Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Pennarin 07-26-07, 08:59 PM	I would need a fresh second look at this PrC, posted months ago: What abilities are missing; What numbers should need adjusting; etc. Any constructive criticism would be useful :D I believe the general consensus about this PrC, first time around, was that it was nice fluff but not really a challenge for PCs. While staying balanced with WotC PrCs...what would you think would help make this class more of a challenge? (Like I mentionned the first time, the Red Hand of Doom adventure is, AFAIK, the only time WotC did stat out a goblin worg rider...and it was stated as a simple case of two evil beings cooperating: No special use of Leadership, the Handle Animal or Diplomacy skills, or even a PrC. Here I wanted something more select, something that would go beyond the typical alliances between goblin and worg.) Hound of Maglubiyet “Death to all who oppose Maglubiyet’s all seeing eye!” —Tumegk Foulhunter, a hound of Maglubiyet The fate of the goblin people is said to have forever become entertwinned with that of the worgs when Maglubiyet tamed the great fiendish worg Gershaw on the graveyard battlefields of Acheron. Goblins that follow this particular aspect of Maglubiyet’s faith become favored under his eyes and can channnel unto the worgs they ride the mythical power of Maglubiyet’s consort. The Ritual of Bonding was long ago developped by Maglubiyet’s clergy in an effort to further bind great warriors to their god’s faith. The ritual lasts all night and can only be completed on a full moon, and requires the presence of the character, a cleric of Maglubiyet, and a willing worg. After much chanting and sacrifices the character impresses his valor unto the creature while garbed with the trophies of creatures he vanquished himself (see the Trophy Collector feat, Players’s Handbook II), attempting to change the attitude of the worg to friendly using the Intimidate skill. The ceremony provides the character a +2 circumstance bonus to his skill check, and each trophy provides a +1 circumstance bonus. On a successful change of attitude, worg and character mix their blood, the worg becoming grashuk, or “blood-bound”, to the character who can now start training as a hound of Maglubiyet. (Contrarily to other Intimidate checks, the worg does not become unfriendly at the ritual’s end.) Only after the death of a grashuk can another worg go through the ritual to take its place. As living reenactments of goblinoid mythology, hounds of Maglubiyet are honoured warriors of the goblin people, riding at the head of strike groups of worg riders. Such goblins often have the Leadership feat, attracting goblins and worgs alike. The purpose of a hound of Maglubiyet in goblin society is manyfold, but they mostly serve as flesh and blood heralds of Maglubiyet’s almighty power, uniting tribes. Hounds of Maglubiyet often become tribal champions or chieftains in their own rights. Becoming a Hound of Maglubiyet Most hounds of Maglubiyet are fighters, though some clerics and rangers, and more rarely barbarians, might take levels in this class. The fighter bonus feats help the hound of Maglubiyet further improve his combat abilities, and the cleric’s martial nature and his ability to call upon Maglubiyet to buff his mount greatly improves his grashuk’s abilities. Entry Requirements Base Attack Bonus: +5. Skills: Intimidate 6 ranks, Ride 6 ranks. Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Trophy Collector. Alignement: Any evil. Race: Goblin. Special: Must undergo the Ritual of Bonding (see above). Class Features Hounds of Maglubiyet channel the divine might of Maglubiyet in them, transforming their worg – through the Rite of Bonding – into a creature akin to the mythical Gershaw. All of the following are class features of the hound of Maglubiyet prestige class. Table: The Hound of Maglubiyet Hit Die: d8 Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 1st +1 +0 +2 +0 Blood fealty, gruesome façade, smooth ride 2nd +2 +0 +3 +0 Strife (+1d6, +1 AC) 3rd +3 +1 +3 +1 Heart of Gershaw 4th +4 +1 +4 +1 Unbroken charge 5th +5 +1 +4 +1 Strife (+2d6, +2 AC) 6th +6 +2 +5 +2 Evasion 7th +7 +2 +5 +2 Swift tracker 8th +8 +2 +6 +2 Strife (+3d6, +3 AC) 9th +9 +3 +6 +3 Spirited worg 10th +10 +3 +7 +3 Pelt of Gershaw Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Craft, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Listen, Ride, Spot, and Survival. Blood Fealty (Ex): Through the Ritual of Bonding the hound of Maglubiyet gains a special worg mount, or grashuk. The blood bond between grashuk and hound insures these two beings work together as one. Their attitude towards each other is always friendly and cannot be changed using mundane means. You and your mount gain a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects aimed at influencing your attitude towards each other. Your mount is a more powerful worg specimen than a typical member of its species, and it grows stronger as you gain hound of Maglubiyet levels. See the table below for details. Worg Advancement Natural Class Level Bonus HD Armor Adj. Str Adj. 1st-2nd +0 +0 +1 3rd-4th +1 +2 +2 5th-6th +2 +4 +3 7th-8th +3 +6 +4 9th-10th +4 +8 +5 Your mount’s carrying capacity depends on its size. A Medium worg mount has the same carrying capacity as a light horse; a Large worg mount, that of a heavy horse. Gruesome Façade (Ex): A hound of Maglubiyet follows a long goblin tradition of trophy-making, tradition which has brought it to new heights of gruesomeness. The bonus to Intimidate checks that wearing a trophy confers now applies towards all creature types, not just those creatures of the same type as the trophy. Also, the number of trophies he can wear through the use of the Trophy Collecter feat is increased. Trophies can now occupy the following additional spaces on your body: gloves, headdress, and vestment. Furthermore, while you are mounted and making an Intimidate check, your size category is considered the same as your mount's. Smooth Ride (Ex): You gain a competence bonus equal to your class level on all Ride checks associated with your mount. Strife (Ex): As a rider the hound of Maglubiyet relies on mobility on the part of his mount to deal extra damage and carry him swiftly to his enemies. By the 2nd level you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage on all attacks you make during any round in which your mount moves at least 10 feet. The extra damage applies only to attacks taken during your turn. This extra damage increases to 2d6 at 5th level, and to 3d6 at 8th level. The extra damage applies only against living creatures that have a discernible anatomy. Undead, constructs, oozes, plants, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are not vulnerable to this additional damage. You must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. You can apply this extra damage to ranged attacks made while strifing, but only if the target is within 30 feet. Additionally, you gain a +1 competence bonus to Armor Class during any round in which your mount moves at least 10 feet. The bonus applies as soon as your mount has moved 10 feet, and lasts until the start of your next turn. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, and to +3 at 8th level. A hound of Maglubiyet loses this ability if his mount carries a medium or heavy load . Heart of Gershaw (Ex): At 3rd level you gain the ability, as a free action, to shout a powerful battlecry when riding your grashuk. Its veins overflow with the blood of Gershaw, causing the creature to fly into a barbarian’s rage. Your mount can rage only once per encounter. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + your mount’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. At the end of the rage, your mount does not become fatigued. At 3rd level you can use this ability once per day, and an additional time at 6th and 9th levels. Unbroken Charge (Ex): By the 4th level, a mounted hound of Maglubiyet can charge through difficult terrain or squares occupied by friendly creatures by making a DC 15 Ride check. Evasion (Ex): At 6th level, you gain the evasion ability. If you make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, you instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if you are wearing light or no armor. If you are helpless (such as when you are unconscious or paralyzed) you do not gain the benefit of the ability. While you are mounted, you confer this ability to your worg mount as well, and the mount is able to use your Reflex save bonus or its own, whichever is higher. If you already have the evasion ability, you gain improved evasion instead, and your mount still receives the benefit of evasion as described above. Improved evasion works like evasion, except that while you still take no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw, you take only half damage on a failed save. Swift Tracker (Ex): By 7th level, when riding your mount the latter does not suffer a -5 penalty to Survival checks for tracking while moving at normal speed. It takes only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking. Spirited Worg (Ex): You gain Spirited Charge as a bonus feat at 9th level. If you already have Spirited Charge (or gain it later), you gain an extra benefit: When mounted on your grashuk and using the charge action, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage (or 2d6 with a lance). This ability does not extend to any other type of mount. Pelt of Gershaw (Su): Upon attaining 10th level the Lord of Depths and Darkness imbues the essence of his home of Acheron into your grashuk, bestowing upon it the essence of Gershaw. Your mount gains the fiendish template.
Pennarin 07-30-07, 04:55 PM	'Been a couple of days, bumping it to first page :bump: Comments about the class? It can't get any better without your help, you know...
Mojo_Rat 07-30-07, 07:37 PM	It seems okay to me. The only two bits i can see that might be strong is the ability that grants full attack combined witht he strife ability might be pretty strong. Either ability by itself is probably fine, I always thought a mounted skirmish ability made sense. But Im not an expert on class balance, the thematics of it all seems to fit.
Tuhljin 07-30-07, 11:10 PM	Very nice work; I like it! One thing is a bit ambiguous, though: Heart of Gershaw. What kind of action is required to make the shout that causes the worg to go into a rage? I assume a free action, but it'd be good to specify. When the rage ends, does the worg become fatigued for the rest of the encounter?
Pennarin 07-30-07, 11:30 PM	Thanks for the feedback! In answer to Tuhljin's questions, here is the revised ability: Heart of Gershaw (Ex): At 3rd level you gain the ability, as a free action, to shout a powerful battlecry when riding your grashuk. Its veins overflow with the blood of Gershaw, causing the creature to fly into a barbarian’s rage. Your mount can rage only once per encounter. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + your mount’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. At the end of the rage, your mount does not become fatigued. At 3rd level you can use this ability once per day, and an additional time at 6th and 9th levels.
nastynate 07-30-07, 11:53 PM	The fluff for this class is incredible. Well done. As far as the mechanics are concerned, I think that the combination of Strife and Full Mounted Attack in a single class package is bit much. Everything else seems perfect though. I prefer the idea of ride-by-attacks rather than virtual pounce attacks with a skirmish-like ability. Perhaps you could increase the strife bonus to damage by +1d6 at each odd-numbered level, and the bonus to AC by +1 at each even-numbered level; then obviously you would simply remove Full Mounted Attack. Still potent, but not quite as abusable.
Pennarin 07-31-07, 02:01 PM	I'm constantly suprised by how much opinions vary between members. Last time around comments were about the class being too weak, now it's reversed....go figure! :D Thanks for the praise on the fluff, it was fun to write....all five drafts of them ;) I'd leave Strife as it is, but I could change Full Mounted Attack for an improved version of, or something related to, the Ride-By Attack feat, since the class requires that feat and is keen on mobility. Maybe give out the feat Spring Attack or Mounted Mobility (Heroes of Battle)....or maybe increased damage on a charge? (Some feats in Eberron do that last.)
Mojo_Rat 07-31-07, 05:30 PM	how about some sort of 'improved critical' for a weapon of the characters choice capable of being used in a charge (lance spear etc?) This would functionally translate into increased damage in the charge and would not be over powered..
Pennarin 07-31-07, 09:34 PM	There could be this, adapted from Sandstorm's Ashworm Dragoon PrC: Spirited Worg (Ex): You gain Spirited Charge as a bonus feat at 9th level. If you already have Spirited Charge (or gain it later), you gain an extra benefit: When mounted on your grashuk and using the charge action, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage (or 2d6 with a lance). This ability does not extend to any other type of mount.
Pennarin 08-02-07, 09:44 PM	Err...sounds satisfying? Uther bollocks? I'm pulling a wonky on everyone?
Tuhljin 08-02-07, 10:09 PM	It seems fine to me - certainly less overpowering than a full attack.
Pennarin 08-03-07, 02:05 AM	Sold!
Pennarin 08-06-07, 03:05 PM	This class will be a wrap on my side...unless somebody got a last minute critique?