For the most part, One of the things I find broken in 3.5 is the amount of classes added in which aren't necessary...
For example, Swashbuckler... Instead of using charisma as a dump and putting high stat to Str, a Fighter can put high stat to Dex and take finesse, use a rapier and roleplay like you're a Dumas protaganist... why do we need a class for a particular 'mindset' of an existing class...
For example, Samurai... hmmm, Lawful Fighter who spends feat on Bastardsword (the Katana has always been portrayed as a Mwk Bastardsword in 3.0/3.5). Oh, and what should I do with these extra skills Paizo is giving me...maybe Perform(Tea Ceremony)[very important part of Samurai social interaction] or Perform (Poetry) or Profession (Falconry) [both very popular with the Samurai Caste]... etc. BTW, Samurai is a caste system and admittedly the Fighter segment of that caste is the largest but not the only. Samurai Artisans and Coutiers[Experts]as well as nobility [Aristocrats] all have there place in the caste too.
For example Knight...hmmm Fighter or Paladin that is Lawful and takes feats based on mounted combat...and code based on you specific Order of Knighthood (yup, Secular Knights and Religous Orders have a different slant on life generally speaking}.
The only class addition I think that should be making the NPC Expert and Aristocrat viable Player choices...
IMHO, things like Warlocks, HexBlades and Beguilers should be prestige classes...
I don't know, in my option, a fighter can not be used to make a swashbuckler without sacrificing significant power, namely by giving up the defense qualities of a large shield and heavy armor. Unless the fighter is given an optional ability to make up for said loss, then a "swashbuckling fighter" is an excersize in self-limitation. And self-limitation is not a direct correlation to good roleplaying, or vice versa.
Samurai is, well, odd. Personally, while I love my asian nonsense, I don't like it in my quasi-medieval european fantasy games. I don't like ninja, I don't like samurai, and I only tolerate Wu Jen as an alternate form of arcane druid/shaman sort of thing. My preference is to leave asian classes in asian settings, as modifications of the base classes. But thats just me.
The warlock is too mechanically different from the base classes to function as a prestige class without invalidating the levels it would take to qualify, or significantly changing the warlock's thematic/mechanical feel.
I do agree that hexblade and beguiler do somewhat fit in the "prestige rather than base" category. I also think that a "skill" class besides rogue and bard is also an attractive idea, although mechanically, the expert is little more than a class feature-less rogue, so considerable work would need to be done to make the expert a valid PC choice without being a rogue or bard variant. Personally, I found the factotum from Dungeonscape to be very intersting as a "jack of all trades" sort of character class.
Although, you know, the Aristocrat class, being part of the OGL, could be rebuilt into a swashbuckler type PC class, since thats the social class they came from most of the time anyway. Hmmm.
|
I pretty much agree with you. I think the core classes in the PHB should have been the only core classes. The other classes tend to make the core classes useless and I don't think that the intended goal of them was to do that. ToB really made fighter's useless. No one wants to play a Sorcerer when you have a Warlock. Bequiler is a better Bard. I think they could of PrC's but the same problem would exist, those would be better than the standard 1-20 levels of classes. I think the best way to solve this problem would be to make those classes abilities feats.
For a swashbuckler, use a variant fighter (below is one based on the Thug in the SRD):
Fighter Variant: Swashbuckler
The swashbuckler is a duellist and rake, one who is adept with both a sharp sword and sharp wits. He has most of the fighter's strengths, along with an aptitude for social interaction. He concentrates on mobility and canny use of tactics and terrain to defeat his opponents, rather than heavy weapons and armor.
Swashbucklers tend to neutral or chaotic alignments.
Class Skills
Add the following skills to the fighter's class list- Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive, and Tumble. The swashbuckler gains skill points per level equal to 4 + Int modifier (x4 at 1st level).
Class Features
The swashbucker has all of the standard fighter's class features, except as noted below.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Swashbucklers are proficient with simple and martial weapons, light armor, and bucklers.
Bonus Feats
At 1st level, swashbucklers must choose either Combat Expertise or Weapon Finesse as a their bonus feat. Remove Power Attack (and feats in the Power Attack feat chain) from the list of bonus feats available to swashbucklers.
A samurai is pretty much a fighter with a masterwork bastard sword and some variant armor. The only change is in the social role; you could give them a couple different skill choices.
A knight is a social title, not a class. ANY character can gain a knighthood, IMO. In fact, a DM can create a variety of "knightly orders" sponsored by the nation granting the accolade; of course, this also means the members of the order are expected to support the order itself and the sponsor nation (that's why they exist, after all)...