Tideturner (3.5e Prestige Class)
Tideturner
| “ | I did not choose to become this. No one of our kind does. Fate chose me, and I answered Her call. | ” |
| —Sieghardt, Human Fighter / Blackguard / Tideturner, Moments before the fall Gludio, Year 612 of the Aden Dynasty | ||
Tideturners have been blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) by Fate, chosen to bring change to the world. Their mere presence and force of character is enough to bolster morale, increase efficiency of fighting forces, and most importantly, turn the tide of battle in their favor. A Good Tideturner fights help the underdogs by overthrowing tyranny, injustice, and oppression however he sees fit, where as an Evil Tideturner works to bring the world down into a new level of despair, displacing the powers that be with those he fancies. Mostly fighters, Barbarians, and bards follow the Tideturner path, but some clerics, rogues, and occasional ex-monks travel the turbulent road of Fate. Blackguard Tideturners, while rare, are powerful and dangerous forces to be reckoned with: with both the blessings of evil gods and the power of fate at their side, entire planes could fall to their swords.
Becoming a Tideturner
Melothin looks around, confused. A moment ago he sat alongside his friends, letting the campfire radiate into him, enjoying a mug of ale. Now he's standing in a clearing in the middle of a vast, rolling field. Is it only a clearing? He blinks once, and seven obsidian pillars appear around him. Footsteps. He spins to find a stunning woman, dressed in a white dress with shining, golden lining. She holds a single, simple yet exotic flower in one hand. She nods her head down to smell it.
Now she's opposite him, her head tilted, her eyes locked to his. A smile creeps across her lips.
"What would you say to me for having plucked this flower?"
Melothin meets her gaze, but then sees only the field around him. It's now filled with flowers, some blooming, others wilting.
She stands at his side and whispers in his ear: "Is it wrong to pick this flower? It may be entirely true that I ended its life for my gain."
Melothin thinks a moment, and readies himself to speak when he sees himself on the other side of the clearing, speaking to the woman. "It does not matter if I did or not, there are many other flowers in this field."
He's suddenly once again alone, a cold breeze blows across the field. Clouds obscure the sky. His eyes fall upon the pillars; vines have creeped up their sides. The vines dig themselves deep, deep into the ancient stone.
The woman's voice returns. "Matter? Oh, but it does". Her voice drifts away from the clearing.
A break in the clouds allows light to creep across the hillside. It slowly glides towards the clearing, and makes it's way to the pillar. As the light grazes the obelisks, the vines begin to constrict. A bud forms, and a flower, much like the one he holds in his hand, emerges from the bud. Flakes of the shimmering black stone fall to the ground, revealing a gray, dull stone underneath the exterior covering.
"We're the caretakers of history. We're the harbingers of Fate's choices. We change the course of events for better, or ill. With Her direction, we create the necessary outcome." Melothin quickly realizes that he's speaking these words. He slaps his hands over his mouth to stop the speech. Then, his eyes grow wide: the flower he carried, now mere inches from his face, shrivels and wilts away before he could finish exhaling, revealing a tiny, dead, rotted body. His.
Then the field is as it was again, the clouds gone, the tendrils wrapping the pillars only a memory. The woman returns the flower to the earth, its roots re-seating themselves. She remains leaned over, cocking her head to look at Melothin. "What shall we do about the flower now? Is it wrong to pick this flower? It may be entirely true that I ended its life for my gain."
"What would you say to me for having plucked this flower?" he retorts, as he leans down next to her.
"I say, let my hand guide yours."
"I do not know where this will lead."
She takes his hand, forming it into a cup. Melothin stands, the flower, soil, and roots in hand. He sees himself place the plant, roots and all, in the center of the seven stone pillars. He looks at his earth-covered hands, and back at where the woman stood. Her eyes meet him. She responds with a smile, "You don't have to."
He looks up, and the campfire continues to burn bright, the mug of ale warm in his hands. His friends sit alongside, laughing, chatting, sparring as if nothing had happened.
He mutters to himself, "Whew, that must have been some strong ale. That grog-induced dream doesn't mean anything."
He hears from behind him, "Meaning? Oh, but it does." Turning, only the night air and dancing shadows of the firelight await his gaze.
Tideturners, much like Paladins, do not choose their own path. While Tideturners may come from any walk of life, those who lead sedentary lives such as Dwarves or those from lawful cultures rarely, if ever, hear the call. Tideturners lead chaotic lives; each has a different path that brings them to their destiny - some hailing from far off barbarian tribes, others from deep in the jungles, from a dense urban center, or from a tiny farming hamlet. The primary point that they have in common: each are incredibly charismatic, able to inspire all those around them to greatness. They use their way with others to influence the realm around them, for good or ill.
| Alignment: | Any chaotic. |
|---|---|
| Base Attack Bonus: | +8. |
| Attributes: | Str 13, Cha 15 |
| Feats: | Iron Will, Indomitable, Fateful Strike. |
| Skills: | Diplomacy OR Bluff 6 ranks, Intimidate 6 ranks |
| Special: | You must "catch the eye" of Fate to take this class. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Battle Cries Known | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | 1/- vs Fateful Strike Damage, Power of Fate | 1 | |||
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Fate's Shape | 1 | |||
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | 2/- vs Fateful Strike Damage, Two Fateful Strikes per Round | 2 | |||
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Two Simultaneous Battle Cries, Fate's Sacrifice | 3 | |||
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 3/- vs Fateful Strike Damage | 3 | |||
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Three Fateful Strikes per Round | 4 | |||
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 4/- vs Fateful Strike Damage, Fate's Decisive Blow | 5 | |||
| 8th | +6 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Three Simultaneous Battle Cries, | 6 | |||
| 9th | +6 | +3 | +3 | +6 | 5/- vs Fateful Strike Damage, Four Fateful Strikes per Round | 6 | |||
| 10th | +7 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Improved Fate's Decisive Blow | 7 | |||
|
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) | |||||||||
Class Features
Tideturners use their chaotic, charismatic nature to influence the tide of battle. All of the following are class features of the Tideturner.
Power of Fate Points: Power of Fate charges represent the Tideturner’s influence, his blessings by Fate, his ability to inspire and encourage his allies, and his ability to cause fear and trepidation in his enemies. A Tideturner may have a maximum of (Tideturner level + Charisma bonus) charges at any one time.
Out of battle, Power of Fate charges fade at 1 point per hour to number of charges equal to your Tideturner level, or recovers up to your Tideturner level in charges if it fell below.
In battle, Tideturners gain Power of Fate charges in battle with through Fateful Strikes. You can choose to use a Fateful Strike or Spirit of Fury attack to get 1 power of fate point for every 1D6 Fateful Strike damage you give up (still get +2 to hit and still take damage). Eg, If you have Spirit of Fury, you can do 1D6 Fateful Strike bonus damage and get one Power of Fate charge, or no bonus damage and 4 Power of Fate charges, or any combination inbetween.
You lose all Power of Fate charges if you die or fall unconscious.
Fate's Shape (Su): With fate's guiding hand, you can expend Power of Fate charges to give your weapon a new property for one round. The abilities are listed in the table below:
| Level | Power of Fate Cost | Short Name |
Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 1 | Chaos | Treat your weapon as having a Chaotic alignment for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance for one round. |
| 4th | 2 | Light | Treat your weapon as being a light weapon for one round. |
| 6th | 2 | Align | Treat your weapon as having a Good alignment (if character is good) or having an Evil alignment (if character is evil) for one round. Neutral Tideturners pick Good or Evil upon reaching 6th level. This ability changes to match the Tideturner’s current good/evil alignment, should his alignment change. |
| 8th | 3 | Numb | Your weapon deals 1 point of Wisdom damage in addition to regular damage on a successful hit. This has no effect against creatures without Wisdom scores, creatures immune to fear effects, or creatures that are immune to critical hits. |
| 10th | 3 | Legend | Treat your weapon as Epic for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance for one round. |
Fateful Strike Damage Reduction (Ex): At 1st level, a Tideturner begins to understand the nature of his Fateful Strikes, and better prepares himself for the force of will required to wield the power of Fate. He gains damage resistance versus Fateful Strike damage – both his, and from opponents (who better to oppose Fate than such as one guided by it?) The resistance starts with DR 1/- at level 1, and increases to 2/- at level 2, 3/- at level 5, 4/- at level 7, and 5/- at level 9. This damage reduction is an exception to the normal rules for Fateful Strike self-inflicted damage.
Bonus Fateful Strike Charges: (Ex): A Tideturner gains additional bonus Fateful Strike attempts per day equal to his Tideturner class level. This is in addition to fateful strikes per day granted by the Fateful Strike feat. For example, For example, a 10 Ftr / 4 Tideturner would have 9 fateful strikes per day ( 5 from total class levels, 4 from tideturner bonus.)
Additional Fateful Strike Attempts per Round: Starting at level 2, the Tideturner can do an additional Fateful Strike in a single round, for a total of two Fateful Strikes per round. At level 5 this progresses to three fateful strikes in a round, and at level 8 this progresses to a maximum of four Fateful Strikes per round. Each additional Fateful Strike applies to a different attack.
Battle Cries (Ex): The Tideturner has a series of battle cries he knows that aid his allies, and hinder his foes. To learn a battle cry, you must have at least as many levels of Tideturner as charges needed (eg, fate’s decision can only be taken at 2nd or later and Dominating Stance at 4th or later). To activate a Battle Cry, a Tideturner expends a swift action. The cry lasts for Tideturner level + charisma bonus rounds before their effects fade. Each cry costs number of Power of Fate charges for use. The battle cry affects a radius of 30" feet, and the effects end one round after leaving its radius. Multiple battle cries of the same kind do not stack with each other. A battle cry’s duration may be extended as a free action at any time before it expires by spending the required Power of Fate charges again. All battle cries end if the Tideturner dies or falls unconscious.
Battle cries are loud, gaudy, and sometimes terrifying sights. Opponents have a +10 competency bonus to locating a Tideturner for each battle cry in use.
Hold the Line (Ex): (1 Charge) Make a DC 15 Bluff or Diplomacy check. If it succeeds, friendly units remaining within the area of effect become immune to fear effects. If readying versus a charge, friendly units also get +4 on their attack roll.
Battlefield Heroics (Ex): (1 Charge) Make a DC 15 Bluff or Diplomacy check. If it succeeds, friendly units remaining within the area of effect ignore all terrain run speed modifiers and gain +3 to initiative and +10 to run speed.
Defiant to the End (Ex): (2 Charges) Make a DC 20 Bluff or Diplomacy check. If it succeeds, then while the cry is active, if a friendly unit is hit while within the area of effect, the Tideturner may, as a free action, end his Defiant to the End battle cry. If he does, the Tideturner and his ally swap places, and the Tideturner takes the damage instead of his ally.
Fate's Guiding Hand (Ex): (3 Charges) Make a DC 20 Bluff or Diplomacy check. If it succeeds, then while it is active, if a friendly unit makes a savings throw while within the are of effect, the Tideturner may, as a free action, end his Fate's Guiding Hand battle cry. If he does, that ally may reroll that savings throw. The ally must take the new roll.
Offensive Tideturner Battle Cries are done with an Intimidate check vs all in radius. Only affects those that can see and/or hear the Tideturner – but once they do, they must save or fall under the effects. Creatures without wisdom scores or who are immune to fear effects cannot be affected by these abilities.
Fateful Presence (Ex): (1 Charges) Enemies in the area of effect must save versus an intimidate or are forced to attempt to attack the Tideturner on their next turn, if able.
Intimidating Cry (Ex): (2 Charges) Enemies in the area of effect must save versus an intimidate or become shaken while remaining in the area of effect.
Dominating Stance (Ex): (4 Charges) Enemies in the area of effect must save versus an intimidate or lose one attack of opportunity per round while in area of effect.
Simultaneous Battle Cries (Ex): Normally, when a Tideturner uses a new battle cry, the old one’s effects immediately fade. Starting at 4nd level, the Tideturner can muster two battle cries simultaneously, and at 8th, the Tideturner can utter three battle cries simultaneously. When a Tideturner with simultaneous battle cry capability uses a new battle cry and he has maxed out on Simultaneous Battle Cries, he chooses which of the old ones to replace.
Fate's Sacrifice (Ex): Starting at Level 4, during a Fateful Strike, as a free action you may gain additional Power of Fate charges by choosing to take more damage from your Fateful Strike. This extra damage occurs at the same time as the normal self-inflicted damage (eg, before you make your attack). For every additional Power of Fate charge you want, you take an extra D6 of Fateful Strike damage, up to your Tideturner level in extra damage (and thus, charges) per Fateful Strike.
Fate's Decisive Blow (Ex): Starting at level 7, as a full round action once per day, the Tideturner can make one of his Fateful Strikes more than just a strike - he can make it a Decisive Blow. By spending a Fateful Strike charge, you may also expend up to your Tideturner level in extra Power of Fate charges. You get a to hit bonus equal to the number of Power of Fate points you used. The attack does normal damage, plus an additional D6 of Power of Fate damage for every Fateful Strike charge expended. You take 1D6 Fateful Strike damage for every Power of Fate charge expended. If your attack succeeds, the target takes damage from the blow, and you live through the attack (ie, remaining at > -10 hit points), you may then make an immediate Intimidate check against the target. If the intimidate check succeeds, the Tideturner may then will the subject to take maximum lethal or nonlethal damage as an Immediate Action at any time within one minute (including the moment right after the intimidate check succeeds). This effect fades if not used by then. Subjects not vulnerable to critical hits or subjects who are immune to fear effects are not affected by this ability.
Improved Fate's Decisive Blow (Ex): Instead of one extra D6 of bonus damage for every Power of Fate charge expended, you now get 2D6. (Eg, if you spend three power of Fate points, your Fate's Decisive blow adds an additional 6D6.) You still take the normal 1D6 of damage per Power of Fate charge expended. In addition, if the intimidate check succeeds, you gain a bonus to Intimidate checks equal to the number of Power of Fate charges spent for one minute per Tideturner level.
Ex-Tideturners
Much like how a Cleric is expected to obey her deity, a Tideturner is expected to follow the will of Fate. Most of the time, Fate's gifts to the Tideturner are enough to move her various pawns into positions. Very rarely, though, she may manifest Herself to the Tideturner (much like a Cleric's deity) and explain a new course of action, usually through a cryptic exchange or a test. If the Tideturner does not heed her requests, he may acquire negative levels, or in the worst case, permanently lose all Tideturner abilities.
A Tideturner who loses their Chaotic alignment loses all class abilities, including fateful strike attempts normally granted for Tideturner levels. Only by returning to a chaotic alignment and with atonement spell followed by an appropriate quest can a Tideturner regain his abilities.
Campaign Information
This class gives fighters and barbarians who are bored with the regular 'stand there and hit it' some new things to do.
Playing a Tideturner
Combat: Tideturners find themselves on the front lines of combat, alongside the friends and allies he wishes to influence. Tideturners give up some of their innate combat ability for their abilities to assist others in battle. However, in turn, those abilities rebuf his own fighting abilities.
Advancement: When all Tideturner levels are completed, most Tideturners return to their previous class for further levels. Some continue as Bards, advancing their ability to influence and help others.
Resources: Tideturners are usually welcome in the organizations they started in as their previous class. However, due to their ever increasing desires to follow Fate's call to change the world, they may find themselves joining or leaving organizations at Her will.
Tideturners in the World
| “ | The king? He betrayed our people. Taxed us out of our land. Tore us from the forests we sought refuge in. No more. Today, we stand. Today, we FIGHT! | ” |
| —Selian, Half-orc Barbarian/Tideturner, During the Uurok Skirmishes of Glandelann | ||
Tideturners often dedicate themselves to a cause, one that has affected them greatly. They seek to change the course of history - whether that's stopping an evil king, defending a small hamlet, or replacing the wizzard-emperor of the continent with an ally. All tideturners have an absolute confidence in their ability to complete their task...whether or not the goal is realistic. They pass this confidence on to their allies through their actions, words, and most importantly, deeds.
NPC Reactions: Due to the charismatic nature of the Tideturner, most NPCs are generally friendly to the Tideturner. Lawful NPCs, such as Monks, have some problems with their style of solving problems, and especially with their paradoxical nature. Paladins especially dislike Evil tideturners - they represent everything foul and wretched in the world, and most distressingly have earned the blessing of a higher power. People of authority, such as town guards, kings, and other nobility are often happy to entertain Tideturners for a time, but grow increasingly troubled if they stick around (who knows what Fate has in store for them if the Tideturner does not move on...)
Tideturner Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Local) can research Tideturners to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 10 | Tideturners are warriors who excel at helping their allies. |
| 15 | Their mere presence has the ability to inspire and bolster allies through situations. |
| 20 | They have an uncanny ability to help sway the tide of battle, with their charisma and leadership, keeping even tired armies on their feet. |
| 25 | Tideturners are in fact warriors chosen by Fate, to change (or correct) the course of history. |
Tideturners in the Game
Tideturners are excellent support fighters. They have offensive abilities like fighters, but strengths that help them and their party in many other situations.
Adaptation: A Tideturner makes a great NPC boss - boosting minions and weakening heroes. They're also great leaders of rebellions, revolutions, or simply uprisings. A Tideturner player may have already been working towards changing the plight of people in the kingdom (for better or worse).
Sample Encounter: The Emperor has had enough - the rebellious traitors must be taken down. The rabble by themselves pose little threat...but their leader, Leinhauss, can swing battles in his favor with his mere presence. The party is summoned, and ordered - on pain of death - to take down this menace, once and for all, for the Good of the Empire.
Leinhauss' rebel forces are hidden away in the forests around the Emperor's throne castle. Leinhauss is secretly getting ready to end this rebellion: by disposing of the king, once and for all. Leinhauss has gathered an army of nearly 1000 soldiers - mostly low level fighters, clerics, rogues, and sorcerers, and plans to depose the Emperor in short time.
Leinhauss will attempt to bargain with the party at first, and will try to convince them that his motives are in the right. If not, he will fight with his entire might to stop them, and the backing of his rebel forces. If necessary, Leinhauss will order a retreat - he considers it more important that the uprising succeed than killing a few pesky interlopers, and he knows that without him, the others will stand little hope of winning.
EL 20:
| Male fighter 2/ barbarian 11/Tideturner 7 | |
| CG Medium Humanoid (Human) | |
| Init/Senses | +5/Listen +17, Spot -1 |
| Languages | Common, Elven |
| AC | 34, touch 15, flat-footed 33; +1 with Haste, -2 with Rage (+1 Dex, +3 deflection, +10 armor, +6 force, +1 luck, +3 natural) |
| hp | 178 (218 when Raging) (20 HD) |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +19/+11/+14; +3 to Fort, +3 to Will when Raging, +3 Ref vs Traps |
| Speed | 40 |
| Melee | +2 Icy Burst greatsword +28/+23/+18/+13 (2D6+12 +1D6 cold/17–20, +1d10 cold) or |
| Melee | Raging +2 Icy Burst greatsword +31/+26/+21/+16 (2D6+16 +1D6 cold/17–20, +1d10 cold) or |
| Melee | Raging, Spirit of Fury +2 Icy Burst greatsword +33/+28/+23/+18 (2D6+16 +4D6 Fateful Strike +1D6 cold/17–20, +1d10 cold) or |
| Melee | Hasted, Raging, Spirit of Fury +2 Icy Burst greatsword +34/+34/+29/+24/+19 (2D6+16 +4D6 Fateful Strike +1D6 cold/17–20, +1d10 cold) |
| Ranged | +2 longbow +19/+14/+9/+4 (1d8/20 x3) |
| Base Atk/Grp | +18/+24 |
| Atk Options | Power Attack, Spirit of Fury (3/round, 14/day), Fate's Shape, Fate's Sacrifice, Fate's Decisive Blow |
| Special Actions | Rage (3/Day), Improved Uncanny Dodge, Trap Sense (+3), Tideturner Battle Cries (Hold the Line, Battlefield Heroics, Fateful Presence, Intimidating Cry, Dominating Stance), Indomitable |
| Abilities | Str 23, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 16 |
| Feats | Weapon Focus: Great Sword, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Indomitable, Power Attack, Unyielding Soul, Fateful Strike, Soul of Battle, Spirit of Fury, Improved Critical (Great Sword) |
| Skills | +26 Intimidate, +17 Bluff, +23 Handle Animal, +20 Ride, +16 Listen |
| Advancement | by character class (Tideturner) |
| Possessions | +5 Mithril Breastplate of Speed, +2 Icy Burst Greatsword, +3 Amulet of Natural Armor, +6 Bracers of Armor, +5 Cloak of Resistance, +3 Ring of Protection, Belt of Giant's Strength +6, Gloves of Dex +2 |
Leinhauss did not plan or even remotely expect to find himself in the position of leading Aden's rebel forces, but with Fate driving his path, he found himself helping those in need - a cause without a leader. Leinhauss stepped up, and has turned the rebellion from a joke to a threat that the Emperor cannot ignore any more.
Leinhauss of Aden often rides with a team of his subordinates. When around his followers, his jovial attitude constantly reinforces their spirits; when alone, he spends his time meditating, trying to discern Fate's will. Freedom drives Leinhauss, freedom from all oppression and tyranny - especially that of the Aden-Elmore empire.
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