| Kobajagrande |
Here are some of my initial thoughts upon reading the PDF:
Races
- Dwarf combat bonuses should go. Simply said, this is something no other race has and looks very out of place, especially as all combat abilities are a feature of character class and not race.
- Races should matter in the long run. One of the things 4e did right, imho, was make races gain abilities as they level. If Pathfinder adopted the simmilar principle it would only enhance it, imho.
- Favored Class no longer serves the goal it was supposed to in 3E. In 3e, the original intent for favored class was not for it to be something that most members of a race go for, but rather it was a class that most members of a race dabble with. I am unsure if the pathfinder "favored class" has any sort of influence on the game whatsoever.
- Choice of race should be a roleplaying one, not a mechanical one. This I think should be the main design principle when creating races. If possible, I would like that racial abilities to be a reflection of their culture and physical and mental qualities, without encouraging race/class synergy. For example, removing bonus spells due to high attribute is a good way of reducing the importance of Elf's +2 INT when making a Wizard.
Classes
- Fighter just looks bland. Compared to the Rogue, Fighter looks essentially uninteresting. I do realize feats are the main class feature of the Fighter, however, some talents to choose from unique to the class would make it a much more attractive choice to the players.
- There are too many spell-like abilities for Wizard. I love the idea for Wizard abilities that depend on their specialization. However, most of these are just a bonus spell. I would prefer if the specialist wizards gain abilities which would make them more efficiant in their chosen speciality. I think Archmage PrC would be an excellent inspiration for these abilities.
Feats
- Chain feats do not work. First, the consensus is that high-level combat encounters in 3e do not last long due to high damage spellcasters dish out. Waiting for 3 rounds just to be able to use a feat seems simply useless. I would stick to the idea that feats can be used at any time (like Power Attack). Either that or make sure the feat is worded so that it can be triggered in one round. Combo feats should use iterative attacks or feats such as Spring Attack in order to be executed in one round, since that would go well with Fighter's high BAB and number of attacks per round, especially if Fighter would gain a some kind of bonus to subsequent attacks.
- Consider using concept of Tactical Feats for Combo feats. This would make them more appealing. After all, why take a separate feat that can be (maybe, if everything goes well) executed only 3 rounds into combat? Rather take one feat which gives you an access to entire combo.
- Feats that give a skill bonus should do more than that. These feats should give characters who take them some ability that characters without that feat cannot do. Anything less than that is a waste of feat. [/i]