Charlatan, v2 (Yarpen's Remix)

[yarpen]

At the beggining I want to say that basic idea came from Andyr, who wrote his version of Charlatan kit at this topic. That's only my remix.

 

So, last time I've discovered this kit again and thought how to improve it. So, I want to present my version. Last thing, compared to other kits this is quite "bigger" (it has many abilities - but I think they're rebalanced).

 

Kit description

CHARLATAN: Charlatans are masters at manipulating people. Using their high intelligence and understanding of human nature, Charlatans prey upon the foolish, overconfident, and greedy people around them. Charlatans often seem bold and boisterous, but they always maintain self-control. The profession of swindling others and making them feel good about it is an age-old practice and none are better at it than Charlatans. The Charlatan's profession has its downside, too. When a Charlatan's facade is pierced, he is in grave danger, for no one likes to be conned. Then his quick feet may serve him better than his quick wit.

 

Charlatans are wanderers. They go from town to town, switching from one identity to another, always a step ahead of the last person they swindled. In large cities, Charlatans may be able to live out most of their lives moving from one quarter to the next. When times are tough and no great con comes to mind, Charlatans sometimes perform sleight-of-hand tricks just to get by. Charlatans also have a knack for acquiring jobs that allow them to bluff their way through each day. They can sometimes be found masquerading as priests, healers, sages, diplomats, powerful mages, and retired heroes.

 

Advantages:

- +5% bonus to Pick pocket

- Once per day per 5 levels (starting at 5th level) can cast Charm person, Friends and Know Alignment.

- Once per day per 8 levels (starting at 1st level) can try to mimic abilities of other classes. He can choose between Rage, Heal, Show, Fame, Hide, Tame beast, Exorcism and Spellcasting.

 

Disadvantages:

- Only 3 points of lore per level

- No song progress

 

Class mimic abilities:

- Rage: it gives to Charlatan +2 Strenght and Constitution bonus, fast walk and 1 point of AC penalty. But there is 5% chance that Charlatan will go berserk.

- Heal: Charlatan who also mastered basics of art of healing can try to cure some wounds of one creature. His touch (hidden in ilusion giving potions etc.) will heal 8 hit points and additional one per level. There is also 50% chance of removing poisons and diseases. But Charlatan have also 5% chance of failing which means 1D8 of damage to target.

- Blade: Charlatan will try to impress other with his weapon-using skills. It will give to him an his ally +1 thaco and morale bonus and -1 for their enemies. But there is 5% chance that Charlatan will fail, and effect will be opposite.

- Fame: Charlatan tries to look like someone famous and popular, it gives to him +1 to reputation per 2 levels for whole day. But there is 5% chance that he will fail, and undercovered have -2 to reputation for whole week.

- Hide: Charlatan will try to hide in shadows or just disguise in crowd. It makes him invisible for 1 round per level. There is 5% chance of fail which means that he shown himself, so he grants penalty of 2 AC points for 10 rounds.

- Tame beast: Charlatan will try to tame one animal for one round per level. There is 5% chance of making animal angry, and it goes berserk.

- Exorcism: thanks to knowing little of holy words, Charlatan can try to turn some minor undead for 1 round per level. But there is 5% chance that instead of success, Charlatan will flee in terror.

- Spellcasting: Charlatan many times saw powerful wizards who were casting devastating spells on their enemies and defensive spells on themselves. Also he remembers some of magic words used in incantations. He can try to cast one powerful spell from these listed below, he have got only 50% chance of success. There is also a chance of summoning wild magic, so be aware!

 

Spellcasting spells: Death Spell, Tenser's Transofmation, Globe of Invulneribility, Summon Nishruu, Ruby Ray of Reversal, Mordenkainen Sword, Chaos Sphere, Mantle, Cacofiend, Limited Wish.

 

Special, in-game ability:

Charlatan can choose any Stronghold available in game. But at-once they can have only one of them.

 

I am waiting for your opinions. Also, if this topic is crap - please, delate it without asking about my permission.

[BigRob]

The advantages look quite interesting, and the special powers don't look too overbalancing, with the possible exception of the Spellcasting one, where a Cacofiend summoned at 8th level is a pretty powerful ally (doable in BG1, if I remember my rogue XP tables right). I'd suggest limiting the Spellcasting ability to higher levels, where the bard's own spellcasting ability is beginning to approach this level (say minimum ability to cast 4th of 5th level spells).

 

 

Also, the restrictions on the kit are a little underpowered, I think. The loss in lore is relatively minor for the abilities gained, and as far as I know, bardsong doesn't actually improve in levels anyway (unless someone's fixed it while I wasn't paying attention, and a problem for the basic Blade kit too). Perhaps some relatively minor restriction in combat ability to make up for the concentration on human nature?

[Miloch]

I think the chance of failure might make it balanced, especially the spellcasting if it only has a 50% chance of success. And if that cacofiend you summoned at 8th level turns out to be your enemy rather than your ally... heh.

 

Edit: And I wouldn't say this topic is crap, but someone might want to delete the duplicate post .

[yarpen]

BigRob, you have got 5% chance of summoning Cacofiend, and also you can think that you will cast any defensive spell on yourself (I've tried to make it possibly random, so you can help your enemy or cast something veeery bad on yourself.)

 

But you're right about the fact that these spells are quite powerfull, especially for 1st level character. I'm thinking about level-dependable selection of spells.

 

I was thinking about weapons restrictions... but how to play a guard without halberd? How to be a knight without chainmail at least?

Maybe lack of spellcasting? With "Spellcast" ability as only possibility of casting any spells.

[BigRob]

Ah, so you don't get to choose which of those Spellcasting spells comes out? The way I read it was that you had a choice of possible spells, and once selected, you had a 50/50 chance of it actually working. If it is a randomly selected spell, that's much less powerful, but will it work in game? The spells produced have different targets (some self, some enemy, some could be an area) how will the game know which to choose prior to the spell being cast since targeting has to be done then?

 

 

As for a weakness to compensate for the additional powers, a total loss of spell casting would probably be a bit too much for this kit. Perhaps a loss of a single spell per level for all that extra charming?

[yarpen]

At start I was thinking about something like that... and maybe it's better concept. So ok.

 

But still, any ideas of additional disadvantages?

[Miloch]

But still, any ideas of additional disadvantages?

You could give the Charlatan custom spells. They might look like mage spells, but they could have random chances of misfiring built in. So for the Summon Cacofiend, for example, it might work correctly 25% of the time, summon the cacofiend as an enemy 25%, do something completely different 25% and do nothing 25% of the time.

 

Edit: though you'd probably have to make regular mage scrolls unusable too...

[yarpen]

Hm... but these spells, should be as innate ability (this Spellcasting skill) or at spellbook?

[Miloch]

Hm... but these spells, should be as innate ability (this Spellcasting skill) or at spellbook?

You could probably do it either way, but it would be cool if you could manage it so the spells show up in the Charlatan's spellbook, but would not have the possibility to appear in anyone else's. Maybe mods like Divine Remix can give some clues to that, because basically it creates custom spellbooks (though for clerics).

 

Another thing you could do is give the Charlatan an automatic spell casting failure like Miscast Magic applied on selecting the kit. Though that doesn't give you as much control over other possibilities, like a spell being cast but having a different effect than the one intended.

[erik]

Divine Remix basically wipes priestly spellbooks and adds castable spells via GA_MYSPELLBLARG at the appropriate level in whateverthosekitfileswasnamed.2da. ( I know, real helpful ... let's see ... clabXXYY.2da )

 

Just don't name the spells SPWIxxx.spl (so they don't show up in wizard/sorcerer/bard pick spell now lists), define them as normal mage spells, add them via GA_xxxx clab entries for the kit at the appropriate level. Ought to work just fine. I think. Try and see