These are my personal takes on this category of the Alpha materials of the Pathfinder RPG. Pages 7 & 17-19.
Humans Tack on a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws and 1 or 2 additional skill choices at 1st level (beyond the one they already receive). The humans need a bit of a nudge to bring them to par with the other races - otherwise, every Wizard is most likely to be an Elf and so on...
Favored Class I'm not overfond of the +1 hp per favored class level mechanism, though it strikes me as a nice way to encourage sticking to a 'core' class.
Fighter Needs options for unarmored combative-type and ranged-weapon types, especially to encourage 'swashbuckler' and similar types of characters. Perhaps the Duelist OGL (DMG) prestige class could do this?
Wizard Remove the need for a spellbook, perhaps at the trade-off of no Arcane Bond, preferably not.
Favored Class I'm not overfond of the +1 hp per favored class level mechanism, though it strikes me as a nice way to encourage sticking to a 'core' class.
Just wondering why, do you have such a resentment for non core classes. :(
Those aren't a madman's suggestions!
I was expecting something like:
"Gnomes don't have to be small! Make them 80 feet tall and let them shoot atomic death rays out of their eyes."
This is a vast disappointment.
HumansTack on a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws
Doesn't fit. They're versatile, not lucky or resilient.
The humans need a bit of a nudge to bring them to par with the other races - otherwise, every Wizard is most likely to be an Elf and so on...
I must say that I've seen a lot of human characters, even though other races might have been better at it, and that was before they got a free +2 on any stat. There were already elves with a bonus to int.
And that +2 is a big plus, combined with a complete lack of ability penalty.
Wizards might be elves to get a good int and dex, or they might be humans - they only get the int, but they won't get a beating on con.
A human fighter might not get both con and wis like a dwarf, but he gets one, and also some extra skills AND a free exotic weapon of his choice and another bonus feat, and they get to outrun the dwarf, at least in lighter armour.
I'd say that they're not so far behind any other race, they're never a bad choice, and often one of the best if not the best.
In fact, Alpha 1.1 humans are almost exactly like humans in my houserules (only the ablity boost is extra), and 3 of my 4 characters are human (the other one is an elf)
Fighter Needs options for unarmored combative-type and ranged-weapon types, especially to encourage 'swashbuckler' and similar types of characters. Perhaps the Duelist OGL (DMG) prestige class could do this?
The fighter should stay straightforward - no complicated stuff, it's the one class you can use without being swamped and flooded with things to think about (well except feats, which they get more of, but you'll have to deal with feats, anyway)
As for unarmoured and ranged fighting: the weapon training does work for them, too, and with all the feats they get, they can get feats to improve their attacks and maybe add some stuff.
As for the Duelist: It's bound to make an appearance in PFRPG.
Wizard Remove the need for a spellbook
I wouldn't mind broadening the definition (so a hippie mage can use bark or leaves, a dwarf wizard uses metal sheets with his spells carved in, and so on), and maybe doing something to the cost, but I'd say that spellbooks are a defining trait for D&D wizards. It also fits the spell system.
I wouldn't mind the ability to make my wizard's spellbook his Bonded Item, that would actually be very nice.
Those aren't a madman's suggestions!
I was expecting something like:
"Gnomes don't have to be small! Make them 80 feet tall and let them shoot atomic death rays out of their eyes."
This is a vast disappointment.
Well, in retrospect, my moniker as a madman stems more from being willing to butcher as many characters as possible when they hose up and cheese off the entire dungeon level or complex at a single go.
A madman would perhaps suggest Holy Hand Grenades and Vorpal Rabbits as PRPG stock items and critters. Or perhaps that halflings *coughhobbitcough* should all be carnivorous with a bonus skill selection in Profession (chef) at 1st level.
The fighter should stay straightforward - no complicated stuff, it's the one class you can use without being swamped and flooded with things to think about (well except feats, which they get more of, but you'll have to deal with feats, anyway).
As for unarmoured and...
Aye, but it'd be nice to have that outlined in advance, although weapon groups training already covers the knuckle sandwich part of it, its the unarmored part I'd be much more seriously wanting armor mastery applicable to.
Although technically I suppose one can argue that clothing falls under light armor...
I wouldn't mind the ability to make my wizard's spellbook his Bonded Item, that would actually be very nice.
That it would - if nothing else, one could repair it with relative ease (at spell preparation) or replace it with considerably less expense (the 8 hour ritual +200 gp/wizard level) if it is destroyed while the wizard it belongs to is not.
Clothing's totally armour. It protects me from gaze attacks - those Embarassing Gaze attacks all human females have ;-)