Class: Discordant

The Discordant
		Anarchy					Maneuvers
Level	Special	Deck Size	Max Hand Size	Max Grade	Idioms	Whims Known	Max Grade	Schools	Maneuvers Known
1	Combat Style, Discord	4	2	Subtle	1	2	Basic	1	2
2	Ordered Chaos	5	2	Subtle	1	3	Basic	1	3
3		6	2	Subtle	1	4	Basic	1	4
4	Ordered Chaos	6	2	Subtle	1	5	Basic	1	5
5		7	3	Subtle	2	6	Lesser	1	6
6	Ordered Chaos	8	3	Lesser	2	6	Lesser	1	6
7		8	3	Lesser	2	7	Lesser	1	7
8	Ordered Chaos	9	3	Lesser	2	8	Lesser	1	8
9		10	3	Lesser	2	9	Lesser	2	9
10	Discordant Talent	10	4	Lesser	2	10	Lesser	2	10
11		11	4	Lesser	3	11	Lesser	2	11
12	Discordant Talent	12	4	Lesser	3	11	Expert	2	11
13		12	4	Greater	3	12	Expert	2	12
14	Discordant Talent	13	5	Greater	3	13	Expert	2	13
15		14	5	Greater	3	14	Expert	2	14
16	Discordant Talent	14	5	Greater	3	15	Expert	2	15
17		15	5	Greater	4	16	Expert	2	16
18	Discordant Talent	16	5	Greater	4	16	Expert	2	16
19		17	6	Greater	4	17	Greater	2	17
20	Discordant Talent	17	6	Greater	4	18	Greater	2	18

 

Discordant

Gaige, iconic discordant

"Meedly-meedly-mowwww... I know, I'm so bad at this!"

For some anarchists, merely channeling raw chaos is not enough. They seek out expressions of chaos in the world at large, rather than bringing it through force, and for most, the clearest expression of chaos is found in the art of combat. After attaining a connection to the forces of entropy, they seek to bring this to the battlefield, engendering even more chaos than most would have thought possible.

The discordant is a dangerous combatant, not just to others, but to herself, as well. Using and manipulating the forces of chance and chaos to devastating effect, the discordant cannot be called a master of ranged weapons, but uses them as a means to an end, relying upon them only as a means to channel their inner entropic power.

Many discordants prefer to use firearms, though this can sometimes put them at a disadvantage, as they are then reliant upon two Forces and thus susceptible to effects that disrupt either Chaos or Technology, and are less useful against those of Magic or Psionics. However, a discordant is not restricted in her choice of ranged weapon, and even something as simple as a sling can become incredibly dangerous in her hands.

Game Rule Information

Discordants have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Chaos.

Force Resistances: UO 5 + level, TO 5 + level.

Abilities: Luck is an important ability, as are whatever ability scores are pertinent to your selected combat style.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Con score.

Hit Points at Each Additional Level: 7 + Con modifier.

Healing Surges: 8 + Con modifier.

Defenses: Fort +0; Ref +4; Will +2; Det +2.

Starting Age: Simple.

Class Features

Discordant: Combat Styles
Class	Availability
Archer
Berserker
Defender
Einhander
Falconer
Karateka
Lancer
Unfettered
Warlord

All of the following are class features of the discordant.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: The discordant is proficient with simple weapons and light armor, but not shields. The discordant is also proficient with martial ranged weapons.

If discordant is her first class, she may also select one exotic ranged weapon, or one basic or advanced firearm of her choice, with which she is proficient. If she does so, she begins play with the selected weapon.

Anarchy (Ch): The principle power of discordants is simply referred to as "anarchy," and it is the art of imbuing ranged weapons with chaotic power. This is an effect intrinsic to the discordant, not the weapon, but weapons that are Blue- or Time-aligned are resistant to this effect. While the base entropic principle is not itself similar to other anarchists' avaos, some of the more intricate chaotic effects a discordant can perform with sufficient gathered power are: in effect, anarchy tokens are very similar to trigger slots.

After each ranged attack a discordant makes, if she is under stress (in a situation in which she cannot take 10 on skill checks), she gains an anarchy token unless an anarchy token was spent as part of the attack (such as using the Discord ability; see below). Each anarchy token a discordant has gives her the listed penalty as a luck penalty to ranged attack rolls, and the listed bonus as a luck bonus to ranged attack damage rolls.

The maximum number of anarchy tokens a discordant can have is listed on the table, and further modified by her Wisdom score: a discordant subtracts her Wisdom modifier from her max anarchy tokens (minimum 1). Thus, a negative Wisdom modifier enlarges her max tokens, while a positive Wisdom modifier reduces it.

If you fall unconscious or go to sleep, you lose all accumulated anarchy tokens. If you are wielding a weapon that holds more than one piece of ammunition at a time, you lose all accumulated anarchy tokens if you reload your weapon before it is empty while under stress.

Effects that improve your anarchist level affect a discordant's anarchy tokens (attack and damage modifiers, and max tokens).

Discord (Ch): Discordants can expend their accumulated chaotic power to improve their accuracy - in effect, trading accuracy for many shots taken for greater accuracy with fewer. When she makes a ranged attack, she may spend an anarchy token: if she does so, each anarchy token she has instead provides a luck bonus to attack rolls, instead of a penalty, equal to the penalty it would have given her.

Example: Gaige is a 6th-level discordant, so her anarchy tokens are each giving her a -2 penalty to attack and a +3 bonus to damage. She presently has four tokens, giving her a total of -8 to attack and +12 to damage. She spends an anarchy token to activate Discord on her next attack, leaving her with three, so she instead gains a +6 bonus to the attack roll, and +9 to damage.

Style over Substance: A discordant can use her Charisma modifier, instead of her Dexterity or Perception modifier, for ranged attack rolls (including firearm attacks).

If the discordant uses her Charisma modifier for ranged attack rolls, she can never benefit from the Precise Shot feat, or any feat that requires it.

Ordered Chaos: At each level from 2nd to 9th, the discordant acquires a deeper understanding of the chaotic ebb and flow of combat, allowing her to "improve" her battle prowess. Choose one of the following abilities; unless otherwise noted, each ability can only be taken once.

For all of the following abilities, if you are using the Luck ability score, replace all instances of "Charisma" with "Luck."

• Close Enough (Ch): If you make a ranged attack that misses, if the natural result of the attack roll was at least 19 - one-half your anarchist level, you can spend an anarchy token to make your attack instead hit your target (ignoring everything but total concealment or total cover), but deal half damage; if the attack would have threatened a critical, you may roll to confirm, and if confirmed, the attack instead deals normal damage. A natural one never hits, even with this ability, and this ability does not affect attacks that miss due to cover or concealment.
  • Aim For The... Or Not (Ch): You may intentionally make a ranged attack against an object, including the ground. If you do, make an attack roll and spend an anarchy token; if the result is at least 20 - one-half your anarchist level, the attack ricochets and hits the nearest target within the range increment of the weapon, dealing half damage, even if you cannot see that creature or are even aware of it. If your attack roll would have threatened a critical against that creature, you may roll to confirm; if confirmed, the attack instead deals normal damage. (Prerequisites: Close Enough)
• Cooking Up Trouble (Av): If you are wielding a weapon for which you no longer have ammunition, you can spend a standard action and an anarchy token to "find" one unit of standard ammunition for that weapon (arrow, bolt, bullet, etc) on your person for every two anarchist levels you have. You can take this ability twice; the second time you do, you "find" an amount of ammunition equal to your anarchist level.
• Evasion (Ex): You gain evasion.
• Fancy Mathematics (Ch): You gain a dodge bonus to your AC equal to the number of anarchy tokens you have against ranged attacks. This bonus cannot exceed your anarchist level.
• I Want It!: Choose a ranged weapon (martial, exotic, or any class of firearm) with which you are not proficient. You gain proficiency with that weapon.
• Interspersed Outburst (Ch): Each round you do not make a ranged attack, one anarchy token becomes an outburst token, up to a maximum of one-quarter your anarchist level. Outburst tokens behave as anarchy tokens, but the next time you make a ranged attack, you automatically spend all outburst tokens. If you spend at least one outburst token in this way, you ignore the luck penalty to attack rolls from anarchy tokens, and instead gain that penalty as a bonus to attack rolls. For each outburst token spent, you gain double the damage bonus provided by your anarchy tokens. You cannot combine this effect with your discord ability.
• Jam It (Ex): If you are wielding a firearm that is currently jammed, you can clear the weapon by forcibly loading it and detonating the ammunition, which "clears it." Doing so requires a standard action and expenditure of an anarchy token, and in doing so you take damage as though hit by the weapon.
  • Jam It All To Hell (Ex): You can use jam it as a swift action. (Prerequisites: Jam It)
• More Pep (Ch): If you are wielding a ranged weapon that deals bonus energy damage (such as through the shocking weapon ability), increase the bonus energy damage by your Charisma modifier. You can take this ability multiple times; its effect stacks.
• Rapid Reload: You gain the rapid reload feat. You can take this ability multiple times; each time you do, choose a new weapon with which you are proficient.
  • Smaller, Lighter, Faster (Ex): You can reload any weapon for which you have the Rapid Reload feat as a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. (Prerequisites: Rapid Reload)
• Rational Anarchist (Ch): If you would gain at least one anarchy token and currently have none, you gain an additional number of anarchy tokens equal to your Charisma modifier.
• The Better Half (Ex): When you are wielding a ranged weapon that holds more than one piece of ammunition at a time, while there is less than half the maximum amount of ammunition remaining in the weapon, you gain the flurry ability with that weapon (when you make a full attack action with that weapon, you can make one additional attack at your highest attack bonus, but all your attacks suffer a -2 penalty). If this ability would become active in the middle of a full attack action for which you were not under a flurry or similar effect (such as haste), you gain an additional attack at your highest attack bonus, with that attack and all remaining attacks taking a -2 penalty.
  • The More Better Half (Ex): While the better half is active, you can make another additional attack at your highest attack bonus, but increase the penalty to all attacks by -4. You can take this ability twice. (Prerequisites: The Better Half)
• Typecast Iconoclast (Ch): When you make a ranged attack, if the natural result of your attack roll is less than your Charisma modifier, you gain an additional anarchy token. You can take this ability up to three times.
• Uncanny Dodge (Ex): You gain uncanny dodge. Levels in classes that grant uncanny dodge stack for purposes of determining the level required to overcome your improved uncanny dodge, if you have that ability.
• Unstoppable Force (Av): When you drop a creature, you gain a +10 luck bonus to your movement speed for 1 round/2 anarchist levels. You can take this ability up to three times.
• Your Face Is Stupid (Ch): You can expend an anarchy token as a move action to challenge a creature that you can see within one range increment of the weapon you wield (if you are not wielding a ranged weapon, you cannot use this ability). The target of this effect must be of above animal intelligence and be able to understand you. The target must make a Will save against DC 10 + one-half your anarchist level + your Charisma modifier. If the target fails, you enrage it, causing it to suffer a -4 penalty to attack rolls against creatures other than you, and until you or the target drop, your ricochet effects (such as from close enough) automatically target that creature if possible. If the target succeeds on the Will save, you cannot use this ability on that creature again for 24 hours. You can only have one creature targeted by this ability at a time. This is a sonic, mind-affecting, language-dependent effect.

Discordant Talent: At tenth level, and every two levels thereafter, the discordant's "abilities" with ranged weapons "improve." She may select one of the following talents.

• Calculating Anarchist (Ch): While you have less than half your maximum hit points, each time you gain at least one anarchy token, you gain a number of additional anarchy tokens equal to your Intelligence modifier.
• Chaotic Order: You gain another ability from the ordered chaos list of your choice. You can take this talent multiple times.
• Discordian Zen: You may add, rather than subtract, your Wisdom modifier to the max number of anarchy tokens you can have at a time (that is, regardless of whether your Wisdom modifier is negative or positive, it is now always beneficial to you).
• Evil Anarchist (Ch): Whenever you drop a creature, all energy damage caused by ranged weapons you wield is empowered (deals half again as much damage) for one round. You can take this talent multiple times; each time you do, the duration of the effect increases by 1 round.
• Extreme Anarchy: Increase the attack penalty from anarchy tokens by -1, and the damage bonus by +2. You can take this talent multiple times; its effects stack.
• Improved Evasion (Ex): You gain improved evasion. (Prerequisite: Evasion)
• Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): You gain improved uncanny dodge. Levels in classes that grant uncanny dodge stack for purposes of determining the level required to overcome your improved uncanny dodge. (Prerequisite: Uncanny Dodge)
• Preshrunk Steampunk: Increase your maximum number of anarchy tokens by 2. You can take this talent multiple times; its effect stacks.
• The Nth Degree (Ch): Each time you make a ranged attack, also roll d%. If your attack hits (whether naturally or through close enough), and the result of the d% is less than or equal to 10%, you may spend an anarchy token; if you do, the attack ricochets from the target and also potentially hits the nearest target within one range increment of your weapon. The attack roll of your attack is used to determine whether or not you hit both your original target and the ricochet target. Note that if you have the close enough ability, that effect can occur on both the original target and the ricochet target. You can take this talent multiple times; each time, add 10% to the chance that this effect occurs, to a maximum of double your anarchist level or 50%, whichever is lower.
  • Hax (Ch): When your the nth degree effect occurs, you can choose to cause the ricochet shot to target a nearby wall or object, including the ground, causing it to potentially ricochet back to your original target. The natural roll on your attack roll must have been at least a 20 - one-quarter your anarchist level for this to occur; if such was the case, the ricochet shot hits your original target, dealing half damage. (Prerequisites: The Nth Degree)
• Feat: The discordant may select a bonus feat in place of a talent.

Class Features, Revisited

All of the following are class features of the discordant.

Proficiencies

Weapons: Any three.

Armor: Light, Mystic.

Implements: Coins, Dice.

Discord

The discordant channels her Chaotic power into her weapon, causing her to miss significantly more often... but when she doesn't, she hits in just the right place, every time.

Every time you make an attack (be it physical, ranged, chaotic, or otherwise), you gain 1 point of discord, to a maximum of your hand size.

You suffer a -2 feat penalty to all attack rolls for each point of discord you have.

When you make an attack or use an ability that requires an attack roll that deals damage, if you hit, you gain a feat bonus to the damage potency of that ability equal to your discord (this ability cannot cause your damage to exceed the damage cap).

On your turn, as a swift action, you can spend a point of discord. If you do, for your next attack, you lose the feat penalty to attack rolls from this ability, and instead gain a feat bonus to the attack roll equal to your discord.

Design Notes

It should be evident from the way anarchy functions that a member of this class should always have a very, very negative attack modifier.

Hmm... at present, it is possible, I think, to build a discordant that is less than useful. Should probably modify early-level progression to "force" the important abilities, to assure some level of competence...

...on second thought, I don't think that's necessary. The anarchy/discord combo should be sufficient to allow any discordant to contribute meaningfully in combat. This method allows for moderately different styles within the admittedly-limited design space.

Damage recalibration is, I believe, successful. Also requiring token expenditure on ricochet effects will help to limit a discordant's ability to stay at max stack, which further inhibits massive DPR capability. Still probably in the vicinity of 500 DPR, but that's only every other round at best, so effectively probably around 250 DPR... may need to do some benchmarking on the einhander to get a feel for actual DPR ranges, if we're going to be assuming at the einhander is baseline.

Anarchy tokens are trigger slots by a different name, and with ever-so-slightly different mechanics (a recharge system similar to a defender's token system). This means they are not interchangeable, though, so that's probably a good thing. Otherwise we'd get anarch/discordant multiclassing that would just... be way too brutal.

Recent Changes (15-01-24): Significantly toned down the penalty to hit, damage bonus, and max anarchy tokens. Went from +240 damage to +100 damage with full stack; this brings the discordant's damage output significantly more in-line with other classes.

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