Talk:Objectum Apello (3.5e Class)

This is a Homebrew. Feedback is appreciated.--Honorlord (talk) 09:06, 15 November 2013 (MST)

Some editing has been done to balance the character. Summon bandages has been removed as a duplication in function of summoning healing potions. --Honorlord (talk) 10:53, 16 November 2013 (MST)

Balance concerns

A few things I note as major balance concerns. First he gets far more spell casting options than a normal magic user; also your spell like ability for summoning does not address if he is still required to provide components for spells or if he gets them for free (i.e. does he get true raise dead without having to pay 25,000 gp?) Second he has more hp, BAB and saves than normal casters and obviously as you built him he gets to use armor, and druids are notorious with iron wood spells of being able to have near the armor of a tank. In addition this all seems excessive; it has way too many abilities going on per level and I think it needs to be simplified and streamlined. Those are the major issues I see with it at a glance. Also the quick armor effect is not defined anywhere. Tivanir (talk) 09:20, 20 November 2013 (MST)

He is not casting any spells in battle, other than what he can read from a scroll or get from a potion, with the same restrictions anyone else has using a scroll or potion. He can only do anything based on what he has experienced. The BAB matches a bard, but he does not have the casting power in battle of a bard or the privileged attacks of other mid ability combat classes. While his combat abilities may be improved like anyone else by feats, he is basically a low end fighter in encounters, not a caster. Quick Armor is defined as working like quick weapons, and the armor rating is specified and noted that the appearance is according to what the Apello wants it to look like. It would be possible for an Apello to get leather armor enchanted to be better than the armor rating of the quick armor. Compared directly to other classes, this is not overpowered or a major imbalance. Components is specifically addressed in the text. The abilities per level are far less than spells per level that a caster gets and there are actually only 14 different abilities with improvements at various levels as the character levels up. I would appreciate specific as far as suggestions to help improve the class or noting specific issues. So, yes, if the Apello gets to a level where a caster at that level could cast true raise dead and this is a spell that can be put in a scroll or potion and he has experienced this spell by some means(witnessed its use or held an item that contained it), then yes he could make the scroll or potion which will last 24 hours and potentially raise the dead fully without incurring the 25,000 gp expense. Yes 25,000 gp is a lot, about 1/5 of what an average level 12 character is expected to have according to the core manuals, but this is not a game breaker. The lack of cost is a good point, and while I do not perceive it as major, I will consider a way to integrate a cost that may balance this out, perhaps a requirement for a basic component of some type for the relative level of the equivalent spell. --Honorlord (talk) 12:43, 20 November 2013 (MST)

Class Play

The Class has been played now in three different Games (3 different DMs). It does not seem overpowered as played out. The characters have proven useful to their groups. The class requires thinking ahead and planning by the player and character, including speculation when determining if or what to summon for the group as they move forward. The leveling progressions seems to be commensurate with the rest of the members of their teams. the player has a little extra "paperwork" keeping track of what and where they learned things. The characters tend to want to touch every magic item, potion scroll for potential later use. I think an enhancement on the character side would be a book carried by the character with note and reminders, a personal log they can refer back to when they want to attempt to summon things, but this could be more of a player getting into the role play of the character. Honorlord 08:59, 11 December 2015 (MST)

In regard to the "free components" concern here, it could be good to make it so this class can summon medium sized objects only if he has already banished them to a soul shard or something. This could also add a rogue aspect to this class. For the potions and such a small inexpensive material component would be appropraite. --Green Dragon (talk) 06:45, 7 June 2016 (MDT)