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| wi1dfire_b1ue06-20-05, 12:12 AM | I've often felt that the Adept NPC class was not varied enough for my tastes. Also, once the magewright class had been written, I really wanted to create a class that could fill a niche left open by the current selection of NPC classes. In my campaign world, the commoner in the street is not something easilly sneered at. Even the ubiquitous bar wench could turn out to have a poisoned stiletto concealed in her dress. This class is reflective of that trend. Where the magewright is a middle class blacksmith that can do something more, and an adept is the wise woman who holds herself away from the villiage, the Folksinger is really one of dregs of society. The final result came out close to being a lesser bard, and in fact most of the spells are drawn from the bard's spell list. Enough babble I suppose. Critique is welcome, and probably needed. FOLKSINGER Hit Die: d4. Class Skills The folksingers class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex). Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier. Table: The Folksinger Spells per Day Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st +0 +0 +2 +0 Bonus Langauge 3 0 2nd +1 +0 +3 +0 3 1 3rd +1 +1 +3 +1 3 2 4th +2 +1 +4 +1 Target audience 3 2 0 5th +2 +1 +4 +1 3 2 1 6th +3 +2 +5 +2 3 2 1 7th +3 +2 +5 +2 3 3 2 8th +4 +2 +6 +2 Target audience 3 3 2 0 9th +4 +3 +6 +3 3 3 2 1 10th +5 +3 +7 +3 3 3 2 1 11th +5 +3 +7 +3 3 3 3 2 12th +6/+1 +4 +8 +4 Target audience 3 3 3 2 0 13th +6/+1 +4 +8 +4 3 3 3 2 1 14th +7/+2 +4 +9 +4 3 3 3 2 1 15th +7/+2 +5 +9 +5 3 3 3 3 2 16th +8/+3 +5 +10 +5 Target audience 3 3 3 3 2 0 17th +8/+3 +5 +10 +5 3 3 3 3 2 1 18th +9/+4 +6 +11 +6 3 3 3 3 2 1 19th +9/+4 +6 +11 +6 3 3 3 3 3 2 20th +10/+5 +6 +12 +6 Target audience 3 3 3 3 3 2 Class Features All of the following are class features of the folksinger NPC class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Folksingers are skilled with all simple weapons. Folksingers are not proficient with any type of armor nor with shields. Spells: A folksinger casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the folksinger spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. Every folksinger spell has a verbal component (singing, reciting, or music). To learn or cast a spell, a folksinger must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a charlatans spell is 10 + the spell level + the folksingers Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a folksinger can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Folksinger. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. When Table: Folksinger Spells Known indicates that the charlatan gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma score for that spell level. The folksingers selection of spells is extremely limited. A folksinger begins play knowing four 0-level spells of your choice. At most new folksinger levels, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: folksinger Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a folksinger knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Folksinger Spells Known are fixed.) Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third folksinger level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a folksinger can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the folksinger loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spells level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level folksinger spell the folksinger can cast. A folksinger may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level. As noted above, a folksinger need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spells level. Bonus Language: A folksinger hears much and picks up more, even from her earliest days on stage. A 1st level folksinger gains a bonus language of her choosing. Target Audience: At 4th level, and every four levels after, a folksinger learns to tailor his performances to his audience, and so those performances become especially effective. Everytime this class ability is gained, the folksinger selects a humanoid subtype to target. The folksinger gains a +1 competence bonus against all members of that subtype for charisma checks and charisma based skill checks. Further, the DC's of all her folksinger spells against targets of the targeted audience increase by one. This bonus stacks with similiar bonuses such as from the spell focus feat. The folksinger must know all racial languages associated with the subtype in order to select it. The same subtype may be selected more than once, and the charisma and charisma based skill check bonus stacks, but the spell DC increases only once. At the DM's option target audiences other than humanoids may be selected; however, the folksinger must still know all racial languages to select the type. Folksinger Spell List Folksingers choose their spells from the following list. 0 Level: dancing lights, detect magic, ghost sound, light, lulluby, mage hand, mending, prestidigitation, read magic, touch of fatigue. 1st Level: cause fear, charm person, command, comprehend languages, disguise self, feather fall, hypnotism, lesser confusion, magic aura, undetectable alignment, ventriloquism, sleep. 2nd Level: alter self, cats grace, detect thoughts, eagle's splendor, fox's cunning, enthrall, hideous laughter, hypnotic pattern, hold person, minor image, mirror image, misdireection, scare, suggestion. 3rd Level: bestow curse, charm monster, confusion, crushing despair, deep slumber, displacement, fear, glibness, good hope, major image, remove curse, tongues. 4th Level: dominate person, hold monster, lesser geas, phantasmal killer, polymorph, rainbow pattern. 5th Level: baleful polymorph, break enchantment, greater command, permanent image, mass suggestion, mirage arcana, mind fog, seeming. Table: Folksinger Spells Known Spells Known Level 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st 2 2* 2nd 2 2 3rd 3 2 4th 3 2 2* 5th 3 2 2 6th 3 3 2 7th 3 3 2 8th 3 3 2 2* 9th 3 3 2 2 10th 3 3 3 2 11th 4 3 3 2 12th 4 3 3 2 2* 13th 4 3 3 3 2 14th 4 4 3 3 2 15th 4 4 3 3 3 16th 4 4 3 3 3 2* 17th 4 4 3 3 3 2 18th 4 4 4 3 3 2 19th 4 4 4 3 3 3 20th 4 4 4 4 3 3 * Provided the Folksinger has a high enough Charisma score to have a bonus spell of this level. |
| Shaken, not Stunned06-20-05, 12:20 AM | Looks dead on as an NPC class (balance-wise). It has good flavor, too. I got no problems wit' 'dis. |
| GEEKAZOID07-28-05, 10:35 PM | HEYYYYY! How did you come up with the spells known chart? And btw, check my sig for another npc class. |
| wi1dfire_b1ue07-28-05, 11:00 PM | I honestly don't remember. I think I went for something along the lines of bard, and made sure that folksingers gained at least one spell every level. |
| wi1dfire_b1ue08-06-05, 02:11 PM | This is an example baddie I constructed using the class above. He's apparently CR 12 (once all the CR adjustments are totaled), but I am not completely sure about that. It should have hordes of followers to mow through, beyond those it has by virtue of it's leadership feat. The Herald-Witch might make an excellent "power behind the throne" BBEG, or more likely, the lackey of a truly powerful BBEG. The Herald-WitchCR 12 Kobold Lich Folksinger 12 LE Small Humanoid Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60ft, Listen +13, Spot +13 Languages: Common, Draconic, Goblin, Gnome. AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 22 HP 66 (12 HD) Immune to ability score damage, cold, critical hits, death effects, disease, electricity, fatigue/exhaustion, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep effects, stunning, and mind affecting attacks Resist DR 15/bludgeoning and magic, turn resist +4 Fort +6, Ref +12, Will +6 Weakness Light Sensitivity Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee Touch Attack +5 (1d8+5 plus paralysis) and Mwk Shortspear +1 (1d4-2) or Shortspear +6/+1 (1d4-2) or Ranged Mwk Hvy Crossbow +9 (1d8) Base Attack +6, Grp 3 Special Modifiers Fear Aura (Will Sv DC 22), Paralyzing Touch (Fort Sv DC 24) Combat Gear Wands charm person (50 charges), detect magic (50 charges); Getaway (see below). Spells Known (CL 12th, DC's for gnome and goblin targets are increased by 1): 4th (1/day)-- hold monster, phantasmal killer (DC 20) 3rd (3/day)-- charm monster, fear (DC 19) 2nd (5/day)-- detect thoughts, hideous laughter, suggestion (DC 18) 1st (5/day)-- command, comprehend languages, undetectable alignment (DC 17) Cantrips (3/day)-- dancing lights, ghost sound, mage hand, touch of fatigue (DC 16) Spell-like Abilities (CL 1st, 1/day)--magic aura, mending, prestidigitation. Abilities Str 6, Dex 13, Con -, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 22 Feats Skill focus (disguise), Hedgemage, Craft Wondrous, Leadership, Ability focus (paralysis) Skills Bluff +11, Concentration +10, Craft (trapmaking) +6, Diplomacy +15, Disguise +24/26, Gather Information +13, Hide +13, Intimidate +11, Know (Arcana) +8, Know (local) +8, Listen +13, Move Silent +9, Prof (Miner) +2, Perform (Oratory) +21, Search +13, Sense Motive +13, Slieght of Hand +6, Spot +13. Possessions Combat Gear plus Amulet of natural armor +1, bracers of armor +3, cloak of charisma +2, hat of disguise, ring of protection +2, vest of resistence +2, Noble's outfit+signet ring and jewelry worth 145 gp. New Feat: HEDGE-MAGE [GENERAL] Benefit: An innate talent for magic grants you the following spell-like abilities as a 1st-level caster: 1/day magic aura, mending, and prestidigitaion. New Item: GETAWAY [Wondrous Item] Simply, this is a one use teleport spell that can be activated by anyone. The destination is not designated until the moment of activation. The Getaway takes the form of a tile, that is snapped in half to activate it. Moderate Conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous item , teleport; 1125 gp, 90 xp, 2 days; Price 2250 gp. As presented, the Herald-Witch is a noble attached to the court of some Gnomish king or queen, biding his time among the gnomes while his plots (carefully orcestrated through his followers and his cohort, a 10th level Aristocrat, possibly the throne's hier) reach fruition. With respect to followers, his leadership score is 19, granting a wide array of commoners, experts and warriors who follow his instructions to the letter, and can keep an eye on anything that happens in the kingdom. He is never seen not in his gnome disguise. Few realize he has magic powers at all. Unlike most liches, the Herald-Witch disdains other undead, and hates other spellcasters even more. His adopted kingdom thus will never have wizards, clerics, bards, or even adepts with more class level than the Herald-Witch, as their home will overnight become heavily trapped dungeons while they sleep one night. For those whom this tactic won't work, a poisoned blade or a diseased cloak from a trusted underling might. If all else fails, the Herald Witch will simply point out how much trouble the mage is attracting, and recommend exile to keep the kingdom "safe." An PC's that are obvious spellcasters and that enter "his" kingdom are immedietly at risk, which may provide plot hooks. |
| Of Flame And Ash08-06-05, 03:52 PM | I really like the idea behind this class. I must confess, however, that I think this class is very underpowered, and can't compete with the others. A good solution might be to give it the Wizard's Spell Progression, but limit spell selection to Enchantment, Evocation (focusing on sonic-based spells), and Illusion. Good luck! -Of Flame And Ash- :) |