Although this one hews closer to the original fighter, I'm not sure the alternate mechanics are in line. This is very loosely based on the design of a "martial warlock" or "book of nine swords."
New Class: Myrmidon
[An alternate class to the fighter]
The basic warrior is powerful and predictable to play. Because she is a feat based character, once her feats are chosen the warrior remains relatively static. Her feats may cause many triggers in battle, but the trigger conditions do not change until she gains new feats. The myrmidon is a fighter alternative that appeals to a niche of players. Namely, players that enjoy the front line warrior but want some active powers instead of all static combat triggers.
Role: Myrmidons represent warriors with some sort of formal style-training. They don’t have the breadth of everyday combat training a standard fighter does. One of the first things they are taught is how to survive. This is not to say myrmidons have no honor, it is just their goal is to survive. They spend most of their adult life on the battlefield fighting someone else’s war.
TABLE: MYRMIDON
1st Toughness, crushing blow 1/day
2nd Bonus feat, bravery +1
3rd Armor mastery 1/-
4th Crushing blow 2/day, Greater Crushing Blow
5th Bonus feat, second wind 1/day
6th Bravery +2
7th Crushing blow 3/day
8th Bonus feat
9th Armory mastery 2/-
10th Crushing blow 4/day, second wind 2/day, bravery +3
11th Bonus feat
12th Fighter training, Master Crushing Blow
13th Crushing blow 5/day
14th Bonus feat, bravery +4
15th Armor mastery 3/-, second wind 3/day
16th Crushing blow 6/day
17th Bonus feat
18th Bravery +5
19th Crushing blow 7/day
20th Weapon mastery, second wind 4/day
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A myrmidon is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (including tower shields).
Toughness (Ex) - The myrmidon gains the toughness feat for free.
Crushing Blow (Ex) - As standard action, the myrmidon can make a single attack that deals normal weapon damage plus an additional 1d6 for every 2 myrmidon levels. The myrmidon can do a crushing blow one time per day at first level and an additional one time per day for every three additional levels. A myrmidon must declare the intent to deliver a crushing blow before making the attack. However, if the attack missies, the myrmidon does not have to expend a use of the crushing blow ability.
Bonus feat (Ex) - The myrmidon gains a bonus combat or teamwork feat. She gains an additional bonus feat for every three myrmidon levels afterwards. These are feats in addition to the normal feats by gaining levels.
Bravery (Ex)- Starting at 2nd level, a myrmidon gains a +1 bonus on Will saves against fear. This bonus increases by +1 for every four myrmidon levels beyond 2nd.
Armory Mastery (Ex) - The myrmidon gains DR 1/- while wearing armor or using a shield. This increases by +1 for every 6 levels after.
Greater Crushing Blow (Ex) - The myrmidon's crushing blows gain an additional +1d6 bonus damage for a total of +3d6 (+2d6 for being 4th level and +1d6 as a greater crushing blow) at level 4.
Second Wind (Su) - The myrmidon has learned how to redouble her strength in combat. When the myrmidon is at half hit points or less, she may heal herself for an amount of hit points equal to 1d8 + 1/2 the number of myrmidon levels she has. This is a swift action she use once per day at 5th level. She gains an additional user per day every 5 levels thereafter.
Fighter Training (Ex)- Starting at 12th level, a myrmidon counts 1/2 her total myrmidon level as her fighter level for the purpose of qualifying for fighter only feats.
Master Crushing Blow (Ex) - The myrmidon's Greater Crushing Blow bonus increases to +2d6 for a total of +8d6 (+6d6 for 12th level and +2d6 for a superior crushing blow) at 12th level.
Weapon Mastery (Ex) - At 20th level, a myrmidon chooses one weapon, such as the longsword, greataxe, or longbow. Any attacks made with that weapon automatically confirm all critical threats and have their damage multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example). In addition, he cannot be disarmed while wielding a weapon of this type.
Design Notes: I am still after an alternate fighter with some more active abilities. This one hews closer to the original figher than other attempts. This one might be slightly weaker than a normal fighter only in the fact that she can burn her offense out quicker. But, she has more staying power than a normal fighter so that is probably ok.
Second wind is based on the godless healer feat from the Inner Sea World guide. It is a slightly weakened version so I'm calculating this as a total of 3.5 to 4 feats as equivalent. This is a powerful ability. Probably more powerful than crushing blow in the long run.
Crushing blow is worth about 7 feats I think. At level 20, it would at 12d6 (average 42) 7 times a day for a total of 294 damage per day average. However, the fighter has high passive bonuses at that level, and can full attack every time instead of the standard action a crushing blow takes. So, I think the fighter actually has the advantage at high levels.
One way you could alter the Crushing Blow is not by increasing damage (that's rather bland) but allowing it to be done faster. For instance, at 12th level, MCB could be that any CB could be done during any attack sequence: Full, single, AoO, etc.
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This feels like an archetype more than an alternate class to me.
You've got lots of feats & bravery, and it feels like all you've done is switch around armor training and weapon training for armor mastery and crushing blow.
Honestly, I think it's a little weak. If you're going to remove weapon training, make Crushing Blow usable at will, probably as a standard action when you get it, and maybe as part of a full attack at level 9-11~ish.
I'm okay with having all those bonus feats, but try something that feels a bit more thematic. The myrmidon is geared towards survival, so be sure to include things like diehard, endurance, iron will, lightning reflexes, great fortitude, and any of the other bunches of feats that help fit this theme.
For naming conventions, I'd go with "Improved Crushing Blow", followed by Greater. It's more in line with other abilities.
I like Armor Mastery. I feel like that's the bread and butter of the class. Whereas fighters get weapon training, myrms get armor mastery, and the difference in design goals shows.
Still, I'd like to see something more thematic if you're gonna make this an alternate class. Perhaps you only gain simple weapon proficiency? Maybe some limited use/day survival abilities (Think the Dodge Roll rogue talent, or maybe a strange, lay on hands type thing with Second Wind?). I dunno. As is, with the above changes, I could see it as a Fighter archetype, but not an alternate class.
Thanks guys and gals.
After a reading and a little thinking, this is what I'm leaning towards now. Tell me what you think.
I think I'm going to hew closer to the 3.5 warlock. I think crushing blow should be a full blown at-will; using a standard action. This would revolve around the belief that a consitant 10d6 per round is not out of line at level 20.
For improved crushing blow. I like the idea of mixing a crushing blow into a full attack. So, something like 1/day at 4th, 2/day at 8th, 3/day at 12th, and 4/day at 16th. That should be plenty of offense if not a bit much.
I hear Davor. I see the part about this does not accentuate the defensive portion to the nth degree. But, honestly I never inteded it to be that way. What I really wanted was an active fighter that represents a lifetime mercenary. The surviving part is a by-product of always fighting some one else's cause. The active part was suppose to be maneuvers that represent a focused training in ending combat quickly. That was part of the idea behind crushing blow. Part of the way to live longer is to crush your opponent harder.
So, there is where the warlock comes in. What if the myrmidon had a pool of temporary feats she could access, as a swift action, until the start of her next turn (note she could still deliver a crushing blow). So, where the fightetr has constant feats, the myrmidon has a pool of temporary feats or tricks she can use every round if she can fit her actions in. For exmaple, If she had the dodge feat in her pool, she could do a +1 AC as a dodge bonus for a round. The next round, if pushing attack was also in her pool, she could spend her swift action and gain that feat for a round (again with a crushing blow most likely). This basically gives her the ability to choose a feat for a round. Where the only balancing factor is the fost of a swift action. Now, obviously some could be worth other actions. But, there would be no attempt to place a per day limit on this.
Now the problem. I have abosultely no idea that is worth compared to other classes. And, I am not sure if that takes the myrmidon over the line the other way into being over powered.
Hey guys and gals. This version hits much closer to the 3.5 warlocks design. I've tried to increase the power of the class, and excentuate the themes better. I've tried to heighten the defensive themes adding both defensive feats and a selfess captain ability. Also, i've tried to excentuate the use of active tricks in combat through wildcard feats and the revised crushing blow ability. I toned the second wind ability down a bit to try and compensate a little. Also, I changed up improved and greater crushing blow to bring it more in lie with feedback.Now, how does it sit? Too much?
version 0.92
New Class: Myrmidon
[An alternate class to the fighter]
The basic warrior is powerful and predictable to play. Because she is a feat based character, once her feats are chosen the warrior remains relatively static. Her feats may cause many triggers in battle, but the trigger conditions do not change until she gains new feats. The myrmidon is a fighter alternative that appeals to a niche of players. Namely, players that enjoy the front line warrior but want some active powers instead of all static combat triggers.
Role: Myrmidons represent warriors with some sort of formal style-training. They don’t have the breadth of everyday combat training a standard fighter does. One of the first things they are taught is how to survive. This is not to say myrmidons have no honor, it is just their goal is to survive. They spend most of their adult life on the battlefield fighting someone else’s war.
Level Special
1st Crushing blow 1d6
2nd Defensive fea, wildcard feat 1
3rd Armor mastery 1/-, crushing blow 2d6
4th Improved crushing blow
5th Crushing blow 3d6, wildcard feat 2
6th Second wind 1/day
7th Armory mastery 2/-, crushing blow 4d6
8th Defensive feat, wildcard feat 3
9th Crushing blow 5d6
10th Selfless captain 1/day
11th Armor mastery 3/-, crushing blow 6d6, wildcard feat 4
12th Greater crushing blow, second wind 2/day
13th Crushing blow 7d6
14th Defensive feat, wildcard feat 5
15th Armor mastery 4/-, crushing blow 8d6
16th Selfless captain 2/day
17th Crushing blow 9d6, wildcard feat 6
18th Second wind 3/day
19th Armor mastery 5/-, crushing blow 10d6
20th Weapon mastery, wildcard feat 7
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A myrmidon is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (including tower shields).
Crushing Blow (Ex) - As standard action, the myrmidon can make a single attack that deals normal weapon damage with modifiers plus an additional 1d6 bonus damage. The myrmidon can do a crushing blow at will, any number of times per day. A myrmidon must declare the intent to deliver a crushing blow before making the attack. For every two levels after 1st, the bonus damage increases an additional +1d6 for a total of weapon damage + 10d6 at level 19.
Wild Card Feats: You gain access to a wild card fighter, combat, or teamwork feat. This feat can change each day. This represents the broad set of tricks which you have been exposed over the course of campaigns or a simple uncanny intuition to turn combat in your favor. The myrmidon may pick a feat to fill the “wild card” slot as a standard action. You retain this feat for the rest of the day. After she rests for eight hours, the wild card slot resets to empty, allowing her to choose a different feat to fill its place. A myrmidon may use 1/2 of her myrmidon levels to qualify for fighter only feats. A myrmidon must meet all the prerequisites of a feat in order to "slot" it as a wild card feat. However, she can use other wild card feats to help her meet the requisites.She gains one "wildcard" feat slot at 2nd level and an additional slot every 3levels thereafter.
Defensive Feat: The myrmidon gains a feat that reflects her real world training to survive on the battlefield. The myrmidon may choose a bonus feat from the following list. But, she must meet the prerequisites to choose this feat. This feat is in addition to the normal feats she gains from level. She cannot use wildcard feats to qualify for this defensive feat. The available defensive feats are : combat exprtise, improved disarm, stand still, defensive combat training, disruptive, spellbreaker, dodge, endurance, die hard, greater fortitude, improved greater fortitude, iron will, improved iron will, lightning reflexes, improved lightning reflexes, nimble moves, acrobatic step, improved shield bash, shield slam, shield master, shield focus, greater shield focus, or toughness
Armory Mastery (Ex): The myrmidon gains DR 1/- while wearing armor or using a shield. This increases by +1 for every 4 levels after.
Improved Crushing Blow (Ex): Once per day, a myrmidon can do a crushing blow in place of the first attack that lands in a in a full attack action. A myrmidon must declare the intent to deliver a crushing blow before making the full attack. However, if the attack misses, the myrmidon can apply the crushing blow to the second attack in the full attack. Similarly, this can continue if the myrmidon continues to miss attacks during the full attack. The crushing blow must be applied to the first attack that succeeds in hitting the target. If all the attacks fail, the crushing blow is expended for the round without effect..
Second Wind (Su): The myrmidon has learned how to redouble her strength in combat. When the myrmidon is at half hit points or less, she may heal herself for an amount of hit points equal to 1d8 + the number of myrmidon levels she has. This is a swift action she use once per day at 6th level. She gains an additional user per day every 6 levels thereafter.
Selfless Captain (Ex): After extended time on the battlefield, experienced myrmidons know how to protect their allies on the battlefield. At 10th level, once per day, as an immediate action, a myrmidon my intercede her body to protect her ally from a melee attack. If the myrmidon is next to an ally, and an enemy declares an attack against that ally, the myrmidon and the ally may take free 5 foot steps to exchange places without provoking additional attacks of opportunity. The myrmidon takes all melee attacks that the ally would have received that round. However, to-hit rolls are resolved as if they were made against the ally. This may result in attack rolls being made against an AC lower than what the myrmidon actually has. However, all damage reduction and energy resistance the myrmidon has applies normally. A myrmidon may use this ability a second time per day at 16th level.
Greater Crushing Blow (Ex): A myrmidon can now do a improved crushing blow twice per day.
Weapon Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, a myrmidon chooses one weapon, such as the longsword, greataxe, or longbow. Any attacks made with that weapon automatically confirm all critical threats and have their damage multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example). In addition, he cannot be disarmed while wielding a weapon of this type.
Much better imo. I like the tweaks to crushing blow but now i think you should do some dpr calculations and see how it fares compared to a fighter.
Much better imo. I like the tweaks to crushing blow but now i think you should do some dpr calculations and see how it fares compared to a fighter.
Aight, here we go....
Offense side:
The first would be crushing blow vs high level fighter feats (requiring higher than fighter level 10) and the weapon training ability. Twice per day the myrmidon can weave a crushing blow into a full attack. That should give the myrmidon an average of a 35 points more damage than the fighter in a burst situation. So, the feats the fighter can have that the myrmidon cannot include: critical mastery, penetrating strike. greater penetrating strike, greater weapon specialization, greater shield specialization, and pin down. In the sense of a burst hit, the myrmidon has the advantage twice a day. A fighter does have enough feats to potentiall have all or many of these specific feats. So, to match the extra 35 points of damage, the fighter would need to land at least 2 hits in a full attack, have greater penetrating strike to reduce an opponents DR by 10 each, netting an additional 20 damage for the fighter. Through the weapon training ability, the fighter can gain an additional +4 damage per hit. So,this theoretical full attack works out to be +35 versus +28. If the fighter had greater weapon specialization as well, she could get an additional +4 over two attacks. This brings the totals to +35 vs +32. Obviously, there are other options for feats in the above list, but I don't think they will produce as much raw damage as greater penetrating strike and greater specialization. Slight advantage to the myrmidon for 2 rounds of burst a day.
A normal crushing blow will deall weapon + modifiers + 35 avg. Comparing to that to a fighters full attack, we can drop the weapon hit + modifiers from both sides. This leaves +4 (weapon training on the first hit) and up to 3 more attacks vs the 35 damage.If we keep the same assumption that only two attacks in a full attack will connect, and factor out the 8 (weapon training for both hits) from 35 ahead of time, then the fighter has to do more than 27 damage in a single second hit.If greater penetrating strike applies, the the fighter can immediate reduce this number to 7 over the course of both attacks. And, 7 is the average base damage of a great sword. Any other modifiers are pure advantage to a fighter.
Full attack vs full attack will go through a similar process. But, in the end the weapon training +4 and any of those high level figther feats will tip the over all damage in the fighter's favor both in a single full attack and over a days worth of full attacks.
Curshing blow vs a single attack is straight advantage to the myrmidon. So, if the fighter is a high movement fight, the myrmidon does have the advantage.
Over the course of a day, the greater crushing blows would net the myrmidon an additional 20d6 (avg 70) over straight full attacking every possible chance (since the myrmidon can weave two into a full attack). Taking into accout only greater weapon specialization, greater penetrating strike, and the weapon training ability (+16 damage per hit), it would take the fighter an average of 5 rounds to deal 80 points of damage that the myrmidon could not. So, by about the second encounter in a day, the fighter should have dealt more damage total over the course of the day assuming equal and perfect combat situations.
Defense side:
Armory master cancles for both classes, so DR is not a factor by itself. The two classes can wear the same armor, so armor itself is not a factor. However, a fighter would have armor training 4 and thus an Ac at least 4 points higher. So, the fighter would get hit less often. Against this, the myrmidon has the ability to heal herself for 1d8 + 20 three times a day which averages to 4.5 * 3 + 3 * 20 = 74 hit points.At what point +4 AC works out to more "healing" than 74 points a day is hard to tell. I would say the myrmidon has the advantage on the defensive front.