Oni, Kuwa

[oslecamo]

Oni, Kuwa

Oni, Kuwa				HD: d10
Level 1 2 3 4	Base Attack Bonus +1 +2 +3 +4	Fort Save +2 +3 +3 +4	Ref Save +0 +0 +1 +1	Will Save +2 +3 +3 +4	Special Kuwa Body, Change Shape, Least Kuwa Magic, +1 Str Oni, Lesser Kuwa Magic, +1 Cha Positions of Power, Advanced Kuwa Magic, +1 Con Abuse of Power, Adept Kuwa Magic, +1 Str, +1 Con, +1 Cha

Skills: 6+Int modifier per level (x4 at 1st level. Class Skills: Balance,  Bluff , Climb, Concentration , Diplomacy , Disguise, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (any), Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, and Use Magic Device.

Proficiencies: Simple and Martial weapons, Light, Medium and Heavy Armor.

Class Features:
Kuwa Body: The Oni, Kuwa loses all other racial bonus and gains outsider traits (basically darkvision 60’) plus the [human], [native], and [shapechanger] subtypes. It's a medium sized outsider with base speed 40 feet.

The Oni, Kuwa also gains Low-light Vision a +1 bonus to Natural Armor.

Change Shape: As a standard action at will, the Oni, Kuwa can take the form of a human as per the SRD Change Shape ability.

Kuwa Magic: At the indicated levels the Oni, Kuwa becomes able to use some SLAs a certain number of times per day. Save DCs are 10+1/2 HD+Cha mod.

• Least: At first level Charm Person 2/day per HD.
• Lesser: At second level Darkness 1/day per HD.
• Advanced: At third level Fly 1/day per HD and Invisibility 1/day per 3 HD.
• Adept: At fourth level Deep Slumber 1/day per 4 HD.  If the Oni, Kuwa has 12 or more HD even creatures immune may be affected, but they gain a +5 bonus on their save.

Ability Score Increase: The Oni, Kuwa gains a permanent

• +1 to Str at levels 1 and 4.
• +1 to Cha at levels  2 and 4.
• +1 to Con at levels  3 and 4.

For a total of +2 Str, +2 Con and +2 Cha at 4th level.

Oni: At 2nd level the Oni, Kuwa, gains regeneration equal to half its HD, that is bypassed by fire or acid, plus SR equal to 11+HD, which may be raised or dropped as a free action.

Position of Power: Kuwas are most comfortable in the upper echelon of command, but avoid positions so important that they have too many eyes on them. At 3rd level the Kuwa can choose one of the following:

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Guard Captain - Every day spent in a populated place the Oni, Kuwa gathers one loyal follower from a basic race common in the area with 1 level of Warrior and non-elite array of stats. While adjacent to the Oni, Kuwa, they can use his Bab and benefit from any one [Fighter] feat the Oni, Kuwa has as long as they also qualify (said feat can be swapped as a swift action by the Oni, Kuwa, same feat for any adjacent warrior followers). The Oni Kuwa also benefits from any one [Fighter] feat possessed by each of his warriors as long as they remain adjacent to him and he qualifies (chosen when the Warrior is gained, can be changed at level up).

Guildmaster - Every day spent in a populated place the Oni, Kuwa gathers one loyal follower from a basic race common in the area with 1 level of Expert and non-elite array of stats. If they flank an enemy with the Oni, Kuwa, they both deal double damage with melee attacks against that enemy.

Aristocrat - Every day spent in a populated place the Oni, Kuwa gathers one loyal follower from a basic race common in the area with 1 level of Aristocrat and non-elite array of stats. They renew their wealth every day, but they must spend said wealth on non-magic consumable items that can only to be used by the Oni, Kuwa (or the aristocrats themselves) over the following day, so he can fulfill his desire for decadence and sensual pleasure. Those items also cost double to purchase as normal as you buy the most luxurious/deluxe/premium editions just to show off. The Oni, Kuwa won't have it any other way. Expendable items include delicate clothes to be shredded, porcelain vases to be smashed, old paintings to be burned and similar.

Whatever option is taken, if the equivalent Encounter Level of all those minions becomes higher than the Oni, Kuwa's CR-2, any excess breaks free.
He can change his choice with 1 week of building up a new identity, but he will lose all his previous followers before starting to gain new ones.

Abuse of Power: To a Kuwa, a position of leadership is only worth it if you can get away with making others miserable.
At 4th level, the Oni, Kuwa can now gather followers of higher level (the CR limit still applies, and can only take levels on the same NPC class), and gains new options for using (and abusing) them.

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Guard Captain - War isn't about who's right, but about who's still alive in the end. If an attack would affect the Oni, Kuwa, he may sacrifice one adjacent warrior to block the attack, as long as the warrior has at least half as many HD as the attacker. This takes no action and may be done 1/minute as long as he has spare warriors, but they're irreversibly killed in the process.

Guildmaster - Why would you want things to get better when you enjoy the current status quo? If an enemy would use a beneficial effect on himself or any ally, the Oni, Kuwa, may sacrifice one of his experts adjacent to said enemy to stop said effect, as long as the expert has at least half as many HD as said enemy. This takes no action and may be done 1/minute, as long as he has spare experts, but they're irreversibly killed in the process.

Aristocrat - As long as rich lazy people remain rich and lazy, your privileges are assured. You gain a profane bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to 1+1/3 the HD of the highest level aristocrat under your thumb, and your aristocrats can now purchase expendable magic items with the same limitations as with mundane expendable items, as long as said items don't replicate spells/powers higher than half their own level.

The Oni, Kuwa is automatically aware if sacrificing a minion of certain HD would be enough to get an effect on a certain target, or not.

In addition, whenever the Oni, Kuwa or one of his followers deals damage to a creature, the Oni, Kuwa can add his Str mod to Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate checks against said target for 1 round.
The Oni, Kuwa followers also gain extra HP and a bonus on will saves equal to his Cha mod.

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From Japanese mythology, onis are basically a mix between demons and ogres. They're out there to screw with the world in numerous senses of the word, but they're more prone to doing it with good old fashioned beat downs than subtle magic tricks.

The Oni, Kuwa, is the lowest level from the Onis done by Pathfinder, and thus the first one I tackled. The Kuwa isn't out there for country/world domination just yet, he just wants a good position where he can get booze and people to boss around, but not so good he starts to attract big competition.

Base monster has good base stats and a bunch of basic SLAs, but nothing else really. Following the fluff, I decided to turn this one into a minion-mancer that attracts around a bunch of minor NPCs ready to do his bidding and die for him, with 3 different flavors to pick from.

So if you want to play a demon-ogre thug, the Oni, Kuwa's for you!

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

What is the CR of a character with levels in an NPC class? Based on the SRD entries for races like Elf, Halfling, and Dwarf it appears to be HD/2. Is that accurate?

[oslecamo]

 The CR of somebody with NPC levels is the same as an equivalent dude with PC levels-1, which results in CR 1/2 if they're a base race with just 1 NPC level.

Also buffed a bit the Aristrocat Position of Power so you and your entourage can have fancy clothing and go around smashing pieces of art for fun.

[Rakoa]

Lovely job with this class! Curiosity begs me to ask, just how much wealth to the Aristocrats generate each day? Does it use the wealth by level chart for PCs? NPCs? Is it based on their class levels, or their CR?

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

So, to confirm, a 4 hd Kuwa would be able to attract 4 followers with 1 npc level each, 2 followers with 2 levels, or 1 follower with 3?

[oslecamo]

Correct. A 4th level Kuwa actually, since you need all the levels to get NPCs above level 1.

Lovely job with this class! Curiosity begs me to ask, just how much wealth to the Aristocrats generate each day? Does it use the wealth by level chart for PCs? NPCs? Is it based on their class levels, or their CR?

1st level use starting gold for the aristrocat. Higher level ones use the NPC WBL for their level ( CR since they have just base races). NPCs have WBL equal to their level-1, silly me.

[TravelLog]

Great work, O Great Sage Equalling Heaven. Abuse of power is a very interesting ability. Kudos.

[ariasderros]

Questions about Aristocrat Position of Power:
Do Scrolls, Potions, and other one-shot magic items not count as 'expendable'?
Can the Aristocrats 'summon' items to them each day, even if they're not currently in a settlement?
Are their allotment of funds limited by the communities GP limits?

Basically, can a 8th level Oni, Kuwa, who has a 6th level Aristocrat have everyday access to: Scroll of Heal x5; Scroll of Revivify x1; Scroll of Superior Resistance; Etc?

Because, this either ends up at either: being better than an Artificer (Healificer, Blastificer, or Bufficer-types, but not a Hordeficer); or else completely useless.


Observation about the other two options:

Similarly, Guildmaster is strictly superior to Captain. The Skills that can be covered by the Expert(s) can fill in any Knowledge or utility gaps in the party, and the damage bonus of doubling your melee damage when flanking makes those minions better for melee than the Warrior(s). Especially when you can build the Experts to flank from more positions, which means they aren't even tied to your position as much as the warriors are, and dealing a lot more damage, even if the frequency from their damage is a bit less.

Basically, there is no balance between the options, since the Guildmaster is made to be a better melee choice


Conclusions:

If Aristocrat can have the Aristocrat minions 'summon up' expendable magic stuff, then he becomes the ultimate UMD turret.
However: if they can't summon, then the ability is too situational; If they are tied to the wealth of the nearest community, then the ability is too situational; If they cannot summon magic gear, then you are left with alchemical / mundane stuff that everyone already gets (Hello, Shapesand), loading up on stuff that isn't used often purely because of cost v. worth (Poison-loading, the powerful Explosives) which isn't worth it after even middle-levels, or else you are left with purely fluff-only usages.

I don't even know what to do about that. It, as-is, requires way too much 'honor system' regulation and DM<>PC trust to maintain playability.

As far as the comparison between Captain & Guildmaster, I would buff the Captain a little, and nerf the GM a bit. Mayhap handling the Captain by making it so that the Warriors could retain the benefits so long as they remained within an 'aura'-type radius that increases by the Oni's HD, so they aren't just tied to being right next to you at all times just to do anything effective. As far as nerfing the melee abilities of the GM, I would make the damage bonus be something more like 1d6 per 4 HD of the Oni, minimum 1d6, since the main problem is damage multipliers can get way too much bloat, whereas extra dice tend not to have as much of that problem (See SA Specialist or E. Blast Specialist v. Uber-charger).

[oslecamo]

Questions about Aristocrat Position of Power:
Do Scrolls, Potions, and other one-shot magic items not count as 'expendable'?
Can the Aristocrats 'summon' items to them each day, even if they're not currently in a settlement?
Are their allotment of funds limited by the communities GP limits?

Basically, can a 8th level Oni, Kuwa, who has a 6th level Aristocrat have everyday access to: Scroll of Heal x5; Scroll of Revivify x1; Scroll of Superior Resistance; Etc?

You renew money. You must still have a place to spend it.

You can get magic items, but your math seems way off. A single scroll of Heal is 1650 GP. A 6th level aristrocat has 5600 GP, so they could, at best, afford 3 of those.

Because, this either ends up at either: being better than an Artificer (Healificer, Blastificer, or Bufficer-types, but not a Hordeficer); or else completely useless.

Artificer imbaness goes way beyond simply crafting items. It's also because they can then increase the power of those items with free metamagics and infusions and whatnot.

Observation about the other two options:

Similarly, Guildmaster is strictly superior to Captain. The Skills that can be covered by the Expert(s) can fill in any Knowledge or utility gaps in the party, and the damage bonus of doubling your melee damage when flanking makes those minions better for melee than the Warrior(s). Especially when you can build the Experts to flank from more positions, which means they aren't even tied to your position as much as the warriors are, and dealing a lot more damage, even if the frequency from their damage is a bit less.

Basically, there is no balance between the options, since the Guildmaster is made to be a better melee choice

I would say the exact opposite happens combat-wise. Geting in flanking positions is harder than just staying adjacent to the Kuwa, and the experts just have simple weapons, that at best deal 1d8 damage. Warriors have martial proficiency, that gives them a damage advantage all the time, and also better armor so they don't drop like flies.

Conclusions:

If Aristocrat can have the Aristocrat minions 'summon up' expendable magic stuff, then he becomes the ultimate UMD turret.
However: if they can't summon, then the ability is too situational; If they are tied to the wealth of the nearest community, then the ability is too situational; If they cannot summon magic gear, then you are left with alchemical / mundane stuff that everyone already gets (Hello, Shapesand), loading up on stuff that isn't used often purely because of cost v. worth (Poison-loading, the powerful Explosives) which isn't worth it after even middle-levels, or else you are left with purely fluff-only usages.

I don't even know what to do about that. It, as-is, requires way too much 'honor system' regulation and DM<>PC trust to maintain playability.

I get the feeling you're being a tad too pessimistic there. There are rules for stablishing the wealth of a community, and they actually work fairly well.

Anyway limited the Aristrocat ability a bit, in that the items you purchase cost double, can only get magic stuff at 4th level and also a cap on spell level you can get.

As far as the comparison between Captain & Guildmaster, I would buff the Captain a little, and nerf the GM a bit. Mayhap handling the Captain by making it so that the Warriors could retain the benefits so long as they remained within an 'aura'-type radius that increases by the Oni's HD, so they aren't just tied to being right next to you at all times just to do anything effective. As far as nerfing the melee abilities of the GM, I would make the damage bonus be something more like 1d6 per 4 HD of the Oni, minimum 1d6, since the main problem is damage multipliers can get way too much bloat, whereas extra dice tend not to have as much of that problem (See SA Specialist or E. Blast Specialist v. Uber-charger).

That would be a buff to the guildmaster. The experts have nonelite array, average Bab, and simple weapons. They deal little damage no matter how you cut it. Thus doubling it isn't really that efficient. But static bonus damage, now that'll scale up like crazy. Suddenly your experts are all dual wielders with grafts and whatnot to get as many attacks as possible, whitout actually needing to care about the base damage of such attacks, because they're all geting Xd6 extra damage to each of them.

[ariasderros]

I agree with all of your statements and changes, except for this:

Getting in flanking positions is harder than just staying adjacent to the Kuwa, and the experts just have simple weapons, that at best deal 1d8 damage.

And  this:

That would be a buff to the guildmaster. The experts have nonelite array, average Bab, and simple weapons. They deal little damage no matter how you cut it. Thus doubling it isn't really that efficient. But static bonus damage, now that'll scale up like crazy. Suddenly your experts are all dual wielders with grafts and whatnot to get as many attacks as possible, without actually needing to care about the base damage of such attacks, because they're all getting Xd6 extra damage to each of them.

First, one of your Experts can be a level 2 human with Skill Focus (Tumble) and Acrobatic, and 5 ranks in each Jump and Tumble, with a +1 modifier to Dex. This ends up with a +13 to Tumble. Add in a MW Tool, and you have +15, which will usually get the man in place.

Second, I don't think either the multiplier or the dice-of-damage approach makes that much of a difference in damage for the Expert. But the difference is in how much that adds to the Oni's damage. +2d6 might be average to increasing the Expert's damage by 125% or so (depending on weapon & feat loadout), if he even hits (even with the flanking bonus). But the x2 damage and +2 to the attack roll for having a minion over there can easily mean a lot more to the Oni than having a fighter-light on his side, just adding to base damage.

Basically, having a Warrior on your flank gives an extra chance or two to hit them, but because the Warrior's Str is going to be lower, the actual hit chance & damage are going to be less than the Oni's. That's it, a slight chance for better combat maneuvers, and a bit more average damage per turn.
Versus, having a Expert on their flank gives you a +2 to your attack rolls, and doubles your damage output.

If I'm an Oni 4 / Fighter 4, with Power Attack and all of that, I figure my Str is going to be (18 + 2 racial +2 Levels + 2 enhancement, conservitive = 24, or a mod of 7) with a two-handed weapon (let's say a MW GS), That would be a damage of 2d6 + 10, with an attack bonus of +17/+12 (counting MW bonus to hit and Weapon Focus).
A Half-Orc Warrior, level 6, while gaining the benefits of being adjacent, and also having a MW GS, and having put his level bonus in raising his Str to 16 (Mod of 3) would have a routine of +13/+8, for 2d6+4.
A Human Expert 6, without even caring about what its damage is, increases your chance to hit by 10%, and doubles your damage, so we might as well count that as 2d6+10 x 2 per round. That is more than the Warrior. And if he has feats like, say Adaptable Flanker (which could be his 6th level feat), then you can pretty much flank from wherever. Heck, since that feat only checks where the Expert threatens, and we don't even give a rats about his damage (or for that matter if he even hits) put an exotic Spiked Chain in his hands to have him threaten a huge enough area that it doesn't matter if you're standing next to him. And put him in all of that armour that he isn't proficient in, we don't freaking care, because he doesn't heed to hit, just provide the flanking bonus, and thus the damage bonus. Exotic Weapon he isn't proficient in -4 penalty; Full Plate -6 penalty; Buckler -1 penalty. Do we care? No. He isn't there for his damage, he's there to boost the Oni, for however long this minion survives.

[oslecamo]

I still say you're making it seem too easy to get a flank. There's big creatures that aren't exactly easy to geting around (in particular if you're in fullplate and thus can't tumble at all), and then there's enemies outright immune to flanking.

However I had kinda forgoten the Kuwa also got double damage.

So I buffed up the Guard Captain a bit. Now the Kuwa also gets feats from his adjacent warriors.

[ariasderros]

Awesome class . I am done complaining .

[DavidWL]

Aristrocat-As long as rich lazy people remain rich and lazy, your privileges are assured. You gain a profane bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to 1+1/3 the HD of the highest level aristrocat under your thumb, and your aristrocats can now purchase expendable magic items with the same limitations as with mundane expendable items, as long as said items don't replicate spells/powers higher than half their own level.

Interesting power.
 
Observations: 
* Roughly speaking, this lets you have an aristocrat with access to scrolls comparable to the spellslots of a wizard of your level -1. 
* With the feat Wanderer's Diplomacy, this works as long as you are in an area with some population
* If you adventure away from a populated area for more than 1 day, it is worthless as currently worded.
* For a few consumables that cost EXP to cast, this may be abuse-able.  Basically, spells which cost EXP/gold which summon creatures (Planar Ally, Gate, ...) and spells which let you have permanent improvements (Permanency, Wish). 

Questions/Thoughts:
* If adventuring away from a populated area ... can your consumables be "stored" until used, and not disappear at the end of the day (but also not be refreshed).
* How long does it take for the NPC to acquire them?  If you are adventuring, and your NPC can teleport to a town, and then teleport back, and spend 1 hour looking around, can he spend his full allotment of gold?

Best,
David

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

* Roughly speaking, this lets you have an aristocrat with access to scrolls comparable to the spellslots of a wizard of your level -1. 

Is this taking into account that the scrolls cost double market price?

* With the feat Wanderer's Diplomacy, this works as long as you are in an area with some population

Excellent catch. I'm considering an Oni Kuwa character in one of Osle's games and he will probably be taking this feat. Thanks.

[DavidWL]

* Roughly speaking, this lets you have an aristocrat with access to scrolls comparable to the spellslots of a wizard of your level -1. 

Is this taking into account that the scrolls cost double market price?

Yes, it is assuming*2 price.

Roughly speaking, between PC Levels 6-18, when the NPC 1st gets access to a spell level, he can have ~4.25 scrolls per level.  Then ~6 per level the next.

Example:

NPC level 7
~4 scrolls of each level 1 - 4
NPC level 8
~6 scrolls of each level 1 - 4
NPC level 9
~4 scrolls of each level 1 - 5
...

Note that after level 17, it goes to ~ 9 scrolls per level at 19th level.

* With the feat Wanderer's Diplomacy, this works as long as you are in an area with some population

Excellent catch. I'm considering an Oni Kuwa character in one of Osle's games and he will probably be taking this feat. Thanks.

My pleasure

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

Yeah, that math checks out, though the spells are all at minimum CL so you're quite a bit more limited in what spells you can use effectively than an actual caster.

Also, the ability doesn't state whether "half their level" is rounded up or down.

[oslecamo]

Roundings are down unless noticed otherwise.

* Roughly speaking, this lets you have an aristocrat with access to scrolls comparable to the spellslots of a wizard of your level -1. 
* With the feat Wanderer's Diplomacy, this works as long as you are in an area with some population
* If you adventure away from a populated area for more than 1 day, it is worthless as currently worded.
* For a few consumables that cost EXP to cast, this may be abuse-able.  Basically, spells which cost EXP/gold which summon creatures (Planar Ally, Gate, ...) and spells which let you have permanent improvements (Permanency, Wish). 

-Maybe in number, but far from it in quality. Low level ones will have low CLs, all of them will have low DCs, and UMD does auto-fail in a natural 1.
-I'll admit I didn't knew of that feat, but is still costing a feat, so fine by me.
-Intended as well. Aristrocat Kuwas rather like their dens of decadence.
-Scrolls of spells with extra costs are more expensive to make themselves, and thus cost extra.

Questions/Thoughts:
* If adventuring away from a populated area ... can your consumables be "stored" until used, and not disappear at the end of the day (but also not be refreshed).
* How long does it take for the NPC to acquire them?  If you are adventuring, and your NPC can teleport to a town, and then teleport back, and spend 1 hour looking around, can he spend his full allotment of gold?

-No, you have to spend them one way or the other. Perhaps I didn't enphasize enough the whole "decadence and sin forever" aspect of the Kuwa.
-If you somehow managed to get a pure aristrocat with a base race to cast teleport, sure go ahead.

[DavidWL]

After much delay, detailed thoughts below:

CLASS BY LEVEL

1st level is ok, but nothing super special.  Good "stats" (HP, BAB, Skill list), Charm person a couple of time sper day.  A good 2nd string fighter / rogue

2nd level is pretty cool - you get regeneration!  Quite rare ability, gives far less fear of death. Wade into combat, if desired ...

3rd level also very cool - 2 aristocrats = 900gp/each (things cost *2 as much), arm them with longbows for some nice support, and they can buy a ton of alchemical goodies.  Also, Fly/3x per day, for good low-level maneuverability.

Note also that it is changeable over time, so out of combat you can find high-skill versions of whatever you need, etc.

A bunch of warriors could give you many feats ... descent ranged attack awesomeness.  Improved tougness a few times, a lockdown build with huge range to protect the warriors as well.  Lots of flexibility here.

4th level gets the awesomeness - now your aristocrats can buy magic awesomeness.  Note - I mentioned Wanderer's Diplomacy, but on 2nd thought, "Hoard" is a much better feat.  Leave the aristocrat at home, he/they can buy whatever you need on demand, and you can use it remotely.  While it still has it's limits, pretty awesome.

OVERALL
* Expendable magic gear at will
* changeable psuedo-minions who provide combat benefits (or can be used out of combat)
* Good stats (Full bab, D10, 6*HD skills + large list) w/ nice minor perks (spells, etc.)
* Regeneration at level 2, Fly at level 3

I'm going to make a build emphasizing the item master / leader perspective.

SAMPLE BUILD: ITEM MASTER / LEADER

SKILLS
Diplomacy = 10% discount
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050107a&page=3

CLASSES
Oni, Kuwa 4
Paragon 1 ( You Owe me )  (Paragon Proficiency)

FEATS
1  Mercantile Background (more gp master abilities)
3  Hoard (or Wanderer's Diplomacy) - leave followers safely at home
6  Leadership, and mix perks would be pretty cool ...)
9  Extra Followers (should apply to both kinds of followers, woot)
Maybe:  loyalty's reward (Some custom goodness ... )

YOU GET
Sell items at 100%, but buy at 65% of cost
Expendable daily GP = NPC of your level - 1 (*2 for 2 minions, /2 for ability)
Can leave minions at home and use the items remotely
Other Oni Kuwa and leadership things.

Best,
David