How can I fix this?
Btw, the psi-like ability in question is a spell. Come again, you ask? The spell in question best matched the power level I was looking for and did what I wanted, specifically to command only animals. There is a precedent for this: look at the Assassin PrC in Tyrian Conspiracy.
Cornac
“Under all that armored flesh and bone, there is a mind...”
- Ome, mekillot handler
Animal merchants, caravan masters, gladiatorial managers and cities’ templarates are always in need of animal handlers able to control the most unrully of beasts of burden―such as inixes, mekillots, and korinths―which sometimes turn on their trained handlers.
Anyone that has acquired the Mind’s Touch feat can become a cornac, be they commoners, experts or any other class. Cornacs are considered the lowest of psionic practitioners by the academies and schools of the Way, but still receive more respect and better wages than other civil workers. Few other races besides humans and dwarves use massive animals to accomplish tasks and as such do not train cornacs.
Cornacs have made of their skills with animals a profession, which they practice on a daily basis, on all hours of the day, often accompanying caravans or armies for long trips.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements:
To qualify to become a cornac, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base attack Bonus: +2.
Skills: Handle Animal 5 ranks, Sense Motive 2 ranks.
Feat: Mind’s Touch.
Class Skills:
The cornac’s class skills (and key ability for each skill) are Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nature), Profession (cornac), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
For the Cornac it doesn't work like that. The distract, empathy, telempathic projection, false sensory input, and dominate animal powers the class has are each one of them important in their own right and don't require anything else to work.
Thanks for the suggestion, I found it intriguing for a minute there, but still I don't see how this suggestion can help make the animal domination effect last hours and not rounds.
Domination (Ps): When reaching 5th level, the cornac can project his will unto unrully animals and take direct control. He gains the following psi-like ability as a 5th-level manifester, but at an increased duration of 1 hour/level: 1/day―dominate animal.
I think what Sysane was getting at was an issue of balance. If you were going to increase the duration he seems to be saying you should weaken the power in some other way. I can understand that prespective its something to consider, but you have to ask yourself how that affects to usefulness of the power. If it has to be and remain friendly to activate/continue the effect what does it really do?
This just goes to say that compared to the other character in that story, a human female with the healer's heart, the kreen handler does not need to empathically feel the beast before controlling or killing it, while the human female needed to feel the wounded's pain before being able to help him.
I'll add something to the effect that the final psi-like ability has a specific duration of 1 hour/level.
Thanks for the suggestion, I found it intriguing for a minute there, but still I don't see how this suggestion can help make the animal domination effect last hours and not rounds.
Eh, at least you were intrigued for a whole minute.
By adding preset conditions to PrC abilities it justifies why they would do things beyond the scope of spell or power counterparts.
Eh, at least you were intrigued for a whole minute.
By adding preset conditions to PrC abilities it justifies why they would do things beyond the scope of spell or power counterparts.
Ok, I took Sysane's advice and put an optional preset condition.
The duration is normally set at 1 minute/level. Since its manifester level 5th its only 5 minutes, not enough time to get a mekillot out of a city's market I think. So the option allows for a longer duration....
Now there are two possible increased durations:
- 10 minutes/level : gives enough time to deal with a crazed mekillot (50 minutes)
- 1 hour/level : the mekillot can be used as an engine of war without it bailing on the army (5 hours)
Which one do people prefer?
, though of course you're not asking me....Ok, I took Sysane's advice and put an optional preset condition.
The duration is normally set at 1 minute/level. Since its manifester level 5th its only 5 minutes, not enough time to get a mekillot out of a city's market I think. So the option allows for a longer duration....
Now there are two possible increased durations:
- 10 minutes/level : gives enough time to deal with a crazed mekillot (50 minutes)
- 1 hour/level : the mekillot can be used as an engine of war without it bailing on the army (5 hours)
Which one do people prefer?
Personally, I like the one hour/level duration. It fits the established fluff better, especially considered mekillot drawn wagons in caravans, etc.
The dominate animal bit is for those times when the cornac is called to put a stop to a crazed giant animal whose mundane handler is overwhelmed or dead.