Statboy |
http://1drv.ms/1SPUsUy
Background: One of my friends got a little upset at our GM for enforcing the plug rule regarding bayonets. Which gave us the idea of a Bayonetmancer, a crossbowman who uses underbarrel bayonets. I have now made this class for our own personal use mostly, but anybody is welcome to use this.
Class: Bayonetmancers use underbarrel bayonets to not be completely useless in melee with a ranged weapon. He adds some low level casting, crossbow combat style from the ranger, and some class perks.
Feedback: I did this in about an hour, so any balancing feedback would be nice. Also i need more imbue abilities at higher levels, if anybody has ideas on those.
Ciaran Barnes |
Both the flavor and mechanics for this class are all over the place. Still, considering the short prep time, the layout is pretty good. I think the focus of this class is far too narrow: a guy who specializes in magically stabbing things with a crossbow.
If you want the bayonet to "work", that can be accomplished a house-rule or with one or more homebrew feats. Specializing in a crossbow bayonet should be an option for any class - not a class itself. You could go the route of reworking the ranger so that you have some spell casting, a good selection of skills, and lots a weapon talent. But it could go beyond one type of weapon.
Another route is make this a prestige class, which are meant to be more narrow in focus.
I will address this in more detail when I have time.
Statboy |
Both the flavor and mechanics for this class are all over the place. Still, considering the short prep time, the layout is pretty good. I think the focus of this class is far too narrow: a guy who specializes in magically stabbing things with a crossbow.
So it's both all over the place and to narrow? Its actually not a guy who specializes in magically stabbing things. Its a professional crossbowman, who has some decent (not amazing) support melee and support casting to round him out. His specialty isn't actually stabbing, the bayonet is always a step behind traditional melee attackers in that regard. Think of it as an Arcane Archer but sacrificing a little magic to add a little melee. At least that was the aim.
Ciaran Barnes |
Yes it is both, or is to me anyhow. Maybe you could expand the class into one that can accommodate a variety of character builds, of which the crossbowman is one. For example, an archer who handily uses his bow as a quarterstaff or a knife-fighter who can fluidly mix melee and ranged with equal lethality.