Chadrezzan's page

I also like where they're going with the fighter, but my biggest concern atm is the relative lack of feats (especially at low level) that are useful regardless of weapon type or fighting style.

Also, right now the only feats useful to a ranged fighter are the assorted "shot" combos whereas there are a handful of feats that are good for any melee fighter. I'd also like to see a way to let ranged fighters benefit from Attack of Opportunity. Maybe something like allowing a reaction attack against the last creature you attacked if they try to take cover or something. Maybe not necessary, but that kind of feat would give a ranged fighter more interesting options.

There seem to be a number of threads discussing disparate parts of each class, so I thought it would be nice to try to consolidate some of that discussion into one place for each class. Again, most of this will have been discussed elsewhere, but having it all in one place seems good to me. I'm talking about the fighter first simply because I like fighters.

At this point, I like the design of the game system, and see huge potential for character customization owing to the flexibility having a wide selection of different types of feats could offer.

When it comes to the fighter, I find the selection of feats unsatisfying. To be clear, I like most of what is there, but many of the options sound like things that should be universally available. Ideally, the class feats should also allow for more flexibility.

Fighting Style Feats
I'm glad that the feats support a number of different builds with regards to weapon choice. Most levels have feat support for ranged, two-weapon, two-handed, single-weapon/dueling, and sword+board styles. This is commendable, but each style is very limited. You can either lock yourself into a very narrow path with one style, or choose to cover more than one style so you have something useful in more than one circumstance. Cool. My issue is that if you choose to specialize, you will be the same as any other fighter that does so. I think this could be helped by adding a number of feats at each level that are useful (whether by adding numbers or a new trick) regardless of what weapon you are using. Having a bit more choice within each build (and it wouldn't take alot) would be much appreciated. In fact, there are already feats that would accomplish this if you removed the condition of using a certain type of weapon, Felling Strike (p. 92) being a good example.

Open and Press
This concept is one of the most exciting to me in the whole game, but I feel it is under utilized. I would love more flexibility in these feats. They don't have to be especially powerful, but interesting and more easily mixed and matched during play. Additional abilities with these traits that only cost one action so you can truly execute combos would be fantastic. Allowing fighters to have neat combos would go a looooong way in defining them, and making them interesting to play. These kinds of feats could also compete with just taking the next one in your chosen weapon/fighting style, increasing customizability and intra-class differentiation.

Attack of Opportunity
I like that this has become a fighter ability. I also like Retributive Strike on the Paladin. But I wish that, like the Paladin, there was some additional feat support for this ability. In particular, it would be nice to see some way for ranged fighters to benefit from this defining class feature. Whether that's a slight rewrite of the ability, or a feat that allows a fighter using a ranged weapon to make an attack against a target trying to take cover or something, I don't know, but I think it should be possible.

Armor Proficiency
I really dislike that the fighter is steered into heavy armor as being their best armor type. As with weapons, fighters should be able to choose the type they are most proficient with. Especially given that fighters are able to choose Dexterity as their key ability.

Other Features
I'm a fan of Weapon Mastery and its progression, Bravery, Battlefield Surveyor, and the Combat Flexibility progression. These all feel thematic and help to either round out the Fighter, or let it shine even more in particular areas. In particular, I think Combat Flexibility is cool. I like the idea of a Fighter working on a particular technique he knows will come in handy in the near future just enough that it can be pulled off when it needs to.

That's alot to say all at once, but there it is. I would love to hear other people's thoughts on these subjects. I would especially love if they can be discussed with little comparison to other systems, unless it is pertinent to how an ability works or could work.

I think it does. Page 299 outlines that specific rules Override general rules. Feats offer specific mechanics (rules) which sometimes allow you to do things not accounted for in the general rules, or that explicitly contradict general rules. So the Ancestral Paragon feat taken at 3rd level or above can still grant a heritage feat.

I would like to see biological traits like low-light or dark vision be automatic for all that could have it.

I'm also a fan of the idea of receiving two ancestry feats at level 1. This would help define and differentiate beginning characters. You could then tack vision into the half-breed feats, or turn them into heritage feats.

I think more than anything, there needs to be a way to expand your signature skills, and have at least some choice in them at level 1. Signature skills aren't a bad idea if they have a little more flexibility.

The skills called out in the op are definitely appropriate signature skills for the listed classes.

I agree with others that there also needs to be a simple way to gain additional signature skills, such as a skill feat. Having a signature skills of your choice at level 1 is also a good idea.

I'm gonna chime in and say that the op expresses much of how I feel as well. Action economy sounds good, degrees of success, tiered proficiency, all very neat and with great potential. I also like the potential for customization, but mostly feel underwhelemed by the options presented.

I also feel like the content doesn't let the system shine as much as it could. For example, the fighter and other martials needs more feats that allow for playing with the action economy in interesting ways. More feats that either tack riders onto an action, or more maneuver like feats that only cost one action so that you can combine them in more diverse combinations. I want the three action economy to be as flexible as possible,and the feats as written don't let it be that way. And the martial types need more class feats that are useful regardless of weapon/armor/equipment used, but that's just a content concern.

I'm ambivalent about this issue. I do think having the fighter's identity built around it's mastery of weapons and armor is a good idea, but at the same time, I think I will miss general combat feats.

That being said, I do like most of what I'm seeing with the fighter, and while some of the feats might have a 4e "power" vibe to them (not that I disliked 4e), the way they interact with the action economy makes them feel more organic. I think it looks like a fun setup, but I'll see how I feel in play before deciding on it one way or another.

My biggest complaint is that the fighter is shoe-horned into being a heavy armor specialist. I don't think it's the worst thing ever, but I'd rather see fighters be equally competent in all armor types, or at least be able to choose which type they focus on, as with weapon types.

I'd also love to see a printer-friendly version! I'll do one or two of these in the meantime, but this is definitely ink-intensive, even printed in monochrome.

It's definitely gonna be interesting adjusting to a landscape character sheet, but I do think it makes better use of the space.