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Koumei
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### [Tome of Tiamat] The Warmage

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Post by Koumei » Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:44 am

I am going to allocate three posts to this class, so wait until three posts have been made, please.
Warmage
Wizards in general are pretty good on the battlefield. When it comes to killing lots of people at a time, casters excel at that if they feel like it. Not that a single great warrior can't hack through an army by the time everyone else has done their shoes up, but it's always the explosions of flame that people remember.
But some casters are specifically designed for the battlefield. Not only do they call ordinance down, annihilating large numbers of people at a time, but they can also take care of the stuff that only the good commanders think of: food, drink, digging trenches, building fortifications, gathering intel, making the battlefield conditions perfect. When you need someone like that, you turn to the Warmage.
Hit Points: 1d6
Skill Points: 4+Int
Base Attack Bonus: Poor
Saving Throws: Good Reflex and Will
Proficiencies: Simple and Martial Weapons, Light and Medium Armour
Armour and Casting: Proficient = AWWWWRIGHT

Level: | Abilities: | Cantrips | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th
01 | Elemental Exchange (Fire and Cold) | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -
02 | Create Water, Create Food | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | -
03 | Purify Food and Drink | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | -
04 | Energy Effect | 6 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | -
05 | Swift Cast 1/day, Elemental Exchange (Acid and Electricity) | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | -
06 | Limitless Spell Force | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | -
07 | Explosive Spell | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | -
08 | Energy Surge | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | -
09 | Weaken Defences, Elemental Exchange (Sonic) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | -
10 | Swift Cast 2/day, Chain Spell | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | -
11 | Rallying Spell | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - | -
12 | Energy Blitz | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | - | - | -
13 | Heroes Feast, Elemental Exchange (Force and Negative) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | -
14 | Instant Fortress | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | - | -
15 | Swift Cast 3/day, Arcane Ordinance | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | -
16 | Energy Mastery | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | -
17 | Dimensional Fortress | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2
18 | Hellstorm | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3
19 | Dragonflight Bombardment | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4
20 | Swift Cast 4/day, Arcane Siege, Win | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5

Last edited by Koumei on Tue Jul 28, 2009 11:39 am, edited 5 times in total.

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Koumei
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Post by Koumei » Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:50 am

Spellcasting: the Warmage automatically knows every spell on their class list that they are a high enough level to cast. They cast spells spontaneously, without preparation. The ability score that determines their spellcasting is Intelligence. Unless stated otherwise, any class features that affect her spells will only affect those gained from Warmage levels, not other classes.
Elemental Exchange: if a spell deals a specific type of energy damage (Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Sonic, Force, Negative, Dessication), the Warmage can elect to swap it to Fire or Cold damage - later, more energy types become available. This is not an action and does not affect the spell in any other way, unless the spell has an energy descriptor, in which case it changes to match the new one (so you won't have a Cold Fireball being a [Fire] spell). This applies to any spells the Warmage can cast, not just her Warmage ones.
Create Water: the Warmage can Create Water as a Spell-like ability at will. The Caster Level is equal to her class level.
Create Food: the Warmage can Create Food as a Spell-like ability at will. This creates one pound of nutritious, if bland, non-descript food per class level and uses a Standard Action. Consider it the equivalent of a military MRE designed to keep for long times. Yeah, I can see you salivating already.
Purify Food and Drink: the Warmage can purify food and drink as a Spell-like ability at will.
Energy Effect: when casting spells that deal energy damage, a special effect occurs, based on the energy type:

Energy: | Effect:
Acid | the target becomes Sickened for 1d4 rounds
Cold | the target becomes numb, dropping whatever they are holding
Electricity | the target is momentarily shocked, becoming Staggered for 1 round
Fire | the target catches fire
Sonic | the target is Deafened for 1 minute

The effects only occur if the target is damaged. If a spell causes multiple damage types, only one effect can be chosen per target. Targets are entitled to a Fortitude save to negate this effect (DC 10 + half the Warmage's HD + her Int modifier). If the original spell allows a saving throw, then passing that save negates the effect instead of making someone roll two saves.
Swift Cast: once per day per five class levels, the Warmage can cast a spell as a Swift Action. This only applies to spells that can be cast as a full round or less, however it does not change the spell level or any other aspect. It DOES change the casting time, in the exact manner that I just stated.
Limitless Spell Force: if a spell has effects that increase with caster level (one ray per 4 levels beyond 3rd, 1d6 per level, 2 targets per level etc.) and usually has a limit on this increase, ignore the limit: the effects increase with the Warmage's caster level indefinitely.
Explosive Spell: when casting a damaging spell with an area of effect, the Warmage may elect to make it an Explosive spell. All targets who take damage must succeed on a Fortitude save or be sent flying. The DC is 10 + half the Warmage's HD + her Int modifier. They are hurled in the direction the spell struck them from, moving to the outer edge, and half the distance travelled again (so if they would need to move 10' to leave the area of effect they would be moved 10+5 = 15'. If they had to move 100' they would end up being knocked 150'), then land prone. If a solid barrier prevents their movement, they take 1d6 Bludgeoning damage for every 10' of movement denied. Yes, the Warmage may pinball people with a bouncing Lightning Bolt.
Energy Surge: even greater effects apply to Warmage spells that deal energy damage.

Energy: | Effect:
Acid | the target takes 1d4 Str damage as their muscle tissue is eaten away
Cold | the target becomes Slowed for 2d4 rounds as their joints freeze
Electricity | the target is Stunned for 1 round
Fire | the target becomes Exhausted for 2d4 rounds
Sonic | the target is knocked prone and Dazed for 1 round

The Warmage may elect to apply Energy Effect or Energy Surge, but not both at once. As with Energy Effect, there is a saving throw.
Weaken Defences: any foe who suffers damage from a spell cast by a Warmage takes a penalty on their Armour Class, Damage Reduction, Spell Resistance and Energy Resistances until the beginning of the Warmage's next turn. This penalty is equal to the spell level.
Chain Spell: when casting a single-target spell (whether a single target is designated or it is a ray, orb etc. - even if multiple targets can be selected but only one is chosen, but not for area-of-effect spells) with a casting time of one round or less, the Warmage can make it chain out to other targets. This increases the casting time to take up one round and then a full round action on the following turn. The spell will then chain out, with half of its original effect, to a number of secondary targets up to half her caster level. They are still entitled to any saving throws, and no-one may be targeted multiple times (additional chains are wasted if there are too few targets). The maximum distance from primary to secondary target is equal to half the original range.
By adding yet another full round to the casting time, the secondary targets will then chain out to tertiary targets (but they can't all chain back to each other. Again, any given person is effected only once per casting).
Rallying Spell: whenever the Warmage casts a spell that successfully takes a foe out of combat, she may elect for it to become a rallying spell. There is a blast of loud noise and she lights up (suppressing any Darkness effects) for one round, and all allies within 30' gain a morale bonus on Attack rolls and Will saves equal to the spell level, lasting for one round.
Energy Blitz: incredible effects apply to Warmage spells that deal energy damage.

Energy: | Effect:
Acid | all of the target's non-magical equipment on their person is dissolved immediately, and they are Blinded for the rest of the encounter
Cold | the target is Paralysed for 1 round, then Slowed for 2 more
Electricity | the target becomes Confused and Entangled for the rest of the encounter
Fire | the target becomes a raging inferno, as though set on fire for 5d6 Fire damage per round, setting adjacent subjects on fire as well
Sonic | the target is knocked prone and rendered Staggered and unable to stand for 4 rounds

The Warmage may elect to aply Energy Effect, Energy Surge or Energy Blitz, but no combination of the three at a time. As with Energy Effect and Surge, there is a saving throw.
Heroes Feast: once per day, the Warmage may cast Heroes Feast as a Spell-like Ability, except that it can affect three times as many people. This may be cast again if a major victory is scored (such as the defeat of an enemy army or capture of a large castle. Ask your DM).
Instant Fortress: the Warmage may summon a Fortress as a Spell-like Ability. The fortress appears after three consecutive rounds of concentration, and then functions like the item of the same name. If packed up, then it regenerates all damage within 24 hours. If destroyed, it takes a week for another to be called forth. If the concentration time is extended out to one minute, then the fortress appears as two towers connected by a wall 25' tall, 10' thick and 50' long, with arrow slits and battlements at the top. If extended out to ten minutes, it becomes four towers, each connected by one such wall in a square formation, with a 60' tall tower in the centre, connected to the walls by 10' thick, 10' tall, 20' long corridors.
The fortress requires as much time to pack up as to set up.
Arcane Ordinance:by focusing for two full rounds in addition to the original casting time, the Warmage may quadruple the area of effect of an area spell. By focusing for five rounds in addition to the original casting time, she may multiply the area by ten. However, either benefit will only apply to the first round (unless Instantaneous), unless the Warmage maintains concentration on the spell.
Energy Mastery: whenever the Warmage kills a target with a spell that deals a type of Energy damage that she could change a spell to do (Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Force, Negative, Sonic), there is an explosion of energy. Everyone adjacent to the target takes 1d4 damage of the same type per caster level (Reflex half, DC 10 + half the Warmage's HD + her Int modifier), with no Effects, Surges or Blitzes applied to this. This is not a spell, so anyone slain by this does not also explode, creating an infinite peasant chain of ordinance.
Dimensional Fortress: once per day, the Warmage may cast Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. Anyone who attempts to gain entry uninvited triggers an alarm and a Disintegrate effect. The DC of this effect is 10 + half the Warmage's hit dice + her Caster Level.
Hellstorm: once per day, the Warmage may call a devastating blitz of arcane power upon her foes, designed to force everyone to stay in cover, but also doing a reasonable job of tearing buildings apart so the battle can truly begin.
The Warmage must spend a full round action concentrating, and then designate the area of effect: two 10x10' squares per caster level. After this, the effect is out of her hands - even if she wants to, she cant stop it. The area is struck by an Earthquake that lasts for one minute, and every round, a single meteor (as per Meteor Swarm) strikes the location of her choosing (if she does not make a selection, a random area is picked, generally large or tall targets such as buildings go first) until the meteor is up. Anyone inside a structure that is not destroyed by the earthquake/meteor is perfectly safe from this damage.
Additionally, anyone who is not enjoying physical cover of at least 50% takes Acid damage and Fire damage, each equal to the Warmage's class level, every round. The only way to avoid this (aside from energy resistance/immunity) is to gain cover or leave the area of effect.
At the end of the minute, all effects stop, except for the pits and difficult ground, which is instantaneous and thus doesn't go away, and everyone within the area must make a Fort save (DC 10 + half the Warmage's hit dice + her Int modifier) or be Stunned for 3 rounds, allowing the invading army to rush in and start the violence.
Dragonflight Bombardment: the Warmage gains a loyal ally: a Dragon with a true CR that must be at least 3 less than the Warmage's character level. If it dies, another turns up in 1d6+6 days. This dragon acts as a mount, and will gladly fight in melee or rain its breath weapon down upon the battlefield. Additionally, as long as both are in physical contact, the Warmage may cast any damaging spell through the dragon, affecting everyone in the Area of Effect of the breath weapon. If the duration was more than Instantaneous, it becomes "one round".
Arcane Siege: three times per day, the Warmage may target a building she can see and, as a Supernatural Ability, cause it to crack open. If the building fails a Fortitude save (use the best save of the inhabitants, if none it automatically fails) it splits apart, tumbling to the ground and dealing 20d6 damage to all of the inhabitants who are likely trapped and unable to escape. Clouds of dust equal to a Sandstorm are churned up for 1 minute, as well.
Win: the Warmage wins the game. There is no saving throw for this. Note that this doesn't actually affect the game.
Last edited by Koumei on Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:23 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Koumei
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Post by Koumei » Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:51 am

Spell List:
Cantrips: Dancing Lights, Darkness, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Ghost Sound, Light, Magic Missile, Mending, Message, Purify Food and Drink, Rouse, Stand
Level 1: Alarm, Detect Scrying, Detect Secret Doors, Disguise Self, Endure Elements, Entangle, Firespray, Grease, Mass Rouse, Mass Stand, Mount, Obscuring Mist, Shocking Grasp, Silent Image, Ventriloquism
Level 2: Arcane Lock, Continual Flame, Fireball, Jet of Steam, Gust of Wind, Incendiary Slime, Locate Object, Mass Enlarge Person, Mass Reduce Person, Misdirection, Protection From Arrows, Pyrotechnics, Resist Energy, Scare, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility, Whispering Wind
Level 3: Caustic Mire, Caustic Smoke, Deep Slumber, Dispel Magic, Flame Arrow, Fly, Horrid Sickness, Invisibility Sphere, Lightning Bolt, Major Image, Mass Resist Energy, Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound, Nondetection, Protection From Energy, Rage, Sleet Storm, Stinking Cloud, Wall of Fire, Water Breathing, Wind Wall
Level 4: Confusion, Dimension Door, Dimensional Anchor, Evard's Black Tentacles, Fear, Fire Shield, Fire Trap, Hallucinatory Terrain, Ice Storm, Move Earth, Scrying, Shout, Solid Fog, Stone Shape, Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice
Level 5: Cloudkill, Cone of Cold, Deltane's Fiery Tentacles, Fire and Brimstone, Fire Seeds, Greater Dispel, Dismissal, Fabricate, Lightning Leap, Mind Fog, Mirage Arcana, Nightmare Terrain, Prying Eyes, Seeming, Sending, Tactical Teleportation, Telepathic Bond, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Rock to Mud, Wall of Force, Wall of Stone, Waves of Fatigue
Level 6: Acid Fog, Chain Lightning, Contingency, Guards and Wards, Mass (Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Bear's Endurance), Mass Suggestion, Storm of Fire and Ice, Sunburst, True Seeing, Veil, Wall of Iron, Wall of Thorns
Level 7: Banishment, Control Weather, Deadly Lahar, Earthquake, Forcecage, Greater Teleport, Incendiary Cloud, Mass Hold Person, Mass Invisibility, Mordenkainen's Sword, Phase Door, Planeshift, Prismatic Spray, Reverse Gravity, Waves of Exhaustion, Whirlwind
Level 8: Deadly Sunstroke, Dimensional Lock, Greater Prying Eyes, Greater Shout, Horrid Wilting, Mass Charm Monster, Mass Polymorph, Prismatic Wall, Storm of Vengeance
Level 9: Astral Projection, Elemental Swarm, Etherealness, Firestorm, Foresight, Mass Hold Monster, Meteor Swarm, Prismatic Deluge, Prismatic Sphere, Timestop, Towering Thunderhead, Wail of the Banshee
Altered Spells:
Chain Lightning: this acts as a Lightning Bolt (and may be bounced, as below), except that every time a target takes damage from it (whether they make the save or not), another smaller bolt shoots out to another target of your choice within 50 feet. This requires a Ranged Touch Attack, and if the target is struck, they take half the original damage. If a bolt bounces over someone multiple times, multiple secondary bolts are launched. An individual can be hit by the primary bolt and one or more secondary bolts (though not secondary bolts that are caused by them getting struck) in the same casting.
Cone of Cold: this works like normal, except the entire area of effect is coated in ice (functioning like a Grease spell that is automatically Dispelled, square-by-square, by Fire effects) and anyone who fails the save takes 1d6 Dexterity damage.
Firestorm: this spell functions as normal, except that it lasts for as long as the Warmage concentrates. The area of effect cannot be moved, however.
Flame Arrow: when cast, all arrows fired from within 50' of the caster during the next round deal an additional amount of Fire Damage equal to 2d6 plus her Caster Level.
Lightning Bolt: when cast by a Warmage, Lightning Bolts may bounce off surfaces, either at a 90 degree angle or 180 degrees straight back at the caster, caster's choice.
Mass ___: the spell works just as normal, except it affects one subject per caster level.
Mass Polymorph: this works only on willing targets, affecting two subjects per caster level. The subjects are transformed into Trolls, effectively replacing their character sheets with the MM entry. They can think like themselves, retaining their alignments and memories, but don't actually retain their skills, feats, ability scores (even mental ones) or anything else. You don't get troll wizards and troll knights and troll thief-acrobats, you get trolls.
These trolls may, however, utter "Hurr hurr, I'm a (their original class)" as a free action. Troll wizards can be said to cast sleep (range: touch, material focus: a club, somatic component: make an attack roll) and Knock (range: touch, material focus: a club, somatic component: make a break check), likewise Troll Rogues can be said to be able to pick locks (with a club) and disable devices (with a club).
Meteor Swarm: this causes four meteors to rain down from the sky, all at different points. Make a ranged touch attack against four different targets (including sections of ground). The targets, if hit, take 10d6 Bludgeoning Damage. Then, all within a 20' radius of each meteor takes 1d6 Fire damage per caster level (if multiple blasts hit the same person, they are damaged multiple times) with a Ref save for half (each time, if struck multiple times). If the targets of the meteors were hit by the attacks, they automatically fail the save.
The area then becomes difficult ground, with the 5' square points of impact becoming deep craters (10' deep pits).
People may now post.
Last edited by Koumei on Mon Jul 20, 2009 5:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Hicks » Sun Jul 19, 2009 3:18 pm

> Koumei wrote: Win: the Warmage wins the game.

I think this ability needs a boost to be level appropriate.
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Koumei
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Post by Koumei » Sun Jul 19, 2009 3:43 pm

Hmm, maybe you're right. What if it allowed no saving throw?

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Post by Maxus » Sun Jul 19, 2009 6:00 pm

More seriously...Koumei, it seems like my respect for what you write grows each time you make something new. Seriously, free food and water and the ability to make an awesome fortress? That's something Wizards should of thought of. But, no, they just see, "oh, yeah, Warmages totally just throw down fireballs and lightning bolts. All the time."
And I'm a bit ashamed to admit that if I'd written a Warmage, I would have started with how to make Evocation worthwhile and wouldn't have thought of the Warmage supplying food, water, and shelter, too.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.
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Post by Username17 » Sun Jul 19, 2009 7:32 pm

I would definitely take all the summonings off that list, there are already Summoners, Druids, and Clerics to specialize in summoning monsters, it just dilutes the War Mage theme.
Also, frankly I think the special bonus energy effects need a save, because a lot of them cause losses of actions or effective losses of action. Energy Substitution Cold on Acid Fog is just too effective (I mean, even more too effective than Acid Fog already is) if it makes people drop their stuff and cry like little girls every round with no save.
Also, I would like to not treat dehydration as if it were an energy type, because there is no such thing as dehydration resistance or consistent rules anywhere as to what dehydration damage would do in any particular situation. People should not be getting the ability to energy substitute dessication, nor apply special effects to those spells that dessicate fools.
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Koumei
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Post by Koumei » Mon Jul 20, 2009 5:27 am

Maxus: well, that was kind of needed to make it different from the other casters that focus on elemental damage. Besides, I read the Art of War and Zhuge Liang's book on war and leadership.
Frank:
Okay, I removed the Summon Monster spells, there might be other ones that aren't that thematic that could go, too. Originally I included them for the "instant army" aspect, but 1d4+1 monsters is not an instant army so whatever.
The energy effects/surges/blitzes now allow a save to negate, unless the spell already allowed a save, in which case it's rolled into that to quicken things up.
Dehydration can now be converted to other types, just for those spells in "It's Hot Outside" and Horrid Wilting, but other spells can't be turned into it. Also, Force, Negative and Dehydration no longer get special effects, because Force is basically not resisted and strikes incorporeal, Negative is basically not resisted and can be used to heal your undead legions, and Dehydration is sort of bullshit anyway.
Anything else? The ability I was most worried about was Hellstrike - it has a big chunk of text to describe it, and calls down multiple effects over a number of rounds, but I wanted some kind of big, flashy, "finishing move" for the high levels that no-one cares about, perfect for ripping armies apart and keeping people in cover.
And I'd just been reading up on Planetstrike, so I like the idea of battles starting with the attackers dropping meteors on top of the defenders.

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Post by Meikle641 » Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:33 am

Well, one of my DMs (the one who is willing to try Tome material) feels a bit antsy about the energy sub at will for lvl 1. Namely sonic, since unlike in a psi power, damage doesn't get lessened to compensate for nothing having a fucking resistance to it.
So... His concerns:
1) Perhaps having all energy substitutions at lvl 1 is a bit much, perhaps doled out a bit slower.
2) He's bitching about the AC and BAB some. I don't see it as particularly scary, but maybe lowing armour prof to medium could help. Dunno.
Yeah, that's about it. I think it looks mostly fine, but I figured I'd relay the criticism.
I <3 the ability to make a fort and feed/water troops.
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Post by Draco_Argentum » Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:58 am

"Swift Cast: once per five class levels" I don't think you mean that since its so weak WotC would be proud.
Hellstorm is probably going to make the party groan the second time you use it, thats a lot of dice for one ability.
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Post by schpeelah » Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:10 am

I second the substitution thing - I mean, find me a Sonic resistant creature int the lower CR range.
How about grouping the energy types into "tiers"based on how common the resistances are: 1 - Fire and Cold, 2 - Acid and Electricity, 3 - Sonic, possibly 4 - Force, Negative and Dessication. You can change the energy type to any other from the same or lower tier. The lower tiers eventually merge together as you level.
You also need to reword the swift casting ability - before I looked up the advancement table I was suspecting it was "once per 5 levels you can alter one spell on your spell list to have a Swift action casting time"
I also do not understand the purpose of Hellstorm - it's just you casting an overly long combo of spells from your list. Personally, I'd better like it if you just stole the Ogre Mage's Gargantuan Magic ability.
Last edited by schpeelah on Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Koumei
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Post by Koumei » Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:24 am

Okay...
BAB changed to Poor (they make Touch Attacks/Save or X effects anyway)
Dropped Shield Proficiency
Energy Exchange broken into tiers. Force, Negative and Dessication still don't have effects and so on, and Dessication still can't be chosen. Even Force and Negative are pretty good, and it wouldn't take much convincing for me to just drop them.
Due to this, Energy Mastery is a new ability. Good for killing squads of enemies, but you can't chain it infinitely, so sending a peasant army in is not as effective as you might think.
I altered Hellstorm a bit. Now there's one large earthquake for a minute, one meteor per round (just like Meteor Swarm ones) that people indoors are immune to, and a fixed (no dice) amount of Fire and Acid damage every round that you can ignore by being in cover. So basically, if the defenders hide in their towers while your army walks up to the very edge of the area and waits, they are just fine (until buildings break open).
And then they might get Stunned so you can run in and slaughter them. I'm tempted to replace this bit with "You can elect to dig yourself into cover, gaining immunity to all effects for the duration, but counting as Cowering for the full duration and 3 turns after", so that enemy forces can say "Fuck this, we're going to die. Let's survive but give our foes a big advantage at the start of the fight."
Edit: and clarified Swift Cast as being 1/day/5 levels.
Thoughts?
Last edited by Koumei on Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Meikle641
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Post by Meikle641 » Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:26 am

Looks good to me, and my DM agrees.
DM: Yeah, that's a lot better.
DM: No dessication, and Sonic comes at about the time that slaadi are level appropriate.
DM: Not that slaadi are a regular occurence
Also, fuck you, Slaadi. Giant Frog...
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JonSetanta
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Post by JonSetanta » Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:31 am

Levels 2 and 3 are bland.
OK, so I can make a meal in camp, so what.
How does that help in a fight? You're using the same L1 power and a handful more spells than before, none of which exceed SL 1.
I could grind palms together and make small vials of suspicious blue liquid that just might actually be Night Elf sexual fluids ...
... or the Warmage could have some kind of trap, debuff (slow movement), mobility, or combination.
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Koumei
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Post by Koumei » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:14 am

The Warmage does kind of exist for wars and shit. The fact that those low level abilities (and to a lesser extent, many of the other abilities) don't affect dungeoneering doesn't really bother be. Especially considering they have, you know, spells that can handle that shit.
However, when war breaks out, a level 2 guy is feeding the entire army. That's pretty awesome.
Then at third level, well, purifying food is only good because if you have food that tastes better than the stuff you can create (anything), then you can have that instead. But you also get second level spells at that level. Fuck yes, everyone loves them some Fireball up in this motherfucker.
Seriously. When you're getting another level of spells (and it's too early to prestige out), your actual class feature could be "toffee-flavoured nipples" and you're still happy, because it's another level of spells.
So level 1: fuck, it's level 1. You exist. You have spells and stuff. Level 2: Whoo, feed the army! Level 3: a cute trick, and SECOND LEVEL SPELLS! And after that, you're basically driving the pain-train at your enemies.
I get that you don't give a shit about any power that isn't "Someone explodes in a million damage", but I didn't make the class for you, so I don't particularly care.

> Count Arioch the 28th wrote:There is NOTHING better than lesbians. Lesbians make everything better.

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JonSetanta
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Post by JonSetanta » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:24 am

> Koumei wrote: I get that you don't give a shit about any power that isn't "Someone explodes in a million damage", but I didn't make the class for you, so I don't particularly care.

Seriously, snarkmeister. Seriously. That's enough inaccurate accusation. You took my statements, warped it, and spat it back wrong.
I don't get what your purpose for repeating that is, but I'm done with it.
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SunTzuWarmaster
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Post by SunTzuWarmaster » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:16 am

I agree with the level 3 ability. Precedent: The Cleric, Druid, Wizard, and Sorcerer, Beguiler, Elementalist, and Summoner 3rd level class features.
Let's face it, 3rd level is about 2nd level spells. Warmage doesn't get Advanced Learning (Elementalist, Summoner), or nothing (Cleric, Wizard, Druid, Sorcerer, Beguiler), and instead gets Clean Drinking Water. That's okay.
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Kaelik
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Post by Kaelik » Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:50 pm

Koumei, two things:
1) I won't blame you for not changing it, but technically, Warmages get all abilities at level 1 via text trumps table. Technically you are supposed to say:
"At level X, Warmages can do Y." For everything that isn't level 1.
2) The energy whatever ability, "the target becomes Confused and Entangled for the rest of the encounter" is not so good as the others in effect.
Encounter is not a real term with real meaning that makes sense.
If the enemy teleports away for 3 rounds to buff, is it still part of the same encounter?
If a Balor shows up an confuses you then dies, the encounter goes on as long as the confusion, because you are still in danger or whatever.
SO what stops a Warmage from hitting people with a confusion that lasts "encounter" and then running away while that person is confused until all their friends are dead or they are cured.
Also, it seems to imply that you can't be cured at all.
I would say reword that to 20 rounds or until a (spell) is cast. With spell being something like a cure spell or heal or restoration.
I'd say just a cure spell of any kind, because it still take an action to get rid of the free rider effect, and most people aren't going to have white mages against them in every fight (or they'll be Judging eagle white mages where casting a healing spell is a terrible idea, because they should be attacking every round).
So yeah, TL:DR, change duration to a real number, and make it end on a cure spell that magically discharges their nerves.
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JonSetanta
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Post by JonSetanta » Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:47 pm

> Kaelik wrote: Encounter is not a real term with real meaning that makes sense.
> If the enemy teleports away for 3 rounds to buff, is it still part of the same encounter?
> If a Balor shows up an confuses you then dies, the encounter goes on as long as the confusion, because you are still in danger or whatever.
> SO what stops a Warmage from hitting people with a confusion that lasts "encounter" and then running away while that person is confused until all their friends are dead or they are cured.

The problem lies within 3e core mechanics. Other games do define a beginning and end, as well as recursion.
Sorry to mention, but 4e does define an encounter, since so much of the game's mechanics operate around that definition.
Tome should then define "an encounter" if not already.
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CatharzGodfoot
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Post by CatharzGodfoot » Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:51 pm

I like using anything from one to ten minutes as an 'encounter'.
The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from stealing bread, begging and sleeping under bridges.
-Anatole France
Mount Flamethrower on rear
Drive in reverse
Win Game.
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Kaelik
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Post by Kaelik » Sat Jul 25, 2009 8:35 pm

> sigma999 wrote:The problem lies within 3e core mechanics. Other games do define a beginning and end, as well as recursion.
> Sorry to mention, but 4e does define an encounter, since so much of the game's mechanics operate around that definition.
> Tome should then define "an encounter" if not already.

You also still can't define encounter in way that a confusion duration should be phrased that way. 4e can define encounter because 4e doesn't have any effects that matter. No one can teleport a billion miles away and come back in a mere 9 seconds. No one can spend 3 seconds going to a timeless plane and then do shit and come back basically 3 seconds after they left.
What happens when the Warmage links hands with two Wizards, teleports in hits a bunch of people with a confusion effect that ends at encounter then the Wizard teleports them out.
And next round, or five rounds later, or five years later, does the same thing again?
Tome of Battle has encounter mechanics, and they still don't define Mechanic, and for good reason. A system that says "given five minutes meditation" or "after you punch someone in the face" is better than "for an encounter."
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Kaelik
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Post by Kaelik » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:21 pm

Also, it needs class skills.
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Maxus
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Post by Maxus » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:22 pm

I see you are not familiar with Koumei's work.
She doesn't bother with the class skills.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.
--The horror of Mario
Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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CatharzGodfoot
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Post by CatharzGodfoot » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:35 pm

> Maxus wrote:I see you are not familiar with Koumei's work.
> She doesn't bother with the class skills.

For Tome inclusion it does. How about Concentration, Craft, Heal, Knowledge (arcana, engineering, history, nobility & royalty), Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, and Spot?
The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from stealing bread, begging and sleeping under bridges.
-Anatole France
Mount Flamethrower on rear
Drive in reverse
Win Game.
-Josh Kablack
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IGTN
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Post by IGTN » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:41 pm

Really, I could see a good argument for doing away with class skills entirely, except for certain restricted skills (UMD, for instance). All they do is force classes to stay even more strictly in their niche, and class features already do that.
"No, you can't burn the inn down. It's made of solid fire."
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