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I spent a few days collecting my thoughts about the playtest. I hope you enjoy and please let me know if I'm on the right track here.
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Like a lot of people I jumped on to reading the new playtest for the Vigilante class, probably contributing to making the site crash for a while. I’ve read it and reread it but since I have been distracted by vacation plans I didn’t get too many chances to talk about it on the forums. This led to thoughts just piling up as I talked about it with friends, tried to build one for an upcoming game and imagined what it would look like once it’s at the table regularly. In the end I decided to compile my thoughts about the class little by little in a google docs document until I eventually came up with an essay-like analysis by the time I’m was able to really express myself online and pay attention to responses.
Basics Concept
In terms of flavor this is a hard class to sell. Putting on a costume and keeping a secret identity is only a matter of putting ranks in disguise and not using the full extent of your powers when not in costume. Plus classes like the Rogue, Investigator, Slayer and Alchemist have the means to go full Batman so what does this class do for the concept of a Vigilante that you can’t simply do with a feat and some skill ranks? Looking at the class the stand out difference is the whole dual identity class feature. As difficult as it is I don’t think it helps the class, from a design perspective, to think of it as ‘The Batman class’ or ‘The Superhero class’. Its not hard to be a masked crusader but what makes it a full blown class is when a man is fractured to the extent that to perform a duty, right wrongs or obtain goals he has to become someone above who he is. He has to become someone else, something else. I hope that the future of this class has design that explores more the nature fragmented identity than simply superhero tropes, although superhero tropes are not bad to have too. Otherwise its kind of empty baggage as a class when you could literally be any class with skill focus(disguise) and do the whole job better.
But this is a playtest that needs some mechanical scrutiny so what exactly does it do?
Well as I noted above I think the Dual Identity class feature is the leg this class stands on. It is amazing at it too. Being able to hide from scrying strikes me as a villain tool than a hero tool considering that scying on PCs almost never comes up, but it’s the thought that counts. The following Social Grace and Renown mechanics give the social identity something to do. Not much to do in a dungeon or wilderness campaign but something to do. I do have a few issues though. The first being that the social identity doesn’t have enough of a bonus to really feel like it’s pulling it’s job off. A +4 to a few day job skills just isn’t good enough given that being in social mode is kind of a liability. I think it either needs better abilities or be capable of switching between identities faster so that the party getting jumped while you’re in social mode isn’t enough of a concern to rarely use it. The social identity should be a social skill master not just have a +4 bonus. This issue leads to the bigger beef that I have which is that the social identity doesn’t get talents. Not combat talents but social talents. Things that make it more amazing at intrigue. Overall I just think that if you’re going to have two identities you need to want to use them both. Heavily. I’ve seen Renown being put down for being too small of an area, but I’m okay with it’s range. This class is already ill suited for a traveling campaign so scaling up to a city is okay enough. An archetype can handle going full international superhero mode. That said, Renown ultimately equates to a +4 bonus to intimidate. That bonus should be at least half the Vigilante’s level. If I’m going to go through the trouble of telling scary stories about the vigilante he needs to be beyond scary. This is especially since it’s diplomacy goes up at that rate later.
Startling Appearance is kind of a weak ability to me. Running around in a group already makes this ability going off less likely (unless your entire group is really good at stealth) but it's kind of a minor improvement on what already happens when you jump someone when they don’t know you’re there.I wouldn’t have that much of a thing against it but it’s the only thing he gets at level 5 and its fairly bland mechanically. At this point I thought that the best thing that this class could get is some kind of Grit-like pool of Terror that it strikes in the hearts of his renown area. If that existed Startling Appearance is where he should get it back.
Loyal Aid is a great class feature. Nothing I’d change about that.
I guess Many Guises is cool too but given the lack of abilities and slow change time being in it is a liability in too many situations.
Finally at 11th level the Vigilante gets a demoralizing effect in Frightening Appearance, which is something I think he should be able to do as soon as he gets renown. I hate to really compare this class to other classes but I think the Vigilante should be the upper limit in terms of demoralizing. At least baseline 4 points spookier than the Inquisitor. Also aside from the the Avenger specialization the class has Rogue-accuracy so I think demoralizing would offset it’s low accuracy and give it something iconic to do.
Quick change is where I make the argument for a list of Universal Talents, with Quick Change being the first on that list. Its something I wanted at first or second level. This isn’t my first rodeo in terms of being a masked avenger. I tried it with sythesist summoners and the worst thing really is trying to find a phone booth and being gone changing for 10 rounds when a fight breaks out when you don’t expect it. There are too many situations where the 1 minute change is painful, I can’t imagine 5. I have reasons beyond that for wanting a list of universal talents but I’ll get to those issues when they come up.
The rest of the class features are honestly just ‘win-more’ abilities. Well not Everyman. It has the same vulnerabilities as Many Guises so it’s a cool flavorful ability that has a risk and this may be just me but if its the only thing you get for a level and it has a hefty risk that level is a dead level as far as I’m concerned.
The Specializations are the real meat of the bunch being the entire persona that your civilian is getting into. As a whole I like the division and assume that there will be more since it’s only one class in a book full of other stuff. Some of them definitely have talents that feel out of place, for example; bombs falls under Warlock, when really I feel like it should be its own specialization, especially since it entitles you to an entire new set of talent-like options. Mystic Bolt is another one feeling like a class feature in it’s own right but no other talents support it. Some of the Stalker/Avenger classes could really be on both lists making me question why there isn’t a universal list again. I’ve seen many a discussion about Zealot and Warlock being terrible casters. I don’t have this complaint as I don’t see Vigilante’s as casters but some guys that happen to cast spells but it takes some extra read-throughs to figure out what’s going on and honestly I could do without the casting being mandatory. If I want bombs as a Vigilante and focus on that I’m burdened with two first level spells. That I could care less about. Because of the kind of person I am the first thing I tried to build was a Warlock that focused on mystic bolt and the arcane strike talent. But I suspect, because of how the class currently works that if you go Zealot or Warlock you HAVE to go full six levels of casting if you have even one level of casting making the having them as talents kind of an illusion. All in all I think the Vigilante is ripe for some alternate form of casting spells. Either that or give him spell slots and allow the other specializations do something with the spell slots that’s not magical. Or better yet just give warlock and zealot spells per day and make spells known talents and the base ability use spell slots for non-spell effects. There are countless ways to make the whole ‘spells per day as talents thing less awkward or feel mandatory. My vote is on the aforementioned ‘Terror Pool’.
All in all I think this is a great class. Need more talents and Startling Appearance is kind of a non-ability half to the time to me. Really I think how Startling Appearance and how it eventually works will make or break this class. Its the class’s main schtick other than having multiple identities and being a social/psychological debuffer could offset its lack of inherent accuracy boosters or real defenses. (Why does it have access to Stalwart but not Evasion?)
I think even with a lot of positive changes the archetypes will tickle me more but I do see this class falling into the Sorcerer trap when it comes to archetypes, namely that Archetypes may come in the form of Specializations as opposed to actual archetypes. I’m also looking forward to the actual book for the inevitable more specializations. As I said before I think Bombs should be it’s own specialization. The possible specializations I see immediately because of the pattern in place; Bombs. Mutagen/Rage/Wildshape or anything that has a transformative quality to it. Extracts. Smites. Ki pool. Favored Enemy retooled to be some kind of revenge mechanic (+2 to all criminals like the one that shot my parents). I don’t want to wait for third party products to round that bit out.
I'm sure this week's version is a bit conservative and I can't wait to see how this playtest turns out. I'll see you in the middle of the week after I take out my non-caster Warlock out for a spin.