[Trinis] Prestige Classes

[carpedavid]

Hello all,

My current story hour is set in my campaign world of Trinis, and I thought I'd share some of the custom prestiege classes that appear in the story. I'll update this thread as the new PrCs are encountered. Comments and criticism are especially welcome. I'd love to hear your suggestions and ideas on how to improve these PrCs.

The first custom PrC that appears is the Keeper of the Beasts:

The keeper of the beasts is a prestigious office within the church of Shara, the goddess of nature. They are the protectors of and advocates for groups of animals (both magical and mundane) in the various regions of Trinis. They develop a deep affinity with their particular animal, going far beyond that of even most druidic relationships, and even begin to take on the lifestyle and behavior patters of the animal.

Hit Die: d8
Requirements
To become a Keeper of the Beasts, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

• Handle Animal: 6 ranks
• Knowledge (Religion): 6 ranks
• Wilderness Lore: 6 ranks
• Special: The character must be a member in good standing of the Sharan church.

Class Skills
The Keeper of the Beasts' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Animal Empathy (Cha), Climb (Str), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Wilderness Lore (Wis)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int Modifier

Class   BAB     Fort    Ref     Will    Special
Level           Save    Save    Save
1st     0       +2      0       +2      Favored Creature, Wild shape
2nd     +1      +3      0       +3      Animal companion
3rd     +2      +3      +1      +3      Wild shape (large/tiny)
4th     +3      +4      +1      +4      Speak with animals
5th     +3      +4      +1      +4      Wild shape (huge/diminutive)
6th     +4      +5      +2      +5      Detect animal, track
7th     +5      +5      +2      +5      Wild shape (gargantuan/fine)
8th     +6/+1   +6      +2      +6      Leadership
9th     +6/+1   +6      +3      +6      Wild shape (colossal)
10th    +7/+2   +7      +3      +7      Summon creature

Class Features

• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Keepers of the Beasts gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.
• Favored Creature: Upon taking the first level in this class, the Keeper must choose the animal that he is to become Keeper of. He may choose any animal, beast, or vermin that possesses a native intelligence of 2 or lower. The Keeper's powers stem from his intense affinity to this particular creature. If a Keeper ever intentionally harms his favored creature, he immediately loses all of his Keeper powers until he is able to atone for his misdeeds. See the spell atonement for more details.
• Wild Shape (Sp): The Keeper gains the spell-like ability to polymorph self into a small or medium-sized version of his favored creature. As per the spell description, the Keeper regains hit points as if he had rested for a day. In addition, he does not risk being disoriented while in his wild shape. The keeper can use this power once per class level per day. At 3rd level, the Keeper can choose to assume the wild shape of a large or tiny version of his favored creature. At 5th level, he can assume a huge or diminutive version; at 7th, a gargantuan or fine version; and at 9th, a colossal version.
• Animal Companion (Su): At 2nd level, the Keeper gains the ability to recruit companions when he encounters her favored creature. This ability functions much like the animal friendship spell, except that the Keeper may only use it on his favored creature. The Keeper can have companions whose Hit Dice total no more than twice his class level. He may dismiss animal friends at any time in order to befriend new ones.
• Speak With Animals (Su): At 4th level, the Keeper may speak with his favored creature as if under the influence of a speak with animals spell. This power is continuously in effect, but only works when communicating with his favored creature.
• Detect Animal (Sp): At 6th level, the Keeper can detect the presence of his favored creature within a 1 mile radius, as if having cast a detect animals or plants spell. The Keeper can use this power at will.
• Track (Ex): Also at 6th level, the Keeper gains a +20 familiarity bonus when attempting to track his favored creature. If the Keeper does not possess the Tracking feat, he gains the benefit of the feat when attempting to follow the tracks of his favored creature.
• Leadership (Ex): Because of his affinity to his favored creature, a Keeper begins to attract cohorts of his favored creature at 8th level. These cohorts are not magically attached to the Keeper; so do not count against the number of creatures that he may befriend using his Animal Companion ability. Creatures are considered 1st level at their base hit dice. Each additional hit die beyond the base number of hit dice for that creature is considered an additional level for purposes of determining the number of cohorts a Keeper may recruit. In all other respects, this power functions like the Leadership feat.
• Summon Creature (Sp): At 10th level, a Keeper may magically summon his favored creature. He must take a full round action to concentrate, at the end of which the creature appears immediately. A Keeper may use this power as often as he wishes, but may only summon up to twice his level in hit dice of creatures per day.

 

[carpedavid]

Order of the Lotus

While I'm at it, here's a custom Prc that one of the PCs (Laurel) is going to be taking in the near future. It is a holy assasin from the church of Ehryssa, the goddess of life. I'd expecially be interested in comments on balance and how to improve this one.

You may also notice that in my campaign we use a mana-based spellcasting system. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to post the details of the system, and the rules we have nailed down thus far.

Order of the Lotus

Alia slipped away from her post at the loom. The other women were concentrating on weaving the warlord's favorite pattern into large silks that would eventually be made into clothes for the warlord's wife. She moved quickly down the hall, her bare feet making no sound on the marble floor. When she reached the end of the hall, she pressed herself tightly against the corner, listening for any sound from the adjoining passage. Hearing nothing, not even the sound of a guard's breath, she rounded the corner.

She passed embroidered tapestries that vividly boasted of the warlord's military victories - great armies with flashing scimitars slicing through hordes of armored priestesses. She stopped in front of an iron door and pressed her ear against it. No sound came from within, so she slipped a pick out of the hem of her skirt. Working quickly and silently, she picked the lock and slipped inside the door.

The warlord's chambers were filled with maps and notes of his upcoming military plans, but Alia knew he would be too savvy to leave the most important plans out in the open. She quietly recited the magical phrase that would allow her to see the glow of magical auras. A blank parchment, lying on top of several maps on the main table, began to glow a bright green. She quietly uttered another magical phrase, and suddenly writing became visible on the parchment.

As she was examining the warlord's plans to attack the holy city, the door opened and a guard walked in. His hand immediately went for his scimitar, and he opened his mouth to shout. Alia looked straight into his eyes and smiled. She could feel his will break from across the room. The guard took his hand off of his scimitar and smiled back at her. She set the parchment down, walked up to him, and whispered in his ear, "The warlord has been sleeping with your wife. When he returns to his chambers tonight, slit his throat." The guard simply nodded, anger evident on his face.

Alia stepped past him back into the hall. After concentrating for a second, she felt her hair shorten, her face change, her body become more muscular, and her dress change into a man's traditional robes. She snuck past a pair of guards and slipped out a side entrance. Blending in with the busy crowd, she smiled to herself. Even if the guard failed to kill the warlord, the church would be ready for his attack. Her mission had gone well.

Sometimes the Ehryssan Church wishes to rid itself of a potential threat, but does not wish to suffer the political repercussions of going to war. Sometimes it needs to gain information and control events from behind the scenes. In these cases, the church must call upon the Order of the Lotus. Members of the Order of the Lotus are consummate spies and assassins, combining divine magic, rogue skills, and political savvy.

Most, but not all, of the members of the Order of the Lotus come from the Ehryssan priesthood. Some are recruited from the Ehryssan Guard, and others are simply trusted friends of the church. While the Order does have a nominal hierarchy, it is under the control and jurisdiction of the church - orders originate from, and policies are set by priestesses in the higher echelons of the church.

Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To become a member of the Order of the Lotus, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

• Bluff: 4 ranks
• Diplomacy: 4 ranks
• Knowledge (Religion): 4 ranks
• Base Attack: +3
• Special: The character must be a member in good standing of the Ehryssan Church.

Class Skills
The Order of the Lotus' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Pick Pocket (Dex), Read Lips (Int), Scry (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int)

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class   BAB     Fort    Ref     Will    Special
Level           Save    Save    Save
1st     +0      +0      +0      +2      Mental Prowess, Sneak Attack +1d6
2nd     +1      +0      +0      +3      Change Self
3rd     +2      +1      +1      +3      Charm Person
4th     +3      +1      +1      +4      Tongues
5th     +3      +1      +1      +4      Sneak Attack +2d6
6th     +4      +2      +2      +5      Alter Self
7th     +5      +2      +2      +5
8th     +6/+1   +2      +2      +6      Increased Charm Duration
9th     +6/+1   +3      +3      +6      Sneak Attack +3d6
10th    +7/+2   +3      +3      +7      Dominate Person

Class Features

• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Members of the Order of the Lotus are proficient with easily concealable weapons, including: crossbow (hand and light), dagger (any type), dart, rapier, sap, short bow (normal and composite), and short sword. They are proficient with light armor, but not shields. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Hide, Move Silently, and Pick Pocket.
• Mental Prowess: Members of the Order of the Lotus are drawn from many different disciplines, and must remain mentally flexible in order to complete their challenging and dangerous missions. All of a member's special powers, including spellcasting, are based upon her highest mental attribute at the time of use. This key attribute may change over time, and any changes are reflected in the member's powers immediately.
• Spells: A member of the Order of the Lotus casts divine spells from the Order of the Lotus spell list. She receives her key ability modifier in mana points per class level, and, at any one time, may have prepared a number of spells equal to her key ability modifier plus her class level. For example, a 3rd level member with a key ability of 16 would have 9 mana points (3 key ability modifier x 3 levels), and be able to have 6 spells prepared at once (3 key ability modifier + 3 levels). In order to cast a spell, a member must have a key ability score at least equal to 10 plus the level of the spell. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a member's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the member's key ability modifier.
• Sneak Attack: A member of the Order of the Lotus gains the ability to cause sneak attack damage, just like a rogue. She gains 1d6 additional damage at 1st level, and an additional die at 5th and at 9th level. This extra damage stacks with any sneak attack damage she may gain from being a rogue, or from any other class.
• Change Self (Su): At 2nd level, the member may innately apply the spell change self to herself once per day per class level.
• Charm Person (Su): At 3rd level, the member gains the supernatural ability to charm person with a gaze. The intended victim must make a Will save (DC 13 + member's key ability modifier + member's class level) or suffer the effects of a charm person spell. The member may use this ability once per day per class level, and may not have more charmed persons than her key ability modifier at any one time. At 8th level, the duration for this charm ability improves to 1 day/level.
• Tongues (Su): At 4th level, the member of the Order of the Lotus gains the supernatural ability to use tongues at will.
• Alter Self (Su): At 6th level, the member's ability to magically disguise herself improves. She may use the spell alter self on herself as a supernatural ability once per day per class level.
• Dominate Person (Su): At 10th level, a member of the Order of the Lotus gains her most fearsome power, the ability to dominate person with a gaze. The DC for the Will save to negate this supernatural power is 17 + the member's key ability modifier + the member's class level. The member may use this power once per day per class level, and may only have one dominated victim at a time.

Order of the Lotus Spell List
At every spell level, a member of the Order of the Lotus has access to all the spells from the schools of Divination, Enchantment, and Illusion, plus several other useful spells. The complete list is below:

• arcane mark, daze, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, prestidigitation, read magic
• alarm, change self, charm person, color spray, comprehend languages, detect secret doors, detect undead, erase, hold portal, hypnotism, identify, message, nystul's magical aura, nystul's undetectable aura, reduce, silent image, sleep, true strike, unseen servant, ventriloquism
• alter self, arcane lock, blindness/deafness, blur, darkness, darkvision, detect thoughts, hypnotic pattern, invisibility, knock, leomund's trap, locate object, magic mouth, minor image, mirror image, misdirection, obscure object, see invisibility, tasha's hideous laughter, whispering wind
• clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, displacement, haste, hold person, illusory script, invisibility sphere, major image, nondetection, secret page, shrink item, suggestion, tongues
• arcane eye, charm monster, confusion, detect scrying, dimension door, emotion, hallucinatory terrain, illusory wall, improved invisibility, lesser geas, locate creature, phantasmal killer, polymorph self, rainbow pattern, scrying, shadow conjuration
• contact other plane, dominate person, dream, false vision, feeblemind, greater shadow conjuration, hold monster, leomund' secret chest, magic jar, mind fog, mirage arcana, nightmare, passwall, persistent image, prying eyes, rary's telepathic bond, seeming, sending, shadow invocation, teleport
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