I'm not a master of vehicle combat so I'd like someone to point out the mistakes in reasoning, please.
A bit of necessary fluff for this one:
Hailing from the Bandit states on the far north, comes the Wind Rider clan. Attuned to the element of air they soar the skies, and present a particular danger to the merchant caravan wagons in the monsoon season. The monsoon season features a strong north wind that blows for the a period of 20-30 days. At that time the entire Wind Rider clan descends upon the tablelands where they attack mostly water caravans, but no other caravan or traveler is truly safe. At the end of the season the north wind is replaced by a strong south one, which indicates the Wind Riders will depart soon and return to their northern homes.
Their entire society is based on the concept of wind riding, and the Wind Master is an important part of it. The Wind Master is the one shaping the wind and providing the subtle air thrust needed for the rest of his clan to either travel or attack. The Wind Master, usually the oldest air cleric in the clan, is a powerful individual. He senses the wind changes and leads his people to 'where the wind blows stronger'.
Rarely is one bestowed the honor of joining the Wind Riders. Their clan is composed only of humans, with some exceptions if that person did a great favor to them. Though, they won't ask if that person is good or evil, just this: "Does he worship air?" Their dislike to other elements goes so far that they will not willingly speak to or listen to a non-air worshiping person.
The clan is divided into three separate groups, though when they travel they do it always together, one looking after another:
- the Drake Riders, which glide through the sky on their "Drake-wings", the powerful triangular kite-like wings.
- the Land Scourges, a subgroup that travels on wheeled Sail-boards, using air sails to propel them,
- and finally the Beast Tuggers, which use all manner of beasts to pull their enormous carts and wagons.
* - see appendix for description of the Drake-wing.
The Drake Rider PrC
"YYYYEEEEEEhhhaaaaaaa!!!!"
- Ler, the fresh addition to the Drake Riders
Drake Riders do not ride drakes. Nobody does that. They fly using triangular kites made of air drake wing skin, and are given the air lift by the Wind Master, their chief. They despise all other elements and other element worshipers, especially clerics. In that aspect their xenophobia can most certainly be fatal to the one trying to approach them, without "giving the proper respect to the one element above all others".
Almost without exception, when asked if they'll admit a stranger into their ranks, Drake Wing Commander and the Wind Master say in unison: "You are not a wind chosen. Begone." If a person is persistent enough, proves his ability to fly on a drake-wing without instruction or has powerful spells that can hurl him through the air, he may be accepted if the Wind Master so decides. As for the physical difficulties, the half-giants cannot fly under any circumstances, they are too heavy. The aarakocra don't need the Drake-wing to fly, and the occasional halfling, if he hails from the Jagged Cliffs area, has better things to do than to bombard water caravans during monsoon seasons. In truth, however, the halflings make the best Drake-Riders. To become a Drake Wing Commander is another thing entirely. The person needs to prove his worth and ability. Then he may be chosen as a second in command to he current Drake Wing Commander, at whose side he learns how to control large air formations. Only when the old Drake Wing Commander dies, most likely in battle, he is promoted to the position of the leader.
NPC Drake Riders can sometimes be seen in the sky as scouts for the clan, looking for an appropriate place for their Wind Master to release the air magic and land them down for the night. They seem aloof and they know it. To them the sky is all they need, and a good fight is an extra bonus. When that battle occurs, it's the Drake Wing Commander that leads them, defines strategy and ensures no harm comes to them. He is protective and cunning, able to lead and capable of providing discipline in the most chaotic group of the Wind Riders.
Requirements:
Base attack bonus: +5
Skills: Balance 3 ranks, Craft (Drake-wing) 8 ranks, Jump 3 ranks.
Feats: Weapon focus (light crossbow), Rapid reload (light crossbow), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Special: Must exclusively worship the element of air.
Special: Must have inherited a Drake-wing* or constructed your own.
* - see appendix for Drake-wing description and rules.
The Drake Rider has these class skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Intimidate, Jump, Spot, Tumble, Use Rope.
Hit points per level: d10
Skill Points per level: 2 + Int modifier.
Looking at the rest...
Perhaps a better name other than a reference to a bad movie? :D
Oh, you mean that ****-movie made after awsome games? :D Ya, I can change it no problem. Wing Leader? sounds crappy.
uhh.. mind freeze..
gimme suggestions people!
Drake Captain, Wind Leaf, Flymaster, drakemaster, ... uhhh... never been good at names, damn.
Interesting concept though.
How bout make this a series of PrCs, one for the grunts, one for second in command or something and then this one.
Maybe rename this one Drake Wing Commander, or just Drake Commander, or something similar.
Ok, I'm sure there are some issue with this PrC, just can't put my finger on it right now.
Interesting concept though.
This is a prc I won't be rushing to finalize any time soon. I want it top notch first. So take your time.
How bout make this a series of PrCs, one for the grunts, one for second in command or something and then this one.
The way I figured, I'd make 3 or 4 prcs, one for each part of the clan. next would be the land scourges I think. Basically in order to fly a drake-wing, one doesn't be a 10th lvl figher, 1st level is enough to learn how to fly and shoot a damn crossbow.
Maybe rename this one Drake Wing Commander, or just Drake Commander, or something similar.
Ya! drake Wing Commander! I like that one! Let's hear a couple of more suggestions from the others and I'll change then.
Oh, and if you know anything about corstructing flying vehicles and their mechanics, feel free to assist.
Or just something simple like Wing Rider or Drake Rider.
Drake Rider is basically any member of the Drake Rider group. I wanted a special name for the leader if at all posible. Drake Rider Leader doesn't have the ring to it.
wing rider is a bit unimaginative since they all ride drake-wings.
Drake Rider is basically any member of the Drake Rider group. I wanted a special name for the leader if at all posible. Drake Rider Leader doesn't have the ring to it.
wing rider is a bit unimaginative since they all ride drake-wings.
Sometimes simple works, but its your PrC, name it what you like. ;)
You could then simply name the PrC 'Wind Rider'
What about a prequisite craft skill for building and maintaining the Wind Rider and some form of skill boost for handling the vehicle and making difficult to amazing manoeuvres, such as landing on moving wagons, rocky ledges, people etc. On that note, what skill would you use for riding/piloting the Drake-wing?
Or as Nytcrawlr suggest but have the character gain the leadership skills at a higher level, say 5th to 7th, rather than starting off as a leader character. Then place Improved Leadership at a higher level.
You could then simply name the PrC 'Wind Rider'
Bell yer a genious. I could make this a generic "professional drake rider" prc, which all of them woudl take and then at 5th level he could begin to control his own squadron. Excellent idea!
What about a perquisite craft skill for building and maintaining the Wind Rider and some form of skill boost for handling the vehicle and making difficult to amazing manoeuvres, such as landing on moving wagons, rocky ledges, people etc. On that note, what skill would you use for riding/piloting the Drake-wing?
Knew I forgot something, lol. Landing is not very important since what would you do with a 30 feet wide wing on a wagon? but crafting and maintaing it would be very nice additions.
edit: I'm beginning recrafting it now.
Knew I forgot something, lol. Landing is not very important since what would you do with a 30 feet wide wing on a wagon? but crafting and maintaing it would be very nice additions.
Think about it for stealth, Mission Impossible style, if a wing could hold a few hundred pounds you could drop characters onto wagons or into forts to open gates, disable defences etc. You have to have a fun value
Have you read the stuff in 'Dragon Kings' about the Cliff Glider? It's mainly the old Battlesystem rules, but there are a few rules/ideas.
Think about it for stealth, Mission Impossible style, if a wing could hold a few hundred pounds you could drop characters onto wagons or into forts to open gates, disable defences etc. You have to have a fun value
Have you read the stuff in 'Dragon Kings' about the Cliff Glider? It's mainly the old Battlesystem rules, but there are a few rules/ideas.
to be honest, I tried to avoid mission impossible style in dark sun. I deliberately didn't consult dragon kings not the jagged cliff book in order to make this class completely different than the damn halfling that ride .. drake-wings.
Here, I addded the landing as requested, and reshuffled it a bit to show the promotion style.
Sometimes simple works, but its your PrC, name it what you like. ;)
Lol! so you were right and I was wrong! :D
Lol! so you were right and I was wrong! :D
It happens ;)
What I could see is a swooping plummet attack which could inflict +1d6 damage if the opponent is unaware, similar to a sneak attack.
Another idea.. an ability that uses the wing as cover to add to AC value, if the area above the character was reinforced and with a deft turn it could be used to shield against small to medium missile weapons. Though I guess this is similar to Air Advantage.
What about a perquisite craft skill for building and maintaining the Wind Rider
Good idea.
and some form of skill boost for handling the vehicle and making difficult to amazing manoeuvres, such as landing on moving wagons, rocky ledges, people etc. On that note, what skill would you use for riding/piloting the Drake-wing?
Well, since D&D doesn't have a pilot or drive skill like d20 Modern does, I would say just base it off of riding, as weird as that sounds.
One of the many reasons why I added those skills, along with a few others, to my game, or will anyways.
A few things, you could rename the last ability 'They Came From Behind (Ex):' to something like 'Wing/Drake's Scythe' to reflect what it does. The relative speeds might be difficult to keep track of in order to calculate additional damage (do you mean +4 damage per 30' or 1d4?).
Yep, yer right about the name, and your idea is excellent. I'll change it right away. I nemd +4 actual damage, not d4, since I envisioned the difference in speed as sheer strength when somehting like that rams into you. Imagine a bastard sword coming towards you at 240 feet per round... Massive!
What I could see is a swooping plummet attack which could inflict +1d6 damage if the opponent is unaware, similar to a sneak attack.
You can't be unaware of the drake-wing. The wind is swooshing all around it making a lot of noise.
Another idea.. an ability that uses the wing as cover to add to AC value, if the area above the character was reinforced and with a deft turn it could be used to shield against small to medium missile weapons. Though I guess this is similar to Air Advantage.
Ya, that's what I had in mind. One moment you see the flier, other you don't. Makes it kinda tricky, ergo the AC bonus.
Well, since D&D doesn't have a pilot or drive skill like d20 Modern does, I would say just base it off of riding, as weird as that sounds.
One of the many reasons why I added those skills, along with a few others, to my game, or will anyways.
It's a grey area, I also checked to see if Ride would work, hmmm. Same with a Silt Skiff or War Chariot, you'd have to have some form of handling skill.
Even though I think ride is perfectly fine, but what about the skill balance as a skill to pilot the glider?
Mmm, much better than ride! you basically balance the damn thing with ..balance skill..
However I don't have a clue how to implement it in the prc mechanics. I COULD ask for 3 ranks of balance as a prerequisite but what then? What are the DCs for doing anything?
Edit: BTW, i did the drake-wing description, it's in the appendix now.
Mmm, much better than ride! you basically balance the damn thing with ..balance skill..
However I don't have a clue how to implement it in the prc mechanics. I COULD ask for 3 ranks of balance as a prerequisite but what then? What are the DCs for doing anything?
Edit: BTW, i did the drake-wing description, it's in the appendix now.
I guess just having enough Balance skill to land and get going is a start and you have most of the more extreme maneouvres covered. You could just ask for Dex or Strength checks for any weird & wonderful stuff a player might want to try.
I guess just having enough Balance skill to land and get going is a start and you have most of the more extreme maneouvres covered. You could just ask for Dex or Strength checks for any weird & wonderful stuff a player might want to try.
Right. I'll combine this with the "magic" answer and simply ask for balance as a prereq. The experienced glider should pump his balance anyway, so that when the dm asks "do make a dc 35 balance to make a loop...
hey, that's it. loop attack = balance dc 25
edit: done, added the balance checks to all dangerous things.
Do not be shy! Pour your emotions! Don't worry, I'll bottle them all up and fill stuff them into the Beast Tugger PrC that's coming up! ;)
Do not be shy! Pour your emotions! Don't worry, I'll bottle them all up and fill stuff them into the Beast Tugger PrC that's coming up! ;)
Beast Tugger? All sorts of bad images came to mind when I saw that PrC name.
Beast Tugger? All sort of bad images came to mind when I saw that PrC name.
Hehehe.
Naah, the truth is much simpler. Not all can fly or surf the lands on the wheeled sail-carts. There are women and children which are called the beast tuggers since they are 'not fit' to fly. But they are the most proficient of all in actually catching and killing the infamous air drakes!
I am thinking of using the halfling man-eater's techiques on grappling the air drakes with ropes and hooks, and bringing the gargantuan beasts down for the slaughter!
Ergo: Beast Tuggers!
There is already a glidder apparatus in DS, its present in Dragon Kings. The PrC could use that. Also, there's really no need to use air drake skin to cover the device. Any thin and oiled leather will do. Plus air drakes are insanely dangerous.
You should seriously check out, if not already done, Forgotten Realm's Great Rift Skyguard PrC in Races of Faerûn.
There is already a glidder apparatus in DS, its present in Dragon Kings. The PrC could use that. Also, there's really no need to use air drake skin to cover the device. Any thin and oiled leather will do. Plus air drakes are insanely dangerous.
Dammit Penn, look at the damn picture:
Two leather handles, bone strusture, wing skin.
I never before have opened the damn dragon kings, and it turns out Brom visualised it exactly as I did. Damn! He beat me to it!
What's the difference? For all effects and purposes you could say those two are the same. Construction is simillar, using bones and skins, and as far as I can see the original cliff glider is only a bit smaller. Nope. They're same size, me bad. I said it was 30 feet menaing 10 x 3 meters. This is about it but it features a tail. The game mechanics are incompatible. If you (or someone) could translate those game mechanics values from the Dragon Kings we could compare and perhaps patch a bit this Drake-wing.
My point is, beside that pitiful example in old 3.0 Arms and Equipment Guide accessory, I don't think we have a quality Glider in DS, or D&D generally.
As for the dangers of air drake hunting, be tuned to the -> Beast Tugger PrC <-, the second third of the Wind Riders which specialise in hunting the very Air Drakes :evillaugh .
You should seriously check out, if not already done, Forgotten Realm's Great Rift Skyguard PrC in Races of Faerûn.
I have done so. My observations:
The skyguard and the Drake rider differ in one major thing - one rides animals, the other pilots a huge craft. When riding a bird you can do a flyby attack. Not so inside a glider. The best you can do is the Drake's Scythe, and only at 10th level. Mounted Combat also doesn't have much sense, but I do have the Fist of Iron which is a quasi-alternative.
Upgrades to the animal are quite possible, as to any wizard familiar or ranger/druid companion. Not to the damn Drake-wing. One cannot make it more agile or different in design, since it wouldn't fly.
Generally the whole concept of melee combat is imposible in a glider. The Catapult manuveur would trash the glider (where the bird would simply fly away), the axes from the sky seems a lot like the vertical shot...
All in all, I can't see much usable material in the Skyguard. They are simply two different concepts. Whle the Skyguard seems like a generalistic flying fighter, the Drake Rider is not so. He's linked with the Drake-wing, one cannot survive without another. He's most dangerous when flying, but once outside and on the ground, he's a low-level fighter.
Is the hook attack and fly-by grapple mechanically ok? Should I improve/elaborate those even more? IMO they're pretty much self-explainatory.
As always, please don't be shy if you have anything to add or to criticise.