[Prestige Class, New Weapon] Arrowheads, Master of the Charge

[Anabstercorian]

Arrowhead

Observe the arrow. Through forceful speed and precise direction it can inflict terrible wounds on even the most potent opponent. The arrowheads follow this philosophy in their own martial study, using magically enhanced sprints and leaps to let them impale enemies with their spear and lance charges.

Requirements:
Feats: Dash (from Song and Silence), Run
Skills: Jump 8 ranks
Special: An arrowhead must also meet one of the following prerequisites, but only one:
He must have been wounded (reduced to or below 0 hp) by a critical hit from an arrow; He must have the feat Zen Archery; He must have 8 ranks Craft (Fletcher.) If he meets any of these requirements, he has the profound appreciation and understanding of the power of the arrow that is necessary for an arrowhead.

Statistics:
Hit Die: d8
Base Attack Bonus: As fighter.
Good Saves: Reflex

Special Abilities:
1: Improved Dash
2: Speed of the Dart
3:
4:
5:
6:
7: Impalement
8:
9:
10: Meteor Dash

Improved Dash: When in no armor or light armor and carrying no more than a light load, an Arrowhead gains a bonus to his base speed equal to 5 ft. times his Arrowhead level.

Speed of the Dart: When making a charge attack with a spear or lance wielded in two hands, an Arrowhead may add one point of bonus damage for every 20 feet in your speed. For example, an Arrowhead moving at speed 80 thanks to Boots of Striding and Springing may add 4 points of bonus damage.

Speed of the Javelin: As Speed of the Dart, except you get one point of bonus damage for every 15 feet in your speed.

Speed of the Bolt: As Speed of the Dart, except you get one point of bonus damage for every 10 feet in your speed.

Impalement: When using a spear or lance weapon in two hands during a charge attack, an arrowhead gains a special ability. Immediately after a successful critical hit, the Arrowhead may choose to leave his spear or lance imbedded in or through the body of the target. If he does, the target bleeds for one point of damage a round and is Entangled until the spear is removed, whether by the arrowhead or by another. Once removed, the target bleeds fo three points of damage a round until the wound is bandaged (DC 23 + arrowhead level Heal check) or at least fifteen points of magical healing are applied.

Speed of the Arrow: As Speed of the Dart, except you get one point of bonus damage for every 5 feet in your speed.

Meteor Dash: Once per day for every ten levels of Arrowhead, an arrowhead may sprint, temporarily multiplying his base speed by three for a number of rounds equal to half his Constitution bonus (minimum one round.)



NEW EXOTIC WEAPON: Great Spear (Huge)
Greatspear
1d10 damage
Weighs 10 lbs
Costs 20 gp
Range 10 ft
Reach: 15 feet

A greatspear is basically a pike. It can be wielded as a Large Exotic Weapon or a Huge weapon. It can only be used on a charge attack or to be set against a charge - In other situations it is too clumsy to use.
It can affect targets 15 feet away, but not targets 10 or 5 feet away.

Important notes:

When increasing speed multiple times, such as with both Boots of Striding and Springing and with Expeditious retreat, remember that when two things multiply, they add. Speed 30 plus the Boots plus Expeditious Retreat will give you a speed of 90.

Additionally, when moving at high speeds, a character may take severe damage from impacting another creature or a solid object such as a Wall of Force.

Feet/Round-MPH.......Damage
35........-20.......1d6
50........-30.......2d6
70........-40.......3d6
90........-50.......4d6
105.......-60.......5d6
125.......-70.......6d6
145.......-80.......7d6
160.......-90.......8d6
180.......-100.......9d6
200.......-110.......10d6
215.......-120.......11d6
235.......-130.......12d6
255.......-140.......13d6
270.......-150.......14d6
290.......-160.......15d6
310.......-170.......16d6
325.......-180.......17d6
345.......-190.......18d6
365.......-200.......19d6

If the arrowhead strikes something significantly harder than itself (a Wall of Force, a mountainside), he takes full damage and the other target takes none. If the arrowhead strikes something slightly harder than itself (a dragon, a tree) he takes full damage and the other target target takes half damage. If the arrowhead strikes something equally hard, both targets take full damage. If the arrowhead strikes something slightly softer than itself, he takes half damage and the target takes full damage. If the arrowhead strikes something much softer than itself, it takes full damage and the arrowhead takes none.
When using Speed of the Dart or similar abilities, this damage is taken by the arrowhead's spear if it fails to successfully strike the target.

 

[Anabstercorian]

And class skills because I forgot:

Skill Points: As Fighter
Class Skills: As Fighter

 

[Dog Faced God]

I really like this prestige class. Good work! I've made some comments here...

Improved Dash: When in no armor or light armor and carrying no more than a light load, an Arrowhead gains a bonus to his base speed equal to 5 ft. times his Arrowhead level.

This seems a bit over powered to me. I would probably give the speed bonus closer to what the Monk gets: +10 base speed at 3rd, 6th and 9th level, for a total of +30 instead of +50.

Speed of the Dart: When making a charge attack with a spear or lance wielded in two hands, an Arrowhead may add his current speed divided by 20 as bonus damage. For example, an Arrowhead moving at speed 80 thanks to Boots of Striding and Springing may add 4 points of bonus damage.

Speed of the Javelin: As Speed of the Dart, except your speed is divided by 15.

Speed of the Bolt: As Speed of the Dart, except your speed is divided by 10.

There's alot of extra math here. You might want to make this similar to a Rogue's sneak attack: +1d6 damage at 2nd, 6th, and 10th level.

Impalement: When using a spear or lance weapon in two hands during a charge attack, an arrowhead gains a special ability. Immediately after a successful critical hit, the Arrowhead may choose to leave his spear or lance imbedded in or through the body of the target. If he does, the target bleeds for one point of damage a round and is Entangled until the spear is removed, whether by the arrowhead or by another. Once removed, the target bleeds fo three points of damage a round until the wound is bandaged (DC 25 Heal check) or at least three points of magical healing are applied.

Three points of magical healing seems awfully low to me (could be accomplished with a cure light wounds... impalement with a spear doesn't seem like a light wound to me). 15 points maybe?

Speed of the Arrow: As Speed of the Dart, except your speed is divided by 5.

Meteor Dash: Once per day for every ten levels of Arrowhead, an arrowhead may sprint, temporarily multiplying his base speed by ten for a number of rounds equal to half his Constitution bonus (minimum one round.)

Should just be once per day (unless you can get more than 10 levels of a PrC). Can the Arrowhead attack while sprinting, or is this like running?

 

[Anabstercorian]

The various "Speed of" abilities do require math, yes, but only while changing speeds. The players speed doesn't change very often, and when it does, it's usually by flat factors - Boots of speed that multiply your speed by two, or Expeditious Retreat (also x2) or Haste (x1.5.) Most tables have a calculator available - As long as the math is easy to remember and fairly straightforward, it's okay to have a little, I think. Also, yes, since Meteor Dash just boosts your base Speed, you can use it with a charge for major damage.

Oh, and a clarifier: These abilities can only be used on foot. The arrowhead has to be the propelling force, not the horse. Nor can the arrowhead serve as a mount for another character to give him the mounted damage multiplier for weapons like lances.

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

Why not meteor speed just once?


Also this concern.

Dash gives you a +5 to speed right?

If so a Barbarian Arrowhead with boots of striding and springing, using his meteor dash ability has a speed of 715.

(30+10 barbarian +5 dash+20 imp dash)*2(boots)*10(meteor dash)=715 with wonky D&D math.

That gives him a bonus of 142 to damage with his charge attacks. Throw in a power critical feat, and he can take down anything. (assuming he has a 18 str and a +2 longspear that's 3d8+450 damage)

That's a bit excessive.

 

[Anabstercorian]

I know

I still need to add the table that describes how much damage YOU take just for running in to something that fast. Speed of 715 works out to about 80 miles an hour, which means that upon striking the target you will also take phenomonal damage. I haven't written that in yet, but I will.

 

[Anabstercorian]

bump

 

[Dog Faced God]

That gives him a bonus of 142 to damage with his charge attacks. Throw in a power critical feat, and he can take down anything. (assuming he has a 18 str and a +2 longspear that's 3d8+450 damage)

That's a bit excessive.

I still have the same problem with this prestige class. Even with the change to x3 I think it's excessive. A Monk 10 Arrowhead 10 could acheive near +450 to damage with the right combination of spells, magic items and feats. This is ridiculously high even for a 20th level character. The potential for damage is hardly a balancing factor. I doubt many people will go Meteor Dashing toward the city walls or straight into a mountain.

 

[Krug]

Yeah multipliers are always a problem. +es would be better...

 

[Anabstercorian]

Thank you all

I'll mull on all of these and rerelease this around, oh, thursday. Thanks for all the feedback.