Building the Maho-Tsukai [Archive] - Wizards Community

Building the Maho-Tsukai [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
darklogic
12-24-05, 03:04 AM This PrC, found in the Oriental/Rokugan campaign setting, is very little if anything like what the original concept is meant to be. For one, the rules on Taint are user friendly and make it less threatening to anyone who would want to play one. Second, the spells it can cast are WEAK. Granted, in DnD and any setting based on it, there is meant to be balance, and its spells do balance with those of other classes, but also the concept of Maho is that you are casting extremely powerful magic at the cost of your soul (and in a metagame concept, your character).

Another odd note, in the original concept on which this is based, there are supposedly many ways to become a Maho-Tsukai that do not involve actual ability to cast spells. In a world setting where everyone casts spells by studying scrolls and memorizing their magic, Maho is meant to be the easiest magic to cast, to the point that anyone with an iota of intellect and access to an artery can cast a low level spell. Therefore it seems odd to make it a PrC at all, as the flavor of this original implied distinctly the contrary.

Granted, the Maho-Tsukai is a 'fallen' shugenja by many interpretations, just as a Black Guard is a 'fallen' Paladin, yet one can become a Maho Tsukai without becoming a Shugenja in the original pre-d20 setting. I therefore still believe that, flavor text of the original taken into account, the Maho Tsukai deserves to be a base class.

By technicality, the Maho Tsukai is a Divine Caster. After all, it can be seen as a fallen Shugenja. Yet clearly the spells it casts, when you look at the original and at the flavor text, as though it is an Arcane caster. It is most similar to a Sorcerer in the ammount of spell power it holds, yet its versatility and study of spellcraft can be compared in a limited sense to a Wizard. A successful Maho Tsukai in the original pre-PrC version could cast spells taken from other's scrolls as though they were Maho spells, thereby 'adding' spells of other classes to their list, albeit at an extremely heavy price.

Other flavor and mechanical considerations to consider is the idea that Maho is 'easy' to use. Weak willed and weak bodied people were capable of at least rudimentary Maho. The main limitation was how much blood you could obtain for your spells and how much taint your body could hold before you basically turned into a mindless follower of the shadowlands, equivalent to a living zombie. Maho Tsukai would therefore carry bladed weaponry, mainly to try and extract blood from victims in order to ensure that they could cast their spells without using up their own health reserves. If a Maho Tsukai could get his hands on enough victims, he could get enough blood for truly epic spells. As a note of importance, only blood of the Maho Tsukai's own intelligent species seemed to be enough to appease the dark spirits that granted his power. In the original setting though, just about everyone was human, though.

What recomendations would anyone have for me in building the progression of such a class? What material would be advisable as inspirational material? And also what pitfalls are to be avoided?
Tempest Stormwind
12-24-05, 11:37 AM The "extreme power" that the mechanics tried to preserve lies in the insane caster level and DCs of the maho-tsukai. This is surprisingly potent, and not to be underrated. If you do revise the class (which, by the way, was also stripped of flavor when it was 'updated' in Unearthed Arcana (not officially called out as an update, but it's clearly 3.5, and clearly the Maho-Tsukai, just as the Maho-Bujin also appears there), so if people aren't familiar with it, they can read about it as the Tainted Sorceror (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/taint.htm#taintedSorcerer)), I suggest you keep the high CL and DCs.

(Note: UA has a slightly different set of taint rules than OA.)

As much as I'm loath to admit it, the Ur-Priest is probably your best bet for this as a source of inspiration. It gets amazingly fast spellcasting progression, does not require spellcasting to enter, is terribly evil, and has a caster level that makes your DM cry. Remove what doesn't fit the theme, tack on the blood-related rules, and see how close that is as an example. Then, take what you have and build it from there.
darklogic
12-24-05, 02:14 PM Ick. It looks like one of the other things i'm going to have to do is overhaul the Taint rules. They're too friendly. It's too easy to have a Tainted character using the RAW rules from UA, and the risk of character death from taint is distinctly less threatening than the original mechanic of the character possibly becoming a DM's NPC while the character is still alive. Also I did not see a mechanic wherin the character can gain more taint by casting a Tainted spell.

I will take your other suggestion and begin examining the Ur-Priest, which I must admit is one class I've usually tried very hard to overlook. I am trying to go for "extreme spellcasting power" without spelling the words "munchkin cheese."

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
darklogic 12-24-05, 03:04 AM	This PrC, found in the Oriental/Rokugan campaign setting, is very little if anything like what the original concept is meant to be. For one, the rules on Taint are user friendly and make it less threatening to anyone who would want to play one. Second, the spells it can cast are WEAK. Granted, in DnD and any setting based on it, there is meant to be balance, and its spells do balance with those of other classes, but also the concept of Maho is that you are casting extremely powerful magic at the cost of your soul (and in a metagame concept, your character). Another odd note, in the original concept on which this is based, there are supposedly many ways to become a Maho-Tsukai that do not involve actual ability to cast spells. In a world setting where everyone casts spells by studying scrolls and memorizing their magic, Maho is meant to be the easiest magic to cast, to the point that anyone with an iota of intellect and access to an artery can cast a low level spell. Therefore it seems odd to make it a PrC at all, as the flavor of this original implied distinctly the contrary. Granted, the Maho-Tsukai is a 'fallen' shugenja by many interpretations, just as a Black Guard is a 'fallen' Paladin, yet one can become a Maho Tsukai without becoming a Shugenja in the original pre-d20 setting. I therefore still believe that, flavor text of the original taken into account, the Maho Tsukai deserves to be a base class. By technicality, the Maho Tsukai is a Divine Caster. After all, it can be seen as a fallen Shugenja. Yet clearly the spells it casts, when you look at the original and at the flavor text, as though it is an Arcane caster. It is most similar to a Sorcerer in the ammount of spell power it holds, yet its versatility and study of spellcraft can be compared in a limited sense to a Wizard. A successful Maho Tsukai in the original pre-PrC version could cast spells taken from other's scrolls as though they were Maho spells, thereby 'adding' spells of other classes to their list, albeit at an extremely heavy price. Other flavor and mechanical considerations to consider is the idea that Maho is 'easy' to use. Weak willed and weak bodied people were capable of at least rudimentary Maho. The main limitation was how much blood you could obtain for your spells and how much taint your body could hold before you basically turned into a mindless follower of the shadowlands, equivalent to a living zombie. Maho Tsukai would therefore carry bladed weaponry, mainly to try and extract blood from victims in order to ensure that they could cast their spells without using up their own health reserves. If a Maho Tsukai could get his hands on enough victims, he could get enough blood for truly epic spells. As a note of importance, only blood of the Maho Tsukai's own intelligent species seemed to be enough to appease the dark spirits that granted his power. In the original setting though, just about everyone was human, though. What recomendations would anyone have for me in building the progression of such a class? What material would be advisable as inspirational material? And also what pitfalls are to be avoided?
Tempest Stormwind 12-24-05, 11:37 AM	The "extreme power" that the mechanics tried to preserve lies in the insane caster level and DCs of the maho-tsukai. This is surprisingly potent, and not to be underrated. If you do revise the class (which, by the way, was also stripped of flavor when it was 'updated' in Unearthed Arcana (not officially called out as an update, but it's clearly 3.5, and clearly the Maho-Tsukai, just as the Maho-Bujin also appears there), so if people aren't familiar with it, they can read about it as the Tainted Sorceror (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/taint.htm#taintedSorcerer)), I suggest you keep the high CL and DCs. (Note: UA has a slightly different set of taint rules than OA.) As much as I'm loath to admit it, the Ur-Priest is probably your best bet for this as a source of inspiration. It gets amazingly fast spellcasting progression, does not require spellcasting to enter, is terribly evil, and has a caster level that makes your DM cry. Remove what doesn't fit the theme, tack on the blood-related rules, and see how close that is as an example. Then, take what you have and build it from there.
darklogic 12-24-05, 02:14 PM	Ick. It looks like one of the other things i'm going to have to do is overhaul the Taint rules. They're too friendly. It's too easy to have a Tainted character using the RAW rules from UA, and the risk of character death from taint is distinctly less threatening than the original mechanic of the character possibly becoming a DM's NPC while the character is still alive. Also I did not see a mechanic wherin the character can gain more taint by casting a Tainted spell. I will take your other suggestion and begin examining the Ur-Priest, which I must admit is one class I've usually tried very hard to overlook. I am trying to go for "extreme spellcasting power" without spelling the words "munchkin cheese."