1001 homebrew ideas to flesh out

[Garryl]

Hey all. I'm just making a thread to jot down all of the interesting ideas I have that I forget about before I can flesh them out. Most of these will be for naught, but at least the ideas will be recorded in case anyone wants to do something with them. Feel free to comment on anything.

Some of these things are incomplete homebrew. Some are just idea pieces. Others are just random ideas for mechanical tweaks and stuff like that.

I'll try to make a new post for every major thing, just to keep it organized. Table of contents is below.


Table of Contents
[spoiler]
(Maneuver) Move action maneuvers.
(Spell) Weaponizing Divination.
Specialty skills - Skills designed as class features.
Ritualist class - Rituals as an alternative magic system.
Mythical melee abilities - Just the standard hashing out of abilities to improve the core melee classes.
Enhanced diseases
Elemental Shaper - An alternative Artificer-type class.
(Feat) Revamped BoED vows.
(PrC) Apostle of Justice, a replacement Apostle of Peace who can kick butt and not feel guilty about it.
(PrC) Nightmare Walker, a tossed together collection of fear-based abilities.
ToB-style spellcasting advancement from PrCs.
(Race) Half-races in three parts.
Descriptors for everything!
True Neutral and Unaligned alignments and some outsider-types to go with them.
If feats were as good as spells, what would the Fighter look like? AKA, "The Automatic DMM Persist Cleric", or "I think I made a Warlock".
(PrC) Sublime Thought, a rapid advancement PrC for psionics.
(Feat) Prestige Classes as Feats.
(ToB) A Very Meta Martial Discipline, just needs a name and a couple more maneuvers.
PHB Wizard spells with ToB-style classifications, for a potential Arcane Swordsage.
Amalgam Damage Types
Planar Poisons
(Feat) Psionic Reserve Feats
(Base) Archaeoligist
(PrC) Doomsayer
(Base) Martial Invoker
Codified Definition of Effects
(Base) Priest
(Feat) Spell Resistance Feats
Techs/Mechs Ideas
[/spoiler]

Random Thoughts
[spoiler]
Base Reflex saves to AC
Standardized spell design: Designating targets to ignore effects
Design philosophy: Daily vs. At will resources and the classes based around them
Thinking about Spell Resistance
A Bestow Power that shouldn't be usable for recharge loops
[/spoiler]

Reasonably Complete Stuff
[spoiler]
(Spell) Weaponizing Divination.
(Feat) Revamped BoED vows.
(PrC) Apostle of Justice, a replacement Apostle of Peace who can kick butt and not feel guilty about it.
If feats were as good as spells, what would the Fighter look like? AKA, "The Automatic DMM Persist Cleric", or "I think I made a Warlock".
(PrC) Sublime Thought, a rapid advancement PrC for psionics.
(Feat) Prestige Classes as Feats.
(ToB) A Very Meta Martial Discipline, just needs a name and a couple more maneuvers.
Codified Definition of Effects
[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

New maneuver type: Rushes
   (formerly Evasions)

ToB has maneuvers for most of the major action types: Strikes for standard/full-round, boosts for swift, and counters for immediate. What about some things for move actions?

Enter Rushes. These will be small little maneuvers that let you move around and do something cool while you're at it. I'm inspired in part by some talk I heard about 4E Essential's Rogue working off of move action powers that boost their other attacks and effects. Things like that.

Evasions are probably more for the Swordsage only disciplines. Desert Wind, Setting Sun, and Shadow Hand. Diamond Mind and Tiger Claw would definitely have a couple. I don't really feel them much for Iron Heart, Devoted Spirit, or White Raven. Stone Dragon could potentially have some, but they'd have to be special to combine Rushes' love of movement with SD's love of standing still.


Example evasions:
Dancing Flame (DW 2) - move up to your speed, deal 1d6 fire damage to anyone you move adjacent to and reduce their fire resist by your IL for the round
Dancing Wildfire (DW 6) - fly up to your speed, deal 3d6 fire damage to anyone you move adjacent to and reduce their fire resist by twice your IL for the round
Dancing Inferno (DW 8) - fly up to twice your speed, deal 5d6 fire damage to anyone you move adjacent to and negate their fire resistance/immunity for the round

Pounce from the Canopy (TC 3) - Move up to a Jump check, gain +1d6/+1 skirmish bonus until your next turn

Creeping Shadow (SH 1) - Move up to your speed without taking Hide penalties, keep hiding even without cover or concealment until the end of your next turn if you had any before the move
Stalking Shadow (SH 4) - Move up to your speed without taking Hide penalties, keep hiding even without cover or concealment until the end of your next turn if you had any before the move, +2d6 sneak attack until the end of your next turn

Action Without Motion (DM 5) - Move up to your speed. If a foe makes an AoO against you for moving, they provoke an AoO from you. Gain +1d6 Sudden Strike damage until the end of turn for each AoO an opponent declined to take.

Formation March (WR 3) - You and allies within 30' move up to half your movement speed. All allies that move this way must move in the same pattern you do. Your allies' movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but yours still does.
Squad March (WR 5) - You and allies within 30' move up to your movement speed. All allies that move this way must move in the same pattern you do. Your allies' movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but yours still does. All allies (other than yourself) that move this way gain a +2 morale bonus on saves and to AC until your next turn.
Battle March (WR 7) - You and allies within 30' move up to your movement speed. All allies that move this way must move in the same pattern you do. Your allies' movement (including your own) does not provoke attacks of opportunity. All allies (including yourself) that move this way gain a +4 morale bonus on saves, to AC, on attack rolls, and on weapon damage rolls until your next turn.



Desert Wind
[spoiler]

Dancing Flame
Desert Wind (Rush) [Fire]
Level: Swordsage 2
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal; Adjacent creatures
Target: You; Adjacent opponents
Duration: Instantaneous; 1 round
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
You move in a fiery blur, dashing across the battlefield like a fire spread by the wind.
As part of this maneuver, you can move up to your speed. Your movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Each time you exit a square adjacent to an opponent, you can have that creature make a Reflex saving throw (DC 12 + your Wis modifier). If it fails, the creature's fire resistance (if any) is reduced by your initiator level (to a minimum resistance of 0), and you deal 1d6 points of fire damage to it (after reducing its fire resistance). The reduction in fire resistance lasts until the beginning of your next turn. A creature that makes the save successfully is unaffected. You cannot attempt to affect a given opponent more than once with this maneuver each time you initiate it.
   This maneuver is a supernatural ability.


Dancing Inferno
Desert Wind (Rush) [Fire]
Level: Swordsage 8
Prerequisite: Three Desert Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal; Adjacent creatures
Target: You; Adjacent opponents
Duration: Instantaneous; 1 round
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
You move in a fiery blur, flying across the battlefield like a raging inferno, burning everything in your path.
As part of this maneuver, you can move up to twice your speed as though with a fly speed and with perfect maneuverability. Your movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Each time you exit a square adjacent to an opponent, you can have that creature make a Reflex saving throw (DC 18 + your Wis modifier). If it fails, the creature loses any fire resistance or fire immunity that it may have, and you deal 5d6 points of fire damage to it (after negating its fire resistance). The negation of fire resistance and immunity lasts until the beginning of your next turn. A creature that makes the save successfully is unaffected. You cannot attempt to affect a given opponent more than once with this maneuver each time you initiate it.
   This maneuver is a supernatural ability.


Dancing Wildfire
Desert Wind (Rush) [Fire]
Level: Swordsage 6
Prerequisite: Two Desert Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal; Adjacent creatures
Target: You; Adjacent opponents
Duration: Instantaneous; 1 round
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
You move in a fiery blur, flying across the battlefield like a wildfire across a dry forest.
As part of this maneuver, you can move up to your speed as though with a fly speed and with perfect maneuverability. Your movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Each time you exit a square adjacent to an opponent, you can have that creature make a Reflex saving throw (DC 16 + your Wis modifier). If it fails, the creature's fire resistance (if any) is reduced by twice your initiator level (to a minimum resistance of 0), and you deal 3d6 points of fire damage to it (after reducing its fire resistance). The reduction in fire resistance lasts until the beginning of your next turn. A creature that makes the save successfully is unaffected. You cannot attempt to affect a given opponent more than once with this maneuver each time you initiate it.
   This maneuver is a supernatural ability.

[/spoiler]

Diamond Mind
[spoiler]

Action Without Motion
Diamond Mind (Rush)
Level: Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Prerequisite: Two Diamond Mind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
In the blink of an eye, you dash across the battlefield, taking note of your opponents' openings as you pass them by.
As part of this maneuver, you can move up to your speed. Your movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Whenever an opponent makes an attack of opportunity against you that you provoked from this movement, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you after their attack has been resolved. Whenever an opponent declines to make an attack of opportunity against you that you provoked from this movement (including if they cannot make any more attacks of opportunity this round), you gain the Sudden Strike ability (as the Ninja ability of the same name) until the beginning of your next turn. The bonus damage dealt by this Sudden Strike ability is equal to 1d6 for each opponent that declined to make an attack of opportunity against you this way.

[/spoiler]

Tiger Claw
[spoiler]

Pounce From the Canopy
Tiger Claw (Rush)
Level: Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Prerequisite: One Tiger Claw maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
Leaping upon your enemies, you leverage your momentum into a more powerful attack.
As part of this maneuver, make a Jump check. You can move up to the distance indicated by the result of your check as though you had used the Jump skill to move. If you moved at least 10 feet this way, your attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of damage and you gain a +1 competence bonus to your Armor Class. The bonus damage is considered precision damage resulting from the Skirmish ability (as the Scout ability of the same name), and it follows all of the rules and restrictions of that ability. The benefits of this maneuver stack with any benefits you may receive from Skirmish abilities you have from other sources, and they last until the beginning of your next turn.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler]

NAME
DISCIPLINE (TYPE) [DESCRIPTOR]
Level: CLASS LEVEL
Prerequisite: NUMBER SCHOOL maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 ACTION action
Range: Personal
Area:
Target: You
Duration:
Saving Throw:

[/spoiler]



From discussions on GitP's boards (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178947)
[spoiler]

Cautious Advance
Stone Dragon (Rush)
Level: Crusader 2, Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Channeling the earth, you move in on your foes.
As part of this maneuver, you move up to your speed. This movement does not end any effects affecting you that are ended by movement unless you wish it to. This maneuver cannot provoke attacks of opportunity.

Stone Wings
Stone Dragon (Rush)
Level: Crusader 5, Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Prerequisites: One Stone Dragon maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: None
Lizards are landbound. Like the dragon for which this discipline is named, you soar.
As part of this maneuver, you may fly up to your speed. This flight does not end any effects affecting you that are ended by movement, unless you wish it to. From the moment you initiate this maneuver until the end of your next turn, you may use Stone Dragon maneuvers and stances without being in contact with the ground.

Implacable Advance
Stone Dragon (Rush)
Level: Crusader 7, Swordsage 7, Warblade 7
Prerequisites: Two Stone Dragon maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: You and any enemies who attack you.
Duration: One round
Saving Throw: None
Like an avalanche, you bear down on your foes. The power of the earth itself propels you, and the dragon beneath your feet stirs.
As part of this maneuver, you may move up to your speed. This movement does not end any effects affecting you that are ended by movement, unless you wish it to. Further, you gain DR 20/adamantine against any attacks of opportunity or environmental hazards during your movement. Finally, until the end of your next turn, any non-flying enemy who attacks you finds the ground shifting treacherously beneath them, and must roll their attack twice and take the worse result. If you are under the effects of the Stone Wings maneuver when you initiate this maneuver, you may fly instead of moving as part of this maneuver, the effects of that maneuver last another round, and the reroll effect of this maneuver applies to flying enemies as well.

Warden's Step
Devoted Spirit (Rush)
Level: Crusader 3
Initiation Action: One move action
Range: Personal
Target: You (see text)
Duration: Charisma modifier rounds or until discharged
Saving Throw:None
Weaving through your foes, you position yourself to best defend your allies.
As part of this maneuver, you may move up to your speed. You must end this movement adjacent to an ally. For one round after you use this maneuver, any attack by an enemy you threaten against an ally you were adjacent to during this movement permits you to make a lightning-fast response, moving to the nearest space adjacent to both the enemy and the ally in question as a free action that can be taken off-turn and allowing you to make a single attack of opportunity against that enemy. If you do not make use of this ability, the effects continue for another round, to a maximum of your Charisma modifier in rounds. For every round that this maneuver remains active, any movement that you may make counts as movement during this maneuver, so that by passing adjacent to an ally in a later round you can protect them as well.

Long Shadow
Shadow Hand (Rush) [Teleportation, Supernatural]
Level: Swordsage (?)
Prerequisite: 2(?) Shadow Hand maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Area: See text
Target: You
Duration: Until your next turn
Saving Throw: No

You move as a blur of darkness, and your shadow trails behind you, leaving countless ephemeral copies. Though vague and unreal, their blades are still more than sharp.

As part of this maneuver, you may move up to your speed. For the rest of the round, you are considered to occupy every square that you occupied or passed during this movement (even if that square is occupied by another creature). You may calculate your reach for attacks or strikes using any of those squares as a starting point, and you threaten every creature that any of those squares would threaten. You have 20% concealment, but enemies may attack you by targeting any one of these squares (although an area or multi-target attack will still only hit you a maximum of once).

At the beginning of your next turn, you may choose any of the squares that you occupy to be the "real" you, collapsing the rest into that point.

Dive of the Eagle
Tiger Claw (Rush)
Level: 3
Prerequisite:
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Area: See text
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: No
Effect:  Make a DC 10 jump check.  You may fall 10ft for every point by which you beat the DC.  Furthermore, should you land on a creature, you do 1d6 damage for 10ft. fallen to a maximum of 6d6 damage.

[/spoiler]

Looks like Havvy expanded on this a bit when moving it over to dnd-wiki.org (http://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Rushes_(3.5e_Variant_Rule)).

[Garryl]

Weaponizing Divination:
   Divination has almost no offensive spells (if any). Why not give it a few flavorful ones, probably of a variety slightly weaker than the equivalents in other schools, though not too much.

I originally posted this in RobbyPants' Oracle thread, in case you think you've seen it before.


Spell Lists

Bard
[spoiler]
Bard 1
Dissonant Visions: Touched subject sees random visions of the future and is shaken for 1 round/level.

Bard 2
Forced Clairaudience: Subject hears sounds from a random location and is effectively deafened.
Painful Visions: Subject sees confusing and disturbing visions, dealing 1d6/level nonlethal damage

Bard 3
Dreadful Visions: Subject sees visions of fearful events and is frightened or shaken on a successful save.
Forced Clairvoyance: Subject sees sights from a random location and is effectively blinded.
Sight of Battle: One subject reacts to a battlefield in the future instead of the present one, acting as though confused.

Bard 4
None

Bard 5
Forced Clairsentience: Subject observes a random location with all senses, and is effectively blinded, deafened, and unable to use other senses.
Foresee Defenses: You foresee your opponents defensive actions, allowing you to adapt your attacks before they can react.
Sight of War: One subject/level reacts to a battlefield in the future instead of the present one, acting as though confused.

Bard 6
Overwhelming Visions: One subject becomes unconscious due to sudden and random visions of the future, or is dazed on a successful Will save.
Unending Visions: One subject becomes catatonic indefinitely as it sees visions from all possible futures.
[/spoiler]

Cleric
[spoiler]
Cleric 1
Battle Sense: You see visions from fractions of a second into the future, allowing you to better defend yourself or attack your enemies.

Cleric 2
Lesser Countersight: You foresee your opponents' foresight and react to it, reducing any insight bonuses they gain on attack rolls, armor class, caster level, caster level checks, and save DCs against you by 1/2 levels (max 5).

Cleric 6
Countersight: As Lesser Countersight, except that bonuses are reduced by your caster level (max 15), and also affects bonuses to saving throws, damage rolls, and opposed skill and ability checks.
[/spoiler]

Druid
[spoiler]
Druid 1
Dissonant Visions: Touched subject sees random visions of the future and is shaken for 1 round/level.

Druid 3
Painful Visions: Subject sees confusing and disturbing visions, dealing 1d6/level nonlethal damage

Druid 4
Dreadful Visions: Subject sees visions of fearful events and is frightened or shaken on a successful save.

Druid 7
Unending Visions: One subject becomes catatonic indefinitely as it sees visions from all possible futures.

Druid 8
Overwhelming Visions: One subject becomes unconscious due to sudden and random visions of the future, or is dazed on a successful Will save.
[/spoiler]

Paladin
[spoiler]
Paladin 1
Battle Sense: You see visions from fractions of a second into the future, allowing you to better defend yourself or attack your enemies.
Lesser Countersight: You foresee your opponents' foresight and react to it, reducing any insight bonuses they gain on attack rolls, armor class, caster level, caster level checks, and save DCs against you by 1/2 levels (max 5).

Paladin 4
Countersight: As Lesser Countersight, except that bonuses are reduced by your caster level (max 15), and also affects bonuses to saving throws, damage rolls, and opposed skill and ability checks.
[/spoiler]

Ranger
[spoiler]
Ranger 4
Foresee Defenses: You foresee your opponents defensive actions, allowing you to adapt your attacks before they can react.
[/spoiler]

Sorcerer/Wizard
[spoiler]
Sor/Wiz 1
Battle Sense: You see visions from fractions of a second into the future, allowing you to better defend yourself or attack your enemies.
Dissonant Visions: Touched subject sees random visions of the future and is shaken for 1 round/level.

Sor/Wiz 2
Lesser Countersight: You foresee your opponents' foresight and react to it, reducing any insight bonuses they gain on attack rolls, armor class, caster level, caster level checks, and save DCs against you by 1/2 levels (max 5).
Forced Clairaudience: Subject hears sounds from a random location and is effectively deafened.

Sor/Wiz 3
Forced Clairvoyance: Subject sees sights from a random location and is effectively blinded.
Painful Visions: Subject sees confusing and disturbing visions, dealing 1d6/level nonlethal damage

Sor/Wiz 4
Dreadful Visions: Subject sees visions of fearful events and is frightened or shaken on a successful save.
Sight of Battle: One subject reacts to a battlefield in the future instead of the present one, acting as though confused.

Sor/Wiz 5
Forced Clairsentience: Subject observes a random location with all senses, and is effectively blinded, deafened, and unable to use other senses.
Foresee Defenses: You foresee your opponents defensive actions, allowing you to adapt your attacks before they can react.

Sor/Wiz 6
Countersight: As Lesser Countersight, except that bonuses are reduced by your caster level (max 15), and also affects bonuses to saving throws, damage rolls, and opposed skill and ability checks.
Sight of War: One subject/level reacts to a battlefield in the future instead of the present one, acting as though confused.

Sor/Wiz 7
Unending Visions: One subject becomes catatonic indefinitely as it sees visions from all possible futures.

Sor/Wiz 8
Overwhelming Visions: One subject becomes unconscious due to sudden and random visions of the future, or is dazed on a successful Will save.

Sor/Wiz 9
Sight of Strife: One subject/level reacts to a battlefield in the future instead of the present one, acting as though confused, and preferring to attack other creatures targeted by this spell.
[/spoiler]



Spell Descriptions
[spoiler]

Battle Sense
Divination
Level: Cleric 1, Paladin 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Components: S
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None (Harmless)
Spell Resistance: No

You see visions from fractions of a second into the future, allowing you to better defend yourself or attack your enemies.

While this spell is in effect, you begin to receive visions from moments into the future that allow you to react better to the battle that rages around you. Choose one of attack rolls, armor class, or saving throws when you cast this spell. You gain a +1 insight bonus to the chosen option while this spell is in effect. This bonus increases by 1 for every 3 caster levels, to a maximum of a +5 bonus at 12th level. You lose the benefit of this spell until the end of your current or next turn whenever you are flat-footed or are denied your Dexterity bonus to your armor class, as your inability to react causes your visions become desynchronized with your actual future.



Countersight
Divination
Level: Cleric 6, Paladin 4, Sor/Wiz 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No (harmless)

You worm your own second sight into your opponents' foresight, allowing you to foresee and counteract the reactions that they make in response to their own visions.

While you are subject to this spell, any insight bonuses that your opponents may have are all but negated when dealing with you. Any insight bonuses to attack rolls, damage rolls, armor class, saving throws, opposed checks, caster level, caster level checks, and save DCs are reduced with respect to you. Such bonuses are reduced by your caster level (maximum 15), to a minimum bonus of +0. This effect has no effect on insight penalties, insight bonuses to other statistics, nor any other types of bonuses. The effect of this spell does not stack with similar effects.



Dissonant Visions [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Bard 1, Druid 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Touch
Target: One living creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You inflict random and uncontrolled visions upon the subject. Although they pass by in but a brief flash, they leave the subject with feelings of confusion and dread.

When you touch the subject of this spell, its mind fills with strange visions. On a failed Will save, the subject is shaken for the duration of this spell. On a successful Will save, the subject manages to take control of the visions and make some sense of them, granting them the benefit of an Omen of Peril spell (responses are with respect to the subject, but the chance of success is based on your caster level).



Dreadful Visions [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Bard 3, Druid 4, Sor/Wiz 4
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Touch
Target: One living creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You inflict horrifying and disgusting visions upon the subject. Although they pass by in but a brief flash, they leave the subject with feelings of terror.

When you touch the subject of this spell, its mind fills with strange visions. On a failed Will save, the subject is frightened for the duration of this spell. On a successful Will save, the subject manages to take control of the visions and make some sense of them, causing them to be shaken for one round and granting them the benefit of an Divination spell (responses are with respect to the subject, but the chance of success is based on your caster level).



Forced Clairaudience [Mind-Affecting]
Divination (Scrying)
Level: Bard 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Close (25' + 5'/2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You impose your second sight upon your opponent, causing him to hear sounds from another location instead of his own.

When you touch the subject of this spell, the subject is subject to a modified Clairaudience spell. On a failed Will save, the subject hears sounds from a random location within 1 mile per level instead of from his own ears. Usually this is silent, but the random location is occasionally one in which some event is occurring. In either case, the subject is effectively deafened for the duration of this spell.



Forced Clairsentience [Mind-Affecting]
Divination (Scrying)
Level: Bard 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Close (25' + 5'/2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You impose your second sight upon your opponent, causing him to use his senses from another location instead of his own.

When you touch the subject of this spell, the subject is subject to a modified Clairaudience/Clairvoyance spell. On a failed Will save, the subject hears sounds, sees sights, and uses all other senses (with the exception of touch) from a random location within 1 mile per level instead of from his own body. Usually this is silent, dark, or otherwise nondescript, but the random location is occasionally one in which some event is occurring. In either case, the subject is effectively blinded, deafened, and unable to use most other senses (including extraordinary and unusual senses, such as tremorsense, scent, blindsight, and even effects such as the Lifesense and Mindsight feats) for the duration of this spell.



Forced Clairvoyance [Mind-Affecting]
Divination (Scrying)
Level: Bard 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Close (25' + 5'/2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You impose your second sight upon your opponent, causing him to see sights from another location instead of his own.

When you touch the subject of this spell, the subject is subject to a modified Clairvoyance spell. On a failed Will save, the subject sees sights from a random location within 1 mile per level instead of from his own eyes. Usually this is dark or nondescript, but the random location is occasionally one in which some event is occurring. In either case, the subject is effectively blinded for the duration of this spell.



Foresee Defenses
Divination
Level: Bard 5, Ranger 4, Sor/Wiz 5
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level or until discharged
Saving Throw: None (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No (harmless)

You extend your second sight into all possible immediate futures, allowing you to react to all potential responses to your own actions.

While you are under the effects of this spell, you receive warnings of the immediate future, detailing the immediate results of your actions. This grants you a +2 insight bonus on all attack rolls and caster level checks to oppose spell resistance, and a +1 insight bonus to the save DCs of your 4th level and lower spells.

In addition, once during the duration of this spell, you can react in advance to your enemies' reactions to you. As an immediate action, you can cause a single readied or immediate action made in response to one of your actions to be resolved after your action instead of before it. Doing so immediately ends this spell.



Lesser Countersight
Divination
Level: Cleric 2, Paladin 1, Sor/Wiz 2
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No (harmless)

You worm your own second sight into your opponents' foresight, allowing you to foresee and counteract the reactions that they make in response to their own visions.

While you are subject to this spell, any insight bonuses that your opponents may have are reduced when dealing with you. Any insight bonuses to attack rolls, armor class, caster level, caster level checks, and save DCs are reduced with respect to you. Such bonuses are reduced by one half your caster level (maximum 5), to a minimum bonus of +0. This effect has no effect on insight penalties, insight bonuses to other statistics, nor any other types of bonuses. The effect of this spell does not stack with similar effects.



Overwhelming Visions [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Bard 6, Druid 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Touch
Target: One living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You inflict upon the subject strange and intense visions. Although they pass by in but a brief flash, they leave the subject unconscious.

When you touch the subject of this spell, its mind fills with strange visions. On a failed Will save, the subject suffers nonlethal damage equal to their total maximum hit points. Regardless of the results of this nonlethal damage, or even if the subject is immune to nonlethal damage or is healed, they are immediately rendered unconscious and cannot be roused for 8 hours. On a successful Will save, the subject manages to take control of the visions and make some sense of them, causing them to only be dazed for one round and granting them the benefit of an Vision spell (the subject may choose the question and responses are with respect to the subject, but the chance of success is based on your caster level).



Painful Visions [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Bard 2, Druid 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Touch
Target: One living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You inflict upon the subject disturbing and confusing visions. Although they pass by in but a brief flash, they leave the subject drained.

When you touch the subject of this spell, its mind fills with strange visions. On a failed Will save, the subject suffers 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per level. On a successful Will save, the subject manages to take control of the visions and make some sense of them, granting them the benefit of an Augury spell (the subject may choose the question and responses are with respect to the subject, but the chance of success is based on your caster level).



Sight of Battle [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Bard 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Medium (100' + 10' level)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You impose your second sight upon your opponent, causing him to see and react to a distant battlefield instead the fight he is in.

When you touch the subject of this spell, the subject's mind is forcibly cast outwards, bringing him in thought, if not in body, to another battle in another place. On a failed Will save, the subject reacts to this battlefield, acting as though confused for the duration of this spell.



Sight of Strife [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Target: Up to one creature/level in a 15' radius burst

You impose your second sight upon your enemies, causing them to see and react to a distant battlefield instead the fight they are in.

This spell functions as sight of battle, except as noted above. In addition, the visions that the subjects see are warped, causing them to see apparent enemies where their true allies stand. Each round that a subject of this spell would attack the caster, act normally, or babble incoherently, it instead attacks the nearest creature also affected by the same casting of this spell.



Sight of War [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Bard 5, Sor/Wiz 6
Target: Up to one creature/level in a 15' radius burst

You impose your second sight upon your enemies, causing them to see and react to a distant battlefield instead the fight they are in.

This spell functions as sight of battle, except as noted above.



Unending Visions [Mind-Affecting]
Divination
Level: Bard 6, Druid 7, Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Touch
Target: One living creature
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You inflict upon the subject lengthy and important visions, seeming to contain the answers to the subject's most burning questions. The subject is consumed by them, unable to turn its attention away for the briefest moment in fear that the opportunity could pass them by.

When you touch the subject of this spell, its mind fills with strange visions. On a failed Will save, the subject is rendered catatonic, its mind filled with visions showing it answers to all that it could ever ask about, and more. The subject is unable to react to its environment, its attention consumed with the visions. It will not take any actions, even to protect itself from imminent death. Without care from others, the subject will eventually die of thirst or starvation.
   A spell or effect that dispels ongoing effects will not end this spell, only suppress it for 1d4 rounds. A Mage's Disjunction spell will dispel it as normal. A Miracle, Limited Wish, Wish, or other effect of similar power can also end it. A Microcosm power will also end this spell. An Anti-Magic Field or Mind Blank effect will negate this spell for as long as they last, but the visions and their effects will return as soon as the effect lapses.
   Despite the apparent importance of the visions, no information can be gleaned from them. Any creature freed from this spell's effects will feel as though they could have gleaned some truth from the visions had they seen them for but a few moments longer.

   On a successful Will save, the subject recognizes the futility of chasing the visions, managing to pull itself away from them without losing its mind. In doing so, the subject manages to gain some insight from them, granting them the benefit of an Commune spell (the subject may choose the questions and responses are with respect to the subject, but the chance of success is based on your caster level). Only a one question per four caster levels can be asked this way.
[/spoiler]



Power Lists

Psion/Wilder
[spoiler]
Psion/Wilder 3
Recall Debilitation - As recall agony, but damage is nonlethal and causes negative conditions.

Psion/Wilder 4
Recall Apocalypse - Fold time to bring future destruction of an are into the present.

Psion/Wilder 9
Recall Annihilation - As recall death, except the subject is removed from existence.
[/spoiler]



Power Descriptions
[spoiler]

Recall Annihilation [Death, Mind-Affecting]
Clairsentience
Level: Psion/Wilder 9
Power Points: 17

This power functions as the recall death power, except as noted above. In addition, if the subject dies as a result of this power or its damage, the creature's body disappears as its personal timeline is folded in upon itself and eradicated. All traces of its existence and memory disappear, as though the subject had never existed (although significant events that it influenced will usually still have occurred in a similar manner, albeit with different participants). Only creatures who directly witness this event at its moment of occurrence retain their memories of the subject's former existence. Only a reality revision or similarly powerful effects can restore the subject's timeline (and thus its impact upon the world), although additional effects are required to recreate its body and restore it to life.



Recall Apocalypse [Mind-Affecting, see text]
Clairsentience
Level: Psion/Wilder 4
Display: Material
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area: 30 ft. emanation centered on a point in space
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will partial
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 7

The fabric of time parts to your will, revealing a post-apocalyptic landscape as the result of some future catastrophe in a potential timeline. The area of this power is considered to be difficult terrain, and all creatures within it suffer 1d6 points of acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage each round (chosen when you manifest this power) as a result of the post-apocalyptic fallout (acid rain, biting cold, lightning storms, blistering heat, or similar sources). A successful Will save each round prevents the damage. Each energy type has different effects.

Acid
The landscape is either filled with acid rain or filled with acrid fumes, at your discretion (chosen when this power is manifested). Treat the acid rain as normal rain, except that if it is ingested it functions as an ingested poison with a Fortitude save DC equal to this power's save DC and dealing 1 point of Constitution damage immediately and 1d4 points of Constitution damage 1 minute later (if you chose acid rain). If a creature within the acrid fumes suffers acid damage from this power it is also subject to the fumes themselves as an inhaled poison with a Fortitude save DC equal to this power's save DC and dealing 1 point of Constitution damage immediately and 1d4 points of Constitution damage 1 minute later (if you chose acrid fumes).

Cold
A landscape of this type deals +1 point of damage per die. In addition, the difficult terrain is instead snow-covered terrain and is either slick with ice or covered with heavy snow, at your discretion (chosen when this power is manifested). Creatures attempting to move across this ice must make a DC 10 balance check to do so (if you chose ice).

Electricity
Manifesting a landscape of this energy type provides a +2 bonus to the save DC and a +2 bonus on manifester level checks for the purpose of overcoming power resistance. In addition, the landscape is either filled with severe winds (or the normal winds, whichever is greater) or covered with metallic shards, at your discretion (chosen when this power is manifested). The metallic shards are treated as caltrops within each space of the power, and electricity arcs between them (which has no additional game effect).

Fire
A landscape of this type deals +1 point of damage per die. In addition, the blasted landscape is either filled with smoke or heated to extreme heat (air temperature  of 140 F, or the area's normal temperature, whichever is higher), at your discretion (chosen when this power is manifested). The smoke obscures vision as normal (giving concealment to characters within it), but does not risk choking and coughing for breathing it (if you chose smoke). The extreme heat also requires a creature to make a Fortitude save to avoid nonlethal damage (DC 15, +1 per previous check, as normal for extreme heat) whenever that creature fails a Will save to avoid the fire damage, instead of only once every 5 minutes (if you chose extreme heat).

Sonic
A landscape of this type deals -1 point of damage per die and deals damage to unattended objects in the area as well as creatures, ignoring their hardness. Creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are still damaged by this power as though they were not immune to mind-affecting effects.

Creatures that are unaffected by this power (such as due to power resistance or immunity to mind-affecting effects) do not treat the terrain as difficult terrain (unless it otherwise is) and do not suffer the power's damage. Check for power resistance only the first time that it would interact with or observe the power's area. This power's subtype is the same as the type of energy you manifest.

Augment
For every 2 additional power points that you spend, this power's save DC increases by 1 and the damage dealt each round increases by one die (d6).



Recall Debilitation [Mind-Affecting]
Clairsentience
Level: Psion/Wilder 3
Duration: Instantaneous; 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will partial
Power Points: 5

This power functions as the recall agony power, except as noted above. In addition, the damage dealt is nonlethal damage, and if the subject fails the saving throw, it also suffers from your choice of the dazzled, entangled, fatigued, or shaken conditions for 1 round per level.

Augment
For every 4 additional power points that you spend, you can choose to apply one additional condition on a failed saving throw.
In addition, you can select from additional conditions based on the power points that you spent to increase this power's damage, according to the table below.

Damage Increase	Condition
+1d6	Sickened
+3d6	Deafened
+5d6	Exhausted
+7d6	Nauseated
+9d6	Frightened
+11d6	Blinded
+13d6	Panicked
+15d6	Paralyzed

[/spoiler]

[SiggyDevil]

Evasions seems too similar in name to Evasion (the ability)

I suggest either Boost or Counter, as they are already functions within 3.5e through Tome of Battle.

EDIT: SOrry, did you want this spot reserved? I can delete and repost it.

[Garryl]

Specialty skills:
   Your max ranks are based only on classes/hit dice for which these skills are class skills. These skills are particularly powerful and can sometimes generate magical effects. More so than other skills, having specialty skills on your class list is akin to a real class feature. This would probably be best in a variant that also ups the skills everyone gets by a bit (at least for the 2+ Int fellows).
   The effects that you can pull off are based on making skill checks. There is an absolute limit of how much you can get out of them per day based on your ranks, though.




Autohypnosis
- As normal Autohypnosis, except as follows:
-
- check out the epic level auohypnosis effects, those are good ideas

Control Shape
- as normal Control Shape, except as follows:
- Minor Shapeshift: Can use a swift action to gain benefits as per the Minor Shapeshift reserve feat. Each time you use this effect, choose a spell level (up to your character level/2, minimum 4), you gain the effects as if you had a polymorph spell of that level available. You can emulate a total number of spell levels each day equal to your ranks in this skill.
- Shift Form: As a standard action, change to another form allowed by a shape changing spell (such as alter self or polymorph). DC 20, plus 2 for each time used today.

Iajutsu focus
- As normal Iajutsu Focus, except as follows:
- Strike From the Void: Make an Iajutsu Focus check to treat an attack as a touch attack and gain Ghost Strike.

Lucid Dreaming


Truespeak
- Make skill checks to emulate some of the utterances in ToM without needing to be a Truenamer.

UMD/UPD
- These are useful enough as it is
- Maybe they could allow you to use items without expending charges sometimes?

Martial Lore
- recover maneuvers with faster actions
- gain use of a single maneuver you don't know

Spellcraft/Psicraft
- as normal, except as follows:
- identifying spells can now also be done by Spot/Listen
- skill checks let you use 0-level spell-like abilities. Higher level checks give you higher level effects



Psions get one of the above based on discipline
Egoist - Control Shape
Kineticist - Iajutsu Focus
Nomad - Lucid Dreaming
Seer - UPD
Shaper - Truespeak
Telepath - Autohypnosis

[Garryl]

Ritualist
   Alternative caster who uses long casting-time rituals to provide powerful bonuses for a long duration.



1/2 BaB
Good Will
4+Int skills
d6 hit dice

Abilities:
1- Ritual Leader
4- Ritual Focus (can take 10 on rituals)

Ritual Mastery (can take 10 on rituals even when stressed or threatened)
Greater Ritual Focus (+5 on ritual checks when taking 10 while not stressed or threatened)
Superior Ritual Focus (+10 on ritual checks when taking 10 while not stressed or threatened)

[spoiler]
Free rituals/day:
Level   1   2   3   4   5   6   7
1       0   -
2       1   -
3       2   -
4       2   0   -
5       3   1   -
6       3   2   -
7       4   2   0   -
8       4   3   1   -
9       4   3   2   -
10      4   4   2   0   -
11      5   4   3   1   -
12      5   4   3   2   -
13      5   4   4   2   0   -
14      5   5   4   3   1   -
15      5   5   4   3   2   -
16      5   5   4   4   2   0   -
17      6   5   5   4   3   1   -
18      6   5   5   4   3   2   -
19      6   6   5   4   4   2   0
20      6   6   5   5   4   3   1



[/spoiler]

Mechanics of rituals:
- usually has casting time of 1 minute or more
- usually has a duration of 10 minutes or more or is instantaneous
- to use a ritual, you must make a ritual leadership check. 1d20 + ritual leader level + ritual stat. The DC is equal to 10 + 5x (ritual level - 1). You automatically succeed on your check for your free rituals.
- Each time you use a ritual beyond your daily free allotment, the DC of all rituals of that level increases by +3.
- You can take 10, but not 20. Aid another is allowed by non-participants.
- All participants in the ritual usually gain some kind of bonus (doesn't require anything special to participate). Some rituals might channel power or benefits from participants to one member (similar to Circle Magic).
- Rituals can be augmented by treating them as a higher level ritual



False Rituals:
Rituals that look like one thing, but actually do another. Good for if you can trick your enemies to go along with it, since all participants still have to be willing. More of a BBEG/political intrigue type thing.
ex:
False Ritual of Pain - Participants suffer damage, may become diseased or poisoned.
False Ritual of Influence - Participants are subject to a Suggestion spell.
False Ritual of Command - Participants are subject to a Domination effect.
False Ritual of Prying Truth - Participants cannot lie and are more willing to answer questions.
False Ritual of Damnation - Participants' souls are trapped, preventing them from being resurrected after death.
False Ritual of Containment - Participants are imprisoned until a specified event occurs.
False Ritual of Weakness - Participants are drained of abilities.




Rituals:
[spoiler]
NAME
Level X
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:




Ritual of Purification
Level 1
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: Instantaneous; 10 minutes/level
Targets: Up to one participant/level
Saving Throw: None (harmless)
   This ritual removes impurities from the participants' bodies. Each participant is healed for 1d6 points of damage and can make a saving throw against every disease affecting them. A successful saving throw counts towards recovering from the disease and prevents the negative effects of the disease the next time the saving throw is failed. A failed saving throw causes no benefit or penalties.
Augment: For every level that this ritual is increased, the healing provided increases by 2d6.
   If the level is increased by at least 2, a successful saving throw against a disease cures the disease immediately.


NAME
Level X
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:

NAME
Level X
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:

NAME
Level X
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration:
Targets:
Saving Throw:

NAME
Level X
Casting Time: 1 minute
Targets:
Saving Throw:

[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

[Garryl]

Enhanced Diseases:
   Diseases in D&D are kind of tame. Sure, at the low levels they can be dangerous, but so is everything at low level. By 5th level diseases are little more than a bump in the road, with the 3rd level spell Remove Disease handling just about everything easily.



New Diseases:
[spoiler]
Disease            Infection   DC   Incubation   Damage
Blood Bursting         Injury   16   1d2 days      1d4 Con and 2d12 hp
   Whenever the victim of Blood Bursting is damaged by a slashing or piercing weapon, all other creatures within 10 feet are splashed with the victim's blood. Such creatures must make a saving throw the next time they are damage by a slashing or piercing weapon or contract the disease too. Infected blood loses its potency 1 minute after being exposed to air.
Coward's Death      Inhaled   17   1 day      1d6 Dex and 1d2 Dex drain
   A creature that fails its saving throw against Coward's Death is shaken for 24 hours.
Enervating End         Contact   18   1d4 days      1 Str drain, 1 Dex drain, 1 Con drain, 1 Int drain, 1 Wis drain, and 1 Cha drain
   Creatures that fail their saving throw against Enervating End also gain one negative level. The save DC to remove the negative level is the same as the disease's save DC. Creatures that die while infected with Enervating End rise as a Devourer during the next night. The Devourer has energy trapped within it equal to the number of levels or hit dice it possess in life, including any lost due to the negative levels inflicted by this disease, to a maximum of 15 levels.
Psychic Degeneration   Inhaled   15   1 day      1d4 Int, 1d4 Wis, and 1d4 Cha
   Psychic Degeneration causes creatures that take damage from it to lose knowledge of their highest level spell or power known whenever they are dealt damage by it. Spellcasters also lose their highest level spell slot and manifesters permanently lose power points equal to the cost to manifest the power that they lost (excluding augmentation, metapsionics, and other effects that would modify the power's cost). Lost spells and powers return at a rate of 1 per day once the disease is cured, starting with the lowest level spell or power lost. Lost spell slots return similarly, and lost power points return along with the power they were lost with.
[/spoiler]

New Spells:
[spoiler]

Enhanced Contagion
Necromancy [Evil]
Clr 5, Drd 5, Sor/Wiz 6
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

This spell functions as Contagion except as noted above. The caster can also choose from a wider variety of diseases, listed below, in addition to those allowed by the Contagion spell.


Disease            DC      Damage
Blood Bursting         16      1d4 Con and 2d12 hp
   Whenever the victim of Blood Bursting is damaged by a slashing or piercing weapon, all other creatures within 10 feet are splashed with the victim's blood. Such creatures must make a saving throw the next time they are damage by a slashing or piercing weapon or contract the disease too. Infected blood loses its potency 1 minute after being exposed to air.
Coward's Death      17      1d6 Dex and 1d2 Dex drain
   A creature that fails its saving throw against Coward's Death is shaken for 24 hours.
Psychic Degeneration   15      1d4 Int, 1d4 Wis, and 1d4 Cha
   Psychic Degeneration causes creatures that take damage from it to lose knowledge of their highest level spell or power known whenever they are dealt damage by it. Spellcasters also lose their highest level spell slot and manifesters permanently lose power points equal to the cost to manifest the power that they lost (excluding augmentation, metapsionics, and other effects that would modify the power's cost). Lost spells and powers return at a rate of 1 per day once the disease is cured, starting with the lowest level spell or power lost. Lost spell slots return similarly, and lost power points return along with the power they were lost with.


   In addition, the caster can select one of the following options for every 6 caster levels, to a maximum of 3 options at caster level 18. The disease caused by this spell is more potent than normal in the chosen manners.


Contagious: The disease spreads to any creature that passes within 5 feet of a diseased creature. Creatures that make their saving throw against contracting the Contagious disease this way are not at risk of infection from the same disease bearer for 24 hours in this way, although they can still catch the disease through other means.
   This ability can be selected multiple times. Each time it is selected beyond the first, the radius of infection increases by 5 feet and the save DC to avoid contracting the disease through this proximity increases by 2. This does not affect the save DC of the disease for other purposes.

Debilitating: The disease is more dangerous than most. When rolling for damage with this disease, roll twice and take the higher result for each damage, ability damage, or ability drain type

Sickening: The disease is particularly disruptive. A victim of the disease must make a Fortitude save every round against the disease's save DC or be sickened for that round.

Tenacious: The disease is protected against magic that would cure it and is difficult to be rid of even by normal means. This disease requires one additional successful saving throws to be rid of, and requires the successful saving throws to be consecutive. Spells and effects that would remove this disease, such as the Cure Disease spell, require the spellcaster to make a caster level check against a DC equal to the disease's current save DC, or a similar check. Failure indicates that the ability has no effect. Success does not remove the disease, but only causes the recipient to be treated as though he had succeeded on two additional consecutive saving throws against the disease.

Virulent: The save DC of this disease (other than the initial saving throw as part of this spell) increases by 2, to a maximum of this spell's save DC. Whenever this disease causes ability damage, the victim must make an additional Fortitude saving throw or take 1d2 points of Constitution damage above and beyond any damage already caused by this disease.
   This ability can be selected multiple times. Each time it is selected beyond the first, the save DC of the disease increases by 2.

Wasting: This disease causes slow but inevitable death. On a failed saving throw against this disease, the victim suffers half of all ability damage taken as ability drain and suffers an additional 1 point of Constitution drain. Even on a successful save, the victim still takes 1 point of ability damage to each ability score that this disease would normally damage.



Mass Contagion
Necromancy [Evil]
Clr 6, Drd 6, Sor/Wiz 7
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft. level)
Targets: Up to 1 creature/caster level within 30 ft. of each other

This spell functions as Contagion except as noted above.



Vicious Contagion
Necromancy [Evil]
Clr 7, Drd 7, Sor/Wiz 8
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

This spell functions as Contagion except as noted above. The caster can also choose from a wider variety of diseases, listed below, in addition to those allowed by the Contagion spell. The caster can also select disease options from the Enhanced Contagion spell.


Disease            DC      Damage
Enervating End         18      1 Str drain, 1 Dex drain, 1 Con drain, 1 Int drain, 1 Wis drain, and 1 Cha drain
   Creatures that fail their saving throw against Enervating End also gain one negative level. The save DC to remove the negative level is the same as the disease's save DC. Creatures that die while infected with Enervating End rise as a Devourer during the next night. The Devourer has energy trapped within it equal to the number of levels or hit dice it possess in life, including any lost due to the negative levels inflicted by this disease, to a maximum of 15 levels.
Hatefrenzy         18      1d6 Cha
   Creatures suffering damage from Hatfrenzy lose the ability to distinguish between friend and foe. See http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20030421a for more details.


   In addition, the caster can select one of the following options for every 4 caster levels, to a maximum of 6 options at caster level 24. The disease caused by this spell is more potent than normal in the chosen manners. The caster can choose abilities from the Enhanced Contagion list as well.


Nauseous: The disease is particularly disruptive. A victim of the disease must make a Fortitude save every round against the disease's save DC or be nauseated for that round.

Retributive: Whenever a creature tries to cure this disease using magical means, that creature is immediately infected with no saving throw. Creatures that are immune to disease can be affected this way, although they get a saving throw.

Vile: The disease is enhanced with the power of pure evil. All ability damage that it does is considered ability drain and all hit point damage that it does is considered Vile damage.
[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

Elemental Shaper (Infusing base class, based on Artificer idea)

[spoiler]
Elemental Crafting: Craft items as if you had all spells and powers of a level up to your (caster level+1)/2. Can craft items with [fire], [water], [air], or [earth] descriptor spells or powers as prerequisites as though your caster level was +2 levels (so also +1 spell level). This also applies to such effects that can have one of the above descriptors when used even if it doesn't normally have it.

Para-elemental Crafting: Your Elemental Crafting ability also applies to effects with the [cold], [electricity], [sonic], [acid], [light] descriptors.

Craft Reserve: As Artificer.

Elemental Infusions: Wisdom-based, spontaneous infusions from a subset of your list chosen every day. Uses and selected infusions per day as Bard-esque (except no 0th level infusions, access to 1st levels at 1st level, more per day). Elemental Infusions can also be applied to creatures with the elemental type in addition to items and constructs.











Example Elemental Infusions:








ACFs: Sublime Shaper
   Lose ability to craft with spells (keep powers)
   Lose ~1/2 of elemental infusions selected and used per day
   Gain ability to craft with all maneuvers
   Gain Scribe Martial Script
   Gain use of maneuvers from Desert Wind and Stone Dragon
   Gain maneuvers known as Warblade (minus the one gained at 2nd), and readied as Warblade -1, and stances as Warblade -1
      (ie: 3 known at 1st, +1 at each odd level, 2 readied at 1st, +1 @4/10/15/20, 1 stance @ 4th, +1 @10/16)
[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

I was reading a discussion on GitP about PrCs that suck (or otherwise don't work well). One of the things that was brought up was the Apostle of Peace and the idea that it should have been the goodly anti-Ur-Priest, but instead it kinds floundered due to rough prerequisites (Vow of Peace, Vow of Poverty, etc.) and a mediocre spell list. So how could this be fixed?

Keeping with the original idea of a divine caster working off of the power granted by being Exalted and following his vows, how about an Apostle of Justice? Rather than being all about non-violence and healing, how about kicking butt and taking names for goodness (just like D&D is normally played, but with justification). The basic Cleric spell list could probably fit nicely into this without any modifications. Add on a few class features, drop the feat prerequisites to Sacred Vow and Vow of Justice (which would be a Vow of Peace-esque feat that doesn't force your whole party to follow your mindset), and there you go. I don't think that it quite fits as an Exalted class with those concepts behind it, and that's fine by me. As long as it gets to be a good-aligned counterpart to the Ur-Priest, I'm happy.




Replacement BoED Vows:


Honorable Vow [Exalted]
You have a code of honor that you follow willingly. In exchange for holding yourself to your highest ideals, your deity or the pure power of good grants you extra strength to keep to your ideals.
Prerequisites: Diplomacy 2 ranks.
Benefit: You gain a +2 perfection bonus on Diplomacy checks. In addition, the blessings of your deity or the power of your ideals protects you, granting you a +1 perfection bonus to AC against the attacks of evil creatures and a +1 perfection bonus to saves against the effects created or used by evil creatures.
Special: This feat can be used in place of Sacred Vow to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other option. If you would gain Sacred Vow as a bonus feat, you can choose to gain this feat  instead.


Vow of Conviction [Exalted]
You vow to remain true to your ideals. Nothing can sway you from you beliefs.
Prerequisites: Sacred Vow or Honorable Vow
Benefit You gain a +4 perfection bonus on all saves against charm and compulsion effects. If your effective character level is at least 15, you also gain immunity to all charm and compulsion effects to which you are not willing.
   You also gain a +4 perfection bonus on Sense Motive checks. If your effective character level is at least 10, you automatically detect if a creature is trying to influence your actions in a manner opposed to your ideals.
   Additionally, you always know if a course of action runs a significant risk of changing your alignment or is otherwise opposed to your ideals and beliefs.
Special: To fulfill your vow, you must not willingly change your alignment. If your alignment is changed unwillingly, such as the result of a magical compulsion, you must attempt to return to your original alignment as soon as possible, otherwise you lose the benefits of this feat until you perform penance and receive an atonement spell. If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it.
   This feat can be used in place of Vow of Obedience to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other option. If you would gain Vow of Obedience as a bonus feat, you can choose to gain this feat instead.


Vow of Determination [Exalted]
You have vowed never to give up and never to surrender. Once you start a task, you should see it through to its end as best you can.
Prerequisites: Vow of Conviction, one of Sacred Vow or Honorable Vow
Benefit You gain a +4 perfection bonus on all saves against mind-affecting effects and fear effects. If your effective character level is at least 15, you also gain immunity to all mind-affecting effects and fear effects to which you are not willing.
   You also gain a +4 perfection bonus on all saves against effects that would be prevented by the freedom of movement spell, on all grapple checks made to resist or escape a grapple, and on all Escape Artist checks. If your effective character level is at least 10, you gain the benefits of the freedom of movement spell at all times. You can suppress or resume the freedom of movement effect as a free action.
Special: To fulfill your vow, you must attempt to complete all tasks that you willingly start, within reason. Significantly more important tasks that come up may take priority over a prior task that you have set yourself, but you must attempt to complete it when the greater issues have been resolved. You may not surrender except against overwhelming odds or to protect others, and you must seek to escape your captors if you do. If you are unwillingly forced to surrender or abandon a task that you have set yourself, such as from the result of a magical compulsion, you must attempt to escape captivity or complete the task as soon as possible, otherwise you lose the benefits of this feat until you perform penance and receive an atonement spell. If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it.
   If the circumstances surrounding a task you have set yourself (or your knowledge thereof) change sufficiently to act against your goals, ideals, or vows, you may change or abandon the task as necessary and without risking the loss of this feat.


Vow of Justice [Exalted]
You vow to bring justice to those who have wronged others. You must remember that you are here only to ensure that justice is carried out, not to determine it. You are law enforcement, but never judge, jury, and executioner.
Prerequisites: Sacred Vow or Honorable Vow
Benefit You never suffer any penalties for attempting to deal nonlethal damage, and you may choose to have any damage that you deal be considered nonlethal damage (including damage that cannot normally be made nonlethal, such as damage from spells). Creatures that are damaged in this way suffer nonlethal damage equal to the amount of lethal damage that they would otherwise have suffered, even if they are normally immune or resistant to nonlethal damage.
   In addition, the saving throw DC of any abilities you use against unjust creatures is increased by 4. This benefit only applies if the effect does not deal lethal damage, deal Constitution damage, deal ability drain, bestow negative levels, or function primarily by causing pain. The benefit of this feat does not stack with Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus, Ability Focus, or similar feats.
Special: For the purposes of this feat, unjust creatures are creatures with an Intelligence of at least 6 that have wronged others intentionally or are planning to do so. Natural predation (including hunting and farming of domesticated animals), self-defense (including the protection of others), and similar actions are not considered wrongdoings. A creature that has atoned for its wrongdoings (whether through an atonement spell or by making restitution to the victim, as appropriate according to the wrongdoing and the societal laws and values) is not considered unjust for those wrongdoings, although other wrongdoings may still cause it to be considered unjust.
   To fulfill your vow, you must not willingly and intentionally harm an innocent creature, kill an unjust creature, or become unjust yourself. If an unjust creature surrenders peacefully, you may not harm it or allow it to come to harm. If it breaks the terms of surrender by willingly and intentionally attacking you, your allies, or others, you may deal with it as you see fit without breaking your vows. If you are forced to act contrary to the above, such as the result of a magical compulsion, you lose the benefits of this feat until you perform penance and receive an atonement spell. If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it.
   This feat can be used in place of Vow of Nonviolence to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other option. If you would gain Vow of Nonviolence as a bonus feat, you can choose to gain this feat instead.



Vow of Redistribution
- you vow to redistribute the wealth of the world to those that need it most
- Requires Sacred Vow or Honorable Vow
- benefits as VoP, but 2 levels lower.
- You can keep wealth and equipment that you need to do your good works. You are allowed wealth equal to your normal WBL minus the WBL of two levels lower than you are. This replaces the crazy absolute restrictions of VoP.


Temporarily placing the basic VoP benefits here to manipulate later on. Er, the evil version's benefits. Whatever.
[spoiler]
Vow of Pride
You have taken a sacred vow to forswear material possession
Prerequisite: Unspeakable Vow (from Drow of the Underdark)
Benefit: You gain bonuses to your Armor Class, ability score and saving throws, as well as bonus vile, Abyssal Heritor or deformity feats, all depending on your character level.
Special: To fulfill your vow, you must not own or use an material possessions, with the following exceptions: You may carry and use ordinary (neither magic nor masterwork) simple weapons, usually just a quarterstaff that serves as a walking stick. You may wear simple clothes (usually just a homespun robe, possibly also including a hat and sandals) with no magic properties. You may carry enough food to sustain you for one day in a simple (nonmagic) sack or bag. You may carry and use a spell component pouch. You may not use any magic item of an sort, though you can benefit from magic items used on you behalf - you can drink a potion of cure serious wounds a friend gives you, receive a spell cast from a wand, scroll, or staff, or ride on your companion's ebony fly. You may not, however, borrow a cloak of resistance or any other magic item from a companion fit even a single round, nor may you yourself cast a spell from scroll, wand, or staff.
Normal: If you break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it.

Character level by Benefits
1st level: AC Bonus +4
2nd level: Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
3rd level: AC Bonus +5, Endure Elements
4th level: Vile Strike +1 (magic), Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
5th level: Sustenance
6th level: AC Bonus +6, Deflection +1, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
7th level: Resistance +1, Ability Score Enchantment +2
8th level: Natural Armor +1, Mind Shielding, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
9th level: AC Bonus +7
10th level: Vile Strike +2 (Evil), Damage Reduction 5/Magic, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
11th level: Ability Score Enchantment +4/+2
12th level: AC Bonus +8, Deflection +2, Greater Sustenance, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
13th level: Resistance +2, Energy Resistance 5
14th level: Vile Strike +3, Freedom of Movement, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
15th level: AC Bonus +9, Ability Score Enchantment +6/+4/+2, Damage Reduction 5/Good
16th level: Natural Armor Bonus +2, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
17th level: Vile Strike +4, Resistance +3, Regeneration
18th level: AC Bonus +10, Deflection +3, True Seeing, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat
19th level: Ability Score Enchantment +8/+6/+4/+2, Damage Reduction 10/Good
20th level: Vile Strike +5, Energy Resistance 15, Bonus Vile, Abyssal Heritor or Deformity feat

[/spoiler]


Vow of Vigilance
- detect evil, detect magic, arcane sight, blindsense, etc. as you gain levels
- bonus to Spot/Listen/Initiative
- need less sleep


Vow of Protection
- requires honorable vow, vow of justice
- in place of vow of Peace
- aura grants Sanctuary spell effect to non-opponents nearby while you are conscious (attacker must make Will save DC 10 + 1/2 level + Cha to attack them); doesn't affect you; bonuses to save DC from VoJ may apply based on attacker
- gain fast healing based on level, eventually regeneration as well?

[SiggyDevil]

You could redo or make new Vows. The old ones suck. Even Vow of Poverty, since loot makes a character.

[Garryl]

The Apostle of Justice
A 10-level, 9th level casting, good-aligned counterpart to the Ur-Priest and replacement for the Apostle of Peace.


Requirements

To qualify to become an apostle of justice, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any good.
Base Save Bonuses: Fort +3, Will +3.
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Diplomacy 8 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks.
Feats: Honorable Vow, Vow of Justice.

Table: The Apostle of Justice       Hit Die: d8
       Base                                           ------------------Spellcasting------------------
       Attack  Fort  Ref   Will                       Spells per Day
Level  Bonus   Save  Save  Save  Special              0    1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th
1st    +0      +2    +0    +2    Smite                4    2    --   --   --   --   --   --   --   --
2nd    +1      +3    +0    +3    Turn undead          5    3    0    --   --   --   --   --   --   --
3rd    +2      +3    +1    +3                         5    3    1    0    --   --   --   --   --   --
4th    +3      +4    +1    +4    Blindsense           6    3    2    1    0    --   --   --   --   --
5th    +3      +4    +1    +4                         6    3    3    2    1    0    --   --   --   --
6th    +4      +5    +2    +5                         6    3    3    3    2    1    0    --   --   --
7th    +5      +5    +2    +5    Smiting Spell        6    4    3    3    3    2    1    0    --   --
8th    +6      +6    +2    +6                         6    4    4    3    3    3    2    1    0    --
9th    +6      +6    +3    +6                         6    5    4    4    4    4    3    2    1    0
10th   +7      +7    +3    +7    Blindsight           6    5    5    4    4    4    4    3    2    1

Class skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Listen, Perform, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spellcraft, and Spot.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Apostles of justice gain proficiency with all simple weapons and with light armor.

Class Features
[spoiler]
Spells: An apostle of justice has the ability to cast a number of divine spells. To cast an apostle of justice spell, the apostle must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level, so an apostle with a Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Apostle of justice bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the apostle of justice's Wisdom modifier. When the apostle of justice gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level (for instance, 2nd-level spells for a 2nd-level apostle), he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Wisdom score for that spell level. The apostle of justice's spell list is the same as the cleric's spell list, although he does not gain any domains. An apostle of justice prepares and casts spells just as a cleric does, although he does not gain the ability to spontaneously cast cure or rebuke spells.
   To determine the caster level of an apostle of justice, add the character's apostle levels to one-half of his caster levels in other spellcasting classes.

Smite (Su): Your apostle of justice level stacks with your levels in other classes that grant you the ability to smite to determine the effectiveness and uses per day of those abilities.
   In addition, you gain the ability to smite your opponents. A number of times per encounter equal to one half your Charisma modifier (minimum once per encounter), a you may attempt to smite an opponent with one normal melee attack. You add your Charisma bonus (if any) to your attack roll and deal 1 extra point of damage per apostle of justice level. You can add your levels in other classes that grant you the ability to smite to your apostle of justice level to determine the bonus damage dealt.

Turn Undead (Su): Starting at 2nd level, your apostle of justice level stacks with your levels in other classes that grant you the ability to turn undead to determine the effectiveness and uses per day of those abilities (but not your ability to rebuke undead).
   In addition, you gain the ability to turn undead as a good cleric of your apostle of justice level. You can add your levels in other classes that grant you the ability to turn undead to your apostle of justice level to determine your effective cleric level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier (minimum once per day). This stacks with the number of daily uses of turning that you may have from other sources.

Blindsense (Su): Beginning at 4th level, you gain blindsense out to 15 feet. If you have any unused apostle of justice spell slots or prepared spells remaining, the range of this blindsense increases by 5 feet times the highest level spell or spell slot among them.

Smiting Spell (Su): Beginning at 7th level, you can channel your smiting ability into your spells. Whenever you cast a spell, you can give up any number of uses of your smite abilities, to a maximum of your caster level (before considering the effects of this ability). Your caster level for that spell increases by the number of uses expended.

Blindsight (Su): Beginning at 10th level, you gain blindsight out to 5 feet. If you have any unused apostle of justice spell slots or prepared spells remaining, the range of this blindsense increases by 5 feet times one half of the highest level spell or spell slot among them (rounded up).
[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

Nightmare Walker - Fear Based PrC

"Many warriors try to intimidate their opponents by yelling and screaming, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Fear is a precision instrument. It must nurtured and cared for like a newborn so that it can grow strong."

[spoiler]
   ***Should have a small feat pre-req?***
   Skills: Autohypnosis 4 ranks, Concentration 8 ranks, Intimidate 8 ranks.

Table: The Nightmare Walker      Hit Die: d8
        Base
        Attack  Fort Ref  Will
Level   Bonus   Save Save Save    Special
1       +0      +0   +0   +2      Secret Fear
2       +1      +0   +0   +3      Control Fear (personal), Daunt the Dauntless
3       +2      +1   +1   +3      Spreading Terror
4       +3      +1   +1   +4      Consuming Terror
5       +3      +1   +1   +4      Hide in Terror
6       +4      +2   +2   +5      Dissolve Courage
7       +5      +2   +2   +5      Control Fear (domination)
8       +6      +2   +2   +6      Travel by Nightmare
9       +6      +3   +3   +6      Instinctive Fright
10      +7      +3   +3   +7      Inverted Nightmare

Class skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Autohypnosis, Concentration, Intimidate, ***and a bunch of others***


Secret Fear (Su): Whenever you successfully demoralize a creature with the Intimidate skill, you can implant a subtle hidden fear in that creature. At first, the subject does not seem to be affected in any way, other than feeling a vague worry. However, you can trigger this fear as a standard action at any time, ending the Secret Fear. When you do, you can make an Intimidate check to demoralize the subject, even if you do not threaten the subject, do not have line of sight or line of effect to the subject, or even if the subject is on another plane.
   You can only implant a single Secret Fear into any given creature at once, although you can implant Secret Fears into multiple creatures concurrently. Once implanted, the Secret Fear must be used within one week per Nightmare Walker level. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Control Fear (Ex/Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you gain mastery over your fear. While you are not immune to fear outright, you never suffer any penalties for being afraid and fear does not affect your actions. Thus, you can act normally while frightened, panicked, or cowering, and you do not suffer the usual -2 penalties to your attack rolls saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks caused by the shaken, frightened, and panicked conditions. Other fear effects may still affect you, though, as long as they do not apply any penalties to you or influence your actions. This is an extraordinary ability.
   At 7th level, your mastery over fear extends to manipulating others. As a standard action, you can take control of the actions of a single panicked or cowering creature that you can see. If the subject fails a Will save (DC 10 + your Nightmare Walker level + your Charisma modifier), you can cause the subject to act as you desire for one round, using any abilities that you know about in the manner that you desire. Under this effect, the subject can act normally as long as it follows your commands, as though it was not panicked or cowering, although it still suffers any penalties associated with those conditions. You do not need to be able to communicate with the subject to give it commands and you do not need to have line of effect to control it, all you need is line of sight. This ability does not give you any special insight or knowledge about the subject or its abilities. If you order the subject to perform a task that it is physically incapable of performing, or to use an ability that it cannot use or does not have, the subject takes no action instead. Obviously self-destructive orders are not carried out. This is a supernatural ability, and a mind-affecting fear and compulsion effect.

Daunt the Dauntless (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, you can cause fear in a creature within 30 feet as a standard action. If the subject fails a Will save (DC 10 + your Nightmare Walker level + your Charisma modifier) it is shaken for 1 minute per Nightmare Walker level you possess. This ability even affects creatures immune to fear effects (though not with immunity to mind-affecting effects), although they are only shaken for 1 round per Nightmare Walker level. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Spreading Terror (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, you can cause a pervasive fear in those around you as a standard action. All opponents within 5 feet per Nightmare Walker level must make a Will save (DC 10 + your Nightmare Walker level + your Charisma modifier) or become frightened for one round and shaken for one round after that. Further, any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of any shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering creature affected by this ability (other than itself) must make a Will save at the same DC or also be affected by this ability, becoming frightened for one round, shaken for the next round, and capable of spreading the fear.
   You can use this ability once per day for every two Nightmare Walker levels. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Consuming Terror (Su): Beginning at 4th level, the fear you cause is so real that it eats away at creatures affected by it. Whenever you cause fear in a creature, you can choose to use this ability on them, and it lasts until that creature is no longer shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering. An affected creature that can see or pinpoint you takes 2 points of damage at the beginning of its turn if it is shaken, 1d6+1 damage if it is frightened, 2d6 if it is panicked, or 2d12 if it is cowering. Creatures that cannot see you take no damage from this ability, no matter how scared they are. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Hide in Terror (Su): Beginning at 5th level, you gain the ability to shroud yourself in the fear of others, hiding yourself in plain sight. This functions identically to the Hide in Plain Sight Assassin ability, except that you need to be within 10 feet of a shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering creature (other than yourself) to use it, instead of within 10 feet of a shadow.

Dissolve Courage (Ex): At 6th level, your Daunt the Dauntless ability improves, allowing it to infest the minds of the normally courageous, weakening them to further frightening. Any creature affected by your Daunt the Dauntless ability gains no benefit from morale bonuses it may have and loses any immunity to fear it may have. This effect lasts until that creature is no longer shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering.

Travel by Nightmare (Su): Beginning at 8th level, you can use the fear of others as a supernatural conduit between places. As a standard action, you can touch a creature of at least your size and that is shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering (other than yourself). If you succeed, you can teleport to any space adjacent to another creature of at least your size and that is shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering (other than yourself). The maximum distance that you can travel depends on the state of fear of both creatures. You need not have line of sight or line of effect. If there are no available creatures within range, or if there is no space for you to arrive in, this ability has no effect. This is a teleportation effect.
   Traveling from a shaken creature to another shaken creature has a maximum range of 500 feet. Traveling from a shaken creature to a frightened creature, or traveling from a frightened creature to a shaken creature has a maximum range of 1000 feet. Traveling from a frightened creature to a frightened creature, from a shaken creature to a panicked or cowering creature, or from a panicked or cowering creature to a shaken creature has a maximum range of 1500 feet. Traveling from a frightened creature to a panicked or cowering creature, or from a panicked or cowering creature to a frightened creature has a maximum range of 2000 feet. Traveling from a panicked or cowering creature to a panicked or cowering creature has a maximum range of 3000 feet.

Instinctive Fright (Ex): Starting at 9th level, your Daunt the Dauntless ability affects creatures at a basic, instinctual level. It can affect creatures immune to mind-affecting effects, even mindless creatures, as though they were only immune to fear effects. Further, if you make such a creature frightened, panicked, or cowering with Daunt the Dauntless, it also loses its immunity to mind-affecting effects for the purpose of resolving your mind-affecting fear effects for as long as it remains shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering.

Inverted Nightmare (Su): Beginning at 10th level, you can invert your opponents' perceptions of reality, inducing so much fear that they begin to believe that this world is only a nightmare from which they must awaken. As a standard action, you can force a shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering creature within 30 feet to make two Will saves (DC 10 + your Nightmare Walker level + your Charisma modifier). If the subject fails the first save, it immediately dies of fright or suffers Wisdom burn equal to its Wisdom score (you choice, see the Expanded Psionics Handbook for more information on ability burn). If it succeeds on the first save but fails on the second, it must make another Will save every round at the same DC for one round per Nightmare Walker level you possess. Each time it fails, the subject suffers 1d4 points of Wisdom burn and any fear effects affecting it are escalated, rendering it frightened if it was shaken or panicked if it was frightened.
   You can use this ability once per day. You can again one additional use of this ability in a given day whenever you kill or destroy a creature with your Consuming Fear ability, to a maximum number of remaining uses for the day equal to one half you Nightmare Walker level. This ability is a mind-affecting fear effect.



Secret Fear - Implant a fear into the subject. Fear activates at a later date.

Control Fear - Suffer no penalties for fear. Control the actions of cowering creatures.

Daunt the Dauntless - Special fear effect that also affects those immune to fear.

Hide in Terror - as Hide in plain sight, but functions when near a creature affected by the shaken, frightened, panicked, or cowering conditions, or under the effects of an ongoing fear effect.

Dissolve Courage - Creatures affected by your fear effects lose their immunity to fear and any morale bonuses.

Travel by Nightmare - Similar to transport via plants, but functions with creatures that are afraid. Maximum distance limited by fear conditions of the start and end subjects.

   Destination
Source   s   f   p
s   500   1000   1500
f   1000   1500   2000
p   1500   2000   3000


Consuming Terror - Subjects affected by your fear effects take damage while afraid. Damage per round increases with the degree of fear.

Inverted Nightmare - Subject believes the world around him to be a nightmare from which he must wake up. Subject must make a Will save every round. On a success, their fear escalates (shaken -> frightened -> panicked). On a failure, they "wake up", falling asleep. In that sleep, the subject dreams of the real world.

Instinctive Fright - Fear effect even affects mindless creatures.

Spreading Terror - Special fear effect also frightens creatures that see the affected subject.
[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

What if spellcasting PrCs worked more like ToB PrCs?

That is, rather than adding a flat +1 of spellcasting progression at a given level, it looked more like...

          -----Spell Slots-----
Caster    3rd      2nd      Highest    Max Spell
Level     Highest  Highest  Level      Level

There could be a similar table for splls known. This way, you could divide things up, rather than having enirely dead caster levels followed by full progression for those 9/10 caster classes, you could divvy up the losses of caster level, spell slots, and spell level progression.
This also lets the half casters (palladin, ranger) get strong casting by going into full caster PrCs, rather than the current state of getting full advancement to half casting, which is roughly equivalent to a full caster going into a half advancement class, and allow them to go into the martially focused PrCs without hurting their spellcasting (compared to straight base class levels) or making the PrC too good at everything and thus a major draw for casters (like Abjurant Champion, although that specific one probably isn't too bad).
By dividing the mechanic up into its constituent parts, you could have weird and unusual things. You could have, for instance, a War Hulk style class that grants no caster level or spell slots, but instead boosts max spell level and grants large increases to Int/Cha or something.


Max spell level should probably be rolled into the caster level part or made fractional. It's just too important and binary to be left alone. On the other hand, if you just add fractional increases (ie: +0.5 each level instead of +0/+1 alternating) that should be okay. Just as long as you don't have to worry about losing tons of max spell level by dipping 1 level into classes that grant it at even levels, or gaining too much by dipping into classes that give it at odd levels. Fractional BaB/saves and something like that, don't want to have to make a variant.

Paladin/Ranger PrCs would mostly be full BaB with 1/2 casting (+1 CL/2 levels, +1 Max level/4 levels).
Bard PrCs would mostly be average BaB with 2/3 to 3/4 casting (+1 CL/1 or 1.5 levels, +1 Max level/3 levels).
Cleric, Druid, and Sor/Wiz PrCs would mostly be poor BaB with full casting (+1 CL/level, +1 Max level/2 levels). Of course, most of them would actually be 9/10 or something, maybe losing a bit of max spell level or having a slower CL or spell slot progression.

Oddly enough, there is already one PrC that (sort of) does this: Green Star Adept. Full BaB, (or is it 3/4 BaB?) half casting, but the actual caster level increases every level.



Because spell slots are fixed by PrC level under this system, the classes that expect to gain more spell slots than usual would need that explicitly stated in their class features. Ironically, Cleric (domain slots) and Wizard (specialist slots) already do this, granting a bonus slot each spell level. The Sorcerer (and the others that use its progression, like Beguiler and Dread Necromancer) and the Duskblade would need this clause, granting a couple extra slots/level (Sor/Beg/DN) or flat out doubling the bonus slots granted by the PrC (Duskblade).

Psionics could work with a similar change to this, but it needs a slightly different tweak with respect to spell slots/PP conversion. It shouldn't be too hard, just grant bonus PP based on the highest level powers known. So the psionic equivalent to a +1/+0/+1 spell slot gains PrC would give PP equal to the base cost of your highest level powers plus the base cost of your third highest level powers (ex: 17+13 = 30 PP for the level for a character capable of using 9th level powers).

One potential issue of classes getting higher level slots than their normal max is the lack of spell list for those levels. Options include giving them a default spell list for those spell levels (Cleric for divine, Druid for more naturey divine, and Sor/Wiz for arcane; Sublime Chord basically does this exact mechanic for Bards already).

One other potential issue, stemming from the fact that this system lets you get spells above your normal max spell level for the class (yes, that is intentional; see the Paladin/Ranger in full casting classes comments) is that Wizards could get 10th level slots. I don't think this is too huge a problem since by the time it comes up, they are 19th or 20th level anyways and could have broken spells/day and metamagic costs for a long time. It sucks, but it's the system that sucks (which is too much to fix), not the addition (which would probably be fine if the system worked right in the first place).



Sample PrC casting progressions
[spoiler]

Sample Half-caster PrC caster level progression
+1/2 caster level, 3 spells/level

          -----Spell Slots-----
Caster    3rd      2nd      Highest    Max Spell
Level     Highest  Highest  Level      Level
+0        +0       +0       +1         +0.25
+1        +1       +0       +0         +0.25
+0        +0       +1       +0         +0.25
+1        +0       +0       +0         +0.25
+0        +0       +0       +1         +0.25
+1        +1       +0       +0         +0.25
+0        +0       +1       +0         +0.25
+1        +0       +0       +0         +0.25
+0        +0       +0       +1         +0.25
+1        +1       +0       +0         +0.25

Sample Bard-caster PrC caster level progression
+2/3 caster level, 4 spells/level

          -----Spell Slots-----
Caster    3rd      2nd      Highest    Max Spell
Level     Highest  Highest  Level      Level
+0        +0       +0       +1         +0.33
+1        +0       +1       +0         +0.33
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.33
+0        +0       +0       +1         +0.33
+1        +0       +1       +0         +0.33
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.33
+0        +0       +0       +1         +0.33
+1        +0       +1       +0         +0.33
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.33
+1        +0       +0       +1         +0.33

Sample Full-caster PrC caster level progression
+1 caster level, 4 spells/level

          -----Spell Slots-----
Caster    3rd      2nd      Highest    Max Spell
Level     Highest  Highest  Level      Level
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.5
+1        +0       +1       +1         +0.5
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.5
+1        +0       +1       +1         +0.5
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.5
+1        +0       +1       +1         +0.5
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.5
+1        +0       +1       +1         +0.5
+1        +1       +0       +1         +0.5
+1        +0       +1       +1         +0.5

[/spoiler]

Sample base class casting progressions
[spoiler]
Paladin/Ranger/Half-caster base classes
+1/2 caster level, 3 spells/level, 4th level spells
Note: levels at which spell slots are granted has been tweaked for a more even distribution

          -----Spell Slots-----
Caster    3rd      2nd      Highest    Max Spell
Level     Highest  Highest  Level      Level
--
--
--
2         --       --       +0         1
2         --       --       +0         1.25
3         --       --       +1         1.5
3         --       --       +0         1.75
4         --       +0       +0         2
4         --       +1       +0         2.33
5         --       +0       +1         2.66
5         +0       +0       +0         3
6         +0       +0       +1         3.33
6         +1       +0       +0         3.66
7         +1       +0       +0         4
7         +0       +0       +1         4.14
8         +0       +1       +0         4.28
8         +0       +0       +1         4.42
9         +1       +0       +0         4.57
9         +0       +1       +0         4.71
10        +0       +0       +1         4.85


--------Spells/day-------
1   2   3   4
0
0
1
1
1   0
2   0
2   1
2   1   0
2   1   1
3   1   1
3   2   1   0
3   2   1   1
3   2   2   1
3   2   2   2
3   3   2   2
3   3   3   2
3   3   3   3

[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

Just a thought about better using Phazon in my Metroid as Incarnum. Current implementation is pretty bleh. I think these ideas not only make for a better and more interesting implementation of the mechanic, but also represent the concept from the games better.

Instead, Phazon Energy forms its own pool, independent of your normal energy pool. You can invest it in modules and do everything with it as normal for regular old Energy. But, certain modules and effects (mostly those with the Phazon descriptor) get an extra benefit if Phazon energy is invested in them.

Phazon energy is inherently dangerous. Each round that you have Phazon Energy invested in a module, you take Phazon damage equal to twice the total amount invested. Phazon Energy invested into a System works a little differently (probably something like reducing your max HP instead). All of the effects that give you more energy or otherwise boost you temporarily in exchange for taking temporary Energy damage will get changed to converting regular Energy to Phazon Energy or just using Phazon Energy or something. Also, Phazon Initiate gives you one (1) point of Phazon Energy (to go with its Phazon Resist 2).

Changes to Phazon Adept PrC. Instead of giving full progression over 10 levels, make it a 15 level PrC with its own progression AND an improvement (2/3 maybe) of others progressions. The PA progression only gives Phazon modules and Phazon Energy, and at about 1/2 the rate of a usual base class progression (somewhere between Energy Warrior and whatever it was I renamed Federation Marine to). Any other PrCs that advance an activating progression that apply it to PA also advance its advancement of a base class progression, maybe. I dunno, that idea sounds clunky, too. But anyways, I'll work out the details of that later.

Phazon Adept also lets you convert regular modules to phazon modules (basically adding the Phazon descriptor to a module you can already activate, and also a small boost of soem sort when Phazon Energy is invested), and allow you to convert part of your normal Energy pool into Phazon Energy. Will also improve Phazon resistance as you gain levels, but not as fast as your Phazon Energy pool increases.

Other ideas:
- Phazon Adept doesn't just progress activating, but all class features of the class it builds on. Doesn't grant any hard-points of its own, except maybe some specific ones for Phazon modules only.
- Phazon Adept is 3 levels long and can be entered after only 2 prior levels in activating classes. Instead, spin off all of the specific class features to progress from base classes and special stuff like extra Phazon Husks into specialized PrCs. Grants Phazon subtype proper at 3rd, which is needed to enter those other classes.[spoiler]
Phazon Adept
Requires: Computer Use 5 ranks, ability to attach a module to a hard-point, Phazon Initiate feat or Phazon subtype.
3 levels with full BaB, good Fort/Will, 4 skills/level
1st: Phazon Resist from Phazon Initiate improves to 5; +1 Phazon Energy.
2nd: Permanently add Phazon descriptor to a module you can activate, it gains +1 to save DCs for every 2 Phazon Energy invested and +1d6 Phazon damage per 2 Phazon Energy invested on any damage rolls that add at least one die of damage per point of energy invested; +1 Phazon module activated at any given time.
3rd: Gain Phazon subtype (does not stack with benefits of Phazon Initiate); +1 Phazon Energy, +1 hard-point attachment/day, only for Phazon modules.
[/spoiler]

Note: Change Phazon Subtype to Phazon Resist 10 instead of 5.


On a side note, I also want to change those multiclassing feats I made there. They're just too darn required for anyone PrCing out and don't feel right. Some 10 level PrCs will have to gain a +1 capacity boost of some sort near the end, but all of the dual-progression PrCs are fine because of the second progression's features. Look to Soulsteel Shaper for example of good way to add +capacity. Cyberneticist progression needs to be changed a bit as well (add a couple of modules, remove one or two attachments).

Rename hard-point to socket? Rename invest to something else?



Feats: (should be at least 8 in the end)
Phazon Rage: Invest as System. +2 Strength/Phazon Energy while raging, but Phazon damage taken from investing Phazon energy also counts the energy invested here while raging. Adds 1 Phazon Energy.

Phazon Adaptation: Requires Phazon Resistance 5 or greater. Increases existing Phazon Resistance by 5. Adds 1 Phazon Energy.

Phazon Surge: Convert all of your energy to Phazon energy. No limit, but turning on/off is a full-round action. Adds 1 Phazon Energy.

Phazon Blast: Invest as System. Eldritch Blast-like effect dealing 2d6 Phazon damage per Phazon Energy, but using it causes you to take damage that round for having Phazon Energy invested in here. Adds 1 Phazon Energy.




Edit: Not a homebrew idea, just something I don't want to forget.
Make an opposed check handbook, if only to stop people from mucking up the math all the time! +1 on the check != +5% success chance. Argh!
Competition domain, trip/sunder/bull rush/stuff, a bunch of marshal auras, rerolls, what else should go in?
I think duel of wills or whatever that Initmidate mechanic in ToB was uses opposed checks, too.
Isn't there something with Iajutsu Focus duels? Also, Diplomacy to argue against another diplomancer.
Stealth vs. Perception. Forgery vs. Forgery. Use Rope vs. Escape Artist. Some of these are not technically opposed checks, be aware of them.

Edit: I R ninja. Some text on how the next version will work:
[spoiler]
Refreshing your energy:
   Once per day, you can refresh your energy. This is when you can activate and deactivate modules, and attach or detach them (and other Cybernetic effects) to your sockets. Any expended energy is also returned to you when you refresh your energy. Refreshing your energy takes 1 hour of uninterrupted concentration, similar to the state that a spellcaster requires to refresh expended spell slots.



Activating modules:
   The various activating classes allow you to activate a number of Cybernetic modules, granting you improved skills and new abilities, depending on the modules used. They are also energy receptacles, and their benefits usually improve as you invest more energy into them (see below for more information about investing energy in modules).
   Whenever you refresh your energy, you can choose to deactivate any of your modules and activate any number of modules you know, up to your limit of active modules. Usually, this is limited to the number of modules granted by your class levels, but some feats and other effects can grant you additional active modules. The maximum number of modules you can activate from any given source is usually limited by one of your ability scores, too. If your requisite ability score drops too low to activate all of your modules, some of them may be suppressed as though you lost the ability to activate them (see below for more details). You choose which modules are suppressed and which remain active when the change in your ability score occurs.
   If you have the ability to activate modules from multiple sources, track them seperately. You can only activate modules that you know from a given source with your limit of active modules associated with that source and your activator level for that source. If you know a module from more than one source, you choose which source it counts as being activated from when you activate it.
   Unless otherwise stated, an active module remains active until you deactivte it, usually as part of refreshing your energy. However, if you lose the ability that allowed you to activate the module in the first place, that module is suppressed until you deactivate it or you regain the ability to activate it.
   You can only have a given module active once at any given time. If you would activate a module a second time while it is already active, you can choose to have it supplant the previous instance, causing that module to be treated as form the newer source. If you don't the new activation has no effect.
   Modules are supernatural abilities, unless otherwise stated. The save DC against the effects that they produce (if any) is equal to 10 plus the amount of energy invested in them plus their activator's Charisma modifier, although many activating classes use a different ability score for their modules. As supernatural abilities, the effects of modules usually do not allow spell resistance. If they do, use the module's activator level in place of the effect's caster level.

Suppressing modules:
   As supernatural abilities, the effects of modules cannot simply be dispelled by a dispel magic or similar effect. However, the modules themselves can be suppressed, much like a magic item. Any effect that could suppress a magic item can also suppress an active module in the same way. Similarly, effects that permanently remove the magic of a magic item (such a mage's disjunction) can deactivate modules, although modules deactivated this way can still be activated once more later on.
   Effects that would suppress (or deactivate) a module as an item use the module's activator level in place of an item's caster level and its activator's saving throws in place of an item's saving throws. Where relevant, the module's spell level is equal to the amount of energy invested in it, its hardness is equal to 10 plues one half its activator level, and its hit points are equal to its activator level (minimum 1) times its activator's primary activating ability modifier (minimum 1), using the ability score that controls save DCs if its activator uses multiple ability scores to determine his activating ability. Use other statistics as appropriate. Despite having effective hardness and hit points, modules cannot be sundered or damaged. These statistics are only used to determine interactions with other effects.
   Suppressed modules grant no benefits and have no effects other than those already produced. Any constant, passive effect that a suppressed module normally produces stops. Any active effects that require concentration end as though concentration was broken (although effects that continue on after concentration ends continue as normal). Any effect that ends when the module is deactivated, or that only lasts while it is active, is suppressed as long as the module is suppressed, but returns as soon as the module is no longer suppressed (assuming that it is still active when that happens).

Attaching modules to sockets:
   While activating your modules as part of refreshing your energy, you can also attach them to any sockets that you have access to. Even if you do not activate any of your modules, you can still add and remove socket attachments while refreshing your energy. Some other Cybernetic effects can also be attached to your sockets, usually in the same way.
   The number of modules (and other Cybernetic effects) that you have have attached to your sockets at once is limited by your class levels, although certain other feats and effects can grant you additional attachments. Like activating modules, you cannot have more total attachments at once than the amount of allowed attachments granted to you. Unlike activating modules, the attachments you make ignore the source that granted them. You can attach any module you have active to any socket you have access to, regardless of their respective sources. You can use any number of attachments with any of your accessible sockets, even if they are from different classes. Each module-socket attachment counts against your total limit of attachments from all sources, regardless of the source of the module.
   A given module (or other Cybernetic effect) can normally only be attached to a single socket at once. If you have the ability to attach a module to more than one socket at once, each such module-socket attachment counts against your limit of attachments. The actual limit is not of how many modules you may have attached to sockets at once, but how many unique module-socket attachments you have.
   You cannot attach a module to the same hard-point more than once. Doing so has no effect, but neither does it count more than once against your limit of attachments.
   A given socket cannot normally have more than one module attached to it at once. Only effects that explicitly function otherwise can allow you to attach more than one module (or other Cybernetic effect) to a given socket at once. Despite being associated with a body slot, have a socket attached to a module does not impact your ability to use its corresponding body slot in other ways, be it for wearing magic items, shaping and binding soulmelds, or other purposes.
   If you lose the ability to attach modules (or other Cybernetic effects) to a given socket, anything attached to that socket is immediately detached. If your limit of socket attachments is reduced below the number of attachments you already possess, you must choose which of your attachments are detached.

[strikethrough] Further, each socket is associated with a body slot. While you have any magical item equipped in that slot, other than one created temporarily by one of your active modules or a Cybernetic effect attached to the slot's associated socket, that slot's associated socket is considered to have a module attached to it for the purpose of determining whether additional modules can be attached to it (although it does not count against your limit of total socket attachments). If you have multiple items equipped in the same slot, it still only counts as one module attached to the corresponding socket. If you already have a module (or other Cybernetic effect) attached to one of your sockets when you try to equip a magical item, that items effects are suppressed as long as you wear or wield it, similar to the effects of a dispel magic effect. Items that are themselves attached to their slot's socket function normally.[/strikethrough]



Investing energy into energy receptacles:
   You can invest energy into your energy receptacles. Some have specific ways of investing energy into them and dealing with invested energy, but unless otherwise stated, you can add, remove, or shift any energy you possess between your energy pool and any energy receptacles you possess. Doing so (called reallocating your energy) is a swift action that can be performed at most once per round (or once for each of your turns if you have multiple turns in a single round), even if you gain additional swift actions. Unless it specifically states otherwise, no effect allows you to reallocate your energy more than once between the beginning of one of your turns and the beginning of your next turn.
   If an energy receptacle ceases to exist, if it stops being an energy receptacle, or if you lose access to it as an energy receptacle, any energy invested in it returns to your energy pool. If the receptacle's energy capacity changes such that the energy invested in it is in excess of the new capacity, the excess is returned to your energy pool (you choose which energy is returned if multiple types are invested).
   If multiple creatures have access to an energy receptacle at once, only one of them may invest energy in it at once. If there is any energy invested in the energy receptacle, no creatures (other than the current investor) may invest energy into it. If multiple creatures attempt to invest energy in a receptacle at the same time, an opposed activator level check determines who can invest in it. The character with the highest check can invest in it, while all others have their invested energy returned to their respecitve energy pools. A creature can pass the ability to invest energy to the creature with the next highest check if he so chooses. Some special Cybernetic effects can accept energy from multiple creatures. In such a case, an opposed activator level check does not remove any energy already invested, but merely prevents more energy from being invested from the same action.

Investing energy into a module:
   You can invest energy into a module. Investing energy in a module functions as normal for an energy receptacle, except that it is not considered to be an energy receptacle while it is suppressed, and thus any energy within it is returned to your energy pool. When a module is deactivated, it stops being an energy receptacle.

Investing energy into a system:
   You can invest energy into a system only immediately after you refresh your energy. Energy invested in a system is expended (although it is still considered invested). Any energy invested in a system remains invested (and expended) until you refresh your energy, at which point it is returned to your energy pool, where you can use it once more (even to invest it back in the same system). You cannot invest temporary energy into a system.

Expending energy:
   Expending energy (such as for investing it in a System) makes that energy unavailable until you refresh your modules. It's similar to spending power points to manifest a power or expending a spell slot to cast a spell. Simply reduce your available energy pool by the indicated amount. You can remove energy currently invested in an energy receptacle if you don't have enough in your pool. You can't expend energy that is already expended.



Different types of energy:
   There are several types of energy. The most common type, referred to just as energy, has no special properties. It can be invested in energy receptacles and expended, as described in their respective sections.

Temporary energy:
   Some effects grant a temporary spike of energy, allowing a Cybernetic creature to access more energy than normal. Temporary energy usually only lasts for a short time before disappearing. Temporary energy functions just like normal energy while it lasts, for the most part. Temporary energy cannot be invested in systems. If it is expended, temporary energy disappears permanently. It does not return when you refresh your energy.

Phazon energy:
   Phazon energy is a special kind of energy used by some classes and modules in the Metroid adaptation. Phazon energy functions as normal energy for the most part. However, at the beginning of each of your turns, you suffer Phazon damage equal to twice the amount of unexpended Phazon energy you have invested in energy receptacles. In exchange, certain energy receptacles (primarily those with the Phazon descriptor) grant additional benefits when Phazon energy is invested in them. Phazon energy can sometimes be temporary energy, too. If so, use the rules for temporary energy over the rules for Phazon energy to adjudicate any contradictions between the two types of energy.





A quick overview:
   At the beginning of the day, or at any point of it that you have a free hour, you can refresh your energy. When you do so, you may choose which modules you want to have active for the day and which socket attachments you wish to have for the day. Which modules you activate, and how many of them, are limited by the classes that grant them. Which attachments you can make, and how many of them, are pooled together from all of your classes that grant them.
   Once you have activated your modules and made your attachments, you can invest your energy into them. Investing your energy is a swift action, and you can add, remove, and move your energy when you do so.


[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

Making half-races through templating.

Every race is composed of three parts. A major trait, a minor trait, and a societal trait. Each can be mixed and matched with others to create new races. Any race or half-breed race can be considered as being made of one of each trait. Any character is considered as being a member of his or her major and minor traits for all purposes. Societal traits, merely representing how a character was raised, do not count towards racial effects.

Major traits are the important parts of a races abilities, like a human's bonus feat. They represent the stronger part of the bloodline. Minors are the lesser remains, like the human skill points. They represent the lesser side of the bloodline. Societal traits are even smaller things, like favored classes for the most part, but also the occasional small skill bonus. They represent the society in which the character was raised.

Ex:
Human
[spoiler]
Major:
   - Bonus feat
   - Medium size, 30' movement speed

Minor:
   - +1 skill point/level, starting at 1st level

Societal:
   - +3 skill points at 1st level
   - Any favored class
   - Human starting/bonus languages
[/spoiler]

Dwarf
[spoiler]
Major:
   - +2 Con, -2 Cha
   - Medium size with special 20' movement
   - Darkvision 60'
   - Stability
   - +2 to saves vs. spells and poison
   - +4 dodge bonus to AC against giants

Minor:
   - Stonecunning
   - Weapon Familiarity (dwarven urgosh, dwarven waraxe)
   - +1 bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids

Societal:
   - +2 to appraise/craft checks related to metal or stone
   - Fighter favored class
   - Dwarf starting/bonus languages
[/spoiler]

Elf
[spoiler]
Major:
   - +2 Dex, -2 Con
   - Medium size, 30' movement speed
   - Immune to sleep effects, +2 saves vs. enchantment
   - Low-light vision
   - Martial weapon proficiency with either the longsword and rapier, or with the shortbow and longbow (includes composite versions)
   - Trance instead of sleep

Minor:
   - +2 bonus to spot/listen/search, automatic search check when passing by secret doors
   - Martial weapon proficiency with any one of longsword, rapier, shortbow, or longbow (includes composite versions)

Societal:
   - Weapon proficiency with any one of longsword, rapier, shortbow, or longbow (includes composite versions). Treat this as simple weapon proficiency rather than martial if you don't have any other martial weapon proficiencies.
   - Wizard favored class
   - Elf starting/bonus languages
[/spoiler]

Gnome
[spoiler]
Major:
   - +2 Con, -2 Str
   - Small size, 20' movement speed
   - Low-light vision
   - +1 to save DC of illusions
   - +4 dodge bonus to AC against giants
   - Gnome SLAs

Minor:
   - +2 to listen/craft (alchemy) checks
   - Weapon Familiarity (gnome hooked hammer)
   - +1 bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids

Societal:
   - +2 to saves vs. illsuions
   - Bard favored class
   - Gnome starting/bonus languages
[/spoiler]

Halfling
[spoiler]
Major:
   - +2 Dex, -2 Str
   - Small size, 20' movement speed
   - +1 bonus to all saves

Minor:
   - +2 morale bonus to saves vs. fear
   - +2 to climb/jump/listen/move silently checks

Societal:
   - +1 to attack rolls with slings/thrown weapons
   - Rogue favored class
   - Halfling starting/bonus languages
[/spoiler]

Orc
[spoiler]
Major:
   - +2 Str, -2 Wis
   - Darkvision 60'
   - One I.O.U. from the designers for some minor racial abilities

Minor:
   - +2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha
   - Dazzled in sunlight
   - One I.O.U. from the designers for some minor racial abilities

Societal:
   - One I.O.U. from the designers for some minor racial abilities
   - Barbarian favored class
   - Orc starting/bonus languages
[/spoiler]


[spoiler]
Major:
Minor:
Societal:
[/spoiler]

[Garryl]

Descriptors for everything!


Damage types and classes should have descriptors. They already sort of do, but it's hidden. Wizard is a prepared, arcane, Intelligence-based, spellcasting class, but that's only defined indirectly by his spellcasting ability. Why not spell it out specifically. That way, you can also add descriptors where it makes sense without having to tack on another ability. I know 4E did something similar in dividing the classes into power source and role, but it could be made as a way to include things together in categories rather than to segregate them.

Damage can and should work similarly. We already have precision damage, nonlethal damage, spell-based damage, weapon-based damage, energy damage, and a few other things that can be combined in various ways. It would also allow for interesting things like multiple-energy type damage that deals damage as whichever would be better. Weapons already do this (such as morning stars), why not other effects? For instance, something that deals acid and cold damage would be reduced by the lesser of the target's acid and cold resistance. Something that deals piercing and fire damage to a cold-subtype creature would work against the lesser of the creature's fire resistance and DR/not piercing, and deal an 50% extra damage either way due to weakness.

I'd also like to change DR to work like resistance, or rather, have resistance be applicable to physical damage types in some cases. But that's another matter.


Class Descriptors
Note: Effects that list their source only mention their default sources. Certain effects may add the descriptor to other effects that would not normally have it, or remove it from ones that would.
[spoiler]
- Arcane, Divine, Incarnum, Psionic, Shadow, Sublime, Truespeech, Vestige
- Binding, Infusing, Initiator, Invoking, Manifesting, Meldshaping, Spellcasting, Vocalizing: For classes that actually grant a progression of their own, not just advance one.
- Base, Bloodline, Paragon, Prestige, Racial, Savage, Template: To describe the various types of classes that already exist. Racial is for racial/savage progression classes and paragon classes, but it could also be applied to racially-limited PrCs and the like. Template is for template classes, similar to Racial and often having that descriptor as well. Savage is for savage progression classes (see also Racial). Paragon is for teh racial paragons that started showing up in Unearthed Arcana (which would also have Racial), but could also be used for other purposes, like a non-racial paragon devoted to an ability score or something, or maybe something half-way between a base class and a prestige class.
- Ability-based (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, charisma): For spellcasting classes and similar that have a major class feature based on one ability score. May also be applicable to classes that aren't specifically based on one score but have a lot of features that work with it (like Warblade and Swordsage, and maybe also Crusader to round out the trio). Probably not worth the effort and space.
- Skillful: For classes that get a lot of skill points. Usually reserved for ones that get 6+ skill points or that get 4+ and are Int-based.
- Martial: For everyone whose shtick is to hit it with a sword.
- Half-caster: For spellcasting progressions that grant half casting, like the Paladin and Ranger.
- Primal: For those fellows with close ties to the wild. Could be renamed Wild or Wilderness or something, but 4E uses Primal already so it's simpler for me this way.
- Caster: For generic spellcasting boost classes that neither limit to arcane nor divine, yet do not grant their own progression.

[/spoiler]

Damage Descriptors
Note: Effects that list their source only mention their default sources. Certain effects may add the descriptor to other effects that would not normally have it, or remove it from ones that would.
[spoiler]
- Point Blank: For things that can only be applied against targets within 30 feet or in melee.
- Precision: For things that follow the usual rules for precision damage (not vs. crit-immune, must reach a vital part, must deal damage appropriately, not multiplied by critical hits, negated by concealment), but the distance restriction side of things has been split off to Point Blank instead.
- Nonlethal: As normal for nonlethal damage. How it's actually treated (shifting into a separate damage pool) is a bit tricky since the general damage rules are too far up and rules for living creatures is too obvious to ever be thought about, while at the same time too obscure to check with for damage rules.
- Physical: Resulting from a weapon (including natural weapons) or extraordinary ability.
- Spell: Resulting from a spell, power, supernatural ability, or similar. Ignores damage reduction, though is still affected by resistance. Can affect incorporeal creatures (which is actually a function of the incorporeal subtype).
- Magical: Resulting from any effect with a +1 or better enhancement bonus to damage. Can affect incorporeal creatures (which is actually a function of the incorporeal subtype).
- Weapon (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing): The three standard weapon damage types. No special effects in and of themselves.
- Energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, sonic): The five standard energy types. No special effects in and of themselves.
- Material (adamantine, cold iron, metal, mithral, silver, wood): The usual materials used in weapons. No special effects in and of themselves. (The ability to bypass hardness is a function of the adamantine material, not the adamantine material damage type.)
- Aligned (chaotic, evil, good, lawful): The four standard alignments.
   Aligned (neutral, unaligned): Neutral for druidic-type outsiders and unaligned for Cthulhu-esque horrors that prey on morality and stuff. There aren't anything like this yet, but maybe there should be. Unaligned is a more powerful thing than simply not having any alignment descriptors. It represents something that is specifically severed from the cosmological alignment and morality.
- Arcane, Divine, Psionic, and similar "untyped" damage types: No effects in and of themselves, but few creatures or effects provide resistance to these damage descriptors.
- Force: Ignores damage reduction. Can affect incorporeal creatures without a miss chance (which is actually a function of the incorporeal subtype). Can affect ethereal creatures from the adjacent plane (which is actually a function of the ethereal plane). Few creatures or effects provide resistance to force.
- Ghost Touch: Can affect incorporeal creatures without a miss chance (which is actually a function of the incorporeal subtype). Otherwise has no effects in and of itself.

[/spoiler]



Some classes and their descriptors:
[spoiler]
Barbarian: Martial, Primal
Bard: Arcane, Skillful, Spellcasting, Spontaneous
Cleric: Divine, Martial, Prepared, Spellcasting
Druid: Divine, Prepared, Primal, Spellcasting
Fighter: Martial
Monk: Martial
Paladin: Divine, Half-caster, Martial, Prepared, Spellcasting
Ranger: Divine, Half-caster, Martial, Prepared, Primal, Skillful, Spellcasting
Rogue: Skillful
Wizard: Arcane, Prepared, Spellbook, Spellcasting
Sorcerer: Arcane, Spellcasting, Spontaneous

Arcane Archer: Arcane, Martial, Racial
Arcane Trickster: Arcane, Skillful
Archmage: Arcane
Assassin: Arcane, Skillful, Spellcasting, Spontaneous
Blackguard: Divine, Martial, Prepared, Spellcasting
Dragon Disciple: Arcane, Draconic, Martial
Duelist: Martial, Skillful
Dwarven Defender: Martial, Racial
Eldritch Knight: Arcane, Martial
Hierophant: Divine
Horizon Walker: Skillful
Loremaster: Arcane, Skillful
Mystic Theurge: Arcane, Divine
Shadowdancer: Shadow, Skillful
Thaumaturgist: Caster, Divine

Divine Bard: As Bard, but has Divine instead of Arcane.
Savage Bard: As Bard, but also Primal.
Cloistered Cleric: As Cleric, but has Skillful instead of Martial.
Urban Ranger: As Ranger, but loses Primal.
Wilderness Rogue: As Rogue, but also Primal.
Battle Sorcerer: As Sorcerer, but also Martial.

Drow Paragon: Arcane, Divine, Paragon, Racial
Dwarf Paragon: Martial, Paragon, Racial
Elf Paragon: Arcane, Paragon, Racial
Gnome Paragon: Arcane, Paragon, Racial
Half-Dragon Paragon: Arcane, Martial, Paragon, Racial
Half-Elf Paragon: Caster, Paragon, Racial, Skillful
Half-Orc Paragon: Martial, Paragon, Racial
Halfling Paragon: Martial, Paragon, Racial
Human Paragon: Caster, Paragon, Racial, Skillful
Orc Paragon: Martial, Paragon, Racial
Tiefling Paragon: Paragon, Racial

Psion: Manifesting, Psionic
Psychic Warrior: Manifesting, Martial, Psionic
Soulknife: Martial, Psionic
Wilder: Manifesting, Martial, Psionic

Cerebremancer: Arcane, Psionic
Elocater: Martial, Psionic, Skillful
Metamind: Psionic
Psion Uncarnate: Psionic
Psionic Fist: Martial, Manifester, Psionic
Pyrokineticist: Martial, Psionic
Slayer: Martial, Psionic
Thrallherd: Psionic
War Mind, Martial, Manifester, Psionic

Crusader: Divine, Initiator, Martial, Sublime
Swordsage: Arcane, Initiator, Martial, Skillful, Sublime
Warblade: Initiator, Martial, Skillful, Sublime
[/spoiler]

Some abilities that change because of this:
[spoiler]
Damage Reduction: Applies to physical damage. Unless otherwise stated, is automatically bypassed by spell, force, and energy damage.
Ethereal: A creature on the ethereal plane is unaffected by most effects originating from the overlapping plane. Force effects and force damage from the overlapping plane affect ethereal creatures normally.
Incorporeal: Negates all damage from corporeal sources. Magical and spell damage only have a 50% chance of being negated. Force and ghost touch damage are dealt normally.


[/spoiler]

[veekie]

Might be a drawback in the amount of referencing you'd need to do in play unless you're experienced and know the  descriptors by heart. Which gets harder the more of them there is.

That said, using descriptors as the final adjudicator AND spelling out their effects on the ability might help.

[Garryl]

Ideally, none of the descriptors would have any effects in and of themselves at all. Yes, there would be some cross-referencing, (and I'd have to change sneak attack back to it's full description) but you already have to do that for the abilities that work with those things. You'd probably need less referencing in the end because some things could be consolidated, and most of the rest just become keywords that let you quickly notice that, say, constructs are immune to Precision and Nonlethal effects (just like they're already immune to that kind of thing, but it isn't spelled out as directly). They (and similar creatures like undead and oozes) are already immune or affected differently by a laundry list of effects and descriptors. Descriptors are supposed to be final adjudicator, yes, not effects on their own.

Even more ideally, there would be two types of "descriptors," just like there already are for spells; descriptors and subtypes. With a few exceptions (Mind-affecting if combined with Sonic, Fear, and Language-dependent) none of the descriptors have any game effect other than to interact with other effects. Subtypes have the actual rules, like (summoning) preventing the summoned creature from using its own summoning abilities. Subtypes do the same with creatures, too, giving them immunities, resistances, weaknesses, and other fun things (fire, baatezu, angel).

You're right, though. Large amounts of descriptors can be daunting. I know I took to that style of game design like a fish to water, and that's why I think about them. ?But not everyone is like that. Removing entirely all effects from descriptors in and of themselves will help, as you could put a big disclaimer saying something like: "Descriptors: They're the words in the square brackets. Feel free to ignore them entirely. Their only effects are when interacting with other effects and abilities that have the interactions spelled out."

Other than the first three damage descriptors (Point Blank, Precision, and Nonlethal), all of them have no rules for themselves; even bypassing damage reduction is a (default) function of the damage reduction ability. Nonlethal can be tweaked to a function of living creatures (separate nonlethal damage pool), and most of precision can be tweaked out as well (not vs. crit-immune, negated by concealment) with the rest moved to the effects that cause precision damage. Point Blank should be used to describe effects that only function close up rather than causing them. Please forgive me for making those like that initially, I just desperately wanted to be able to rewrite Sneak Attack in two lines.

Oh, and as long as we're on the subject of adding descriptors, I propose another descriptor for spells and effects: Movement-Impairing, for interaction with friggin' Freedom of Movement.

[Garryl]

D&D Alignment Axes: They go out, why can't they go in?


The D&D alignment goes out to two extremes on each of two axes, for nine possible combinations. Of them, true neutral kinda gets left out. Sure, you get to avoid some of the effects of aligned stuff, although the Holy Word series all hit you nastily. But aside from Word of Balance and a couple of other obscure effects, there's nothing really designed for the neutral character.

I propose some new neutrally-aligned outsider types. Maybe more elementals and plants than traditional outsiders, but whatever. They'd be focused on neutral stuff, like druids are supposed to be. Further, their damage reduction would be DR/Neutral. Yup, weapons aligned with neutrality, with balance. I can see a whole new set of spells and items working off the neutrality theme. They don't have any proper enemies; who opposes neutrality, really, in a grand cosmic sense... unless...

Even better, add two new sets. DR/Neutral and DR/Unaligned. Unaligned is for your cosmic horror stuff that preys on the morality of the universe. Whack Cthulhu with a Good weapon and you don't do more than a scratch. Whack him with an unaligned weapon and its very non-aligned existence sorta seeps past him or something. I dunno, maybe the neutrals have DR/Unaligned instead and fight the Cthulhus with their DR/Neutral. Note that Unaligned is more than just not having an alignment. It's a particularly excessing severing of something from the latent moral planar energies and whatnot of the D&D universe. It's the kind of thing that usually only comes from insanity, where a person isn't just acting immorally, but is actually incapable of comprehending and understanding morality in any form, even enough to act against it. Oh yeah, that's definitely the Cthulhu-type unaligned "alignment".

New Spells:
[spoiler]
Druid 2, Ranger 2
- Weapon of Balance: As Align Weapon, but causes the weapon to become Neutrally aligned.

Druid 4
- Some Neutral copy of Holy Smite series

Druid 6, Ranger 4
- Equalizing Weapon: Like Holy Sword (Pal 4), but for Neutral vs. extreme alignments and Unaligned creatures and effects.

Sor/Wiz 2
- Misalign Weapon: As Align Weapon, but causes the weapon to become Unaligned.

Sor/Wiz 4
- some Unaligned copy of Holy Smite series

Sor/Wiz 6
- Some Unaligned copy of Holy Sword

Sor/Wiz 8
- Disjoin Morality: As Blasphemy, but functions against creatures with any neutral alignment.
[/spoiler]