This class started not from a class idea but an experiment on the delayed arcane 3 rules from Axioms 7. The revised delayed arcane 3 fascinated me as it takes the standard D&D mage path to power and stretches it out further. It takes longer to get spells, but once you do you catch up fast, almost fully recovering compared to a normal caster.
Being a class building nut I then had to decide on the remaining class build point, the extra powers from thief? The hit points to make a hardier mage? Or fighter? In the end the combination of Endjinn 0 and fighter enticed me. What do you do while you wait four levels to get your first spells? You armor up, grab a crossbow, and rely on loremastery proficiency to define your character.
This class would suit someone interested in playing out the long payoff. Play this one only if you're patient and have a long campaign planned.
In my first shattered vale campaign this class had an interesting history. Again one player, the Tin Soldat, was seeking to uncover the secrets of the Endjinn and why they were a diminishing race. They had found the Gnomium mold in an shattered creator tower (Dyson Logos Map). At around 7th level she cast a wish spell from a sword with a single wish inside it. All hell broke loose when she cast the wish and as a result her mote ended up transferred into the new chassis (xp transferred into new class, swap prime attribute, preserve general proficiencies, retake class proficiencies). The words of the wish reshaped the campaign as she stated “return all motes to the cycle”. The wish spell in its older form used with creativity can be a lot of fun.
At the end is a bonus proficiency to grant arcane casters the ability to repair automatons, and later build and design them.
Gnomium Loremaster
 |
| Gnomium Loremaster (left), Iron Giant (middle), Electrum Gendarme (Back right) |
Requirements: none
Hit Dice:1d4
Maximum Level: 13
Gnomium Loremasters don’t exist. But could they exist? If they did exist it would be in the form of a blueprint in a mad gnomes workshop. Some even say they once did exist! These rumors postulate that they were an experimental design of the creators that only reached the prototype phase. Of course gnomium is a modern alloy created by the gnomes, the creators would have called it something else. Treasure hunters to this day seek out creator ruins hoping to find instructions for this design or an empty mold.
Hypothetically the Endjinn would be built on a Gnomium mold using a tin soul. Gnomium itself is used as a lightweight metal in airframes, it is an alloy of an unknown lightweight metal combined with copper alloys and a combination of other elements. It’s unearthly nature makes it a channel for arcane energies that if structured correctly would allow an Endjinn to use their whole body as a conduit for arcane and primordial energies.
Gnomium Loremasters would be capable combatants, a trait they inherit from their primordial essence. Assuming they exist, at first level, loremasters hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws by two points every four levels of experience (a progression mid-way between fighters and mages). Loremasters are trained to wear any armor but learn only the bare essentials of weaponry, being able to wield all bows and crossbows in addition to clubs, daggers and staffs. They are trained to fight wielding a two-handed weapon.
Endjinn are intelligent constructs gaining many of the benefits of being a construct while still being treated as a humanoid. Unlike soulless automatons they are still affected by spells that normally affect humanoids such as hold, charm or sleep. But similar to automatons they are immune to poison and disease, including those from magical sources. They are fueled by elemental energies and do not eat, drink or breath. This prevents them gaining any benefit or penalty associated with those actions, for example they cannot drink potions but they can walk underwater and not drown.
There unique physiology requires them to care for their body differently to organic creatures. Even though they do not eat or drink endjinn still require weekly maintenance that they perform on themselves. Each week they must spend an hour performing this maintenance and it consumes a unit of mechanical parts. Failure perform maintenance follows the same rules as failure to eat but with a cycle time of a week rather than a day. They are unresting and require only four hours of sleep to be rested each night.
Endjinn are able to heal normally from rest and benefit from magical healing effects and spells. However, the Healing proficiency and the related healing equipment have no effect on endjinn. Instead, they may be repaired as automatons with mechanical parts being consumed for every full 10hp recovered or part thereof (p.20 PC). While lacking the engineering knowledge to design and build new automatons, all endjinn are able to repair automatons as mechanists of their level.
A loremasters gnomium plating provides the character with a base unarmored AC of 1 instead of 0. Due to their gnomium body they may deal lethal damage when brawling (see ACKS p. 109). They can punch or kick characters in metal armor without themselves taking damage (as unarmed fighting proficiency, PC).
Their constructed nature makes other races cautious around them. The character suffers a -1 penalty to the reactions, loyalty, and morale of Humans and Demi-humans. The character gets a a +1 bonus to the reactions, loyalty, and morale with other endjinn.
Due to their heavy construction they are heavier than normal humanoids and weigh 210 pounds. They can carry 5 stone without becoming encumbered and use the same encumbered ranges as other humanoids.
Loremasters absorb and consume esoteric knowledge as though it was a form of sustenance to them possessing their namesake ability of loremastery. This knowledge allows them to decipher occult runes, remember ancient history, identify historic artifacts, and similar tasks. At 1st level, a loremaster must make a proficiency throw of 18+ on 1d20 to succeed in these tasks. The proficiency throw required reduces by 1 per level.
Starting at 4th level (academic), loremasters begin to learn and cast arcane spells. The number and levels of spells the loremaster can use in a single day is summarized on the Loremaster Spell Progression table. They cast spells at a reduced caster level that is also listed in the Loremaster Spell Progression table (Using rules from Axioms 7, convert back to a class level -3 arcane caster in other games, PC p.81). Like other arcane casters, the loremasters spell selection is limited to the spells in their repertoire. A loremasters repertoire can include a number of spells up to the number and level of spells listed for his level, increased by his Intelligence bonus. Loremasters may use magic items available to sorcerers.
At 6th level (chronicler), the loremaster may begin to research spells, scribe magical scrolls, and brew potions. Unlike a full arcane spellcasters they use their caster level, not class level, for magical research rolls.
Unlike arcane practitioners of other races gnomium loremaster cannot attract apprentices and lack the tendency to tower themselves away from the world. When an loremaster reaches 9th level (loremaster), they instead attract endjinn from far and wide by constructing his own forge. A forge may not be built in the civilized or borderland area of a other races realms, only in a endjinn realm, or wilderness area. A total of 3d6x10 endjinn of 1st level will arrive to help maintain and defend the forge at no cost to the gnomium loremaster. A gnomium loremaster is expected to employ only endjinn guards and militia, but may hire members of other races for other tasks. Endjinn forges are otherwise maintained like human domains as detailed in the Campaign chapter of the ACKS Rulebook.
Additionally on reaching 9th level (loremaster) they are able to create more powerful magic items such as weapons, rings, and staffs. Unlike a full arcane spellcasters they use their caster level, not class level, for magical research rolls.
Upon reaching 11th level, a loremaster may learn and cast ritual arcane spells of great power (7th, 8th, and 9th level), craft magical constructs, and create magical cross-breeds. Unlike a full arcane spellcasters they use their caster level, not class level, for magical research rolls. Their innate knowledge to repair automatons combined with this new ability to build arcane constructs allows them to also design and build automatons as mechanists using their repair throw for all three tests.
Gnomium Loremaster Proficiency List (29): Alchemy, Battle Magic, Collegiate Wizardry, Combat Trickery (force back, sunder), Contemplation, Craft, Diplomacy, Elementalism, Engineering, Fighting style, Illusion Resistance, Jury rigging, Knowledge, Language, Magical Engineering, Mapping, Martial Training, Mystic Aura, Quiet Magic, Performance, Point blank shot, Prestidigitation, Profession, Sensing Power, Transmogrification, Soothsaying, Unflappable Casting, Weapon Focus.
Class proficiencies at: 1st, 6th, 12th.
General proficiencies at: 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th.
Savior Template: This pre-generated template represents a savior of the Endjinn people, travelling far and wide to uncover the truth of their origins. Most characters of this class have above average Intelligence, and this template reflects that. It assumes that the character has an INT ability score of between 13 and 15, qualifying them for one bonus proficiency. The bonus proficiency is noted last. For characters with INT of less than 13 remove the bonus proficiency. However, if your Loremaster INT is 16 or greater, you may pick one or more additional general proficiencies before play if you’d like (see Starting Proficiencies in Chapter 4 of ACKS). Otherwise the template is ready for adventure.
Template: Savior
Proficiencies: Point Blank Shot, Navigation, Leadership
Starting Equipment: Crossbow, case with 20 bolts, dagger, concealed partial breastplate with greaves (as scale), grey robes with electrum trim, leather shoes, backpack, mechanical parts, mechanist tools, 9gp. (5 3/6 st., Move 90'/30').
Gnomium Loremaster Level Progression & Spell progression
Gnomium Loremaster (Mage) Saving Throws
Gnomium Loremaster (Thief) Attack Throws
Gnomium Loremaster Notes
Allocations: FTR 1, ARC 3, Endjinn 0
Max level: 13
Tradeoff: shield style
Power (1): loremaster
Power (0): design/build/repair automatons for 'free' when they gain constructs as they already have repair. Removed the normal necromancer and undead text as it's not something they would explore.
Save: Mage
Magic items: mage
Requirements and Prime requisites: Prime requisite using only INT.
Post 9 hp: as mage = 1 per level
New XP - 500+ 1875+ 150 = 2,525; Round 7 to 85,000 (84); Post 8 = mage 150,000 + Endjinn 40,000 = 190,000 per level
Design notes: this design uses the quirky delayed acquisition magic rules to create a unique class. It pays off the delayed casting to get close to a full sorcerer at max level, starting without magic. The armor, loremaster and ranged weapons allows it to remain useful at lower level as it awaits its magic to kick in. This class is not recommended for starting at heroic levels as it loses its cost benefit impact to play. It also takes more XP to get to 13 than a mage takes to get to 14.
New Proficiency: Arcane Mechanist
Arcane casters already have the ability to design and build constructs, but what about automatons. This proficiency is a class proficiency for arcane casters that grants the ability to repair automatons at low levels. Then at higher levels is unlocks full access to automatons using the rules in Machinery to the Max.
Arcane Mechanist (arcane caster class proficiency): the character has studied from the archives of mechanists and learned of their arts. They may repair automatons using their magical research throw in place of the repair throw using the normal repair rules in the player's companion. Additionally, when they gain the ability to build constructs, they also gain the ability to design and build automatons as a mechanist using their magical research throw in place of the build and design throws.
No comments:
Post a Comment