The Gaming Den

The Courtier (Rokugan, Swashbuckling Adventures) is an excellent idea behind a class, but D&D is no place for an idle courtesan who can talk, but can’t contribute anything else to a fight. This Courtier has been powered up significantly, and hasn’t lost a single one of it’s normal abilities. The intent is to have a character who can and will talk her way out of every situation wherein talking is an option, but doesn’t lack the ability to stab people in the face – and, in fact, can use her social eptitude even as she’s doing so.

I tried really hard to make this class combat-worthy, while not making a Courtier 2/RogueX be overpowered. That’s the reason why Distracting Defense and Combat Tactician are limited by the Courtier’s class level. I haven’t had time to try terribly hard to break it, so it might be highly abusable.

Note: The Dark Guardian feat listed under the “Leadership” entry basically says: “At the beginning of each combat, you may designate someone with 30 feat of you. As long as you are not flanked or flat-footed, they are also considered to be not flanked or flat-footed”. Basically, it means you’re really good at watching after and yelling warnings to someone near you. (Way of the Ninja, Rokugan sourcebook). The cohort of the Courtier is intended to act as a way to help the courtier survive hardcore fights that she might not otherwise make it through.

Version 1.1
[*] Changed Your Life is Mine from Charm Monster to Dominate Person.
[*] Distracting Defense no longer works while the courtier is armored or using a shield
[*] Distracting Defense has easier math now
[*] Versatile no longer references the feat
[*] Immovable Hand of Peace now lists failure penalties.



COURTIER
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills: 8+Int
The courtier’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Read Lips (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), Spot (Wis), and Urban Lore (Wis).


BAB: Middle
Saves: Fort low, Ref mid, Will high

Class Features by Level:


Class Features
All of the following are class features of the courtier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Courtiers are proficient with simple weapons, no armor, and no shields.
AC Bonus (Ex): Courtiers, because of their exceptional fluidity and grace, gain a special dodge bonus to AC that does not stack with armor or shield bonuses. The amount of the bonus is listed on the chart above.
Talent (Ex): Courtiers tend to be exceptionally good at whatever they apply themselves to. Any time the courtier selects the Skill Focus feat for any skill whose key ability is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, she gains a +6 bonus rather than the standard +3 bonus.
Style and Grace (Ex): Courtiers tend toward impressive appearance as well as quick wit. Courtiers receive a +4 competence to all skills with Charisma as a key attribute, but only outside of combat.
Distracting Defense (Ex): Courtiers use their social skills in combat, using distraction tactics, bizarre behavior, and startling suggestions to distract their foes. While unarmored and not using a shield, hey gain a percentage miss chance half their class level (rounded up) times 5% against any intelligent foe with a language (even if the courtier does not speak that language), to a maximum of twice the courtier’s class level plus 10% or a total of 50%, whichever is less.
Improved Feint (Ex): Courtiers gain the Improved Feint feat as a bonus feat.
Iron Will (Ex): At 2nd level, courtiers receive Iron Will as a bonus feat.
Combat Tactician (Ex): From 2nd level onward, the courtier gains a special bonus to attack rolls against foes that have lost their Dexterity bonus to AC against the courtier’s attacks. The bonus is equal to the courtier’s class level divided by 4, rounded down.
Poison Use (Ex): Courtiers of at least 2nd level are never in danger of poisoning themselves when they apply poison to a weapon.
Gossip (Ex): A courtier of at least 3rd level learns to sort through the amazing amount of gossip they collect, and often know quite a bit about important people long before they actually meet. They may make a Gather Information check upon meeting or hearing of any individual, place, or item that holds any import in the courtier’s society.

This table assumes such secrets exist to be learned, of course. Courtiers cannot learn nonexistent information, no matter how well they roll.
Courtier Abilities (Ex): Once at 4th level, and once again every 3rd level thereafter (7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th), a courtier gains a special ability of her choice from the following list:
[*]The Better Part of Valor: When fighting defensively or taking a total defense action, the courtier gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to her Intelligence modifier.
[*]The Eyes See the Heart: Anyone attempting to lie in the presence of the courtier must make a Will save (DC 10+1/2 the courtier’s character level+ the courtier’s Charisma modifier). If the lair fails, the courtier detects the falsehood. Anyone with magical protections from lie detections (for example, the Conceal Thoughts spell) gains a +20 bonus on their saving throw.
[*]The Eyes Betray the Heart: The courtier gains a +2 bonus to all save DCs generated by Courtier Abilities. This ability can be selected multiple times and stacks with itself.
[*]Taunt and Rally: The courtier can spend a full round action jeering at her opponents and encouraging her allies in order to inflict a morale penalty equal to one-quarter the courtier’s level on attack rolls and saving throws against [fear] effects on up to one enemy per four courtier levels, and provide a morale bonus equal to one-quarter the courtier’s level on attack rolls and saving throws against [fear] effects on up to one ally per two courtier levels.
[*]Voice: Once per day per four courtier levels, when making a Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check outside of combat, the courtier gains a bonus equal to her class level to that skill check.
[*]Weakness is My Strength: When making an opposed check with Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as a key attribute, the courtier may force her opponent to use his lowest of these three attributes in place of whichever is normally associated with the check being made.
[*]Whisper from the Soul: Once per day per four courtier levels, the courtier may, as a full-round action, use words to manipulate the emotions of those around her. This has the effects of an Emotion spell cast by a sorcerer of the courtier’s character level, except the duration is altered: it becomes 1 round/level. The save DC this effect creates is 10+1/2 the courtier’s character level+the courtier’s Charisma modifier.
[*]Your Life is Mine: Once per day per four courtier levels, the courtier may, as a full-round action, use words to say a weak-willed person’s mental state. This has the effects of a Dominate Person spell cast by a sorcerer of the courtier’s character level, except the duration is altered: it becomes 1 round/level. The save DC this effect creates is 10+1/2 the courtier’s character level+the courtier’s Charisma modifier.
Versatile (Ex): Once per five class levels, the courtier can select any two cross-class skills to become in-class. This does not affect her existing ranks in those skills.
Sneak Attack (Ex): If a courtier can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from his attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The courtier’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the courtier flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 5th level, and it increases by 1d6 every third courtier level thereafter. Should the courtier score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.
Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a courtier can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.
A courtier can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The courtier must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A courtier cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.
Leadership (Ex): A 6th level courtier gains the Leadership feat for free at 6th level. The cohort that comes with this feat gains the Dark Guardian feat as a bonus feat, and is usually a bodyguard (a warrior type dedicated to keeping the courtier safe.)
Every 5 class levels beyond 6th (11th and 16th), the courtier’s leadership score goes up by 5 points regardless of all other modifiers.
Resolve (Ex): From 9th level onward, whenever a courtier is affected by an ability that allows a Will save for a partial effect, the courtier instead gains a Will save to entirely negate that effect. Courtiers unable to take mental actions for any reason do not benefit from Resolve.
The Heart Speaks (Ex): A 12th level courtier gains the ability to take 20 on Sense Motive checks, even when threatened or pressured, as a free action.
The Immovable Hand of Peace (Ex): A courtier of 18th level or higher cannot be attacked or harmed by any intelligent creature unless she is already engaged in combat, or the creature makes a Will save (DC 10+ 1/2 the courtier’s character level + the courtier’s Charisma modifier). A creature that fails this save cannot attempt to attack or harm the courtier again for one full round after failing the save.
Improved Resolve (Ex): 18th level courtiers who fail a save against an effect that allows a Will save for a partial effect may choose take only the partial effect, as though they had successfully saved but did not possess the Resolve ability.

Lookin' pretty good.

Let's see, what needs tweakin.'

Your Life is Mine is a ratty ability, it's a lot weaker than the other courtier abilities, and you misspelled "sway." I say it's ratty because a Courtier sounds like he already will end up with +500 diplomacy checks anyways, and having a diplomatic ability that simulates a spell that simulates being diplomatic and likeable...well, it just seems to be a bit much.

Being unarmored seems like a bum deal for this guy. Seriously, I'd rather drop a level into Rogue so I can wear +5 armor and bucklers. The AC Bonus ability is not only strange (being a dodge bonus that has properties of armor bonuses), but the numbers really aren't that high.

Distracting Defense is cool, but you might want to tweak it so that it doesn't involve such a large amount of match. There's a lot of factors one has to work with to make it work. Simpler might be better. (of course, it's not THAT tough to figure out)

The Heart Speaks might as well just read "Treat all Sense Motive checks you make as if you rolled a 20." Once again, nice and simple.

Hand of Peace: How often does a would-be assailant have to make that check? Once a round? Once every time he tries to attack? What's the penalty for failure?

Versatile: Isn't this the one that lets you make two skills class skills? If so, just say that in the ability, since it's non-core.

Overall, the class looks good and playable, especially with a few tweaks.

The most glaring problem of this class is that Diplomacy DCs don't scale. It's not an opposed roll, so modifiers past +40 are largely meaningless. This means that a class whose specialty is Diplomacy doesn't make sense as a 20 level class. I mean, most classes don't make sense as 20 level classes, but this class especially.

If you just want to be good at Diplomacy, it's trivial to imagine that you'll get to 20th level with 23 ranks and a Charisma of 26 (or more, this is not very large for a 20th level character), and you'll get sunergy bonuses from 23 ranks in Sense Motive and Bluff. It's difficult for me to imagine a skill based character getting to 20th level and not having Skill Mastery at the very least for the skills which are important to her - so you can almost assuredly take ten on these diplomacy checks by this point.

And now you can get a diplomacy result of 23 + 8 + 4 + 4 + 10 = 49, all the time, with no special class features or magic items related to diplomacy at all.

So we get a maximum result at about a +1 or +2 bonus total over twenty levels. So the relevence of a diplomacy bonus is of primary importance only in that you get these abilities early - of which a 20th level in the class just doesn't matter. So why even have the 20th level?

The class doesn't even give you diplomacy bonuses every level - often it gives you sneak attack. If you wanted Sneak Attack, you could multiclass with Rogue. If you wanted faster Sneak Attack, you could take more levels of Rogue, and if you wanted less Sneak Attack, you could take less levels of Rogue.

As is, this class seems like the entire concept could be handled in 5 levels that gave you some skill related abilities, and then if you wanted any of the rest of the stuff (Sneak Attack, Spellcasting, Defense Bonuses, whatever) you could jolly well multiclass into a class that supported those functions.

There's no need for any class which gives you cut-rate advancement in another class' core abilties instead of giving its own unique abilities. As soon as you have a level that looks like this:[/quote]8 Sneak attack +2d6[/quote]
then the class should simply be shorter and encourage you to multiclass into Rogue if that's what you want to do.

Note that if you want to have specialized Core Classes like this, whose entire schtick can be handled in only a few levels - you are going to need to get rid of the multiclass XP penalty. That's OK - the multiclass XP penalty is stupid and should be gotten rid of anyway.

It makes the game more like a point system - where yo just take whatever levels you want and they all give you exactly the ability package you want to get - but that is the only logical goal of making additional classes in the first place, so I'm assuming you are OK with that.

-Username17

I took Oberoni's comments into account, and reposted.

I'm still mulling on Frank's. I have a fundamental difference in design intent, I think. I wrote up 50 classes, not intending that each have unique mechanics, but that each have unique flavor. I wrote up these classes first and foremost as an exercise in balancing classes against each other, but also as an attempt to step away from the idea of "base class as archetype". That idea is the one I run with in my normal games -- you take an archetypal base class, you get individual with PrCs -- and I wanted to try to create a large set of balanced base classes that allowed a character to be fundamentally different in flavor and tactics from the get-go.


Thanks, both of you.

No problem.

Looking cool. Question, though.

Maybe I didn't notice it until now, but Distracting defense only works when the diplomat is armorless, right? Balance-wise, I understand, but conceptually, I've got to ask why is that?