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MechaKingGhidra
Sergeant
632 Posts
    
 | | 07/19/2006 2:36 AM |
| I am making a prestige class and I thought that perhaps I would invoke the help of the MaxMinis community so as to be able to get at least some partial development done on the statistics side of it. I believe I am far more creative in the class description than anything I could reasonably think up for stats to match at a reasonable power level, which sounds good but if you continue reading don't be surprised at the lack of "Wow" in it. Basically, the following is what I have written up for the description and statistics so far to date.
Arcane Grafter
The arcane grafter is a scavenger of corpses to fulfill his one purpose: improve his physical being by magically infusing powerful specimens onto himself and no longer be encumbered by what he considers to be his "inferior form". Most arcane grafters tend to improve upon themselves by adding wings, tails, and extra limbs, although seemingly infinite potential body parts are capable of being used as well as virtually any creature is capable of being harvested for body parts that may be of some use to an arcane grafter.
Most characters can benefit greatly from this class as barbarians and fighters become more efficient with how they maximize their options on how to outright slaughter enemies, monks are capable of using flurries of blows with body parts more to their liking so as to not drop weapons incapable of being used with this form of attack or something of the like, rangers can more easily specialize in how to use their most hated foes to their advantage, and rogues can graft body parts to better utilize their subterfuge(spelling?) skills. But the classes that would find the most use of this option would be sorcerers and wizards as at least some powerful arcane magic is needed to improve upon what they otherwise lack almost entirely: physical power. Druids and paladins abhor such a desecration of once living creatures, whether good or evil, and therefore are barred from indulging themselves in this class.
Prerequisites: Able to cast 3rd level arcane spells, Concentration(8 ranks), Endurance, Diehard, Great Fortitude
1st: Simple Grafter* (This creature can graft body parts onto his own by using his arcane magic as a tool and must succed on a Concentration DC check of 25 and if it fails he must make a Fortitude save of 20 or suffer a permanent penalty of -1 to Constitution which will stack with any other failed grafting attempts until he gains Superior Grafter at level 7 at which point any failed checks will no longer result in Constitution loss. If he fails the check he will suffer a -2 Charisma penalty(no save) until the graft is fixed by successfully repairing the graft at a later time by means of doing so while at least having Competent Grafter or better. Failing a graft check renders that graft useless unless improved upon. Removing the graft altogether also removes the Charisma penalty but does not remove the Consitution penalty. To remove a graft, the creature must succeed on a Fortitude save of 20 or suffer 3d8+5 points of damage. This damage cannot be healed magically and if such an attempt is made, it further causes damage equal to what it would otherwise heal. While either adding or removing a graft, minor help can be used to help the grafter by having others hold what is being grafted into place or the like. Up to two people can help in this manner and each person helping bestows a +1 to the check if they in turn make a 15 Concentration check each. If they do not make this check, no benefit or penalty is given. In addition, all grafting attempts take up all uses of the creatures spells per day of its highest level for that day. If the creature has already cast even a single spell of the highest level it can that day, the graft automatically fails no longer how much the check is exceeded and no longer how much time is taken and the creature cannot attempt | |
Champion of the Prismatic Golem
MechaKingGhidra: Infamous for his absolute despisement of Red Dragons and devout worshipper of all Black Dragons. | |
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Wayne
Underboss
1371 Posts
| | 07/19/2006 3:42 AM |
| What you'll want to do is make a list of abilities that you want to be available via grafting. A partial list might include:
Flight, Darkvision, Natural Armor, Natural Secondary Attack, Breath Weapon, Melee Reach, Pheremones, Increased Strength, and so on. I imagine that you could easily come up with 20 or so different abilities.
Then group these into "tiers" by power level. For example, by 6th level or so, flight (especially slow, clumsy flight, as I envision from a graft) isn't a terribly powerful ability, so it might be on the first tier, along with melee reach and darkvision. Abilities could easily fall into one or more tiers ... for example, faster, more maneauvable flight; a sonic breath weapon (as opposed to fire); MR 3 instead of 2, and so on.
Each ability should be slightly more powerful than a fairly good feat, and you'll grant the PC an ability at 1st level and at each even-numbered level, going up to an ability from tier five, at 10th level.
The reason the ability should be more powerful than a feat is that a PC who engages in such grafts should also suffer some drawbacks. It's easy to envision such grafts interfering with the user's Constitution or Charisma, and related skills, for instance. THere would probably also be serious social repercussion (like a mob of villagers with pitchforks).
You'll also want to come up with three or four other other minor benefits to scatter throughout the 10-level progression, to make those levels in which nothing much happens still worthwhile to take. (As one possible example: 'During your excursions graveside, to find raw materials for your grafts, you find one corpse buried with a minor magical item. This item should be randomly generated by the DM.')
So, to recap, the basic idea is to give PCs a large amount of choice, but to make sure that the abilities you're granting are not too powerful at the level at which they're acquired. One rule of thumb I use is this: if a sorcerer can duplicate the effect, at the same character level, you're in the right ballpark. That's why flight isn't overpowered as an entry-tier ability.
Hope this helps. | |
Jeff "Wayne Laredo" Wilder | Email | Have/Want List | Trade Policies | Are You an Ethical Trader?
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MechaKingGhidra
Sergeant
632 Posts
| | 07/19/2006 5:46 PM |
| | EDIT: I moved the stats I put in this post to the main one. | |
Champion of the Prismatic Golem
MechaKingGhidra: Infamous for his absolute despisement of Red Dragons and devout worshipper of all Black Dragons. | |
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gss_000
Commander
3204 Posts
Baltimore, MD
| | 07/19/2006 10:38 PM |
| I'm still thinking about the write up, nothing stands out right now about the abilities at each level, which to me is a good first check. In fact, I think you can improve the flight ability at 10th to something a little faster.
However, I do have a question about the prereqs. What level are you looking for a player to first come into this class? No character cna come into this class until 8th level (becasue of the Concentration requirement). If this is reduced, then the feat requirement will prevent casters to enter before their 7th level. This is fine, it's just that the later you enter this Pclass, the more powerful you'll want to make some of the later levels else it is not worth it to remain in the class or even take the first level.
And what do you see about caster level? I'm assuming a player would lose at least a level or two, so this would be another balancing point.
Hope this helps. | |
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Champion of Radiant Sevant | |
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MechaKingGhidra
Sergeant
632 Posts
| | 07/20/2006 1:01 AM |
| | I made some changes here and there to make it a little more sensible. | |
Champion of the Prismatic Golem
MechaKingGhidra: Infamous for his absolute despisement of Red Dragons and devout worshipper of all Black Dragons. | |
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Username
Warlord
5692 Posts
| | 07/21/2006 2:33 PM |
| Have you checked out the Fleshwarper from 'Lords of Madness?'
 | |
Originally posted by Schooly_D
Username - he deals in minis
Champion of Lhesh Haruuc Shaarat'kor | |
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maijstral
Underboss
2105 Posts
| | 07/21/2006 3:41 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by gss_000
I'm still thinking about the write up, nothing stands out right now about the abilities at each level, which to me is a good first check. In fact, I think you can improve the flight ability at 10th to something a little faster.
However, I do have a question about the prereqs. What level are you looking for a player to first come into this class? No character cna come into this class until 8th level (becasue of the Concentration requirement). If this is reduced, then the feat requirement will prevent casters to enter before their 7th level. This is fine, it's just that the later you enter this Pclass, the more powerful you'll want to make some of the later levels else it is not worth it to remain in the class or even take the first level.
And what do you see about caster level? I'm assuming a player would lose at least a level or two, so this would be another balancing point.
Hope this helps.
5th level,8 ranks of concentration can be had by 5 level(Level +3) and feat requirement can be met by 6th level,3rd if your human.
I agree with the caster level progression though, what will it be every level,every other level, skip first level then regular? I would think it depends on how powerfull the grafts will be, if your getting extra attacks,strengh and other ablity bonuses,flying and/or other modes of movement and maybe resistances then every other level. If it is minor improvements that get progessively more powerfull prehaps no caster level gain at 1st,4th and 10th.
You may want to check out the Magic of Eberron they have a whole section on grafts undead,elemental and plants. If nothing else it could give you some ideas. | | | |
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gss_000
Commander
3204 Posts
Baltimore, MD
| | 07/21/2006 8:24 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by maijstral
5th level,8 ranks of concentration can be had by 5 level(Level +3) and feat requirement can be met by 6th level,3rd if your human.
Now it is. The class was changed from when it originally had more feats and a higher ranks required in concentration. [:)] | |
Completed trades: blackthorne, Drakkengi,Thorgrin, Ironfist Boulderbender x2, ckissee, nasamonkey, Username, Star, Ace13 x3, emontedodger x2, Drconveyor, church, Joeyb, Sir Bozak The Damned, Xeromod, the other guy x2, Qucalion of Celene, Dagaron x2, berus316, qillan_dvra, AshloreDarkShadow
For further info go to My Reference Thread and Trade Interface
Champion of Radiant Sevant | |
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maijstral
Underboss
2105 Posts
| | 07/21/2006 8:44 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by gss_000
quote:
Originally posted by maijstral
5th level,8 ranks of concentration can be had by 5 level(Level +3) and feat requirement can be met by 6th level,3rd if your human.
Now it is. The class was changed from when it originally had more feats and a higher ranks required in concentration. [:)]
my apologies [B)], I came late to the game and didn't realize he had edited the requirements since the bulk of PrC's start at about 5th/6th level. | | | |
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gss_000
Commander
3204 Posts
Baltimore, MD
| | 07/21/2006 10:04 PM |
| | Nothing to apologise for. If I didn't write the post myself, I'd have thought the same thing. I just didn't want people to think I didn't know D&D. [:p] | |
Completed trades: blackthorne, Drakkengi,Thorgrin, Ironfist Boulderbender x2, ckissee, nasamonkey, Username, Star, Ace13 x3, emontedodger x2, Drconveyor, church, Joeyb, Sir Bozak The Damned, Xeromod, the other guy x2, Qucalion of Celene, Dagaron x2, berus316, qillan_dvra, AshloreDarkShadow
For further info go to My Reference Thread and Trade Interface
Champion of Radiant Sevant | |
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MechaKingGhidra
Sergeant
632 Posts
| | 07/21/2006 10:36 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Username
Have you checked out the Fleshwarper from 'Lords of Madness?'
[img]http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/lom_gallery/88163.jpg[/img]
Thanks for the reference. I might just buy that book if I can find it somewhat cheaply on a road trip to Grande Prairie(closest place with a possible chance of having a gaming store with D&D material in it). Surprisingly(at least it surprises me, if no one else), I have never heard of this book before so thanks again. | |
Champion of the Prismatic Golem
MechaKingGhidra: Infamous for his absolute despisement of Red Dragons and devout worshipper of all Black Dragons. | |
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MechaKingGhidra
Sergeant
632 Posts
| | 07/21/2006 10:45 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by maijstral
You may want to check out the Magic of Eberron they have a whole section on grafts undead,elemental and plants. If nothing else it could give you some ideas.
Thanks for the suggestion but my gaming group doesn't use Eberron and I unfortunately would be stuck with trying to figure out how to incorporate the rest of the book into usefulness as opposed to the earlier "Lords of Madness" book suggestion which as far as I can assume at this point probably does not take into account that it applies to only a specific type of campaign or the like so I could likely be able to use more of it than just the prestige class in it. Oh well.............................................[:(] | |
Champion of the Prismatic Golem
MechaKingGhidra: Infamous for his absolute despisement of Red Dragons and devout worshipper of all Black Dragons. | |
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