The Confessor.

[Garthanos]

I have been enjoying the TV series Legend of the Seeker quite a bit.
While its not exactly the book(s) it has some fun elements

I am wondering about the classes of the characters in it. The Seeker at casual glance a ranger with a magic sword .. but he really fights as a battlerager or barbarian because the damage he dishes out is more strikery... supposedly because of the sword.. or something similar (but independently he has even learned to sublimate pain and other tricks - is that just picking up the Endurance skill), This seeker of truth has a knack at diplomacy and and asking questions which compel a truthful answer.

But the seeker and there companion mage who uses Wizard fire as an at-will seems quite designable... its the Confessor that stumps me a little more.

Her twin dagger fighting style is quite... beautiful and interesting to watch independent of her 'power' , She has a power that for her is an encounter power (though this is because she is especially gifted for most of her kind it is a daily)...it requires skin to skin touch (call it an AC attack) that lets her dominate by inducing a false 'love' it is touch only pretty damn permanent and irresistible (except if you have special immunity) even the very powerful fear it... but in combat the subject of it defends her according to its own perception of her defense ... they frequently die in her defense during that battle when she uses it she is relatively incapacitated...almost like she drops to very few hit points...or is "weakened". She doesnt have a wide variety of powers.. but as I said here two weapons fighting is fun to watch and she picks up nature training from the seeker so there is some multiclassing or skill feat going on. There is definitely diplomacy in the picture.

How would you consider building a Confessor / The Sword of Truth /The Seeker or Wizard of he First Order.

Any other fans out there?

 

[Garthanos]

I have been enjoying the TV series Legend of the Seeker quite a bit.
While its not exactly the book(s) it has some fun elements

I am wondering about the classes of the characters in it. The Seeker at casual glance a ranger with a magic sword .. but he really fights as a battlerager or barbarian because the damage he dishes out is more strikery... supposedly because of the sword.. or something similar (but independently he has even learned to sublimate pain and other tricks - is that just picking up the Endurance skill), This seeker of truth has a knack at diplomacy and and asking questions which compel a truthful answer.

But the seeker and there companion mage who uses Wizard fire as an at-will seems quite designable... its the Confessor that stumps me a little more.

Her twin dagger fighting style is quite... beautiful and interesting to watch independent of her 'power' , She has a power that for her is an encounter power (though this is because she is especially gifted for most of her kind it is a daily)...it requires skin to skin touch (call it an AC attack) that lets her dominate by inducing a false 'love' it is touch only pretty damn permanent and irresistible (except if you have special immunity) even the very powerful fear it... but in combat the subject of it defends her according to its own perception of her defense ... they frequently die in her defense during that battle when she uses it she is relatively incapacitated...almost like she drops to very few hit points...or is "weakened". She doesnt have a wide variety of powers.. but as I said here two weapons fighting is fun to watch and she picks up nature training from the seeker so there is some multiclassing or skill feat going on. There is definitely diplomacy in the picture.

How would you consider building a Confessor / The Sword of Truth /The Seeker or Wizard of he First Order.

Any other fans out there?

One idea I had was to make her use of the power in combat an effect that only works if an attack would reduce her opponent below zero hit points... ie.. it addresses the taking the opponent out of the battle against her... completely issue. It probably won't work on pure monsters or undead ... the being has to be capable of love presumedly.. I am not actually expecting a perfect translate but seeing how close... is kind of fun.

 

[orinhalifax]

this is an excellent idea. My rough draft thoughts would be to splice the fighting 2h aspects of the ranger class along with some sorcerer elements, then go through the tedious task of buidling her char at each level ad playtesting it in 3 scenarios @ ea. level (combat, rp, skill challenge). I think she'd blend very well into a forgotten realms setting, the merging of the 2 planets opens up similar elements to the death... wall... gate... things (I totally forgot what they are called).

 

[Garthanos]

this is an excellent idea. My rough draft thoughts would be to splice the fighting 2h aspects of the ranger class along with some sorcerer elements, then go through the tedious task of buidling her char at each level ad playtesting it in 3 scenarios @ ea. level (combat, rp, skill challenge). I think she'd blend very well into a forgotten realms setting, the merging of the 2 planets opens up similar elements to the death... wall... gate... things (I totally forgot what they are called).

I havent really got my head wrapped around the sorceror yet... care to elaborate a bit on the elements you are thinking of?

She had a familiar like faerrie thing at the very beginning of the story (I need to get out the books other than wizards first rule I am way too affected by the series)

Yeh the sorcerous barrier created of the death realm ... filled with wraith things which atleast pretend to be the souls of the dear departed.. separating the mundane realm and the magical one?

 

[Daern]

did anyone notice the DnD joke in one of the first episodes, the Map episode? The mapmaker offers maps to "White Plume" and the "Borderlands". "Very popular," he says.
I like the show too.

 

[Khuxan]

Her twin dagger fighting style is quite... beautiful and interesting to watch independent of her 'power' , She has a power that for her is an encounter power (though this is because she is especially gifted for most of her kind it is a daily)...it requires skin to skin touch (call it an AC attack) that lets her dominate by inducing a false 'love' it is touch only pretty damn permanent and irresistible (except if you have special immunity) even the very powerful fear it... but in combat the subject of it defends her according to its own perception of her defense ... they frequently die in her defense during that battle when she uses it she is relatively incapacitated...almost like she drops to very few hit points...or is "weakened". She doesnt have a wide variety of powers.. but as I said here two weapons fighting is fun to watch and she picks up nature training from the seeker so there is some multiclassing or skill feat going on. There is definitely diplomacy in the picture.

I haven't seen the show, but by the sounds of it the Confessor could be a defender: and the false love is a variant of marking. That way, the Confessor's class ("temptress"? enchanter?) would grant lots of powers, some at-will, some encounter, some daily allowing her to convince a marked foe to do something on her behalf.

 

[Garthanos]

I haven't seen the show,

The first book is Wizard's First Rule, it has some bite and a bit of adult (dark sexuality) to it.
I recommend the books they are by Terry Goodkind. There is high intellectual philosophic
element to them. The tv series is still fun... but the style is not entirely the same.

but by the sounds of it the Confessor could be a defender: and the false love is a variant of marking. That way, the Confessor's class ("temptress"? enchanter?) would grant lots of powers, some at-will, some encounter, some daily allowing her to convince a marked foe to do something on her behalf.

The character type you are talking about is definitely in that world..
They encounter a character who is most definitely a mixed prophetess, enchanter or temptress who changes her appearance to influence the target has temporary influence on people etc....but... that character also fears the confessor ;-).

Neither the enchantress nor the confessor feel defendery to me.. because they aren't damage soakers .. That would be the seeker who fights like a battlerager (pain suppression as a skill and must invoke his righteous anger to avoid bad after effects when using the sword of truth)

Her power is intertwined with the power of the seeker of truth (bearer of the sword of truth)

In the tv series they sort of imply she might be using a lesser element of her power to verify truth but I am not sure, we could probably sneak that in. There also seemed to be intimation her power could somehow verify the truth of written words?

They make a big deal out of how exhausting the confessors confession power is ... and at-wills do not seem too appropriate (hence the vivid two dagger fighting in the tv show which features either taking down quite a few minion class soldiers or is very strikery) ..though she may be trading her actions (ie her exhaustion) for having her victim taking actions.

One time she is said to have told somebody she had "confessed" what they could do for her was die ... they promptly did (this is one evidence of her greater than normal talent). Out of combat She thinks it destroys there personalities but it doesnt seem "entirely" true. Those she confess also fall over themselves to tell her what they think she wants to hear... mostly its the truth (occasionally not), she can tell them to do things and sometimes they try and fail miserably by re-interpreting her commands in ways that fit their personalities.
She doesn't like using it on anyone she doesn't think really is slime (and doesn't really like that either, having horrible people professing there love to you sucks) ... she has to use it as a social duty. They use it to verify criminals or prove that they are not criminals. The wizards did find something of an out... if I recall if somebody was transformed permanently into another creature (though perhaps a sentient version of that creature..) the power of the confession faded.

The confessor in the story lacked full teaching so it is possible at higher levels she had other powers or more versatile one... she was the last of her kind and so called by the highest rank the "Mother Confessor" ... but probably talented enough she would find the higher level abilities on her own.

The tv series doesn't have her as the last confessor ... primarily so they could show other confessors who make mistakes that the hero wouldn't.

Durn, I really tried not to notice the D&D joke but it was hard to miss. ;-).

orinhalifax I think you might be right about the Forgotten Realms having some world elements which feel like the confessors might fit in.

They have an episode in the series which features some moralities lessons about a mage making a bunch of quick fix magic items and a culture being addicted to them for all intents and purposes.

The writer also emphasizes the seeker over the sword ie if the seeker doesnt have what it takes the sword would destroy him and warp him as bad as the one ring warped gollum. A bunch of pc heros all dependent on there magical gear .. the baseline magic item assumptions of D&D don't work so well in my opinion... but that is an independent change I am inclined to make anyway.

 

[Quickleaf]

Interesting question Garthanos... Legend of the Seeker has been one of my two guilty pleasures (the other being Lost), and while the acting isn't so great the action and story are fun.

I think I've got some homebrew stuff that I can throw towards a heavy modification of a two-weapon ranger with a bit of avenger and cleric thrown in. Homebrew stuff is marked with an asterisk (*). What do you think?

Confessor

Role: Striker
Power Source: Divine?
Key Abilities: Dexterity, Wisdom

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged
Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex, +1 Will

Hits Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constituiton modifier

Trained Skills: Insight, and choose four more from the class skills list below:
Class Skills: Athletics, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Endurance, Heal, Nature, Perception, Stealth

Class Features: Armor of Faith (from the Avenger), Channel Divinity (Cause Fear) (from the Cleric encounter power), Channel Divinity (Divine Truth*), Confession*

Channel Divinity: Divine Truth
Your penetrating glare pierces deception and shakes the resolve of the most hardened criminals, revealing their true purpose.
Encounter * Divine, Psychic
Standard Action Close burst 2 (5 at 11th level, 8 at 21st level)
Target: Each disguised, hidden, or lying creature in burst
Attack: Wisdom vs. Will
Hit: You learn whether the target(s) is disguised, hidden, or lying. In addition, you may learn their true class, level, race, station, or location (pick one). Disguised, hidden, or lying creatures take 1d6 + Wisdom psychic damage unless they reveal the truth immediately.
Increase damage to 2d6 + Wisdom modifier at 5th level, 3d6 + Wisdom modifier at 11th level, 4d6 + Wisdom modifier at 15th level, 5d6 + Wisdom modifier at 21st level, and 6d6 + Wisdom modifier at 25th level.
Miss: You learn whether the target(s) is disguised, hidden, or lying, and deal half damage.

Confession
Your eyes become twin orbs of impenetrable darkness as you seize the target's throat, making them forever your slave.
Encounter * Divine, Psychic, Reliable
Standard Action, Melee touch
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. Reflex
Hit: For the remainder of the encounter you sacrifice your actions instead dictating the target's actions as if they were dominated. If you do not dictate their actions (for example, you are knocked unconscious) their default course of action is to defend you and follow your last command to the best of their ability.
Special: The target becomes your slave permanently. If you die they are freed.

 

[Garthanos]

Wow! that sure feels like it has the target in its sight ... I think I would have still made the Confession Dexterity versus AC (peoples AC is higher and this is very nasty power), because skin to skin is deeper than just touching their aura or something. I would also say that having the creature be one capable of love...basically if the the creature is a mindless zombie unaffected by Charm it shouldn't work. ie charm keyword.

I wouldn't mind finding a way to limit the Confession ... a little further even, you are starting out going for broke are you thinking the tw ranger fighting powers should be dex derived?

I would go with just cloth... its the traditional garb and the character usually wears it... let her do the feats to have more armor

 

[Quickleaf]

Good point about targeting AC, it just seemed weird. I guess it should also be a gaze attack.

Yeah, I was thinking just swap Dex for the 2-weapon fighting powers.

Yeah, I agree about cloth armor, maybe change Armor of Faith so that it only works when you're wearing cloth.

Does that capture the feel? Actually, this might be interesting to a player in our new 4th edition campaign who has been thinking about a ranger but really likes the confessor concept.