A talk:PC/Kweto Lucullus/Build
Paladin Options
Hurrian Additional Class Skills: Paladins of Hurrian gain Survival as a class skill. Armor and Weapon Proficiencies: Paladins of Hurrian gain Weapon Focus (Longsword) as a bonus feat. Turn Undead: Paladins of Hurrian may channel to turn undead. They have an effective turning level that is four levels lower than their paladin level.
Weapon Focus won't be used, its purely for meeting prereq for combat style later.
Hunter Paladin (UA, p 58): Gain favored enemy as ranger. Lose lay on hands, remove disease, and turn undead.
Holy Judge Substitution Levels (CV, p 44): add Knowledge (the planes) 1st level: Favored Enemy (devils), replaces smite evil
Mariner
Mariner
Note: This is a revision of the mariner core class, which
originally appeared in the Age of Mortals Campaign
Sourcebook. It is the version of the class used in this
book, and represents an update of the class for future
DRAGONLANCE products.
Mariners live their lives at sea, waking to the smell of salt
air and falling asleep at night to the sound of the waves.
Some mariners are hardworking, simple sailors who love
life at sea. Others are ruthless buccaneers, bent on gaining
personal wealth through force and skill. Mariners may do
quite well for themselves on land, but they always long for
the freedom of the ocean.
Adventures: Many individuals become mariners in
order to see the wide world, while others set sail in search
of treasure or to avenge themselves on an enemy. Since
situations can change rapidly on board ship, the mariner
must be prepared to face a variety of dangers, from
hurricanes to fire, starvation to mutiny. The mariner learns
to adapt quickly to changing circumstances in order to
survive.
Characteristics: Mariners are most comfortable when
in view of the sea, and often become dispirited when they
venture too far inland. They are quick to react to danger
and sudden threats. They are not ruled by emotion, but
think through any situation, then act accordingly. Those
who live at sea are accustomed to the hard life and adopt a
pragmatic outlook in order to survive. To the landlubber,
such an attitude can seem callous or even ruthless.
Alignment: Mariners are often of neutral alignment,
learning to accept difficult situations they cannot change.
They are rarely chaotic, since life aboard ship requires
structure and discipline.
Religion: Mariners are not generally deeply religious,
though most are superstitious. Mariners, even those of
non-evil alignment, honor Zeboim, in the belief that their
offerings and prayers will placate the capricious Sea Queen.
Mariners of good alignment may also revere Habbakuk,
the Fisher King, while those of neutral alignment may pay
homage to Chislev, whose command over nature extends
to the ocean.
Background: Mariners generally come from coastaldwelling
families, who have a long-standing tradition of
serving aboard ship. Mariners may also hire onto a ship in
order to escape problems on land, either running from the
law or trying to conceal dangerous secrets. Many mariners
are professional sailors, forming part of a navy, in which
case they may come from a noble family with a history of
naval officer service.
Some mariners come into their careers by being
pressed into service against their will. A captain who is
short his full complement of crewmen will send out his
officers with gangs of sailors to “press” men into service. A
man may be drinking in a tavern one night, only to wake
up the next morning with a cracked skull on board a ship
already many leagues out at sea. Others mariners are sent
to sea as punishment for crimes or may be forced to serve
in ships as slaves.
Races: Minotaurs are the most respected and feared
mariners in Ansalon. All minotaurs are expected to serve
on board ship at some point in their lives. Ogres, too, have
held maritime endeavors in the past; half-ogres especially
are common around the Blood Sea.
The humans of Northern Ergoth and Saifhum are
known for their seamanship, with entire families serving
on board sailing ships. Other human cultures produce
mariners, also. Those nations whose cities have active
ports engaged in the sea trade are the most likely to do so.
Palanthas and Sanction are good examples, as was once
fabled Tarsis, until the Cataclysm robbed it of its harbor.
Elves rarely become mariners, since they feel most at
home in their beloved woodlands and because there is a
superstition among mariners that elves aboard ship are bad
luck. Even so, the Silvanesti have long had a House Mariner
whose role in elven society is to build and sail graceful
coastal ships, but it is a minor house with only a handful of
families. Sea elves, despite their aquatic environment, rarely
produce mariners because they would rather be swimming
in the ocean, not sailing upon it. Half-elves, especially
those whose elven parent was a sea elf, are much more
likely to become mariners.
Gnomes of appropriate guilds sometimes become
mariners, designing new and impressive ships and
experimental submersibles. Dwarves never become
mariners, and think anyone who chooses the life of a sailor
must be crazy. Kender are more likely to be found at sea as
passengers and stowaways, not sailors, but are known.
Other Classes: While at sea, most mariners work well
with other classes. Rogues and bards generally acquire
their sea legs quickly and possess a broad range of skills
that mariners admire. Mariners also appreciate the strong
sword arms of fighters, rangers, and barbarians. Clerics and
arcane spellcasters are not generally found aboard ships,
but their magic is appreciated and utilized when available.
Paladins and Knights of Solamnia rarely associate with
mariners, for the paladin’s righteous code and the knight’s
adherence to the Oath and the Measure often conflict with
the mariner’s more pragmatic view of life.
Role: Like the bard, the mariner brings a variety of
skills and abilities to an adventuring group, while not
specializing in anything. A mariner’s abilities work best
in support positions to other characters, although like the
ranger they can step up to combat when needed. While the
mariner’s class features are useful to adventurers on land,
they are unparalleled while out at sea.
Game Rule Information
Mariners have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity and Wisdom are extremely
important to mariners, as many of their skills depend on
these two abilities. Constitution also plays an important
role, since they must survive in all manner of harsh
conditions and face many dangerous situations.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8
Starting Steel: 5d4x10 steel pieces.
Class Skills
A mariner’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill)
are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int),
Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Jump
(Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int),
Profession (Wis), Speak Language (-), Spot (Wis),
Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope
(Dex). See Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook for skill
descriptions.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the mariner.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A mariner is
proficient with all simple weapons, plus the cutlass, net,
scimitar, and trident. A mariner is proficient with light
armor and buckler shields.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level, 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th
levels, a mariner gains a bonus feat. These feats must be
chosen from the list below. A mariner must still meet all
prerequisites for a bonus feat, including ability score and
base attack bonus minimums.
Alertness, Combat Expertise (Improved Disarm,
Improved Feint, Improved Trip), Combat Reflexes,
Dodge (Mobility), Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved
Initiative, Lucky†, Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot,
Rapid Shot), Power Attack (Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved
Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder), Quick
Draw, Quick-Thinking†, Toughness, Weapon Finesse,
Weapon Focus.
† New feat included earlier in this chapter.
Sailor Lore (Ex): A mariner picks up a lot of
knowledge by listening to local gossip in various ports of
call or from the sea stories of shipmates. A mariner may
make a special sailor lore check with a bonus equal to his
mariner level + his Intelligence modifier to see whether he
knows some relevant information about local people or
history, far away places, or strange superstitions. This check
will not necessarily reveal true information, as much of the
time the mariner heard it from someone who heard it from
a friend, who heard it from a guy, etc. The mariner may
not take 10 or 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is
essentially random. The DM will determine the DC of the
check by referring to the accompanying table.
Seamanship (Ex): A mariner gains the listed bonus as
a competence bonus to all Balance, Climb, and Profession
(sailor) checks.
Dirty Strike (Ex): A mariner is adept at maneuvers
such as hitting below the belt, head butts, sucker punches,
and other opportunistic tricks. Starting at 2nd level, a
mariner may choose to make a single melee attack on his
turn as a full round action that deals an additional +1d4
points of damage. This bonus increases to +2d4 at 6th
level, +3d4 at 10th level, +4d4 at 14th level, and +5d4 at
18th level. The additional damage caused by a dirty strike
is the same kind of damage as the weapon used in the
attack; a 2nd-level mariner that uses a club to make a dirty
strike deals an additional +1d4 bludgeoning damage, for
example, and if the damage dealt by the attack is nonlethal
damage, the additional damage is also nonlethal. This
ability has no effect on creatures without a discernable
anatomy or that are immune to critical hits, such as
constructs, oozes, plants, or undead. Additional damage
from a dirty strike is not multiplied if the mariner scores a
successful critical hit.
Back-to-Back (Ex): A mariner is trained in fighting
alongside his shipmates in cramped and crowded
conditions, especially against superior numbers. Starting
at 4th level, whenever a mariner is adjacent to an ally and
using the fighting defensively or total defense combat
options or the Combat Expertise feat, he gains a +1 dodge
bonus to his AC. This bonus increases to +2 at 8th level, +3
at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level. He loses
this bonus if he is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC or if
he or his ally moves more than 5 ft. away.
Table: The Mariner
Class
Level
Base
Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save Special
1st +1 +2 +2 +0
Bonus feat,
sailor lore,
seamanship +1
2nd +2 +3 +3 +0
Dirty strike
+1d4
3rd +3 +3 +3 +1 -
4th +4 +4 +4 +1
Back-toback
+1
5th +5 +4 +4 +1
Bonus feat,
seamanship +2
6th +6/+1 +5 +5 +2
Dirty strike
+2d4
7th +7/+2 +5 +5 +2 -
8th +8/+3 +6 +6 +2
Back-toback
+2
9th +9/+4 +6 +6 +3 Seamanship +3
10th +10/+5 +7 +7 +3
Bonus feat,
dirty strike
+3d4
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +7 +3 -
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +8 +4
Back-toback
+3
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +8 +4 Seamanship +4
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +9 +4
Dirty strike
+4d4
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +9 +5 Bonus feat
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +10 +5
Back-toback
+4
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +5 Seamanship +5
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +6
Dirty strike
+5d4
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +6 -
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +6
Back-to-back
+5, Bonus feat
Table: Sailor Lore
DC Type of Knowledge Example
10 Commonly known,
something that most
people have heard
and gossip about.
The Knights of Neraka have
blockaded Ak-Khurman;
Saifhum is a den of pirates
and buccaneers.
20 Known by select groups
of individuals, not
widely known by the
general populace.
A port official in Gulfport
is rumored to have a
weakness for dwarven
ale; a stretch of coast in
Khur which the Knights
of Neraka do not patrol.
25 Known only by few
individuals, spoken
of only in whispers
and secrecy.
A Solamnic Knight whose
family fortunes were built
upon piracy back in the
time of Istar; legends of
a ghost ship that haunts
the dry sea of Tarsis.
30 Unknown to the vast
majority of people, long
since forgotten by most.
A safe way of traversing the
Maelstrom of the Blood Sea;
the location of the sunken
ship of an infamous pirate.
The Mariner: What’s Changed?
This revision of the mariner includes a number
of changes based on feedback and comparison
to recent developments in d20 Systrem products,
especially with regards to the balance of the class to
other new classes in official sourcebooks. The most
immediate change is that the mariner now has a good
base attack bonus, rather than the average base attack
bonus it had in Age of Mortals. Like barbarians, fighters,
paladins, and rangers, the mariner is a warrior class.
Like the ranger, it has excellent skill points, but a lower
Hit Dice than the other warrior characters, and poorer
armor and weapon selection.
The mariner combines support elements like that
of the bard or noble and combat benefits like those of
the rogue or monk. To further enhance the mariner’s
combat ability, the dirty strike class feature has been
changed and no longer allows a Reflex save to avoid.
The trade-off is that it can only be used as part of a
single attack that takes up a full round action. The backto-
back class feature is new to this revision and offers
the mariner a little more defense when he is with allies.
Finally, the progression of bonus feats has been
spread out a little more, to end with a bonus feat at
20th level but reducing the total amount, and the class
skills of the mariner have been slightly expanded to
include Escape Artist (to represent the mariner’s ease
at operating in restrictive environments such as below
decks), and Knowledge (local) and Knowledge (nature)
(to supplement the mariner’s Sailor Lore class feature).
From DragonLance:Legends of the Twins
My comments on revision
Converting to Hurrian will require an atonement be cast. Technically you could get this for free, but it would be considered poor taste not to pay for it. Once that is done, Kweto can convert one of his previous levels to Paladin of Hurrian. The Hunter paladin and Holy Judge substitution levels are fine to use.
The Mariner class is hard to read on the wiki. If you bring the book, provide the PDF, or wait for me to read it, I'll give you my opinion on it.
Also, as long as you never apply the Weapon Focus feat to anything before you take that PrC, that won't be an issue. --Randy (Talk) 21:02, 14 January 2010 (UTC)