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[D&D 4e] Building a class from the ground up: The Bloodwitch

IncorporealIncorporeal Registered User regular
edited December 2009 in Critical Failures
Alright, so a friend and I have been talking some about a custom character class I've had brewing in my head for a while and finally got to cranking out quite a bit of it last night. Now I'm wondering if anyone would like to perhaps give suggestions, point out over/underpoweredness, or toss in ideas to help the class building along. So! Let's dive right into it, shall we?

The Bloodwitch: As you can likely guess, the theme of this character is, surprise, blood. But to be more specific: Blood magic. Though instead of casting spells of an arcane nature like the already existing Blood Mage, the Bloodwitch's abilities are far more basic, aggressive, and utterly brutal. She manipulates the life energies existing within the blood of her enemies to dole out gratuitous amounts of damage, and is able to damage herself and use her own blood to further beef up the damage in exchange for her own hitpoints.

This class is intended to be a mid ranged caster with dex melee support, dishing out large amounts of damage indiscriminately (many of her attacks are area based, and effect all creatures caught in the path of the spaying blood). The powers are less "spells" and more "magical abilities", things such as projectile vomiting blood at an enemy to burn their flesh with magical fire or acid damage, or making an enemy's blood literally explode from their body to deal damage to them and any close enough to be sprayed by the magically charged fluid, or have blood ooze from their palms and coat their weapon in order to grant a magical boost to the damage of their melee attacks, things like that.

The flavor can wait though, for now I'll simply tell you the bare class stats:

Bloodwitch:
Role: Striker
Power Source: Blood (Blood magic, blood energy, I would appreciate a cool name that rolls of the tongue.)
Key Abilities: Charisma, Dexterity, Constitution
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Melee
Implements: Blood Claws (See class features)
Defenses: +1 Ref, +1 Will
HP 1st level: 12+Con score
HP gained per level: 6
Healing Surges per day: 6+Con mod
Skills: Choose four; Arcana, Endurance, Heal, History, Intimidate, Perception, Stealth


Class Features: Blood Claws, Sanguine Vestments, Scarlet Pact, Burning Blood
Blood Claws: You have two natural weapons that can be manifested as a free action. You are proficient in these weapons (+2 prof), 2d6 damage, these claws can be selected for the purpose of weapon specific feats. The player cannot use other weapons when the Blood Claws ability is active.
One of the first twisted abilities you learn on your way to become a Bloodwitch, you are able to warp your hands into long, wickedly sharp claws. Your fingers grow twice their length and the pointed tips become a strange, blood colored material as strong and as a sharp as a steel blade..

Sanguine Vestments: While wearing cloth or no armor, and not using a shield, you have a +2 bonus to AC. This bonus increases to a +3 bonus when you are bloodied, this bonus increases to +4 when bloodied at Paragon Tier. (Though perhaps the increase might need to be changed, or turned into a feat the class can take or something)
Through the fell magics and abhorrent rituals you practice, the very blood that soaks and stains your clothing becomes a form of magical protection on par with a suit of armor.

Scarlet Pact: When using any Bloodwitch power, as a free action before you cast the power, you may damage yourself. Heroic: 1d8 / Paragon: 2d8 / Epic: 3d8. If the Bloodwitch attack hits the enemy, add double this number to the damage the enemy receives.
You use the blood and life energy from your very veins to power your magics, and can borrow some of that blood to boost the power of your attacks.

Burning Blood: When you are bloodied, and use a Bloodwitch encounter or daily power, the target(s) of the attack takes ongoing fire and/or (haven't figured out if it should be both, or the player's choice of one or the other) acid damage equal to your constitution modifier (save ends).
When your body is injured enough, the latent fury coursing through your veins seethes with energy, burning the flesh of your enemies as they are covered in it.


That's it for the basics of the class, I'll post all the powers that we figured out (We have 23 so far) once I get back from classes. In the meantime, I would greatly appreciate suggestions for powers and feats, tweaked stats, or even so much as interesting names for things. We've yet to run this all by our DM, so some suggestions for balancing would be very nice as well. Oh! And I'll post oodles and oodles of flavor text as well, once I'm back.


((Lowered some of the dice rolls to suggested numbers.))

Okay, now for the powers. I have yet to figure out levels or anything for these, so some that seem clearly rediculous are obviously ment to be high level.

Powers:

At wills:
Twin Claws: Standard, Melee, one creature, Dex vs AC (Two separate attacks), Hit: 1[W] per attack.
You slash viciously with your claws.

Bloodfang Bite: Standard, Melee, one creature, Dex vs Reflex, Hit: 1[w]+Dex mod. Gain temporary hitpoints equal to constitution modifier.
you leap at your foe and sink your teeth into their flesh, drinking their life force.

Sanguine Slip: Utility, Free action, self, You ignore squeezing.
Your flesh takes on the consistency of blood, allowing you to slip into tight spaces.

Blood Bolt: Standard, range 5, one creature, Cha vs. Reflex, Hit: 1d6 +cha mod damage. Target takes -2 to attacks till end of your next turn.
You launch a charged blast of your blood at an enemy, burning their flesh and hindering attacks.


Encounters:

Red Mist: Immediate Reaction, burst 1, each creature in burst, Cha vs. Fort, Trigger: An attack bloodies you, Hit: 1d6+cha mod damage, target(s) dazed until end of your next turn, Sustain minor: Targets in zone take damage equal to your charisma mod.
You raise your head and spay blood from your mouth into the air, the falling mist causes those who inhale it to begin coughing uncontrollably until the mist clears.

Boiling Veins: Standard, range 5, one creature, CHA vs Fort, Hit: 3d8+Cha mod damage and target takes ongoing 10 fire damage (save ends).
You channel the burning rage in your veins at a foe, causing the blood flowing in them to literally begin to boil.

Blood Spay: Standard, blast 3, all creatures, CHA vs Reflex, Hit: 2d4+Cha mod, target(s) blinded until end of your next turn.
A great heave sends forth a spay of projectile vomited blood into the faces of those in your path, painfully burning their eyes.

Rapid Rend: Minor, Melee, one creature, DEX vs AC, Hit: 1[w]+dex mod.
You strike at your enemy with a lightning quick slash.

Coagulate: Utility, Immediate reaction, Self, Trigger: You are subjected to ongoing damage, Effect: You automatically end the ongoing damage.
You coagulate the blood flowing through your body, magically purging it of impurities.

Red Eye: Utility, Minor action, self, You gain a +5 bonus to perception checks, and can see invisible creatures as if they were visible.
Your eyes fill with blood, and you use its energy to greatly enhance your eyesight.

Sanguine Shift: Move action, self, You can shift up to your speed, ignore difficult terrain, and move through enemy squares.
Your form bursts into a shifting pool of blood that moves rapidly before your body regains its shape.

Burst Capillary: Standard, range 5, one creature, CHA vs. Fort, 1d10+CHA mod damage and target is blinded (save ends).
With a twist of your hand, you rend the blood vessles in your foe's eyes.


Dailys:

Blood Spatter: Standard, melee touch, one creature, DEX vs Reflex, Hit: Dex mod damage and make a secondary attack, 2nd attack: blast 3 directly behind the target, CHA vs Reflex, 2d10+CHA mod and dazed (save ends.
You strike the foe with the palm of your hand, causing blood to eplode from their back and spatter any unlucky person behind them, burning them with bloody energy.

Sanguine Hands: Minor, self, All melee atacks you do deal 1d6 additional damage, sustain minor.
Blood seeps from your hands, coating them in a dripping layer of charged plasma.

Sanguine Arms: Minor, self, until end of the encounter all melee attacks you do deal 1d12 additional damage.
Blood seeps from your skin, coating your entire arms in viciously charged fluid.

Wracking Pain: Standard, melee touch, one creature, DEX vs Reflex, 3[W] +dex mod, target is stunned until the end of your next turn.
Your claws drip with wicked power, causing mind rending agony to anyone they are cut by.

Sense Lifeforce: Minor, range: sight, one creature, The DM must tell you the current and total hit points of the creature as well as healing surges and temporary hit points.
Your deep connection with blood allows you to sense how much is flowing in some one's veins, and how much must be spilled to sever the bond between body and soul.

Blood Shape: Utility, minor, one creature, You take on the target's physical appearance (but not their equipment, nor their abilities or languages), this lasts until you end it as a free action or until you use another Bloodwitch power, can only be used on creatures of the same type as you (example: if you are a humanoid, you can only take the appearance of humanoids), Requirement: You must imbibe the target's blood.
You have such power over blood that you are able to copy the lifeforce of a victim and take on their form simply by drinking a sip of their blood.

Blood Fog: Standard, close burst, You create a zone that lasts until the end of the encounter, this zone blocks line of sight and allies starting their turn in it gain temporary hit points equal to half their level.
Your cheeks puff out as a thick fog of blood billows from your lips, creating a thick shroud and forming a protective coating over the bodies of your allies.

Sanguine Bond: ((Yes, I got the name and idea from the Magic: The Gathering card, lol) Standard, range 5, one creature, CHA vs Will, 2d6+cha mod damage and you mark the target until the end of the encounter, and damage the marked target does to you it takes as well.
You form a synergy of lifeforce with your foe, magically binding your blood together so that when yours is spilt, theirs is as well.

Blood Bomb: (One of my favorites!) Standard, range 10, one creature, Cha vs Will, 2d6+cha mod damage, if this attack reduces the target to 0 or fewer hit points make a secondary attack, 2nd attack: Burst 2 from primary target, targets all creatures in burst, CHA vs. AC, 1d8+CHA mod damage.
You make the enemy's blood expand within their body and cause great harm, occasionally causing the victim to violently explode in a grim burst of gore and cause further harm to those around it.

Scarlet Frenzy: Standard, close burst 1, each creature in burst, Dex vs AC, 2[w]+dex mod damage, shift 5 quares and make an repeat attack.
You are overcome for a moment with a blood frenzy, slashing wildly at anything around you before collapsing into a pool of blood, darting to another spot to burst forth and frenzy again.

Bloodblaze Form: Standard, Close burst 3, each creature in burst, CHA vs AC, 2d8+CHA mod damage, and until the end of the encounter you take the form of the Bloodblaze. You have a aura of 3, any creature moving through or starting their turn in the aura take fire damage equal to your CON modifier, any powers with the Blood keyword (Pretty much all the Bloodwitch powers) gain a bonus to the attack and damage roll equal to your CHA mod.
This is what nearly all Bloodwitches dream of one day achieving. You send forth an explosion of red spray, warping your body into a humanoid form made of blood that dances, flows, and crackles like a raging inferno.


That's it for the powers so far. I would appreciate constructive tips on perhaps altering some, or suggestions for additional powers, or even name changes (I realize I use the word Blood in like 70% of them, we didn't have a thesaurus when we made them, lol).

Incorporeal on

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    PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    BLOODY BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD DEATH GUY! or BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD.

    Scarlet Pact should clarify if you can use temp HP or if you can resist the damage. Also, unless you want AoE powers to deal sorcerer-level damage, you should limit it to one attack on one target.

    Average "claw" damage will be 2d8 (9) + stat + feat + Pact damage 1d8x2 (9) for an average of 18 + modifiers.

    Average "devastating strike" barbarian damage with a big two hander will be 1d12 (6.5) + 1d8 (4.5) + stat + feat for an average of 11 + modifiers.

    So your striker's base attack looks to be about 7 damage per round ahead of the barbarian, both using powers that make them more vulnerable (barbarian granting +2 to opponent attacks, bloody blood blood witch taking 1d8 damage).

    So just from what is posted your new class is way ahead of comparable strikers for damage-per-round.

    PotatoNinja on
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    Hexmage-PAHexmage-PA Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    This is more of a personal taste thing, but I find it weird that people make up new power sources for their own classes. Off the top of my head I've seen Mutation and Dungeon power sources before this. Why couldn't the Bloodwitch just be Arcane (especially since Arcane seems to be a catch-all power source that includes learned magic, inborn talent, fey, devils, Far Realms beings, etc.)?

    Hexmage-PA on
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    PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I'm fine with custom made content, but (just speaking from experience here) I find 90% of "I made this class up!" type content is grossly overpowered when compared to similar classes. Obviously what was posted here isn't a full class, but just the framework (striker with two sources of extra damage: 2d8 as a weapon and +1d8 x 2) puts them well ahead of a barbarian or rogue.

    I imagine a "Blood Witch" character could be made with current rules and a bit of imagination. Take a warlock (infernal or dark pact), take the feat that lets you use your at-will in melee or take melee basic training: con or charisma and multiclass rogue. Now you use mostly ranged powers with some "I take damage, you take damage" abilities and you can still do some scary stabbing action when the situation is right.

    Ta-da. Arcane caster with some melee abilities that uses creepy magic to take and deal damage. No custom class required.

    PotatoNinja on
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    Salvation122Salvation122 Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Yeah claws need to be dropped to 2d6 or 1d12 at most.

    You're also basically giving them a swingier Bloodclaw Weapon for free as a class feature, and with their key abilities they're probably going to have very decent saves, too.

    I would drop Sanguine Vestments down to a basic +2, +3 when bloodied. These guys already deal sickdickulous damage, they don't need to be tough as well.

    Salvation122 on
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    branarbranar Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I would strongly consider how Blood Claws are actually going to work, because they strike me as fairly problematic. They have no associated enhancement bonus that you've mentioned, which means that they're going to fall behind unless you give them one passively (e.g. it starts at +0 or +1 and scales to +6 by the end of epic tier). But in that case, you've essentially handed the player a chunk of additional gold - basically they're getting 2free magic items every tier. At the same time, they're probably not going to be using magical weapons, which is one less set of cool items for them to play with. Basically it makes the class more powerful (extra gold), but less interesting (optimally, no Bloodwitch would ever buy a magic weapon or implement). Generally that sort of trade strikes me as a bad one.

    I'd also think about what the class features are doing to make the class more tactically interesting in combat. Passive modifiers and bonuses are sometimes necessary and good, but I think the best class feature ideas (not that these necessarily have the best implementation in 4E, mind you) require the player to vary his play from encounter-to-encounter in a way that's moderately complex and satisfying. What can the rogue do to get combat advantage this fight? The warlock optimally wants to curse something every round, but can only curse the closest target - how can he make that work? Can he benefit from Prime Shot while he's doing that? Even when you're basically just spamming at-wills at level 1, this stuff (combined with a DM designing great encounters!) can help keep combat interesting. Looking at the class as it stands, heroic-tier Bloodwitch play to me looks like "spend down my HP and use at-wills until I can start getting that ongoing damage rider, then burn encounters/dailies". I'm not sure a ton of interesting play is going to come out of that.

    branar on
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    kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Just gonna throw in something. I don't if it feels this way to anyone else reading the thread, but Burning Blood feels like a feat instead of class feature. Just what it does sounds like it should be a feat. No idea if anybody else gets that vibe.

    kuhlmeye on
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    IncorporealIncorporeal Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    kuhlmeye wrote: »
    Just gonna throw in something. I don't if it feels this way to anyone else reading the thread, but Burning Blood feels like a feat instead of class feature. Just what it does sounds like it should be a feat. No idea if anybody else gets that vibe.

    I suppose that's a valid point. I haven't worked out any feats for the class yet, perhaps I could replace Burning Blood with a different class feature and make it a feat instead.

    Incorporeal on
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    oakloreoaklore Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I think the very most awesome/best you could do for yourself is go the the character optimization board on wizards site and let those people show you how broken the class might be. (Right here! Dude!)

    I'm sorry to say that, I got to the class features and did a "lolwut. sooo overpowered" feel to it. I'm no pro at that optimization stuff, but doubling the damage a twin striking battle axe weilding ranger can do at first level might be a path best not taken.

    oaklore on
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    PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Some of those powers are seriously crazy. Level 1 immediate reaction burst daze with a damage sustain? Level 1 power that does 3d8 damage with ongoing 10? An at-will that is better than twin strike, the best at-will in 4th edition by a wide margin?

    No, just no.

    PotatoNinja on
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    IncorporealIncorporeal Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Some of those powers are seriously crazy. Level 1 immediate reaction burst daze with a damage sustain? Level 1 power that does 3d8 damage with ongoing 10? An at-will that is better than twin strike, the best at-will in 4th edition by a wide margin?

    No, just no.

    dude, I specificly stated that I haven't worked out the levels yet. The powerful powers are just that: Powerful, they're not at all low level stuff.

    Incorporeal on
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    IncorporealIncorporeal Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    oaklore wrote: »
    I think the very most awesome/best you could do for yourself is go the the character optimization board on wizards site and let those people show you how broken the class might be. (Right here! Dude!)

    I'm sorry to say that, I got to the class features and did a "lolwut. sooo overpowered" feel to it. I'm no pro at that optimization stuff, but doubling the damage a twin striking battle axe weilding ranger can do at first level might be a path best not taken.

    Well, I suppose that's why I'm posting this on the forums, eh? I'm looking for balancing help. I know full well that some of it's overpowered, and I want to fix that before I actually implement it.

    Incorporeal on
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    YesNoMuYesNoMu Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    You might consider having the class use a version of the Ki Focuses that Monks and Assassins use. This requires them to still keep a magic item, but lets them lend the enhancement bonus to their claws or whatever other weapon or implement they'd want to use.

    YesNoMu on
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    IncorporealIncorporeal Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    YesNoMu wrote: »
    You might consider having the class use a version of the Ki Focuses that Monks and Assassins use. This requires them to still keep a magic item, but lets them lend the enhancement bonus to their claws or whatever other weapon or implement they'd want to use.

    Hmm, at least there's a few people here that are more helpful then most. Lol, I'm trying to get help from the official D&D forums, and I'll I'm getting is asshats throwing hissy fits about it not being an arcane class. I'll need to look into that particular ability and see if I can use some version of it.

    Incorporeal on
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    kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    If you want the powers to "match" up to the classes key abilities, you should change out CHA with CON. A lot of the classes abilities has to do with the Bloodwitch's blood and spraying it at people. I honestly don't get why this has anything to do with the character charisma. Unless you have a specific reason for it being a CHA class, it seems to make more sense for it to be a CON class.

    kuhlmeye on
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    tzeentchlingtzeentchling Doctor of Rocks OaklandRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    There's a existing reference for the claw powers in the Gnoll as PC article - they can take a feat to let them use their claws as essentially short swords, doing 1d6. That seems much more appropriate for a claw-based weapon.

    As for the class, I could see two different styles of play. One is more controller-esque, drawing upon the blood to use psychic attacks and manipulations of the opponents. I think of maho, from the L5R system. The other style would be more striker-controller, blasts and close bursts, much as you've described it. Here I think of the Red Lanterns in the DC universe. Either way, pure close combat seems like it would be a lesser concern, not quite a last resort but near it. You're already expending your blood to power things - why risk losing more of it at close range? Either way, riders when bloodied/unbloodied might also be appropriate, as would vampiric/soul-stealing style powers.

    Would it be appropriate to give them essentially a Bloodclaw weapon, able to be used once per encounter, as Scarlet Pact instead? Seems more in line with existing powers.

    Burning blood might work better as a utility power, but I guess could be a class feat. I might change it to be, when first bloodied in an encounter do a close burst 1 attack against reflex, on a hit do 1d10 acid. Alternately, have a power - when bloodied, if an opponent hits you with a melee attack, they take a hit vs reflex for 1d6 or +con damage.

    tzeentchling on
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