So, I've decided to create a new character class called the Arcane Warrior. An Arcane Warrior is an individual born with the magical abilities of a Sorcerer who uses their magic to augment their natural attributes and equipment instead of to cast spells. This means that Arcane Warriors have no spellcasting ability, despite the fact that they have innate magical power. Instead they have enchantments. An enchantment is a spell-like ability that Arcane Warriors use to perform all sorts of effects, such as making a weapon do fire damage in addition to normal damage, creating a shimmering shield that provides an armor class bonus or absorbs spell damage, and other such things. Enchantments can only effect an Arcane Warrior's equipment or body, not allies or enemies.
Now, I have some basic ideas for what I want the Arcane Warrior to be, but I could use some help ironing out the details. Here's what I have so far:
Full base attack bonus - The Arcane Warrior is very much a combat class
d10 Hit Die - Again, this is very much a combat class
Proficiency with all armor, all shields (except tower shields), and all simple and martial weapons.
Skill Ranks per Level - 2, with class skills being a mix of those available to Sorcerers and Fighters
Bloodline Power - Each Arcane Warrior selects a Sorcerer bloodline at 1st level and gains powers from it at the same speed as a Sorcerer, but the powers an Arcane Warrior gets from their bloodline are different than those a Sorcerer would get do to the fact that Arcane Warriors use their magic in different ways than Sorcerers.
Enchantments - I want Arcane Warriors to learn one of these at every other level, and they are activated as a free action (They have no components, so wearing heavy armor or being unable to speak will not interfere with their use in any way)
I would be very grateful if anyone could offer suggestions, such as how powerful enchantments should be, how long/often they should be able to be used, how powerful the Arcane Warrior versions of the bloodline powers should be (and what they should be), and anything else that comes to mind. I'm not asking anyone to do all the work for me, but advice is greatly sought. What I'm looking for in this class in a frontline warrior that goes into battle protected and enhanced by arcane magic. I also like the idea of a combat Sorcerer very much, especially one that augments and enchants it's equipment and physical and mental attributes instead of casting spells.
First of all, I don't think this needs to be a base class. Rather, it appears to be a perfect candidate for a Fighter archetype.
Full BAB: Done
D10 Health: Done
Proficiencies: Done
2 + Int Skills: Done
You can just add and subtract any relevant skills for the archetype.
Enchantments can replace bonus feats.
I designed an archetype myself that I call the Witchblade (no relation to the Anime of the same name. Never even seen it). It doesn't replace the feats, but it does replace weapon training with a magic-based attack and damage bonus, and Armor Mastery was replaced with spell resistance.
Concept
Bloodline powers replace Armor training.
Turn weapon training into an attack/damage bonus similar to that of Arcane Strike (since he won't be able to take it due to lack of spellcasting).
Replace armor mastery with whatever the bloodline's capstone is.
Enchantments replace bonus feats, plain and simple. Potentially integrate some sort of "Grand Enchantment" to be chosen at level 20 to replace weapon mastery.
Enchantments
Allow me to pimp my own base class for a second: The Avatar. It gains no spells, but utilizes abilities known as Mystic Arts which allow it spell-like effects. Maybe take some inspiration from there.
Beyond that, you should think about what this class has already (barring all archetype suggestions I listed).
Just looking at this, you can glean certain effects that the enchantments should and should not have.
This gives you an idea of areas the enchantments can cover:
Regardless, remember that when creating your enchantments, you want a wide variety. When I build a base class (I've built 3), I usually try to think of several different ways that particular class could be played. Sure, the Arcane Warrior can be a fighter charging into battle protected by an arcane shield and wielding a flaming brand. But he could also be rallying his allies with a bravery-styled fear boost, or he could be a dark hexblade forcing his foes to cower in fear of his presence. He could be mistaken for a mage, slinging fireballs and lightning bolts with the best of them, all the while a sword in his hand. There are MANY different possibilities, and you should think about all of them when creating this class/archetype.
As far as determining the power of enchantments, the best thing to do is (in my opinion) search for similar abilities in other classes, and determine their power. Want an attack that drains wisdom from an enemy? Search for Maddening Bomb in the Alchemist Discovery list. How about a fear-inducing aura? The antipaladin might be right up your alley.
However...
Now, I proposed an archetype above. I don't know if that'll fly with you or not. You may want to just build a base class. I'm totally on-board either way. But a base class does take extra work.
In general, I say again to look at what you've got, not just in a sense of what abilities you have, but WHEN you get them.
That gives you levels 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 to add stuff in.
Think about the rate at which abilities are accrued in other classes. Usually, abilities that give some sort of bonus (bravery) are accrued in a pattern. Every 3-5 levels is usually the norm.
Also, consider dividing up enchantments into two separate abilities. Maybe take a little inspiration from the Tome of Battle from 3.5. They had maneuvers and stances. Two abilities that had totally different effects. Maybe you have Enchantments and Boons. Enchantments are gained less often (levels 3, 7, 11, 15, 19), but are permanent effects that can be cycled through (maybe one is a bravery aura, while another converts all weapon damage into fire damage). Boons, on the other hand, are gained every even level, and are closer to special attacks and powers (one allows you an arcane bolt-style attack, while another gives you an instantaneous shield against a single attack).
Perhaps give the class a pool of points. I would discourage this, simply because it's been done before, and I think integrating it will make your class feel too much like the magus (what else could you call it other than "arcane pool"?). But it is an option.
In Conclusion
Whichever route you choose, I support you and will help however I can. I will definitely continue to follow this class, and hope to see it grow into something grand.
Finally, if you're looking for inspiration, I suggest the following classes as analogs for powers your class might get:
A Final Note
Arcane Warrior is a lame name. It doesn't evoke any cool images in my mind. Either find a word that evokes the kind of image you want this class to convey, or make one up that sounds right. My suggestions are Arcanis, Arcanix, and Incantus. In general, though, I suggest keeping it one word long.
I hope this LONG post helps. Good luck, and I hope you post the results on this forum.
-The Beast
Isn't the main issue of archetype vs base class one of how many pages it takes up in the book and how far it strays from the existing classes? I would argue that for a homebrew class, which one he calls it is mostly irrelevant. The most important thing to take from archetypes would be to compare and contrast overall power and balance of class features to determine whether his class is appropriate for use.
You might want to make enhancements that play off each other, building up just like feats - the character will have to invest maybe 4 to 10 levels to earn an advanced enhancement. Some should also obviously be available at higher levels only. A few enhancements should offer bonus feats, kind of like certain Rogue talents offering feats like Weapon Finesse. One thing to try would be adding an enhancement which is exclusive to each bloodline or only available to certain bloodlines (Infernal/Abyssal, Red/Gold/Brass Dragon/Fire Elemental, etc.) to offer unique build options.
I would definitely recommend special weapons that are built into the class. Look at the natural weapons the Barbarian totems and the Sorcerer bloodlines get. The Dragon Disciple is a good example of something you could pull off here, only in different ways. Consider making some bloodlines which can create a magical weapon out of thin air, or transform their weapon/armor into something that suits their bloodline. Look at the Paladin's Divine Bond ability for their weapon and you'll see what I'm getting at. I might offer more detailed suggestions in this regard once I've given it more thought.
Lastly I would suggest avoiding having a primary "casting" stat. After all, you said how this class doesn't cast spells, so steering it away from having some dependency on Cha will help separate it from a mere arcane Paladin and make sure it's more comparable to a Fighter.
Thanks for the advice. It's much appreciated.
I don't think this will work as a Fighter archetype, because it's so radically different from a Fighter. The same applies to Sorcerer (This class shares a lot with the Sorcerer, coming from the same origins, so making it a Sorcerer archetype would have made sense it that respect.)as well. The rest of the advice is very good, and will be used.
I'm giving either 1 or 2 enchantments per level, depending on which seems more balanced. They come in three categories:
Combat - Defensive and offensive abilities, such as damage bonuses (like fire and lightning) and magical defenses
Body - Stat bonuses and anything that modifies the body directly, such as darkvision or natural weapons/armor
Tactical - New forms of attack, such as transforming one weapon into another or the ability to attack incorporeal creatures, and tactical aids, such as illusions
Enchantments last as long as the character wants, and have an unlimited number of uses per day, but an Arcane Warrior can only have one from each category active at a time (if that seems unbalanced once the class is finished, I'll reduce it to two at a time), and they are considered magical, so they can be dispelled or blocked by anything that effects magic. They come in three power levels, the first being available at level 1, the second at level 8, and the third at level 14.
I am considering a name change to Eldritch Warrior, Eldritch Champion, or Arcane Champion, though if I think of something better I may take that.
I like the idea of three categories, one active apiece. One thought, though: if they can be dispelled, but are free to reapply, what if anything can truly stop them (besides Antimagic Fields)?
As for the name and the theme, I keep thinking of knights whose heraldry is displayed on their shields, but instead of some knightly order, it's a proud magical bloodline. The name herald is used for other classes, and I can't seem to find other good words related to it, but at any rate it made me really interested in blazon, so I guess I got something out of the deal.
I like the idea of three categories, one active apiece. One thought, though: if they can be dispelled, but are free to reapply, what if anything can truly stop them (besides Antimagic Fields)?
That's a good point. Perhaps a dispelled ability cannot be brought back up for the duration of the fight, and instead of a free action activating an enchantment is a standard action.