Author Topic: [3.5]Improved monster classes: adapting creatures for player use-Taking Requests  (Read 392194 times)

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oslecamo

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Trying to return the courtesy of looking over your classes as you look over mine:

-The Rakshasa, Ak'Chazar table has a mistake in its reflex save column. It goes up to +5 a level too early at level 14. It's no more than a typo, but the tables are kinda important.

I really like the "Worthy Target" ability on the Concordant Killer!
Thanks! Fixed the typo. :)

Dvati:
-You may want to specify whether the Dvati is getting 1/2 BAB or 3/4 BAB for the purpose of determining fractional bonuses. Since it's a one level class it's unclear. Although a person can figure out it's probably 3/4 from the humanoid type I suppose.
-I don't understand the part of the Twin Body class feature where it says "If a twin is in a martial Stance, the other cannot." Does that mean that they can't take two different stances or that only one can take a stance?
-Echo attack seems to require a lot of dice rolls for a measly +1 to attack or AC. The Dvati have to make a perform check and then the monster has to make a save based on that DC. I know it seems like a pointless complaint, but gameplay-wise it seems like two die rolls from two different people for a negligible bonus.
-I like the item splitting ability of Pair Link, although it seems like it should just be part of the main class rather than a selectable special ability. It seems out of place tacked on to an ability related to flanking.
-On Spell Conductor, why not just let them share spells like casters with familiars can do? I suppose it opens up action economy cheese, but that stuff already exists. Maybe instead of making the caster the "giver" of the spell allow the unaffected twin to "take" or "copy" the spell for themselves.
-Whatever the campaign DM thinks it's fair. I don't use fractional Bab myself.
-Only one stance between both twins. Clarified the ability text.
-Simplified ability, now it's just one roll.
-It had to be tacked somewhere. The flanking part was one of the original monster abilities and simply wasn't too exciting, so added the split item. Wich I didn't made default because I didn't want to frontload too much.
-Because the Dvati is already treading in dangerous ground by giving you two characters for the price of one. If they start doubling everything they receive, things get out of hand quickly. I would rather hear some other commentaries from other people before adding yet more stuff to a 1-level class.

I was wondering if I could fix some things in the classes I've done. I figured I should ask before I make any edits that change how the class works.

On the maug, I wanted to add this sentence to their Grafts class feature at 3rd level: "Maugs also gain +4 racial bonuses to Craft (stonemasonry) and Knowledge (architecture and engineering) due to their intimate familiarity with graft technology."

The original maug had these bonuses and the fact that I excluded them is really just an oversight on my part.
Half-random skill bonus are ok.

The Nimblewright was starting to look kinda shabby compared to stuff I've done since, so I wanted to make the following changes:

Remove the "as an immediate action" phrase from its Parry and Deflect abilities. At the moment they cost an AoO and an immediate action, which seems like a steep cost. You have to give up your swift action and an AoO, which makes the abilities seem especially costly compared to similar abilities.
It's also an ability that many times will be denying your oponent's fullround action (like a charge) as an immediate action. If you can easily parry/deflect multiple times per turn, stacking in with their miss chance, it's simply too much for my tastes.

Also the Nimblewright's final level was looking weak, so I was considering giving it permanent Freedom of Movement as a Supernatural ability. I'm surprised I didn't think of it earlier because the class doesn't have an answer to grapple or water. Melee character need an answer to grapple and water way more than casters do. The fact that it's made from a water spirit and still sucks in water struck me as silly. The ability would get turned off in an AMF so it still has a counter.
You can use your pimped Dex for Grapple checks.

And look, when I first planned the Tarrasque, I gave it permanent Mindblank, Freedom of Movement and Death Ward. But then when testing it around a little, I realized I had made it immune to pretty much everything bebcause it also had all the other defensive abilities it still has. The only way to take it down was with some obscene damage combo, and altough it could be suitable for a boss ecounter, for a player it made the DM's job that much harder because the only way he could threaten the Tarrasque PC was with something that would one-shot most other characters out there.

So no, classes shouldn't be default get immunities to every problem they may find. You need to leave some holes. In particular when they aren't even 20-level classes. A player may close them with items/feats/multiclassing/allies.

In this case the Nimblewright already has contruct immunities, miss chance, deflecting spells, great SR and Natural armor, so adding permanent FoM just doesn't sound good to me.

Now it could use a little more spiffy capstone, and I don't mind you puting some water-affinity on it, just not in the first levels wich are kinda full. Could be the actual capstone, claiming the water spirit finally has fully bonded with the Nimblewright body.

Also I notice now it's trip is useless against flying oponents, you may want to solve that like you did with the Maug.

Bloody Initiate

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-Only one stance between both twins. Clarified the ability text.
-Simplified ability, now it's just one roll.
-It had to be tacked somewhere. The flanking part was one of the original monster abilities and simply wasn't too exciting, so added the split item. Wich I didn't made default because I didn't want to frontload too much.
-Because the Dvati is already treading in dangerous ground by giving you two characters for the price of one. If they start doubling everything they receive, things get out of hand quickly. I would rather hear some other commentaries from other people before adding yet more stuff to a 1-level class.

-Gotcha, it's rough but fair.
-Nice
-Good thought
-Also a good thought

Quote
You can use your pimped Dex for Grapple checks.

And look, when I first planned the Tarrasque, I gave it permanent Mindblank, Freedom of Movement and Death Ward. But then when testing it around a little, I realized I had made it immune to pretty much everything bebcause it also had all the other defensive abilities it still has. The only way to take it down was with some obscene damage combo, and altough it could be suitable for a boss ecounter, for a player it made the DM's job that much harder because the only way he could threaten the Tarrasque PC was with something that would one-shot most other characters out there.

So no, classes shouldn't be default get immunities to every problem they may find. You need to leave some holes. In particular when they aren't even 20-level classes. A player may close them with items/feats/multiclassing/allies.

In this case the Nimblewright already has contruct immunities, miss chance, deflecting spells, great SR and Natural armor, so adding permanent FoM just doesn't sound good to me.

Now it could use a little more spiffy capstone, and I don't mind you puting some water-affinity on it, just not in the first levels wich are kinda full. Could be the actual capstone, claiming the water spirit finally has fully bonded with the Nimblewright body.

Also I notice now it's trip is useless against flying oponents, you may want to solve that like you did with the Maug.

*nod* You make a lot of good points.

The trip vs. flying opponents was a product of my being new to homebrew, I'll work something out that's more coherent than the current ability.

I'll also brainstorm a better capstone. "You don't suck in water" actually seems really lame and out of place as a capstone, which is why I went a step higher before. At the moment Augmented Critical isn't horrible as a capstone, since I'm pretty sure it stacks with Keen and Improved Critical, it just doesn't kick quite enough ass.

EDIT: It's NICE being able to review work and potentially clean it up! That's one big advantage of homebrew. You're not published so you don't have to construct official errata, you can just focus on making a good product without as many obstacles.
« Last Edit: March 04, 2011, 02:09:24 PM by Bloody Initiate »
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oslecamo

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I'll also brainstorm a better capstone. "You don't suck in water" actually seems really lame and out of place as a capstone, which is why I went a step higher before. At the moment Augmented Critical isn't horrible as a capstone, since I'm pretty sure it stacks with Keen and Improved Critical, it just doesn't kick quite enough ass.
I was thinking more along the lines of "You don't suck in Water. X times per day, you can summon/turn into a wave and ride atop it across the battlefield while washing away oponents", where X is a low number.

EDIT: It's NICE being able to review work and potentially clean it up! That's one big advantage of homebrew. You're not published so you don't have to construct official errata, you can just focus on making a good product without as many obstacles.

Well, errata is a necessary evil in my opinion. At least on the realm of computer games, patches are a very important part of a good game.


bearsarebrown

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Request: Naga.

Either multiple types as a single race like Slaad, or uses Prestige classes to differentiate.

oslecamo

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Yuan-Ti (Pureblood->Half-Blood->Abomination)

[spoiler]
HD:d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Feature
1+1+0+2 +2Pureblood Body,  Snake Magic Beginner, Cobra Combat, +1 Wis
2+2+0+2+3 Snake Shape, Snake Skin
3+3+1+3+3Snake Magic Initiate, Cobra Infiltrator, +1 Wis
4+4+1+3+4Half-Blood Body, Poison, Chamaleon, Vitriolic Soul
5+5+1+4+4Snake Magic Adept , Cobra Lunge, +1 Wis
6+6+2+5+5Abomination Body, Growth, Improved Grab, Repulsion, +1 Wis
7+7+2+5+5Snake Magic Master, Cobra Crusher

Skills:4+int per level,  quadruple at first level, class skills are Concentration, Disguise, Spot, Listen, Move silently, bluff, intimidate, knowledge(any), profession(any), balance, climb, jump, apraise, swim, search, spellcraft

Proficiencies:Light armor, light and heavy shields, simple and martial weapons, and her own natural attacks.

Features:
Yuan-ti body:Loses all other racial bonus and gains monstruous humanoid traits (basicaly darkvision 60 feets)  She's a medium sized monstruous humanoid with base speed 30. While in her original shape, the Yuan-ti gains a +5 racial bonus to disguise when pretending to be an human.

Snake Magic: The Yuan-Ti can use SLAs a certain number times per day. Save DCs are 10+1/2HD+Wis mod

Begginner: At first level Entangle, Charm Person, Detect Poison, each 1/day per HD

Initiate: at third level  Animal Trance, Darkness, Cause Fear 1/day per HD.

Adept: At 5th level Neutralize Poison, Deeper Darkness and Sugestions 1/day per 2 HD.

Master: At 7th level Fear and Baleful Polymorph (Snakes only) 1/day per 3 HD.

If all Yuan-Ti levels were taken and she multiclasses into cleric, she can choose to count the levels from this class  for purposes of CL and learning new spells and gaining new spell slots. Yuan-Ti  levels don't count for any other class ability. She can only pick domains from Plant, Evil, Chaos or Destruction

So for example a Yuan-Ti 7/cleric 1  could choose to gain one 4th level spell slot and one 3rd level spell slot instead of one 1st level spell slots and three zero level slots.

Cobra: Yuan-ti snake heritage gives them  cold predatory instincts that allow them to train special fighting styles. Whenever this ability is gained, choose one of the two options of the respective style, and the choice cannot be changed. Only one Cobra style may be active at a time, and changing them is a swift action.

Combat:The Yuan-Ti can make an 5-foot step as an immediate action, or 5-foot steps provoke attacks of oportunity from the Yuan-Ti.

Infiltrator: At third level the Yuan-Ti can make one attack from hiding as a fullround action whitout taking a -20 penalty on Hide checks, or she can change direction during a charge.

Lunge: at fifth level the Yuan-Ti can either gain +5 feet reach, or she can move half her base speed as an immediate action.

Crusher: at seventh level the Yuan-Ti can either atempt to start a grapple as a free action whenever she hits an oponent in melee (with any melee attack, not just her bite) whitout provoking attacks of oportunity and doesn't lose her Dex modifier to AC while grappling, or she ignores any size modifier advantage when grappling oponents larger than herself.

Either way, the Yuan-Ti now adds her Wis mod to grapple checks, and they ignore Freedom of Movement effects on oponents.

Snake Shape:This ability works as the change shape ability and can only be used to take the form of tiny to medium vypers and back to yuan-ti shape 1/day for each HD at 2nd level.

At 4HD the yuan-ti can take the form of large vypers with two uses of this ability. At 8HD of huge vypers with 3 uses. For each extra 4HD from there it can grow an extra size by burning an extra use of this ability.(gargantuan at 12HD, colossal at 16HD).

In adition, the yuan-ti may choose to fuse her legs into a snake tail. This makes her retain all her abilities and equipment, reduces her base speed to 20 feets, grants her a swim and climb speed of 15 feets and can constrict grappled creatures for 1d6+1,5 Str damage.

Whatever the form the yuan-ti takes, she loses the +5 bonus to disguise as human while on it.

Snake Skin:At 2nd level the yuan-ti gains a bonus to nat armor equal to her con modifier and SR=11+HD. She can lower or rise her SR at any time as a free action, even if it isn't her turn.

Ability increase:The yuan-ti gains +1 Wis at levels 2, 4, 6, 7, for a total of +4 Wis at level 7.

Half-Blood body: To take the fourth level of this class the Yuan-Ti must participate in a dark ritual where she drinks a foul connection made from her own blood mixed with those of snakes and special herbs, wich makes her body grow more snake-like. That transformation may include stuff like the apearance of scales or other her teeths growing longer while her eyes become pupilless. Either way, she loses the +5 bonus to disguise as an human, but gains one of the following:

Snake Head: Gains a bite attack dealing 1d6+1/2 Str damage

Snake Arms: The Yuan-Ti arms become snakes, each able to deliver a bite attack dealing 1d4+Str mod. They can still acts as normal hands, but a snake-arm holding anything can't be used for delivering bite attacks.

Snake Tail: The Yuan-Ti grows a snake tail, wich grants her a swim speed equal to half her base speed and can be used for constricting creatures at least one size category smaller for 1d4+1,5 Str mod.

Snake Body:
The Yuan-Ti legs fuse into a snake tail, reducing her base speed to 20 feet but gaining a climb and swim speed of 15 feet. It can also be used for constricting creatures of the same size or smaller for 1d6+1,5 Str mod.

Poison: At fourt level the yuan-ti becomes able to produce poison from her fangs, inflicting it on any bite attack. Fort DC 10+1/2HD+Con modifier, initial and secondary damage 1d4 con. For every other HD from here, increase the poison damage by one die category ( 1d6 at 6HD, 1d8 at 8 HD ect). This poison can be used in any of the Yuan-ti's forms, but doesn't stack with other poisons she may gain.

At 8 HD oponents immune to poison instead take double the poison damage in Acid damage if they fail the Fort save,


Chamaleon :At fourth level the yuan-ti gains a permanent +10 to hide checks as she can change the color of her skin and equipment to match the enviroment.

At 10 HD she may hide whitout actually having anything to hide behind.

Scent: At fourth level the yuan-ti gains the scent special quality as per the SRD.

Vitriolic soul:At fourth level as a swift action a number of times per day equal to her Con mod, the yuan-ti can cover a part of her body in acid. This acid deals 1d6 acid damage per 2HD to the next creature hit by a natural or touch attack from the Yuan-Ti,  and then dissipates. If the Yuan-ti uses this power while grappling a creature, it deals double vitriolic soul damage on the next sucessfull grapple.

Abomination body: To take the sixth level the Yuan-Ti must undergo an even more terrific ritual, covering herself in a special mixture and then rip off her own skin while chanting to forgotten vile gods, revealing beneath a new body that's now more snake than human.

Growth:At 6th level the Yuan-Ti grows one size category

Improved Grab: at 6th level the Yuan-Ti gains the Improved Grab Extraordinary ability with her bite attack.

Repulsion:

oslecamo

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Yuan-Ti Tainted One/Broodguard (template)

[spoiler]
PreRequisites:
-Must be an humanoid.
-Must drink a special potion made of Yuan-ti blood and special herbs, demanding a Knowledge Religion with DC 25 plus 50 GP of material components wich makes the character go into a coma for 1d6+3 days while the transformation occurs.

HD:d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Feature
1+0+0+2+2Tainted Brood Body, +1 Con
Skills:4+int per level, class skills are Concentration, Disguise, Spot, Listen, Move silently, bluff, intimidate, knowledge(any), profession(any), balance, climb, jump, apraise, swim, search, spellcraft

Tained Brood Body: When the first level of this class is taken, the character must make a Con check with DC 15. Having another person chanting special rituals (Knowledge religion 15) during the trasnformation adds +2 to this check, with multiple chanters stacking. The character may also choose to willingly fail the check.

If the check is made, the character  becomes a Tainted One, wich leaves him basically unchanged on the exterior. Otherwise he becomes a Broodguard, his body and mind becoming horribly deformed due to the failed process, but also now capable of extreme brutality.

Tainted One
[spoiler]
Snake Shape:This ability works as the change shape ability and can only be used to take the form of tiny to medium vypers and back to normal shape 1/day for each HD.

At 4HD the Tainted One can take the form of large vypers with two uses of this ability. At 8HD of huge vypers with 3 uses. For each extra 4HD from there it can grow an extra size by burning an extra use of this ability.(gargantuan at 12HD, colossal at 16HD).

In adition, the yuan-ti may choose to fuse his legs into a snake tail. This makes his retain all her abilities and equipment, reduces her base speed to 20 feets, grants her a swim and climb speed of 15 feets and can constrict grappled creatures for 1d6+1,5 Str damage.

Poison Kiss: The tainted one's fangs become able to produce a poison dealing 1d4Con damage, Fort save DC 10+1/2HD+Con. He must suceed on a grapple check to deliver this poison since he lacks the natural jaws to deliver a proper bite attack.  1/day per HD he may also deliver this poison as an touch attack by kissing his oponent.

The poison damage increases one die size for every 5 HD of the creature. Against oponents immune to poison, it deals the same amount of acid damage.

Tainted Blood: The Tainted One gains SR equal to 11+HD plus immunity to poison.

[/spoiler]


Broodguard
[spoiler]
Horror: The Broodguard's body is horribly twisted, turning it into a Monstruous Humanoid (gain darkvision 60 feet), two claw attacks dealing 1d2+Str mod each and a bite attack dealing 1d2+1/2 Str mod damage.

Rage: the Broodguard can rage 1/day just like a Barbarian. BroodGuard levels stack with Barbarian levels for determining number of Rages per day and when stronger rages are gained.

Fanatism: Broodguards are immune to mind-affecting effects.
[/spoiler]
Ability Score Increase: Both Broodguard and Tainted One gain a permanent +1 to Con at first level.

[/spoiler]

Comments:
[spoiler]
If you can't beat them, make them join you. That's the Yuan-Ti philosophy. From Savage Species, this template is aimed to turn humanoids into mini Yuan-Tis. Altough the process is far from perfect and the creature may end up turned into a clawed raging almost-mindless horror. Wich has its advantages when you're an adventurer.

So if you wish to give your character a touch of Yuan-Ti, the Tainted One's for you, and if you want to give a little quick monster touch to your character quickly, the Broodguard's for you!

[/spoiler]


oslecamo

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Yuan-Ti Anathema

[spoiler]
Pre-Requisites:
-Must have taken all Yuan-Ti levels.
-Must renounce all gods but the Great Serpent, taking a 24 hour ritual that demands the slaying and consuming of 6 sentient humanoids.

HD:d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Feature
1+1+2+0 +2Anathema Body, Cobra Spitter, Biffurcate, +1 Str
2+2+3+0+3 Snake Magic Heretic, +1 Wis
3+3+3+1+3Cobra Dance,  Biffurcate, Sin Body, +1 Str
4+4+4+1+4Snake Magic Anathema, Great Serpent Cult, +1 Wis
5+5+4+1+4Growth, Cobra Assault,  Biffurcate, +1 Str
6+6+5+2+5Mass Aversion, Snake Swarm, +1 Wis
7+7+5+2+5Cobra Ravager,  Biffurcate, +1 Str
8+8+6+2+6Blasphemous Craft, +1 Wis
9+9+6+3+6Cobra Terror,  Biffurcate, +1 Str
10+10+7+3+7Snake Graft,  Fractured Mind, +1 Wis
11+11+7+3+7 Awaken the Great Serpent,  Biffurcate, +1 Str, +1 Wis

Skills:4+int per level, class skills are Concentration, Disguise, Spot, Listen, Move silently, bluff, intimidate, knowledge(any), profession(any), balance, climb, jump, apraise, swim, search, spellcraft

Proficiencies:Light armor, light and heavy shields, simple and martial weapons, and her own natural attacks.

Features:
Anathema body:Unlike other monster classes, the Anathema doesn't lose its precious racial traits, but her type changes to Aberration as her body becomes even less humanoid. She gains the Snake Head and Snake body choices from Half-Blood Body, and loses any other choices she had made from that level. Her base speed is now 40 feet and her climb speed is equal to half her base speed. Don't recalculate anything else.

In addition, the Yuan-Ti Anathema gains two claw attacks dealing 1d6+Str mod each she if it still had hands. If her hands were turned into snakes, they now deal damage as if they were one size category bigger.

Cobra: As the Anathema fully adopts her vile heritage, she's able to unleash new and more devastating combat styles on the battlefield. This works as the Cobra ability from the Yuan-Ti.

Spitter: The Anathema can Spit poison instead of a bite attack as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 20 feet per HD, creatures struck affected by the poison as normal, or she can use her Wis for ranged attacks and add her Wis modifier on ranged damage rolls. Either way, her ranged attacks now ignore adverse wind and weather condictions, even magic ones like Wind Wall.

Dance: At third level the Anathema gains the Pounce ability, or can as a fullround action move up to her base speed while fullattacking during movement, needing to move at least 5 feet between each attack.

Assault: At fifth level oponents struck by your attacks cannot make 5-foot steps or make attacks of oportunity, or oponents cannot take defensive actions to avoid attacks of oportunity (like casting defensively) while threatened by you.

Ravager:  At seventh level oponents struck by your attacks get all their movement speeds reduced by half for 1 round (cumulative hits further reduce the speed for 1 round), or they take a -2 penalty to AC for 1 round every time you struck them, also cumulative.

Terror: At ninth level when you strike an oponent in melee, it must make a Will save with DC 10+Damage inflicted or be Shaken (Frightened if they were already Shaken), or oponents wishing to attack you in any way must suceed on a Will Save with DC 10+1/2 HD+Wis mod or lose their action as they're too scared by your visage. Those are both Fear effects, but can affect even creatures immune to Fear, altough they gain a +5 bonus on their saves.

Biffurcate: At 1st level of this class, and every other level, one of the Anathema's heads bifurcates in two, each one able to bite and poison on her own and granting +1 to Listen and Search checks and making the Anathema immune to flanking. Extra heads don't allow the Anathema to take more actions than normal besides the extra natural attacks.

Ability Score Increase: The Anathema gains a permanent +1 to

Str at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Wis at levels 2, 4, 6, 10, 11

For a total of +5 Str and +5 Wis at level 11.

Snake Magic: The Anathema's mystical powers continue to improve. As usual save DCs are 10+1/2HD+Wis mod. Levels of Anathema stack with cleric levels just as full Yuan-Ti levels did.

Heretic: at 2nd level Haste, Charm Monster and Unholy Blight 1/day for every 4 HD. The Anathema's Unholy Blight deals  damage to all non-Yuan Ti creatures as if they were good. Against actually good creatures, it deals double that damage.

Anathema: At 4th level Blasphemy and Unholy Aura 1/day for every 5HD. The Anathema is such a perversion  of everything that's holy and unholy that her Blasphemy affects even evil non-Yuan-Ti creatures.

Sin Body: At 3rd level, the Anathema gains Regeneration and DR/Good and magic each equal to half her HD. The Anathema's regeneration is bypassed only by good weapons.

Great Serpent Cult:Growth: At 5th level the Anathema grows one size category.

Mass Aversion: At 6th level the Anathema can choose for her Aversion power to affect every oponent in a 5 feet per HD radius instead of a single target.

Snake Swarm: At 6th level the Anathema can spend one use of her Snake Shape to turn into one medium-sized swarms of snakes. Treat this with the usual Alternate Shape rules, except that
-The Anathema gains swarm traits.
-Same Nat armor.
-It deals 1d6 damage per 2 HD to every creature.
-Distraction DC 10+1/2HD+Con mod.
-By doubling the number of uses spent, she can double her swarm size, up to Huge. At 16 HD she may go up to gargantuan swarm. At 19 HD up to colossal swarm.

Blasphemous Craft: At 8th level the Anathema can quickly infuse equipment with vile forces. As a ten-minute action she can apply each of the following 1/day. The effect only lasts 24 Hours, unless the Anathema also spends the respective gold cost in the form of special unguents and herbs to permanency the effect.

[spoiler]
Blasphemous Blade: The Anathema binds a fiend to an weapon, making it count as evil-aligned for purposes of bypassing DR and deal an extra +1d6 damage, plus an extra +2d6 against non-evil oponents. On a sucessfull critical hit, the extra damage increases to +1d10/+2d10, and the target is subject to a Blasphemy effect like it was cast from the Anathema. +3 Bonus cost.

Serpent Symbol: The Anathema defiles one Silver Holy Symbol, making it change into an image of the world with a snake coiled around it, mouth gaping wide as if to consume it. 1/Day the user may produce either a Disintregate or Destruction spell with DC 20 and CL of 13. If wielded by a Yuan-Ti, the DC is  10+1/2HD+Wis mod of the Anathema herself with CL equal to her own HD, even if she isn't the one using it or even nearby. If the Serpent Symbol sucessfully kills a creature when used, it auto-recharges. 50.000 GP cost.

Sickening Blade: This works as the unholy property, but on a sucessfull critical hit a good oponent also takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, ability checks, skill checks and saves for 1d4 rounds. +1 weapon bonus cost.

Venomous Fire: The Anathema mixes her own poison with an explosie connoction This works as alchemist's fire, but it deals 1d6 Fire damage per 2 HD of the Anathema on a direct hit, and one fire damage per HD as splash damage. Plus creatures taking fire damage from this are affected as if struck by the Anathema's Poison. 220 GP per flask.
[/spoiler]

Snake Graft: At 10th level the Anathema can further corrupt her own allies, changing their flesh to her own twisted desires. Each graft takes 1 hour of uninterrupted work to create, and the Anathema may perform up to 8 of them per day. They only last for 24 hours before dissolving unless the respective gold cost is paid in the form of special herbs and oils to make them durable. Grafts don't stack.

[spoiler]
Added Tail: The subject receives a tail on addition to it's other limbs, giving it  a swim speed equal to half their base speed, a bonus on balance equal to their own HD, and they can constrict grappled creatures one size smaller than themselves for 1d4+1,5 Str mod damage. 6000 GP.

Poison Fangs: the subject's fangs become able to produce a poison dealing 1d4 Con damage, Fort save DC 10+1/2HD+Con. If they lack a bite attack to deliver the poison they must suceed on a grapple check to deliver it.  1/day per HD he may also deliver this poison as an touch attack by kissing his oponent.

The poison damage increases one die size for every 5 HD of the creature. Against oponents immune to poison, it deals the same amount of acid damage. 8000 GP

Replacement Tail:
The creature's legs are replaced by a single powerfull snake tail. It loses 10 feet from it's base speed, but it can now climb and swim at half his original speed, plus constricting grappled oponents of the same size or smaller than itself for 1d6+1,5Str mod damage. 12 000 GP.

Scaly Skin: The creature adds their own Con mod to natural armor. If they were already adding their Con mod to natural armor, they now add their Wis mod.  36 000 GP.

Serpent Arm: The creature is grafted with a long, flexible arm ending in a snake head, that can be used for a bite attack dealing 1d4+Str mod damage, and delivers poison as the Poison Fangs graft (but whitout the kiss option). 12 000 GP.
[/spoiler]

Fractured Mind: At 10th level the Anthema's last remains of sanity start to vanish as her multiple heads start developing minds of her own. The Anathema may use any of her SLAs as a free action by focusing a number of heads on the task equal to the SLA level. Heads casting SLAs this way on a given round can't be used for attacking on that same round.

Awaken the Great Serpent: The Yuan-Ti are a decaying race, and they blame it on their vile snake god growing more and more lethalergic for unclear reasons. To counter this, they enact all kinds of hideous, sacgrigelous and horrific acts on its name to try to stir it from its hybernation, so it may fulfill its prophecy of devouring existence, and the Yuan-Ti ruling whatever's left.

At 11th level, as a full Avatar of the Great Serpent, the Anathema can strenghten herself from gratituous violence. Whenever a sentient creature is killed whitin her view, the Anathema gains +1 enanchment bonus to Str, Con, Dex and Wis for 1 minute. The Anathema cannot gain a bonus bigger than half her own HD to her ability scores this way.

Plus whenever a sentient creature is killed whitin line of sight of the Anathema, she may remove one harmfull spell, condition or effect from her as she strives with the pain unleashed. This doesn't take any action on part of the Anathema, so may be used even if she's helpless or somehow unable to take normal actions.

Finally 1/day, if the Anathema kills a number of sentient creatures at least equal to her own HD in a single round, she may double her Str, Con, Dex and Wis base scores (enanchments and inherent bonus are not doubled) for 1 minute as a free action.
[/spoiler]

Comments
[spoiler]
And finally the ultimate Yuan-Ti, the Anathema. Bigger, nastier in all ways, such a force of nature all kind of crazed humanoids will flock to her and beg to be turned into her image.

The Anathema excells at close combat with multiple heads inflicting powerfull poison and Cobra styles to adapt to the situation, but also backs it up with powerfull magics. And then can do both at the same time with Fractured mind. And turn into a mass of snakes to drown her oponents.

And yes it can get some really cheap weapon enanchments. But melees need nice things. The original ones were all kinda overpriced.

It also has a powerfull minion subtheme. The Anathema doesn't get a cohort, but can upgrade his followers with the Tainted One/Brood buard level, and later equip them with blasphemous craft and serpent grafts. And when you reach the capstone, you actually get stronger when your mooks are killed. Or kill them yourself for fun and profit. The Apocalypse is coming, everybody but the strongest Yuan-ti will die horribly anyway, and you're here to make sure that happens.

So if you want to play a mad avatar of destruction that even other evil gods will cringe in repulsion from, the Anathema's for you!

[/spoiler]


oslecamo

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Yuan-ti overhaul for connecting better with the new Anathema, and the Tainted one/Broodguard as a needed extra for the later.

Request: Naga.

Either multiple types as a single race like Slaad, or uses Prestige classes to differentiate.

Will have to do with prcs, because the Nagas are quite diferent between themselves, with diferent abilities and themes besides the sorceror casting. The green/gray/death/white/black slaads were suposed to grow into each other.

Mushroom

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Requesting the Hellwasp swarm!

oslecamo

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Naga

[spoiler]
HD:d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Feature
1+0+0+2+2Naga Body, Path, +1 Str, +1 Con
2+1+0+3+3 Arcane Soul
3+2+1+3+3Naga Magic, + 1Cha
4+3+1+4+4Growth, +1 Str, +1 Con
5+3+1+4+4Naga Bite, +1 Cha
6+4+2+5+5Naga Magic, +1 Str, +1 Con
7+5+2+5+5Naga Cast, +1 Cha

Skills:6+int per level, class skills are Concentration, Disguise, Spot, Listen, Hide, Move silently, Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge(any), Balance, Climb,  Apraise, Sense Motive, Swim, Spellcraft

Proficiencies:Her own natural weapons only.

Features:
Naga body:The Naga loses its precious racial traits, and gains Aberration traits (basically darkvision 60 feet). Its a medium-sized Aberration. See Path ability for the other statistics.

Regardless of Path, all Nagas gain a bonus to their Natural armor equal to their Cha mod.

Nagas have no limbs capable of fine manipulation, altough they can coil their tails around objects to grab and transport them (still not good enough to wield weapons).

Path:diferent Nagas have very diferent beliefs from birth, wich will shape their life.At first level, choose one of the following Paths, wich cannot be changed.

Darkness:
[spoiler]
You have a base speed of 40 feet and gain a bite attack dealing 1d3+1/2 Str mod and a Sting attack dealing 1d4+Str mod damage. Both natural attacks inflict a Poison wich plunges the enemy into a nightmare-induced sleep for 1 round per HD, Fort save DC 10+1/2HD+Cha mod negates.  At 10 HD, this ignores immunity to poison and sleep effects, but oponents with such immunities gain a +5 bonus on their saves.

Detect Toughts: A Darkness Naga can continuously use a Detect Toughts effect as the spell, keeping, ending or maintaining it as a free action. Save DC is 10+1/2HD+Cha mod.

Charmer:
At 2nd level, a Darkness Naga casts Charm spells at +2 Caster level.

Resistance to Charm: At 3rd level she gains a bonus agains Charm effects equal to half her HD.

Guarded Toughts: At 4th level she becomes immune against all forms of mind reading.

Foe to Ally: At 5th level she no longer takes a penalty on trying to Charm oponents during combat.

A whisper in your hear:
At 6th level she no longer takes a penalty in hide checks when trying to charm someone else, The darkness Naga won't break an invisibility effect on herself when trying to charm an oponent. In addition the vocal component of charm spells  is supressed to a small whisper that nobody else can notice from where it's coming from, and the Darkness Naga can whisper to a Charmed oponent whitout anyone else hearing. This isn't telepathy however and won't work in a Silence spell or if the oponent is too far away to be heard normally.

Vitriolic Blood: A life of lies and deceit ends up  making the Darkness Naga immune to poison at 7th level.    

[/spoiler]

Protector
[spoiler]
You have a base speed of 40 feet and a natural bite attack dealing 1d8+1,5 Str mod. Your bite inflicts a poison dealing 1d4 Con damage, Fort save DC 10+1/2 HD+Con mod negates. For every 3 extra HD from here, the poison damage increases one die size. At 10 HD, this ignores immunity to poison and ability damage, but oponents with such immunities gain a +5 bonus on their saves.

Spit Poison: A Protector Naga can spit her poison as a ranged touch attack with a range of 10 feet per HD.

Purity: At 2nd level, a Protector Naga can learn spells from the cleric list. When she casts them, they count as arcane spells, so they don't need Divine focus.

Righteouness: At 3rd level, the Protector Naga adds the spells from either the Good or Law Domain to her list of spells known. .  At 7th level, she adds the other domain.

Warn:
at 4th level, the Protector Naga can ready a spell against a specific oponent attacking. If this readied action is triggered, the Protector Naga casts the spell at +1 Caster Level.

Spit Blessing: At 5th level, the protector Naga can cast  an harmless spell with a range of touch on a distant ally by hiting them with her spit Poison attack. Of course, the target is not subject to the Poison in this case.

Valor: At 6th level, the protector naga casts spells with the Good and Law descriptor at +2 Caster level.

[/spoiler]

Spiritual
[spoiler]
You have a base speed of 40 feet and a natural bite attack dealing 1d8+1,5 Str mod. Your bite inflicts a poison dealing 1d4 Con damage, Fort save DC 10+1/2 HD+Con mod negates. For every 3 extra HD from here, the poison damage increases one die size. At 10 HD, this ignores immunity to poison and ability damage, but oponents with such immunities gain a +5 bonus on their saves.

Charming Blink: A number of times per day equal to HDxCha mod, you may gaze at one oponent whitin 5 feet per HD, and inflict them with a Charm Person effect. This works as a gaze attack, except that it affects only one oponent and takes a standard action to activate. Save DC is 10+1/2HD+Cha mod.

Animal Blink: At 2nd level Charming Blink can also work as Charm Animal, same DC.

Seduce: At third level,if the Spiritual Naga sucessfully feinted an oponent in combat, the save DC against her Charming Blink is 10+HD+Cha mod when used on the feinted oponent.

Poisonous Lie: At fourth level, if the Spiritual Naga sucessfully feints a charmed oponent, said oponent will attack the nearest ally to the best of its ability on the next round, regardless of whatever relation they have.

Gaze: At 5th level, by expending five uses, the Spiritual Naga can use Charming Blink to affect all creatures whitin range as a standard action.

Spread the Pain: At 6th level, whenever an oponent fails a save against any of the spiritual naga spells or Charming Blink, they provoke an attack of oportunnity from the Spiritual Naga.

Greater Charm: At 7th level Charming Blink works as Charm Monster, same DC.

[/spoiler]

Water:
[spoiler]
You have a base speed of 30 feet, a swim speed of 50 feet and a natural bite attack dealing 1d8+1,5 Str mod. Your bite inflicts a poison dealing 1d4 Con damage, Fort save DC 10+1/2 HD+Con mod negates. For every 3 extra HD from here, the poison damage increases one die size. At 10 HD, this ignores immunity to poison and ability damage, but oponents with such immunities gain a +5 bonus on their saves.

River Born: A Water Naga takes no penalties for acting underwater. In addition, the Water Naga can use the Hide action while underwater whitout actually having anything to hide behind. It also gains a bonus on Hide checks while underwater equal to her HD.

At 8 HD, it can breath underwater.

River Song: At 2nd level, a Water Naga can perform vocal components for spells while underwater.

Water Magic:At third level, while inside water, a Water Naga casts all spells at +1 CL. At 7th level this bonus increases by an extra +1.

Water Mirror: At 4th level, the Water Naga learns how to use the reflection of water to confuse oponents. If an oponent tries to target a Water Naga underwater while being outside of it, it suffers a 15% miss chance for every 4 HD of the Water Naga.

Humid Spell:
At 5th level, whenever the Water Naga casts a non-instantaneous spell that affects an area, it partially fills with water, allowing the Water Naga to count as being underwater while inside that spell's area. Oponents are left wet, but otherwise unhindered.

Watery Death:
at 6th level, a number of times per day equal to her Cha mod, whenever the Water Naga casts a non-instantaneous spell that affects an area, she may choose to fully fill with water, meaning all creatures inside it's area count as being underwater.
[/spoiler]

Ability Increase: A Naga gains a permanent +1 to

Str and Con at levels 1, 4 and 6
Cha at levels 3, 5, and 7

For a total of +3 Str, +3 Con and +3 Cha at 7th level.

Arcane Soul:At 2nd level, a Naga becomes able to cast spells as a sorceror of her Naga level-1. She can replace somatic components with elegant moves of her serpentine body, and she also gains the escehw materials feat for free.

Naga Magic:At 3rd and 6th level, a Naga learns one extra spell of a level she can cast of the sorceror/wizard spell list.

Growth:At 4th level, a Naga grows one size category.

Naga Bite: At 5th level, whenever she hits an oponent with her bite attack, a Naga may cast a spell on the target as a free action whitout provoking attacks of oportunity. That spell will ignore SR on the biten target.

Naga Cast: At 7th level, a Naga can apply metamagic feats to her spells on the fly whitout increased casting time (including quicken spell). She also gains one metamagic feat for wich she qualifies for.

[/spoiler]

Dark Naga

[spoiler]
Pre-requisites:
-All levels of the Naga class.
-Darkness path

HD:d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Feature
1+0+0+2+2Dark Naga Body, Arcane Soul, Dark Toughts, +1 Cha

Skills:6+int per level, class skills are Concentration, Disguise, Spot, Listen, Hide, Move silently, Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge(any), Balance, Climb,  Apraise, Sense Motive, Swim, Spellcraft

Proficiencies:Her  own natural weapons only.

Features:
Dark Naga body:The Dark Naga's body becomes more evil-looking and wicked, granting her a bonus on Intimidate checks equal to half her HD. Otherwise no changes.

Arcane Soul: Dark Naga levels continue to progress sorceror casting.

Dark Toughts: The Dark Naga spells now ignore immunity to mind-affecting effects, altough oponents with such immunity gain a +5 bonus on their saves. In addition when the Dark Naga becomes able to cast 7th level spells, she automatically learns MindBlank for free.

Ability Increase: A Dark Naga gains +1 to Cha.

[/spoiler]

Guardian Naga

[spoiler]
Pre-requisites:
-All levels of the Naga class.
-Protector path

HD:d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Feature
1+0+0+2+2Guardian Naga Body,   Arcane Soul, Redemption, +1 Cha
2+1+0+3+3Splash Spit, +1 Str, +1 Con
3+2+1+3+3 Splash Spit Blessing, +1 Cha

Skills:6+int per level, class skills are Concentration, Disguise, Spot, Listen, Hide, Move silently, Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge(any), Balance, Climb,  Apraise, Sense Motive, Swim, Spellcraft

Proficiencies:Her own natural weapons only.

Features:
Guardian Naga body:The Guardian Naga's body becomes more good-looking and with a serene visage, granting her a bonus on Diplomacy checks equal to half her HD. Otherwise no changes.

Arcane Soul: A Guardian Naga keeps advancing sorceror spellcasting.

Redemption: A Guardian Naga believes some beings deserve a second chance. Whenever a creature whitin 5 feet per HD of the Guardian Naga would die, the Guardian Naga may judge them worthy of redemption, meaning they instead stablize at -9 HP (and with their Con score at 1 if they would die from Con damage). Fast healing and regeneration of the Redempted creatures are disabled for 1 minute.

Ability Increase: A Guardian Naga gains +1 to

Cha at levels 1 and 3.

Str and Con at level 2.

For a total of +2 Cha, +1 Str, +1 Con at level 3.

Splash Spit: At 2nd level a number of times per day equal to her Con modifier, when using the Spit Poison ability, the Guardian Naga may make the poison splash to adjacent creatures of the target, automatically inflicting poison on them, but they gain a +4 bonus on their saves.

Splash Spit Blessing: At 3rd level a number of times per day equal to her Cha modifier, when using Spit Blessing, the Guardian Naga may choose to make harmless spell affect all adjacent creatures to the target.

[/spoiler]

Spirit Naga

[spoiler]
Pre-requisites:
-All levels of the Naga class.
-Spiritual path

HD:d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Feature
1+0+0+2+2Spirit Naga Body,   Arcane Soul,  Charming Eyes, +1 Cha
2+1+0+3+3Spiritual Charm, +1 Str, +1 Con

Skills:6+int per level, class skills are Concentration, Disguise, Spot, Listen, Hide, Move silently, Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge(any), Balance, Climb,  Apraise, Sense Motive, Swim, Spellcraft

Proficiencies:Her own natural weapons only.

Features:
Spirit Naga body:The Spirit Naga's body becomes a fluid pattern of colors, granting her a bonus on Bluff checks equal to half her HD. Otherwise no changes.

Arcane Soul:
A Spirit Naga keeps advancing sorceror spellcasting.

Charming Eyes: A Spirit Naga who uses her Gaze may choose to extend the duration of effect for aditional rounds by expending an extra use for every turn the Gaze is maintaned, but whitout needing of spending any more actions on it.

Ability Increase: A Spirit Naga gains +1 to

Cha at levels 1.

Str and Con at level 2.

For a total of +1 Cha, +1 Str, +1 Con at level 2.

Spiritual Charm: At second level a Spirit Naga can activate her Charming abilities as a move action. In addition, those abilities now ignore immunity  to charm and mind-affecting effects, but such oponents still get a +5 bonus on their saves.
[/spoiler]

Comments
[spoiler]
The Naga. Serpents with women heads and brimming with magic.

Due to the CR=level rule, I made one main class with four paths, one for each of the core nagas, and then three prcs for the higher level ones. Interesting that the stronger one is also the good one. But well, the other nagas will be able to enter prcs earlier.

Tried to do my best to make each path interesting on its own way, then buffed up the sorceror casting and gave it six skill points per level
and two good saves because you have no hands or even SR or DR like most other monsters out there.

So if you want to play a magic snake that relies more in trickery and subtleness than biting and crushing, the Naga's for you!
[/spoiler]

bearsarebrown

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Does Naga Cast allow for Quicken Spell?

Otherwise, I like it! Wish there was an advanced Water Naga, that is my favorite of the paths.

oslecamo

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Does Naga Cast allow for Quicken Spell?
Yes. Perhaps should clarify it.

Speaking of wich, completely forgot the ability score increases. Added them now. :blush

Otherwise, I like it! Wish there was an advanced Water Naga, that is my favorite of the paths.
Very glad you liked it, because that path was the hardest one to do. The original one is basically "Naga that can swim", so I had to work extra to properly spice it up.  I may do some kind of Water Naga Queen later. But first I'll take care of one or two non-snake monster classes for refreshing my ideas.

Requesting the Hellwasp swarm!

Now this will be interesting. Already made the swarmshifter and some creatures that can turn into swarms, but never actualy done a "pure" swarm class.

Bloody Initiate

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I was thinking more along the lines of "You don't suck in Water. X times per day, you can summon/turn into a wave and ride atop it across the battlefield while washing away oponents", where X is a low number.

Ok, it took me awhile to get around to it, but I finally have something that could be a pretty cool capstone for the Nimblewright. In addition to your suggestion, I drew heavily from the waterspout spell in Spell Compendium but added a bit more utility and scaling ability. The actual spell is pretty bad for its level, so I didn't feel bad converting it into a lower level ability. This version is also limited by the amount of water available.

It should give the Nimblewright some out-of-combat utility and general mobility (It's kind of like a limited version of flight). The damage values are pretty low and I don't see any need to increase them because the idea is to gain mobility rather than do damage with the water.

Here we go, it's a bit of a long read because I tried to explain just about everything the wave could do:

Tides (Su)
Aqueous
body size
1
Creation
distance
2
Speed3Maximum
Height
4
Damage5
contact/trapped|
Trapped6
size/time
Example
bodies
7
TinyAdjacent
or same
square
30'HD feet1d6/1d3< Small /
1 round
canteen, waterskin, small bucket
Small10 feet30'10 feet
+ HD
1d8/1d4< Medium /
1 round
basin, large bucket
Medium20 feet40'20 feet
+ HD
2d6/1d6< Large /
1d2 round
barrel, bathtub
Large30 feet40'HD x
5 feet
2d8/1d8< Large /
1d2 rounds
section of creek, small wading pool
Huge40 feet60'HD x
10 feet
3d8/2d6< Huge /
1d3 rounds
section of large creek, large swimming pool
GargantuanClose*60'HD x
10 feet
4d8/2d8< Huge /
1d3 round
small pond, section of river
ColossalMedium*HD x 10'HD x
10 feet
6d8/4d6< Huge /
1d3 round
Normal or larger pond
Beyond ColossalLong*HD x 10'HD x 20 feet6d8 + HD/
4d6 + HD
< Huge /
1d4 + 1 rounds
ocean, lake
[spoiler]1The size of the body of water used to create the column
2The range at which the Nimblewright can create the column. Larger bodies of water can be manipulated from greater distances.
3The speed at which the column moves horizontally
4The maximum height the column can reach based on the amount of water used in its creation
5The damage the column does to creatures and objects when it touches them and when they are sucked into it. Contact is damage dealt when the column touches a creature or object and can be negated with a successful check to avoid it, and trapped is damage dealt with no save to creatures trapped within the column.
6Creatures above a certain size are too large to be sucked into the column. The time it takes for them to be carried to the top is based on the amount of water used to create the column.
7Examples of different sized bodies of water.
*As spell ranges. For the purposes of determining creation distance the Nimblewright's caster level is equal to its HD.
[/spoiler]


At 10 HD the nimblewright may create the column with either a move or a standard action. The nimblewright chooses what type of action to use every time it uses the column ability of Tides, it can alternate between using a move or standard action every time it uses the ability. At this level the nimblewright can also designate allies who can stand atop the column safely - just as it does - assuming there is ample space, although doing so takes the same action as sustaining the column beyond its duration.

At 15 HD the nimblewright may direct the column's movement with a swift action instead of a move action, should it choose. The nimblewright can alternate between move and swift action as it sees fit every time it directs the column's movement. Bearing allies safely atop the column no longer requires effort from the nimblewright.

At 20 HD the nimblewright may direct the column's movement as a free action. If the column is on a large enough body of water sustaining it beyond its duration becomes a swift action every round for the nimblewright. The column can use the run action and the nimblewright treats the column as if it were a mount whenever doing so would be beneficial.

A nimblewright is immune to the negative effects of its own tides column, although it can choose to be sucked into its own column as a way of quickly moving to the top where it can stand safely as if on solid ground. Creatures with the water or aquatic subtypes gain a +4 competence bonus on rolls to resist the effects of the tides column. Feats and abilities that increase a Nimblewright's ability with spells or effects with the water descriptor apply to the tides column.[/spoiler]

Next I'm going to work on rewording the Swat ability to make sense.

Also, I was thinking of doing the Azer or the God-Blooded Template. I also considered a God-Touched Template (Adapting the Lolth-Touched Template for different gods) but really that thing is probably fine as it is, even with the LA. Maybe once I get good enough I can make a Temporal Drake.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2011, 05:06:17 PM by Bloody Initiate »
I don't employ memes. Mass-produced ammunition, even from reputable manufacturers, tends to malfunction on occasion.

oslecamo

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Re: [3.5]Improved monster classes: adapting creatures for player use!
« Reply #454 on: March 11, 2011, 05:07:28 PM »
HellWasp Swarm

[spoiler]
Hit Die: d8
LevelBABFortRefWillFeatures
1+0+0+2+0HellWasp bodies, Hive Mind, Swarm Attack, Distraction, -2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con
2+1+0+3+0HellBorn, Poison,+1 Dex
3+1+1+3+1Inhabit Dead, +1 Dex,
4+2+1+4+1Growth, +1 Dex
5+2+1+4+1Scattering Swarm, +1 Dex, +1 Con
6+3+2+5+2Inhabit Living, +1 Dex
7+3+2+5+2Lay Eggs, +1 Dex,
8+4+2+6+2 HellPlague, +1 Dex, +1 Con
Skills: 2+Int mod. Class skills are Bluff, Disguise, Hide, Intimidate,  Listen, Sense Motive,  Spot

Proficiencies: A Hellwasp swarm is proeficient with its natural weapons only.

Features

Hellwasp Bodies: At 1st level, the Hellwasp Swarm loses all other racial bonus and gets magical beast traits (Darkvision 60ft and low-light vision), plus the Swarm Subtype. The Hellwasp Swarm is actualy composed of thousands of diminutive creatures that act as one, forming a collective hivemind, with a base speed of 5 feets and a fly speed of 40 feet with good maneuverability. They can however just fly 5 feet above ground untill they reach 4 HD, upon wich they can fly freely.

Unlike a normal swarm of diminutive creatures, the Hellwasp Swarm just fills a 5-feet square and takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons at first level, as it's composed of newborn sluggish hellwasps that altough numerous provide an easy target.

Hive Mind: An Hellwasp Swarm legion of minds work as one, allowing it to speak with the combined sound of a thousand diminutive voices. It cannot perform carefull manipulation, but it can grab and carry objects by coordinating it's multiple bodies as long as it's whitin its carrying load.

In addition, the Hellwasp swarm can count itself as a single creature for purposes of receiving benefical spells from others.

This also allows an Hellwasp Swarm to fully benefit from  magic items by equiping them on one of it's members. Of course, the item needs to be custom crafted for diminutive size, meaning it costs double, but cannot be targeted by oponents as the hellwasp equiped with it is always covered by thousands of its brethern. A Hellwasp swarm can also drink and receive the benefits of a potion by sharing it between all it's members.

Swarm Attack: An Hellwasp swarm basic attack deals 1d6 damage, plus an extra 1d6 damage for each two other HD of the Hellwasp swarm. If the Hellwasp swarm gains means of performing extra attacks, like enough Bab or Haste, it can deal Swarm damage one more time for each extra attack in a single turn if it full attacks. Any effect that would boost a natural attack boost the Swarm Attack.

Distraction: Any living creature that begins its turn with a hellwasp swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 10+1/2HD+Con mod Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round.

Ability Modifiers: An Hellwasp swarm gains -2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con at first level. In addition it gains an extra +1 to
Dex at every other level.
Con at levels  5,  8.

For a total of -2 Str, +9 Dex, +4 Con at 8th level.

Hellborn: Hellwasps clearly didn't originate from the material plane. At second level they gain the Evil subtype, and their attacks count as Evil for bypassing Damage Reduction. They also gain fire resistance equal to their HD and DR/magic equal to half their HD.

Poison: At 2nd level, creatures damaged by the Hellwasp swarm receive a poison inflicting 1d3 Dex damage, Fort save DC 10+1/2 HD+Con mod negates. For every 4 HD of the Hellwasp Swarm, increase the poison damage die by one step. At 10 HD, even creatures immune to poison will be affected by this, but they gain a +5 bonus on their saves.

Inhabit Dead:Growth: At 4th level the Hellwasp swarm now fills a 10x10 square. Like normal swarms, its shapeable in any form that fills four 5x5 squares.

Scattering Swarm: At 5th level the Hellwasp Swarm refines its coordinate flying , gaining full immunity to weapon attacks. It can also divide itself in up to four medium swarms, or two "long" swarms each filling 2 5x5 squares, as a fullround action. Each one has stats as the original one, except they divide the HP between them. They can get togheter simply by entering adjacent squares, in wich case they add their HP back togheter. Should one of the scattered swarms be destroyed, it's size is deduced from the Hellwasp swarm when its remaining members get togheter. It takes 8 hours of feasting, rest and frantic eye laying to replace one lost 5x5 square worth of Wellwasps.

Multiple swarms can't fill the same square.

Inhabit Living:
Lay Eggs:
At 7th level, a number of times per hour equal to their Con modifier, the Hellwasp Swarm can lay eggs on an oponent it damages with its Swarm Attack (only can lay eggs once in a single oponent per round). The eggs hatch in 1d4 rounds, producing a new HellWasp Swarm with Elite Array of stats and six levels lower than you, no feats or skills. The new Hellwasps crawl their way out of the victim's natural (or inflicted) orifices, forcing it to save against Distraction again, and the new swarm appears on its square, following any orders from the "mother" Hellwasp Swarm. They're under the control of the HellWasp Swarm for 1 minute per HD, after wich they abandon it and go to their own devices.

An Hellwasp Swarm of 15 HD spawns swarms with feats and skills of their own, but they must be ones that the HellWasp swarm itself has. They may also start picking class levels, as long as they're 6 levels lower than the "mother" HellWasp swarm.

Multiple swarms can't fill the same square.

HellPlague: At 8th level the HellWasp Swarm Hive Mind can now easily coordinate multiple bodies. If it uses a swarm of its Lay Eggs ability to Inhabit a dead body, then it won't go to its own devices, but serve the Hellwasp Swarm as an animated corpse permanently. The HellWasp Swarm can control up to eight times its own HD worth of zombies this way. If it produces more than it's limit, the ones longer under control break free.

Living inhabited creatures count as double their HD for purposes of this ability.

The Hellswarm itself can also now choose to don't deal Con damage to living inhabited creatures to make them last longer. This applies to its Lay Egg swarms as well, as long as they're high level enough to have the Inhabit living ability.

[/spoiler]

Comments:
[spoiler]
First, I know those on the image aren't "official" HellWasp swarms, but at the lack of an official picture, this will have to do.

Anway this is the first "Pure" swarm I've did. Specially hard because being a swarm really plays completely diferent from most other stuff. In the end I just decided that somebody wanting to play a swarm is willing to deal with the basic incovenients, so ended up not making that much custom changes. Just some stuff so you can properly benefit from magic and gear.

Anyway when not crawling over oponents, the main stick of the Hellwasp Swarm is inabiting the dead and the living and making them dance/fight for it. Inhabiting living is clearly stronger so it's gained later, but you can start making your wasp-zombies at third level.

For the two last levels custom abilities, in the form of spawning mini-swarms as support and then using them as permanent minions, while being able to control living creatures for longer.

Still feel like I could add some other touch to polish it up, but I really can't think of anything else. Well, I think it's more than playable as it is now. Making defeated oponents your slaves while buzzing around the battlefield and pestering everybody  while ignoring weapons and single-target spells is nothing to scoff at for an 8 level class. Enjoy your swarm of hell wasps!

[/spoiler]

oslecamo

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Bloody Initiate: Except that it's a wall of text, I find no problems with that ability and like it quite a bit. I must just ask to lower the number of uses to Cha mod, as the Nimblewright is already gaining two other abilities at last level.

I would really prefer if there was a shorter way of making it, but I can't see it now whitout sacrificing the coolness factor, so feel free to add it to the Nimblewright as it is now, plus the less uses per day. Good job there!

Bloody Initiate

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Hellwasp Swarm:
-It has a fly speed of 40 feet but no listed maneuverability
-In the "Scattering Swarm" feature you have it saying "frenetic eye laying," I get them impression you meant to type "frantic egg laying."

Otherwise I couldn't see any problems with it. It's nasty  :smirk
I don't employ memes. Mass-produced ammunition, even from reputable manufacturers, tends to malfunction on occasion.

Bloody Initiate

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Bloody Initiate: Except that it's a wall of text, I find no problems with that ability and like it quite a bit. I must just ask to lower the number of uses to Cha mod, as the Nimblewright is already gaining two other abilities at last level.

I would really prefer if there was a shorter way of making it, but I can't see it now whitout sacrificing the coolness factor, so feel free to add it to the Nimblewright as it is now, plus the less uses per day. Good job there!

Done. The ability is now in the Nimblewright's entry. I wished I could make it shorter too, but I already tried to make it as neat as possible with the table and stuff. I suppose if I removed the damaging aspect entirely and just made it a wave the Nimblewright rides that doesn't affect any enemies it would take up a lot less space, but I really liked having it work as it does. Also even if I took the damaging ability out of it, the thing would still collide with people in-game and there would be questions about how they interact.

Thanks for letting me fix the class up. Once I get the time I'll reword the Swat special ability to work more like some of the maug grafts that make sense. For now I have to prepare for a long drive etcetera.

Nice work on the Hellwasp Swarm, swarms are pretty cool and making one playable is just as cool, there just aren't that many playable swarms or support for players who want to play them.

I don't employ memes. Mass-produced ammunition, even from reputable manufacturers, tends to malfunction on occasion.

Mushroom

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Nice! I would love if my current DM would let me play that class, I mean who doesn't wantto play a swarm of Devil Bugs!

oslecamo

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Centaur


[spoiler]
HD:d8
LevelBabFortRefWillFeature
1+ 0+2+2 + 0Centaur body, Wild Path,  +1 Str
2+ 1+3+3 + 0Hooves, Wild Warrior,  +1 Con
3+ 2+3+3 + 1Growth, Wild Soul, +1 Str

Skills:
4+int modifier per level Its class skills are  Hide, Move silently, Jump, Balance, Listen, Survival, Swim and Spot.

Proficiencies:
Simple weapons, one martial weapon of its choice, and longbows.

Features:
Centaur body: The Centaur loses all other racial bonus and gains monstruous humanoid traits (basicaly darkvision 60 feet). A Centaur is a medium monstruous humanoid with base speed 50. A centaur's lower body is like an horse, wich allows the centaur to count as riding for benefitical purposes. For example, a centaur charging with a lance deals double damage. It also counts as a quadruped for carrying purposes.

A centaur gains a bonus to his natural armor equal to his Con bonus.

Wild Path:
The centaur is an incarnation of the wilderness, living off the land and facing the harshness of life head on. At first level they choose two of the following paths:

[spoiler]
Charger: The centaur can leap trough hindrances to quickly reach the enemy.  He can make a jump check during his charge as a swift action. If he does so, he leaps a total number of feets equal to the jump check at any point during his charge, ignoring any hard terrain and other obstacles in the zone where he jumped, as long as there's space for his body to fit trough. If there's a wall of any kind on his path, the centaur may atempt to break it as a free action whitout slowing down during the jump. The centaur adds his highest mental stat mod x 5 to this Jump check as he knows when it's best to jump.

Archer: The centaur can lose a quick volley of arrows instead of a single one as a standard action. This allows the centaur to attack multiple creatures with a ranged weapon, up to his highest Mental Stat modifier (minimum one extra target), and as long as each target is whitin 5 feet per HD of the other. So for example at first level the Centaur can only target adjacent oponents with this ability.

Khan: The centaur can push others to press onwards. Once per hour per HD as a swift action, the Centaur can grant +2 Str, +2 Con, +10 to all speeds and -2 penalty to AC to one willing creature whitin view for a number of rounds equal to his highest Mental Stat mod (minimum 1). For every 5 HD of the centaur, this bonus is doubled (+4 Str, +4 Con, +20 to all speeds at 5 HD, +6 Str, +6 Con, +30 to all speeds at 10 HD, ect).

Outrunner: The centaur can double all his movement speeds for 1 round, 1/hour per HD as a free action. He also gains a bonus to AC and to attack rolls equal to his highest Mental Stat when using this ability.

[/spoiler]

Ability increase:The centaur gains +1 to Str at 1st and 2nd level and +1 Con at 2nd level of this class, for a total of +2 Str and +1 Con at third level.

Hooves:At second level the centaur gains two natural hooves attacks dealing 1d4+1/2 str damage each. When full attacking, it may use both hooves as secondary attacks with a -5 penalty each, but no penalty on the primary attack.

Wild Warrior: At second level the chosen path of the centaur keeps improving:

[spoiler]
Charger: When performing a charge, the centaur may choose to attack with both hooves instead of a single attack. If it hits with either one, then the oponent must make a reflex save with DC 10+1/2HD+ Str mod or be tripped. Flying oponents are kicked down to the ground, droping 10 feet for each point they failed the save. If the oponent is tripped/knocked down, the centaur may choose to keep moving forward whitout provoking any attacks of oportunity from the run, up to his max charge range. If there appears a new oponent on the way, the  centaur may attack with it with both hooves again, inflicting tripping as before.

If the centaur hits with both hooves, the Reflex save DC is 10+HD+Str mod+Highest Mental Stat mod instead.

Archer: When making a ranged attack with a bow, the centaur may take a penalty to attacks up to his Bab, and add double the penalty he took as a bonus on the damage roll. Both penalty and bonus last for 1 round. In addition the centaur's arrows now ignore adverse wind conditions, even magic ones like Wind Wall, and any bows he wields gain a bonus range of (5x Highest Mental Stat mod) feets.
 
Khan: As an immediate action, the centaur may shout to an ally whitin sight to re-roll a Failed Save, Ability or Skill check of any kind with a bonus equal to the Highest Mental Stat mod of the centaur.

At 9 HD, the centaur may instead spend one attack of oportunity instead of an immediate action to use this.

At 16 HD, the centaur may allow an ally to re-roll one Attack roll, Miss chance or Random table effect instead. Only the re-rolled attack gains a bonus equal to the Highest Mental Stat mod of the centaur.

Outrunner: The Centaur may move up to twice his base speed in a straight line as a fullround action, not provoking attacks of oportunity for this movement. During this movement, he may perform melee attacks at any moment against any enemies whitin reach. Only one attack per enemy, and the centaur may only attack a total number of enemies up to his highest mental stat mod. The centaur counts as charging when using this ability for purposes of other abilities that would grant a bonus while charging.

[/spoiler]

Wild Soul: At third level, the centaur further advances his chosen paths
[spoiler]
Charger: As a fullround action, you can stomp in the ground creating a spheric shockwave with a 5 feet radius for each 3 HD that deals 1d6 damage per HD and stuns all enemies caught inside it (you can choose not to affect allies). A Fort save with DC 10+1/2HD+Fort modifier reduces the damage by half and negates the stun. If you have a magic weapon, you can use it to slam the ground, in wich case you add any of the weapon enanchments to the damage dealt, plus you can trigger any of the weapon's special bilities on those hit by your shockwave. Any bonus to attack rolls from the weapon is transfered to the save DC.

 Once used, you must wait (10-Highest Mental Stat mod) rounds before being able to use this again, minimum 1 round. If you do have a Mental Stat with a modifier of 10+, then you can add the diference to the DC of the save. If you're airborn, you can instead release a mighty battlecry to produce the same effect.

At 7 HD the centaur can use this as a standard action, and oponents cannot react to it with immediate/free actions.

At 11 HD as a move action, and even oponents immune to stun can be affected, but they gain a +5 bonus on the save.

At 15 HD as a swift action, and you can produce a Disintregate effect with CL equal to your HD, save DC equal to 10+1/2HD+Str mod on any point inside the affected area. Anything destroyed by this is shattered in pieces instead of reduced to dust.

At 19 HD as an immediate action, and a number of times per day equal to your highest Mental Stat Mod you can produce a Mormekdain's Disjuction effect on oponents inside the affected area, save DC 10+1/2HD+Str mod, except that magic items failing the save are simply supressed for 1d4 rounds instead of destroyed.

Archer: As a fullround action a number of times per hour equal to his highest mental stat mod, the centaur can perform a Wind Shot, firing a single arrow from a longbow with all normal bonus, except that this attack  has no range limit or range increment penalty. If the centaur can see it, he can shoot it with a longbow.

At 7 HD, the centaur may use Wind Shot as an attack action, and he ignores any special defenses that only work against ranged attacks/projectiles/arrows.

At 11 HD, a number of times per hour equal to his highest Mental Stat mod, the centaur may grant any arrows he fires an enanchment bonus equal to 1/4 his HD. He can only grant a bonus on attack and damage rolls up to +5, but he can grant other special abilities like flaming and holy. Remember that the same enanchments on bow and arrows don't stack, but diferent ones do.

At 15 HD, the centaur may a number of times per hour equal to his Mental Stat mod, the centaur may cause any arrow he fires to act as a Slaying arrow, Screaming Bolt or Sleep arrow, except the DC of those projectiles will be 10+1/2HD+Dex modifier instead of the normal one. Depending on the books allowed, the centaur may swap one of this options to replicate another kind of special projectile, pending DM aproval.

At 19 HD, all this Archer abilities become at-will, and the centaur adds his highest Mental Stat mod to longbow attack and damage rolls.

Khan: As a swift action, the centaur may release a rallyng cry that grants all allies (including the centaur himself) whitin a radius of 5 feet per HD a bonus on movement speeds equal to (5x Highest Mental Stat mod) feets and a bonus on attack rolls equal to half his highest Mental Stat mod (minimum +1) for 1 round.

In addition, if the centaur multiclasses for a druid or any spontaneous casting class, he can count his centaur levels as levels of that class for purposes of CL and for the purposes of learning new spells and geting new spell slots. So for example, a centaur 3 who took 1 level of sorceror could choose to have CL 4, get 3 2nd level spell slots, 1 1st level spell slot, 1 2nd level spell known and 1 0th level spell known. He wouldn't get the spell knowns and spell slots of a sorceror 3 however.  He would get the familiar ability, but centaur levels wouldn't count for it.

At 8 HD the centaur can choose to allow his rallied allies to add half his highest Mental Stat mod to either  damage rolls, skill checks or ability checks when the rallying cry is used.

At 13 HD the centaur can create a blood link with a number of creatures equal to his highest mental stat mod in a 1-hour ritual. Any non-instaneous magic buff casted on the centaur is instantly replicated on all the other blood linked.

At 18 HD the benefits of the rallying cry becomes permanent for allies inside the radius whitout need of any actions from the centaur (he must still choose each turn one of the options from the 8 HD ability). If the centaur releases an actual rallyng cry as a swift action, the bonus are doubled.

Outrunner: A number of rounds per hour equal to his highest Mental Stat mod, the centaur can act as under a Freedom of Movement effect. Activating this ability takes no actual action on the part of the centaur but can only be started at the begginning of his turn, and he can divide the total number of uses during several turns.

At 7 HD this works as a permanent Freedom of Movement effect, and the centaur may now produce an Air Walk effect on himself a number of rounds per hour equal to his highest Mental Stat mod, except that he cannot stand still in the middle of the air. This isn't the centaur actually flying, but running so fast that he takes to the skies.

At 11 HD the Air Walk effect also becomes permanent (but still can't stand still in the air), and a number of times per day equal to his highest Mental Stat mod the centaur can run so fast he breaks the dimensional barriers, producing a Plane Shift effect on himself. He can bring other creatures with him provided they are either riding him or can keep up at least with his base speed.

At 15 HD the centaur refreshes his Plane Shift runs every hour, and can now a number of times per day equal to his Highest Mental Stat mod move instantly to a point he can see as a swift action, as long as he has line of effect.

At 19 the centaur can use his instant move as an immediate action, and a number of times per day equal to his highest Mental Stat mod he can produce a Time Stop effect on himself. He must spend at least a move action moving every round of this Time Stop. He can also act normally when others cast Time Stop. You can't outrun him!

[/spoiler]

Growth:At third level the centaur grows one size category (notice it is a long creature).
[/spoiler]

Comments:
[spoiler]
New take on the centaur, focusing on the "wise creature of the wilds aspect".

Since I couldn't decide if the centaur was suposed to be a tribal charger or a running archer, ended up leting the player decide by giving four paths and leting the player mix them around.

Charger is the "Hit them in the face!" type, Archer is focused on ranged combat, Khan is a leader/shaman hybrid and the outrunner focus on mobility.

If you take all three levels, the paths will keep improving to quite powerfull effects. But hopefully not too powerfull for a 3 level creature. Khan path also grants spellcasting synergy, so doesn't scale as much as the others.

Besides that, the centaur has excellent base speed, average Bab and skills, two good saves, just long growth that isn't really as good as tall growth (but still good), and minor ability score bonus to support his paths.

You may notice I made most of the abilities dependant on the highest Mental Stat score. That's because in mythology centaurs are depicted as wise,  smartass or as really proud but simple-thinking dudes depending on the story, so again I let the players pick wichever of these they want. Either way, centaurs should never be dumb brutes.

So if you want to play an human/horse hybrid that symbolizes the freedom aspect of nature, the centaur's for you!
[/spoiler]