This is something I have just recently started working on seriously. What I'd like to do is post ideas here and then fine-tune them with the community's input. I have already received a lot of great input over on the wizards boards, including some advice from Keith Baker himself, but I want to get as much input as I can before I submit the formal pitch.
The first thing I noticed when I looked at the Winning Races series was that they are very theme oriented. That being said, I needed a good theme to tie the article together, or my chances would be slim of it ever seeing print. After a bit of research, I settled on the Path of Shadows. I'll post some links to some fluff later for those of you who do not know what it is, but to summarize, it is a martial art practiced my the Kalashtar that utilizes hypnotic, sweeping movements, subtle psychic influence, and stealth techniques. What I hope to do is provide kalasthar players the incentive to play characters in the striker roll, which would otherwise be unappealing. I also hope to make Kalashtar monks viable, as monk used to be their favored class, right behind psion (which they are also sub-par at in this edition). That being said, Kalashtar have a strong monastic tradition, and that is something I would like to promote.
The article will include:
-Three Path of Shadows character backgrounds. (In progress... See below.)
-Feat options for Kalashtar centered breath monks and night stalker assassins (one or two each) (done!)
-General feats providing mobility, stealth, psychic damage, defensive (concealment, insubstantiality, phasing, teleporting, and possibly invisibility may be good choices), and combat control options (6 feats total seems appropriate) (done!)
-A weapon mastery feat and a new mundane weapon (done!)
-Two paragon paths. (In progress...)
Backgrounds:
Quori Nightmare
-You learned long ago that the best way to fight the schemes of the dreaming dark is to learn how to think like them. You have learned to subtly steal their power and turn their tactics against them. You have become the nightmare so that you might end it forever.
Associated Skills: Intimidate, Insight
"Jilashtora."
You have been trained in the ancient Quori Art of battle. You possess a sharp mind and a strong body, and you wield both with fluid efficiency. Your weapon is a blade of pure thought, sharper than steel, forged of dream.
Associated Skills: Athletics, Arcana
Atavists, or shadow watchmen.
Foil of Lightbringers. Trained to make calculated, devestating strikes against hostile forces in the world.Coming soon...
Skills: Stealth, Perception
Feats:
Dreamtouched
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls when you use a power that has the psychic or fear keyword.
Shadow Watchman's Arsenal
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: You gain profficiency with the monk unarmed strike, cutting wheel, zulaat, and hidden edge* and a +2 feat bonus to damage rolls with such weapons. The bonus increases to +3 at 11th level, and +4 at 21st level.
*- The hidden edge is an elegant, wrist-mounted blade invented by a guild of kalashtar assassins revering the path of shadows. An ingenious hinge allows the blade to be retracted quickly and effortlessly. It is primarily used for sudden, calculated strikes.
Prof: +3 Damage: d6 Range: - Price: 20 gp Weight: 1 lb.
Group: Light Blade Properties: Off-hand, retractible
Retractible: You can draw or sheath this weapon as a part of the action used to attack with this weapon. If this weapon was not used to attack during your last turn, gain a +1 bonus to the first attack roll you make after drawing it.
Flowing Blade Style
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, monk
Benefit: Your unarmed strike and monk unarmed strike gain the light blade and high crit properties. In addition, when your flurry of blows power is triggered by an attack using your monk unarmed strike, you may deal an additional 2 psychic damage to one of the targets.
Cloak Dance
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, monk
Benefit: Whenever you use a full-discipline movement technique, you gain concealment until the start of your next turn.
Path of Shadows
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: Gain a +2 bonus to acrobatics and insight checks. In addition, you gain a benefit with any of the following powers you possess.
Piercing Strike (rogue, PH XXX): If you have combat advantage against the target of this attack, you may choose to target it's will defense instead of it's reflex defense.
Inescapable Blade (assassin, DR 379): If the target misses you with an attack before the end of it's next turn, it takes psychic damage equal to your charisma modifier.
Dancing Cobra (monk, PH3 XXX) If the target hits you with an opportunity attack during this turn, you are invisible to it until the end of its next turn.
Focused Fury (avenger, PHH2) If the enemy you pushed as a part this power ends its next turn adjacent to you it takes psychic damage equal to your wisdom modifier.
Pierce the Shadows
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: When you hit with an attack that has the psychic keyword while you are benefitting from concealment, that attack instead does psychic and radiant damage and gains the radiant keyword. If the creature hit by this attack is an inspired, that creature is dazed.
I checked, the inspired in the ECS have have the inspired keyword. I don't think that last part is overpowered considering how incredibly situational it is. I may be wrong.
Telepathic Coordination
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, Telepathy racial feature
Benefit: You and one ally within range of your telepathy may share combat advantage.
Meditated Strike
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, Bastion of Mental Clarity racial power
Benefit: You may expend the use of your Bastion of Mental Clarity racial power to gain a +1 power bonus to the next attack roll you make. If the attack hits, it does an additional 1d6 damage.
And finally, the Paragon Paths:
Dreamkiller
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, Assassin
Fear based PP. Loosely based on Quori Nightmare. Coming soon...
Atavist
Prerquisite: Kalashtar
PP blends themes from shadow dancer and soul-knife while retaining a martial arts feel. Loosley based on 3.5 Atavist. Coming soon...
What do you think? Any suggestions? PEACH!
The first thing I noticed when I looked at the Winning Races series was that they are very theme oriented. That being said, I needed a good theme to tie the article together, or my chances would be slim of it ever seeing print. After a bit of research, I settled on the Path of Shadows. I'll post some links to some fluff later for those of you who do not know what it is, but to summarize, it is a martial art practiced my the Kalashtar that utilizes hypnotic, sweeping movements, subtle psychic influence, and stealth techniques. What I hope to do is provide kalasthar players the incentive to play characters in the striker roll, which would otherwise be unappealing. I also hope to make Kalashtar monks viable, as monk used to be their favored class, right behind psion (which they are also sub-par at in this edition). That being said, Kalashtar have a strong monastic tradition, and that is something I would like to promote.
The article will include:
-Three Path of Shadows character backgrounds. (In progress... See below.)
-Feat options for Kalashtar centered breath monks and night stalker assassins (one or two each) (done!)
-General feats providing mobility, stealth, psychic damage, defensive (concealment, insubstantiality, phasing, teleporting, and possibly invisibility may be good choices), and combat control options (6 feats total seems appropriate) (done!)
-A weapon mastery feat and a new mundane weapon (done!)
-Two paragon paths. (In progress...)
Backgrounds:
Quori Nightmare
-You learned long ago that the best way to fight the schemes of the dreaming dark is to learn how to think like them. You have learned to subtly steal their power and turn their tactics against them. You have become the nightmare so that you might end it forever.
Associated Skills: Intimidate, Insight
"Jilashtora."
You have been trained in the ancient Quori Art of battle. You possess a sharp mind and a strong body, and you wield both with fluid efficiency. Your weapon is a blade of pure thought, sharper than steel, forged of dream.
Associated Skills: Athletics, Arcana
Atavists, or shadow watchmen.
Foil of Lightbringers. Trained to make calculated, devestating strikes against hostile forces in the world.Coming soon...
Skills: Stealth, Perception
Feats:
Dreamtouched
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls when you use a power that has the psychic or fear keyword.
Shadow Watchman's Arsenal
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: You gain profficiency with the monk unarmed strike, cutting wheel, zulaat, and hidden edge* and a +2 feat bonus to damage rolls with such weapons. The bonus increases to +3 at 11th level, and +4 at 21st level.
*- The hidden edge is an elegant, wrist-mounted blade invented by a guild of kalashtar assassins revering the path of shadows. An ingenious hinge allows the blade to be retracted quickly and effortlessly. It is primarily used for sudden, calculated strikes.
Prof: +3 Damage: d6 Range: - Price: 20 gp Weight: 1 lb.
Group: Light Blade Properties: Off-hand, retractible
Retractible: You can draw or sheath this weapon as a part of the action used to attack with this weapon. If this weapon was not used to attack during your last turn, gain a +1 bonus to the first attack roll you make after drawing it.
Flowing Blade Style
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, monk
Benefit: Your unarmed strike and monk unarmed strike gain the light blade and high crit properties. In addition, when your flurry of blows power is triggered by an attack using your monk unarmed strike, you may deal an additional 2 psychic damage to one of the targets.
Cloak Dance
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, monk
Benefit: Whenever you use a full-discipline movement technique, you gain concealment until the start of your next turn.
Path of Shadows
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: Gain a +2 bonus to acrobatics and insight checks. In addition, you gain a benefit with any of the following powers you possess.
Piercing Strike (rogue, PH XXX): If you have combat advantage against the target of this attack, you may choose to target it's will defense instead of it's reflex defense.
Inescapable Blade (assassin, DR 379): If the target misses you with an attack before the end of it's next turn, it takes psychic damage equal to your charisma modifier.
Dancing Cobra (monk, PH3 XXX) If the target hits you with an opportunity attack during this turn, you are invisible to it until the end of its next turn.
Focused Fury (avenger, PHH2) If the enemy you pushed as a part this power ends its next turn adjacent to you it takes psychic damage equal to your wisdom modifier.
Pierce the Shadows
Prerequisite: Kalashtar
Benefit: When you hit with an attack that has the psychic keyword while you are benefitting from concealment, that attack instead does psychic and radiant damage and gains the radiant keyword. If the creature hit by this attack is an inspired, that creature is dazed.
I checked, the inspired in the ECS have have the inspired keyword. I don't think that last part is overpowered considering how incredibly situational it is. I may be wrong.
Telepathic Coordination
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, Telepathy racial feature
Benefit: You and one ally within range of your telepathy may share combat advantage.
Meditated Strike
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, Bastion of Mental Clarity racial power
Benefit: You may expend the use of your Bastion of Mental Clarity racial power to gain a +1 power bonus to the next attack roll you make. If the attack hits, it does an additional 1d6 damage.
And finally, the Paragon Paths:
Dreamkiller
Prerequisite: Kalashtar, Assassin
Fear based PP. Loosely based on Quori Nightmare. Coming soon...
Atavist
Prerquisite: Kalashtar
PP blends themes from shadow dancer and soul-knife while retaining a martial arts feel. Loosley based on 3.5 Atavist. Coming soon...
What do you think? Any suggestions? PEACH!
