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The Wee One - PrC for halflings (non-humorous) Rule Revised

Isida Kep'Tukari

Adventurer
Supporter
"I hate doing this," Leyan complained from his perch on Elam's shoulders. The halfling rogue clung to the helm in front of him for dear life as Elam tried to outrun the hoard of skeletons rattling after them.

"You're too weak for a toe-to-toe fight and too slow to run for your life. That'll teach you to refuse my magic before a battle!" Kerrin snapped, irritated. His robes were hiked up above his knees and billowing out behind him, looking rather silly.

"You don't have to be an overgrown ape to be good in a fight," Leyan quipped back.

"I'll believe that when I see it, lock-picker!" Elam wheezed as then went around a corner.

"Oh, you will," Leyan murmured.

"By Kord's bulging biceps!" Elam swore, for beyond that corner was a group of extremely angry-looking goblins, presided over one that had the wings of a bat and the horns of a bull.

"The skeletons are
not slowing down!" Kerrin reported, looking behind them.

"Ok then spell slinger, fry 'em!" Leyan shouted.

"I'm out of spells you twit!" he snapped back.

"What 'cha been saving that wand for, a rainy day? Use it! Elam, you got the small fry. I'll take care of tall, dark, and infernal." With that Leyan vaulted off of Elam's shoulders and to all apparent purposes vanished. Both sides blinked for a moment, then got back to business.

Kerrin withdrew his hoarded wand from his robes and began blasting apart the skeletons from as far down the tunnel as he could. Elam took his greatsword and began cutting a swathe through the goblins. The feindish one called out orders from behind the ranks, lashing his tail and fluttering his wings with anger.

He never noticed the four inch halfling by his foot. He didn't notice him jump impossibly high. However, he did notice when a blade was planted with painful precision between his shoulder blades. It might have been a small blade, but that didn't stop it from causing a fatal wound, if you knew where to place it.

When the goblins saw their leader go down, they squeaked, paniced, and fled. Kerrin turned back, his wand entirely spent, but the skeletons were naught but charred remains. Elam looked up from a goblin body, and stared in surpise as a much smaller than normal Leyan walked atop the leader's corpse, wiped his shortsword, and sheathed it. Leyan simply looked at the other two and grinned.

"I told you guys, it's not the size that counts, it's how you use it."


Halflings often have the short end of the stick when it comes to the rest of the word. Steps are too high, beds are too tall, and being nose-to-kneecap with the most of your party is not easy on the face. Slow speed and low strength can make the life of a halfling adventurer hard. Except for the odd occasion when the best escape route is the small one, a halfing might find themselves playing rear guard whether they want to or not.

Because halflings are the smallest of the common races, some have learned to compensate. But not by thinking big, but by thinking quick and small. Really small.

Mostly rogues are the ones that develop the abilities of a Wee One, but a smattering of other classes is not unknown. Usually the pressure of adventuring is the most common trigger for the discover of a Wee One's powers, but it has been known to happen in other ways as well. Regardless of how the powers are obtained, Wee Ones can always find employment as theives, assassins, or spies.

The Wee One

Requirements
To qualify to be a Wee One, a character must fulfill all of the following requirements.

Race: Halfling
Skills: Escape Artist 8 ranks, Jump 8 ranks, Tumble 8 ranks
Feats: Dash (S&S), Skill Focus: Jump, Lightning Reflexes
Special: Must have the evasion ability

Class skills:
Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Int), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill points: 6 + Int mod per level

Lvl...BAB...Fort...Ref...Wil...Special
1.....+0....+0.....+2....+0....Think Small (Tiny), Boing!, Sneak attack +1d6
2.....+1....+0.....+3....+0....Run Away!
3.....+2....+1.....+3....+1....Think Small (Diminutive), Sneak Attack +2d6
4.....+3....+1.....+4....+1....Improved Evasion, Escape!
5.....+3....+1.....+4....+4....Think Small (Fine), Sneak Attack +3d6

Class Features
All the following are features of the Wee One prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Wee One is proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor.

Think Small: The Wee One gains the ability to reduce himself in size temporarily.
However, unlike other types of reductions, not everything scales with size. Weapon damage scales with size, as does Strength, however, speed stays the same.

Note that to attack, a Wee One will have to enter his target's space, drawing an AoO. It's in his best interest to Tumble in.

Small to Tiny - -4 Str, +2 Dex, +1 to AC, +1 to attack
Small to Diminutive - -6 Str, +4 to Dex, +3 to AC, +3 to attack
Small to Fine - -6 Str, +6 to Dex, +7 to AC, +7 to attack

He can use this ability 2/day at 1st level, 3/day at 3rd level, and 4/day at 5th level. It lasts 1 minute per Wee One level, and may be ended at any time voluntarily, though any remaining time is lost. All of the Wee One's gear carried or worn shrinks with him. If he chooses, he can extend his time shrunk at the expense of doing it multiple times per day (he can use his times per day back-to-back without having to shrink himself each time it ends). Shrinking is a move-equivalent action. Su

Sneak Attack: What's the good of being small if you can't do some damage in delicate places? As per the rogue ability. If the character already has this ability, they stack.

Boing!: If you're going to be sneak attacking while you're small, you have to be able to get somewhere to do some damage. Stabbing an orc in the toe won't do much more than annoy the orc. A Wee One's jumping distance while using his Think Small ability is not limited by his height. He also gains a +1 bonus to Jump checks per Wee One level. This allows him to jump up and (if possible) sneak attack a creature in an appropriately vital spot. If he chooses to use a "bouncing sneak attack," he must use a full round action. Su

Run Away!: All Wee Ones are a bit faster than the norm, but all learn how to be even faster. They gain +10 to their base speed. Ex

Improved Evasion: The Wee One gets the impoved evasion ability.

Escape!: The smaller you are, the easier it is to wiggle out of someone's grasp. The Wee One gains +4 to Escape Artist checks.
 
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I like this a lot. You might want to say how much they weigh when the shrink. They should get a hide bonus for size as well. Good Job!! :D
 

It looks nice.
Even if it is not what you have aimed for - this could be a nice Halfing Psionic Warrior Prestige Class!
Just because of the "Think small" thingie. :)

(As a psionic class, I would make it a 10-level class, so you can spread the special abilities and still add power points and powers per day.)

Mustrum Ridcully
 

I think the skill points should be cut to 4/level rather than 6, but otherwise, very nice.

The damage on all the halflings weapons decereases when he shrinks too. Also remember that charachters smaller than small do not threaten any area they don't occcupy. So they would provoke attacks of oppertunity when shrunk.

Does their speed stay the same when shrunk, ex. does a 4 inch tall (size fine) halfling still haul along at 30 ft/round?
 

Speed stays the same. Hmm... good point about areas they threaten, maybe I should require Mobility or give it as a class feature.

I'm still trying to figure out the weapon damage thing. My first thought it to keep the damage the same. Essentially I want to have a very small, very speedy little bugger that packs a punch for their size. What say the reviewers?
 

Probably, that would be to much. But remember, they keep their old Strength, and so they still have some powerful punch.
Many Wee ones will probably be rogues, and so they can use their sneak attack for a good compensation.

A Tiny creature gains a +8 bons to Hide Checks, a diminutive +12 and a fine +16. What are the penalties when hiding and fighting? -20? Add a Cloak of Elvenkind or a robe of blending and some ranks, and you become a nearly invisible sneak attack machine. :)

Mustrum Ridcully
 

I'd say, the weapon damage would scale with size, if it is being reduced along with the character... That's the one disadvantage (along with the loss of threatened areas) to being small. Otherwise, this PrC would be far too powerful.

A halfling with a short sword would have damage reduced from 1d6 to 1d4, then 1d3, then 1d2. Plus, when you are Tiny, Diminutive or Fine, it would be awfully difficult to hit the "vital spot" required for a Sneak Attack.

From the SRD:

The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

I can see this as a great PrC for scouts and spies, but it would be of limited use in combat... the Wee-one would never get hit, but at the same never, he'd never do any significant damage.

Unless, that is, he multiclassed as a spellcaster.
 
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Jack, I think I may have come up with an ability that will allow the Wee One the ability to do sneak attack damage while shrunk. I do not think it's terribly unbalanced, but your opinion, or anyone else's for that matter would be greatly appreciated. :)
 

Think how much fun this would be for a Halfling monk!!. With the Boing!! ability, I'd also give them a bonus to jump equal to the class level. Excellent job on this.
 

Crothian said:
Think how much fun this would be for a Halfling monk!!. With the Boing!! ability, I'd also give them a bonus to jump equal to the class level. Excellent job on this.

Done. And thanks! I also adjusted the prereqs, because as of right then, it seemed to easy to get into. I may need to have more prereqs... What does everyone else say?
 

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