Help me design this prestige class.

[Magnyr_Delorn]

Reposting this here in a more appropriate location.

I'm trying to make a good prestige class for my gnome summoner. He is currently 3 Conjurer, 4 Master Specialist, 3 Thaumaturge. I am playing in Forgotten Realms in the Moonsea Region.

Please critique/advise/make suggestions on this VERY rough idea for a prestige class.

Master Earth Summoner(Terranigma)

Prereqs:
Race: Dwarf or Gnome
Skills: Knowledge(Planes) 8+
Languages: Terran
Feats: Spell Focus(Conj)
Augment Summoning
Spells: Ability to cast Summon Monster 3 as an
arcane spell.

Strengths:
+1 spell progression per level except 2, 6, 10
Good Fort, poor Ref/Will
d8 HD
Takes on increasing earth elemental traits as you gain levels in the PrC(Burrow Speed, Nat armor/DR, etc.)
Terran Legion: Whenever the earth template is applied to any summon you cast, you double the number of creatures summoned with the spell.
At 10th level, a Terranigma fully transforms, becoming an earth elemental(or an native outsider with the earth subtype, which one?)

Flaws:
Becomes increasing "homesick" like a kuotua in reverse, with an attachment to dry land that grows more severe with each level.
Likewise, as a Terranigma takes more levels in the class, he begins to take cumulative penalties to his Dex.

Ok, thats what I've got so far. Flesh it out for me and assign that garbled mess a progression table that is balanced. Or just add helpful comments. I'm not trying to make a broken character, so please don't post anything in regards to that effect.

[MerlinSylver]

I didnt see anything here about a BAB progression. I do think it is novel for a caster to have a poor Will save, but it plays well with the concept of the Prestige Class. It looks pretty well balanced, depending on which BAB progression you go with. As for the final form, I think it should be a native outsider, sort of like what a Monk gets at the higher levels.

Also... there may need to be an alignment restritction in the Prereqs... something that matches the alignment of the elemental you are shooting for.

Finally, an issue of Dragon Magazine once published a few 'loose rules' concerning generating Prestige Classes. One such rule is that instead of putting a race or a class as a prereq, that you should instead choose a certain racial trait or class ability to be the prereq, such as Stonecunning. This allows the vast majority of the individuals in that Prestige Class to be of the target race/class, while still making it possible (if very hard to do) for other races/classes to get in on it. An example of this is in the case of any spellcasting prestige class requiring the ability to cast spells, rather than being of a specific class.

[MerlinSylver]

More for you...

I just saw that you were asking for suggestions, so here it is:

Use a caster's BAB progression. Cap out the DR at 3 (so as not to outshine a barb), getting +1 DR every three levels. Natural armor should cap out at +4, +1 at levels 2, 5, 7, and 10. Give the class Improved Augmented Summoning somewhere in the low to middle range, try to find a spot in the 10 level progression that is low on advancements. Somewhere in the mid to high levels, the class could receive a special class ability like "Elemental Familiar", giving the caster's familiar the earth sub-type, and some DR.

I also just noted that summoned monsters would be doubled, if the earth template is added? That's a bit too much, I think... maybe a 50% increase would be more balanced. Instead of actually changing how the spell itself works, maybe this class gains the ability to summon earth elementals as a Supernatural power, rather than a spell? In this way, you could get around all those pesky anti-magic zones, and your elementals would not be able to be dispelled.

[Magnyr_Delorn]

BAB would be as a wizard.

Native Outsider(earth) was what my DM and I decided on.

I like your numbers and progression for natural armor and DR.

[Magnyr_Delorn]

Give the class Improved Augmented Summoning somewhere in the low to middle range, try to find a spot in the 10 level progression that is low on advancements.

What does Imp. Aug. Summoning do and what book can I find it in?


I also just noted that summoned monsters would be doubled, if the earth template is added? That's a bit too much, I think... maybe a 50% increase would be more balanced.

I am sort of stealing this ability from the Malconvoker, in the Complete Scoundrel. They have the ability to double their summons as long as they summon evil outsiders. I just changed the type of creature I summon.

[Magnyr_Delorn]

Heres what I got so far, still looking for suggestions.

d8HD
Good Save:Fort
BAB progression as wizard

1. +1 Natural Armor, Improved Stability(As long as a Terranigma is on land, he gains a +8 to knockdown and bull rush attempts), +1SL
2 +2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity
3 +1 DR, Burrow Speed equal to land speed, +1SL
4 +1 Natural Armor, +1SL
5 +2 Strength, Landbound*, Earthen Legion, +1SL
6 +1 DR
7 +1 Natural Armor, +1SL
8 +2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity, +1SL
9 +1 DR, +1SL
10 +1 Natural Armor, becomes native outsider(earth), gains elemental traits

Landbound-Needs a good description. I want it to be a weakness that makes the character grow more ill, and eventually die, if he isn't on dry land.

I just feel like its just missing one more thing to make it truly shine. Can anyone think of something to put about level 7 or 8(preferably dealing with enhancing summoning, rather than me)?

[MerlinSylver]

If you can find a similar rule in another established book, then I'd say it should be just fine, as to the doubling of summoned creatures. I've never actually perused the Compleat Scoundrel, but I know that the series is solid.

As for Improved Augment Summoning, it's a feat that I found in a netbook collection of feats. I've seen it presented two ways: 1. An additional +4 to Str and Con. 2. Allows the caster to summon a creature with one character class added to the creature (Imagine, a celestial dog with one level of barbarian!).

As for the landbound thing... I would recommend it progress something like a disease. Every day without access to the land requires a fortitude save, or lose one point of Con. You could scale the fort save to indicate the increasing difficulty. Start at, say, DC 12 to resist the Con damage, but each additional day increases the DC by 2. This could easily kill a 'Landbound' individual within a matter of days. Finally, I would put in a stipulation that a Cleric with (earth) as a domain could remove this Con damage with a Restore spell, but only if the said domain was in place. That might actually spur someone to TAKE earth as a domain :).

[MerlinSylver]

Another thing.... what about some sort of communication power, that allows this prestige class to communicate in some way with stones, or the land. Something not very powerful... not like Contact Other Plane, or anything... but maybe gain about as much information as say... and Augury spell. Just a thought....