I think the Samurai should be able to take Fighter only feats, but counting as if he were a lower-level fighter. Four levels lower would be the key.
I would like to add that I believe the class needs more bonus combat feats to help the Samurai choose its "samurai warrior style" of combat better.
I would go the Oriental Adventures route, which was a bonus feat at 2nd, 4th, and every 3 levels thereafter (7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th). Take away the Mounted Archery and Mounted Combat stuff, these can just be bonus feats.
This is a somewhat selfish thought, I must add, because I have a player who is hoping this Samurai class does two things:
1) Keeps the bonus feats the same as the 3rd Edition Oriental Adventures Samurai so he doesn't have to rearrange his entire character
2) Allows the option of bonded mount or bonded weapon(s) just like the OA Samurai (which allows TWO weapons, katana and wakizashi, mind you).
The rest of the class would be great for him to keep. Otherwise, we'll stick with the OA Samurai.
I think that give to the Samurai all those bonus feats would make roll a fighter pointless.
Fighter feats should remain fighter feats.
I wouldn't add combat feats, either. The class does get some already and gets plenty of other abilities to define it.
I think that existing character of yours should stick to the old class if he likes all his feats. The classes are not the same, and the UC samurai isn't just a pathfinderised version of the OA class.
You could fix the stuff for yourself, though, if you want, to accommodate this specific character. I guess that's the best way of doing things
On the matter of optional mounts, we're in agreement, though.
I think that give to the Samurai all those bonus feats would make roll a fighter pointless.
How so? It's a much slower progression but also grants enough feats for a Samurai to be more of a useful warrior on the battlefield. It makes multiclassing as Fighter/Samurai more fun, too
I think that give to the Samurai all those bonus feats would make roll a fighter pointless.How so? It's a much slower progression but also grants enough feats for a Samurai to be more of a useful warrior on the battlefield. It makes multiclassing as Fighter/Samurai more fun, too
Slight less bonus feats than fighter + challenge + reroll saves + shrug off conditions + ignore criticals seems a little too much in my book. I could be wrong.
right now samurai gets weapon expertise in ONE weapon that allows him access to fighter feats concerning this weapon and this weapon only.
Im ok with it because the base cavaliers charge and challenges are better.
And the cavalier is more likely to use a broader range of weaponry anyway so specialization just limits him, saumurai flavor is more weapon-o-centric.
The wording, im sure will be fixed, it is the same issue we all had with eldritch knight in Beta, the ording was unclear whether you needed a level in fighter, or that your levels counted for levels of fighter, that has since been fixed.
It will get fixed here as well, think about it. It's a base class not a PrC, why would something it does need another base class to function? It doesn't.