Author Topic: Drider  (Read 21786 times)

Offline oslecamo

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Drider
« on: July 09, 2015, 09:21:42 AM »
Drider

   

Prerequisites:
-Must be an Humanoid with one level in something.
-Must have somehow gained Lolth's attention, for better and worst. This means usually drows, but sometimes other races get transformed as well.

Hit Dice: d8


LevelBABFortRefWill   Special
1st
0
0
0
2
   Drider Body, Anathema, Poison, Spider Path, Lesser Spider Magic
2nd
1
0
0
3
   Spider Steps
3rd
2
1
1
3
   Princess Spider Magic
4th
3
1
1
4
   Growth
5th
3
1
1
4
   Poison Edge
6th
4
2
2
5
   Spider Fate, Queen Spider Magic

Class Skills
The Drider's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Apraise(Int), Balance(Dex), Bluff(Cha), Climb(Str), Concentration (con), Disable Device(Int), Escape Artist(Dex), Heal (wis), Hide(dex), Intimidate(Cha), Jump(Str), Knowledge (any) (int), Listen (wis), Move silently (dex), Open Lock(Dex), Perform (any)(Cha), Profession(any)(Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft(Int), Spot (wis), Survival (wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + int)x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.


Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Driders are proficient with their natural weapons, plus whatever proficiencies they had before.


Class Features

Drider Body: The drider retains her old racial traits, but creature type changes to Aberration, granting it Darkvision 60 feet. Don't recalculate anything.
The Drider can climb at half her base speed. In addition the Drider gains a secondary Bite natural attack dealing 1d3+1/2 Str mod damage and a bonus to Natural armor equal to her Con mod.

Anathema: Even if they have the best of intentions, there's just too much bad reputation around Driders, meaning they take a -10 penalty to diplomacy checks.

Spider Path: At first level the Drider chooses one of the following options.

(click to show/hide)


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Spider Magic: The Drider can use certain SLAs. Any DCs are 10+1/2 HD+highest stat mod.

Lesser-At 1st level Dancing Lights, Detect good, Detect law, Detect Magic and Faerie Fire each 1/hour.

Princess- At 3rd level Darkness, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance and Levitate each 1/day per 2 HD.

Queen- At 5th level Dispel magic and Suggestion each 1/day per 3 HD. At 11 HD the Dispel Magic upgrades to Greater Dispel Magic.

Poison: The Drider's teeth start producing poison that is delivered through her bite attack and deals 1d3 Str damage. At 3 HD, and every 3 HD thereafter, the initial and secondary damage grows by one die size.
If the Drider has 13 or more HD this poison can affect even creatures normally immune to it, but they gain a +5 bonus on their saves.


Ability Score Increase: The Drider gains different stat progressions depending on the Spider Path chosen.

Chaos-Each level gain +1 to two different stats of their choice, but cannot pick the same stats two levels in a row.

Mage-Each level gain +1 to their main casting stat, plus +1 Con at levels 4, 5 and 6.

Weaver-Each level gain +1 Dex, plus +1 Con at levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 and +1 Wis at levels 5 and 6.

Warrior-Each level gain +1 Str, plus +1 Con at levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 and +1 Cha at levels 5 and 6.



Spider Steps: At 2nd level the Drider has got used to her new set of legs enough to gain a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks.
She also gains SR equal to 11+HD which she may rise or drop at any time as a free action even if it isn't her turn. If she already had SR from another source, increase it by 4 instead.


Growth: At 4th level the Drider grows one size category. She no longer takes penalties in hiding for being larger than medium. She gains a +1 racial bonus to ability DCs against enemies smaller than herself and a +2 racial bonus on attack rolls against enemies smaller than herself.

Poison Edge: At 5th level the Drider may coat one of her held weapons with her bite poison, which stays "fresh" up to 1 hour/HD or until used, whichever happens first.

Spider Dance: At 6th level the Drider may use one of her Drider SLAs as a swift action if she used a standard action or fullround action maneuver, spell, Chaos Gift or Advanced/Expert Arachnid ability (including attacking with a Chaos Gift weapon as a standard or fullround action). Once this ability is used she must wait 1d4 turns before being able to use it again.
In addition at any time as an immediate action the Drider may be freed from her "curse", retraining her Drider levels for something else.

(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: October 20, 2015, 08:40:30 AM by oslecamo »

Offline TraceChaos

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Re: Drider
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2015, 06:39:41 PM »
I rather like this version of the drider. They're versatile and get all kinds of cool web-based abilities.

War Drider seems kinda lackluster, though I have no idea what'd fix that feel.
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Drider
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2015, 10:35:26 AM »
I'm a fan. Though... why 'as Gate Guard' when it then has a completely independent recovery mechanic and free choice of schools, plus not meeting the requirement to go into that class's main school? :huh

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Drider
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2015, 11:55:21 AM »
Pimped up War Drider a bit with a bunch of extra bonuses as you progress. Count as mounted, medium armor and shield, stealth charges, speed and jumping, anti-air, or get a bit tougher.

I'm a fan. Though... why 'as Gate Guard' when it then has a completely independent recovery mechanic and free choice of schools, plus not meeting the requirement to go into that class's main school? :huh
Well, I needed a basic maneuver/stance progression, and Warblade didn't feel exactly right for this. Plus this way I get to make some self-promotion. :p

(speaking of which, while working on this I've had the idea of a Yamame+Medicine tobhou school based on poison, even planned to integrate it directly into the drider war option, but then I remembered making a martial school takes quite a lot of time so it's on the "to-do" list for now, when it's out I'll probably add another war drider option to synergize with it)

Offline VennDygrem

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Re: Drider
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2015, 01:16:48 PM »
Personally, when homebrewing , I feel it's better to refer to official published classes for such things rather than cross-pollinate, as it were, and force someone to read another homebrew to understand the one they're already reading. However, I understand wanting to promote it. It's just that some DMs may allow one set of homebrew and not both.

I do like it, overall, though.

And I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to homebrew three new martial disciplines for a homebrew class I'm making without having done so before, so I can see the difficulty in making a new one. :)

I tried looking for some kind of guidelines for home brewing martial disciplines  but can't find much advice. I may have to look at some of your TBG disciplines for ideas.

Offline TraceChaos

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Re: Drider
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2015, 03:48:52 PM »
Pimped up War Drider a bit with a bunch of extra bonuses as you progress. Count as mounted, medium armor and shield, stealth charges, speed and jumping, anti-air, or get a bit tougher.
Looked it over and actually quite like the new options, especially Chitin Scars and Interceptor - don't really see enough anti-air stuff.
One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.

Offline ketaro

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Re: Drider
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2015, 04:52:28 PM »
Personally, when homebrewing , I feel it's better to refer to official published classes for such things rather than cross-pollinate, as it were, and force someone to read another homebrew to understand the one they're already reading. However, I understand wanting to promote it. It's just that some DMs may allow one set of homebrew and not both.

I do like it, overall, though.

And I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to homebrew three new martial disciplines for a homebrew class I'm making without having done so before, so I can see the difficulty in making a new one. :)

I tried looking for some kind of guidelines for home brewing martial disciplines  but can't find much advice. I may have to look at some of your TBG disciplines for ideas.

I don't see the problem. All War Drider refers to is the chart for how many maneuvers known, readied, and stances are known. You're not actually using any of the mechanics from Gate Guard far as I can tell.

Offline VennDygrem

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Re: Drider
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2015, 05:36:00 PM »
Still, it seems better to just spell out what you get in this class's entry rather than reference another page under an independent subsystem. But it's Oslecamo's class and his call. Just voicing my unsolicited opinion on the internet.

Offline Stricture

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Re: Drider
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2015, 06:51:30 AM »
It feels a bit odd that the Mage Drider option only advances Cleric, Wizard and Sorcerer while the Drow Web Path enables allows you to choose whichever class you want. I asume it is to prevent players for advancing prestiege classes but it seems a bit sad to limit the Web Path options like that.

"
Each Drider level grants spell knowns, spell slots and CL as if the Drider had gained a level in Cleric, Sorceror or Wizard.

If cleric is chosen she must choose her domains from Chaos, Destruction, Evil, and Trickery (if she was already a cleric, she must have two of those domains to pick this options).
If wizard is chosen she must specialize in Evocation (if she was already a wizard, she must have specialized in Evocation to pick this option).

Alternatively she can choose to advance the spellcasting of a base class she has levels in. If she has gained spellcasting through a Drow Web Path she can choose to advance spellcasting of this type.
"

From a roleplaying perspective I dislike the whole being forced to choose domains and specialization before taking this class bit. Is there any reason not to have them being changed when picking this class? It is supposed to be a horrific curse after all (in some settings at least and this class even has an exit clause) having your magic tainted or your god abandoning (with Lolth picking up the slack) you fits the flavor.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Drider
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2015, 04:11:09 AM »
Ok, now Mage Drider can change your Domains/Specialization if they were different, or pick from a base class she belonged to before.

Offline GuesssWho

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Re: Drider
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2015, 08:52:30 AM »
Very cool class. Although -20 to diplomacy? Is that a typo? Because that is HUGE.

Offline TC X0 Lt 0X

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Re: Drider
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2015, 10:39:17 AM »
I dont know, its a giant spider person, not the first person Id send to be an ambassador.
Maybe a -10 though.
Im really bad at what I do.
A+

Offline Stricture

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Re: Drider
« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2015, 12:20:30 PM »
Since the class changes your type to aberration whose description reads:

"
An aberration has a bizarre anatomy, strange abilities, an alien mindset, or any combination of the three.
"

This is supposed to be a horrific curse and is seen as such by everyone, except for the Driders themselves who come to revel in it.

That being said, as I see it that disadvantage largely to the Driders appearance.

That can be mitegated by changing your shape through magic or the feats "Deceivingly Innocent Form" or "Alternate Form".

I think I would allow shapeshifting to reduce the penalty to -15 (maybe -10). And taking "Monster Lord" would further reduce it by another -5 (for all forms).
Successful rolls against Perform (acting) might reduce the penalty further (acting normal) depending on the situation.

The remaining penalty is due to your unnatural aura and the fact that your mind (and therefore your behavior) has been horribly twisted.

Offline ketaro

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Re: Drider
« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2015, 07:28:09 PM »
Perform(Acting)? You mean Bluff and/or Disguise :p

Offline Stricture

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Re: Drider
« Reply #14 on: October 18, 2015, 08:17:20 PM »
I am quite serious I assure you  :p

It is that whole "alien mindset" bit that is the issue and you are trying to put yourself into a frame of mind which is foreign to you. So you are not using it to affect someone else, you are using it to enable yourself to act as though your mindset is different.

You COULD use Bluff, but to me that would involve a serie of successivly harder checks where you convince someone of things such as; you eating people is in fact a great honor for them, there are about nine additional colors they have never seen before, he should be incapable of balancing on only two legs, etc.

You could use disguise to get the benefit from a magical transformation (though you being a torson on a spider body I would advice using magic).

This leaves you being an horrible abomination against nature, somthing which comes with a deeply unsettling presence. This can be mitegated by taking the Innocent Form and Monster Lord feats, half of that -10 is from the physical transformation the other half is from the effect you you gaining an additional natural form which lessens the impact of your presence (assuming you stay in that form of course).

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Drider
« Reply #15 on: October 18, 2015, 09:29:02 PM »
Because when you make a bluff check, you're making a different check for your posture, your tone, your words, your expression, and then a fifth check to combine them? >.>

Offline ketaro

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Re: Drider
« Reply #16 on: October 19, 2015, 02:53:50 AM »
No you just make a single check claiming to be a druid  :lol

Offline GuesssWho

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Re: Drider
« Reply #17 on: October 19, 2015, 04:34:34 AM »
I dont know, its a giant spider person, not the first person Id send to be an ambassador.
Maybe a -10 though.
Yeah, -10 I can see. Although there are plenty of weirder creatures that get no penalties at all . . .

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Drider
« Reply #18 on: October 20, 2015, 08:42:12 AM »
The penalty is there more because this prc is kinda too frontloaded for something you can pick up at 2nd level. But if people think I went too overboard with it, reduced it to -10.

Offline GuesssWho

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Re: Drider
« Reply #19 on: October 20, 2015, 10:46:53 PM »
Yeah, that seems more logical :)