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Khaim 07-10-06, 11:10 AM

Note: I realize this won't last past the wipe. I'll repost it afterwards, but for now I'd like to see what people think. First, a bit of background. I got Heroes of Battle recently and immediately set out to start a war-themed campaign. However, I quickly noticed the lack of a good battlefield healer. The cleric is generally assumed to fill that role, but doesn’t do all that great a job. A low-level cleric has maybe half a dozen spells to use, counting orisons, and if he uses them all for healing he has very little left to do afterwards. A higher-level cleric is better off, but a higher-level cleric probably has better things to do than tend to dozens of grunts injured in battle. Thus I set out to make a class specifically designed for a role as battlefield healer. I wanted a class that would be able to heal often and would not feel like it was “wasting” its abilities to do so. I wanted something with abilities designed for use on the battlefield, not the dungeon. And I wanted it to be a base class, not a prestige class. This class is still a work in progress. I’m still unsure of a many of the features, so please, comment on what you think needs changing. Combat Medic Abilities: Wisdom determines how powerful a spell a combat medic can cast, how many spells he can cast per day, and how hard those spell are to resist. A high Charisma score improves a combat medic’s protection abilities and his ability to turn undead. Constitution allows a combat medic to continue using his abilities for a longer time. Alignment: Any good or any lawful. Hit Die: d8. Base Attack Bonus: As cleric. Saves: As cleric. Class Skills Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (warfare), Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot. Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier. Class Features The following are class features of the combat medic. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A combat medic is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor. Spells: A combat medic cast divine spells, which are drawn from the combat medic spell list. He may cast any spell he knows without preparing it. A combat medic casts spells using his Wisdom score, including getting bonus spells for a high Wisdom score. A combat medic’s selection of spells is extremely limited. Unlike most divine casters, a combat medic does not know all the spells on his spell list. The spells per day and spells known lists are those of a bard of equal level, drawn from the combat medic spell list. Healer’s Protection (Sp): As a standard action, a combat medic may invoke a sanctuary effect on himself. While so protected, the combat medic glows very slightly; not enough to provide noticeable illumination, but enough to bestow a -4 penalty on Hide checks. The Will save to resist this effect is 10 + ½ class level + Cha modifier. An enemy who successfully saves is immune to this ability for one day. An enemy who fails his save may not attempt another until the medic drops the effect. Healer’s Protection lasts until the combat medic attacks (as per the sanctuary spell) or voluntarily lowers it, as a standard action. If the combat medic keeps the protection effect for more than one minute per class level, he must make a Fortitude save for each minute afterwards (DC = 15 + minutes past limit). Failure leaves the medic fatigued and unable to resume this effect until he rests for 8 hours, as well as immediately ending it. Field Healer (Ex): A combat medic may make a Heal check to provide first aid as a move action rather than a standard action. Promise of Life (Su): A combat medic’s presence on a battlefield provides a visible and tangible comfort to soldiers. Allies within 60 feet who know the combat medic is present gain a +1 bonus on moral checks. This bonus increases to +2 at 4th level, +3 at 7th level, and so on until it reaches +7 at 19th level. Instinctive Healing (Su): A combat medic of 2nd level of higher may make Heal checks without needing any materials. He may still use a healer’s kit if desired; for example, to gain the +2 bonus for using masterwork tools. Turn or Rebuke Undead (Su): A combat medic of 3rd level or higher may turn undead as a cleric two levels lower. A lawful evil combat medic instead rebukes undead as an evil cleric two levels lower. Special Abilities: At 3rd level, at 5th level, and every three levels beyond that (8th, 11th, etc) a combat medic gains an ability chosen from those below. Steady Healing (Ex): The combat medic may always take 10 on Heal checks, even when stress or distraction would normally prevent him from doing so. Expanded Promise of Life (Su): The combat medic’s bonus on moral checks may affect allies within 180 feet. Instant Healing (Su): The combat medic may make first aid checks as a swift action instead of a move action. Doing so prevents him from using a healer’s kit. Extended Protection (Sp): The combat medic may maintain his sanctuary effect for a number of minutes equal to twice his class level, and gains a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves to maintain it past that time. Fountain of Life (Sp): Choose any one spell the combat medic knows with the healing descriptor. The combat medic may cast this spell by making a Heal check instead of using a spell slot. The DC is 20 + 5 per level of the spell. Each time the combat medic uses this ability, he must make a Fortitude save, DC = twice the number of times he has used this ability since resting. Unlike most saves, a natural 1 does not automatically fail; thus a combat medic does not need to bother rolling for the first few uses each day. Failing this save leaves the medic fatigued and unable to use this ability until he rests for 8 hours, as well as preventing him from using his Healer’s Protection ability. Likewise, becoming fatigued from overuse of that ability prevents Fountain of Life from being used. A combat medic may select this ability multiple times, gaining the ability to cast an additional healing spell he knows each time. The heal DC for each is determined separately, but the Fortitude save is based on the total uses of this ability each day, not by individual spell. Combat Medic spell list (Incomplete) 0: Create Water, Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Guidance, Know Direction, Light, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, Read Magic, Resistance, Virtue, Vitalize* 1: Align Weapon, Bless, Comprehend Languages, Cure Light Wounds, Deathwatch, Endure Elements, Entropic Shield, Expeditious Retreat, Magic Weapon, Remove Fear, Shield of Faith, Tasin’s Floating Stretcher* 2: Aid, Bear’s Endurance, Bull’s Strength, Calm Emotions, Cat’s Grace, Cure Moderate Wounds, Divine Favor, Gentle Repose, Lesser Restoration, Make Whole, Resist Energy, Resounding Voice**, Shield Other, Silence, Status * new spell ** from Heroes of Battle Vitalize Conjuration (Healing) Level: Clr 0, Drd 0, Med 0 Components: V, S, DF Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Target: Creature touched Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless) You bestow energy and vitality to a creature with a touch. The target is no longer fatigued. If it was exhausted, it is now fatigued instead. You may not affect a creature with more than twice your caster level in HD. This spell only removes physical weariness. If used on a combat medic who has become fatigued through use of her abilities, for example, it will not hasten or replace the rest needed to restore them, although it will remove the penalties to ability scores and movement. Tasin’s Floating Stretcher Evocation (Force) Level: Clr 2, Med 1 Components: V, S, DF Effect: Plane of force large enough to hold one creature of medium size or smaller Duration: 1 hour/level (D) This spell functions like Tenser’s Floating Disk, except as noted. The plane is flat and slightly soft on top, and winks out if used to carry more than 5 pounds per caster level of inorganic material. When the plane winks out, either by itself or because you dismiss it, it slowly lowers its load to the floor before dissipating completely.