Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Revlis_Nogard 07-02-07, 04:13 AM	Diamond Champion “He didn’t say a word the entire ride to the red wyrm’s hoard, or when we got to the place. He didn’t say anything while fighting the thing, either. Only time he said anything was after he finished it off, as its pathetic corpse collapsed on the ground: ‘Next.’” --Anolav Slomanskin, human swordsage, on Guineas Mournbringer, Diamond Champion There are many masters of each of the different disciplines. Some have different titles; some have simply accessed the higher echelons of their respective schools. But few are more dedicated to reaching a higher level than the Diamond Champion. Diamond Champions are not just paragons of the Diamond Mind. They are extraordinary psychics, who have tapped into their mental talents to bring about a fighting style completely unique of anything either a martial adept or psionic character is likely to see in his lifetime. By combining their knowledge of maneuvers with their ability to manifest powers, they exceed all expectations and generalizations to create a single, truly fearsome combatant. Almost all Diamond Champions begin their careers as warblades who delve deep into the secrets of the Diamond Mind until they wish to expand on their mental powers, by then taking levels of psychic warrior. Occasionally, a psychic warrior will receive training in the Sublime Way (specifically Diamond Mind) by another and enter the class. Any other method of gaining such mastery is all but unheard of. Hit Die: d8 Requirements To qualify to become a Diamond Champion, a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Base Attack Bonus: +8 Skills: Autohypnosis 7 Ranks, Concentration 13 Ranks Feats: Blade Meditation (Diamond Mind), Unnerving Calm, Instant Clarity or Psychic Renewal, any other psionic feat Martial Maneuvers: Must know at least two martial maneuvers from the Diamond Mind discipline, one of which must be 3rd level or higher Martial Stances: Must know at least one Diamond Mind stance Psionics: Able to manifest 2nd level powers as a Psychic Warrior. Class Skills The Diamond Champion's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Psionics) (Int), Martial Lore (Int), Psicraft (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Tumble (Dex) Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier. Level BAB Fortitude Reflex Will Man. Known Man. Readied Stances Known Special Powers Known 1 +1 +2 +0 +2 0 0 0 Terrible Insight +1 -- 2 +2 +2 +0 +2 1 0 0 Razor Mind +1 Psychic Warrior 3 +3 +3 +1 +3 0 1 0 Terrible Insight +2 +1 Psychic Warrior 4 +4 +4 +1 +4 1 0 0 Battle Reattunement -- 5 +5 +4 +1 +4 0 0 0 Terrible Insight +3 +1 Psychic Warrior 6 +6 +5 +2 +5 1 1 1 Unbound Knowledge +1 Psychic Warrior 7 +7 +5 +2 +5 0 0 0 Terrible Insight +4 -- 8 +8 +6 +2 +6 1 0 0 Mental Invigoration +1 Psychic Warrior 9 +9 +6 +3 +6 0 1 0 Terrible Insight +5 +1 Psychic Warrior 10 +10 +7 +3 +7 1 0 0 Unfettered Assault -- Class Features The following are class features of the Diamond Champion prestige class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Diamond Champion gains no proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields. Maneuvers: At each even numbered level, you gain a new maneuver known from the Diamond Mind discipline. You must meet a maneuvers prerequisite to learn it. You add your full Diamond Champion levels to your initiator level for determining your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known. At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, you gain an additional maneuver readied per day. Stances Known: At 6th level, you learn a new martial stance from the Diamond Mind discipline. You must meet a stance’s prerequisite to learn it. Powers Known: At every level except for 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th, you gain additional power points and access to new powers as if he had also gained a level in psychic warrior. However, he adds half of his martial adept class levels (if he has any; not including levels of this class) to this when determining the level of powers he can gain, rounded down. He does not gain any bonus feats as if he were advancing as a psychic warrior. Terrible Insight (Ex): You have honed your mental abilities to pick through fragments of an opponent’s mind and find the things that it fears the most. When you are in a duel of wills with an opponent, you gain an insight bonus on the skill check (either Concentration or Intimidate), equal to the number given on the table. Razor Mind (Ex): Entering your mind is as if walking on a field of broken shards of diamond. You’ve created a form of mental defense that few can match. Whenever someone tries to affect you with a mind-affecting spell or power from the telepathy discipline, they must make a Will save (DC 10+your class level+your Wis modifier) or take 2d6 points of damage. This does not disrupt the casting of the spell or manifesting of the power; it simply is a kind of psychic backlash against the user. Battle Reattunement (Ex): You have retrained your battle strategies to rely more on your instinct than your intellect. If you possess any levels of warblade, any class feature that grants you an insight bonus equal to your Intelligence modifier may instead grant you an insight bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier. Unbound Knowledge (Ex): One of the most powerful abilities of a Diamond Champion is to temporarily break through his normal parameters and gain access to maneuvers he does not have readied for a day. By spending a number of power points equal to three times the desired manuever's level and expending your psionic focus, you may gain immediate access to any maneuver you know, even if you have not readied it for that day. You must use the manuever by the need of your next round, or the fragile hold you have on it is lost and goes back into the reccesses or your mind again. Using this ability itself takes no time at all, and is a free action, although you still must take the amount of time to initiate it. For example, Guineas is on the recieving end of a fireball. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a decent Reflex save, and has no counter prepared in order to save himself. He draws from his mind the action before thought counter to make a better chance of his save. He pays 6 power points (since it's a 2nd level manuever), and makes an immediate action to initiate the counter. Mental Invigoration (Ex): Your intense love of battle invigorates you as you strike down at opponents. When you successfully connect with a martial maneuver from the Diamond Mind discipline, you may choose to regain a number of power points equal to half your class level, rounded down. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to half your class level (rounded down). Unfettered Assault (Ex): Upon reaching 10th level, a Diamond Champion reaches the pinnacle of his Diamond Mind training and may ignore time for just a few extra moments in order to finish off a devastating attack. Using this training has its share of risks, but in times of dire trouble, its power is desired above all other forms of training. Upon making a successful strike from the Diamond Mind discipline while psionically focused, a Diamond Champion may, if he wishes, spend 15 power points. By doing this, he immediately gains another standard action, which he may use for any reason, but must be used immediately. While he may use this ability as many times per day as he wishes, he may only use it once per round.
AllisterH 07-02-07, 05:57 AM	Er, this is definitely stronger than the 10 levels that Psychic Warrior give you during the same levels and that is considered as the standard of well-balanced classes. Looking at this class, the optimum entry might be psychic warrior 9/ (warblade or swordsage) 1 since it seems primarily a psychic warrior PrC moreso than a martial adept class. HD: Why is it a d10? Both the swordsage and the psychic warrior get a d8 HD? Should be a d8 HD BAB: Again, why give it such a good BAB when two of the obvious classes are only on the AVG BAB scale? Back down to average. SAVES: Again, gets the best of the possible 3? Warblades only get good Fortitude as do Psychic Warriors. Furthermore, its REF and given that it has a d10 HD, not exactly a big chink in the armour especially with the diamon mind saves. Should be given only Fort good saves. Psychic Warrior at every level but one? Given that you allowed them to count martial adept levels for half in determining applicable level AND the fact that even by level 16, a psychic warrior reaches their max psionic level AND the fact that both JPM and RKV lose two caster levels, this at a minimum should lose at least two if not more frankly. Unbound Knowledge: Ok, this is ringing alarm bells. I like the idea but I'm not sure it is a fair idea. Not only do you pretty much get to ignore pre-requisites but the power cost is relatively low. That very example of the guy simply picking up revitalizing mind is what gives me concern. If anything I would change this to simply function only for manoeuvers that you know but don't have readied. Mental Invigoration: Goodbye need to conseerve power points. If I use my strikes after battle against a tree, wouldn't it just take me a few minutes to be back at full power points? Compartmentalize: Why is this not the endcap? Island of Time, Time Stand Stills, timeStop and other "get two rounds of action in 1 round" ability have generally been limited to the maximum level of the scale barring some cheese. This just gives it to them. Furthermore, the fact that you can chain it (A WILL save of only DC 15 +2 for a psychic warrior) is just screaming for abuse. WAY too strong... Unfettered Assault: Another way to gain for actions in a round? At least this one is harder to break in my opinion....Frankly, I think you should only have 1 "more actions in a round" ability for a prestige class. Great ideas but needs serious work to be playable.
Revlis_Nogard 07-02-07, 01:14 PM	Looking at this class, the optimum entry might be psychic warrior 9/ (warblade or swordsage) 1 since it seems primarily a psychic warrior PrC moreso than a martial adept class. That method of entry would be impossible. You would not meet the prerequisite +8 base attack bonus. The ideal entry IMO is Warblade 5/Psychic Warrior 5. HD: Why is it a d10? Both the swordsage and the psychic warrior get a d8 HD? Should be a d8 HD True, however the warblade recieves a d12 HD, so I felt the middle ground of d10 would be appropriate. But alright, I'll go for it. BAB: Again, why give it such a good BAB when two of the obvious classes are only on the AVG BAB scale? Back down to average. Once again, the Warblade, which I felt was the more obvious choice for entering the class, recieves a full base attack. SAVES: Again, gets the best of the possible 3? Warblades only get good Fortitude as do Psychic Warriors. Furthermore, its REF and given that it has a d10 HD, not exactly a big chink in the armour especially with the diamon mind saves. Should be given only Fort good saves. Alright, you're right; can't really argue with that. Psychic Warrior at every level but one? Given that you allowed them to count martial adept levels for half in determining applicable level AND the fact that even by level 16, a psychic warrior reaches their max psionic level AND the fact that both JPM and RKV lose two caster levels, this at a minimum should lose at least two if not more frankly. Hmmm....alright, how about the change I made up there? Unbound Knowledge: Ok, this is ringing alarm bells. I like the idea but I'm not sure it is a fair idea. Not only do you pretty much get to ignore pre-requisites but the power cost is relatively low. That very example of the guy simply picking up revitalizing mind is what gives me concern. If anything I would change this to simply function only for manoeuvers that you know but don't have readied. This was a frustrating ability and I honestly knew it wasn't overly balanced. I really liked the idea, but I needed to find some way of balancing it. I'll have to ponder it for a while. And I was kind of considering that you could only access maneuvers you hadn't prepared but knew, but then this ability would be fairly overshadowed by the Adaptive Style feat. Mental Invigoration: Goodbye need to conseerve power points. If I use my strikes after battle against a tree, wouldn't it just take me a few minutes to be back at full power points? Because WotC has never ruled that you can use manuevers out of combat, unlike spells. How about limiting it to a certain number of times per day, and gain full PP? Compartmentalize: Why is this not the endcap? Island of Time, Time Stand Stills, timeStop and other "get two rounds of action in 1 round" ability have generally been limited to the maximum level of the scale barring some cheese. This just gives it to them. Furthermore, the fact that you can chain it (A WILL save of only DC 15 +2 for a psychic warrior) is just screaming for abuse. WAY too strong... Well, taking down the Will save to poor would probably balance it a bit, but you're probably right; it should only have one extra round gaining ability, and I like the other one more, so consider it dropped. Unfettered Assault: Another way to gain for actions in a round? At least this one is harder to break in my opinion....Frankly, I think you should only have 1 "more actions in a round" ability for a prestige class. Standing alone without compartmentalize, would it make a decent standalone cap? Oh, and thanks for your critique. I need lots more to make this work, I know.
AllisterH 07-02-07, 02:13 PM	True, however the warblade recieves a d12 HD, so I felt the middle ground of d10 would be appropriate. But alright, I'll go for it. . Hmm..remember, warblades only get a medium armour though so the higher HD is justified. Once again, the Warblade, which I felt was the more obvious choice for entering the class, recieves a full base attack. . Hmm..given my mistake on the optimal entry path, I think I agree with you here. The High BAB can stay. This was a frustrating ability and I honestly knew it wasn't overly balanced. I really liked the idea, but I needed to find some way of balancing it. I'll have to ponder it for a while. And I was kind of considering that you could only access maneuvers you hadn't prepared but knew, but then this ability would be fairly overshadowed by the Adaptive Style feat. . Ah but changing it to what you propose does way more than Adpative Style. Think about it, if you're playing a warblade, you have to ready some counters and other situational strikes such as those that require charging/grappling/tripping etc.. Ergo, even if you have Adaptive Style it doesn't change that in any way since what good is Adaptive Style if you don't have Diamond Defense readied when that BBEG casts a heightened Dominate Spell. Thus, the number of strikes you have readied is lowered and you're more likely to run out and have to refresh your manoeuvers. This ability though does change this paradigm since now, you can just take strikes and if you need a counter, you got one at the cost of a few PP thus lowering the likelihood of you needing to waste a round refreshing. Because WotC has never ruled that you can use manuevers out of combat, unlike spells. How about limiting it to a certain number of times per day, and gain full PP? . I'm pretty sure they have since a couple of the Stone Dragon strikes only work on objects which typically happen out of combat. The only problem is that anything that increases the retention of PP really affects the balance of the psionic classes moreso than the arcane classes. How about this. "Whenever you use a Diamond Mind strike when threatened, you gain bonus PP equal to the manoeuver level. These boni PP must be expended before the end of your next turn". This keeps it a combat ability and gives the psionic warrior a slight boost during battle but not so much that it would affect the rest of the day. Standing alone without compartmentalize, would it make a decent standalone cap? Oh, and thanks for your critique. I need lots more to make this work, I know. Yep, a nice twist on the "gain more actions in a round" ability that seems more and more popular. Hope I was helpful.
Revlis_Nogard 07-02-07, 11:18 PM	:bump:
Darth Sephiroth 07-03-07, 11:14 AM	Personally I like this, it is on par with classes like the Arcane Trickster at the moment.
Revlis_Nogard 07-03-07, 07:05 PM	A few abilities have been changed; please let me know what you all think.
Revlis_Nogard 07-04-07, 03:23 PM	Anyone have any more feedback?