Custom Classes

[Sylis]

Only because i cant find it... Is there a thread about how to create your own Class or is it in one of the Books...?? if oyu could plz let me know.
thanks in advanced

[Ciaran Barnes]

Its takes a lot of practice. I've been doing it for almost a decade, and I don't think anyone has liked a single one! :)

There is no true class builder I know of though. Start with the "template" from another class and replace class features with new ones. This is only for practice though and will not deliver a quality product, as a good class requires innovation in both flavor and mechanics, as well as some familiar elements.

The other difficulty is finding the balance point between 1) creating something that is weak enough to not be worth playing and 2) creating something that is powerful enough to make other choices obsolete.

If you decide to post an effort on a forum, there is good chance it will be mostly ignored or roasted alive. Don't let it get you down too much, and make the conscious choice to take criticism as constructive, even if the critic comes off like an a@+*#~*.

[mplindustries]

Listen to him. Custom classes are universally terrible. And if you aren't already writing it without worrying about a "class creation system," I apologize, but I'm quite sure yours is going to be bad, too.

What exactly are you looking to play? Chances are something exists to fit what you want in some archetype somewhere.

Pretty much everything does, except a full BAB, 4th level spell arcane caster.

[Ciaran Barnes]

mplindustries wrote:

Pretty much everything does, except a full BAB, 4th level spell arcane caster.

Materialising the concept of which, ironically, is something I've been turning over in my head for the last month. Another creation from my keybaord that will never see light.

[Mordain Thade]

mplindustries wrote:

...Pretty much everything does, except a full BAB, 4th level spell arcane caster.

After lamenting the death of the eldritch knight prestige class due to the magus base class (which I do enjoy), I converted a full BAB, 4th-level arcane spell progression class using magus abilities and called it the eldritch knight.

Hardly original or groundbreaking, I admit, but it looks pretty good. Haven't playtested it yet due to difficulties getting my group together =\

[Atarlost]

I'm not an expert, or even really an experienced amateur, but I'd say go with the following process:

1) Decide on one of the following forms: martial (full BAB, not more than 4 spell levels), caster (half BAB, 9 spell levels), or hybrid (medium BAB, 4 or 6 spell levels), or munchkin (medium BAB, 9 divine spell levels).

2) Pick your high and low benchmarks for the form. (ie. the best and worst non-broken examples that Paizo or a third party publisher you consider to do good work has put out)

3) Determine the actual abilities of the benchmark classes (eg. Paladin has 2 saves, is almost entirely SAD, has all martial and armor proficiencies, has quadratic HP from lay on hands, has either a mount or free weapon boosting comparable to the expected baseline, is immune to a couple broad categories of stuff, and has a broad situational bonus to attack and damage.) The details don't matter. Ludicrously situational stuff like bravery should be ignored when assessing benchmarks.

4) Actually put together a draft class

4a) Don't make the monk. By that I mean avoid excessively situational abilities (eg. slow fall) or antisynergistic abilities (eg. flurry and fast movement) or just plain weak abilities (eg. wholeness of body). If you're thinking of adding an ability for flavor and it doesn't make mechanical sense stop. Make it something like a rogue talent or rage power equivalent or leave it out. Trying to balance something with lots of small, situational, and contradictory abilities has proven to be beyond Wizards of the Coast and Paizo. Don't think you can pull it off.

5) Compare it to your benchmarks on DPR, out of combat versatility, survivability, and the like. I'd do so at elite array and minmaxed 25 point buy as the limits of what I'd support, but if your group plays a harsher or more generous stat generation test there as well. If it's not in between return to step 4. If it's "about even" with the high benchmark it's too good and you should return to step 4.

6) Look for synergy with other classes or with feats. Return to step 5 again with those in mind.

7) Expose it to criticism. Be prepared to explain why you think it lies between your benchmarks and if your high benchmark is third party be prepared to explain why that class isn't overpowered.

[UlrichVonLichtenstein]

Get yourself the Advanced Race Guide; there is a step-by-step process on how to do it in the back of the book.