How might severing the vigilante talents' ties to the vigilant identity effect the class? I, for one, think it would allow for a great deal more character concepts. Batman, for example is both an Avenger AND a stalker, and isn't well represented without being able to choose from both talent pools. Or if I wanted to play a Razmiran Priest, I might want to have a smattering of arcane and divine spellcasting.
For example: Say I pick Avenger. I would still get the classk skills and Assault Training base ability, but then I could select ANY of the talents whether they are from Avenger, Stalker, or any of the others.
What do you guys think? Would this be a positive change to the class?
Maybe limit it to up to half the number of talents you possess may be from other specializations. Otherwise they become meaningless.
I noticed a number of combos that would push the abilities well past balanced if you could freely choose between different identities. I don't doubt that there'll be an archetype that gets to choose multiple ones, and I suspect it'll be extremely popular due to mixing the best stalker and avenger talents.
Right now, this separation allows the design team to make certain assumptions about the class paths, ones that will allow them to push certain boundaries without going past them being balanced due to not having to concern themselves with the (already quite powerful) talents of other paths.
Maybe limit it to up to half the number of talents you possess may be from other specializations. Otherwise they become meaningless.
Not meaningless, just less meaningful.
I noticed a number of combos that would push the abilities well past balanced if you could freely choose between different identities. I don't doubt that there'll be an archetype that gets to choose multiple ones, and I suspect it'll be extremely popular due to mixing the best stalker and avenger talents.
Right now, this separation allows the design team to make certain assumptions about the class paths, ones that will allow them to push certain boundaries without going past them being balanced due to not having to concern themselves with the (already quite powerful) talents of other paths.
Care to name a few examples of overpowered combos? The only one I can think of is having 6th-level arcane and divine spellcasting, but that would eat up pretty much all of your talents in return.
The only one I can think of is having 6th-level arcane and divine spellcasting, but that would eat up pretty much all of your talents in return.
Doesn't even work, the magic training talents have the Arcane Training I or Divine Training I as prereqs and those are base path abilities. So even if you divorce the talents from paths, you still can only get arcane magic if you take the warlock path and divine magic only if you take the zealot path.
Edit: Some nice combos:
Vital Punishment with Leave an Opening on a Stalker is a nice way to rack some damage on the first round but is not even close to unbalanced.
Expose Weakness with Favored Maneuver (Dirty Trick) on an Avenger makes Expose Weakness actually possible instead of a very shiny trap.
Armor Silence is kinda of a must for Stalkers. Avengers would like Up Close and Personal, just for the extra attack as swift action when they have to move.