Talk:Pariah

how would you feel about naming this class 'Erudite'?  I love the bones of this, but i think the name needs to be a bit more 'generic'. plus its a homage to EverQuest, and that just sings to me. :D

yeah, okay. I could go along with that. (Though, in my defense, I'm not sure "pariah" is any less judgmental than "prowler")

• rewards for aggression, gets fragile if not aggressive
• spell-casting scrappers (think COH's "blapper" hybrid)
• arcane-powered pact magic, movement and close attacks
• add defenses for aggression, must acquire each round (e.g. blur/fast-healing/AC from movement, etc.)
• may not wear armor, or wear shields
• only proficient with simple weapons

terminology

• pact - the source of power for the pariah, akin to a sorcerer's bloodline. Pariahs can only select abilities from their own pact.
• gift - a pact's affinity which has been bound to the pariah, granting some utility ability (senses, movement, buff/debuff, skill enhancement, etc.).
• bane - a pact affinity which can be employed offensively, like a combat spell.
• ward - a pact affinity which can be employed defensively (self only).

each level, the pariah will be directed to choose a new Bane, Ward, or Gift, or upgrade an existing pact affinity they already know of the same type. They can only do one or the other. (Some levels may grant additional benefits)

All Gifts, Banes, and wards improve (somewhat) with level, even if not upgraded. This allows a generalist to remain somewhat competitive with a specialist, though a specialist will do much more with their smaller toolset.

Think of each Gift, Bane, and Ward as a single spell. At top level, a pariah might have a maximum of 35 total (super-generalist), or could have as few as 4 (super-specialist). Each pact ability can be upgraded a maximum of 9 times (comparable to spell slot levels).

• Pact affinities are not memorized, but are instead granted by the pact's source.
• You can use each of your pact affinities no more than once per round, but there are no limits on how many times each can be cast per day. (like combat maneuvers).
• Pact affinities are much closer range; shocking grasp and burning hands are good templates.
• Using a pact affinity doesn't provoke from threatening enemies; no combat casting/concentration is necessary.

Probably grant 3 abilities at first level, but no upgrades possible (i.e. you can't take 1 and upgrade it twice; you have to take 3 different abilities).

In most cases, the upgrade trees for a given Bane, ward, or Gift, will be identical, or very similar, to other pact affinities of the same type. Every Bane will have the ability to target more enemies (within a given radius of the first), inflict a status condition, bypass SR, be cast more quickly, etc.

Banes

offensive abilities; comparable to fireball, disintegrate, etc. Need to be upgraded to be good (instead of using higher level spell slots, etc.).

• damage is based on caster level or character level, auto-scaling.
• ranged touch attack against a single enemy up to 10 feet away, but no saving throw

• some Banes inflict a specific status condition, forced movement, or other debuff, but these grant a saving throw.

• If target saves, half damage and no debuff.

• Banes can critically hit on a natural 20 (to threaten, must confirm). Deals double damage on confirmed crit.
• if the pariah possesses karma when casting the Bane, it gains the following:

• affects one additional target, but that target cannot be more than 10 feet apart from any one other target.
• auto-confirms critical threats

upgrades for Banes include:

• +2 to caster checks to bypass SR (bailiwick vs. maneuver defense)

• ignores SR

• cast as move action

• cast as swift action

• improved crit range (19-20)

• can target a second enemy, as long as that enemy is adjacent to the first target.

• second target can be up to 10 feet away from the first target.
• second target can be up to 30 feet away from your first target.

• castable against a target up to 20 feet away

• castable against a target up to 30 feet away

some options:

• an adjacent ally can make one attack against you as a free action during their turn. You do not take the damage at this time. Instead, you have until the end of your next turn to hit an enemy. If you hit the enemy, you can deal double the damage your ally applied to you. If you fail to hit an enemy before the end of the round, you take the damage yourself.

wards

• wards require a swift action to cast
• wards have a triggering condition which must be met after they are cast, in order for them to provide any benefit
• wards improve a single, narrowly defined defense, if triggered

• defense auto-scales a little with level, but can be improved further with upgrades.

• wards only grant a benefit until the start of the pariah's next turn, whether triggered or not.

• May be recast each turn, if desired, but must also be re-triggered each turn.

Available Wards:

swap these around:

• instead of AC, you inflict a penalty on enemies attacking you (or all allies some of the time, if you take a feat)
• instead of ER, you shunt some portion of energy damage onto a nearby ally (or enemy if you take a feat)
• instead of SR, you get a dispel magic you can use sometimes. (if you take a feat, you can dispel an entire AOE, instead of just the part that targets you)
• self heal, with a feat that lets you get temp hp's if it overheals. another feat might let you heal an ally instead of yourself.
• the ability to redistribute damage from one ally to another (or yourself and another ally); random amounts
• instead of status condition resistance, you can give a weak condition you gain to a bad guy (keeping it yourself also)

• AC

• basic ward grants +1 AC, +1 additional per 3 pariah levels (drop fractions; max +12 at level 33).
• upgrades:

• You can cast this ward as part of same swift action as another ward you cast this round. Casting this ward is effectively a free action, but only if you use a swift action to cast at least one other ward.
• add half of this bonus to FF AC

• add all of this bonus to FF AC

• add half of this bonus to Touch AC

• add all of this bonus to Touch AC

• add +2 additional AC (brings max to +14 at level 34)

• +2 more AC (brings max to +16 at level 33)

• +2 more AC (brings max to +18 at level 33)

• +2 more AC (brings max to +20 at level 33)

• ER

• basic ward grants 5 ER to one energy type, non-changeable, +1 per 2 pariah levels (drop fractions; max +22 at level 34)
• this ward can be taken more than once; each time it is taken, it applies to a different energy type.
• upgrades:

• You can cast this ward as part of same swift action as another ward you cast this round. Casting this ward is effectively a free action, but only if you use a swift action to cast at least one other ward.
• add +3 ER to chosen energy type (max 25)

• add +4 more (max 29)

• add +5 more (max 34)

• add +6 more (max 40)

• add +7 more (max 47)

• add +8 more (max 55)

• You are immune to damage of the selected energy type.

• You may apply the ER from this ward against any damage that includes the chosen energy type, even if that attack deals other damage types, or normally requires additional ER types to resist. However, this grants no resistance against any secondary effects of such an attack (such as status conditions, forced movement, etc.).

• SR

• auto-scales, but can be upgraded into good SR. Can also upgrade action economy of turning it off.

• self-healing

• starts as small self-heal if triggered; grows to 'recover half damage from x attacks taken this round' if triggered

• status condition resistance

• starts as a saving throw bonus versus weak conditions, grows to immunity in a few selected conditions

Wards will always require some activating condition.

• choose one of the following triggers when the ward is cast.

• displace at least 15 feet (10 feet with karma)
• end a move (or charge) while at least 15 feet from any of your allies (10 feet with karma)
• be threatened by 3 or more enemies (2 enemies with karma)
• attack an enemy that is not threatened by any of your allies (unaffected by karma)

• Once the condition is met, the ward activates until the start of your next turn.
• If multiple wards are being cast this round, a different activating condition must be selected for each swift action being used to cast a ward. (note that wards upgraded to be cast as part of the same swift action as another ward casting use the same triggering condition as the main ward being cast).

Gifts

this is the 'everything else' category, and allows us to put some flavor into each pact. This would be comparable to utility spells, either in-combat or out, but all themed to match the pact they are attributed to.

upgrades for Gifts can include:

• additional targets
• better effects
• improved action economy

some options:

• if a monster attacks you, you can swap places with it (limited to once per encounter? shorter distances?)
• if a monster attacks you, you can shift it 1 square such that it can still reach you (each time it attacks); breaks up flanks, etc.
• if a monster attacks you, you can inflict a de-taunt on them, preventing them from attacking an ally (other than yourself)

• or becomes blind against the ally of their choosing (not themselves)

Pacts

Each pariah gets his magic from a deal made with a more powerful entity or source of power. It should remain unclear what the entity or source gets out of the deal, but it should be clear that they get something.

The most important thing to achieve with pact sources is to provide some class diversity among pariahs. The second most important thing is to create a sense of wondrous weirdness in the class and its magic.

Mechanically, pact sources differentiate themselves with the following:

• a specific class ability or two at various class levels, depending on the pact chosen.
• critical spell effects are different for each pact.
• one different way to generate karma, in addition to the normal methods.

We want to minimize how much work is involved in creating the class, but without just phoning it in. We'll have to design around 50 spells or so, though we can borrow heavily from existing spell lists, if we want. In my opinion, this is an opportunity to create a champions-like spell system that is interesting and flexible.

• Pact of the Ancestral Relic

• drawing power from a poorly-understood artifact, an heirloom passed down in secret among your family.
• on crit: clear a condition on self or ignore next condition
• karma: You can acquire karma if you gain the bruised, bleed, or ruptured condition from an enemy during combat.

• Pact of the Aura Eater

• tapping into the fundaments that permeate the world (elemental)
• on crit: inflict burned condition
• karma: suffer environmental damage during combat

• Pact of the Invisible Sun

• you draw power from the Unterwelt, the shadowy recesses below the world, and some hidden power therein.
• on crit: gain blur until end of encounter
• karma: You can acquire karma if you attack an enemy that is not aware of you (typically from stealth) during combat.

• Pact of the Masquerade

• power from the heart of the First World (illusion, charm, and enchantment focused)
• on crit: gain mirror image until dispelled
• karma: You can acquire karma if you deal damage to an enemy creature with the fey subtype during combat.

• Pact of the Prince

• the classic faustian pact with a devil. Maybe on purpose, maybe by accident.
• on crit: target is rattled for one round
• karma: You can acquire karma if you deal damage to an enemy creature with the demon subtype during combat.

• Pact of the Unfathomed Well

• drawing primal magic from the source of all magic (sipping from a firehose) (mana, magic, power)
• on crit: damage becomes primal / irresistible
• karma: You can acquire karma if you take damage from an enemy's spell-like ability during combat.

• Pact of the Whispering Void

• that tentacled god seemed nice enough, and hey, free magic! (corruption, diversity)
• on crit: inflict cloistered on target
• karma: You can acquire karma if you are affected by any combat maneuver, including grabs, swallowed, etc., by an enemy creature during combat.

• Pact of the Willing Host

• you open your body to be a vessel for one or more dangerous spirits, in exchange for power
• on crit: gain a bonus action
• karma: You can acquire karma if you are forced to move (by forced movement) by an enemy creature during combat.

• Pact of the Worldseed

• drawing life magic from the Nascent Seed (life, nature, health)
• on crit: self heal, or temp hit points
• karma: You can acquire karma if you gain the quelled, prone, splayed condition from an enemy creature during combat. (Voluntary doesn't count.)

Karma

• Pariahs can earn karma from:

• rolling a natural 1 on an attack roll or saving throw during combat
• delivering the killing blow to a non-minion enemy during combat
• one additional way, based on their pact

• Pariahs can only earn karma during combat, and they either have karma, or they do not.

• Karma doesn't accumulate and it isn't measured in points; it's a state (on/off)
• It is not spent; instead, possessing karma empowers their Banes, wards, and Gifts to greater heights.
• Karma is reset to zero at the end of each encounter.

• benefits of karma: passive effects that occur when the pariah has karma

• auto-confirm all critical threats
• all Banes (offensive spells) affect one additional enemy target
• all wards (defensive self-buffs) are easier to trigger (-5 feet to distances)

ideas

• power which lets them push an enemy (non-role) out of a fight for 1 round, and when it returns, it takes xx psychic damage (from going somewhere horrible)

Action Economy

• Banes are standard actions, and primary attack method

• assumption is one per round
• damage comes from multi-targeting, and scaling mechanism

• Wards are swift actions to activate, but will almost always require a move action to trigger
• Gifts are utilities, and are usually a standard action to activate

• maybe upgrade to move, but would use up an upgrade?
• since they break up the damage curve, they need to either be worthwhile to cast in combat, or castable before combat and last until the end of the next encounter.
• in some cases, Gifts will lay a charge, since they will behave like a buff.