Mystic Dancer
Originally posted by Mach2.5
Otherwise, its cool. Would fit flavor wise as originating in the city of Nibenay since they're so big on dancing as cultural art expression.
Thanks.
Exactly, I was thinking of Nibenay the whole time I was doing it.
No shei-nad, I got the concept from a non-Dark Sun source and tweaked away from there. So it's basically an original idea.
[radio message] "SHOOT!"
Edo.
Given that this is, at heart, a class that uses deception to function (fooling victims into thinking they're simple dancers when there's actually more going on), bluff might be a good requirement for the class. I think 4 or 6 ranks would work well.
I don't particularly like chance as a req, because it limits the PrC to those that have invested heavily in the bard class. I think rogue/telepaths, for example, would make great candidates for it, but with this req that's not possible.
How about Knowledge: Local for the class skills list? Might come in handy both for assassination attempts and protecting clients. (I believe rogues will have this in 3.5 as well.) On the other hand, I'm not sure that intimidate is appropriate: how does it fit into the class's shtick?
You mention that armor inhibits a mystic dancer's movements in the weapon and armor proficiency section. A mechanic to back this up would be good; I'd explicitly specify that the dance and improved dodge abilities cannot function in armor. (You could tone this down a bit for the improved dodge or remove it, but I think it should definitely apply to the dances.)
Improved Chance: As chance, but the Mystic Dancer can do 3/day. This ability improves to 4/day at 6th level and 5/day at 10th level.
A few potential problems:
1. You need to state whether this supplants or stacks with the chance ability.
2. I would specify that you cannot use this ability to re-roll the same roll more than once. I realize the description of the chance ability in the bard class currently doesn't say this, but IMO it should.
3. Finally, I think 5/day is excessive. A few times is all right, but as a DM, I wouldn't want a player re-rolling so many crucial rolls every single day; it sucks some of the suspense out of the game.
Improved Dodge: The Mystic Dancer's dodge bonus increases to +3, and can be applied wholly to one target, combination of two targets, or a +1 dodge bonus for three targets. This bonus improves to +4 at 4th level and +5 at 8th level.
It should refer to the dancer's psionic dodge bonus and not a general dodge bonus, because the character should have to maintain their reserve power points to use it. You might also want to consider increasing the number of reserve pps necessary to maintain it. Also, you mention the mystic dancer as a 'bodyguard' in the intro, but I don't really see an ability to support this. How about letting the dancer apply some or all of the dodge bonus to someone else within a certain radius of him/herself when desired?
Flirt Dance: The mystic dancer dances in a way to charm the watcher. This resembles the 1st-level telepathy power charm person, minus the display. In addition, if the target is of the opposite sex, the mystic dancer receives a +2 competence bonus to the save DC.
1. I don't see any restriction on the use of this, which essentially makes it charm person at will; potentially abusable. At the very least, I'd give it the same restrictions as a bard's fascinate; target must be able to see (but not necessarily hear) the dancer, dancer must see target, distractions prevent the ability from working. This would reinforce the idea of the dancer tricking a willing audience into thinking they're seeing a normal dance while the dancer does something more; the ability doesn't make sense if you use it in the middle of an aarakocra ambush.
2. You also shouldn't be able to use the ability over and over during a dance with no penalty IMO, I'd limit one use per target per day.
3. It needs to be specified as extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like.
4. How save DC is determined needs to be specified.
5. I'd say 'if the target would normally be attracted to the dancer's species and gender (DM's discretion)' rather than 'if the target is of the opposite sex.' A human isn't going to do it for a thri-kreen no matter what gender they are. Since this is a bit more limiting, you could increase the bonus to +4.
6. This is purely a stylistic choice, but you could make the ability a bit more dynamic by hinging the save DC on a perform check like bard abilities. Tying it into a bluff check might also be appropriate. If you did this, however, you might have to limit the ability more since the save would likely be quite difficult.
Sickness Dance: The mystic dancer, when spending a full round dancing, can infect one target with a poison she already knows. The DC for the poison is increased by the Charisma modifier of the mystic dancer if the target is the opposite sex, or half her Charisma modifier if the target is the same sex. The poisons secondary damage is also halved, round all fractions down. Note that no poison that causes death can be used with this supernatural ability.
This is a bit vague and difficult to assess balance-wise, what does it mean to "know" a poison? Must the dancer know how to craft it, or be able to craft, it, or have crafted it in the past, or have used it in the past, or merely know of it, or have in-depth knowledge about it? Does the dancer have to have the poison on him/her when this is used, and if so, is it used up? You say the poison's secondary damage is 'also' halved, but never that the primary damage is halved, did you mean to? Does the ability require contact with the target, and is there any range limit at all? You might want to consider the notes 1, 2, 5, and 6 from the previous dance for this dance as well.
Death Dance:
This applies to the previous two dances as well, but you might want to specify that the target must be actively and willingly watching the dance (not merely looking at the dancer, as in combat). Consider points 1 and 3 from the flirt dance comments as well. On the ability's use every three rounds: most dances last at least a few minutes, and given that a round is six seconds, if there if no penalty associated with failure there is virtually no chance that the dancer will fail if they have even the slightest shot unless he/she is interrupted for some reason. Also, a DC 20 perform check is meaningless for the character once they get this ability. If they've been buying ranks in perform since taking the class, they have at least 18 ranks, and they probably have at least a +2 charisma modifier to top it off. I'd set to 25 or 30 at least.
These are a few powers you might find appropriate for your class list: Mental Disruption and Befuddle, from the Mind's Eye,
as well as Xenoscope, Dermal Alteration, Facial Alteration, and Bind/Loosen, also from the Mind's Eye.
Just for a little spice, if this is a Nibenay based, you might want to throw a proper noun related to Nibenay (or Nibenay itself) into the class's name. You could also name the dance abilities after the types of Nibenese dance; the flirt dance after priytu-ih (the joyful dance), the sickness dance after liaka-ih (the tragic dance), and the death dance after wriquo-ih (the war dance).
One last note, the Nibenese know how to communicate through dance and body language. How about giving this class the ability to make innuendo checks through dance?
Cheers!
Originally posted by Ropp'cht'cht
Very nice PrC! I like this one a lot, it has very interesting flavor.
Thanks!
Thanks for the great comments as well, I have considered these with the revisions I have been making on them. This thing was sort of thrown up in haste because I was tired of writing it out at the time, heh.
Just for a little spice, if this is a Nibenay based, you might want to throw a proper noun related to Nibenay (or Nibenay itself) into the class's name.
I need to check out the Ivory Triangle box set for this later then.
You could also name the dance abilities after the types of Nibenese dance; the flirt dance after priytu-ih (the joyful dance), the sickness dance after liaka-ih (the tragic dance), and the death dance after wriquo-ih (the war dance).
Did you make these up or are they from actual sources, I ask becuase I don't remember seeing theses names anywhere.
It's pretty much done, except for a few flavor things. I will upload to the site once I get that done sometime tomorrow at work.
Must sleep now, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sent to one of our other balance gurus instead of Jon since he is busy, and once I get it back and make the changes I will update the site.
The dance names are from Ivory Triangle, in the section on Nibenese culture.
Mystic Dancer
/me dances
BTW, it is 3.5 compatible.
Looks great!