Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

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Gerzel's picture
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Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

Here is the second Doomie PrC that I've been working on. This version is very much a work in progress. Almost all aspects need work but this draft gets the idea across of what I want to do. I am really looking for feedback.

Entropic Adept PrC
There are those who learn of the nature of entropy in the multiverse and those who then look deeper into it. It is those souls that are able to find pathes over the crumbling ruins of existence and walk further than others. Eventually, Entropy will take all, but the Entropic Adept has learned where to tread to avoid entropy and to stave off their own ruin.

Requires: Feats: Sift or Destruction Embraced, Knowledge(The Planes) 8 ranks, Special: Trained by another Entropic Adept

Hit Die: D6

Skills: Still working.

Saves: All Good.

Path of Destruction: Entropy can never be completly denied or avoided. To this end all Adepts have learned that in order to follow the paths of entropy they must accept and feel some entropy themselves. Every level the Entropic Adept gains in this class they must perminently sacrifice 5 hit points through a ritual that causes small scars to form on the adept's body. These hit points may not be regained by any means, including a Wish or Miracle spell.

Entropic Backlash: At first level the adept has learned to deflect damage from himself to another creature. The adept absorbes an amount of damage into a buffer, once the buffer is full the adept receives the damage as normal. The adept may expell and damage from the buffer during an attack adding it instead to any damage rolls the adept makes, either for an attack or from a spell. At first level this buffer is able to hold the first three points of damage the adept receives. This amount increases to six at level three, nine at level six, and twelve at level nine.

Entropic Restoration: At second level the adept has learned to push entropy off of themselves into their suroundings. This allows the Adept to heal and recover faster from damage; however it also means that normal non-magical equipment and items on the adepts person tend to decay faster. The adept gains regeneration at 1 hit point per minute which the adept may choose to use or not; however when used the proscess causes damage to equipment being worn by the adept. This damage appears as accelerated wear and tear on mundane items and can generally be repaired. For every ten minutes spent regenerating in this manner the adept has a one-in-ten chance of causing something to become worn out, torn, or otherwised damaged so as to be useless without repair or replacement.

Nemui's picture
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Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

'Gerzel' wrote:
Path of Destruction: Entropy can never be completly denied or avoided. To this end all Adepts have learned that in order to follow the paths of entropy they must accept and feel some entropy themselves. Every level the Entropic Adept gains in this class they must perminently sacrifice 5 hit points through a ritual that causes small scars to form on the adept's body. These hit points may not be regained by any means, including a Wish or Miracle spell.

This makes very little sense, having them gain 1d6 and lose 5 at each level. How about just saying they get only 1 hit point per class level, with no Constitution bonus?

Quote:
Entropic Backlash: At first level the adept has learned to deflect damage from himself to another creature. The adept absorbes an amount of damage into a buffer, once the buffer is full the adept receives the damage as normal. The adept may expell and damage from the buffer during an attack adding it instead to any damage rolls the adept makes, either for an attack or from a spell. At first level this buffer is able to hold the first three points of damage the adept receives. This amount increases to six at level three, nine at level six, and twelve at level nine.

Maybe tie this one in with the share pain psionic power?

Quote:
Entropic Restoration: At second level the adept has learned to push entropy off of themselves into their suroundings. This allows the Adept to heal and recover faster from damage; however it also means that normal non-magical equipment and items on the adepts person tend to decay faster. The adept gains regeneration at 1 hit point per minute which the adept may choose to use or not; however when used the proscess causes damage to equipment being worn by the adept. This damage appears as accelerated wear and tear on mundane items and can generally be repaired. For every ten minutes spent regenerating in this manner the adept has a one-in-ten chance of causing something to become worn out, torn, or otherwised damaged so as to be useless without repair or replacement.

It sounds like fast healing, not regeneration. Regeneration always has a type of damage that it doesn't work against. Besides, 1 per minute is next to nothing, even without the downside.

More importantly, I forsee this being a bitch to handle in a session. Deducting 1 hp per minute from all possessions, with a 10% chance for each item of being damaged to uselessness? Too much dice.

Gerzel's picture
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Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

'Nemui' wrote:
This makes very little sense, having them gain 1d6 and lose 5 at each level. How about just saying they get only 1 hit point per class level, with no Constitution bonus?

The idea is for the class to sacrifice something to entropy. So when I wrote this I was fully aware that some with low con scores might actually lose hp in a level, b/c while they would gain the minimal 1 hp for the new hit die, they would still have to sacrifice the 5hp. However, this concept was developed for another class, a fighter class, where the PCs taking it would almost certainly have high con scores, and in that class it gave the option to burn cha points instead. I think I may just drop this from the mechanics entirely.

'Nemui' wrote:
Maybe tie this one in with the share pain psionic power?

I'll have to look that up. I don't generallly play w/psi and don't know the rules very well either in 3 or 3.5.

'Nemui' wrote:
It sounds like fast healing, not regeneration. Regeneration always has a type of damage that it doesn't work against. Besides, 1 per minute is next to nothing, even without the downside.
Allright. This will be changed. B/c part of the class is foregoing magical healing I want to give them something. Perhaps a number of points per hour?

'Nemui' wrote:
More importantly, I forsee this being a bitch to handle in a session. Deducting 1 hp per minute from all possessions, with a 10% chance for each item of being damaged to uselessness? Too much dice.

Yeah. I think I'll just drop this and put it in as entirely flavor with no mechanic.

Thanks Nemui

Fidrikon's picture
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Factor
Joined: 2004-12-19
Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

Another way to do the whole 'accellerated entropy around you' might be as such:

Rather then it effecting your items, have it actually effect the area around you. Normally, this does nothing. However, whenever you sit in one place for long enough (AKA: when you sleep, or if you are chained to a wall in some prison) then there is a cumulative chance that the area starts to degrade. As in, you fall asleep on a bed, and normally when you wake up, the edges are frayed. It happens. But sometimes you wake up to find little more than scraps of cloth where the sheet where. No harm to you, but if your in an Inn this could be problematic.
However, this can be a nifty way of breaking out of places. If your chaine dto a wall, the chains will rust fasters, untill eventually (on a successful roll) they rust away.

Mechanically, this would be that for every 8 hours you are in a five foot area (or space/reach if you are larger/smaller than medium.) something (or all nonmagical) in the area lose one point of hardness. With the cumulative 1% chance, on a successful rolls they lose 1d10 points of hardness. If it reaches 0 hardness, it breaks.

Howevers, this makes you wonder why the Doomguards items dont break up too, maybe the protection from entropy that they have applies to worn items as well? Just make sure that you sleep a good distance away from the rest of the party, and never higher than the ground floor Laughing out loud

Another thing that I dont see very often, Entropy of magic. Those spells muct be powered by something. And at least with arcane spells, the magic itself is based up of an arcane construction, and therefor must have some means of breaking down. Maybe one Entropic ability is the means to make a check to dispel magic, or only arcane spells? Or maybe give them something similar as a class skill that is Doomguard specific?

Gerzel's picture
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Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

Well the idea is that the Adept is shifting entropy around themselves. While they cannot stop it they can deflect and shift it to help protect them. One would assume that they also use this to protect their own valuables, and perhaps even party members.

All doomies believe that Entropy cannot be stopped, but they definatly all seem to hold that it can be controled. After all, if it can be sped up or slowed down as several sects would claim to do, then it should be possable to have it affect some things and not others.

Perhaps make an abilaty where the doomie can focus upon something and have it wear and age before their eyes. A power that is always on and occationally has the side effects you mentioned.

Fidrikon's picture
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Factor
Joined: 2004-12-19
Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

So... the above qualities plus an ability similar to rust grip, but which effects all nonmagical, nonliving matter in the area of effect? Usable only once per day, for sure.

Nemui's picture
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Entropic Adept - Doomguard PrC

'Gerzel' wrote:
The idea is for the class to sacrifice something to entropy. So when I wrote this I was fully aware that some with low con scores might actually lose hp in a level, b/c while they would gain the minimal 1 hp for the new hit die, they would still have to sacrifice the 5hp. However, this concept was developed for another class, a fighter class, where the PCs taking it would almost certainly have high con scores, and in that class it gave the option to burn cha points instead. I think I may just drop this from the mechanics entirely.

I don't have a problem with a class that loses hp instead of gaining them (if you sufficiently load it with other abilities), I was just pointing out the fact that you roll your hit points and then lose a fixed amount, which sounded... pointless. Instead, you could simply take away their class HD completely - though they'd gain an effective HD at each level for the purpose of effects relying on character level, they'd gain no actual hit points.

Or, if you do want them to gain a small amount of hp, just make it a d4 or d2 and note in the flavor text that most of the health and vigor that they would normally gain as they advance in power is actualy sacrificed to Entropy. Again, I would prefer zero or negative hp per level in exchange for really useful abilities, since it fits the concept better... you know, unbalance the class twice to make it balanced.

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