Eeeenteresting. I keep wondering if I should start watching Dr. Who...
So now the real question is if you can make time manipulation interesting without being hilariously borked. I've made a couple timey classes before (and am in the process of editing/updating Stratovarius's Past, Present, & Future project), so I know a little bit about how tough that is.
Time Travel is REALLY hard to grasp, I don't actually believe that I have the capability to capture it, but I tried too at least. I might take a look on over to Past, Present, & Future for more insight into the idea of a Time Traveling Scientist.
And yes... Watch Doctor Who... Love Doctor Who... Live Doctor Who...
Chassis is standard for gramarie stuff, so cool... though maybe Ref would make more sense than Fort for a 2nd good save?
I used the Transcholar as a base for the saves. Honestly, since this is supposed to be a time traveling adventurer it should be more along the lines of having all 3 be good saves (but that feels like it is too much...). If you have the ability to hope into a Time Machine, you should be fighting things that threaten the entire Multiverse on a daily basis since nothing really quantifies to you as a threat. For example: The Doctor fights the Daleks, a race of Omni-hating Xenophobes with a lot of guns, and a lot of brains. They are a constant threat to the entire universe at all times, because of how ape-shit deadly they are. So as a Time Traveler you should be fighting Adamantine Clockwork Horrors by the thousands. I got comments about how anything that makes you a Time Lord as a capstone should be an Epic Prestige class and I actually thought about it for a minute...
Maybe put the bonus principles on the table somewhere? This could get lost in the shuffle very easily. Also, 7 principles over 5 levels? That seems like too much, it's far more than any other prc and also more than the base class (in addition to the class features). And, you never explicitly spell out in the text when they get doctorate principles. Text > table.
The reason I gave bonus principles is because originally the class required for you to have a number of principles for gaining access to their abilities, but I left that out because of how many complaints I saw on the Transcholar about how specific the training is, but what I noticed from this is that you actually have to focus out the training to accomplish exactly what the prestige classes' goal should be. I'll just make the bonus principles more specific towards the goals of the Chrononaut
Thank you for correcting me
Interesting. Is the required push in addition to the normal push, or is it a rider effect? Also, using this basically requires the semi-space to be connected to others, which may or may not be available to a given character at the time they get the ability. And, what happens to creatures or objects while they are suspended? Maybe say "as the time hop power, without any chance of ending the hop early"?
Personally, I would change the wording on this to make it a new polarcane flux option. Not only does it make it a little more intuitive, but that way you can just send objects through the bubble from the regular world, without having to deal with connected semi-spaces.
I actually like the idea of making it a new Polarcane Flux option. Originally it was meant to function as a Rider effect where you road the exact same push through the Semi-Space into another section of time equal to the amount of push generated divided by 100 (for example 500 divided by 100 is obviously 5 rounds of delay).
You did however give me a good idea for a Flux option that only allows for the semi-space to function on a different time frame equal to the amount of push being generated into it
Time: This Polarcane Flux has a slightly modified flow of time. Inside the bubble, time flows at a slightly different pace, however the flow is proportionate to the amount of force or "Push" generated inside of it at a 100:1 ratio. Any object in motion traveling through a Time Flux has it's arrival time delayed by a few rounds equal to 1 round for every 100 push generated through the Flux. For example an object fired out of Ballistic Engine transfers 400 points of Push allowing it to be delayed to a maximum of 4 rounds. The amount of rounds the objects arrival is delayed by is determined by the person launching the object into the Flux. Objects launched into the Flux can have a delay of 0 rounds as to where it travels instantaneously through the flux. Living creatures cannot travel through a Time Flux.
Hows that? Does that look pretty to you?
I'll edit the 2nd ability to be an extension upon this flux that grants the option to delay an objects travel by hours and for you to adjust yourself to be able to endure the Time Flux.
This isn't worded very clearly. From what I can tell, there are two abilities: (1) you can enter a Time-Leaping Semi-Space (can't you do this anyway, unless it's too small in which case you still can't do it?), and (2) you can delay by hours instead of rounds (which seems like an enormous duration jump). If that's the case, at the very least separate it into two sentences, and the first one needs to be more fully explained.
I like this kind of criticism
I'll adjust it to make it more clear in it's ability and expand it a little to include minutes in time as well as hours. I'll make it more clear and tie it into the new Flux that I made recently. Might tie it in so that first you need to create a Semi-Space and then inside that Semi-Space you have to create a Time Flux allowing you to travel forward rounds, minutes and hours into the future
So, this has some problems. First, I would tie it to Abstruse Causality, and basically say that the Timeless trait now applies to everything. Second issue is that Timeless planes make aging and stuff apply retroactively, so you should probably explicitly counter that. Next, the third sentence isn't really necessary -- of course time is going to continue outside of the semi-space. Finally, I think you need to tweak the wording on the ELDK part of this. If you like, I can take a stab at it, but I don't want to step on your toes.
Hmm... I'd have to make it as a bonus principle since you can't take Abstruse Causality for this prestige class until 5th level (since you don't have Doctorate level Principles at that point and you need YGGD 371 which is a Doctorate Principle). However this does give me an interesting idea for an advanced use of the Time Flux in that it allows you to apply the Timeless trait to anything inhabiting the Fluxes bubble. Personally, I don't really know how to apply that to it. I was thinking about making it an option to create a TARDIS that can only go forward in time (for now) and using a Two-Part Engine (The Push of the object being pushed down towards gravity which is now being controlled by a Gravity Flux) to create the Push necessary for the Time-Leaping Semi-Space to leap forward in time. This thought gives me an idea for making a Two-Part Flux (Fluxes that can inhabit other Fluxes, FLUX-CEPTION!)
"Cleaver application" sounds rather... sinister. And "much more faster" isn't great grammar. This whole thing needs to be reworded, and also is just as broken as Teleport Through Time, without any xp cost or chance of failure. Also, the "Beginning of Time" isn't well-enough defined. You need to include some sort of definition for it, otherwise "I'm going to the beginning +0.3 seconds" is totally allowed.
I'm familiar with Teleport through time and I am not claiming to have the best Grammar. I was considering using the top quote to be "Well the problem with your scientist is that they still believe that time is linear when in reality it is just a big ball of timey, whimy... Stuff"
Time Travelers are NOT known for having excellent grammar (Homebrewers on the other hand? WELL It helps)
I'm also going to be blunt here, I hate XP cost. I like what Pathfinder did with the whole 1xp = 5gp, but that is just me and now that you mention it, I should actually include for Temporal drift, because... WELL Time Travel isn't exactly a science (even though it is) so it's going to take a while to figure out how to land with pin point accuracy (5th level capstone?) It's not quite as broken as Teleport Through Time since Teleport Through Time since it completely removes the option of creating important and relevant Paradoxes. I might want to make note of this though...
The introduction of time travel into any campaign can be fraught with peril, so tread carefully. Players will wonder how much they can mess with the timeline, and you may run into instances of the grandfather paradox. Further, changes made very far back in time cannot really be worked out completely because of the chaotic aspect of events. Thus, it is simplest to use the rule that changes in time are minor and somehow time smooths them out. This argues for a determinism and predestination in the ways of your world, but you can say that once events have transpired, small perturbations are possible (this person lives rather than dies, but does not contribute to events in a meaningful way), but the large-scale events themselves somehow happen anyway. If the cause is changed, another cause comes along. In the case of someone killing their own grandfather, the PC might find that he is the same but has a different family when returning to the present. As long as you keep the knowledge of how to travel in time restricted, your campaign will not fall apart.
However due to the Paradox Machine a different timeline (or "reality") is created each time you travel back in time and you still remain tethered to your native Timeline. Your Native Timeline is the section of time and space in which you were in before you Time Traveled to that destination or Chain Time Traveled to that destination.
Ex. You hop on into your TARDIS for the 1st time ever and travel to the end of time and then immediately after you travel to the dawn of time and then after spending a week of relative time there you travel to the moment when the Dinosaurs get extinct. Immediately upon exiting your TARDIS a T-Rex attacks you causing you to ETT away forcing you to return to your point of Origin being, right before you entered your TARDIS.
Your Native Timeline right before you entered your Time Machine for the first time ever and resets everytime you return to that point in time
Personally, I think this sort of thing should be a plot device ("plot magic") and not an ability granted to a PC via a class, especially with no restrictions or guidelines to its use. It's too hard, as a DM, to gameplan around this ability... if you're not playing a campaign which is specifically designed to allow (or even encourage) this sort of thing, it's a world-breaker.
Most time travel games are episodic in nature as detailed in the DM's guide. Sure, time traveling might have an overlaying plot (See
Psyren), but generally it is too chaotic unless the campaign is built around it. Having a Chrononaut in a campaign can prove very annoying since it's effectively having a guy that can skip to the end of the book to find out how it ends, however it can be done creatively... I hate that
Now that you make me think about it Gramarie already requires you to fairly Cleaver in your design and use of Principles and adding Time Travel to the equation is only adding more Cleaverness to an already Cleaver design.
It also does make me think about the whole "skipping to the end of the book" thing... I mean is the fact that the Chrononaut can travel to the future from that point mean that the future is set in stone? Hell no, If reading/watching Time Travel fiction and watching Doctor Who has taught me anything, it's that the future is NEVER set in stone, requiring me to think outside of the universe on this one. If the Chrononaut travels to the future, from point A and skips point B, C, D, etc. all the way to Z does that mean that is how those specific events will occur regardless? Can the Chrononaut, not travel to other timelines as well and see the altering of events? Of course he can! but under what circumstances do these events occur? and how does he trigger them without forcing the Paradox Machine to activate and create an entirely different timeline? This is a hard puzzle to solve isn't it? (but thinking on the 4th dimension is often hard no matter what so eh...).
For a non-episodic campaign that the Chrononaut can participate in? WELL It's a little difficult to use since the Chrononaut was made for travel and exploration of time itself. Think of it as an Adventurer that goes above and beyond to experience adventure. I might do something like what you did for the Transcholar and give the Chrononaut something that it can use for singular timeline adventuring (perhaps allowing it to subject itself to a Time Hop and Dimension Door as a standard action once/day/class level and eventually cancel your Time Hop mid way without having to make a Wisdom check?)
Can't the first part of this be done anyway at the previous level? I'm confused...
At the previous level the Beginning of Time isn't accessible (I'll be more clear on what the beginning of time is).
Also, what are the raw elements of time? What do they do? What can you do with them?
The Raw Elements of Time are effectively the building blocks of creation. The material used in the original construction for the Prime Material Plane (or in more a more scientific explanation, The Higgs Boson, The first Divine Energy, whatever you wanna call it.)
I never originally thought of rules for using the Raw Elements of Time, but now that I think about it I have something in mind for using it to allows a Demiplane, to become a True Plane. It would be an interesting way to explain why former Demiplanes (Ravenloft from the Demiplane of Dread, The Plane of Shadow from The Demiplane of Shadow) have become known to expand into True Planes.
This should really be included as a separate class feature, and put on the table. Also, I don't think there's a clear-enough definition of what it actually does or how it works. If you tell me what it's supposed to do in plain terms I may be able to help you work something out mechanically... though do note that this is only useful once you reach 4th level and can go backwards (since going forwards doesn't cause paradoxes).
I was afraid of this... The vagueness of the Time Paradox rule is going to be the end of me... Honestly, I know this might be asking for much, but could you help me out on how to make it as clear cut,
that creating a Paradox does not alter the timeline that the Chrononaut originated from and creates an alternate Timeline.Hm. How do you go to different timelines? Does this ability mean you can go "forward" by X rounds and then as an immediate action jump backward and redo stuff at normal speed? If so, ick. It's like temporal reiteration but with major ridiculousness and bookkeeping. If not, then I have no idea what this does, at least until 4th level.
An alternate Timeline is any series of events that is altered by your sudden involvement through the use of Time Travel. For example A girl spills your drink and I go back in time to ensure that she never did that and immediately perform a Full Round action to return to my timeline. In that timeline your drink was still spilt over by that girl. It's not to much bookkeeping considering that you just being in a place where you don't belong can create a different timeline. Say for example that I time travel to a point where I do not belong (I am dead, or was never/am not born for example), from that point onward that it is a different timeline meaning that my default return point is before I entered that timeline.
So... you always have the option to make a new character, don't you? So what happens? Does the new version of you immediately enter where the old one left off? If so, it's kind of like jumping timelines to an alternate where the original didn't die. And, it completely removes any fear of dying, especially since by the time you get to this high of a level, the fatigue thing is trivial (you'll probably even be immune to it). Though I guess you can't die multiple times in the same day and still cover this. Either way, it feels like a very strange capstone... maybe instead make it so that 1/day you can simply nullify (maybe by jumping timelines) an effect which would otherwise kill you? That's much more in line with similar capstones.
Think of it this way, you die and then are immediately subjected to a Reincarnation spell without losing a level. I hadn't thought about immunity when I first made that ability so I'm just gonna go on up and adjust that now to make it 1/day. It was supposed to capture the Time Lord's ability to regenerate after suffering effects that would kill you
The 9th Doctor absorbing the Time Vortex into himself which results in it destroying every single molecule of him and "reincarnating" into the 10th Doctor would be an excellent example of this ability.
I think you did pretty well for your first time! There are some problems, of course, but it's a flavorful class with some cool abilities.
Hmm... You're peach was interesting in that it made me think about all the things that I could still have fit into this. It was incredibly useful to say the least
I'm going to let you respond before I implement any changes
EDIT: I got impatient