Phlebas said:
just seen how many versions we've been through <Sigh> now i need to decide which one to use...
ivocaliban said:
Yes, I can't make up my mind. I've put my version on the back burner for now. Trying to take a step back and reapproach it later, hopefully from a better angle.
Wow, this is cool...I didn't expect such a great response to my clownish PrC, but I am loving the ideas that are coming out of here. So I feel obliged to give a little background on the yellowbellied coward.
We were gaming, and our "hero" of the group failed his Will save and became panicked. The rogue of our group made fun of him, saying "What? Have you been taking levels of Coward?" And we all laughed...and then I thought, "Hmm...levels of coward, eh?"
When I decided to make a "coward class," I went with the first example that came to mind. This character was based largely upon the AD&D Cartoon character of Eric (remember him? the cavalier with the magic shield who was always scared out of his wits but somehow managed to save the day? good times, good times.) This is why I wanted it to be more oriented towards fighter-type characters...a cavalier coward? That's awesome irony. Eric even wore a yellow breastplate...get it?
So I hammered out a draft of it, and a friend and fellow DM Robert Cooper looked it over and gave me some feedback. Then it sat on my hard drive for quite some time, before I decided to post it up here for everyone to enjoy.
Siguard is right; very few players would ever want to take this prestige class. And those who do will be more interested in "deep" roleplaying, where the personality and background of the character takes center stage over the rolling of dice. Most characters who actively avoid combat are only doing so to find another way to fight...casting spells, backstabbing, and so forth. To play a character who actively avoids combat altogether would be very challenging to play...especially considering how XP are doled out under the D20 system.
So this character was ultimately designed for NPCs, although a few PCs with well-developed character backgrounds might be interested. This class is the perfect choice for lackeys of powerful villains...not only would this lackey drive the party crazy by always fleeing battle (thus denying them the sweetness of victory), but would also be able to escape their master's wrath after they constantly bungle the jobs they were sent to do. It would also be a good PrC for any monster that has "tends to avoid combat" in their descriptions, like succubi.