I also used this feat chain as a source. I'm thinking things like totem spirits/beastlords and other exotic powers could be drawn upon to add more diversity to the warlock...
I can't same that I'm particularly fond of those feats in the first place, but the 1/day spell-like abilities are particularly bad for the warlock, almost all of whose class design is based around at-will abilities. Any feat you spend on some moderately useful 1/day spell-like abilities could generally be better spent improving your at-will invocations. Your "Ophidian Affinity" feat, for example, could provide a worthwhile edge for a warlock favouring mind-affecting effects, like the charm invocation and the bewitching blast eldritch essence invocation (there aren't many, but Complete Mage adds a couple more).
Well, adding an at-will power through a feat would be over the top. That's what learning an invocation is for. As for the Ophidian Affinity feat, what do you think is a reasonable bonus?
Well, adding an at-will power through a feat would be over the top. That's what learning an invocation is for. As for the Ophidian Affinity feat, what do you think is a reasonable bonus?
That's sort of why I suggested making them invocations in the first place; more invocation choices are nice, since the selection is pretty thin, and snake-based invocations will see a lot more use. As for the feat form, Ophidian Affinity is mostly fine in its current state; it provides some generally worthwhile benefits that would work for a warlock of the right type. It's really the other feats in the chain that seem less likely.
The thing that is kind of off with Ophidian Affinity is the requirements section. Requiring the least invocations restricts it to warlocks (or possibly another invocation-using class, like the dragonfire adept), but that's paired with the requirement of either having a snake familiar (which requires levels in another class, or taking the Obtain Familiar feat) or being a member of an ophidian race (which is really just slightly strange, since it's then an ophidian character with an affinity for ophidians). Note also that the earliest you can take Obtain Familiar is 3rd level, so fulfilling the prerequisites that way would push acquisition of Ophidian Affinity back to 6th level.
As they are, the thing I'd suggest cutting is the invocation-use requirement, since none of the feats do anything that's specifically useful for a warlock or that specifically requires warlock abilities. Sure, a warlock could take them, and that's cool for your idea, but mechanically they're just a sideline for him with no direct tie to his core abilities. They can serve that role equally well for other characters you might want to give some snake flavour (like some of the non-warlock members of the cult).
The feats are sound as a chain of heritage feats, they just don't have anything making them desirable for the warlock (at least, not more than for any other class).
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
Well, the point of the exercise is to make a chain of feats to define the origins of a warlock. How do we make these more "warlock-ish"?
What you want to do is give them more of a connection to the warlock's class abilities, because if they don't relate to those they aren't really defining the origins of a warlock (as opposed to some other class).
For example, look at Ophidian Maw there and tell me what about it makes it a warlock feat apart from the arbitrary choice to make its 1/day magic fang have a caster level equal to the character's warlock level. Where is there anything about it that's more useful to a warlock than anyone else, or that synergizes nicely with a warlock's abilities?
Compare that to the sorcerer feat chain that starts with Draconic Heritage, where most of the subsequent draconic feats have benefits related to arcane spellcasting. After all, if it doesn't bear any relationship to the mechanical benefits of your class, why should it be a class-specific feat? Or if you prefer to look at it from the in-game point of view, why would Set only ever bestow these blessings on warlocks when their benefits are useful to all his worshippers?
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
Feline Affinity The goddess Bast, queen of cats, has touched you with power... Prerequisites: Dex 13+, ability to use Least Invocations, worshiper of Bast, feline race or cat familiar. Benefits:You suffer no damage from falls of 10 feet per class level or less. Balance, climb, jump, and tumble are always class skills for you. You gain the Call of the Beast invocation for free, but only for use with felines. You must take it as a normal learned invocation to use it with other animals. Special: You may only choose a feline familiar and lose all benefits if you offend Bast until you can atone for any infractions. Nimble Cat You gain the speed and agility of a cat. Prerequisites: Feline Affinity, Dex 15+, cat familiar. Benefits:Once per day you get a +20 rapid movement bonus to your speed for one round and one extra attack of opportunity. You gain the Catwalk invocation for free. Special: You may only choose a feline familiar and lose all benefits if you offend Bast until you can atone for any infractions. Claws of Bast You are Bast's weapon, armed to fight her enemies. Prerequisites: Nimble cat, cat familiar. Benefits: You grow claws like a cat, gaining natural claw attacks for 1d4 hp of damage each and receive a +2 bonus on climbing checks. You may retract or extend your claws at will. If you already have claws you get a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with your natural weapons. You may use the Hideous Blows invocation with your claws attacks only even if you have not learned it, up to 3/day. Special: You may only choose a feline familiar and lose all benefits if you offend Bast until you can atone for any infractions. Child of Bast You find the spirit of Bast within you and learn to manifest it outwardly. Prerequisites: Claws of Bast, cat familiar. Benefits: You gain lowlight vision and a +2 bonus on all climb, jump, listen, and spot checks. You can polymorph into any feline creature up to one size larger or smaller than you for 1 round per 2 warlock levels. Special: You may only choose a feline familiar and lose all benefits if you offend Bast until you can atone for any infractions. Ophidian Affinity You have been touched by Set, the lord of serpents. Prerequisites: You must be a worshiper of Set, and be a member of an ophidian race or have a snake familiar. You must be able to use Least Invocations. Benefits: You gain the Call of the Beast invocation for free but can only use it on snake-like creatures. You must take it as a normal learned invocation to use it with other animals. Your hypnotic gaze and cold-blooded will increase the save DC of all mind-affecting powers by +2. Special: You lose all benefits of this feat if you lose favour with Set until you atone for your infractions. Ophidian Maw Set has given you the lethal bite of a viper. Prerequisites: Ophidian Affinity, level 3. Benefits: You grow sharp fangs and venom glands and can unhinge your jaw to open your mouth wider, gaining a natural bite attack which deals 1d4 points of damage and poisonous bite that deals initial and secondary damage of 1d6 Con. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 character level + Con mod. You may use your venom Con+level times perday before running out. You may use the Hideous Blows invocation with your bite attacks only, even if you have not learned it, up to 3/day. Special: You lose all benefits of this feat if you lose favour with Set until you atone for your infractions. Ophidian Gaze Set has blessed you with the hypnotic gaze of a snake. Prerequisites: Ophidian Affinity, level 6. Benefits: Your pupils turn to slits and you can use the Eyes of the Serpent invocation 3/day even if you have not learned it. Special: You lose all benefits of this feat if you lose favour with Set until you atone for your infractions. Ophidian Form You have been blessed by Set with the strength and suppleness of a snake. Prerequisites: Ophidian Affinity, level 9. Benefits: You are treated as one size smaller or larger during combat, whichever is more advantageous to you. You can polymorph into any snake-like creature you want for 1 round/2 Warlock levels. Special: You lose all benefits of this feat if you lose favour with Set until you atone for your infractions.
They're getting there, but I'd leave Ophidian Affinity mostly in its original form (including the +1 on mind-affecting DCs instead of a +2), but cut the least invocation requirements to leave it open for non-warlocks and incorporate appropriate invocation requirements into the later feats to connect them more firmly to the warlock. I'd cut Feline Affinity into the same sort of shape; you shouldn't really need to reference call of the beast just to give someone the ability to talk to animals (it just references speak with animals, so you can use that spell directly), and it's nice if worshippers of Bast aren't required to be warlocks for that first feat. The race/familiar requirements are still kind of weird and restrictive, but less so if it doesn't require invocations as well as a familiar.
I don't recall the source or function of Catwalk or Eyes of the Serpent, so I can't comment on Nimble Cat or Ophidian Gaze at the moment.
Claws of Bast is sort of okay, but it doesn't really give very much considering that the requirements need a couple of other feats as well as a familiar. Maybe you could make the extra attack of opportunity per round a standard part of each Bast feat, like all those incarnum feats that grant an extra point of essentia in addition to their normal benefits.
Ophidian Maw giving you a full bite is a little doubtful with at-will poison; I'd suggest some kind of daily limit on that as well, such as Con + X uses/day. The hideous blow bit is good.
Ophidian Form can probably go to 1 round/character level as a daily limit, providing it's appropriately given an invocation requirement (lesser or perhaps greater). It is nifty and useful, provided that it doesn't come in too early or last an extremely long time, but it's nice to avoid chaining it too directly to one class on general principles (even if the requirements effectively do that) and it helps out warlocks that dabble in multiclassing.
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
Catwalk [Least Invocation] Level equivalent: 2nd Description: You can move at your full speed on any non-slippery surface at least 2" wide without making a Balance check unless you are attacked, and you retain your Dexterity modifier. You can cast Jump as the spell. You leave no footprints when moving, so you can only be tracked by scent. One for the scaly amongst you... Eye of the Serpent [Least Invocation] Level equivalent: 2nd Description: You can cast Hypnotism as per the spell against a single target, who receives a -2 save penalty. You can make an opposed Search check against an opponent's AC to spot a flaw in their defenses, if successful you add your Wisdom modifier to your next attack roll and damage. Once an enemy has been struck by such an attack they can negate your bonus the rest of the day.
I created these two invocations to solve some of the problems with the feats I designed.
They're getting there, but I'd leave Ophidian Affinity mostly in its original form (including the +1 on mind-affecting DCs instead of a +2), but cut the least invocation requirements to leave it open for non-warlocks and incorporate appropriate invocation requirements into the later feats to connect them more firmly to the warlock. I'd cut Feline Affinity into the same sort of shape; you shouldn't really need to reference call of the beast just to give someone the ability to talk to animals (it just references speak with animals, so you can use that spell directly), and it's nice if worshippers of Bast aren't required to be warlocks for that first feat. The race/familiar requirements are still kind of weird and restrictive, but less so if it doesn't require invocations as well as a familiar.
Call of the Beast does more than allow communication, that's why I used it. I think more generic worshiper feats are definitely in order, but without a background in magic they should not be so powerful or as specialised. These are a gift given to warlocks to help explain the whole origin for the warlock's power.
I don't recall the source or function of Catwalk or Eyes of the Serpent, so I can't comment on Nimble Cat or Ophidian Gaze at the moment.
These are new invocations I made to help worshipers of Bast and Set, forgot to post them earlier.
Claws of Bast is sort of okay, but it doesn't really give very much considering that the requirements need a couple of other feats as well as a familiar. Maybe you could make the extra attack of opportunity per round a standard part of each Bast feat, like all those incarnum feats that grant an extra point of essentia in addition to their normal benefits.
I changed the the requirements a little, no familiar is needed but having one that offends Bast is an infraction that ends the benefits of these feats. An extra attack is not a bad idea...
Ophidian Maw giving you a full bite is a little doubtful with at-will poison; I'd suggest some kind of daily limit on that as well, such as Con + X uses/day. The hideous blow bit is good.
Ophidian Form can probably go to 1 round/character level as a daily limit, providing it's appropriately given an invocation requirement (lesser or perhaps greater). It is nifty and useful, provided that it doesn't come in too early or last an extremely long time, but it's nice to avoid chaining it too directly to one class on general principles (even if the requirements effectively do that) and it helps out warlocks that dabble in multiclassing.
Hmm... Is there a rule on how often monsters can use venom? Never gave it any thought. There is an official invocation that lets a warlock turn into a hellcat, I used the limits on duration from that for comparison. Basically this shapechange is just for a single fight or to escape a hairy situation in a hurry...
Catwalk [Least Invocation] Level equivalent: 2nd Description: You can move at your full speed on any non-slippery surface at least 2" wide without making a Balance check unless you are attacked, and you retain your Dexterity modifier. You can cast Jump as the spell. You leave no footprints when moving, so you can only be tracked by scent.
Hmm, about half leaps and bounds and half entropic warding. I guess that works for an invocation in support of a specific flavour idea.
Giving it as a freely-usable invocation makes the Nimble Cat feat a bit too good, though, since its benefits are then significantly better than the standard Extra Invocation feat. Even if I were to treat the fiddly requirements as a fair trade for being able to ignore the invocation grade limit (Extra Invocation can only grant an invocation one grade lower than the highest one you have available), it's still basically granting the combined benefits of Extra Invocation and Speed of Thought, plus an extra attack of opportunity.
Drop the speed boost from Nimble Cat, and it looks much more reasonable.
Eye of the Serpent [Least Invocation] Level equivalent: 2nd Description: You can cast Hypnotism as per the spell against a single target, who receives a -2 save penalty. You can make an opposed Search check against an opponent's AC to spot a flaw in their defenses, if successful you add your Wisdom modifier to your next attack roll and damage. Once an enemy has been struck by such an attack you may not use this ability on them again that day.
It works as an invocation, but at least needs some clarification for your Ophidian Gaze feat in its current form, since it provides two separate benefits (hypnotism and Wisdom attack boost), but is described as only being usable once per day via the feat.
Is your intent that the feat allow the use of one benefit or the other each day, that each benefit can be used once per day, or that only one of the benefits is usable with the feat?
Call of the Beast does more than allow communication, that's why I used it. I think more generic worshiper feats are definitely in order, but without a background in magic they should not be so powerful or as specialised. These are a gift given to warlocks to help explain the whole origin for the warlock's power.
Call of the Beast does give wild empathy, but the original form of Ophidian Affinity already gave appropriate benefits without needing to reference anything. Ophidian Affinity also covers the appropriate power and flavour nicely for both warlocks and other worshippers, and making a new feat with arbitrarily different abilities is just a waste of space (being able to talk and relate well to snakes is about as general as you can get for a snake-based blessing).
You have the higher feats as something special for only the warlock (or other invocation-user), while Ophidian Affinity covers the baseline blessing that suits all worshippers that Set has chosen to specially bless; it's natural that a warlock who has received this blessing would then develop those abilities in line with his warlock powers.
Hmm... Is there a rule on how often monsters can use venom? Never gave it any thought. There is an official invocation that lets a warlock turn into a hellcat, I used the limits on duration from that for comparison. Basically this shapechange is just for a single fight or to escape a hairy situation in a hurry...
There's not normally a limit on poison use, but a lot of the methods available to players can't be readily used to generate a supply of poison for other uses (like poisoning the entire party's weapons, or selling poison on the black market to generate a profit). You also have things like the thri-kreen, which can use a poison bite once per day, or Poison Talons (an abyssal heritor feat) that allows poison to be used once per hour.
Hellspawned grace does have a shorter time limit, but a warlock with that invocation can reactivate it as soon as it runs out, as long as he didn't drop to 0 hit points while using it (in which case he has to wait 1 hour). So, while a feat-granted snake form might technically last longer on a single use, its overall duration for the day can be much shorter than the duration produced by multiple invocation uses, even in the unlikely even that the warlock was reduced to 0 hp every time he transformed.
The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance. - Good Omens
= My most popular campaign item; for all your adventuring convenience.Show
Zauber's Mutable Rod: This rod has a number of useful functions that make it easier to live in the wilderness. It is made of polished wood, with five studlike buttons on one end. Each button produces a different effect when pressed. Unless otherwise noted, the rod’s functions have no limit on the number of times they can be employed. • When button 1 is pressed, one end of the rod produces a small flame, equivalent to a candle. • When button 2 is pressed, the rod unfolds into a two-person tent, complete with bedrolls and warm blankets. • When button 3 is pressed, the rod becomes a one-handed hammer, suitable for pounding pitons into a wall. • When button 4 is pressed, the rod becomes a sturdy iron spade. • When button 5 is pressed, the rod becomes a wooden bucket able to hold 2 gallons of liquid. Once per day, it can be commanded to fill with fresh water. If the rod is seriously damaged or broken in any of its alternate forms (button 2, 3, 4, or 5), it reverts to its basic rod form and cannot be activated for 24 hours. Moderate conjuration; CL 9th; Craft Rod, minor creation; Price 375 gp; Weight 2 lb.
On the issue of referring to invocations, I think I prefer that to referencing a spell or non-warlock ability.A lot of people are against giving a warlock any ability that is not available at-will, but there are only so many ways to limit a special ability. I am going to keep daily powers to a minimum, but sometimes there is no other better option.
