I'm currently in the process of overhauling many classes in the game.
HOO BOY!! HERE WE GO!
Inspired Bard v1.2: This is pretty close to a complete overhaul for the bard. It's a prepared caster (still using charisma as its primary casting score), and bardic performances have been replaced with an "Inspiration" pool which it can use to activate its Inspire Courage ability and various "Muses" (which effectively replace bardic performance. It still gains the versatile performance ability, but it has been concentrated into one class ability so it's, you know, useful. Overall, I wanted to change the bard from a Travelling Minstrel class that also has magic to more of an Adventuring Artist that draws inspiration from the world and people around him.
Mystic Monk v1.2: So...no lies here. This is pretty much a modified rip-off of Ashiel's Heroes of Alvena Monk. It's psionic (6th-level manifester), medium BAB, and gains Monk Secrets as it levels. It does, however, possess a re-tooled flurry of blows class feature, increased movement speed, and AC Bonus to fit with the new skeleton. Overall, I feel it's a much more versatile monk that can fill many roles.
Trained Fighter v1.1: This one's actually pretty simple. Bonus feats have been replaced with special "Combat Arts", essentially fighter talents. Armor and Weapon Training have been replaced with Martial Training, which includes armor and weapon training (though armor has been changed slightly, granting DR in place of increased Dex), along with several others (Swift training, tactical training, etc.). Bravery has been replaced with Bonus Feats, as-presented in the standard fighter. Bravery itself is now a combat art.
You should note that this one is still in the process of being completed, as I'm currently transitioning various fighter archetype class abilities into combat arts and forms of martial training.
Tricky Rogue v1.3: This is actually more of a template added onto the rogue than a class re-build. Tricky rogues gain a pool of Guile, which functions similarly to grit. They can spend Guile to use Skill Tricks, which emulate spells (they have "casting" up to 6th level, as a bard), and can also spend guile at 4th level to gain sneak attack die on any attack.
In addition to those fleshed-out class alterations, I've also made minor alterations to the following classes:
Barbarian: I tend to call them berserkers, since I've always hated the thematic corner that the word "barbarian" paints the class into. In addition, instead of a boost to Constitution, I give them a delayed damage pool equal to the amount of bonus HP they would have gained.
Magus: Spell combat, instead of being overly complicated and tied to two-weapon fighting and stuff, now just allows you to cast a single spell for free at the beginning or end of a full-attack. It's more powerful, but I don't think it breaks the game.
Gunslinger: I am not a big fan of this class, and generally discourage its use. When it is used, however, I have altered guns to function like normal ranged weapons, eschewing the touch AC rule, granting decent range increments, and either doing away with misfires altogether or only having them affect the gun on a 1 (also, a fouled barrel can be cleared by anyone as a full-round action).
And finally, I'm working on altering the following:
Sorcerer: I'm working on making this one a bit more like the oracle, in that I'm consolidating bloodlines (Devil, Demon, and Daemon are compressed into "Damned", for example), and allowing the sorcerer to choose its bloodline powers as it increases in level, instead of gaining automatic powers.
Wizard: Mostly, I'm working on an evoker mod, though I may continue this and modify other schools. Evokers, instead of gaining +1/2 their level on damage spells, instead gain +1 damage on each die of an evocation spell that deals damage at level 1. At levels 8 and 15, this increases to +2 damage and +3 damage per die. This boosts their damage output significantly, making them actually useful at higher levels.
At this point, I basically run exclusively E7 games, with a few caveats.
Re: Spells: I don't allow 4th-level spells except as "ritual" spells, gained through an "epic" feat (I call them capstone feats in my system). 4th-level spell slots are still gained, and can be used to cast metamagic-modified spells (and every caster gains "heighten spell" for free).
Re: Class Features: I'm currently developing a full E7 document, which will include some re-balanced classes, but in general I choose 7 because there are several classes that gain something special at 7th level which feels like a capstone-light (DR for barbarians, woodland stride for rangers, access to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level spell slots for various casters, knowledge pool/medium armor for magi). Granted, there are others whose boons at that level are a bit underwhelming (additional d6 for bombs and sneak attack, additional challenge/judgment/smite per day, etc.), but that's why I'm rebalancing some of the classes.
Re: # of attacks: Generally, I use the Trailblazer style of iterative attacks (2 attacks at +x-2, rather than +x/+x-5), and E7 does effectively the same job as E6. Full-BAB attackers can make multiple attacks without two-weapon fighting. Others cannot. Plain and simple. I feel it is a strong representation of fighting skill amongst classes.
Re: Ease of Play: By disallowing 4th-level spells except as rituals, the game remains very easy to play. Monsters never get out of hand (even at max player CR--roughly 10 after 15 feats or so--the game is still pretty simple. Games never devolve into the "rocket-tag" of high-level play, and certain relatively-powerful options of high-level play (the ever-popular scry-and-fry) are not available. In addition, stopping around level 7 allows for the utility of spellcasters and other classes to be relatively balanced. A 7d6 fireball is still pretty effective around level 7, as opposed to high-level play, where blasting becomes effectively useless.
Overall, I feel like 7 is a good place to stop. Using the beginner box and stopping at 5, however, is also an interesting idea. It really makes the game much simpler, removing iterative attacks entirely. The only problem I have with it is that, personally, I feel that the extra 2 levels add a level of "heroic-ness" to the game that stopping at 5 wouldn't provide.
Honestly...not sure how I feel about this. Part of me says "yay! New stuff to play with!" But another part asks "why?"
This feels like a weaksauce "official" version of the Multiclass Archetypes (which is a great system in its own right). And adding 10 of these new hybrid classes feels like a arbitrary number. I would have rather seen a book with 1-3 methodically-designed, interesting classes than 10 "hybrid" classes.
And, I mean...warpriest? Really? Bloodrager and Hunter feel like an attempt to fill mechanical holes. Shaman and Swashbuckler feel like actual, interesting thematic concepts. And the Slayer feels like a combative rogue fix.
But why is the warpriest even there? We have a cleric, we have a paladin, we have an inquisitor. It's supposed to be a cleric/fighter blend. What? Is it a fighter with domains? A cleric with weapon training? Bonus feats somewhere? I really want to know what makes the warpriest different from what we already have; and what makes it SO different that it justifies a new class, and not just an archetype.
That got a little ranty, but my point is that it feels very uninspired, and that makes me worried about the other 4 yet to come, rather than excited.
I've been taking a look at my homebrew base classes lately, revising them and tweaking them here and there, and I decided that it might be nice to share them with everyone. I've put them out before, one at a time, but this will be the first time I post all of them at once.
Just a note: this is not necessarily a "read and critique" thread. I'm posting 6 classes, and to ask for feedback on all of them would be more than asking too much. This is just me deciding to share what I've put together with everyone.
Love them. Hate them. Use them or don't. Steal shamelessly (lord knows I have).
NOTE 1: I wouldn't consider any of these classes to be "complete." They still need playtesting to varying degrees. The most-playtested would likely be the Engineer, with the least being the Rogue.
NOTE 2: Google Drive appears to mess with the art, removing colors. If you download the file, however, it does not have this same problem.
Revised Core Classes
These are my revised versions of some core classes: The Bard, Fighter, Monk, and Rogue.
Bard (Link)
This one wasn't really designed to fix any perceived flaws in the class (aside from versatile performance) so much as it was an intent to fix the flavor and overall design of the class. I never liked the idea of the bard actually performing during combat with instruments and the like, and always thought their spontaneous casting felt a bit off and un-earned. This version of the bard is more of an inspired artist than a performer, but still fulfills a lot of the bard's traditional role.
Fighter (Link)
The intent of this revision was to add some spice and variety to the traditional fighter, and maybe add a little oomph. I really like the fighter as a concept class, but I've always felt that it was a little dull. Every fighter feels the same, and this class is an attempt to add some much-needed spice to the good-old flavor.
Monk (Link)
This one...well, let's just admit it. This one was HEAVILY influenced by Ashiel's Revised Monk. You could call it a rip-off, and I wouldn't blame you. It's essentially a ground-up psionic rebuild of the class (using Dreamscarred Press's Psionics Unleashed rules). New flurry rules. New Wis-to-AC rules. New superspeed rules. It's all in there, making what I believe to be a must more balanced and interesting class.
Rogue (Link)
Four words. Skill Tricks and Guile. This rogue is extremely similar to the core rulebook rogue, but gains a point system called Guile (similar to grit) which it can spend on Skill Tricks (which are essentially ripped off from Kirth Gersen's own rogue, in Kirthfinder), basically transforming this rogue into a variant spellcaster. People have complained a lot about the rogue's weakness. Like most other "this class is weak" debates, my answer is versatility, which is what I try to bring to this variation of the rogue.
Also included are the alternate stealth rules proposed by the Paizo staff on the blog.
Homebrew Base Classes
These classes are all my own, and were designed to fill niches that, I felt, weren't covered by the traditional rules. They are: The Engineer and Sentinel.
Engineer (Link)
People are always clamoring for an artificer, or some kind of technology-based class. This was my attempt at assuaging some of that demand. The class is built around a special item the engineer possesses, known as the Omni-Tool, which gains functions as the class increases in level. He also gains a large number of gadgets which he can use, as well as a walking automaton to help him fight his battles.
Sentinel (Link)
When the Magus was announced, and the first playtest hit the internet, one of the first comments was "this should have a full base attack bonus!" Of course, the Magus does not have that full BAB, and Paizo has not come out with an answer to that request (though many third party publishers have). So I decided to take a whack at it, and the result was the Sentinel. Its initial build is a bit of an arcane paladin, but with its own twist. It inflicts penalties on single opponents, and can cast arcane spells in medium (and potentially heavy) armor. Overall, it is designed to take on the big bads of the game, and make them a bit easier to kill.
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I hope you all enjoy! And if you don't, then please, be constructive below. I'm always looking to improve my work, and feedback from viewers like you is a big part of that.
Hey there! I finally made another Carpe DM video. This time, instead of being about something big and all-inclusive, I decided I just wanted to talk about dragons.
Hey amigos and amigettes. I've started a youtube series about RPGs on my channel, NerdTypeZ! I'm calling it Carpe DM.
The general idea is that it'll be a lightly-edited series wherein I discuss different topics within the overall scope of Tabletop RPGs. I hope to post a new video 1-2 times each week.
Today's inaugural video is part 1 of a question I've seen fairly often on these boards and others:
What makes a good DM?
I encourage you to check it out and please give me your feedback. Hopefully, you enjoy what you see!
An alternate nice option is the MachineSmith by LPJr publishing (PDF available on this site).
I've also seen various full-BAB arcane casters floating around the Homebrew forums, including the Electus (which feels a little Magus-y to me) or the Arcane Legionary. I made my own, called the Sentinel, but it's thus-far untested.
Dreamscarred Press has produced some of the most thorough and awesome psionics rules I've seen to date, including all the awesome stuff in their Advanced Psionics Guide.
The War Master from SGG really is a good option for a Warlord/Marshal-style class.
I can't speak to shaman classes, as I've never been too interested in them.
Shapeshifters...always seem to be difficult. At the moment, skinning the synthesist seems to be the best choice.
Paizo has been pretty vocal about not making any more classes (at least for a while). So the best you're likely to get is with 3pp or homebrewed content.
1: No spell resistance for disbelief. That's some Sword of Truth malarkey, and I see no reason for it.
2: Even if a character is an atheist, that simply means that they lack belief in the gods themselves. That does NOT mean that they do not recognize that divine casters are using magic. Magic is something demonstrably real within PF. An atheist/skeptic is very unlikely to care where the deluded fool using it thinks it comes from.
If you want to deal with a character resisting divine magic, Black Raven mentioned the Disbeliever trait. But even then, that would likely be more of an anti-theist: someone who doesn't want ANYTHING to do with these freaky people and their so-called "gods," and resists everything they claim comes from their faith.
3: When dealing with a world like Golarion, the word "Atheist" takes on a very different meaning. Gods demonstrably exist in Golarion. You can talk to them with high-level magic. You can travel to their home planes and play parcheesi with them. An atheist is not a non-believer in the same way that they are in the real world. More likely, an atheist in Golarion is someone who simply subscribes to no religion, and finds the concept of worshiping these admittedly-powerful beings rather pointless. They are likely scientists and wizards, finding no place in their lives for faith and reliance on an outside force for aid. Think Gregory House as a wizard or alchemist. It's not that they deny existence, but rather see no room for belief.
I actually thought about this recently, as I was contemplating running a zelda-themed campaign. I came to the conclusion that Link would be a Half-Elf Fighter 9/Magus (Myrmidarch) 4.
Fighter 9 gives him weapon training in 2 areas: Heavy Blades and Bows. It also gives him Armor Training 2, and as Link is usually designed (in more modern games, anyway) wearing either a chain shirt or chainmail, I felt that this fit well enough. Feats could include the Whirlwind chain, mounted combat, shield focus, throw anything, point-blank shot, and other appropriate feats.
Magus (Myrmidarch) gives him a couple iconic abilities. Spending arcane points to increase his weapon's enhancement is quite akin to "charging" his sword, as is spellstrike. In addition, Ranged Spellstrike allows him to use fire/ice/light arrows (you will recall that, in the game, the fire/ice/light arrows were an ABILITY, not a special item, as they drained your mana bar).
When it comes to Link's musical magic, I don't think something like bard would cut it. This guy speeds up the passage of TIME. He teleports all over the place with his ocarina. In wind waker, he controls the weather and conjures tornadoes. These are not the powers of a bard. It's obvious that whatever instrument he might be using (as he has not always had one in the games), it's an artifact.
In terms of bombs, I think alchemist's fire works a bit better than dipping alchemist for bombs. Not only do alchemist's bombs not really fit the flavor, but Link stocks up on bombs by either finding them or purchasing them. He doesn't craft his own equipment.
And that's about it. I also think that PF is a great system for Link, as it so heavily focuses on magic items, and most of Link's iconic powers come from his magical equipment.
I've been thinking about this for a while. Are the extra spells/day and the ability to cast them spontaneously really such an advantage to sorcerers/oracles that they get so many disadvantages when compared to prepared casters?
.
..
I mean, come on:
Very limited spells known.
Extended casting time when using metamagic feats.
and, of course...
Late spell progression (2nd-level spells at 4th level, instead of 3rd).
Is this trade off really worth it? Would it be so bad if spontaneous full casters got the same progression as prepared full casters?
I was glancing through the document today, and noted that while the Guardian, Marshal and Trickster have an "additional x" path ability, allowing an extra tier 1 ability, the Archmage, Champion, and Hierophant do not.
Just wondering why this might be. Are Archmage Arcanas, Champion Strikes and Hierophant Surges considered too powerful for a character to have 2? If so, what makes them better than the Guardian Calls, Marshal Orders and Trickster Attacks?
Any and all consideration and discussion is most appreciated.
BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I hath returned from the depths of obscurity (and editing my Paizocon footage) to add nothing to this conversation!
Cool to see this list again. I encourage everyone...EVERYONE! to look at and playtest my Engineer. A shameless plug? Definitely. But that's just how I roll.
Hmmm...just picked up some Spidey comics. How would folks feel about a web-shooter gadget? Ooh! And a tracer!
1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.
4 people marked this as a favorite.
And I'm finally back with the not-really-long-awaited version 4.2 of my Engineer Base Class.
For those of you who haven't kept up so far, here's what you're looking at:
Medium BAB, Ref and Will Saves, and 6+Int skill points.
A menagerie of abilities, ranging from a nifty omni-tool that can perform multiple different functions to a set of gadgets that allow you to swim, fly, and BLOW SH*T UP!
The potential to fire laser beams or throw grenades.
A handy-dandy robot to fight at your side, complete with special tricks and upgrades.
A pair of fun archetypes: The Artificer and the Tek-Warrior--to take your engineer in a whole new direction!
However, for those who know the drill, here's my major changes from version 4.1.
Gadgeteer's level has been reduced to 2, and the number of gadgets you can have now scales with your level.
Singularity has been modified to fit the new upgrade system given to the automaton.
The automaton no longer gains functions, and construction points have been replaced with a simpler upgrade system.
Automatons now operate on the "Trick" mechanic, like animal companions, using Craft (Clockwork) as their major skill.
Automatons gain the "Sapient Construct" ability at 20th level, automatically giving them 12 intelligence.
The "builds" have been changed to the following: Humanoid, Quadruped, and Vehicle. The Vehicle build possesses a specific set of rules on how to use it.
The Tek-Warrior has been added as an archetype, replacing the Automaton, Share Function, and Exoskeleton with a special customizable weapon and armor.
Now, I've been coming out with these updates pretty rapidly for a while. This version, v4.2, is intended to be the definitive edition of the Engineer for a while, until I get some real playtest data in that tells me what this class is really capable of. Besides, I've got other stuff I have to work on.
...And we're back! A while ago, I put out my base class: The Engineer, v 4.0. Now, after collecting some playtest data, as well as giving the class some time to settle (I was very excited about it when I put it out, and needed time to see its flaws), I'm back with version 4.1! If you're familiar with the last version of this class, you'll find this one a bit weaker. 4.0 was a little front-loaded, and had some pretty nasty powers from the get-go. I tried to alleviate that here.
For those of you new to the show, however, here's the basic rundown of what you're looking at:
d8 HD, medium BAB, Good Ref and Will saves, and 6 skill points/level.
A construct companion known as an Automaton that can be upgraded using construction points. At high levels he can wear it as a suit of armor.
A special tool known as the Omni-Tool, which gains functions as the engineer increases in level. Functions range from emulated weapons to damage-soaking overshields.
Customized armor, granting things like DR or emergency healing.
The ability to create a number of nifty gadgets, which range from a cloaking stealth suit to clockwork servants and spies.
For those of you searching for an artificer substitute, I have included the Artificer archetype, full of magic-crafting goodness!
...And more!
And, as always, here's your handy-dandy pdf, readable and downloadable via google docs: The Engineer v4.1
As always, constructive criticism and all forms of feedback (especially playtest data) are much appreciated.
I say don't even bother pricing the damn thing. It's basically a re-fluffed, weaker version of the holy avenger. And I think it's perfect for a low-level game, where the fire damage and the positive energy damage can't get out of control.
I assume the sword is masterwork, also.
I love the idea. Unique, super-cool weapons that don't break down into +x flaming y are always welcome in my book. If you're just planning on using it in this small level 1-5 campaign, I think it's fine. If you were planning on extending the campaign, I might reduce the fire damage to 1 for every 3 levels they possess. But other than that, I think it's both fun and interesting. It's quantifiable without being a boring +x weapon, and I think any decent player (so long as they're playing a good martial character) would love to have it in their low level arsenal.
So a little over a week ago, I put out the Engineer v3.1. Thanks to feedback and some playtest data I was collecting, I came to the conclusion that the whole damn class needed to be hit with the "Fix-It!" hammer. It wasn't necessarily bad, per se, but the whole thing was a little...dry. And there was definitely room for improvement in many areas.
So that's what I did! And now we're back, with new abilities and an overall-cooler feel, methinks. Hopefully, you will, too! Here's the basic rundown of what you're looking at:
d8 HD, medium BAB, Good Ref and Will saves, and 6 skill points/level.
A construct companion known as an Automaton that can be upgraded using construction points. At high levels he can wear it as a suit of armor.
A special tool known as the Omni-Tool, which gains functions as the engineer increases in level. Functions range from emulated weapons to damage-soaking overshields.
Customized armor, granting things like DR or emergency healing.
The ability to create a number of nifty gadgets, which range from a cloaking stealth suit to clockwork servants and spies.
For those of you searching for an artificer substitute, I have included the Artificer archetype, full of magic-crafting goodness!
...And more!
And, as always, here's your handy-dandy pdf, readable and downloadable via google docs: The Engineer v4.0
For those of you who have been keeping up since the beginning, I suggest you read this copy thoroughly. There are some MAJOR changes in how the class functions in comparison to earlier editions.
As always, constructive criticism and all forms of feedback (especially playtest data) are much appreciated.
I can understand the standard scatter quality applying to a blunderbuss, with its horn-shaped barrel and all. However, I'm working on a campaign setting right now that has access to advanced firearms, and just allowing shotguns and double-barreled shotguns to fire in a cone doesn't make any sense.
Simply put, shotguns don't work that way, even when firing buckshot. At maximum, I'd think that the pellets might expand into a 1-foot-diameter spread. I understand that there are certain attachments that can be placed on the end of a barrel to increase said spread, but a shotgun without any such attachment? Not so much. It's never going to get the crazy 20-30 foot cones that the scatter quality promises.
So, my question is, how can we achieve the goal of making more realistic shotguns. Two caveats: Firearms, in my homebrew rules, do not attack touch AC; and most firearms have increased range (60+ feet), the shotgun itself at 40.
My current idea:
The shotgun doubles the amount of damage dice rolled when using buckshot, representing the chance for multiple pellets to hit an enemy.
When firing a slug, the shotgun has a x4 critical multiplier. This is reduced to x2 when using buckshot.
Increase the shotgun's range when firing a slug to 60 feet, matching the pistols. Increase its range when firing buckshot to 40 feet.
Add in an attachment (I don't remember what they're called) to allow a shotgun to fire in a cone as a scatter weapon when firing buckshot.
A critique as well as any suggestions would be extremely helpful. Also, what's the name of the attachment that increases a shotgun's spread? I can't remember.
I'm slowly starting a PFRPG-based blog that I'm calling "Behind the Screen". One of my features is something I call "Design Day" wherein every tuesday and thursday I design something--an NPC, a magic item, a feat, a spell, an archetype, a race, etc. And I know that while my mind might be a vast wellspring of knowledge [/modesty], I will eventually run out of ideas.
So...I'd like to build a back-catalogue of interesting...stuff I can design.
And what's a better place to go for ideas than here on the paizo boards? There's thousands of people here, all with ideas of their own. Consider this a "give me ideas for a class I can design" thread, except expanding outward into just about everything.
How do I discourage this kind of character-building?
"Hey guys, I want to try a lower power game. I find it hard to challenge you when you all have 18s. Can we come up with a point buy or array where no one has higher than a 16?"
Leave it to you to Occam's Razor the hell out of any thread you visit.
Concept: The Arcane Tank. It's a full-BAB 4-level spontaneous caster. It possesses a range of abilities that allow it to be both defensive and offensive.
My goal in designing it was to make a class that people hadn't really seen before. It's not just an "Arcane Paladin" or "Arcane Ranger". It's not a duskblade ripoff (though it does utilize the Quick Cast ability) or a full-BAB magus. Nor is it just a clone of the hexblade or Tejon's Iron Mage. It can both be utilized as a tank and an up-front warrior.
It is in its first version, and still has to be playtested, so I don't expect everything to go smoothly. Hopefully, though, you will all find it interesting enough to give it a go.
It's in a google doc, but is set to share with anyone, so it should work just fine.
He rises from the depths of obscurity, a flag in each hand. One bears the image of a woman bathed in flame--a magical paragon, yet without any spellcasting ability. The other pictures a magnificent warrior of the future, a strange tool in his hand and a mechanical companion beside him. He plants both flags in the ground and says,
"Fear not, people of these Paizo Messageboards. I have arrived, bearing the succulent fruits which you so desire. Fruits of supernatural and extraordinary power. Sweet, buttery fruits...of Justice."
But seriously, my Engineer has functioned beautifully as a gadgeteer in my home games (and it has gone through quite a few versions so far).
And in regards to what some people have been suggesting:
SPONTANEOUS DRUID
While I can see why people might want this--in an attempt to balance out the "prepared-spontaneous" balance (wizard-sorcerer, cleric-oracle), and I definitely see the merit in such an idea, I really don't think this deserves its own class. You could easily do this by just making the druid a spontaneous caster.
Alternately, I'm playing in a kingmaker game where one of our members is playing an Oracle named "The Guide", and he's more druidy than most druids. So there's also an element of flavor that can be changed to fit whatever concept you want (for example, in that same game, I'm playing a weapon master monk who, through re-flavoring, is actually a swift blademaster).
ARCANE PALADIN/RANGER/4-LEVEL CASTER
I see no problem with this concept getting its own class, so long as the flavor (and mechanics) behind it are not just a high-BAB magus. I'd honestly like to see something original, like the hexblade was in 3.5. A novel concept that isn't just "sword guy who casts magic because this mechanical niche was left open."
MAGIC TANK
Eh...I suppose this could be something connected to the 4-level arcane caster. Although my Avatar, with a high charisma, does tank pretty well (charisma to HP at 3rd level).
SHAPESHIFTER
I think there might have been something like this in the most recent Wayfinder, though I could be mistaken. So far as creating a non-casting shapeshifter...I suppose it could be done, though I think it'd take some heavy flavoring to make it anything more than "lycanthrope in class form". I remember an idea I had a while ago for a full-BAB class that utilized evolution points. The concept was that it was infused with raw chaos, and so couldn't even keep its own form consistent, growing extra appendages and developing supernatural abilities seemingly at a random. I might just revisit that concept.
NON-MAGICAL DE-BUFFER
Does the Paizo Gunslinger not cover this niche? Granted, you have to wait a while, but it's still there. It has the ability to debuff enemies without calling for saves through the sheer force of awesome (NOTE: This is coming from a guy who doesn't like the Paizo gunslinger and re-designed it).
NON-MAGIC BATTLEFIELD CONTROLLER
Always had trouble with the term "Battlefield controller". I think, however, that an appropriate cavalier archetype could do this concept right.
MOBILITY COMBATANT
The Scout Rogue archetype and the Mobile Fighter are both relatively fantastic in their own right.
SKILL-BASED HEALER
Honestly, I think this just calls for more robust Heal skill rules, rather than its own class. I'm not mentioning Smilodan's "inventor" addendum to this because I already presented my engineer.
MAGIC-BASED SKILL MONKEY
I agree here that a new class is required for this. However...I think it shouldn't be a base class, but rather an Alternate class for the bard. I'm working on one currently called the "Venturer", and it's looking pretty good so far. All the skill-fun and casting without all the performance BS.
SPONTANEOUS MAGUS
It's a mechanic without a concept, really. One could easily just say "The magus is spontaneous now" and not much would really change. Without a real concept to back it up, I can't see this getting beyond the "planning" phase (though SGG's Vanguard is simple and balanced).
As for my own suggestions...
THE SUPERHERO
Nobody's really talking about this one, or at least not under this title. I want a class that just goes balls-out and lets you totally customize yourself from a group of powers. It'd likely be non-casting, and its abilities would range all over the place, from shooting webs to super-strength to flight. Most abilities would be extraordinary and supernatural, and it would essentially be a mutant from X-men or a conduit from the inFamous games.
"Why is that guy shooting lasers out of his eyes?"
"Because, Billy. Because."
THE AFFLICTED
You may wonder what I mean by this. Well, the idea is pretty simple. It's literally someone infected/cursed/has something forced upon them that grants them power. It could be a disease that twists your body into a spiny, armored shape, or maybe it's the chaos-born shapeshifter I mentioned before. Maybe they're cursed, and as they increase in level they slowly decay into the ranks of the undead. Essentially, I'm looking for a class that represents those who not only didn't choose to have the power they have, but had it forced upon them.
Hooray! Another chance to pimp my Engineer to the People!
Basics: Base Class, non-caster. Focused on a special omni-tool, a clockwork companion and a nifty, Macgyver style inventing mechanic. Also a clockwork armor mechanic similar to the fighter's Armor Training. Most all abilities are Extraordinary, with a few Supernatural and a couple optional spell-likes.
The Ardwright is nice as well (probably the best artificer update I've seen to date), but it isn't really a "tech" character so much as an...artificer.
Ever since I started creating my own houserules, I've wondered this. How would an aspiring designer even get their foot in the door? Are there special avenues one must go through to get their work noticed, or is it just talent and luck?
I've listened to/read interviews with designers and developers, and they all have stories about working on this project or that one, and how that became a stepping stone to greater things. But I'm wondering...how exactly did they get on the stepping stone?
In other words, where would one start?
Obviously, I would like the information for my own uses. But I see this as a thread for all aspiring designers wondering the exact same thing.
I was GMing a homebrew game involving a monk, a wizard, a barbarian and a druid. They encounter a town ruled by an evil dictator-like mayor. In order to enter the town, they must pay a toll. They begrudgingly pay, and enter town. When leaving, they find that the guards are forcing people to pay another toll to get OUT (this mayor really was an a$$hole). They didn't have any more gold at that point, having stocked up on supplies in town, and the monk player gets fed up with this whole town.
Please note that I don't use alignment in my games.
Player: "You don't toll a monk!"
He then proceeds to lightning-punch (monk of the windy whatever from the APG) the guard in the face. The wizard freaks, casting sleep to try and knock out the monk and salvage this whole situation. The monk rolls a natural 20 on his save and the guard gets knocked out. They proceed to attack and defeat the guards, rushing off into the high-grass outside and making a camp fairly far away from the town.
The next day, they are attacked by trackers sent from town to investigate the murder of the two guards. The entire party is hiding, and the trackers only see the barbarian. He gets arrested for the monk's crime.
After finally getting him back, he never looked at the monk again without narrowing his eyes and saying, in a raspy voice, "You..."
It's not necessarily an artificer. It focuses more on a special "omni-tool", a clockwork companion, and the ability to spontaneously invent things macgyver style, though I am working on an artificer archetype for it.
Well, Ultimate Combat is finally out--and the Gunslinger isn't much different than it was in the beta test. Other than switching Bravery out for Nimble, it still suffers from many of the problems it had before. Heavy feat-taxes, ridiculously expensive weapons that have a chance of destroying themselves, and a grit mechanic that inadvertently promotes power-gaming and meta-talk at the table.
Well, I've been working on an alternate version since the Beta, and now it's finally time for me to release it.
Please Note: I created this version of the Gunslinger and the firearm rules because I didn't like the direction that the official rules went. If you're perfectly happy with the Gunslinger and firearm rules as they are presented in Ultimate Combat, then these documents are not for you. I am not saying that the class was poorly designed--only that I didn't like it, and thought I could put something more desirable together.
My Gunslinger is in v3.2. It is based in part on the Gunslinger as-presented in Ultimate Combat, as well as Elghinn Lightbringer's Gunslinger
It includes:
An expanded, and more traditional grit mechanic.
Gun Training that lowers misfire chance.
Combat-style feats similar to those given to the Ranger.
Selectable Deeds, similar to Discoveries or Hexes
A modification system for firearms, ranging from iron sights and silencers to revolving cylinders and utility guns.
Six Archetypes: The Dragoon, Gun Tank, Legend, Mysterious Stranger, Sniper, and Vaquero.
In addition to the Gunslinger, I designed a set of Firearm Rules. They include:
More traditional shot system (doing away with the Touch AC bit)
Optional misfires, with an automatic method of clearing a misfired gun built into the system.
A more traditional layout, doing away with the "one-handed firearms" and "two-handed firearms" tables.
Three eras of firearms: Early, Advanced and Modern, as well as rules for creating energy weapons.
Adjusted prices for everything, so that one can actually afford a pistol at level 1.
NOTE: These documents are intended to be used together. While a mix-and-match between these rules and Ultimate Combat is possible, it would take a little work.
Here's one that carried over from 3.5 but I never noticed till reading the pathfinder rules.
You can add the half-dragon template to dragons. When I noticed this I tried to look up stuff on it and found stats for a Half-White Copper Dragon in Wizard's 3.5 archives.
That...is actually a really sexy concept. I've always wanted to make "Mixed-Blood Dragons" in my games, but never had the energy to try and balance it out. Lo and behold, it turns out the answer was in front of me all along.
Makes me think of the mix-breeds being the "New Kids on the Block" while the true-reds and true-blues are old fuddy-duddies complaining about "Kids Today."
Never knew that about them. Didn't like the idea for about 13 seconds, then thought, "Wait, that's awesome!" As a GM, there's so much flavor in that idea. The god/goddess of nature sends the druid the Queen of Wolves when he enters the forest, or the King of Horses when he comes upon the plains, or the Sultan of Camels when he crosses into the desert. A druid's animal companion is, by definition, better than its other brethren (except for snakes and vermin, in which there are many, many varieties). The concept of those companions being part of the "World" rather than part of the "Druid" is just astounding and cool.
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From Ultimate Magic, Page 49: Hexcrafter (Archetype) wrote:
Spells: A hexcrafter magus adds the following spells to his spell list: bestow curse, major curse, and all other spells of 6th level or lower that have the curse descriptor.
This seems pretty cut-and-dry, except that the curse spells (like most spells) are spread across multiple levels for multiple classes.
So, what class do I use as a basis? I would assume the witch, since the Hexcrafter's abilities are based around Witch Hexes. But I could also see it being considered the earliest level possible, since the whole point of the archetype is cursing its enemies (even through spellstrike, which is really nifty). After all, the bard gets curse of disgust as a 3rd level spell, while everybody else needs to wait until 5th level spells to get it.
Putting the words "6th level or lower" is kind of arbitrary when multiple classes treat the same spells as different levels. Need an example? Just look at the spells on the summoner list.
-The Beast
P.S. - I am not bashing the Hexcrafter or the Summoner. I love both of these classes, and just want some clarification on which levels this archetype gets its titular spells.
I think we've all experienced this, either as GMs or as players. Maybe some of us ARE this person: the not-so-creative player.
You know the guy/girl. The one who writes down all his statistics and then neglects to name his character when game time comes around. Or even the player who comes up with a really cool concept, but when prodded for personality or backstory, can't come up with anything more than "amnesia."
I don't mean power gamers or munchkins, but honest players who just aren't that creative.
Recently, one joined a game of mine, and it got me wondering about others out here. What are some of your worst "non-creative player" stories? Or some of your best? Maybe you had a blank slate who became the deepest character in the game. Or maybe just the opposite: a character with a deep backstory and rich personality who just became "Heal B!tch" or "Tank" by the end.
I've got one who...I'm not sure if it's considered power-gaming or not. Here's the situation:
He's playing a samurai in a game I'm running, and seems to enjoy looking "past" the abilities of his character. And not in a good way.
First of all, he's playing a gearman. A custom race I'll place below:
NOTE: The gearman is based on the version mentioned in Numeria on the Pathfinder Wiki.
Gearman:
Gearman Racial Traits
+2 to One Ability Score: Gearmen are usually built for a specific purpose, and their ability scores reflect that purpose.
Medium: Gearmen are medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Varying Speed: Gearmen normally have a land speed of 30 feet. However, gearmen crafted by dwarves are often built in the image of their creators, and instead have a movement speed of 20 feet. A dwarf-crafted gearman’s speed cannot be reduced due to armor or encumbrance.
Living Construct: A gearman’s type is Construct (living). It retains its constitution score, unlike normal constructs, and gains hit points based on it, rather than its size.
Mechanical Anatomy: Gearmen are composed of metal and, thus, do not recover from damage in the same way as creatures composed of flesh. Their anatomy also affects how they react to diseases and poisons.
Gearmen heal only ½ the hit points that would normally be recovered from curative spells. However, they can be affected by spells that repair objects, such as make whole. The spell mending acts as stabilize when cast on a gearman.
In addition, gearmen are immune to nonmagical diseases and poisons (unless they specifically target constructs).
A gearman who is magically rusted (through rusting grasp or a rust monster’s touch) instead takes a -4 penalty to its constitution score. This penalty stacks if applied multiple times, and disappears with a DC 20 heal check (taking an hour) or if a successful make whole spell is cast on him.
Gearmen can be healed with the heal skill, but instead of a healer’s kit, artisan’s tools are required to negate the -2 to the check.
Purpose: Gearmen are built with a purpose, generally as a warrior, a guardian, a mage, or a scout.
Warrior: A warrior gearman’s forearms and hands are oversized, granting powerful natural attacks. A warrior gearman gains 2 slam attacks. These attacks are treated as primary natural attacks and deal 1d6 damage.
Guardian: A guardian gearman’s metal shell is harder than that of its counterparts. It gains a +2 natural armor bonus to its AC.
Mage: A mage gearman has been infused with magical energies, making it more effective when casting spells. All spells it casts gain a +1 to their save DCs.
Scout: A scout gearman’s eyes have been affixed with special lenses that allow it to see where others cannot. It gains darkvision 60 feet.
Languages: Gearmen begin play speaking common. Gearmen with high intelligence can choose any languages they want (except secret languages such as druidic).
Special Materials
Sometimes, gearmen are made out materials besides steel, whether the creator is using the material as a status symbol, or to give the gearman greater effectiveness in a specific area. Any gearman made out of a special material does not gain a purpose.
Adamantine: An adamantine gearman’s shell is harder than any other’s. It gains DR 3/adamantine.
Cold Iron: A cold iron gearman has been built to resist magic. It gains a +2 bonus on saves against spells or spell-like abilities.
Mithral: A mithral gearman’s lighter frame makes it much more maneuverable. A mithral gearman weighs half as much as it would, were it made of steel. In addition, it gains +10 feet to its movement speed.
NOTE: This is not meant to be a critique of the gearman. The race is meant to be balanced against the more powerful races (aasimar, drow, tiefling, etc).
He's adamantine, if anyone cares, and I gave him a clockwork horse (following the same metal anatomy stipulations above with it). The problem is that he has been making claims again and again that go beyond what his character can do.
For example:
Argument:"I shouldn't need armor since my skin is metal."
Refutation: "But it's still skin. You have an endoskeleton, not an exoskeleton. Your skin's not thick enough to be armor."
Argument: "My mount should be able to fold into my body."
Refutation: "That doesn't make any sense. The horse is bigger than you, and you're not exactly a handy haversack."
Argument: (after being magically frightened by a ghost) "But I'm a robot! I'm not afraid of anything!"
Refutation: "You still have a working, thinking brain, and your intelligence is higher than 2. You're frightened." (he then pouted for the rest of combat)
And there's more. I understand having a cool vision for your character, but if you do, then build your character around that. You want to be fearless? Take fighter levels for bravery or the iron will feat. Want to carry your horse around with you? buy a bag of holding big enough to carry it. Want an armor bonus from metal skin? Well...there you're out of luck. Should've been guardian purpose, I guess, instead of adamantine.
The problem is that these groundless assumptions are getting quite annoying. And they're not all based around being a gearman. Sometimes, he makes claims about being a samurai, or even just being a combat class ("I rolled a fifteen! What do you mean I don't hit? I have full BAB!"). I've told him "the abilities you have are written on the sheet. I encourage you to use them creatively, but I'm not going to give you powers you don't have." But he doesn't seem to get it. I'd drop him, but we're currently gaming at his place (I live in an apartment with another of the group, and we have annoying "keep it down" neighbors, the third's fiance isn't hot on the whole gaming thing to begin with, and the fourth lives too far away for us to waste gas getting there [he's rich, though]).
Note that I am in no way a rules lawyer. I wing most all of my DC/rules decisions unless I or someone else knows the answer off the top of their head, and I'm on-board with most cool character ideas. But he's going pretty far out into left field with this guy. This isn't the first time he's tried to make ad-hoc decisions due to race or class (he made the same fear argument while playing an orc fighter, substituting "robot" with "orc"), but it's pretty excessive this time.
Any suggestions on how to combat this annoying habit he has would be welcome. Thanks all, in advance.
I'm going to run a paladin NPC in one of my games pretty soon who's a slobbering drunk that gambles away his money and spends his nights with surly women down by the docks (taking full advantage of his immunity to disease).
Yet he's still a paladin. He always pays for his drinks on the spot, never leaves a debt unresolved, and would never take a woman to bed without consent (and potentially a bag of gold). He is lawful. He is good. He is also a smelly alcoholic that sleeps in the gutter when he can't afford his rent.
In the same vein of thought, I have an entire religious country in one of my games where paladins are considered to be horrible people whose enforcement of laws borders on overt cruelty. All "evil" races are rooted out and eradicated, anyone who does not praise their god is removed from the country, and laws are upheld with spear and blade. Are they lawful? Yes. Are they good? Technically. Are they complete arses? Absolutely.
But they're still paladins.
And that, I think, is where people get hung up. It might be a strict code, but even the strictest code has wiggle room for character.
