So, I've been playing way more Path of Exile than is healthy lately, and had an idea to port a few of the skills into D&D. The idea quickly got out of control, and I wound up making a whole class with the schtick of "stabs fools in the face" and "has a dozen mobility and defense abilities to stab things higher than level 4." My local group is a little too grognardy for Tome, so this is meant to run with vanilla Sorcerors and Paladins.
We do have a few house rules that I've been playing with so long I forgot they were house rules.
1. Delayed effects from the same source don't stack. If a monster poisons you twice on the same turn, you only make one Fort save and only take damage once if you fail. This applies to the "Puncture" and "Viper Strike" abilities below, so you can't just attack somebody eight times and deal $TEXAS damage next turn.
We do have a few house rules that I've been playing with so long I forgot they were house rules.
1. Delayed effects from the same source don't stack. If a monster poisons you twice on the same turn, you only make one Fort save and only take damage once if you fail. This applies to the "Puncture" and "Viper Strike" abilities below, so you can't just attack somebody eight times and deal $TEXAS damage next turn.
A flicker of movement, a knife from the dark. By the time you've seen him, it's already too late.
A Stalker relies on his agility and cunning to wreak death upon his opponents. Heavy armor impedes his abilities, so he relies on his Energy Shield to keep him safe from harm.
Playing a Stalker: the Stalker benefits from a high Dexterity for combat, moderate amounts of Intelligence and Constitution are useful for staying alive and afflicting enemies with status effects.
Alignment: Stalkers are skilled at stealth and assassination, which attracts many of evil intent. Their abilities, however, do not draw upon any sources of true corruption, and thus do not enforce any alignment restrictions on their practitioners.
Hit Die: d4
Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skills/Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier
BAB: As Rogue
Saves: Good Reflex, Poor Fort & Will
Proficiencies: Light Armour, Bucklers, Light Shields; Simple weapons, Light Martial weapons, Net, Hand Crossbow
Starting Age & Money: As Rogue
Class Features:
- 1. Energy Shield, Trapfinding
2. Double Strike
3. Reave (cleave)
4. Smoke Mine (obscuring mist and expeditious retreat)
5. Puncture
6. Phase Run
7. Viper Strike (apply toxin)
8. Smoke Mine (blur)
9. Hide in Plain Sight, Reave (great cleave)
10. Terror
11. Viper Strike (paralysis)
12. Smoke Mine (freedom of movement)
13. Flicker Strike
14. Shadow Walk
15. Viper Strike (secondary damage)
16. Smoke Mine (spell turning or repulsion)
17.
18. Frenzy
19.
20. Scion
Trapfinding (Ex): As rogue.
Double Strike (Ex): Stalkers are extensively trained to use small, agile weaponry together. At level 2, when wielding a light weapon in each hand, he may strike with both weapons as a single attack. Only a single attack roll is made, but if it hits, roll and add up damage from both hands together as a single hit. The Stalker may use his Dexterity modifier in place of his Strength modifier for these attacks, and is treated as though he has the Weapon Finesse feat for any prerequisites.
Reave (Ex): A Stalker is trained both in annihilating powerful single targets and carving through crowds of guards. At level 3, he is treated as having the Cleave feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. At level 9, he is treated as having the Great Cleave feat.
Smoke Mine (Su): The Stalker activates a small arcane device he created for his own protection. As a swift action costing 2 ES, he casts a number of spells at once on himself, with a caster level equal to his character level. At level 4, this applies the effects of obscuring mist and expeditious retreat. At level 8, this also applies blur. At level 12, this also applies freedom of movement. At level 16, this also applies either spell turning or repulsion. You cannot activate both spell turning and repulsion with the same action, though they may have concurrent durations.
Puncture (Ex): A Stalker is particularly skilled at landing blows that leave their opponents crippled. At level 5, upon hitting with a light melee weapon, they may cause the opponent to bleed for the same amount of damage on their next turn. If the target moves before the end of their next turn, they suffer this damage a third time. Activating this ability costs a temporary hit point from the Stalker’s Energy Shield ability. If he has no points left from ES, he may spend a real hit point in its place, but not temporary hp from another source.
Pretend every ability has the underlined boilerplate. "X ES" means "...this ability costs X temporary hit points..." and fill in the rest as well.
Viper Strike (Ex): A Stalker is adept with a variety of poisons. When he strikes an opponent with a light weapon, he may expend 6 points from his Energy Shield to apply one of the following effects:
- Toxin: At level 7, the attack may inflict a poison the Stalker has a dose of on his person (applying the poison to the weapon is considered part of the attack action)
At level 11, the attack may instead inflict paralysis for one round, Fort Save DC 10 + ½ Class Level + Int Mod negates
At level 15, the attack may instead deal an additional 1d6 per level poison damage on the following round
(Designer's note: Kaelik thinks this is OP as shit. How should it be toned down? Allow a fort save for the damage effect? Halve the damage? Eat a swift action to activate for a single attack that turn?)
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): At level 9, a Stalker can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a Stalker can hide herself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow.
Terror (Su): At level 10, the Stalker may produce an effect similar to the fear spell, Except in a 5’ burst instead of 30’ cone. Save DC 10 + ½ Class Level + Int mod. Costs 12 ES.
Flicker Strike (Su): At level 13, the Stalker may teleport as a move action, though transporting only himself and his equipment within Close range (25 feet, +5 feet per two levels). Costs 8 ES. Can make Full Attack as Standard Action in same round, additional 2 ES per attack.
Shadow Walk (Su): At level 14, the Stalker can use shadow walk at will, as the spell, alone or with companions, caster level equal to character level.
Frenzy (Su): At level 18, the Stalker can use the altered nature of the Plane of Shadow to act faster than light. By expending 20 ES, he can take 1d4+1 turns' worth of actions in a single turn, similar to a time stop effect. Lingering effects like Puncture and Viper Strike can be set up and will take effect when time resumes, though the initial hits will deal no damage.
Scion (Ex): At level 20, the Stalker inherits the power of Wraeclast, thus winning D&D. Also, he can restore his Energy Shield as a swift action.
EDIT: 20/03/2014: Added clarifications to a number of abilities,