[Tome of Virtue] White Mage

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Quantumboost
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[Tome of Virtue] White Mage

Post by Quantumboost »

Probably should've posted this a long time ago, even as rough as it is:

Sidebar: Healing Spells

Some of the White Mage’s abilities are described as applying to “(Healing)” spells. These are any spells which are listed as being of the Conjuration (Healing) subschool, even if using the variant rules in Tome of Necromancy. For the purposes of these abilities, we suggest simply relocating the Healing subschool to Necromancy.


White Mage
“Moon Healing Activation!”

The Positive Energy Plane is the source of all life, and channeling its power heals and restores the living. Normally channeling its power to focused effect is the providence of very skilled necromancers and devotees of the gods after great training, focus, and experience, but sometimes a person just rips open a portal through their soul and runs with it. These are known as White Mages. White Mages use their powers to reverse or prevent afflictions, and their single-minded focus on channeling positive energy allows them to exceed even the most devoted priests in that regard.

Playing a White Mage: White Mages are specifically designed to let people actually play a character whose primary job is healing. They mostly fire off Healing and occasional Abjuration spells all over the place, and look all shiny. Occasionally there may be [Light] spells involved, but usually only when the White Mage is solo.

They’re balanced around the idea that healing is fundamentally action denial, and the baseline comparison for what a 5th-level White Mage does is casting hold person on whatever comes along.

Alignment: White Mages’ powers come directly from positive energy, so their alignment tendencies depend on how negative energy is treated. That said, every side has use for people who can heal, and white mages can be of any alignment if they really try, even if you use The Crawling Darkness (an evil White Mage in that case would just have to be an incredible bastard).

Races: Every group of humanoids has individuals who walk the path of healing, and some of them become White Mages. The same is true of most monsters that get class levels, with the exception of undead, tomb-tainted and creatures like xeg-ya which are powered by or made of negative energy. Offspring of celestials are more likely to become white mages than most people, due to their connection to planes such as Elysium and Ysgard, as are the occasional genasi tied to positive-aligned planes.

Starting Gold: 6d6x10 gp (210 gold)

Starting Age: As Rogue.

Hit die: d8
Class skills: Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (-), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis)
Skills/Level: 4 + Intelligence Bonus
BAB: Medium (3/4), Saves: Fort: Good; Reflex: Good; Will: Good

Level, Benefit
1 Spellcasting, Armored Casting, Magic Hands, Brilliance (uncapped level bonuses, Reach), Turn Undead
2 Brilliance (Chain), Equilibrium (positive energy), Planar Immunity (sleep)
3 Instant Ward, Inner Fire, Advanced Learning
4 Status Check, Mettle, Brilliance (Empower)
5 Lifesense (blindsense 40 ft.), Planar Immunity (paralysis, fear), Advanced Learning
6 Friggin’ Lasers, False Divinity
7 Flashes of Light, Equilibrium (negative energy), In Brightest Day, Advanced Learning
8 Pew Pew, In Darkest Night, Brilliance (Heighten)
9 Planar Immunity (disease, poison, hunger, thirst), Advanced Learning
10 Brilliance (Maximize), Lifesense (blindsight 40 ft.)
11 Improved Mettle, Advanced Learning
12 Ascension, Planar Aura (minor positive-dominant)
13 Reraise 3/day, Advanced Learning
14 Planar Bubble
15 Planar Aura (major positive-dominant), Lifesense (blindsight 120 ft.), Advanced Learning
16 Reraise 5/day
17 Instant Brilliance, Advanced Learning
18 Still Alive
19 Reraise at will, Advanced Learning
20 Aspect of the Wolverine

All of the following are Class Features of the White Mage class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: White Mages are proficient with all simple weapons, as well as the warhammer, the sap, and the sandvich. White Mages are proficient with light armor but not with shields of any kind.

Spellcasting: The White Mage is an Arcane Spellcaster with the same spells per day progression as a Sorcerer. A White Mage casts spells from the White Mage Spell List (below). A White Mage automatically knows every spell on her spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing them ahead of time, provided that spell slots of an appropriate level are still available.

To cast a White Mage spell, she must have a Charisma at least equal to 10 + the Spell Level. The DC of the White Mage’s spells is Wisdom based and the bonus spells are Charisma based.

Armored Casting: A White Mage casts arcane spells, but she is not affected by the arcane spell failure of any armor or shield she is proficient with. This ability only applies to her White Mage spells; if she is able to cast any other arcane spells, those are affected by arcane spell failure as normal.

Magic Hands (Su): As an attack action, the White Mage may either deal damage or restore hit points equal to 1d6 + her Wisdom modifier to a touched target. This is a positive energy-based effect, and thus cannot heal undead (without spark of life applied), does not affect many constructs, and cannot damage Positive Energy Plane natives. Because this is not a spell, it does not benefit from Brilliance. If the White Mage so wishes, they may use their Dexterity to determine the attack bonus instead of Strength.

Brilliance: White Mages are directly linked to a dimension of raw energy, and this makes them very shiny. It also means their energy powers get all over the place. Any level-dependent bonuses to a White Mage’s Healing spells are uncapped by level (so a cure light wounds spell would heal 1d8+1/caster level, even if caster level exceeds 5) and her Healing spells automatically have Reach Spell applied. Additionally, any Healing spell a 2nd-level White Mage casts can affect a number of additional targets up to her Wisdom modifier (subject to the restrictions of Chain Spell). At 4th level the Empower Spell metamagic is applied to all (Healing) spells and all prior effects of the Brilliance ability (uncapped bonuses, Reach, and Chain) apply to Abjurations, at 8th level all (Healing) and Abjuration spells are Heightened to the highest castable White Mage spell level, and at 10th level all (Healing) spells are Maximized.

Metamagic effects applied via this ability do not cause the spells to require a higher-level slot nor do they increase the casting time.

Turn Undead (Su): The White Mage can turn undead as a Cleric of her class level. If she gains turning or rebuking from more than one class, the levels stack.

Equilibrium (Ex): At 2nd level, the White Mage’s body is accustomed to way more positive energy than most people can handle. She is treated as native to the Positive Energy Plane in addition to whatever planes where she is already a native. She is unaffected by any harmful effect due to positive energy (including spells such as bolt of glory or exploding due to being on a Major Positive-Dominant plane). However, she also does not gain temporary hit points from the Major Positive-Dominant trait. At 7th level, the White Mage equilibriates just as well with surrounding negative energy and is under a continuous death ward effect.

Planar Immunity (Ex): A White Mage’s physiology starts off fairly normal, but it slowly shuts down and discards systems that are redundant due to her overwhelming lifeforce. At 2nd level, a White Mage no longer needs to sleep and gains immunity to sleep effects. At 5th level, this immunity extends to paralysis and fear, and at 9th level she is immune to disease and poison and also no longer needs to eat or drink.

Advanced Learning: At 3rd level and every two levels thereafter, the White Mage may permanently add one spell to her spell list. This spell must be of a level she can already cast, and must be from either the Abjuration school, the (Healing) subschool, or have the [Light] descriptor. Only spells from the Cleric or Wizard spell lists may be learned in this way.

Instant Ward (Su): At 3rd level, the White Mage may grant any ally within 30 ft. a +5 bonus to AC and saves for one round as an immediate action.

Inner Fire: At 3rd level a White Mage learns to channel healing power into herself without the normal gestures and words. Any spell which removes or suppresses a harmful status effect on herself may be activated by the White Mage as though it were both Silent and Stilled, and may be used even while unconscious (but not actually dead). Any spell used in this way only affects the White Mage and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Spells cast under this ability require the expenditure of any XP or material components as normal; such components must be in the White Mage’s possession. The metamagic effects of this ability don’t increase the spell slot required nor the casting time.

Mettle (Ex): At 4th level, the White Mage gains Mettle, as the Hexblade ability.

Status Check (Sp): At 4th level, the White Mage gains a supernatural intuition about how her allies are faring. She may cast status at will as a swift action spell-like ability.

Lifesense (Su): At 5th level, the White Mage is familiar enough with the flow of positive energy that she can see it in other beings, even when her other senses fail. She gains blindsense out to 40 ft. to detect living or undead creatures, and knows how healthy they are as with deathwatch. At 10th level, this ability is equivalent to blindsight. At 15th level, this sense extends out to 120 ft.

Friggin’ Lasers: At 6th level, any [Light] spells the White Mage casts gain a +2 bonus to caster level.

False Divinity: A White Mage’s magic is similar to many sources of divine power, close enough to mimic true divinity. At 6th level her White Mage spellcasting counts as both arcane and divine for the purposes of taking prestige classes. She does not gain more than one White Mage caster level from any given level of a prestige class using this ability; a White Mage 6/Mystic Theurge 5 would only cast as an 11th-level White Mage. You probably shouldn’t try to do that.

Flashes of Light: At 7th level, the White Mage can channel her positive energy even more quickly; she may cast (Healing), [Light], and Abjuration spells as a swift action, as though they had the Quicken Spell metamagic applied. Any [Light] spells she casts are also Empowered.

In Brightest Day (Su): At 7th level, the White Mage emits a constant radiance equivalent to a daylight effect which may be suppressed or resumed as a swift action. She gains the Sun domain, giving greater turning 1/day and adding Sun domain spells to her spell list. If she has already added the Sun domain’s spells from some other selectable source, such as Attune Domain or Arcane Disciple, she may select a different valid domain for that source. If she already has the Sun domain from a non-selectable source, she instead gains another domain's spells as if she had taken Attune Domain (this does not count against the total of 3 Attuned Domains/Spheres).

Pew Pew: At 8th level, the White Mage's ability to siphon raw light energy has become natural and almost effortless; she can cast any [Light] or Cure spell as an attack action.

In Darkest Night (Su): At 8th level, the White Mage’s death ward effect extends to all allies within 30 feet. This may be suppressed or resumed as a swift action.

Improved Mettle (Ex): At 11th level, the White Mage gains Improved Mettle. This functions as Mettle, except that if the White Mage fails on a Will partial or Fortitude partial saving throw, she still only takes the partial effect.

Ascension (Ex): At 12th level the White Mage ascends to supernatural power and becomes immune to petrification. She gains the Outsider type, the Native or Extraplanar subtype as appropriate for her home plane, and her previous type as an Augmented subtype.

Planar Aura (Su): At 12th level, the White Mage may radiate the Minor Positive-Dominant trait out to 60 feet. This ability can be activated and deactivated as a move action. At 15th level, this may be increased to the Major Positive-Dominant trait, and the White Mage can freely switch between Major, Minor, and no aura as a move action.

Reraise (Sp): A 13th level White Mage gains the ability to cast a contingent true resurrection on a target creature, which is triggered by their death. When she first gains this ability, the White Mage may cast it 3/day, which increases to 5/day at 16th level and becomes usable at-will at 19th level. The White Mage may not have more such effects active at a time than they may cast per day, and no more than one active on any given creature, although they are dismissible as normal for contingency. These do not count against the "You can use only one contingency spell at a time" restriction of the contingency spell.

Planar Bubble (Su): At 14th level the White Mage gains the ability to create even more conduits to the Positive Energy Plane. As a swift action, she can create a Planar Breach to the Positive Energy Plane as with precipitate breach.

Instant Brilliance: At 17th level, the White Mage may cast any of its specialized spells as an Immediate Action. This applies to spells which are affected by Brilliance, and only spells affected by Brilliance.

Still Alive (Ex): A White Mage of 18th level is so full of life that they're alive for a while even after they die. This is actually pretty bizarre to people in the setting, don't worry about it too much. For 1 minute per character level after they die, the White Mage may still use any of their abilities so long as it doesn't require actual movement to perform. This includes (but is not necessarily limited to) their spell-like abilities, and spells which are used via Inner Fire. Note that for the purposes of Inner Fire, being dead is a harmful status effect, and it is fully expected that White Mages at this point are capable of coming back from the dead without that even being a big deal.

Aspect of the Wolverine (Ex): At 20th level, the White Mage is now almost completely composed of essentially cancerous cells, but doesn't lose things like viability as an organism. She gains Regeneration 10, which is not bypassed by any form of damage, and so long as some portion of her body still exists she can't actually die and will regenerate from that portion within one round as with a clone spell. At this point the White Mage has pretty much won D&D.

White Mage Spell List
0th level: cure minor wounds, dancing lights, detect magic, disrupt undead, flare, light, mending, purify food and drink, resistance, virtue

1st level: avoid planar effects, bless water, cure light wounds, deathwatch, delay disease, endure elements, faerie fire, greater dispel magic, lesser vigor, produce flame, protection from chaos/evil/good/law, remove fear, shield of faith

2nd level: aid, calm emotions, close wounds, continual flame, cure moderate wounds, delay poison, gentle repose, lesser restoration, make whole, protection from negative energy, rainbow beam, remove paralysis, resist energy, shield other

3rd level: attune form, create food and water, cure serious wounds, daylight, Leomund’s tiny hut, magic circle against chaos/evil/good/law, neutralize poison, protection from energy, remove blindness/deafness, remove disease, searing light, spark of life, vigor

4th level: astral hospice, blistering radiance, cure critical wounds, death ward, delay death, freedom of movement, good hope, planar tolerance, mass shield of faith, Otiluke’s resilient sphere, restoration, revenance, spell immunity, stoneskin

5th level: break enchantment, greater vigor, life’s grace, lucent lance, mass cure light wounds, plane shift (willing targets only), raise dead, revivify, spell resistance, undeath to death, wall of force

6th level: animate objects, bolt of glory, contingency, energy immunity, globe of invulnerability, heal, heroes’ feast, mass cure moderate wounds, ray of light, revive outsider, stone to flesh, word of recall

7th level: fortunate fate, greater restoration, mass cure serious wounds, mass restoration, mass spell resistance, spell turning, radiant assault, regenerate, resurrection, sunbeam

8th level: greater spell immunity, mass cure critical wounds, mass death ward, mind blank, protection from spells, sunburst, Otiluke’s telekinetic sphere

9th level: astral projection, freedom, mass heal, true resurrection, unbinding
Edit: Since I only just now realized I hadn't updated this instance of the class, it is now updated.
Last edited by Quantumboost on Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:22 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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God_of_Awesome
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Post by God_of_Awesome »

A suggestion for the 20th level sweet spot:

Aura of Life
Everyone within a 20-ft of the White Mage is treated as if constantly having Cure Serious Wounds every turn while their in the radius. Also Raise Dead in the case of corpses. These affects apply to the White Mage.
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Post by Surgo »

Instant Ward: duration?
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Post by Quantumboost »

Surgo wrote:Instant Ward: duration?
Good catch, fixed.
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Post by Surgo »

Range too, while we're at it.
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Re: [Tome of Virtue] White Mage

Post by Koumei »

Quantumboost wrote:the warhammer, the sap, and the sandvich.
Whut?
Count Arioch the 28th wrote:There is NOTHING better than lesbians. Lesbians make everything better.
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Post by Quantumboost »

The sandvich is a very important healing device.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMfzUZNXRbE

...so yeah, White Mages can use sandwiches as weapons without taking an improvised weapon penalty to-hit.
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Post by Quantumboost »

Level 5 SGT:
Aledan Shadowrender
White Mage 5
Abilities: Str 8, Con 13, Dex 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 18
Skills: Concentration +9, Listen +11, Knowledge (religion) +9, Spellcraft +9, Spot +11
Feats: Insightful Strike, Zen Archery
Equipment: Masterwork Warhammer, +2 Chain Shirt, Cloak of Resistance +2

Attack: Warhammer +3 melee (1d8-1)
AC: 16 (18 shield of faith, 23 warded+shield)
HP: 31

Saves: Fort +7 (+12), Ref +6 (+11), Will +9 (+14)
  • A huge Animated iron statue.
    • This guy is huge and stupider than a Giant Crab!. Aledan isn’t very stealthy, but the statue isn’t very perceptive, so it comes down to a matter of dexterity versus wisdom; presumably Aledan will also buff up (shield of faith) in case it notices him.
      Aledan has about a 60% chance on each check, making for a 36% chance of bypassing the challenge safely. If it comes to blows, the statue can deal out an average of about 4.9 damage each round so long as the Ward is up (i.e. always), which means Aledan has to heal about every 3 rounds with a cure moderate wounds. In that period he deals 10.4 average damage; that would take 24 total rounds to eat through the statue’s hit points. He runs out of 2nd-level spells on round 15 and goes into a downward spiral from there. This is even worse if hardness reduces damage, as his damage output drops to zero. Probable loss.
  • A Basilisk.
    • The White Mage’s blindsense doesn’t extend further than the basilisk’s gaze, so it’s a warded +12 versus DC 13, which will pass easily. This turns into a slugfest like the previous fight, except that the basilisk’s 2.25 average damage per round takes 7 rounds on average to eat through a single cure moderate, by which time Aledan has burned through nearly all of its hit points. Definite win.
  • A Large Fire Elemental.
    • Produce flame does nothing against this guy, and his 6.5 damage per round in range means Aledan needs to heal up every three rounds. If Aledan can’t deal 60 points of damage in roughly 20 rounds of actual attacking, he loses; otherwise, he wins. Hint: He can. Definite win.
  • A Manticore on the wing.
    • The Manticore deals an average of 46.8 damage with its spikes in 4 rounds, then goes into melee. It takes 20 damage in that time due to produce flame. It then proceeds to wail on Aledan with claw-claw-bite, which most likely wears him down before he wears down the manticore. Probable loss.
  • A Mummy
    • The White Mage is immune to fear and paralysis, so Despair doesn’t apply twice over. After that it becomes a melee/cure slugfest, with the Mummy wailing on the Aledan and Aledan blasting the mummy and himself with a Brilliance-chained cure moderate wounds until the mummy runs out of hit points. If the Mummy infects him with Mummy Rot, he’s then down one 1st-level slot per day (from delay disease) until he gets the mummy rot cured. Definite win.
  • A Phase Spider
    • Aledan can’t harm things on the Ethereal Plane, and doesn’t have the means to damage the spider significantly enough when it’s on the material plane; however, he can delay poison for 5 hours per casting even once the poison affects him (he fails on a 4 or less, so a 20% chance of being affected). He doesn’t get rest (though he doesn’t need to sleep, he doesn’t get spells back), so it’s a question of attrition; the phase spider controls when it attacks, and deals an average of 2.625 hit points per attack (a cure moderate every five-six attacks). Aledan can deal about 1.63 average damage per attack, requiring about 26 attacks to pummel through the phase spider’s hit points. Assuming he’s always readying an action to attack the spider, he’s down to 1st-level slots. Probable win.
  • A Troll
    • Produce flame is the White Mage’s best bet here; otherwise his attacks can be outright ignored by the Troll. If Aledan can keep the Troll at range long enough, he can drop it with 7.5 bolts of fire average. If the Troll surprises him, average melee damage will keep up with healing and a Rend (20% of all full-attack rounds; on average occurs by the 5th round) will absolutely devastate the White Mage’s hit points – even with Instant Ward up the whole time. A victory here is fully dependent on being able to kite the Troll around. Even Match.
  • A chasm
    • Aledan dumped strength, has no levitation or flight abilities, and can’t throw a rope to save his life. Definite loss.
  • A moat filled with acid
    • Aledan has resist energy and healing powers. He swims through the moat and is down one 2nd-level spell, maybe a 1st-level spell also if the moat rolls really well. Definite win.
  • A locked door behind a number of pit traps
    • Again, horrible jumping and no levitation. Definite loss.
  • A couple of Centaur Archers in the woods
    • The centaurs can outrun Aledan. If they have enough arrows, it’s just a matter of shooting him until he runs out of spells and then dies. If they run out and get into melee, they can flank and do a longsword/hoof beatdown. Definite loss.
  • A Howler/Allip tag team
    • Aledan knows the Allip and the Howler are there, but the Allip’s Babbling hits him before he can do anything to them. He’s all but guaranteed to make the save, and if he does can turn the Allip on round 1. This has a 60% chance of affecting the Allip; if it works, the Allip is running around while the White Mage chains healing and Allip-killing via cure moderate wounds; if it doesn’t, the Allip does sad Wisdom damage that might be able to defeat the White Mage if he’s very unlucky. If the Allip is turned, it’s Howler vs. Mage, and the Howler has a good chance to hit and enough damage to require a cure moderate wounds every other round (chained to the Allip, so it dies in three cures). The Howler then mauls through most of the White Mage’s spells and hit points; in the time it takes to expend 2nd-level spells, the Howler is dealt 1/3 of its hit points, and then mauls the White Mage faster than healing can keep up for a couple more rounds. Probable loss.
  • A pit filled with medium monstrous scorpions
    • Aledan can’t get out of the pit in combat time. With flanking and the ward, they only hit on a 19. Aledan can kill one scorpion about every four rounds, and stays up by using his magic hands. He can then take 20 on a climb or jump check to try to get out of the pit. Probable win, depending on how much the pit itself is a challenge.
  • A Grimlock assault team
    • The grimlocks and Aledan notice each other at roughly the same time. Let’s say there’s six Grimlocks, they hit on a 19 and do an average of 1.5 damage per round each for a total of 9 dpr. The White Mage likely needs to heal himself more often than every other round. He’s not going to do too well. Probable loss.
  • A Cleric of Hextor (with his zombies)
    • The zombies are relative pushovers, since they pretty much get turned or cured to (re-)death by accident over the course of the fight. The cleric is more of a problem, as the White Mage isn’t a melee powerhouse and the cleric, well, is. However, all the cleric's armor doesn't do much against ranged touch attacks, so a combination of produce flame, instant ward, and occasional self-healing will melt a lot of the way through the cleric's defenses. Probable win.
15 total challenges
Definite Win: 4
Probable Win: 3
Even Match: 1
Probable Loss: 4
Definite Loss: 3

Conclusion:

Roughly even at this level going solo. Produce flame seems to be the thing keeping him there; without it, he does a lot worse against things like the manticore/troll/cleric.

It'll probably be more enlightening to do a "team" SGT with a knight or some other well-balanced damage-dealer, since this class has the potential for a lot of synergy with "other people".
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Post by Sunwitch »

Quantumboost wrote: [*]A Manticore on the wing.
  • The Manticore deals an average of 46.8 damage with its spikes in 4 rounds, then goes into melee. It takes 20 damage in that time due to produce flame. It then proceeds to wail on Aledan with claw-claw-bite, which most likely wears him down before he wears down the manticore. Probable loss.
Makes me wonder why he lacks Protection from Arrows.
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Post by Surgo »

Nice class. Any plans to take it out to 20?
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Post by Quantumboost »

Mauver wrote:Makes me wonder why he lacks Protection from Arrows.
I'm not entirely sure what my reasoning was behind that; at this point, it's partly a question of whether that would shift it off the balance point.
Nice class. Any plans to take it out to 20?
If/when I can think of stuff to put past 15, yeah. Probably going to avoid "stuff that's in Radiant Servant/Beacon of the Upper Planes".
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Post by Surgo »

Once you do that, I'd really love to upload this to the wiki.
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Post by Josh_Kablack »

Okay, so I'm actually playing one of these in DC's Sharn Watch game. Looks like I can turtle really well, and it looks like my best move is actually going to be to work as a melee guy to protect the archers and casters, but never actually deal damage.

I walk in at 3rd level, with a 14 dex and a Chain Shirt - that gives me a 16 AC. Then I pick up another point of AC from feats (DC has houseruled Dodge to just be a flat +1 dodge bonus) for 17. Then I come pre-loaded with Shield of Faith or Protection vs Purple either of which is a potential +2 deflection to AC. Then I get to pick a wiz/cleric abjuration/healing spell via Advanced Learning - and as I don't feel compelled to dumpster dive, my choices are pretty much Entropic Shield or Shield here. I go with Shield for a +4 Shield bonus to AC - bringing me to a potential 23 AC with 2 buff spells. And then, this being 3e and not 4e, I am allied with myself- so I can Instant Ward myself continuously , bringing me to a 28 AC, so long as I have immediate actions available. So while it takes 2 rounds to set up and one third of my 1st level spells, I can be like 7 AC better than the heavy armor guy. Then if I just give up on damage dealing, while I'm conscious, I can heal myself 1d6+3 per round indefinitely or use chain cure or vigor to heal other party members and while unconscious I get to use any remaining Cures to become conscious again.

Edit: They get Prot from Arrows via Advanced learning. Their only other options for 2nd level spells in core are Arcane Lock or Obscure Object.
Last edited by Josh_Kablack on Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:38 am, edited 2 times in total.
"But transportation issues are social-justice issues. The toll of bad transit policies and worse infrastructure—trains and buses that don’t run well and badly serve low-income neighborhoods, vehicular traffic that pollutes the environment and endangers the lives of cyclists and pedestrians—is borne disproportionately by black and brown communities."
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Post by Josh_Kablack »

since this class has the potential for a lot of synergy with "other people".
Having played one of these for 8 sessions now, I have to say that's an understatement.
"But transportation issues are social-justice issues. The toll of bad transit policies and worse infrastructure—trains and buses that don’t run well and badly serve low-income neighborhoods, vehicular traffic that pollutes the environment and endangers the lives of cyclists and pedestrians—is borne disproportionately by black and brown communities."
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Post by Josh_Kablack »

Kinda odd that Searing Light isn't actually tagged as a light spell

But with Spell compendium material available, Rainbow Blast gives the class an almost-viable offense as the Advanced Learning pick for 7th level. With Friggin lasers, it's cast as 9th level, for 5d10 in a 120' line - which is meh for a top spell slot. However with Flashes of light, that gets to be Empowered and more importantly Quickened for free - allowing me to throw 2 in a single round.


D_C is gonna be annoyed when I bust that out with my alternate mini next week :smirk:
Last edited by Josh_Kablack on Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
"But transportation issues are social-justice issues. The toll of bad transit policies and worse infrastructure—trains and buses that don’t run well and badly serve low-income neighborhoods, vehicular traffic that pollutes the environment and endangers the lives of cyclists and pedestrians—is borne disproportionately by black and brown communities."
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Post by Quantumboost »

Josh_Kablack wrote:Kinda odd that Searing Light isn't actually tagged as a light spell

But with Spell compendium material available, Rainbow Blast gives the class an almost-viable offense as the Advanced Learning pick for 7th level. With Friggin lasers, it's cast as 9th level, for 5d10 in a 120' line - which is meh for a top spell slot. However with Flashes of light, that gets to be Empowered and more importantly Quickened for free - allowing me to throw 2 in a single round.


D_C is gonna be annoyed when I bust that out with my alternate mini next week :smirk:
This fills me with happy.
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Post by Josh_Kablack »

"But transportation issues are social-justice issues. The toll of bad transit policies and worse infrastructure—trains and buses that don’t run well and badly serve low-income neighborhoods, vehicular traffic that pollutes the environment and endangers the lives of cyclists and pedestrians—is borne disproportionately by black and brown communities."
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Post by Josh_Kablack »

Oh god. While that trick actually worked to great use today, it exemplified most of what the hell is wrong with 3rd ed:

Me: "Okay, so since I don't need to protect against Milhaus's fireball, I'll trot out the Rainbow Blast against the Storm Elemental"
Peanut gallery: "You have an attack spell?"
Me "Yeah, an almost good one now"
DC: :facepalm: "You're bringing your real mini next week, right?"
Me: "Yeah, sure:
DC: Then just track the sonic and lightning damage separately
Me: "Yeah, I brought along d10s in five different colors for that
Peanut Gallery: "Do they light up?"
Me: "No, can't find flashing d10s yet. Anyways white and blue will be lightning and sonic. Anyways my Wis is 18, 3rd level so Save DC is 17...lemme look up the save type again...okay Reflex for half"
Peanut Gallery: "I'm firin' my laser"
DC *roll* "It saves"
Me *roll* *roll* *roll*. Per Flashes of Light, it's auto-empowered,
So base damage is 10 * 1.5= 15 fire, 9 * 1.5= 13 cold, 7 * 1.5 = 10 acid, and there're the electric and sonic dice so what, does it resist those?
DC: "No,it heals from them"
Me :facepalm: Okay, *roll* *roll* That's 5 * 1.5= 7 Sonic and 5 * 1.5 = 7 Electric, so it heals 14
DC: No, it saved so it takes half damage and half healing.
Me: uh, 15 + 9 + okay, + 13 is er um
Peanut Gallery: "I can Math!"
Me "uh, yeah 38 / 2 = 19 damage but then 14/2 = 7 so 12 net damage"
DC: "That's exactly what it had left, it dies."


That's a truly excessive amount of on-the-fly calculation needed to resolve a single friggin swift action spell against a single target.
Last edited by Josh_Kablack on Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:38 am, edited 3 times in total.
"But transportation issues are social-justice issues. The toll of bad transit policies and worse infrastructure—trains and buses that don’t run well and badly serve low-income neighborhoods, vehicular traffic that pollutes the environment and endangers the lives of cyclists and pedestrians—is borne disproportionately by black and brown communities."
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Post by Sunwitch »

Josh_Kablack wrote:Oh god. While that trick actually worked to great use today, it exemplified most of what the hell is wrong with 3rd ed:

Me: "Okay, so since I don't need to protect against Milhaus's fireball, I'll trot out the Rainbow Blast against the Storm Elemental"
Peanut gallery: "You have an attack spell?"
Me "Yeah, an almost good one now"
DC: :facepalm: "You're bringing your real mini next week, right?"
Me: "Yeah, sure:
DC: Then just track the sonic and lightning damage separately
Me: "Yeah, I brought along d10s in five different colors for that
Peanut Gallery: "Do they light up?"
Me: "No, can't find flashing d10s yet. Anyways white and blue will be lightning and sonic. Anyways my Wis is 18, 3rd level so Save DC is 17...lemme look up the save type again...okay Reflex for half"
Peanut Gallery: "I'm firin' my laser"
DC *roll* "It saves"
Me *roll* *roll* *roll*. Per Flashes of Light, it's auto-empowered,
So base damage is 10 * 1.5= 15 fire, 9 * 1.5= 13 cold, 7 * 1.5 = 10 acid, and there're the electric and sonic dice so what, does it resist those?
DC: "No,it heals from them"
Me :facepalm: Okay, *roll* *roll* That's 5 * 1.5= 7 Sonic and 5 * 1.5 = 7 Electric, so it heals 14
DC: No, it saved so it takes half damage and half healing.
Me: uh, 15 + 9 + okay, + 13 is er um
Peanut Gallery: "I can Math!"
Me "uh, yeah 38 / 2 = 19 damage but then 14/2 = 7 so 12 net damage"
DC: "That's exactly what it had left, it dies."


That's a truly excessive amount of on-the-fly calculation needed to resolve a single friggin swift action spell against a single target.
Especially considering it would have lived if it *hadn't saved* against the electricity. Which is really, really weird and ugly.
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