige class be? Here's one idea...
Tainted - someone slowly acquiring devil traits, from the signing of a contract with a diabolic outsider, gaining 1 - 5 DR/good, gains knowledge skill focuses, a few spell-likes. Rather than follow the nosferatu's 10 weaknesses and subtract one each level, the tainted gain a set of devil-like features at each level up until a fully devil form at 10th level.
Because this one is a chosen PrC rather than an afflicted one this one has requirements: must be lawful evil, must be a spell caster of at least 5th level, must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (planes), 4 ranks in both Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (religion)
Tainted physical attributes include a gradual skin color change to red, green, blue or black (PC choice), curling ram-like horns on forehead, smells of sulpher and brimstone, feet change hooves and lower legs resemble a goats limbs, a tail (cannot be used to grasp or attack with), fangs, aura of evil, thunderous voice and laughter.
You'll notice this devil resembles the typical European faustian devil, and though a trope, one that isn't used much in D&D devil description.
Thoughts?
GP
First of all between the two prestige classes, the nosferatu was easiest as all the vampire tropes offered many options for weaknesses and powers, the loup garou is way too powerful, and I should have kept it more balanced as the nosferatu is...
The FC and Hide in Plain Sight should be switched I agree.
Regarding the hibernation cycle, perhaps I should avoid tomb/coffin tropes and allow nosferatu to sleep in proper beds, in proper residences or within an adventurer's campsite, and 'blend' into a party of living fellow members. This would also mean removing the Tomb Bound class feature with something altogether different.
I think 8 hours a day better fits into society, thus makes an easier cycle to play, should one become a nosferatu adventurer.
Perhaps as the nosferatu levels up, it requires longer periods of hibernation, such as hibernation is 8 hours +1 hour per level attained, thus a 10th level nosferatu master must sleep for 18 hours each 24 hour period, and limited to 6 waking hours per 24 hour period. (I think I prefer working within 24 hour periods vs. longer ones as suggested above.) Perhaps this is the job for a nosferatu's minions - protecting the master as she hibernates, in addition to normal assigned duties.
Perhaps unlike true vampires, nosferatu are not immortal, but can 'live' extensive periods, perhaps 1,000 years, but suffer some type of aging effect, perhaps requiring longer periods of sleep. Maybe 1,000 years is too long...
Other changes I want to make. Children of the Night, while this ability so truly follows vampire lore, I've never really understood it how an undead could have some powers over living animals. Summoning their nosferatu minions is understandable and should belong to the master as an ability, but summoning beasts need to be replaced I think - need to get away from the tropes.
Perhaps some kind of leap or pounce ability to trade with Children of the Night. And/or perhaps a burrow through earth movement?
I think I'll change the name of Fast Movement to Uncanny Movement, fits better.
Funny, before I type in the list for DR, the actual progression was DR +1/silver every two levels so that it topped out at DR 5/silver (I should have stuck with my first instincts.)
I agree, that's why I alluded in my Loup Garou post, I thought this PrC was more 'iffy'. Somehow I wanted to grant the Loup Garou enhanced werewolf powers, and that's the wrong way to go. The nosferatu is in many ways a weaker vampire, thus a loup garou should be a weaker werewolf. The problem here is that the base 'werewolf' in the Bestiary is not all that tough. I see a werewolf as something scarier. But then I'm letting 'feelings' getting in the way of logic and balance.
I will definitely create some weaknesses to balance it out, and lower the power expectations to a degree.
I like this.
Dogs will always hate this guy in whatever form!
Perhaps the pheremone is so strong, it can be easily detected by humanoids as well, which force loup garou to live apart from humanity in the wilderness reaches as appropriate for legendary werewolves. Perhaps as it levels up this pheremone could be masked at least from humanoid detection, the beings with scent can always detect a loup garou.
I think I'll pull the large hybrid and dire wolf base, and tone down some of those granted feats, both less feats and less powerful feats (I was looking at the granted feats of Dire wolves in my PrC feat selection.)
Another thought is limiting the Loup Garou to hybrid form only, and not animal base form, as both a weakness (not being to infiltrate as a normal animal) and a further difference from standard werewolves.
Final point, I'm thinking of limiting my original huge cast of new monster prestige classes to three, with rules of doing so, but I'm not sure what I should do. Undead and lycanthropes fit best, as these intended horror prestige classes are afflictions acquired by normal PCs who begin in another base class into a forced transformation.
What should my third monster prestige class be? Here's one idea...
Tainted - someone slowly acquiring devil traits, from the signing of a contract with a diabolic outsider, gaining 1 - 5 DR/good, gains knowledge skill focuses, a few spell-likes. Rather than follow the nosferatu's 10 weaknesses and subtract one each level, the tainted gain a set of devil-like features at each level up until a fully devil form at 10th level.
Because this one is a chosen PrC rather than an afflicted one this one has requirements: must be lawful evil, must be a spell caster of at least 5th level, must have 8 ranks in Knowledge (planes), 4 ranks in both Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (religion)
Tainted physical attributes include a gradual skin color change to red, green, blue or black (PC choice), curling ram-like horns on forehead, smells of sulpher and brimstone, feet change hooves and lower legs resemble a goats limbs, a tail (cannot be used to grasp or attack with), fangs, aura of evil, thunderous voice and laughter.
You'll notice this devil resembles the typical European faustian devil, and though a trope, one that isn't used much in D&D devil description.
Thoughts?
GP
