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'''{{Anchor|Improved Unarmed Strike}}:''' Viewtiful Warriors (usually) disdain weaponry - their fists and feet are all they need. A Viewtiful Warrior gains [[SRD:Improved Unarmed Strike|Improved Unarmed Strike]] as a bonus feat at 1st level. He does not need to meet the prerequisites. He retains this even if he runs out of VFX.
 
'''{{Anchor|Improved Unarmed Strike}}:''' Viewtiful Warriors (usually) disdain weaponry - their fists and feet are all they need. A Viewtiful Warrior gains [[SRD:Improved Unarmed Strike|Improved Unarmed Strike]] as a bonus feat at 1st level. He does not need to meet the prerequisites. He retains this even if he runs out of VFX.
  
'''{{Anchor|Unarmed Mastery}} (Ex):''' Viewtiful Warriors are natural experts at unarmed combat. In fact, their unarmed attack ability is equal to (if not ''superior'' to) a monk's! A Viewtiful Warrior is considered armed when making unarmed attacks and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. His unarmed attack damage and ability to penetrate [[SRD:Damage Reduction|damage reduction]] is equal to a [[SRD:Monk|monk]] of the same size category and class level. However, he does lose this enhanced damage if he runs out of VFX.
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'''{{Anchor|Unarmed Mastery}} (Ex):''' Viewtiful Warriors are natural experts at unarmed combat. In fact, their unarmed attack ability is equal to (if not ''superior'' to) a monk's! A Viewtiful Warrior is considered armed when making unarmed attacks and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. His unarmed attack damage and ability to penetrate [[SRD:Damage Reduction|damage reduction]] is equal to a [[SRD:Monk|monk]] of [[SRD:Monk#Table: Monk Unarmed Damage by Size|the same size category and class level]]. However, he does lose this enhanced damage if he runs out of VFX.
  
 
Viewtiful Warriors don't have the flurry of blows class feature, but more than make up for that with [[#VFX Mach Speed|VFX Mach Speed]] and [[#VFX Zoom|VFX Zoom]] (especially [[#Red-Hot One Hundred|Red Hot One Hundred]]), assuming that they choose the right class features.
 
Viewtiful Warriors don't have the flurry of blows class feature, but more than make up for that with [[#VFX Mach Speed|VFX Mach Speed]] and [[#VFX Zoom|VFX Zoom]] (especially [[#Red-Hot One Hundred|Red Hot One Hundred]]), assuming that they choose the right class features.

Revision as of 22:14, 14 November 2012

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Author: Luigifan18 (talk)
Date Created: November 8, 2012
Status: Playable; working on lore
Editing: Please refine connection to the franchise
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A fleet-footed fighter who draws his or her strength from theatrics. 20 Good Poor Good Good Other Full


File:Picturename.jpg
Heinshin a go-go, baby!

Viewtiful Warrior

There are many sources one can turn to for power. Some use magic to empower themselves, unlocking the secrets of the universe through study, inborn power, or faith in a deity or in nature. Some use their ki to empower themselves. Some use the power of their mind to break their enemies. Some simply master weapons, some get incredibly angry, and some use fancy special techniques. The Viewtiful Warrior is none of these (well, okay, he's kind of the last one, but those who follow the Sublime Way might be insulted by the comparison). No, the Viewtiful Warrior gets his strength from the force known only as "Viewtiful Effects", or "VFX". He fights with style, and this is the source of his power.

Making a Viewtiful Warrior

The Viewtiful Warrior uses VFX to enhance his effectiveness and do things that nobody else can. But he must do so judiciously, for VFX has its limits. If used too much, the VFX will temporarily leave him, and then he becomes vulnerable. He can fight well enough on his own, but he appreciates having friends to watch his back while he recharges, as regaining his power tends to take him a while.

Abilities: Charisma is by far the Viewtiful Warrior's most important ability, as many of his class abilities depend on it (his strength stems from living his life in the spotlight, after all). After that, he needs Dexterity to enhance his dodging abilities (and perhaps ranged attack rolls), and Strength to enhance his melee damage and chances of hitting (especially when he isn't using VFX). Constitution is (as always) useful for hit points and Fortitude saves, as the Viewtiful Warrior's hit die is a little small for a melee fighter. Last in the order of importance is Wisdom (for Will saves and Viewtiful Dodge at low levels) and Intelligence (for skill points).

Races: Humans, with their love of being the center of attention, are very likely to pursue this path if they find they have the talent for it. Gnomes also find this path quite appealing, as it melds well with their natural abilities. Dwarves and elves don't quite get it - they find Viewtiful Warriors a bit showoffish (which they are, and that's an understatement) and distasteful (which is a matter of opinion).

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 6d6×10 gp (210 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Table: The Viewtiful Warrior

Hit Die: d8

Level Base
Attack Bonus
Saving Throws Special Maximum VFX Points VFX Recharge Rate
Fort Ref Will
1st +1 +0 +2 +2 VFX, Improved Unarmed Strike, Unarmed Mastery, Viewtiful Dodge, You're Too Slow!, Double Jump, VFX Slow 8 1/3 rounds
2nd +2 +0 +3 +3 Voomerang or Round Trip, Shocking Pink 9 1/3 rounds
3rd +3 +1 +3 +3 Evasion, Air Pummel, Improved Trip 10 1/3 rounds
4th +4 +1 +4 +4 Red Hot Kick 11 1/2 rounds
5th +5 +1 +4 +4 VFX Mach Speed or VFX Replay 12 1/2 rounds
6th +6/+1 +2 +5 +5 Yatagashiri or Desperado or Stinger 13 1/2 rounds
7th +7/+2 +2 +5 +5 VFX Zoom 14 1/2 rounds
8th +8/+3 +2 +6 +6 VFX Mach Speed Level 2 or Critical VFX Replay 15 1/round
9th +9/+4 +3 +6 +6 Improved Evasion, Desperado Level 2 or Improved Grapple or Improved Charge 16 1/round
10th +10/+5 +3 +7 +7 Stunning Fist 17 1/round
11th +11/+6/+1 +3 +7 +7 Ukemi 18 1/round
12th +12/+7/+2 +4 +8 +8 VFX Mach Speed Level 3 or Super Critical VFX Replay 19 1/round
13th +13/+8/+3 +4 +8 +8 Desperado Level 3 or Improved Yatagashiri or Air Raid 20 1/round
14th +14/+9/+4 +4 +9 +9 Viewtiful Forever 21 1/round
15th +15/+10/+5 +5 +9 +9 22 1/round
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +10 +10 23 2/round
17th +17/+12/+7/+1 +5 +10 +10 Fighter Bonus Feat 24 2/round
18th +18/+13/+8/+2 +6 +11 +11 25 2/round
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +11 26 2/round
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +12 Take 2 28 2/round

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)
Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Iajitsu Focus (), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (theater) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Viewtiful Warrior.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Viewtiful Warriors are proficient with all simple weapons, four martial weapons, and one exotic weapon, but most prefer not to use them. Unarmed combat is the primary style of most, with a few Viewtiful Warriors choosing to supplement this with some sort of ranged weapon or sword. (At least one Viewtiful Warrior specializes in staves). Viewtiful Warriors are not proficient with any armor or shields. A hero doesn't block, he dodges with style!

VFX: VFX is what suffuses the Viewtiful Warrior's being and grants him his powers. This mystical energy is born from the essence of drama and style. A Viewtiful Warrior has a pool of VFX that recharges over time - slowly at first, but eventually at a respectable rate. His VFX powers drain VFX for as long as they remain in use, with the rate decided by the VFX power in question. VFX upkeep costs are paid at the start of the Viewtiful Warrior's turn, before he can take any actions (even free actions). So long as he retains at least 1 point of VFX, a Viewtiful Warrior has abilities that easily match or exceed any other melee class (except perhaps for a martial adept or edgemaster), but if it runs out completely, he's reduced to a mere warrior (and a fairly frail one at that) until at least 8 points of VFX have recharged. This is very annoying at higher levels and outright devastating at lower levels, so be careful!

VFX does not recharge while any VFX power (Slow, Mach Speed, Replay, Zoom) is in use!!!

All VFX powers require a free or immediate action to begin or end, depending on whether or not it's the Viewtiful Warrior's turn. All VFX powers can be used in conjunction with each other, and their effects stack (the only exception is Slow and Mach Speed, which interact in a very limited way). However, using multiple VFX powers in conjunction requires the Viewtiful Warrior to pay all of their upkeep costs on each round, and if he cannot, he loses all of his remaining VFX (and suffers the previously-mentioned consequences).

It's not immediately obvious to outside observers that a VFX power is in effect. Creatures must observe how the interactions between the Viewtiful Warrior and the world around him are changed, then succeed on a Knowledge (theatrics) check, to notice that a VFX power is in effect. (The DC depends on the subtlety of the effect, as described below)

  • Mach Speed: DC 10 - It's pretty obvious that the Viewtiful Warrior's sped himself up somehow.
  • Slow: DC 20 - From the perspective of everyone else, the Viewtiful Warrior just sped himself up. It takes a keen eye to notice that he doesn't seem to possess the blistering attack speed he possesses under Mach Speed. Of course, the Viewtiful Warrior punching someone across the room is a dead giveaway.
  • Replay: DC 15 - As soon as the lightning aura pops up, the jig's pretty much up.
  • Zoom: DC 30 - You don't have to be a Viewtiful Warrior to perform a straightblast punch or to slam into someone with your shoulder and buttocks. Whirling about like a top with your feet outstretched or spinning like a drill whenever you jump, on the other hand... well, at the very least, the Viewtiful Warrior will be mistaken for a monk.

Improved Unarmed Strike: Viewtiful Warriors (usually) disdain weaponry - their fists and feet are all they need. A Viewtiful Warrior gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat at 1st level. He does not need to meet the prerequisites. He retains this even if he runs out of VFX.

Unarmed Mastery (Ex): Viewtiful Warriors are natural experts at unarmed combat. In fact, their unarmed attack ability is equal to (if not superior to) a monk's! A Viewtiful Warrior is considered armed when making unarmed attacks and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. His unarmed attack damage and ability to penetrate damage reduction is equal to a monk of the same size category and class level. However, he does lose this enhanced damage if he runs out of VFX.

Viewtiful Warriors don't have the flurry of blows class feature, but more than make up for that with VFX Mach Speed and VFX Zoom (especially Red Hot One Hundred), assuming that they choose the right class features.

Double Jump: A Viewtiful Warrior may jump while in the air. Once he does so, he must somehow stabilize his weight (typically by resting it on the ground, but anything that would allow him to use a movement speed he actually has works) before doing so again. When jumping from the ground, he may wait for the peak of his jump before jumping again. If falling, using this ability reduces falling damage to only apply from the point the jump was made from (which can negate it entirely, if the Viewtiful Warrior jumps close to the ground). This is a VFX ability, but does not actually consume any VFX points. Nonetheless, it can't be used if the Viewtiful Warrior has run out of VFX.

Viewtiful Dodge (Ex): A Viewtiful Warrior takes "float like a butterfly" to its logical extreme, ducking under high attacks and leaping over low attacks with utterly breathtaking agility. The Viewtiful Warrior has a dodge bonus to AC equal to his Wisdom modifier or ½ his class level (rounded down), whichever is higher. He also gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls against stunned or paralyzed opponents equal to this dodge bonus. The dodge bonus granted by Viewtiful Dodge is reduced to ¼ his Wisdom modifier (rounded down) or ⅛ his class level (rounded down) if the Viewtiful Warrior has run out of VFX - he can technically still pull it off, but it's much more difficult without his VFX to augment his reaction time and guide his motions (he still adds the full dodge bonus he'd otherwise gain from this class feature to his attack and damage rolls against stunned or paralyzed opponents). Whether he has VFX or not, the Viewtiful Warrior can't gain a dodge bonus from Viewtiful Dodge while carrying a heavy load (but he still gets to add the dodge bonus he would receive from this class feature to attack and damage rolls against stunned or paralyzed opponents).

You're Too Slow! (Ex): Any creature that misses the Viewtiful Warrior with all of its attacks for the round in melee is stunned for 1 round. This class ability is not lost if the Viewtiful Warrior runs out of VFX.

VFX Slow: The first (and arguably most potent) VFX power a Viewtiful Warrior develops is VFX Slow. Using this power, the Viewtiful Warrior can tap into his VFX to slow down the world around him, out to a radius of 100 feet per level. VFX Slow costs 1 VFX point per round that it remains in effect (paid at the beginning of the Viewtiful Warrior's turn). This has the following effects:

  • Time itself slows down - objects fall slower, projectiles move slower, creatures move slower, everything moves slower. One second under VFX Slow is equivalent to several seconds of normal time - the exact factor is hard to determine, but it's perfectly possible to react to bullets traveling several hundred miles per hour under VFX Slow's effects, and supersonic jets are slowed down so much that they might as well be flying through molasses. The Viewtiful Warrior himself loses 10 feet of movement speed while this power is in effect, but everything around him behaves as if slowed, even if otherwise immune to such effects. In fact, the effects of slow are exaggerated, so creatures and characters other than the Viewtiful Warrior have their movement speed reduced by 60 feet (to a minimum of 5 feet) or to ¼ of their normal speed, whichever is less, relative to the Viewtiful Warrior.
  • The Viewtiful Warrior's attacks become more dramatic, and therefore more powerful. He adds his Charisma modifier (minimum +1) to all attack and damage rolls. In fact, he adds his Charisma modifier to all damage sustained by anything other than himself or his allies from any source, simply by making the impact more dramatic. (Thus, he actually adds his Charisma modifier twice to attacks that he himself makes, but if his Charisma modifier is +0 or less, this still only adds +1 to the damage roll.)
  • The dodge bonus from Viewtiful Dodge is doubled, and the Viewtiful Warrior gains improved uncanny dodge while VFX Slow is in effect. With everything slowed down, even the most rapid attack is outrageously slow and easy to see coming.
  • The Viewtiful Warrior can dodge just about anything, but at a price. As long as VFX Slow remains in effect, the Viewtiful Warrior gains a +20 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves (in addition to the . However, anything that misses him by 20 or less is not subject to the "You're Too Slow!" ability and immediately costs him a move action from his next round (which he spends performing Matrix-style acrobatics) and 4 VFX points (or all of his VFX points if he has less than that remaining). The move action and VFX cost for a narrow dodge can only be incurred once per round. If he runs out of VFX, his powers are suppressed and VFX Slow immediately ends (but if he has Viewtiful Forever and an immediate action to spare, he can immediately use Zoom In and perform Viewtiful Forever before he actually loses his powers).
  • The Viewtiful Warrior can, with good timing, strike a projectile (such as a bullet or arrow) to send it in the opposite direction. To pull this off, he must make an attack roll that equals or exceeds the attack roll result of the projectile attack (this can be done as an immediate action, a swift action, or an attack action (a standard action or part of a full attack)). The projectile's trajectory depends on how he strikes it. If he punches, shoots, or slashes the projectile, it goes back the way it came. If he kicks it, it flies upwards at a 45-degree angle. If he hits it with an uppercut, it flies upwards at a 90-degree angle (that is, straight up). If he hits it with a Red Hot Kick, it flies downward at a 45-degree angle. The redirected projectile is even more dangerous than it was originally. It uses the Viewtiful Warrior's attack roll as its new attack roll, the Viewtiful Warrior's Charisma modifier is added to its damage (in addition to his Charisma modifier being added to all damage sustained within the VFX Slow effect), and if the redirected projectile strikes any enemy (especially the one who originally launched it), it stuns its victim (as a stunning fist attack) for 1 round with no save allowed.
  • Whenever the Viewtiful Warrior strikes a stunned or paralyzed creature, that creature is launched away from the sheer force of the drama (the Viewtiful Warrior sees it slowly fly away, but to everyone else, the victim flies away at mach speed). The hapless creature is launched along the same trajectory as a reflected projectile, and contines traveling out to the edge of the VFX Slow radius unless it hits a solid obstacle first. All other creatures in the way must succeed on a Reflex save (DC = 15 + ½ the Viewtiful Warrior's class level + the Viewtiful Warrior's Strength or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher + the launched creature's size modifier to grapple checks) to get out of the way; failure means that the creature is struck, and both the launched creature and the creature it struck take 2d8 damage + 1d8 damage for every three class levels the Viewtiful Warrior has. If the launched creature strikes a solid obstacle that can stop its movement, it takes 1d6 damage for every 20 feet it had left to travel. Once one stunned creature has been launched in this way, all creatures that the Viewtiful Warrior strikes are launched in a similar fashion until the VFX Slow effect ends.
  • The Viewtiful Warrior's falling speed is reduced fivefold while VFX Slow is in effect.
  • Explosions in the area of VFX Slow become bigger and more dramatic, and do more damage as a result. The area and damage of all explosions subjected to a VFX Slow effect are doubled (damage is doubled before the Viewtiful Warrior's Charisma modifier is applied). Needless to say, fireball and related spells subjected to this effect become ludicrously deadly. However, timed explosives are delayed by VFX Slow, just like everything else; the time until detonation is effectively doubled (2 rounds are counted as 1).
  • Propellers are slowed down and stop generating lift. Anything dependent on a propeller to fly is brought down to the ground (or at least loses a lot of altitude). This effect ends when VFX Slow does, allowing the object or creature to return to its original altitude.
  • Liquids expand in volume, causing the level of a body of water or other liquid to rise. A pool of liquid can expand to cover up to 50 additional cubic feet per Viewtiful Warrior level. The liquid shrinks down to its original volume when the VFX Slow effect ends. Very large liquid bodies, such as an ocean, aren't strongly affected by this.
  • Balloons swell up (yet somehow never burst as a result of this), and anything being carried by said balloons is hoisted higher up into the air. When VFX Slow ends, the balloons return to their original proportions and altitude.
  • Slot machine reels slow down, with each reel advancing 1 space per round (each space being a possible reel reel result, though reel results with a higher probability than 1/X occupy a number of spaces equal to the number before the X). This lets the Viewtiful Warrior pick out any result he wants, as long as he can maintain the VFX Slow long enough (otherwise, he might have to use it multiple times, letting his VFX recharge between each Slow session).
  • Anything that gets sent flying by an attack or thrown by a creature travels twice as far as it otherwise would. This is already accounted for in the Viewtiful Warrior's ability to launch stunned creatures by having them travel out to the edge of the Viewtiful Warrior's range. This doesn't apply to anything that's fired rather than thrown, such as an arrow from a bow.

Time stop, haste, and other effects that temporally accelerate a creature can cancel out VFX Slow (and are likewise canceled out by VFX Slow), but only for the creatures under said effects. (Many casino owners who know about Viewtiful Warriors have haste cast on their slot machines so that Viewtiful Warriors can't cheat them.)

Voomerang: At 2nd level, the Viewtiful Warrior gains the ability to craft Voomerangs. The Voomerang is a V-shaped shrunken-like weapon that the Viewtiful Warrior is automatically proficient with. The Viewtiful Warrior throws it as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, and it hits everything in its path whose AC it beats for 2d8 slashing damage. The Voomerang alters its flight path to hit as many creatures as it can, as many times as it can, with average maneuverability, but it's worn out after it's flown 300 total feet. Alternatively, the Viewtiful Warrior may use a full-round action when throwing the Voomerang to extend two more blades from its frame before throwing, increasing its damage to 4d8, its maneuverability to good, and its range to 600 feet. A single Voomerang takes 5 minutes and costs 150 gp for a Viewtiful Warrior to create.

A Viewtiful Warrior who prefers swords may instead elect to use Round Trip (Sp). He generates one blade of force per Viewtiful Warrior level as a full-round action, then launches them one at a time during the following rounds (one blade per round). Each sword flies at a single creature or object within 300 feet and attacks, as if it was the Viewtiful Warrior himself attacking with his own weapon. The Viewtiful Warrior must concentrate on this attack as a standard action each round, or it ends and the remaining blades are wasted. Round Trip may not be used for 5 rounds after it is concluded, and is the equivalent of a 2nd-level spell. The Viewtiful Warrior's caster level for this effect is equal to his Viewtiful Warrior class level.

Shocking Pink: At 2nd level, the Viewtiful Warrior gains the ability to craft Shocking Pinks. These are small explosives that pack just enough of a punch to break stubborn objects and tear mooks apart. Deploying a Shocking Pink is a standard action the provokes attacks of opportunity, and the Shocking Pink can be tossed out to a range of 30 feet. A Shocking Pink explodes in 3 rounds and does 4d6 fire damage to all except the Viewtiful Warrior himself within a 10-foot radius (Reflex save for half, DC = 10 + ½ of the Viewtiful Warrior's class levels + the Viewtiful Warrior's Charisma modifier). A single Shocking Pink takes 5 minutes and costs 200 gp for a Viewtiful Warrior to create.

Evasion (Ex): A Viewtiful Warrior of 3rd level or higher is highly skilled at dodging attacks — even moreso than he was at 1st level, which says a lot. If subject to an effect that would ordinarily allow a Reflex save for half damage, he instead takes no damage on a successful save. If he already had evasion, he gains improved evasion instead; if he already had improved evasion, his Viewtiful Dodge bonus is increased by +2. The Viewtiful Warrior does not gain the benefit of evasion if he's lost his VFX due to overuse, nor can he use it if he wears heavy armor or carries a heavy load.

Air Pummel (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a Viewtiful Warrior is just as skilled at launching multiple attacks in the air as he is on the ground. Even without a fly speed, he can make a full attack while in midair. Furthermore, while in midair, he can descend at a mere 5 feet per round simply by repeatedly making attacks - even if those attacks are aimed at empty space. He must use a full attack action in order to utilize this benefit, and cannot move from the square he occupies, even if he's able to make full attacks as a standard action or take more than a single full-round action in a round, while using this technique.

Improved Trip: At 3rd level, a Viewtiful Warrior gains Improved Trip as a bonus feat. He does not need to meet the prerequisites for it.

Red Hot Kick (Ex): The signature move of the Viewtiful Warrior (other than his VFX), this fanciful move, earned at 4th level, is a midair kick that drops to the ground at a 45-degree angle until it reaches the ground or something that can be attacked. The attack is initiated as a standard action and uses a melee attack roll to make contact. Once impact against the target is made, the Viewtiful Warrior bounces off the target and may perform the attack again. Red Hot Kick may only be performed 3 times before the Viewtiful Warrior needs to restabilize himself (in the same way that he restabilizes himself for the Double Jump, which usually means touching the ground). A Red Hot Kick may be canceled at any point before impact by performing any other attack action, a double jump, or by restabilizing himself. Compared to any other unarmed attack, a Red Hot Kick does damage as though the Viewtiful Warrior is two sizes larger than he actually is.

This move is the Red Hot Kick if the Viewtiful Warrior develops VFX Mach Speed, but it can also be known as the Cool Blue Kick if the Viewtiful Warrior chooses to develop the Replay power. That choice isn't made until 5th level. Whether the move is the Red Hot Kick or Cool Blue Kick is unimportant until VFX Zoom is developed (at 7th level).

At 5th level, the Viewtiful Warrior chooses either VFX Mach Speed or VFX Replay. This choice impacts some of his future class features.

VFX Mach Speed: The Viewtiful Warrior speeds everything (but especially himself) up. VFX Mach Speed requires 2 VFX points per round to maintain. VFX Mach Speed has the following effects:

  • The Viewtiful Warrior gains a 100-foot enhancement bonus to movement speed. This enhancement bonus is increased by +10 feet per class level. (At 5th level, the enhancement bonus is +150 feet.)
  • If the Viewtiful Warrior doesn't have the Run feat, he is treated as though he has it (without requiring its prerequisites) while VFX Mach Speed is in effect. If he does have it, his running speed multiplier is increased by 1 (×6 if unencumbered, ×5 if in heavy armor or carrying a heavy load) while using VFX Mach Speed.
  • The Viewtiful Warrior gets two extra attacks at his full BAB if attacking with a standard action, or six extra attacks at his full BAB if making a full attack action. This doesn't apply to Red Hot Kick. With Red Hot One Hundred, the Viewtiful Warrior can get four extra attacks at his full BAB if attacking with a standard action, or twelve extra attacks at his full BAB if making a full attack action (this isn't possible until 7th level).
  • The Viewtiful Warrior falls five times as quickly as usual.
  • When the Viewtiful Warrior manages to connect with four or more attacks in a single round, he gains a fiery aura for five rounds. While covered with this fiery aura, his attacks deal an additional 2d6 fire damage, and he gains immunity to fire and fire anti-resistance equal to 5× his class level that can overcome fire immunity and fire absorption. He can refresh the duration of his fiery aura before it vanishes simply by connecting with four or more attacks in a single round while under the effects of Mach Speed, but he does not need to continue using VFX Mach Speed to keep the fire aura active (at least until its duration runs out). If he runs out of VFX, the fire aura is immediately dispelled. The Viewtiful Warrior must be attacking something to generate or refresh the fire aura, but that something doesn't have to be a creature - it could be anything capable of taking damage or responding to being attacked (like a pillar, a chest, a wall without magical reinforcement, or even a slot machine or Shocking Pink).
  • When the Viewtiful Warrior connects with four or more attacks in a single round, he rapidly emits clones of himself. These clones rush out up to 150 feet away from the Viewtiful Warrior to fight for him. Each clone makes a single attack against a single crepature or object, then vanishes. The Viewtiful Warrior makes four clones per round, assuming that he connects with four or more of his own attacks. The clones preferentially attack whatever is closest, other than what the Viewtiful Warrior himself is attacking, but he can direct them to attack anything within 30 feet of their chosen target or choose the direction(s) in which the clones move out to attack. The clones actually move along the air itself; they don't need to move along the ground, and can even be used to retrieve things that are out of reach. (A clone can be directed to retrieve a single object, which is done instead of attacking a creature or object, and bring it to the Viewtiful Warrior). The Viewtiful Warrior must be attacking something to generate clones, but that something doesn't have to be a creature - it could be anything capable of taking damage or responding to being attacked (like a pillar, a chest, a wall without magical reinforcement, or even a slot machine or Shocking Pink). Likewise, the clones can attack anything that can take damage or respond to being attacked (but they won't attack something that there's no point in attacking, like a random wall).
This ability improves at later levels. At 8th level, the Viewtiful Warrior generates 6 clones per round and they can move out to 300 feet away. At 12th level, the Viewtiful Warrior generates 8 clones per round and they can move out to as much as 450 feet away.
  • The following effects occur within a radius of 100 feet per class level:
    • Propellers are sped up, causing anything using them to fly to gain altitude. When VFX Mach Speed ends, the propellors return to their original speed and altitude.
    • Liquids contract and recede, losing up to 50 cubic feet of volume per class level. This reverses itself when VFX Mach Speed ends.
    • Balloons leak air and shrink, causing anything using them to fly to lose altitude or even hit the ground. A balloon that wasn't completely deflated will reinflate when VFX Mach Speed ends.
    • Explosions become rather small and pathetic. The area and damage of all explosion effects in range of VFX Mach Speed are halved. Timed explosives are hastened in VFX Mach Speed's area, and go off in half as much time (1 round is counted as 2).
    • Slot machine reels are sped up (as if the one-armed bandit wasn't unfair enough already). As far as game mechanics are concerned, this doesn't do anything important.
    • Anything that gets sent flying by an attack or thrown by a creature only travels half of the distance it otherwise would. (This doesn't apply to anything that's "fired", such as an arrow from a bow.)

VFX Mach Speed's effects and costs are greatly reduced when used in combination with VFX Slow; the only effect is that the Viewtiful Warrior's movement speed is not reduced, and VFX Mach Speed only costs 1 VFX point per round to maintain when used in combination with VFX Slow. (In total, he uses 2 VFX per round.) VFX Mach Speed doesn't stack with haste or similar effects.

VFX Replay: This power records the action around the Viewtiful Warrior and repeats big moments for the audience's viewing pleasure. It costs 1 VFX point every round to maintain. While VFX Replay is in effect, whenever anything within 100 feet per class level of the Viewtiful Warrior (including the Viewtiful Warrior himself) is attacked successfully, that attack is repeated 2 times and the Viewtiful Warrior spends 1 point of VFX (the Viewtiful Warrior cannot choose whether or not this happens). Attacks that miss or otherwise fail to have any effect are not repeated by VFX Replay. If the Viewtiful Warrior runs out of VFX at any point, the Replay power immediately ends and the Viewtiful Warrior suffers the usual consequences of running out of VFX. The variables of the repeated attacks are the same as the original (attack roll result, damage roll result, critical hit status, etc.), but VFX Replay can force a target to make 3 saves or opposed rolls to avoid an effect. Effectively, VFX Replay triples damage (including damage from critical hits) and makes secondary effects of attacks 3 times more likely to happen. If the Viewtiful Warrior himself directly made the attack that got tripled by VFX Replay, he gains a lightning aura for 5 rounds. This lightning aura adds an additional 2d6 electricity damage to the Viewtiful Warrior's attacks, and he gains immunity to electricity and electricity anti-resistance equal to 5× his class level that can overcome electricity immunity and electricity absorption. He can refresh the duration of his lightning aura by successfully making another Replay-enhanced attack. He does not lose the aura if he stops using Replay (at least, not until its duration runs out). However, if he runs out of VFX, he immediately loses the lightning aura. The Viewtiful Warrior must attack something to generate or maintain the lightning aura, but that something doesn't have to be a creature - it could be anything capable of taking damage or responding to being attacked (like a pillar, a chest, a wall without magical reinforcement, or even a slot machine or Shocking Pink).

At 8th level, a Viewtiful Warrior who chose Replay increases his threat range and critical multiplier by 1 (for example, from 20/×2 to 19-20/×3) while using VFX Replay. The threat range increase stacks with any other effects that increase threat range, such as Improved Critical, and is applied after effects that multiply threat range (such as keen edge). At 12th level, a Viewtiful Warrior who threatens a critical hit while using VFX Replay automatically confirms said critical hit.

At 6th level, the Viewtiful Warrior chooses either Yatagashiri, Desperado, or Stinger.

Yatagashiri (Ex): As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the Viewtiful Warrior cloaks himself in an orange glow, then lunges forward and makes a melee touch attack on an opponent within twice his melee range. (He moves to a space adjacent to his target if he is not adjacent to them already as he performs the attack, and if anything else is between him and his target, he performs Yatagashiri on whatever got in his way instead.) If Yatagashiri hits, he grabs the foe and hurls them over his shoulder, hurling the opponent 120 feet away and dealing triple his unarmed strike damage. The opponent must be the same size category of the Viewtiful Warrior or smaller for Yatagashiri to work properly. If the foe is one size category larger, the Viewtiful Warrior takes a -4 penalty on the attack roll. If the foe is two or more size categories larger, the Viewtiful Warrior takes a -4 penalty on his attack roll and is unable to grab the foe, instead simply dealing his standard unarmed strike damage (his attack is still considered a touch attack).

When grabbed with Yatagashiri, the foe hits the ground after flying 20 feet, then rolls the rest of the way and falls prone at the end of its movement. It is considered to have fallen prone at the moment it hits the ground, and provokes attacks of opportunity while rolling. It may attempt a Tumble check (DC equal to the damage inflicted by Yatagashiri) after every 30 feet of rolling to stop itself, but it still falls prone when its movement ends. If it hits another creature, the consequences are the same as if it had been whacked into that creature via VFX Slow. If it hits a wall, it takes 1d6 points of damage for every 10 feet it had left to travel.

At 9th level, if the Viewtiful Warrior chose Yatagashiri at 6th level, he gains Improved Grapple as a bonus feat. He does not need to meet the prerequisites. (Yatagashiri still provokes attacks of opportunity.)

At 13th level, Yatagashiri is improved. While it still provokes attacks of opportunity, the Viewtiful Warrior has damage reduction 25/adamantine while performing the attack, and he can grab opponents up to one size larger than himself without penalty. He takes a −4 penalty when grabbing an opponent two or more sizes larger than himself with Yatagashiri, and he makes a melee touch attack at a −4 penalty to deal standard unarmed strike damage (rather than actually managing to grab the foe) if the target is three or more size categories larger. A foe tossed by Improved Yatagashiri continues rolling until it is made to stop by another creature (for example, using the Stand Still feat), it succeeds on a Tumble check to right itself, it falls far enough to take 10d6 or more falling damage, or it hits a wall. Until then, it moves 120 feet per round on the Viewtiful Warrior's turn, moving in a straight line, and can do nothing on its own turn except for attempt a Tumble check to stop rolling. Once it hits a wall, it takes 1d12 points of damage for each class level the Viewtiful Warrior has. In any case, it falls prone when it stops.

Desperado (Su): A Viewtiful Warrior must have proficiency in a martial or exotic ranged weapon to take this class feature. As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the Viewtiful Warrior may charge up power within himself and his ranged weapon and prepare up to four shots against any target within range, then fire. All four shots are made at the full base attack bonus, and they also home in on targets, therefore ignoring Dexterity and dodge bonuses to AC. (The targets aren't actually denied their Dexterity bonus to AC - the Dexterity bonus is simply ignored - so Desperado can't be used to sneak attack unless the targets would be denied their Dexterity bonus to AC for some other reason.)

At 9th level, the Viewtiful Warrior can fire six shots in this attack. At 13th level, the Viewtiful Warrior can fire eight shots in this attack.

Stinger (Ex): A Viewtiful Warrior must have proficiency with a martial or exotic sword to take this class feature. The Viewtiful Warrior may charge and move up to twice his speed as a standard action, and he gains a +4 bonus to both the attack and damage roll (instead of the usual +2 bonus), even when not limited to only a standard or move action, as long as he uses a sword to execute his attack at the end of the charge.

At 9th level, if the Viewtiful Warrior took Stinger at 6th level, he gains Improved Charge as a bonus feat. He does not need to meet the prerequisites.

Air Raid (Sp): This class feature is gained at 13th level, but only if the Viewtiful Warrior took Stinger at 6th level. The Viewtiful Warrior launches a 100-foot line of lightning down at a 45-degree angle from his position as a standard action, dealing 6d8 points of damage. (True to its name, Air Raid is intended to be used from midair.) Targets are entitled to a Reflex save (DC = 15 + the Viewtiful Warrior's Charisma modifier) for half damage. The Viewtiful Warrior may fire a number of lightning bolts equal to half his Viewtiful Warrior class levels. He launches one bolt per round as a standard action (the attack immediately ends if he elects not to fire the bolt, and all remaining bolts are lost), and after the attack is done, he must wait a number of rounds equal to half the number of bolts he fired (minimum 1 round) to use the attack again. Air Raid is the equivalent of a 5th-level spell (caster level equal to the Viewtiful Warrior's class level), and costs 1 point of VFX to use (this cost is for the ability as a whole, not for each bolt). While using Air Raid, the Viewtiful Warrior may spend 1 VFX point to use dimension door as a move action once per round, which enables him to reposition himself with great precision (the cost for using dimension door is paid once per round). If he does so, his VFX stops recharging, and he must refrain from using dimension door for at least 1 round before his VFX will begin recharging again. The dimension door ability is considered to be part of the Air Raid ability, not a spell-like ability in and of itself, so it has no spell level of its own and its caster level is equal to the caster level of the Air Raid ability.

VFX Zoom: This VFX power (also called Zoom In) is a straight-up boost, gained at level 7, that zooms in the camera to emphasize how awesome sexy viewtiful the Viewtiful Warrior is. It requires 2 VFX per round to maintain. VFX Zoom provides the following effects:

  • The Viewtiful Warrior adds 1 and 1/2 times his Charisma bonus (rounded down, minimum +1) to all of his attack rolls and damage rolls by infusing it with drama. This stacks with the bonuses granted by VFX Slow.
  • The Viewtiful Warrior adds 1 and 1/2 times his Charisma bonus (rounded down, minimum +1) to all damage sustained by anything other than himself or his allies from any source within the area of effect (30 feet × his class level), simply by making it more dramatic. This stacks with the effects of VFX Slow.
  • All enemies with HD equal to or less than the Viewtiful Warrior's class level −6 that wind up within Zoom In's area of effect must succeed on a Will save (DC = 10 + ½ the Viewtiful Warrior's class level + the Viewtiful Warrior's Charisma modifier) or become frozen in fear. As long as the Zoom In effect remains, enemies that fail this Will save helplessly cower in fear.
  • The Viewtiful Warrior changes his upper-body unarmed attacks to one of the following, chosen at 7th level. This choice cannot be changed once it's made. The change is only in effect during VFX Zoom.
    • Red Hot One Hundred (Ex): The Viewtiful Warrior is capable of performing high-powered rapid-fire punches. The Viewtiful Warrior is able to make two attacks for each one attack he would otherwise be entitled to, but each pair of attacks must be made against the same target. In addition, the Viewtiful Warrior's unarmed attacks are treated as though the Viewtiful Warrior was 1 size category larger.
    • Heavy Heart Shoulder Slam (Ex): The Viewtiful Warrior makes a single unarmed attack that deals 10 times the damage of a normal unarmed attack. This is a full-round action that replaces all of the attacks he would normally be entitled to for a full attack. (It's only a standard action if using VFX Mach Speed.) ...On second thought, the mental image of a male performing this move is slightly disturbing.
  • Hurricane Kick (Ex): The Viewtiful Warrior changes his lower-body unarmed attacks to a whirlwind kick. He may make a Whirlwind Attack as a regular attack action (which means that he may do so multiple times per round and interchangeably with RHOH attacks), but each Whirlwind Attack must be an unarmed attack, and he cannot combine this attack with either of the attack options presented above. The change is only in effect during VFX Zoom.
  • When the Viewtiful Warrior jumps while zoomed in, he becomes a twirling drill of destruction. He makes an attack roll as he jumps, and anything he collides with while ascending whose AC is defeated by his attack roll takes damage equivalent to that of his unarmed attack.
  • When the Viewtiful Warrior Zooms In while falling, he becomes a piledriver of doom. He makes an attack roll when he begins his dive, and anything he collides with on the way down whose AC is defeated by his attack roll takes unarmed strike damage. When he hits the ground, he generates a shockwave with a radius of 30 feet that does unarmed strike damage as if the Viewtiful Warrior was one size category larger and knocks victims prone. A Reflex save (DC = 10 + ½ the Viewtiful Warrior's class level + the Viewtiful Warrior's Strength or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher) halves the damage and negates being knocked prone.
  • The Red Hot Kick and Cool Blue Kick become Spiral Dragon Kicks if Zoom In is initiated during the attack. These attacks blow through everything in their path with a single attack roll, though they can't be canceled once initiated. Anything they hit takes unarmed strike damage as though the Viewtiful Warrior was three sizes larger, plus 3d8 energy damage. The Red Hot Spiral Dragon Kick deals fire damage, while the Cool Blue Spiral Dragon Kick deals electricity damage. (This is the only difference between the Red Hot Kick and Cool Blue Kick.) The energy damage is in addition to energy damage from a fire aura from VFX Mach Speed or a lightning aura from VFX Replay.

Improved Evasion (Ex): By the time he reaches 9th level, a Viewtiful Warrior has made smooth, slick dodging into a mesmerizing art. He has improved evasion from level 9 onwards. Improved evasion is like evasion, except that even on a failed saving throw, the Viewtiful Warrior takes only half damage. If the Viewtiful Warrior already had improved evasion, his Viewtiful Dodge bonus increases by +2 (this stacks with the potential increase from 3rd level). The Viewtiful Warrior cannot benefit from improved evasion if he runs out of VFX, wears heavy armor, or carries a heavy load, and it's downgraded to regular evasion if he carries a medium load.

Stunning Fist: Starting at 10th level, a Viewtiful Warrior can stun enemies simply by punching them really, really hard. He gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites. Viewtiful Warrior levels are equivalent to monk levels for determining how many times Stunning Fistcan be used per day. A Viewtiful Warrior can still use Stunning Fist even after running out of daily uses, but each use beyond his daily limit costs him 4 VFX points.

Ukemi: A Viewtiful Warrior gains Ukemi as a bonus feat at 11th level.

Viewtiful Forever: From 14th level onwards, a Viewtiful Warrior may unleash a torrent of pure awesome after performing a narrow dodge via VFX Slow. When the Viewtiful Warrior's Armor Class beats a foe's attack roll by 20 or less while he's using VFX Slow, if he's also using VFX Zoom, then he may spend a standard action (from his next turn if necessary) and all of his remaining VFX to strike a pose that overwhelms everything. Viewtiful Forever does 2d10 typeless damage to all creatures and objects other than the Viewtiful Warrior and his allies within range of his VFX Slow. This damage is increased by 1d10 for every point of VFX that he spent to activate the effect. A Will save (DC = 10 + ½ the Viewtiful Warrior's class level + the Viewtiful Warrior's Charisma modifier) is allowed to halve the damage. All creatures damaged by Viewtiful Forever are also knocked prone with no save allowed. Since he spends all of his VFX to perform this attack, the Viewtiful Warrior is left vulnerable afterwards, but he has a +10 deflection bonus to AC for 1 round after using Viewtiful Forever to help him cope.

Fighter Bonus Feat: At 17th level, the Viewtiful Warrior may take a feat from the list of fighter bonus feats. He must meet the prerequisites of the feat in question in order to select it (and no, his Viewtiful Warrior levels do not count as fighter levels for this purpose).

Take 2: At 20th level, a Viewtiful Warrior who falls in battle (or anywhere else, really) gets one last chance to clean up his act. When the Viewtiful Warrior is incapacitated for an indefinite duration in any way (including being killed, knocked unconscious, or petrified), he immediately regains all of his hp and is cured of all negative status afflictions (including negative levels, ability damage, ability burn, and ability drain). However, Take 2 only functions once per week, so the Viewtiful Warrior needs to make sure that he doesn't screw up again - if he does, the last thing he hears is bound to be "Cut! Cut! Cut!"

Take 2 does not allow a Viewtiful Warrior to avoid death due to old age.

Ex-Viewtiful Warrior

Viewtiful Warriors temporarily lose most of their class features if they run out of VFX, but this is only until they can recharge to basic capacity. Rumor has it that a strong incursion of reality can deactivate a Viewtiful Warrior's powers unless he has a supportive audience; his powers may be suppressed in a dead magic zone. But really, it's not possible to be an ex-Viewtiful Warrior... well, not unless you somehow lose your V-Watch... but especially strong Viewtiful Warriors don't even lose their powers then. Once you can activate the power of Henshin, it's always a part of you.

Epic Viewtiful Warrior

Table: The Epic Viewtiful Warrior

Hit Die: d8

Level VFX Points Special
21st 29
22nd 30
23rd 31 Bonus Feat
24th 32
25th 33
26th 34 Bonus Feat
27th 35
28th 36
29th 37 Bonus Feat
30th 38

4 + Int modifier skill points per level.

VFX: VFX doesn't recharge any faster after 20th level, though the maximum VFX limit still increases by 1 point with each level. The radius of all VFX ability effects continues to expand proportionally to the Viewtiful Warrior's class level.

Viewtiful Dodge: The Viewtiful Warrior's dodge bonus from Viewtiful Dodge is equal to ½ his Viewtiful Warrior class levels or his Wisdom modifier, whichever is higher. If out of VFX, the dodge bonus for the purpose of AC is equal to ¼ his Wisdom modifier or ⅛ his class level, whichever is higher, until his VFX has recharged.

VFX Slow: Damage sustained as a result of creatures colliding with one another after being launched by the Viewtiful Warrior continues to increase by 1d8 per 3 class levels.

Round Trip: The maximum number of blades thrown is 1 per class level.

VFX Mach Speed: The Viewtiful Warrior's enhancement bonus to movement speed is 100 feet + 10 feet per class level. (By this point, he might actually be able to win a race against a Garchomp.)

Yatagashiri: Damage sustained as a result of creatures colliding with one another after being thrown by the Viewtiful Warrior continues to increase by 1d8 per 3 class levels. Damage sustained as a consequence of hitting a wall increases by 1d12 per class level.

Air Raid: The Viewtiful Warrior can launch one bolt for every two levels he has.

Bonus Feats: The epic Viewtiful Warrior gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Viewtiful Warrior bonus feats) every 3 levels after 20th.

Epic Viewtiful Warrior Bonus Feat List: Air Raid, Armor Skin, Blinding Speed, Desperado, Devastating Critical, Dire Charge, Distant Shot, Energy Resistance, Epic Dodge*, Epic Endurance, Epic Leadership, Epic Prowess, Epic Reputation, Epic Toughness, Exceptional Deflection, Heavy Heart Shoulder Slam, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Stunning Fist, Improved Whirlwind Attack, Improved Yatagashiri, Infinite Deflection, Legendary Commander, Legendary Leaper, Legendary Wrestler, Overwhelming Critical, Penetrate Damage Reduction, Red Hot One Hundred, Reflect Arrows, Round Trip, Shattering Strike, Spellcasting Harrier, Stinger, Superior Initiative, Ultimate Find the Weak Spot, VFX Double Time, VFX Mach Speed, VFX Replay, Voomerang, Yatagashiri

*VFX Slow (more specifically, its narrow dodge ability) counts as the defensive roll class feature for the purpose of feat prerequisites. **Yatagashiri must be taken before Improved Yatagashiri. Stinger must be taken before Air Raid.

Human Viewtiful Warrior Starting Package

Weapons: <-Weapon selection for starting at 1st level with this class.->.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Skill Ranks Ability Armor
Check
Penalty
Knowledge (theatrics) 4 Int
<-Skill name-> <-4 for class skills and 2 for cross-class skills-> <-Abbrieviated key ability-> <-armor check penalty based on starting armor. If inapplicable put "—"->

<-copy and paste the rows as necessary.->

Feat: <-1st-level feat selection->.

Bonus Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike.

Gear: <-Starting armor and other equipment outside of weapons.->.

Gold: <-Starting gold using this package.->.

Campaign Information

Playing a Viewtiful Warrior

Religion: Viewtiful Warriors are no more or less likely to be religious than other members of their race. Viewtiful Warriors who do follow a religion often try to preach the viewty of their god to the masses, sometimes to the embarrassment of that god's clerics.

Other Classes: Viewtiful Warriors find fighters and barbarians to be boring simpletons; though fighters and barbarians tend to be just a tad jealous of the abilities Viewtiful Warriors get from VFX. On the other hand, Viewtiful Warriors are often fascinated by the Sublime Way, as maneuvers can enable their users to pull off stunts that rival what VFX is capable of. Unfortunately for them, martial adepts usually don't like Viewtiful Warriors very much, finding the gung-ho attitude of the Viewtiful Warrior to be quite off-putting. Viewtiful Warriors and warblades often have essentially the same motivations, and the relationship between a Viewtiful Warrior and a warblade tends to be very similar to the relationship between two warblades - that is, the Viewtiful Warrior and the Warblade are constantly trying to one-up each other. Viewtiful Warriors appreciate the company of monks, whose ki grants unarmed combat mastery that rivals the Viewtiful Warrior's. The monks usually don't reciprocate the admiration, as they are typically bewildered or irritated by the Viewtiful Warrior's exuberance. However, monks do find Viewtiful Warriors to be worthwhile sparring partners. Viewtiful Warriors, depending on their alignment, either get along very well or very poorly with paladins. As for rogues... well, the rogue really appreciates the distraction that the Viewtiful Warrior can provide, and respects his abilities, but is often consternated by the Viewtiful Warrior's straightforwardness. The Viewtiful Warrior often wonders if the rogue suffers from stage fright, but knows that the stage superstar lifestyle isn't for everyone and that stealth is sometimes the best solution.

As for non-melee characters... Sorcerers and Viewtiful Warriors tend to be great buddies, pulling off stunts that leave the common people scratching their heads or staring in awe. Wizards, whose magic is derived from study rather than talent, work well with Viewtiful Warriors on the field but really wish that the Viewtiful Warrior would let them carry out their research in peace during downtime. As already mentioned, clerics often find the Viewtiful Warrior's antics to be embarrassing, though the clerics of certain deities (such as Garl Glittergold, Kord, and Olidamarra) often find Viewtiful Warriors to be kindred spirits. Druids and rangers find Viewtiful Warriors to be utterly exasperating, due to the Viewtiful Warrior's tendency to treat the world like a giant playground. Psions, wilders, and psychic warriors don't like to admit it, but they have a lot in common with Viewtiful Warriors - VFX is quite similar to psionic power. Bards and Viewtiful Warriors get along like peas in a pod, as both have very similar outlooks on life and share a love of theatrics.

Combat: The Viewtiful Warrior is a "burst damage" combatant. He dishes out heavy damage with his VFX powers, then darts out of harm's way before his VFX can run out. He does a lot of damage in a short amount of time, but then he has to back off and go on the defensive. His ability to stun enemies just by dodging their attacks can prove very useful, as it enables him and his allies to dish out a world of hurt on unwary foes.

Advancement: The abilities of the Combo Maker work wonderfully with the abilities of the Viewtiful Warrior. Viewtiful Warriors who choose to use weapons often find themselves attracted to the awe-inspiring abilities available to edgemasters and martial adepts; however, the road to becoming an edgemaster is very hard for anyone who didn't start out as a fighter, so very few Viewtiful Warriors actually take that path. Viewtiful Warriors see martial maneuvers as a way to pull off stunts that otherwise would be impossible even for them; even though the path of the Sublime Way is a little hard for the Viewtiful Warrior and somewhat contrary to their nature, a somewhat small yet quite significant proportion of Viewtiful Warriors buckle down and develop a respectable measure of skill in it anyways. Viewtiful Warriors also sometimes multiclass into spellcasting classes (especially bard or sorcerer) for the same reason that they may follow the Sublime Way, though the loss of physical combat ability is something that most Viewtiful Warriors balk at.

Viewtiful Warriors in the World

There's always a plot twist before the happy ending!
—Joe Black, Human Viewtiful Warrior

<-Where characters of this class fit in a d20 world.->

Daily Life: <-day in the life of a character of this class->.

Notables: Captain Blue is a legendary Viewtiful Warrior and movie director who spends his retirement days training the next generation of superheroes. Joe Black is a Viewtiful Warrior who, along with his girlfriend Silvia, is the strongest candidate for inheriting Captain Blue's legacy. Jet Black, Joe's father, was tainted by a corrupt film and rampaged on a brief reign of terror until Joe and Silvia bashed him back to his senses. Alastor is an electrical half-fiend Viewtiful Warrior whose weapon of choice is a greatsword, rather than his fists.

Organizations: Viewtiful Warriors are usually found in bardic colleges (where they are most welcome) or monasteries (where they're significantly less welcome), rather than having any major organizations of their own.

NPC Reactions: Viewtiful Warriors love the spotlight and tend to show off in front of NPCs. The reaction tends to depend on the NPC in question - some love to watch the Viewtiful Warrior in action, while others think of the Viewtiful Warrior as a prat.

Viewtiful Warrior Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (theatrics) can research Viewtiful Warriors to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (theatrics)
DC Result
5 Viewtiful Warriors are showoffs whose unarmed combat ability rivals that of a monk.
10 Viewtiful Warriors get their power from the mysterious energy known as "VFX".
15 VFX is the essence of drama itself, and allows Viewtiful Warriors to manipulate time, repeat huge events, or focus the attention of the cosmos upon themselves.
20 Using VFX powers greatly enhances a Viewtiful Warrior's combat ability, but if he overdoes it, he is entirely stripped of his power for a short time.

Instead of Knowledge (theatrics), Gather Information can be used to research individual Viewtiful Warriors. This is possible because Viewtiful Warriors tend to be highly prominent individuals if not celebrities, and details about their everyday lives (if not their superheroics or supervillainy) tend to be common knowledge as a result. Gather Information cannot be used to gain information on Viewtiful Warriors in general (as described on the above table).

Viewtiful Warriors in the Game

Viewtiful Warriors are capable of doing a lot of damage in a very short amount of time. However, due to their limited pool of VFX - and the consequences of running out of it - they can't stay on the offensive for long. After a while, they'll have to back off, deactivate the VFX powers, and start playing defense while their VFX recharges. A Viewtiful Warrior faced with a blistering barrage of attacks may activate VFX Slow to cope with it, but being forced to resort to this puts him at a disadvantage, as he pays a heavy VFX cost whenever VFX Slow causes him to dodge an attack that he otherwise wouldn't.

Adaptation: VFX is the power of drama and coolness - both concepts that only really exist within the sentient mind. This makes VFX very similar to psionics, and VFX can therefore be considered a highly specialized form of psionics if it's appropriate for the campaign. If you do this, it may cause stuff that has special effects on psionics to have similar effects on VFX.

Sample Encounter: <-DM placement for NPCs of this class.->.

EL <- EL Number ->: <-Encounter scenario and character info on sample NPC including stat block. The CR of the NPC is typically the same as the EL for the encounter.->.


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