Pathfinder Expanded Classes


Homebrew and House Rules

Grand Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hey gang! I've finally began the process of formatting my notes on the new classes I've been designing. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what I have so far. Thanks!

Pathfinder Expanded Classes


Good to have some free expanded classes stuff for PF out there. ;)


At first glance, I'm a bit cautious about all the dead levels I'm seeing. Generally speaking, if you're not a spellcasting class you should be getting class features at every level. I'll start at the top by looking at the Aberrant. Unfortunately, this looks completely unplayable in its current state.

The mechanics for focus are unwieldy, and combined with the fact that you lose a lot of passive bonuses and become completely helpless whenever focus is expended means that you can basically never afford to expend focus in combat. The damage-dealing powers aren't even strong enough to merit spending a standard action in most situations, much less expend your focus and lose all the bonuses associated with that. Hover, Vanish, and maybe Blink look to have reasonably good out-of-combat utility, but losing your focus is so crippling in-combat that they cannot be used in that circumstance.

In combat, it looks like the only remotely decent way this class has to deal damage is with the Throw power. By stacking all the passive unarmed strike bonuses available it looks like you can get a half decent ranged attack out of this. This is extremely one-dimensional with no variety. Overall, the amount of usable content here looks more like an archetype rather than a complete class. The huge number of dead levels only makes this matter even worse.

The archetypes don't help matter. The Mindbender trades off the damage-boosting effect of focus, eliminating the only niche the class had in the first place. The Bastion looks incredibly boring; whenever you use its ability, you become functionally helpless until you end the effect. In other words, all you do in combat is buff your allies on turn 1 then cower until combat is over. Really boring character, but potentially broken as an NPC cohort of a Monk PC.

Sorry to start out on a negative foot, but as it stands this class needs a lot of work before it's ready for playtesting. I'll take a look at another class tomorrow.


First off, congratulations. Its was obvious during my initial skim that you have put a lot of work into this. Generating idea, development, layout, readability, and completion of the project. I too was brought into the gaming world by inheriting a stack of 1st edition books (plus various basic D&D publications), and it looks like we switched systems are very similar times too. You took story writing much further than I did though. But to paraphrase something I was once told in the homebrew forum, compliments are nice but critique can actually be helpful.

It is unfair, I believe, to say that ACG class were simply cut and pasted. Each also has new features - some of which are unique. The arcanist's spellcasting blend and the brawler's on-the-fly feats are things that I hope survive a future edition even if those classes don't. The investigator's inspiration and slayer's studied target are new ways to approach skill and combat mastery. And to be fair, cut and paste is not new. Evasion, uncanny dodge, bonus feats, spellcasting... Not every feature needs to be unique, and new features that use existing (but modified) are easier to understand. Also to be fair, you cut and pasted quite a few feature.

ABBERANT

I see that the short skill list is expanded depending on his source, but the core list is too short. The only thing the three sources have in common is Perception. Perception is the most commonly used skill in the game, and a skill that is given out far too often in homebrew classes (of which I read a lot). Increase the size of the core list, and decrease the add-on lists.

The unarmed damage from focus should be reworded a bit, so that it retains its original damage type (probably bludgeoning). You could say that they are treated as force effects, and so affect incorporeal creature.

I think achieving the focus should be changed to a standard action. The benefits are already similar to casting a spell, and it would get rid of that tricky bit where you can't use focus and a power in the same round. What is your thematic reason for being being able to use armor and weapons?

So at 1st level, he has exactly one power? Doesn't sound terribly fun. Why don't you create some "0-level" powers that are usable without choosing it.

You have a lot of dead levels. I suggest filling them with minor features. Perhaps little boosts to what focus does (+2 on fear saves or gaining a few temp HP) or additional effects with powers (blasted creatures catch on fire or might become shaken).

BRAVE

First off, change the name and remove the cultural trappings from this class. It's a mobile, lightly armed survivalist and warrior with some supernatural aspects. Surely such a concept can originate from many places in a fantasy gaming world.

Why musket?

Oddly enough, I like healing chant because it addresses the complaint that martial classes have no means to handle certain problems. It does violate your uses per day principle though.

CHAMPION

The idea being moral support is fine, but Aid Another really doesn't need this much help. How often do you see PCs using it during combat? A support character might, but probably not the frontliner. Also, the Aid Another already has a scaling bonus called BAB and skill ranks so this bonus is nearly worthless because the DC is only 10.

I really hate the Diehard feat. Once you are at negative hit points and keep on fighting, one more hit and you're dead. Such a feat trap should be optional. Take the idea behind this class feature and come up with something new.

COURTIER

The weapon proficiencies suck. The abberant uses his fists to fight, but is somehow proficient in more weapons than a person who is possibly a noble with access to formal lessons in weapon use. Like the brave, its also a cultural trapping. Do the aristocracy of all lands use rapiers? Take a cue from the rogue. Start with all simple weapons, and then add proficiencies on top of that.

You have a 6 skill point class who gains 1/2 level to -seven- skills. This is going overboard and needs to be reigned in.

Footwork needs a more clear explanation.

The noble gains a low powered assistant. That name implies that the haughty noble is working. Would attendant be a better name? Considering the areas of expertise the courtier has, the logical choice for such a helper would be the adept because of his lack of magical ability. I don't think I would choose anything but. Being accompanied by your family's personal clergyman sounds like a fun role-playing opportunity, but its also the only NPC class with any allure in this case. Its also the only NPC class with any class features.

Considering the bonuses from socialist, the meager bonuses of seasoned at court seem pointless.

When the Leadership feat is gained, does this stack with the assistant or is the assistant the cohort? Either way, it should be addressed.

EXPLORER

Boons to movement based skills are not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but what adventurous gives doesn't seen like what a rookie adventurer should be able to do. Maybe give this at 3rd level or so, and make up a new class-defining feature for 1st level.

LEADER

As far as role-play goes, any character could be a leader. So on those grounds I don't like how we have started. Also, this class probably shares too much with the champion and courtier. Due to a lack of class features and limited ability to directly influence things, I think this is the weakest class.

Unlike the courtier's pal, the companion seems to steer towards the warrior class due to the command ability. Dunno. Guess I'd like to see area to highlight other NPC classes. Also, I don't think this should be a 1st level ability.

LUCHADOR

Again with the cultural trapping. Once class is Native American, another might be a French noble, and this one is a Mexican professional wrestler? You want a grappler, and thats fine, but why not leave room for other kinds of grapplers? What about a sumo or Australian crocodile wrangler?

You have two classes that add Charisma to AC. Not terrible in concept I suppose, but if he's hiding his face, his ability to entertain and to mislead or confuse his foe would actually be hindered, and I think even an actual luchador would want some armor if he knew people were going to be coming at him with swords. Loose the mask requirement, and if you don't allow armor, maybe consider Wisdom.

At 10th level, non-lethal damage would be pretty rare.

PRIEST

So its a cleric, except more like a wizard in terms of BAB, saves, skills, and proficiencies. And it gains more in the way of channel energy and domains. OK.

What does intervention do for a good priest? Can living creatures take damage for positive energy damage?

SHAPECHANGER

I think unlimited shapeshifting to any animal strains believability for me, but power wise its probably not a big deal. It wouldn't be terrible though if he started with gaining animal like features, and then moved into full on shapeshifting.

I don't like the change of BAB while in animal form. It was weird when the core monk had it with flurry of blows, and i think its weird here too. Animals have medium BAB, and lots of martial classes that mix combat ability with utility have medium BAB. Pick one of the two BABs and stick with it.

It wouldn't be so bad if this functioned as the disguise self spell. He can take the form of a dolphin or dinosaur, but can only change his face a little bit? The disguise spell is already not that useful, and you don't help it much.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 8

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I think you'll get more focused (and more useful) feedback if you post one class at a time.

I don't 'get' many of these classes. A lot of them seem to have concepts and themes which are very similar to those of existing classes, but lack strong class mechanics to support them. It seems like you are trying to apply certain design concepts from video games to existing classes. That's fine in principle, but I think it is also much more difficult than you make it out to be. You still need a strong class concept with multiple different abilities that supports a lot of different character builds.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Homebrew and House Rules / Pathfinder Expanded Classes All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Homebrew and House Rules