Everybody here knows about the DDC. I propose here a prestige class open to critics. I’m waiting for your comments.
Hit Die: D6
Requirements
To qualify to become a diplomat of the DDC, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Race: Any residant of Darokin.
Skills: Diplomacy 7 ranks, bluff 5 ranks, sense motive 5 ranks, gather information 5 ranks.
Feats: Negociator, skill focus: diplomacy.
Class Skills
The Diplomat of the DDC class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (int), bluff (cha), diplomacy (cha), gather information (cha), intimidate (cha), knowledge (local), knowledge (politics), knowledge (geography), knowledge (history), knowledge (nobility and royalty), profession (merchant), sense motive (wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.
Table: The diplomat of the DDC
Level BAB For Ref Will Special
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Diplomat
2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Iron will, skill focus
3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Rapid diplomacy. Great negociator
4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Skill focus
5th +3 +1 +4 +4 Calming aura
Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the Diplomat prestige class.
Diplomat: At first level, the training of the DDC give a +2 bonus in diplomacy and +2 in bluff.
Iron will: At second level, the Diplomat gains the feat iron will, for the independance of mind is primordial to their tasks.
Skill focus: At 2nd and 4th level, the Diplomat gains a skill focus in one of the Diplomat’s class skills.
Rapid diplomacy: Now highly trained in the art of diplomacy, the Diplomat may make a diplomacy check in a full-round action with only a -5 penalty (the normal penalty is -10). A diplomacy check can be made as a free action with a -20 penalty (normally not allowed).
Great negociator: The Diplomat gains a +2 bonus to diplomacy and +2 to sense motive. This bonus stacks with the negociator feat.
Calming aura: Reaching 5th level, the Diplomat calm and diplomacy radiate from his person. All living creature with an intelligence above 3 within 25’ of the Diplomat are affected as a calm emotion spell (will dc = 10 + half character level + cha bonus) .
The only thing I would question is the Calming Aura being continuous - I would look at a number of uses/day. (No I haven't checked the class in the Gaz, but even if it is continuous in the Gaz I still think it shoud be something like 5/day for 1 minute a time.
Race: Any residant of Darokin.
I'd probably just make this Region: Darokin, rather than race, but it's not anything major. It definitely should, as you suggest, be limited to Darokin residents and not foreigners.
Skills: Diplomacy 7 ranks, bluff 5 ranks, sense motive 5 ranks, gather information 5 ranks.
These seem a little low for me. A bard or rogue (or possibly expert) would only need to be 4th level to take the class. I'd suggest raising Diplomacy to 8. Then again, it is only a 5 level PrC, so it might not be a big issue to allow it for lower than 5th level characters.
I would also probably have Knowledge (Local) as a requirement. The region specified for Local would probably impact where the DDC agent was stationed. (IE, Knowledge (Karameikos Local) for an ambassador to Karameikos). Maybe 3-4 ranks in that skill.
Feats: Negociator, skill focus: diplomacy.
Looks good. You might consider adding a Special category requirement, like Special: Must have contacted an agent of the DDC and passed the proficiency examinations of the Corps and become an agent.
Class Skills
The Diplomat of the DDC class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (int), bluff (cha), diplomacy (cha), gather information (cha), intimidate (cha), knowledge (local), knowledge (politics), knowledge (geography), knowledge (history), knowledge (nobility and royalty), profession (merchant), sense motive (wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.
Forgery and Decipher Script would probably be useful tricks for a Diplomat, and I think Speak Language is a definite must. I suggest making Profession (merchant) into Profession (any), and folding Knowledge (politics) into Knowledge (local), which seems to be how the core rules do it. Unless you prefer splitting them that way (in which case making Knowledge politics as a requirement would probably be a good idea).
I'm not sure how well Intimidate fits in with the Diplomatic idea, though I can see where a more forceful brand of negotiation might come in handy. I'm on the fence there.
I'm also not sure if 8 skill points/level is too high or not, but then again, this is a very skill based class. You might need to expand the number of skills with 8/level, though. Adding some of the ones I suggested would help.
On the Diplomat table, I'm not so sold on the idea of them having a good Reflex save, but I could be easily persuaded otherwise.
Diplomat: At first level, the training of the DDC give a +2 bonus in diplomacy and +2 in bluff.
Since the class doesn't really have that many powerful or overly powerful abilities, I'd be almost inclined to either give a +1 per level or else have the bonus raise to +4 at 3rd level. Just to give an additional edge.
Iron will: At second level, the Diplomat gains the feat iron will, for the independance of mind is primordial to their tasks.
I like your rationale behind the Iron Will bonus, but since they already have a good Will save, maybe they should get the Slippery Mind ability of high level Rogues instead? Or both (give them the Slippery Mind at a higher level).
Skill focus: At 2nd and 4th level, the Diplomat gains a skill focus in one of the Diplomat’s class skills.
I like giving them a little more "oomph" to their skills with the Skill Focus feat, but considering they've already got Skill Focus (Diplomacy), and a bonus to their Bluff skill, I think just giving them two more Skill Focus feats isn't really all that enticing. I'm not saying get rid of them, but as with the comment above on the Iron Will, I think they need something a little extra. Maybe 4th level is where they could gain the Slippery Mind ability in addition to a Skill Focus?
Great negociator: The Diplomat gains a +2 bonus to diplomacy and +2 to sense motive. This bonus stacks with the negociator feat.
Hmm... didn't see this before my earlier comment about the Diplomat ability. They get the extra +2 to Diplomacy, and a +2 to Sense Motive, as well as the earlier +2 to Bluff. All right, forget my comment above.
Calming aura: Reaching 5th level, the Diplomat calm and diplomacy radiate from his person. All living creature with an intelligence above 3 within 25’ of the Diplomat are affected as a calm emotion spell (will dc = 10 + half character level + cha bonus) .
A couple of things here- what kind of ability is this? Spell-Like, Extraordinary, or Supernatural? I'd imagine it should be a Supernatural ability. Also, as Kheldren noted, it shouldn't be continuous- a continuous calm emotions effect would be too powerful, IMO. Making it Supernatural already increases its use over the spell (its not subject to Spell Resistance, for one thing, nor does it provoke attacks of opportunity), so I think it should be limited to a number of times per day (probably 3/day). I'd probably also require that the Diplomat be able to communicate with the creatures involved (either magically or naturally). Otherwise, I think it would work pretty well, and could be a really useful ability.
I don't really like the calculation for the Will DC, though- making it based on character level rather than class level just doesn't seem right to me. There isn't a way to make it class based that I can think of though, since it's the last ability (and thus would always be +5), and most supernatural ability calculations work via the method you use. It's probably the only way to go (since not increasing the DC makes it really useless at high levels), but esthetically I don't like not having it tied to class. Can't think of any other suggestions for it, though. :p
However, IMHO it lacks a little "fluff" or colour. It is very stat-oriented and its bonusses are mainly linked to skills and saves.
I'd like to see a DDC PrC with some more powers relating to their almost supernatural abilities as superior diplomats, spies and heralds.
Imagine, e.g. that the DDC does not only negotiate with humans. They might have a semi-secret "planar branch", specializing in talking to fiendish or abyssal creatures or even elementals. They would surely be trained to protect themselves and speak a number of unusual languages?
Or, they might have access to spells such as Water Breathing when their journeys take them to the Undersea Kingdom.
It might be a special bonus of the PrC that they have access to all sorts of mission-related low magic items to help them. (Sort of like Q branch in the James Bond movies - "Right, now listen closely. This MAY look just like an ordinary walking cane to you, but if you press this button, it fires off a magical "Flare", giving you a moment's confusion to escape. And speaking of escaping - these are experimental Jet Boots of Levitation and Flying. We haven't figured out how to prevent them from catching on fire yet, but they should be ready for your next trip to Sind" :D )
The DDC could also have such a reputation as a powerful organisation that they automatically have a level of sanctuary in most civilized and semi-civilized areas. This could further translate into enemies suffering a -1 morale penalty to attack rolls when attacking a known high ranking DDC member?
etc. etc. these are just ideas. Use them if you wish
:-) Jesper
These seem a little low for me. A bard or rogue (or possibly expert) would only need to be 4th level to take the class. I'd suggest raising Diplomacy to 8. Then again, it is only a 5 level PrC, so it might not be a big issue to allow it for lower than 5th level characters.
The classes abilities aren't that powerful, as PrC's go, so I'd say this is a fine one to be able to join at low level.
I would also probably have Knowledge (Local) as a requirement. The region specified for Local would probably impact where the DDC agent was stationed. (IE, Knowledge (Karameikos Local) for an ambassador to Karameikos). Maybe 3-4 ranks in that skill.
I disagree. The skill requirements are already right at the edge of making it impossible for Fighters and Wizards to join the Corps - you'd need +2 Int and to dedicate all your skill points to it for several levels. That's actually pretty appropriate, but I don't think it should go any farther.
And I don't think it's appropriate to tie the class to a single location - according to the Gazeteer, except for overseers, agents are rotated on five year terms, so you'd get the chance to see several nations in your career. I'd instead grant the class a Knowledge (Local) bonus of some sort. Either they could get an automatic bonus at every level (with the ability to stack it on one nation or take a new one each time) or get something like "Foreign Adaptation - After X months of living in a new country, the Diplomat's Knowledge (Local) bonus becomes applicable to that country." (Not completely happy with that.)
I'm not sure how well Intimidate fits in with the Diplomatic idea, though I can see where a more forceful brand of negotiation might come in handy. I'm on the fence there.
I think it's good, cause it adds some variety to the list.
I like giving them a little more "oomph" to their skills with the Skill Focus feat, but considering they've already got Skill Focus (Diplomacy), and a bonus to their Bluff skill, I think just giving them two more Skill Focus feats isn't really all that enticing. I'm not saying get rid of them, but as with the comment above on the Iron Will, I think they need something a little extra. Maybe 4th level is where they could gain the Slippery Mind ability in addition to a Skill Focus?
I think at 5th Level they should get some ability called "Overseer", since this becomes the point when they probably become the head of a field office and assigned to a specific country. Perhaps the ability to call in favours or automatically succeed at a roll once per day or week or something, but only when relating to the nobility or bureaucracy of that country.
A couple of things here- what kind of ability is this? Spell-Like, Extraordinary, or Supernatural? I'd imagine it should be a Supernatural ability. Also, as Kheldren noted, it shouldn't be continuous- a continuous calm emotions effect would be too powerful, IMO. Making it Supernatural already increases its use over the spell (its not subject to Spell Resistance, for one thing, nor does it provoke attacks of opportunity), so I think it should be limited to a number of times per day (probably 3/day). I'd probably also require that the Diplomat be able to communicate with the creatures involved (either magically or naturally). Otherwise, I think it would work pretty well, and could be a really useful ability.
I'd say make it Extraordinary, actually - there's nothing supernatural about the class otherwise, and it's an effect that I could see arising solely from diplomacy.
And I don't think it's appropriate to tie the class to a single location - according to the Gazeteer, except for overseers, agents are rotated on five year terms, so you'd get the chance to see several nations in your career. I'd instead grant the class a Knowledge (Local) bonus of some sort. Either they could get an automatic bonus at every level (with the ability to stack it on one nation or take a new one each time) or get something like "Foreign Adaptation - After X months of living in a new country, the Diplomat's Knowledge (Local) bonus becomes applicable to that country." (Not completely happy with that.)
I like the first idea, of bonuses to the Knowledge (Local) skill. The second idea is interesting, too.
I still think they should need some type of Knowledge (Local) as a requirement- if only Knowledge (Darokin Local), to reflect their knowledge of the customs and laws of their own country. After all, if you are going to serve in an ambassadorial status, you should be able to knowledgably negotiate on the behalf of your own nation. Just speaking from personal experience, having applied for the US Foreign Service department before. (And the DDC is a rough equivalent, I'd say, to the US State Department).
I think at 5th Level they should get some ability called "Overseer", since this becomes the point when they probably become the head of a field office and assigned to a specific country. Perhaps the ability to call in favours or automatically succeed at a roll once per day or week or something, but only when relating to the nobility or bureaucracy of that country.
I like this one. I also like Spellweaver's suggestion of a "Department Q", though maybe that shouldn't be reflected in class abilities, but rather in a "fluff" section that fleshes out the DDC.
I'd say make it Extraordinary, actually - there's nothing supernatural about the class otherwise, and it's an effect that I could see arising solely from diplomacy.
True, but the calm emotions spell can be very powerful, under the right circumstances. What do you think about limitations on its usage?
I'd probably just make this Region: Darokin, rather than race, but it's not anything major. It definitely should, as you suggest, be limited to Darokin residents and not foreigners.
Good point. I'll change it that way.
These seem a little low for me. A bard or rogue (or possibly expert) would only need to be 4th level to take the class. I'd suggest raising Diplomacy to 8. Then again, it is only a 5 level PrC, so it might not be a big issue to allow it for lower than 5th level characters.
I think the class should be accessible at low level, since the PrC does not give any combat abilities.
I would also probably have Knowledge (Local) as a requirement. The region specified for Local would probably impact where the DDC agent was stationed. (IE, Knowledge (Karameikos Local) for an ambassador to Karameikos). Maybe 3-4 ranks in that skill.
I agree with you. I will add: knowledge (local: Darokin) as a requirement. It should not be another region, as Joe pointed out. I would say 3 ranks shall do it.
I'm also not sure if 8 skill points/level is too high or not, but then again, this is a very skill based class. You might need to expand the number of skills with 8/level, though. Adding some of the ones I suggested would help.
On the Diplomat table, I'm not so sold on the idea of them having a good Reflex save, but I could be easily persuaded otherwise.
As others have suggested, the DDC give many spy missions. With this in mind, I think Diplomat are highly trained in . Pushing my reasoning farther lead me to add the following skills: Move silently, hide and disguise.
What do you think?
Originally Posted by Cthulhudrew
I'm not sure how well Intimidate fits in with the Diplomatic idea, though I can see where a more forceful brand of negotiation might come in handy. I'm on the fence there.
I think it's good, cause it adds some variety to the list.
I added intimidate, because Diplomats are often used as spies, and their mission sometimes push them to use many social skills such as intimidation.
I like your rationale behind the Iron Will bonus, but since they already have a good Will save, maybe they should get the Slippery Mind ability of high level Rogues instead? Or both (give them the Slippery Mind at a higher level).
Very good idea! I would give the slippery mind ability at 4th level, as you suggested.
A couple of things here- what kind of ability is this? Spell-Like, Extraordinary, or Supernatural? I'd imagine it should be a Supernatural ability. Also, as Kheldren noted, it shouldn't be continuous- a continuous calm emotions effect would be too powerful, IMO. Making it Supernatural already increases its use over the spell (its not subject to Spell Resistance, for one thing, nor does it provoke attacks of opportunity), so I think it should be limited to a number of times per day (probably 3/day). I'd probably also require that the Diplomat be able to communicate with the creatures involved (either magically or naturally). Otherwise, I think it would work pretty well, and could be a really useful ability
I agree with Cthuludrew here. I think this should not be a supernatural ability, but extraordinary, for this is not a magical ability. Remember that SR does NOT apply on EX ability, so this is strong enough.
I don't really like the calculation for the Will DC, though- making it based on character level rather than class level just doesn't seem right to me. There isn't a way to make it class based that I can think of though, since it's the last ability (and thus would always be +5), and most supernatural ability calculations work via the method you use. It's probably the only way to go (since not increasing the DC makes it really useless at high levels), but esthetically I don't like not having it tied to class. Can't think of any other suggestions for it, though. :p
I have hesitated between 2 methods of calculation : one class level bases (10 + Dilpomat level + cha bonus) and the one I kept. The class level dependant DC is less powerful, so it should be always “on”, ie constant calming aura. I don’t like the idea of number of use / day, since it is the diplomatic talents of the Diplomat at work, here.
After thought, I think it should be writen like this:
“ Calming Aura (Ex): Reaching 5th level, the Diplomat calm and diplomacy radiate from his person. All living creature with an intelligence above 3 within 25’ of the Diplomat are affected as a calm emotion spell (will dc = 10 + Diplomat class level + cha bonus) . This aura is in constant effect, but the Diplomat can turn it off as a free action. The Calming Aura is automatically shut off if the diplomat make any hostile act (drawing a weapon, casting a spell). The Diplomat need not to talk to the creature for the Aura to be effective; it’s mery presence is calming others by is attitude.
It might be a special bonus of the PrC that they have access to all sorts of mission-related low magic items to help them. (Sort of like Q branch in the James Bond movies - "Right, now listen closely. This MAY look just like an ordinary walking cane to you, but if you press this button, it fires off a magical "Flare", giving you a moment's confusion to escape. And speaking of escaping - these are experimental Jet Boots of Levitation and Flying. We haven't figured out how to prevent them from catching on fire yet, but they should be ready for your next trip to Sind" )
Very interesting idea! I think this should be added as flavor bonus for the PrC, accessible from 1st level.
Here is a suggestion:
Level 1: the Diplomat’s superiors may give him a magic item for the mission duration. It’s value must be no more than 1,000 ducas (gp). The magic item is choosen by the DM, and must be revelant to the mission.
Level 2: the Diplomat may have up to 2 items, for a max total value of 4,000 ducas.
3: ... 3 items... max 9,000 ducas.
4: ... 4 items... max 16,000 ducas
5: ... 5 items... max 25,000 ducas.
The items are NOT given to the Diplomat
The DDC could also have such a reputation as a powerful organisation that they automatically have a level of sanctuary in most civilized and semi-civilized areas. This could further translate into enemies suffering a -1 morale penalty to attack rolls when attacking a known high ranking DDC member?
I like this one. This ability could be add at 1st level; the penalty can only be applied if the opponent is conscient of the Diplomat’s status, though!
And I don't think it's appropriate to tie the class to a single location - according to the Gazeteer, except for overseers, agents are rotated on five year terms, so you'd get the chance to see several nations in your career. I'd instead grant the class a Knowledge (Local) bonus of some sort. Either they could get an automatic bonus at every level (with the ability to stack it on one nation or take a new one each time) or get something like "Foreign Adaptation - After X months of living in a new country, the Diplomat's Knowledge (Local) bonus becomes applicable to that country." (Not completely happy with that.)
Hmmm. I'm not sure how to do it. I'll think about it.