An embarrasingly early draft of a class

#1

Cybermancer
Starting Ability - Sprite Handler: You can make INT, WIS, or CHA checks to interact with the cybersphere the same as the ‘real’ world. Start with three juvenile Cyber-sprite allies.
Starting Loot - CyberEgg: Sacrifice LOOT to grow a juvenile Cyber-sprite into its adult form.
*A Cyber-Sprite ally may be convinced to provide help with its unique ability. A juvenile Cyber-Sprite is exhausted by this and needs D6 rounds to recover. An adult can provide help as it wants. Some say a Cyber-Sprite can be grown into a more powerful Prime form.
Cyber-Sprite Allies (Roll or choose)

  1. Winkie: Doubles one NEAR ally’s HP up to max.
  2. Morgan: Hovers next to an ally, dealing WEAPON to anything CLOSE to them.
  3. Puck: Trips, mocks, and bothers an enemy for 1d4 rounds.
  4. Braun: Lifts an ally DOUBLE FAR into the air like a rocket.
  5. Nobel: Creates a bomb that deals 4d12 damage to everything near.
  6. Felix: Repair a ruined item, architectural feature, or vehicle instantly.
  7. Roland: Absorbs the next HEART of incoming damage.
  8. Kagumi: Contested INT roll to instantly swap places with a target.
    The intention is a sci-fi spell caster who has to talk to their spells. Each Cyber-sprite has its own personality and usually requires a CHA roll for it to help you. This can be changed by being on friendly or unfriendly terms with it.
#2

I’ve never made a fully custom class before. The abilities for the Cyber-Sprites are taken from the books. I’m mostly looking for advice because I’ve never seen a system where a PC’s relationship with their abilities are treated like a NPC before, but I think it could be a good way to make a cyberpunk caster feel unique.

#3

I like the concepts.
Question.
If not in cyberspace what effect?
How much effort for an enemy to dismiss?
How much effort to re-summon a sprite?

In essence these are cyber Pokémon, healing, true sacrifice, heavy cost resurrection/new creation should counter the 3 actions you might have in cyber battle.

Occasionally having mundane or mutant battles should humble this character, but make sure they are not useless when not fighting cyber combat…unless the players over focuses the character.

#4

Thank you for replying!

  1. This class was designed for a world where the ‘Cybersphere’ is omnipresent. Even if the character isn’t literally in the CS they can access it through hardware. I suppose I should consider what that hardware actually is and what its limits are though.
  2. I’m thinking a sprite like Morgan or Puck can be harmed enough to stop effecting meatspace with a single action. Maybe a HEART if that’s too weak.
  3. Sprites are currently intended to be like spells you can talk to. They don’t take up inventory and you only need one roll to use them. However it could potentially become angry, frightened, or otherwise disinterested in helping. In that case the roll is HARD or impossible until the player can use Sprite Handler to have a talk with it.
  4. I hadn’t actually intended for their to be much combat between Cyber Sprites (although that is cool). It is true that this class currently seems even more vulnerable than a regular spell caster in combat.
#5

Very cool!

I’d also consider allowing sprites to occupy/possess a drone, while this can get OP quick, make it limited like auto pilot or kamikaze based.

But it can offer a fork to the class, drone management. This way the class can focus on the CS but still act on the physical.

Offering a third fork in that through nano-bots they can have spell effects rounds out the character class.

CS focused
Physical focused
Magic through technology focused

All while being able to dabble in the other aspects.

It might become a d12 or d20 concept. But 3 sprite limits and you keep the character in check, adding a 4th and it costs a milestone.

Honestly it is fine as is, I’m just going to extremes to explore concepts. At the moment I think it can fall into a cyberpunk game and be fine. But you can also make 3 classes off the concept, with many varieties that are in between.

As written cha is the primary characteristic. If you tie aspects to different mental attributes then distinguished attributes arise.

All that said, just concepts to consider, this is great for a first attempt.

Also one ring to rule them all is a terrible concept in a class, you want weaknesses to shine so players need other players to survive the encounters you have planned out for them.

#6

As to spells being npcs…look up pet classes…or some such. I’ll look it up in the next few days if it’s not found. It has been discussed a bit here on the forums but never from a technological point of view.

Even that gets interesting perhaps 3 primes can make a true AI ally yet as you advance the less control and perhaps more animosity this alien intelligence has with its creator.

Way too many angles to consider, I can probably create a 10 session adventure just exploring this concept.

So great first class…play test and see how it works in your chosen world. Oddly I have found the ones I thought least of, where fine…the ones I over though require the most revision after they encounter players.

#7

Good advice. Thank you so much for the attention @Paxx !