I’ve made some monsters, played around with the game, and so I did what anyone interested in the guts would naturally do: make a new class. I won’t ramble on too much, I’ll Just give it to you as it stands at the moment. Critiques and comments welcome!
Mindwitch
“Most seek their powers from outside themselves. All of my power comes from within, and I am stronger for it.”
In a world where everyone is reliant on external powers -blades, gods, pacts, the arcane — mindwitches stand apart, relying only on the considerable power of their mind to determine their paths as they adventure. Able to control the minds of others gives mindwitches unimaginable power, but the price of this power is loathing and distrust leveled at them from the societies that inhabit.
Being strongly self-reliant and individualistic, mindwitches have as many reasons to adventure as there exist mindwitches. What all seekers of the mentalist’s path share is a need to roam, and to hide their true capabilities from a society that fears them. The lives that they must lead force mindwitches to make allies slowly, and to champion causes infrequently. When one commits to a friendship or cause, however, the results are extraordinary.
You walk a path that few can ever know You traverse the mindscape. What will you find within your own mind?
Class Traits
Role: Controller. You use your abilities to apply status conditions on enemies so that they may not fight on their own terms. Your mind controls the battlefield like no others can.
Power Source: Mental. Your talents and skills are dependent on your limitless psychic potential.
Key Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth
Weapon Proficiencies: dagger, crossbow, staff, shortsword
Bonus to Defense: +2 Will
Hit Points at 1st level: 10 + constitution
Hit Points per Level Gained: 4
Healing surges per day: 6 + Constitution modifier
Trained Skills: Insight. From the skills list below choose three more skills at 1st level.
Class skills: religion, bluff, heal, history,diplomacy, arcana, intimidate, perception
Build option: Dominator mindwitch, deciever mindwitch
Class Features: Mindlink, Strong Mind, Psychic Barrier
Mindwitch Class Features
New power keyword: Mindlink. The mindlink keyword means that a mindlink between the mindwitch and her target must be established to target the opponent or sustain the power. The moment there are no mindlinks, the power stops working.
New power source: Mental. The Mental power source denotes that someone is drawing from vast reserves of internal mental energy to generate effects.
Mindlink: The Mindwitch can create a mental link between it and a subject. The created channel makes it easier for the mindwitch to affect the target with its powers. As a minor action, the mindwitch can establish a mindlink with any target he or she can see. A mindlink last until the end of the encounter (save ends). At 11th level, there is a -2 on this save, and at 21st level there is a -4 on this save. A mindlink gives a +1 to hit on the target for any mental ability of the mindwitch. The mindwitch can establish a number of mindlinks equal to his 1+intelligence modifier at a time. Mindlinks can be relinquished as an immediate free action. Only one mindlink can be established per target unless the mindwitch has focused mindlink.
Strong Mind: The Mindwitch gets a +3 on saves against charms and fear effects.
Psychic Barrier: The mindwitch creates a zone around herself that provides a +1 on the Will defense of all allies within 5 squares. at 21st level this barrier becomes a +3 to Will.
Creating a Mindwitch
Mindwitches fall into two general categories. The dominator mindwitch prefers to control the mind of one foe and completely manipulate his/her actions. The deceiver seeks to cause chaos and disorder amongst as many people as he can.
Dominator Mindwitch
The dominator mindwitch seeks to target out single targets and manipulate them completely. The dominator build is able weaken, daze or dominate a target, creating a puppet can be bent to her will.
Ability: Focused Mindlink
The Dominator can focus her psychic energies on one target to great effect. The mindwitch is able to use multiple mindlinks on the same target, each mindlink establishing a +1 to hit on the target. Many Dominator powers also require the expenditure of mindlink to work.
Deceiver Mindwitch
The deceiver is out to fool and beguile as many opponents as possible. the deceiver can manipulate a whole group of enemies, altering the shape of the battlefield in an instant.
Ability: Group Mindlink
The deceiver mindwitch adds half his level to the total number of people he can establish a mindlink with.
Mindwitch Powers
Your powers are deadly thoughts that you implant into the minds of those that you seek to control. Charisma can amplify the effect of these thoughts, but the mastery it takes to inject these thoughts comes from keen intellect or deep insight provided by Intelligence and Wisdom, respectively.
Level 1 At-Will Thoughts
Grasping Thoughts
You close your eyes and open your mind, weaving invisible channels between yourself and multiple adversaries.
At-will * Mental
Standard Action burst 2 within 10 squares
Target: Each creature in blast.
Attack: Wisdom vs. Will
Hit: 1+Charisma modifier psychic damage.
Effect: Establish a mindlink, up to your limit, with each affected target (save ends).
Breeching Thought
With a quick flick of your mind, you implant a disruptive image or thought into your opponent’s mind. For a moment, he is unaware of what he is doing. But you know.
At-will * Mental, Mindlink
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One Creature
Attack: Intelligence vs Will
Hit: 1d6 + Intelligence modifier.
Effect: Slide the target a number of squares equal to 1 + Wisdom modifier.
Mind Dagger
You reach into the mind of your enemies, and stab them with mental energy.
At-Will * Mental, Mindlink
Standard Action
Target: Each creature you have a mindlink with.
Attack: Intelligence vs Will
Hit: 1d4 + Charisma Modifier.
Increase damage to 2d4+ Charisma Modifer at 21st level
Effect: release your mindlink with all targets. If you do, do damage equal to 1 + your charisma modifier and slide each target one square
Startling Thought
You release an image that startles your adversary, causing them to reel from the implanted revelation.
At Will* Mental
Standard Action ranged 10
Target: One Creature
Attack: Intelligence versus Will
Hit: 1 + Wisdom Modifier psychic damage
Effect: The target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
Level 1 Encounter Thoughts
Mind Lash
You force your opponent to retreat further and further into his mind with a series of mental attacks.
Encounter* Mental, Mindlink
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom versus Will
Hit: 1d4 + Charisma modifier psychic damage
Effect: Target is stunned (save ends).
Minor Mind Blast
You “shout” into the minds of your opponents, causing massive harm to their internals.
Encounter* Mental
Standard Action blast 1 within 10 squares
Target: Each creature within blast.
Attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1d4 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage
Effect: targets are dazed until the end of your next turn.
Miss: Targets take half damage, and are not dazed.
See No Evil
You fill your enemy’s mind withe distrubing imagery, until he chooses to see nothing at all.
Encounter * Mental, Mindlink
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: one creature
Attack: Intelligence vs Will
Hit: 1 + Charisma Modifier psychic damage.
Effect: Target is blinded until the end of your next turn. Release a mindlink with the target.
Sustain (minor): Target is blinded. When you no longer sustain this power, release a mindlink with the target.
Hear No Evil
Your opponent can no longer hear anything but the voices in his head that torment him.
Encounter * Mindlink, charm
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: one creature
Attack: Intelligence vs Will
Hit: 1 + Charisma Modifier psychic damage.
Effect: Target is deafened until the end of your next turn. Release a mindlink with the target.
Sustain (minor): Target is deafened. When you no longer sustain this power, release a mindlink with the target.
Seeds of Doubt
Doubt blooms like a dark rose in your adversaries.
Encounter * Mental, Fear
Standard Action burst 1 within 10 squares
Target: each creature in burst
Attack: Wisdom vs Will
Hit: 2d6 + charisma modifier pschic damage.
Effect: each target suffers a penalty to Will equal to 1 + you Charisma modifier until the end of your next turn.
Level 1 Daily Thoughts
My Will is Greater
There is no question whose mind is stronger as you implant your directives into your enemy’s mind.
Daily * Mental, Mindlink, charm
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: one creature.
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Effect: Target is dominated until the end of your next turn. At the end of your next turn, release a mindlink with the target.
Fear of the Unspoken Word
The most terrifying things are those that are yet unnamed and unknown. You release these things into your foes’ thoughts and they flee in terror.
Daily * Mental, Mindlink, fear
Standard Action
Target: All creatures you have a mindlink with.
Attack: Wisdom versus Will
Effect: Targets move away from you at their speed + your Charisma modifier. The fleeing targets avoid unsafe squares and difficult squares if it can. This movement provokes opportunity attacks.
You Shall Not Harm
You plant visions of the target’s superiority in the minds of your foes.
Daily * Mental, Mindlink, Charm
Standard Action
Target: You or one ally.
Attack: Wisdom vs. Will
Effect: Target gains +2 defense against all creatures you have a mindlink with.
Level 2 Utility Thoughts
Kill with Kindness
As you speak, you overwhelm your victim with kind thoughts and flattery. They feel so good talking with you that they don’t notice the danger that they’re in.
Encounter * Mental, Charm
Minor Action
Target: You
Effect: Gain a +5 on your next Diplomacy check
Shattered Nerves
A well-timed disrupting thought ruins your victim’s steady hands.
Daily * Mental, Charm
Immediate Interrupt Ranged 10
Trigger: An target rolls a 1d20
Target: One creature
Effect: The target suffers a penalty on its next 1d20 roll equal to 1 + your intelligence modifier.
Indomitable Will
All it takes is a moment to center yourself with the words, “I will never surrender”, and you have built an impregnable barrier around your thoughts.
Daily * Mental
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Target: You
Effect: Gain a +5 to Will until the end of your next turn.
Level 3 Encounter Thoughts
Remain Unseen
You redraw the environment in your victim’s mind without you or an ally in it.
Encounter * Mental, Mindlink
Minor Action Personal
Target: You or an ally
Attack: Wisdom vs. Will
Effect: You or the target are invisible to all creatures you have a mindlink with until the end of your next turn.
Chains of Suffering.
The channels establish between the mind of you and your opponents now become chains, constricting his mind and thoughts.
Encounter * Mental, Mindlink
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: one creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. will
Effect: Release all mindlinks that you have with the target. For each mindlink released, deal your 1 + your intelligence modifier psychic damage. The target is dazed until the start of your next turn.
Miss: Release all mindlinks and do half damage. The target is not dazed.
Break the Mind, Destroy the Body.
Already in a confused state, you introduce weakness into your foe’s body.
Encounter * Mental
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: one dazed or stunned creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude
Hit: Deal 2d6 + Charisma modifier psychic damage.
Effect: Creature becomes weakened.
The Blind May Sleep
You amplify the darkness of your blinded foes until it becomes an oblivion that they fall into.
Encounter * Mental, Sleep
Standard Action burst 10
Target: All blinded creatures within burst
Attack: Wisdom versus Fortitude
Effect: Each target becomes unconscious (save ends).
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A Jack of All Trades ,or if you prefer, an extreme example of multi-classing, Gamefiend, a.k.a Quinn Murphy has been discussing, playing and designing games straight out of the womb. He is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of this site in addition to being an aspiring game designer. As you would assume, he is a huge fan of 4e.
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Sweet, I love seeing community content like this. Before I could give you any constructive feedback, I would have to play it first. But I think you have an excellent base. Have you play tested the class any yet?
MadBrewLabs, welcome!
Thanks for the positive feedback.
I haven’t gotten a chance to playtest this yet. I have some people that I’d like to subject this to, though, so I hope to have some playnotes very soon! If you get a chance to playtest, I’d love to hear what you have to say.
It’s not a bad idea for a class, but it’s far too powerful as it stands.
Why short swords? If they’re spending all this time mastering mental energy, why would they distract themselves with martial weapons? I’d change that out for club, or something.
Dazed is a pretty strong status effect, probably too strong to inflict at-will. A mindwitch could completely shut down a non-ranged target through repeated use of this power and shifting — the target would get only one action on its turn, and so could move to pursue but could not attack.
In combination with Grasping Thoughts, Mind Dagger offers quite a lot of damage potential for an at-will power: 1d4 + 1 + double Charisma modifier, spread over an area. This isn’t necessarily broken, but it’s pretty high.
Powers with (save ends) are almost all daily powers, in the PHB. (I believe there’s one Wizard encounter power that has it.) Stunned (save ends) is far too powerful for a first-level encounter power. I ran into the same thing when creating my fourth-edition monk, and ended up making it a daily power instead; changing to “until the end of your next turn” is also an option.
Likewise, effects that happen on a miss are usually reserved for daily powers.
You Shall Not Harm: This is a leader power, really. From your class description, the mindwitch seems intended to be a controller with striker “secondary,” so this doesn’t really fit. If it’s intended to have leader-like abilities, disregard, but then watch the damage they’re dealing.
Kill With Kindness is basically a permanent +5 Diplomacy — it’s an encounter power that lasts until the end of the encounter. Not good. Make it a daily instead, or only apply it to one roll.
Remain Unseen is Personal; it shouldn’t have the “or an ally” in there. Give it a range if you want it to affect an ally. I would actually eliminate the attack roll and turn it into a utility power, as it doesn’t cause any damage and lasts only a turn.
The Blind May Sleep should have language to the effect of “an unconscious target who takes damage immediately becomes conscious.” Even with that change, this should be a daily power, because it allows coup de grace. The large area is something of a concern, too, but might be mitigated by requiring the targets to be blinded first.
One last observation: Many of your powers use one stat for the attack roll and another for the damage modifier. This is not common. Generally, an the attack roll and damage modifier are based on the same stat; sometimes an additional damage modifier based on another stat is added (such as the rogue’s Sly Flourish). It’s not really broken, but it is an oddity.
Hey Scott! Welcome and thanks for your comments. Incredibly useful stuff. I’m busy hammering out the “rough draft” as it were, so expect to see the redesign of these powers a little later. Future powers are going to keep these suggestions in mind.
The design principle of the mindwitch was actually to disrupt purely, and damage only in bursts after setting up targets through use of mindlinks. In this context, your “Controller/touch of striker” comment is right on the money.
Your comments were definitely appreciated, and I hope to see more from you (time permitting) as I roll the class out.