Too late for new ideas?

[kindredspirit]

Not being a game designer, I'm assuming that new class concepts are incredibly hard to come by. Original is a pretty high bar in and of itself. Add Necessary, Interesting, and Fun to the list of requirements and the task becomes monumental.

But, is it too late for new class ideas in the APG. So far, I'm not too keen on the first two releases (sorry guys). I've been told not to criticize without a suggestion . . . so here it is:

Very Basic Concept: Pathfinder has introduce a new mechanic into the game, Combat Maneuvers. The game is looking for a battlefield control class, comparable to the v3.5 Marshal. Why not build a class around the ability to add a characters "controller" class level (or 1/2 of) to the CMB? Add a few team buffing abilities and you already have a welcome addition to any adventuring party. With all the CMs available, you already have built-in variety for the character without adding any new mechanic.

Just a thought . . .

P.S. If this has been done before, please tell me where . . . because I missed it.

[tejón]

Monk?

[Quijenoth]

Monks and fighters already do combat maneuvers pretty well through feats and stuff. While not specifically group friendly, adding a class that betters them would just be another chip off the already small block left for the fighter class.

However your onto something I think but not in the form of a new class. Perhaps It would be nice to see Pazio re-envision teamwork benefits and maybe introduce NEW combat maneuvers and applicable feats for fighters. Suggestions for fighter combat maneuvers: hamstring (chance to reduce movement), haymaker (chance to daze), locked blades (a different form of disarm), parry (an immediate attack to deflect a single attack) or riposte (a free attack after a successful parry). and perhaps take monk combat maneuvers on a more martial arts tangent with various martial art styles as the names.

Just to expand on combat maneuvers I have often thought about how fighters might duplicate certain low level spell effects through combat. I could actually see combat maneuvers helping with this in some respect now that Pathfinder has standardized the mechanic. like firebrand: a fighter deals fire damage with his main weapon while weilding a torch in his off-hand or within reach of a fire source. A successful combat maneuver check inflicts fire damage on the target instead of weapon damage doing 1d6 +1d6 per 5 points the combat maneuver exceeds the targets CMD for a light weapon the damage is reduced to 1d4 and for a two handed increased to 1d8.

My personal view is that teamwork benefits should not be restrictive to a single class. doing so enhances the entire party when that character is present but leaves groups without that class at a power disadvantage. This can cause balance issues in the game.

[kindredspirit]

The teamwork concept was more of what I was getting at; a character capable of coordinating/forcing movement, breaking formations, disrupting a BBEGs control over his minions, etc.

The monk ability merely mimics what a fighter can already do.

Like I said . . . just a thought . . .

[Vic Wertz]

kindredspirit wrote:

But, is it too late for new class ideas in the APG.

Yep.

[Lyingbastard]

There are 12 new classes in Paths of Power, and there's an NPC class that sort of falls under what you're looking for: The Captain. One of their abilities, "Opportunism", gives group combat benefits that can change the tide of a battle.