I know that there’s quite a lot of them around, but this is a different and rather simple approach for this concept. I made it as a Fighter archetype and it’s a beta test. I would like your help/opinion because I’m terrible ate balance matters. So, here it is:
DRAGOON (Fighter Archetype)
Descendants of a race who shared a special bond with dragons, dragoons practice their spear techniques, and in battle they leap down from above to strike at their foes.
Skills: Acrobatics (Dex) is a class skill for the dragoon.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A dragoon is not proficient with tower shields.
Draconic Pool (Su): At 1st level, a dragoon gains a reservoir of mystical energy that he can draw upon to awaken his powers. He has a number of points equal to 1/2 his dragoon level (minimum 1) + his Constitution modifier. As long as he has at least 1 point in his draconic pool, he can make a high jump like the monk ability. By spending 1 point from his draconic pool, he can do the following:
Great Leap (Ex): A dragoon gains an insight bonus to the distance he can jump. As a move action, a dragoon may jump vertically and horizontally up to his land speed. Starting at 3rd level, a dragoon increases the maximum distance he can jump, as shown on the table below.
Level Jump Speed
3rd + 10 ft.
6th + 20 ft.
9th + 30 ft.
12th + 40 ft.
15th + 50 ft.
18th + 60 ft.
A dragoon never takes falling damage while using great leap. A dragoon wearing medium armor, heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses can’t make high jumps or great leaps. This ability replaces the bonus fighter combat feat gained at 1st level.
Armor Training (Ex): At 3rd level, a dragoon receives armor training as the regular fighter. But in addition to its normal benefits, he can make high jumps and great leaps while wearing medium armor. At 7th level he can do the same while wearing heavy armor.
Meteor Strike (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a dragoon can make a devastating attack against his enemies. When making a charge attack, a dragoon can spend 1 point from his draconic pool to jump at his opponent. If the attack hits, he can deal an amount of additional damage equal to the falling damage appropriate for the height reached. A dragoon takes no falling damage from the height as part of this leap. This ability replaces weapon training I, II, III, and IV.
Evasive Jump (Ex): At 7th level, a dragoon can easily move through a dangerous melee. He gains an additional +4 bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity caused when he starts a jump action. This bonus stacks with the benefit provided by the Mobility feat. This ability replaces armor training 2.
Double Jump (Ex): At 11th level, once per jump, while in mid air, a dragoon can spend an additional point from his draconic pool as a swift action to take another impulse and change the direction of his jump. He must jump at least 10 feet in a straight line before change de direction. This ability replaces armor training 3.
Ignore Height (Su): At 15th level, the dragoon can fall from any height, as if he were light as a feather. By spending 1 point from his draconic pool, a dragoon may cast feather fall as an immediate action, but he can only use it on himself. The effect lasts until the dragoon lands safely, or until dismissed by the dragoon. This ability replaces armor training 4.
Weapon Mastery (Ex): A dragoon must choose a spear or polearm for his Weapon Mastery class feature.
FEATS
Extra Draconic Pool
You have learned how to draw more power from your draconic pool.
Prerequisite: Draconic pool class feature.
Benefit: Your draconic pool increases by 2.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects stack, granting you an increase to your draconic pool each time you take this feat.
Extra Leap
You can jump further.
Prerequisite: Great leap class feature.
Benefit: Your jump speed increases by +10 feet.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects stack, granting you an increase to your jump speed each time you take this feat.
Mobile Jumper
You can deftly jump up to a foe, strike, and withdraw before he can react.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility, Acrobatics 4 rank.
Benefit: As a full-round action, you can jump up to your speed and make a single melee attack without provoking any attacks of opportunity from the target of your attack. You can move both before and after the attack, but you must move at least 10 feet before the attack and the total distance that you move cannot be greater than your jump speed. You cannot use this ability to attack a foe that is adjacent to you at the start of your turn.
Normal: You cannot jump before and after an attack.
ERRATA
Dragoon (Fighter)
Descendants of a race who shared a special bond with dragons, dragoons practice their spear techniques, and in battle they leap down from above to strike at their foes.
Skills: Acrobatics (Dex) and Knowledge (arcana) (Int) are class skills for the dragoon.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A dragoon is not proficient with tower shields.
Draconic Pool (Su): At 1st level, a dragoon gains a reservoir of mystical energy that he can draw upon to awaken his powers. He has a number of points equal to 1/2 his dragoon level (minimum 1) + his Constitution modifier. The pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive.
As long as he has at least 1 point in his draconic pool, a dragoon adds his level to all Acrobatics checks made to jump, both for vertical jumps and horizontal jumps. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. This ability can be used only if a dragoon is wearing light armor or no armor.
Great Leap (Ex): By spending 1 point from his draconic pool as a swift action, a dragoon gains a +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round. As a move action, a dragoon may jump vertically and horizontally up to his land speed. Starting at 3rd level, a dragoon increases the maximum distance he can jump, as shown on the table below.
Level Jump Speed
3rd + 10 ft.
6th + 20 ft.
9th + 30 ft.
12th + 40 ft.
15th + 50 ft.
18th + 60 ft.
A dragoon never takes falling damage while using this ability. A dragoon wearing medium or heavy armor can’t make high jumps or great leaps. This ability replaces the bonus fighter combat feat gained at 1st level.
Armor Training (Ex): At 3rd level, a dragoon receives armor training as the regular fighter. But in addition to its normal benefits, he can make high jumps and great leaps while wearing medium armor. At 7th level he can do the same while wearing heavy armor.
Meteor Strike (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a dragoon can make a devastating attack against his enemies. When making a charge attack, a dragoon can spend 1 point from his draconic pool to jump at his opponent. If the attack hits, he can deal an amount of additional damage equal to the falling damage appropriate for the height reached. A dragoon takes no falling damage from the height as part of this leap. This ability replaces weapon training I, II, III, and IV.
Evasive Jump (Ex): At 7th level, a dragoon can easily move through a dangerous melee. He gains an additional +4 bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity caused when he jumps. This bonus stacks with the benefit provided by the Mobility feat. This ability replaces armor training 2.
Evasion (Ex): At 11th level, while a dragoon has at least 1 draconic point, he gains the benefit of the evasion rogue class features. Evasion can be used only if the dragoon is wearing light armor, medium armor, or no armor. A dragoon wearing heavy armor can use this ability by spendind 1 draconic point as a immediate action. A helpless dragoon does not gain the benefit of evasion. This ability replaces armor training 3.
Double Jump (Ex): At 15th level, once per jump, while in mid air, a dragoon can spend an additional point from his draconic pool as a swift action to take another impulse and change the direction of his jump. He must jump at least 10 feet in a straight line before change de direction. This ability replaces armor training 4.
Ignore Height (Su): At 19th level, the dragoon can fall from any height, as if he were light as a feather. While a dragoon has at least 1 draconic point, he automatically ignores falling damage up to his jump speed. By spending 1 point from his draconic pool, a dragoon may cast feather fall as an immediate action, but he can only use it on himself. The effect lasts until the dragoon lands safely, or until dismissed by the dragoon. This ability replaces armor mastery.
Weapon Mastery (Ex): A dragoon must choose a spear or polearm for his weapon mastery class feature.
Being able to jump more than 30 feet vertically at-will and without an Acrobatics check is actually too strong for a 1st level ability.
Meteor Strike feels iffy as it becomes debatable whether the character should be dealing bonus damage for falling objects anyway.
The first one was my mistake. The acrobatic check was intended, but I forgot to add the line. The speed jump should limit the maximum reach despite the acrobatic result. I’ll fix it.
About Meteor Strike, do you have any suggestion? I was unsure about this ability, but it’s a dragoon’s trademark.
Also add as a spell-like ability on Ignore Height
Draconic Pool (Su): At 1st level, a dragoon gains a reservoir of mystical energy that he can draw upon to awaken his powers. He has a number of points equal to 1/2 his dragoon level (minimum 1) + his Constitution modifier. The pool is replenished each morning after 8 hours of rest or meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive. As long as he has at least 1 point in his draconic pool, he can do the following:
High Jump (Ex): A dragoon adds his level to all Acrobatics checks made to jump, both for vertical jumps and horizontal jumps. In addition, he always counts as having a running start when making jump checks using Acrobatics. By spending 1 point from his draconic pool as a swift action, a dragoon gains a +20 bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for 1 round.
Starting at 3rd level, while using High Jump, a dragoon increases the maximum distance he can jump, as shown on the table below.
Level Jump Speed
3rd + 10 ft.
6th + 20 ft.
9th + 30 ft.
12th + 40 ft.
15th + 50 ft.
18th + 60 ft.
A dragoon never takes falling damage while using this ability. A dragoon wearing medium or heavy armor can’t use this ability. This ability replaces the bonus fighter combat feat gained at 1st level.
Ignore Height (Sp): At 19th level, the dragoon can fall from any height, as if he were light as a feather. While a dragoon has at least 1 draconic point, he automatically ignores falling damage up to his jump speed. By spending 1 point from his draconic pool, a dragoon may cast feather fall as an immediate action, but he can only use it on himself. The effect lasts until the dragoon lands safely, or until dismissed by the dragoon. This ability replaces armor mastery.
Meteor Strike (Ex): Starting at 5th level, when making a charge attack using weapons from the spears and polearms weapon group, a dragoon can spend 1 point from his draconic pool to jump at his opponent. He uses the High Jump rules and treats the attack as a charge. If the attack hits, he deals extra damage. This extra damage is 1d6 at 5th level, and increases by 1d6 every four dragoon levels thereafter. Should the dragoon score a critical hit with a meteor strike, this extra damage is not multiplied. This ability replaces weapon training I, II, III, and IV.