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Doll Maker

"I know it might seem a little strange, but there's nothing wrong with collecting things like that. I've talked to her before. Your teacher is just an ordinary lady trying to help youngin's like you grow up right. Now, go to school, and no more of this nonsense about the dolls watching you." ---Village Woodcutter to his son.

Dolls come in all shapes and sizes, and opinions on them are just as varied. Cute, creepy, life-like, crude, artful, chilling, simple, complex, stylized, wooden, glass- there's only a few constants, and plenty of exceptions. There are just as many who collect them as there are who wouldn't go within ten feet of them.

Then there's puppets- effigies of creatures that dance on strings to the whims of the entertainer manipulating them. To call them dolls is partially accurate but partially a misnomer- one understandably shared by the Doll Maker, whose creations move by strings of magic.

Doll Makers are capable of creating and animating collections of material to fight or otherwise carry out their will. The materials, whether by convenience or the psychological factors raised by the form, tend to be in the shape of their namesake. Like their dolls, Doll Makers come in all shapes and sizes, and can be viewed in just as many ways.

Adventures: Ostracized for their strange abilities, searching the world for inspiration so they may make their creations into masterpieces, longing for company or fame, or utilizing their talents in pursuit of the almighty gold piece, Doll Makers are not wholly bound to a certain reason for travel by their art so much as their art is a means to an end.

Characteristics: Physically, Doll Makers tend toward the same builds as other casters- small and frail. Unlike their contemporaries, a Doll Maker is often capable of graceful and precise movements akin to a skilled thief or dancer, and their legions of Dolls make up for physical shortcomings. Just as with those full-fledged mages, a Doll Maker is far more dangerous than his or her frame implies.

Alignment: There is no particular leaning among Doll Makers. Their craft takes all types, from evil assassins using unlikely tools, to protectors hidden in plain sight, to studious experimenters developing a new field, to free spirits aching to express themselves, and many combinations thereof.

Religion: Not especially tied to religion, most Doll Makers drift to deities based on race or alignment. Beyond that, knowledge-based gods aren't unheard of choices, nor are those associated with craftsmanship or creativity. When a Doll Maker IS highly religious, however, it is usually reflected in their creations taking on characteristics or symbolism that can be associated with their deity of choice.

Background: While the same sorts of backgrounds that can cultivate a Wizard may instead create a Doll Maker, both studying the arcane arts and utilizing them through knowledge over instinct, it's a rarity that it will result in a Doll Maker over a traditional Wizard. Rather, most Doll Makers are self-taught or otherwise given comparatively little education, leading to less raw skill but the development of their unorthodox technique.

Another source can be the feeling of isolation itself. Someone growing up alone or otherwise unwelcome may fill a desire for loyal companions with their works, and eventually develop a very real, magical link. Then there is simply the possibility of developing the power naturally, finding the ability for magic in their very bodies themselves like a Sorcerer, but manifesting it in a different way from the norm.

Races: Like always, humans have a fair number of Doll Makers among their number, but it's the halflings and gnomes who have the most, taking to the odd approach to magic with piqued curiosity and energy.

Dwarves and elves are rare, the former not having the same interest in the oddity and little in the arcane as a whole, the latter preferring the more potent schools of wizardry or a mixed skill set of martial and magical ability. Half-orcs are surprisingly numerous, though they take a more shamanic approach to the craft.

Other Classes: Class doesn't play much into whether someone will get along with the Doll Maker or vice-versa. As a whole, arcane casters are less likely to be disturbed by the art and more likely to respect it as a result, though some may look down on it as a cheap parlor trick stretched thin instead of a proper study.

Martial classes might find the Doll Maker a bit unnerving or strange, not being as hardened against the oddities of magical research and effects as those who study or embody it, and understandably not liking the idea that anything anywhere could potentially come alive and attack. More hardened warriors will be less disturbed by virtue of the world jading them to the bizarreness of it all.

Role: Doll Makers themselves are frail, as are their Dolls on an individual level. Together, however, their creations fill a variety of roles, making up for lack of personal strength through sheer weight of number.

Doll Makers act as roundabout tanks for the party first and foremost, their expendable Dolls capable of controlling the flow of battle by coordinating with each other and the Doll Maker's allies to stonewall foes.

Besides being decent damage dealers (again through number), their limited casting and various options for customizing their Dolls make Doll Makers well-suited to buffing allies in the heat of battle or bringing tough enemies down to their level, sparing themselves close encounters with danger in the process by using their Dolls as a delivery system.

While specialists in a given role will often outshine the Doll Maker, they have the advantage of being able to change which roles they wish to fill each day and how, and are capable of filling a pair of such roles reasonably well without falling victim to 'master of none'.

Adaptation: Though the Doll Maker is flavored as an eccentric arcane caster, the exact source of their powers can be easily modified with minor changes. Summoners of strange creatures from planes long forgotten, religious fanatics who are blessed with faint traces of divine power given form, telekinesis-talented psions who use their minds to form and animate strange metal contraptions, and spirit mediums who call upon memories of the departed are all equally valid.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Doll Makers have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity is key for the Doll Maker, as it determines the effectiveness of their Dolls in combat. Intelligence equally so, as the Doll Maker's limited casting ability and Doll hit points/DCs are based on it. Constitution is also desirable to make up for the Doll Maker's small hit die and reinforce the weak point of their army: themselves.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: As Sorcerer.
Starting Gold: 4d4x10 (100 GP).

Class Skills
The doll maker's class skills (and their related ability scores) are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) (Int), Knowledge (The Planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

The Doll Maker

Class
Level
Base
Attack
Bonus

Fort
Save

Ref
Save

Will
Save


Special
Spells per day
01234
1st+0+0+0+2Dolls, Magic Strings21---
2nd+1+0+0+3Maintained Spell (0th)31---
3rd+1+1+1+3Doll Feat32---
4th+2+1+1+4Share Sense, Maintained Spell (0th)421--
5th+2+1+1+4Expanded Spell Knowledge421--
6th+3+2+2+5Maintained Spell (1st)532--
7th+3+2+2+5Doll Feat532--
8th+4+2+2+6Maintained Spell (1st)6321-
9th+4+3+3+6Expanded Spell Knowledge6431-
10th+5+3+3+7Maintained Spell (2nd)7432-
11th+5+3+3+7Doll Feat7432-
12th+6+4+4+8Maintained Spell (2nd)74421
13th+6+4+4+8Expanded Spell Knowledge74431
14th+7+4+4+9Maintained Spell (3rd)74432
15th+7+5+5+9Doll Feat74432
16th+8+5+5+10Maintained Spell (3rd)74442
17th+8+5+5+10Expanded Spell Knowledge74443
18th+9+6+6+11Maintained Spell (4th)74443
19th+9+6+6+11Doll Feat74443
20th+10+6+6+12Maintained Spell (4th)74444

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Doll Maker:

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Doll Maker is proficient with all simple weapons. The Doll Maker is also proficient with light armor, but not shields. Like other arcane casters, the Doll Maker suffers arcane spell failure chance when casting spells with somatic components while wearing medium or heavy armor or holding a shield, but unlike most, they can cast spells in light armor without incurring this penalty.


Spells
A Doll Maker casts arcane spells, which are drawn from the Doll Maker spell list given after the class features description. Unlike a cleric or a wizard, a Doll Maker need not prepare their spells in advance. They can cast any spell they know at any time, assuming they have not yet used up their spells per day for that spell level. When a Doll Maker gains access to a new level of spells, they automatically know all the spells for that level listed on the Doll Maker's spell list. Essentially, their spell list is the same as their spells known list. Doll Makers also have the option of adding to their existing spell list through their Expanded Spell Knowledge ability as they increase in level (see below).

To cast a spell, a Doll Maker must have a Intelligence score of 10 + the spell's level (Int 10 for 0-level spells, Int 11 for 1st-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Doll Maker's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the Doll Maker's Intelligence modifier. Like other spellcasters, a Doll Maker can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His/Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, they receive bonus spells for a high Intelligence score (see Table 1—1, page 8 of the Player's Handbook).

As a final note, all Doll Maker spells have a Somatic component- they can never apply the Still Spell metamagic feat or similar to the spells they receive from the Doll Maker class, nor can they cast spells under a condition that prevents even fine movement of the hands.


Dolls (Su)
The defining trait of a Doll Maker, no matter their walk of life or roots, is the ability to grant motion to motionless matter. Energy seems to dance from their fingers in ribbons, connecting to their creations. These animated groups of material are collectively referred to 'Dolls', and move only on the strings the Doll Maker has given them.

Though most often a Doll takes the form of cloth effigies of humans or other creatures, the exact materials used and their forms can be nearly anything. Metal constructs made of loose parts arranged into shapes or patterns, dead body parts stitched together from miscellaneous 'donors', rocks and sand or water and ice or even fire itself in a crude imitation of an elemental, all possible.

Basics
Each Doll is a mindless construct, fully controlled by and loyal to the Doll Maker who made it, and only able to act when they will it to. The Dolls have their own statistics that scale with the Doll Maker's level (see the section dedicated to Dolls after this class's ability descriptions, in the second post). Doll Makers are fully aware of the conditions and general locations of their Dolls at all times.

Creation
A Doll Maker must spend 15 minutes of meditation to form a solid mental Link with the bundles of materials they wish to make into Dolls (whether each was pre-shaped into a working form or collected and thrown together on the spot). A Link can only be formed with unattended materials (raw or otherwise prepared specifically for use for this ability) that the Doll Maker has line of sight and line of effect to, and the resulting Dolls do not receive any benefits from the material itself.

Control (Limits, Platoons)
A Doll Maker can only form a Link with and control up to 2 + 1/2 their class level (rounded down) Dolls at a time, and can only utilize up to 1.5x their class level (rounded up) Dolls per day. Once the Link is made, the Doll Maker can manipulate it, though the concentration and precise motions of their fingers required limits them.

Each Linked Doll is placed in a 'Platoon', of which the Doll Maker can have any number and which can contain any number of Linked Dolls. The Doll Maker must determine how many Platoons to form and which of their daily Dolls will be in which at the start of each day, and can only change this by spending an uninterrupted hour reorganizing their thoughts and doing the proper exercises to limber up, or after 24 hours have passed since the initial process.

The Doll Maker can retain any remaining Linked Dolls from the previous day if they wish, though they are counted towards the new day's limit.

Control (Battle, Actions)
By spending a Move Action, the Doll Maker can send mental orders to any number of Dolls within a specific Platoon. Dolls receive their own set of actions each turn as a character would, but act on the Doll Maker's initiative and can only use them when the Doll Maker spends an action that turn to order them.

A Doll in a Platoon must spend an action in the same way as the other Dolls in the Platoon, or forgo it.

The only exceptions are simple movement (Dolls need not move in the exact same pattern, direction, or distance as each other), and targeting (if one Doll attacks a creature in a square to their left as their Standard Action, the other Dolls in the Platoon must attack with their own Standard Actions or lose their Standard Action for the turn, but do not need to target the same creature or the square to their own immediate left).

Dolls in separate Platoons are exempt from the need to mimic that Platoon's actions, trading more of the Doll Maker's actions for versatility.

The Doll Maker cannot send orders to a Platoon on a different plane.

Control (Suspending, Reforming, and Breaking the Link)
Suspended Links: If the Doll Maker dies or is subject to an effect that nullifies their Supernatural abilities (such as entering an anti-magic field), their Dolls fall apart or otherwise become inert on the spot, the Links 'Suspended'. Essentially, the state of those Dolls and their Links with the Doll Maker are stored away within the Doll Maker themselves until Reformed or dismissed (see Broken Links). Similarly, a Doll who enters an anti-magic field also has their Link Suspended. If they so wish, the Doll Maker can voluntarily Suspend a given Link as a Free Action.

Reforming Links: The Doll Maker may 'Reform' a Suspended Link with any suitable materials the same way they would create a new Link, recreating each Doll with the same statistics and ongoing effects as they had at the time of the Link's suspension. Dolls made through Reforming a Link do not count towards the per day limit; they're essentially the same Dolls. Unlike forming a new Link, Reforming any number of Links that were Suspended within the last (Doll Maker class levels) minutes only takes a Full-round Action, though the resulting Dolls cannot perform any actions until the Doll Maker's turn (even if the Doll Maker has a Move Action remaining to give orders with).

Broken Links: When a Doll is reduced to 0 hit points or is otherwise destroyed, the Link to that Doll is 'Broken'. The Doll Maker cannot Reform that specific Doll. If they so wish, the Doll Maker can voluntarily break a Link as a Free Action.

Statistics
See second post.


Magic Strings (Su)
The exact visualization of the Doll Maker's connection to their Dolls (if any) varies, and is both mutable and easily changeable. It is not physical, nor can it be assailed by any means like literal strings, merely being a magical and mental connection. What's important is not its appearance, but the Link it represents and how the Doll Maker can use it.

Whenever the Doll Maker casts a spell on the Doll Maker class spell list with a range of 'Personal' or 'Touch', they can apply that spell's effect to all their Linked Dolls instead of themselves or another creature. Spells cast through this ability can affect Dolls as if they were objects, living creatures, or both (whichever is most beneficial), and can similarly treat them as any creature type for the purposes of determining if it would be able to target them (such as spells that specify a humanoid type creature as a viable target).

Alternately, the Doll Maker can use one of their Dolls to deliver spells for them, treating themselves as if they occupied the space of the chosen Doll for the purposes of the cast spell's range.

Magic Strings can only be used with spells on the Doll Maker's class spell list by default. Spells added to the class spell list by any means, unless otherwise stated, cannot be used with Magic Strings.


Maintained Spell (Sp)
Rather than infusing a single group of Dolls- frail and short-lived as they are- with their arcane spells, many Doll Makers learn to stretch their magical might a bit further by infusing their connection in and of itself to provide the benefit to all of their creations.

When determining how many Platoons they will have at the start of the day and which of their Dolls will enter each, a Doll Maker of 2nd level or greater chooses one of their 0th level spells that can be cast simultaneously on all their Dolls through the effect of Magic Strings that does not have a duration of 'instantaneous' or 'permanent' to associate with each Platoon.

For the next 24 hours, until the Doll Maker reorganizes their Platoons, until dispelled, or (in the case of spells whose effects end when utilized, such as True Strike) until discharged, any and all Dolls they form a Link to receives the benefits/effects of the spell associated with their Platoon.

The Doll Maker grows more adept at infusing spells into their Links as time goes on. Starting at 4th level, the Doll Maker can choose an additional 0th level spell that meets the same conditions and apply it in the same manner for each.

They can maintain an additional spell for every even level thereafter, with the third and fourth spells being of any level up to 1st, the fifth and sixth of up to 2nd level, the seventh and eighth of up to 3rd level, and the ninth and tenth of up to 4th level.


Doll Feat (Su)
Just as the Doll Maker's expertise in magic and combat increases, so too does that of their creations. At 3rd level, when forming a Platoon, the Doll Maker chooses a feat from the list below. The Dolls within that Platoon receive the benefits of that feat, and are treated as having it for the purposes of prerequisites and other effects. Dolls do not need to meet the attribute or skill rank prerequisites of a given feat.

A Doll Maker of 7th level or higher chooses an additional feat from the list to grant the Platoon they formed, plus one more feat for every 4 class levels thereafter.

The list of selectable feats are as follows: Any Doll Feat (see section in second post below), Cleave, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Far Shot, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Greater Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Bullrush, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple, Improved Overrun, Improved Precise Shot, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Manyshot, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Run, Shot on the Run, Spring Attack, Toughness, Two Weapon Defense, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus, and Whirlwind Attack.

Note this feat list is made only with core feats in mind. If the group has access to splatbooks, consider expanding the list slightly to include more feats. In specific, look for feats that list any of the above as prerequisites, and avoid feats that list feats not among the above or class features as prerequisites, or feats whose effects are based on a character's attribute scores/skill ranks.


Share Sense (Su)
Ask anyone unnerved by dolls why they find them disturbing, and many times their first answer will be the lifeless eyes that seem to follow them. More people would agree if this ability were common knowledge.

Starting from 4th level, the Doll Maker can stop to focus on their Link as a Free Action to use a Doll as a sensor to see and hear through. They see as if they were occupying the Doll's space and vantage point, and have all of their own mundane and magical senses available through this connection.

The Doll Maker can only see through the eyes of one Doll at a time, and cannot see around themselves while doing so. He or she may end this effect at any time merely by willing it, even if it's not their turn.


Expanded Spell Knowledge
Though they don't gain the full arcane might of their contemporaries, the Doll Maker studies nonetheless, and is rewarded with knowledge of their discipline that grants them another scrap of power. At 5th level, and again at 9th level, 13th level, and 17th level, the Doll Maker chooses one spell from the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list of a level they can cast and adds it to their spells known. The chosen spell cannot be used through the effect of Magic Strings unless on the Doll Maker spell list, but otherwise can be cast normally.


Spell List:
0th - Arcane Mark*, Cure Minor Wounds*, Detect Magic, Guidance**-, Light**, Mending*, Prestidigitation**, Resistance**, Touch of Fatigue**X, Virtue**-

1st - Chill Touch*X, Cure Light Wounds*, Disguise Self**, Endure Elements**, Entropic Shield**, Expeditious Retreat**, Feather Fall, Longstrider**, Mage Armor**, Magic Aura**, Magic Fang**, Obscure Object**, Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law**, Shield**, Shocking Grasp*X

2nd - Barkskin**, Bull's Strength**, Cat's Grace**, Blur**, Cure Moderate Wounds*, False Life**-, Ghoul Touch*X, Invisibility**-, Locate Object, Mirror Image**-, Misdirection, Protection from Arrows**-, Resist Energy**, Spider Climb**, Touch of Idiocy**X, True Strike**-

3rd - Bestow Curse**X, Blink**, Cure Serious Wounds*, Displacement**, Explosive Ruins**?-, Fly**, Gaseous Form**, Invisibility Purge**, Nondetection**, Poison*X, Protection from Energy**-, Shrink Item**, Vampiric Touch*?, Water Breathing**X, Water Walk**

4th - Air Walk**, Contagion, Cure Critical Wounds*, Death Ward**, Freedom of Movement**, Greater Invisibility**, Overland Flight**, Remove Curse*, Rusting Grasp*X, Spell Immunity**


Key:
* = Can be cast on all Dolls at once through Magic Strings
** = Can be maintained through Maintain Spell
X = Used with the above; while possible, it would have a negative impact or otherwise have no effect, barring something affecting the Dolls and their qualities or otherwise modifying how Magic Strings works. Usually spells that should be delivered by your Dolls, not used on them.
? = Like X, except potentially useful when applied to your Dolls.
- = Used with ** only. Lasts until discharged.

Note that this spell list is made only with core spells in mind. If the group has access to splatbooks, consider expanding the list slightly to include more spells of 0th to 4th level. In specific, look for bonus-granting spells of 'self' or 'touch' range.

The list intentionally excludes Alter Self and Polymorph, as the ability to cast them through Magic Strings is potentially game breaking. Keep this in mind for effects that might be overpowering under similar circumstances. Such spells can be acquired through Expanded Spell Knowledge without threatening balance if the player so desires.

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Introduce Yourself / A Pleasure to Be Here
« on: June 20, 2014, 01:48:23 PM »
-My username is one I've used since I was a kid. I first got it when I tried to register for AOL 3.0 with the trial disk they regularly sent out to everyone, and after a few failed attempts, it spat this out as a suggestion.
-My favorite games tend to be RPGs, or otherwise games that involve progression with the game's world. My all time favorite is Megaman Legends in spite of its flaws, but I also enjoyed its sequel and spinoffs, and I'm a fan of many SNES era and PS1 era RPGs such as Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger (even if I had missed quite a few of the classics in my youth), as well as more recent examples such as Persona 4. For tabletop games, my experience is limited, D&D 3.5e being the one I'm most knowledgeable about, though I've been trying to acquaint myself with Mutants and Masterminds.
-One of my main hobbies is roleplaying, followed closely by watching Let's Plays and Homebrewing for Dungeons and Dragons 3.5e. For things directly divorced from games entirely, I enjoy just about any kind of music, and I read both webcomics and to a much lesser extent comics and manga- one of the latter, called 'Jojo's Bizarre Adventure' being a current obsession of mine.
-I live in the United States, specifically Florida.
-I'm a fairly long time member of Giant in the Playground forums, though I have only a small number of posts there. I've been a member of some RP-focused boards before, though I've left a number of them over time due to them dying out or a personal dislike of the way some things were handled.
-I don't have Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. If I did, It'd likely be the same handle I use everywhere.

Looking at the other topics in this forum, I probably didn't need to follow the exact template, but what can I say? It was a good one.

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