Been looking through the net for rules on putting together your own classes just wondering if pathfinder might be interested in offering something like this in a suppliment.
Basically the 11 core classes are pulled apart and each class ability is given a value. with each class adding up to X pts.
Thus you could take the AC bonus of a monk, the spellcasting of a cleric and the BAB of a fighter and put together a class which will effectively be equal or lesser to the current core classes.
Its a very difficult thing to do when you consider that INT based spell casting would be worth a different value if it was in a class that had other INT based abilites vs a STR based class e.g.
None the less would be great to have some rules for desinging custom base classes that were pretty much the same or less powerful than the current core classes.
I mean the issues of multiclassing disappear if you can put all the scaling abilites you want in the same class. classing example a full caster full BAB would solve the multiclassing caster issue. Of course you'd have to choose between having a low number of powerful abilites or a mess of low powered abilites.
a cut down druid with barb rage could be fun.
a ranger with full casting instead of delay'd casting
a rogue with flurries
Now before anyone scream OMGMETABBQABUSE ! as I said before it would be very hard to balance as design an arbitrary points system. but assuming it was balanced so that any combo would only be equal or lesser than current core 11 classes would you be interested ?
If you wanted an example I've seen a system where of a possible 240 pts full 20 level casting would be worth 80 pts. wildshape for the druid is worth 20 pts. the fighter 11 bonus feats are worth 55 pts
I would be fond of such an idea. I have a few character concepts that don't work in D&D because of the way that duties/roles are built into the game. That carries with it certain expectations. In addition to power level balance, encroachment is unfortunately considered a balance issue.
One character class I would want to play is one that can wear Light Armor, use simple weapons, no shield, and would have medium progression. This class would have full spell progression and would have full access to the essential cleric spells. (Cure X; Neutralize Poison; Raise Dead; Remove Curse; Restoration and Lesser Restoration; Heal). This class would also have a good, if limited, set of attack spells like a Wizard or Sorcerer (Orb of Fire Lesser; Scorching Ray; Fireball; Lightning Bolt; Wall of Fire; Cone of Cold; Frost Ray; Meteor Storm). I would prefer it from a theme perspective that the combat spells all have the same elemental type. The character would not get much other than zapping bad guys and healing. The Dimension Shifting, Holy Word, Symbol, Permanency, Contact Other Plane, Miracle, Divine Power, Contingency, and a lot of the other stuff would be limited or unavailable.
Essentially I want to zap stuff with fire, be able to be the full healer/fixer for my party, not have my spell access slowed down, but be limited from the flexibility of a full Wizard or Sorcerer. Some minor divination would be OK and some minor utility. I guess my problem is that I have always played GURPS and in GURPS, it isnt considered encroachment for a wizard to also heal. If you want a warrior that can heal, or a fire wizard that can heal, or a priest of a healing and fire goddess, you just buy the abilities.
Another concept I want is a Warrior with Bardic Lore or Knowledge (All; separately) and with 4+ skill points per level (or 6!) so that I could make the Warrior-Scholar character I've always wanted to do. I dont feel that I should have to be a Warrior/Bard to do this, and I dont feel my BaB should have to suffer. Nor do I want to be able to cast magic bard music as a side effect of multiclassing. I wish that instead, I could drop my armor down to Medium, sacrifice one or two of the ELEVEN feats fighters get across my 20 levels, and otherwise benefit simply from having the expanded skill list and skill points. A Scholar Warrior who isnt a wuss in combat. Wow, that'd rock.
I also want to play an EQ style Necromancer. I'd basically look to pull the Animal Companion rules from Druids over, and limit the spellcasting to DoTs, Necromancy Spells, Debuffs and the like, and have something not unlike the Druid, but based around necromantic / death buffs and debuffs for myself, my "pet" and my enemies. Basically, I would want ONE undead pet to be the core of the power of the class. Unlike the Druid Animal Companion it would be expendable and hot swappable.
You could certainly hack all these up and make something balanced. Probably a system for numeric comparison and purchase wouldnt work since D&D's balance is all over the place. Still, I'd love to see it done, and it could be built from stuff available in the game now. I think you'd have to treat these types of classes to a Warmage style spell list where what you can cast is explicitly controlled. Still, I'd love to see this.
Lewis
Been looking through the net for rules on putting together your own classes just wondering if pathfinder might be interested in offering something like this in a suppliment.
Basically the 11 core classes are pulled apart and each class ability is given a value. with each class adding up to X pts.
This sounds a lot like a PDF called Buy The Numbers...it takes apart all the SRD classes and gives some guidelines for recombining them based on "point buys".
CJ
I thought there was a document for 3.5 much like this. It would probably take some tweaking for Pathfinder.
As far as abuse, any rule system can be abused. If you want to deal with the issue, you need to get to the root of the problem.