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Wednesday, July 3, 2019

New Class for Basic D&D - Al'Numur


Al’Numur
Requirements: Minimum STR 9, DEX 9, and WIS 9
Prime requisite: STR and DEX
Hit Dice: 1d6
Armor: None
Weapons: None
Languages: Local Common

            Touched by the hand of God, and blessed with the abilities to protect their faith and all the people of the book. Al’Numur are people selected to bare the gifts of God, take The Shape, and crush the servants of the Fallen Angel. When in battle, the Al’Numur take The Shape, and gain characteristics of a tiger with the ferocity to match. Striking out with tooth and claw, moving with great alacrity, and as the years pass more and more abilities granted from on high. There are rumors that the Fallen Angel has servants akin to Al’Numur, but whose shape is that of a hyena. Those cannot be confirmed and are most likely the ramblings of goat herders by the camp fire.

Ignore the dagger please.


                Al’Numur take a sacred oath that they shall never use weapons or armor beyond what God has given them. When choosing an alignment, Al’Numur must be of Lawful alignment and revere the tenants of the faithful. If at any point the Al’Numur violates a serious tenant of the faith, they will lose the ability to use The Shape until they have atoned for their sins via an Imam. The Al’Numur is expected to help provide for their community and will need to tithe (Zakat) to a local Lawful organization 20 percent of the money they acquire. 
                Though they are seen as a holy figure, people are often unnerved by the presence of an Al’Numur. The predator nature of the warriors can scare the average man, and they often lead very lonely existences. People who see them in battle are often frightened to the point of fleeing, even if they are being protected. The sight of The Shape can only be tolerated by the stoutest of hearts, or the loyalist of friends.
                In order to receive a 5% experience bonus either the character's DEX or WIS must be above 13. If both of these are above 13, the the bonus is 10%



AC: As the Al’Numur increases in level, so does their AC. They become tougher and quicker with The Shape.

# of Att: The rate of attacks increases over time as they learn to combat evil.

Damage: The strength of the Al’Numur’s teeth and claws become more deadly as they increase in level.

Hit As: The strikes of an Al’Numur can overcome supernatural defenses. Their natural weapons count as the appropriate level category.

Move: As the Al Numur increases in ability, so does their Movement Rate.

Special Abilities

A – Heightened Senses – The Al’Numur can only be surprised on the roll of a 1 on a D6.

B – Regeneration – By spending 1 round in prayer, the Al’Numur can restore hit points equal to their level, once a day.

C – Speak with God’s Creatures – At this level the Al’Numur learns to communicate with all of God’s natural animal creations.

D – Blessed by the Angels – The Al’Numur automatically takes half damage from Breath related Saving Throws. If the warrior makes the saving throw, it reduces that damage to one quarter, rounded down. Attacks will always do a minimum of 1 damage.

E – Speak the Word – The Al’Numur can speak with any creature that God has given language.

F – Driven by the Word – Al’Numur at this level cannot be dissuaded from the path. They are immune to ESP, Hold and Slow Spells, any magical Charm, Quest, and Geas.

G – Beyond the Flesh - The Al’Numur’s senses expand to not require sight. Once per day, for a number of rounds equal to their level, the Al’Numur can fight without being able to see using only other senses to guide them. They can also detect creatures that are Invisible, and can tell if they are being watched (physically or magically).

               Al'Numur have the following abilities equivalent to a similar level Thief. 

  • Find Traps (but not Remove)
  • Move Silently
  • Climb Walls
  • Hide in Shadows
Female Al'Numur are rarer,but not unheard.


               This class is heavily inspired from two sources. First, is the BECMI style monk with which a lot of the stats are similar.  Next, is the story Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed. If you have not checked out this story, I recommend it. The link to it is HERE.
               I am unsure on the balance of this class, and I am looking for any feedback that people want to throw at me. I kept finding reasons to increase and decrease the relative power level. I came to what I believe is a healthy balance.
               I am currently working on a setting for B/X and Old School Essentials that is Arabian Fantasy. A link to all my articles is HERE.





4 comments:

  1. The damage numbers are a bit odd, although some of the other gains as the character levels up may offset them. For example, damage at Level 6 (1d6+2 or 3-8) is better than at Level 7 (1d8)! However, number of attacks increases from 3/2 to 2/1. The mix seems a little odd to me but I do like the character concept.

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  2. The max damage output per round never goes down. They are always on an upwards curve.

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  3. The max damage, yes. But, in some places, the least possible damage is significantly different. As I pointed out, the Level 6 damage is at least 3 points (no chance of being less), while Level 7 can be 1-2 (25% chance). A 3-8 damage spread is better than 1-8 even if the highest possible damage for both is 8. The oddity of a "greater floor of damage at the lesser level" is at levels 3-4, 6-7, 9-10, and 12-13.

    So I think it's odd to see the lower level damage be better than the higher level damage. But the only way I can see to change it is the remove all the "+2" damage listings (such as 1d6+2) and replace them with the next die damage (so 1d6+2 would be replaced with 1d8). This would make the possible damage the same at these levels. The bonus would come in the increased number of attacks between the levels, not the damage.

    Anyway, I tend to "play" with things like this; that doesn't mean a change is needed. I like what you're working on and look forward to seeing how it all turns out!

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  4. That isn't a bad suggestion....I like it.

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