Post/Author/DateTime	Post
o_b_livion 03-08-07, 04:12 PM	Has anyone attempted to fix the Shugenja class? Besides the fact there's a lame article on how to fix it on dead levels which has any minuscule use. Given them feats at certain levels much like a wizard? Allowed them to wear armor? Change hit dice to d8? Added more skills? Any help would be great for this class was not well constructed.
Xylem 03-08-07, 04:25 PM	Some ideas: Gestalt them with the Aristocrat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/npcClasses/aristocrat.htm) NPC class (they are often members of noble class, after all)1; Make their spellcasting like the Spirit Shaman, so each day they choose their spells known for that day, which they then cast spontaneously. Give them Advance Learning (any spell of a level they can cast with the elemental descriptor of their order) every three levels, and a feat every five. 1 This would give them 3/4 BAB, martial weapons, d8's, and real excellent skill list.
Silverthumb128 03-08-07, 04:27 PM	Any help would be great for this class was not well constructed. Any information as to what you find unacceptable about Shugenja would be appreciated. I've never thought it looked that poorly assembled, personally.
o_b_livion 03-08-07, 04:40 PM	This class is a mix of divine/arcane class, but its just poor on what they can do. In comparison to a cleric since this is a divine class: they do not get Turn Undead ability, bad armor class and spell selection is limited to your element and some access to neighboring elements. Clerics can abuse.. I mean use the turn undead ability to other things, they get special powers from their divinity (which is annoying i.e. War, Sun, Spell, etc.) In comparison to the wizard/sorceror: they do not get bonus feats and would be nice to have not a familiar, but an elemental companion (a druid option). Its just new classes: beguiler, dread necromancer, knight, dragon shaman, etc. this class has a lot of DEAD levels. Or anyone else thought of turning the shugenjas like the Elemental Benders in the show, Avatar? Maybe at certain levels they can command their element (much like control water, control fire spells in Spell Compendium) to a greater extent.
Xylem 03-08-07, 09:00 PM	In comparison to the wizard/sorceror: they do not get bonus feats and would be nice to have not a familiar, but an elemental companion (a druid option). That's a very interesting idea. At what levels would they get what size elementals? Or anyone else thought of turning the shugenjas like the Elemental Benders in the show, Avatar? Maybe at certain levels they can command their element (much like control water, control fire spells in Spell Compendium) to a greater extent. Or perhaps give them elemental turning like some domains give? From the SRD: Air Domain Granted Powers Turn or destroy earth creatures as a good cleric turns undead. Rebuke, command, or bolster air creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead. Use these abilities a total number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. This granted power is a supernatural ability. Earth Domain Granted Power Turn or destroy air creatures as a good cleric turns undead. Rebuke, command, or bolster earth creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead. Use these abilities a total number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. This granted power is a supernatural ability. Fire Domain Granted Power Turn or destroy water creatures as a good cleric turns undead. Rebuke, command, or bolster fire creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead. Use these abilities a total number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. This granted power is a supernatural ability. Water Domain Granted Power Turn or destroy fire creatures as a good cleric turns undead. Rebuke, command, or bolster water creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead. Use these abilities a total number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. This granted power is a supernatural ability.
o_b_livion 03-08-07, 10:00 PM	in Complete Mage, the Druid does not gain an animal companion, instead with the requirement of Knowledge (the planes) 1 and Speak Language (Auran, Terran, Ignan or Aquan). But the language requirement wouldn't matter for the Shugenja for they have the language of the Kami already. In the beginning, you have a small elemental, at 4th level it grows into a medium elemental. At 10th, it can grow to a Large elemental. But if you dont want it to grow to large, the medium elemental gains 2HD, +2 Strength, +2 Constitution and damage reduction 5/-. At 16th, it can grow to a Huge elemental. If you choose for it to remain in size, it gains an additional +4HD, +4 Strength, +4 Constitution and damage reduction 5/-. All stack except for damage reduction. It does sound like a good idea to give the Shugenja elemental turning of either their element or opposing element.
Stado 03-08-07, 10:03 PM	I always just gave Shugenja the ability to Rebuke elementals of their specialization and Turn the opposite. Like the Air, Earth, Fire, and Water domains. Still, I never really saw it as a enough, and rather like the idea that Xylem suggested: make their spellcasting like the Spirit Shaman, so each day they choose their spells known for that day, which they then cast spontaneously.
navar100 03-09-07, 03:26 AM	Have the error of the spell progression table not be an error. :P
eggplantm 03-09-07, 10:13 AM	I've thought the shugenja weak in some areas as well. They have spontaneous casting but their selection of spells is very limited and they are divine casters with no armor proficiency and poor BAB. This is what my group did. First, all shugenja have the turn/rebuke ability for creatures that are opposed or the same type as their element. So a earth shugenja can rebuke/command creatures with the earth type and turn/destroy creatures with the air type. This ability lets them cash in on all the divine feats. Next, I give them an elemental companion similar to the druid animal companion. Check out the alternate Druid ability from the Complete Mage. It is pretty well outlined there. These two abilities help the shugenja compete with other divine classes a little better.
Ventilatory_Threshold 03-09-07, 10:18 AM	I greatly expanded their spell list and added one spell known per level. They're like a better version of the Sorcerer in my campaign.
Ainamacar 03-09-07, 11:50 AM	My friend and I made an adapted Shugenja for our campaigns. Here are the changes and added abilities. We expanded all the spell lists a little bit, trying to keep the same flavor as in the original lists. However, the basic cure spells were made available to every element. In his campaign there are no clerics, so this was especially important. At 1st level you learn the language associated with your chosen element. Elemental Summoning: A shugenja learns, as a bonus spell known when he can first cast shugenja spells of that level, any Summon Nature's Ally spell than can be used to summon one of the standard elementals. He may only use these spells to summon the standard elementals of his favored element. Resistance to Energy (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a shugenja gains Resistance to Energy 5 for the damage type related to his favored element. Air shugenjas gain resistance to electricity, earth shugenjas gain resistance to acid, fire shugenjas gain resistance to fire, and water shugenjas gain resistance to cold. The amount of protection provided increases by 5 at levels 7, 12, and 17. Rapid Elemental Summoning (Ex): Starting at 5th level, whenever a shugenja casts a shugenja spell with a casting time of 1 round to summon a creature with the elemental type he may instead cast the spell as a full-round action. Greater Elemental Focus: At 10th level the shugenja gain the benefits of the Greater Spell Focus feat for spells from his favored element, regardless of its school. Elemental Malediction (Su): At 15th level, once per day as an immediate action, a shugenja can force a single creature to reroll a saving throw made against a favored element spell the shugenja has cast. The creature must use the lower roll. For this ability to function the shugenja must have line of sight to the creature and be able to target it (as if for a targeted spell). Energy Immunity (Su): At 20th level a shugenja gains immunity to the energy type related to his favored element. Maybe you'll find this helpful, at least as a source of some more ideas.