Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Valefor Arkshan 09-09-05, 08:55 PM	As the title suggests, I've got a challange for anyone who happens to like breaking character classes. I've come up with a Drunken Master core class, posted it in the appropriate forum, recived critiques etc. At the suggestion of one, I'm posting it here to see how abuseable it is, what kind of loopholes there are and whatnot. For those who feel inclined to break this class, I'd like some info on how to balance it better. Thanks in advance. ^_^ The Drunken Master Hit Die: d8 Class Skills The drunken master's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions. Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier(x4 at 1st level). Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Druneken Master is proficient with all simple weapons. Because the Drunken Master requires one to be flexable and maneuverable, they are not proficient with armor or sheilds. If a Drunken Master dons armor or uses a shield, he becomes unable to assume his stances, and looses his class features that would require maneuverablity, such as Swaying Waist, Evasion, Corckscrew Rush, etc, until he removes such items from his body. Level Progression Table BAB Fort Ref Will 1. +1 +2 +2 +0 2. +2 +3 +3 +0 3. +3 +4 +4 +0 4. +4 +4 +4 +1 5. +5 +5 +5 +1 6. +6 +5 +5 +1 7. +7 +6 +6 +1 8. +8 +6 +6 +2 9. +9 +7 +7 +2 10. +10 +7 +7 +2 11. +11 +8 +8 +3 12. +12 +8 +8 +3 13. +13 +9 +9 +3 14. +14 +9 +9 +4 15. +15 +10 +10 +4 16. +16 +10 +10 +4 17. +17 +11 +11 +5 18. +18 +11 +11 +5 19. +19 +12 +12 +5 20. +20 +12 +12 +6 Class Features Level 1 -Drink Like a Demon, Bottle Proficiency, Unarmed Strike, 8 Drunken Gods 2 -Swaying Waist 3 -Evasion 4 -Improvised Weapons, AC +1, Speed +5 ft. 5 -Drunken Rage 1/day, Stagger, Unarmed Damage 1d6 6 -Lurch 7 -Drunken Embrace 8 -For Medicinal Purposes, Improved Improvised Weapons, Speed +5 9 -AC +2, Barrel of Wine 10-Unarmed Damage 1d8 11- 12-Greater Improvised Weapons, Speed +5 13-Corkscrew Rush 14- 15-AC +3, Unarmed Damage 1d10 16-Superior Improvised Weapons, Speed +5 17- 18-Breath of Flame 19- 20-AC +4, Speed +5 The 8 Drunken God styles 8 Drunken Gods: As the Drunken Master gains levels, he learns the arts of the famous 8 Drunken Gods and their styles. It requires a move action to change from one style to the next, and one cannot use more than a single style at a time. “Iron Crutch Li” (Ex)- Gained at Level 1. When using this style, the Drunken Master stands on his left leg, seeming to not use his right. This style utilizes grabs and kicks with the right leg, in addition to striking at pressure points on the opponent's body. When grappling or kicking with the right leg, subtract 1 from your base attack bonus and add 1 to the total damage dealt. During a grapple, you may designate to attack a pressure point, dealing an extra 1d4 damage on a successful attack. “Strongman Wino” (Su)- Gained at Level 4. Known for his resilience and strength, as well as appetite for wine, this style utilizes a drunk’s stamina and power to better effect. When using this style, you gain Damage Reduction 2/-. Also, when attacking with a wine pot, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls. When fighting unarmed, you add a 1d4 your normal damage. At levels 8 and 12 this die number increases a step (1d4 -> 1d6 -> 1d8). “Old Scholar Chang” (Ex)- Gained at Level 7. one of the more difficult styles in the Drunken Master ways, this form requires excellent flexibility and dexterity. When performing a backflip, kick, or any kind of tumble, add 1 to your attack roll for every 5 ranks in Tumble and Balance you have for that attack. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus when grappling to break an opponent's fingers, or when performing an on hand and off hand kick attack. May also attack from the prone position. “Lan of the Waist” (Su)- Gained at Level 10. This style emphasizes rapid blows form a variety of directions, including bending backwards to attack. When using this style, you gain the Improved Flurry of Blows monk class feature while in this stance. In addition, the user comes under the effects of a Haste spell while in combat. “Nobleman Tso” (Ex)- Gained at Level 13.This style uses the cool head and calculating mind. You may study a foe as a full round action, gaining a +2 to AC and Attack Rolls vs that enemy. Further consecutive rounds of study can be made at a Concentration check of 10 + ELC of the enemy, for a bonus to AC and Base Attack of 1. You must be within 10 feet of the enemy to gain the benefits of this style. You may study an opponent for a maximum for 4 rounds, and the knowledge lasts in your mind for 1 week/ round studied. If you spend all four consecutive rounds watching in this way within 5 feet of him or her, you may initiate a grapple as a free action, and attempt to choke the life out of the enemy. Each round you maintain the grapple, you deal 2d6 damage in addition to your normal damage, fortitude save for half (DC 10 + 1/2 Drunken Master level + Strength Modifier). “Artful Hong” (Su)- Gained at Level 16. A flutist, and a master of the wrist attacks that stem from the Drunken Master style, this style uses a series of evades and powerful strikes. You may select up to three targets for your Swaying Waist class feature. When using this style, your fists are imbued with your inner Ki, granting the Monk’s Ki Strike Adamantine class feature as well for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. “Clairvoyant Han” (Su)- Gained at Level 16. when fighting with this style, you gain the ability to sense incoming attacks before they happen. You gain a +2 to AC in this way, and can’t be flanked. A rogue with 4 more levels than the Drunken Master may still flank and sneak attack a Drunken Master using this stance. If an attack would miss you by 5 or more, you may make an attack of opportunity. If you succeed on this attack roll, you may grab the opponent's elbow, wrist, knee, or ankle (depending on which limb was used for attack) and attempt to crush that joint, requiring a Strength check, DC equal to the opponent's Constitution score. Creatures with no Constitution or no joints in the said regions are immune to this ability. A crushed joint cannot be used, and deals 1d2 points of damage for every round the injured person remains fighting. “Beautiful Miss Ho” (Ex)- Gained at Level 19. This stance imitates a woman who flaunts her body in teasing and lewd movements. While using this stance, you may feint as a free action once per round, and gains a +1 to all feint checks while in combat per 5 ranks of Bluff. Class Features Descriptions Barrel of Wine (Ex): You can grapple and spin an enemy around, dealing damage and dizzying him. If you succeed at a grapple, you may make a full attack action against the grappled creature with your unarmed strike. The grappled creature must then make a will save of 15 or be confused for 1d4 rounds. The creature must be of your size or one size smaller for this to work. This ability ends the grapple. Breath of Flame (Su): You can use your ki to ignite the alcohol within you and spew it forth from your mouth in a breath of flame. Breath of flame deals 3d12 points of fire damage to all within the 20-foot cone (Reflex save DC 18 for half). Each time you use breath of flame, it consumes one drink's worth of alcohol within you, reducing both penalties and bonuses to your ability scores. Corkscrew Rush (Ex): As a full round action, you leap forward, twisting your body in midair as you head-butt an opponent. This is a charge attack that, in addition to dealing normal damage, automatically initiates a bull rush attack (without provoking an attack of opportunity). Furthermore, you are considered to have the Power Attack feat for the purposes of a corkscrew rush, and if you hit your opponent, you stun your foe unless she makes a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 CL + Wisdom modifier). However, if your attack misses, you land prone in front of your opponent. Bottle Proficiency (Ex): You can use bottles and large tankards as weapons using your unarmed base attack bonus, including your more favorable number of attacks per round. Bottles do 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage with their first blow, then 1d4 points of slashing damage thereafter. Tankards do 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage. However, it is considered a mark of ineptitude to spill your drink while fighting, and you may elect to make a Balance check, DC 15, not to spill the liquid inside your tankard, mug or other container. This obviously doesn’t apply if you shatter your container. Failure by up to 5 causes only a small amount of liquid to spill forth. Drink Like a Demon (Su): Your body handles alcohol differently from other people's. You can drink a large tankard of ale, a bottle of wine, or a corresponding amount of stronger alcohol as a move-equivalent action. Every bottle or tankard of alcohol you consume during combat reduces your Wisdom, and Intelligence by 1 point each, but increases your Strength or Constitution (your choice) by 1 point. Your body metabolizes one drink per hour, reducing both the penalties and the bonus accordingly. You may benefit from a number of drinks equal to your unmodified Constitution modifier. Drunken Embrace: Functions as the Improved Grapple feat. Drunken Rage (Ex): You can rage just as a barbarian does, with a duration equal to your (new) Constitution modifier plus the number of drinks you have consumed. See the Rage class feature on page 25 of the PHB. This ability stacks the Strength and Constitution bonuses from drink like a demon. Evasion (Ex): as the Rogue class ability. For Medicinal Purposes (Su): By combining your ki power with alcohol, you can convert an alcoholic drink to a potion of cure moderate wounds up to three times per day. The alcohol activates the ki in your body, so the cure only works on you. Alcohol drunk in this way neither impairs nor improves your ability scores. Improvised Weapons (Ex): You are profricient with improvised weapons. You can use furniture, farm implements, or nearly anything else at hand to attack your foes. Anything from a ladder to a haunch of meat to a barstool is a weapon once you imbue it with your ki using this ability. The improvised weapon deals your unarmed damage plus 1d4. Most items do bludgeoning damage, although shish-kabob skewers, for example, would do piercing damage. On an attack roll of natural 1, the weapon shatters, breaks, or is otherwise rendered useless as a weapon. Improvised Weapons, Improved (Ex): Long items (such as ladders) have reach according to their length, and items with many protrusions (such as chairs) give you a +2 bonus on Disarm attempts. Finally, large items with broad, flat surfaces (such as tables) can be upended to become improvised tower shields. Improvised Weapons, Greater (Ex): instead of dealing the extra 1d4 damage, an improvised weapon deals an extra 1d8 instead. Improvised Weapons, Superior (Ex): Instead of dealing an extra 1d8 damage, an improvised weapon deals an extra 1d12 instead. Lurch (Ex): Your lurching movements let you make one feinting in combat Bluff check (opposed by Sense Motive) per round as a move-equivalent action. You gain a +4 competence bonus to Bluff checks made for this purpose. Stagger (Ex): By tripping, stumbling, and staggering, you can make a charge attack that surprises your opponents. This has two beneficial aspects: First, your charges need not be in straight lines, and you still move up to twice your speed. Second, make a Tumble check (DC 15) when you begin your charge. If you succeed, your movement through threatened squares provokes no attacks of opportunity. Swaying Waist (Ex): You weave and bob about as a drunken man. You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against any one opponent you choose during your turn. This supersedes the Dodge feat, but functions like it in all other ways. Unarmed Strike (Ex): The Drunken Master may attack unarmed without provoking an attack of opportunity, and may choose to deal either subdual or lethal damage without the normal penalties when attacking unarmed.
Unearthly 09-09-05, 09:35 PM	In the words of Peter Griffon: "Uh! Oh!" When fighting unarmed, you deal 1.5x your normal damage. Multipliers bad. Munchkins like them like crack. For example, a Half-Orc 16/4 Monk/Drunken Master with a Monk's Belt, Belt of Giant Strength +6, Book of +5 Strength, and Monk's Belt would do 3d10 + 18 for an average of 34.5 per hit. Not to mention, you have a +16 BAB, meaning your Flurry of Blows is +16/+16/+16/+11/+6/+1 for an amazing 6 attacks a round, doing an average of 207 damage if every hit in the full attack hits. Compared to a Half-Orc that is only Monk 20 (Also assuming Monk's belt doesn't increase damage past 20) who does 23 damage per hit for a total of 115 damage if every hit in the full attack hits. While the extra BAB helped break it even more, simply put, 1.5x damage is just way too good. Maybe make it so that it increases your die damage by one size? (Similar to Improved Natural Attack)
Ditta 09-09-05, 11:19 PM	Die increase.... that could be bad too, anyone seen this? http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=316793 Die increase + size which..... well....... breaks it. though Die increase would certainly be better than X1.5
Valefor Arkshan 09-09-05, 11:28 PM	Hmmm... Perhaps the extra damage could simply be an added die to the damage roll? Perhaps your unarmed damage +1d4 or somesuch. Mayhap higher as levels progress. I'll get some further feedback before I make any definate changes.
Unearthly 09-10-05, 12:58 AM	Hmmm... Perhaps the extra damage could simply be an added die to the damage roll? That's how they fixed Flying Kick. It used to be 2x damage on a charge, now it's + 1d12. It's probably the least abusable of any solution while keeping the intent.
Valefor Arkshan 09-13-05, 04:45 PM	Hnmmm... Any further suggestions, or should I call this class ready for play?
jstorrie 09-13-05, 07:18 PM	BAB is definitely too high. Put it at 3/4s.