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^Only explicit options I can think of off the top of my head(*) is the Horse Master feat that lets your Cavalier Mount scale with your character level, and then by default Oracle's Curse scales with half your levels in classes other than Oracle, and Familiar hit dice (for purposes other than hit point computation) scale with your total hit dice and Familiar hit points scale with half your hit points (but other Familiar abilities scale with your class level).
(*)I have this sneaking suspicion I am missing another one, but I can't think of it.
However, some nominally non-scaling class features actually do get better as you level. For instance, the Admixture 1st level School Power of the Evocation (Admixture) Arcane (Sub)School nominally has no scaling, but it gets better as you get more powerful spells to use it with, even if you never gain any more levels in actual Wizard, so this is a good option to use with a prestige class, if you want to blast. Likewise, the Prescience 1st level School Power of the Divination (Foresight) Arcane (Sub)School nominally has no scaling, but it gets better as you get more awesome stuff (including stuff other than spells) you can use the pre-rolled d20 rolls for, even if you never gain any more levels in actual Wizard, so this is another good option to use with a prestige class, especially if you want to use skills a lot, especially for an Arcane Trickster. In contrast, the Power over Undead School Power of the Necromancy Arcane School does explicitly scale with your Wizard level, so this is not a good option to use with a prestige class unless you choose one that advances Channeling.
^Only explicit options I can think of off the top of my head(*) is the Horse Master feat that lets your Cavalier Mount scale with your character level, and then by default Oracle's Curse scales with half your levels in classes other than Oracle, and Familiar hit dice (for purposes other than hit point computation) scale with your total hit dice and Familiar hit points scale with half your hit points (but other Familiar abilities scale with your class level).
(*)I have this sneaking suspicion I am missing another one, but I can't think of it.
There should have been more, because every class feature is tied to a specific class level. They removed the scaling rules so that you MUST pursue this class's path in order to improve your features.
However, some nominally non-scaling class features actually do get better as you level. For instance, the Admixture 1st level School Power of the Evocation (Admixture) Arcane (Sub)School nominally has no scaling, but it gets better as you get more powerful spells to use it with, even if you never gain any more levels in actual Wizard, so this is a good option to use with a prestige class, if you want to blast. Likewise, the Prescience 1st level School Power of the Divination (Foresight) Arcane (Sub)School nominally has no scaling, but it gets better as you get more awesome stuff (including stuff other than spells) you can use the pre-rolled d20 rolls for, even if you never gain any more levels in actual Wizard, so this is another good option to use with a prestige class, especially if you want to use skills a lot, especially for an Arcane Trickster. In contrast, the Power over Undead School Power of the Necromancy Arcane School does explicitly scale with your Wizard level, so this is not a good option to use with a prestige class unless you choose one that advances Channeling.
My main issue with these is that prestige classes halt completely your class progression, unless you have spells.
There should have been something like a "+1 class advancement" for 4 or 5 levels. The Mortal Usher is the ONLY prestige class that does this... and it should have been applied to previous PrCs.
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There should have been something like a "+1 class advancement" for 4 or 5 levels. The Mortal Usher is the ONLY prestige class that does this... and it should have been applied to previous PrCs.
Mortal Usher the only one? Hardly. Classes with the aligned class mechanic (Evangelist and Chernasardo Warden, just counting official Paizo prestige classes) also do this.
For consistency, Mortal Usher should also have referred to this feature as aligned class.
Also, I wish they had defined prestige class progression of spellcasting so that it doesn't punish entry from 6/9 (or worse yet, 4/9) spellcastering (like Magus entering Hellknight Signifer(*)) and/or supercharge entry from 9/9 spellcasting (like a Cleric entering Hinterlander).
(*)Also has theh problem that the required Arcane Armor Training (for entry from an arcane spellcasting class, unless you have a gratuitous dip in a divine casting class) is a trap feat for a Magus. And Path of the Hellknight didn't do much of an update to enable either type of Hellknight to work well with material that came out after the 1st Edition Core Rulebook, including this particular problem.
There should have been something like a "+1 class advancement" for 4 or 5 levels. The Mortal Usher is the ONLY prestige class that does this... and it should have been applied to previous PrCs.Mortal Usher the only one? Hardly. Classes with the aligned class mechanic (Evangelist and Chernasardo Warden, just counting official Paizo prestige classes) also do this.
For consistency, Mortal Usher should also have referred to this feature as aligned class.
I stand corrected... although I do wish more prestige classes would have this ^^;
And then the Winter Witch prestige class pretty much has Aligned Class in all but name (although for exactly one archetype of base class for entry), actually exceeding Evangelist's progression of class features other than spellcasting by not having a level out of anything except for a single level delay in spellcasting progression (and you can pave that over with a pair of feats, which according Rules Exactly As Written you can't do with Chernasardo Warden, Evangelist, or Mortal Usher, because they don't technically have the "spells per day" class feature).
Closest thing I can think of to Aligned Class other than the above four prestige classes is that some prestige classes advance a subset of primary class features other than spellcasting. Here are some examples (this is not an exhaustive list, but maybe we should make one):
- •A few classes progress Sneak Attack, even if you didn't start with any.
•Dawnflower Anchorite can choose the "Focused Class Feature" Credence to progress one of several class features (and can choose it again to progress another one).
•Death Slayer partially progresses Channel Energy and Favored Enemy (even if you didn't start with them, but only against Undead).
•Devoted Muse progresses Panache and Swashbuckler Deeds (even if you didn't start with any, but the latter is offset down by 3 levels).
•Eldritch Knight stacks with both Fighter and any arcane spellcasting class levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
•Dragon Disciple progress a Draconic Sorcerer or Bloodrager Bloodline, although entering as Bloodrager or Eldritch Scion Magus suffers from poor spellcasting progression (especially with ***3*** levels out if you go all the way through).
•Envoy of Balance has the "Spiritual Equilibrium" Endowment option that progresses Channel Energy.
•Green Faith Acolyte progresses Wild Empathy and partially progresses Animal Companion and Wildshape (even if you didn't start with these, although the acquisition of Wildshape is severely delayed if you didn't start with it).
•Grey Gardener progresses a subset of Inquisitor Judgments (even if you didn't start with Judgment), but oddly has its own Bane instead of progressing an existing Bane ability.
•Hellknight Signifer (conditionally) -- if you enter from a divine spellcasting base class (technically, if you enter with the Warrior Priest feat), this progresses any existing Domain Powers, Inquisitions, or Revelations (but doesn't grant any new ones, unlike the Winter Witch prestige class), and progresses your Channeling when you are using Alignment Channel (Chaos) (which, incidentally, Path of the Hellknight didn't fix the bug in, as far as I can tell, as well as failing to fix Hellknight Signifer to be good if you enter as any arcane caster other than Wizard or a limited set of Arcanist builds).
•Heritor Knight progresses Weapon Training, but only if you already have it, and stacks with Fighter levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
•Inheritor's Crusader deserves special mention because the way it works at level 1 with Aura of Courage, giving you one if you don't have it but giving you a double size one if you already do have it, it actually benefits a party having a Paladin more than it benefits a party having a Cleric (for a lone character, naturally Cleric gets the greater benefit), provided that you are not a Paladin that has been increasing their Aura of Courage base radius by some other means (like the Half-Elf Favored Class Bonus).
•Noble Scion gives you a very limited partial equivalent of Mortal Talents (called Dilettante Studies) that can be used to progress one of four class abilities (including spellcasting) by 1 level (or 2 levels for Bardic Performance) at each of 5th and 9th levels.
•Rage Prophet progress the effect of Rage Powers and Revelations, but doesn't grant any new ones, and oddly doesn't grant any more rounds of Rage.
Notable examples of where a prestige class SHOULD have progressed a class feature but didn't (again, not an exhaustive list):
- •Blackfire Adept apparently expects that you might enter as a Summoner, since it specifies being able to cast Summon Monster III as a spell-like ability as being good enough for entry; but then it forgets to progress your Summon Monster spell-like ability (and has ***3*** levels of outage in your spellcasting progression).
•Hellknight Signifer (see above) progresses some divine caster class features, but not arcane caster class features, and neither accepts nor progresses the ability of a Magus to ignore armor-induced Arcane Spell Failure.
•Rage Prophet (see above) doesn't progress Barbarian rounds of Rage (and this prestige class should have probably been made into a base class or an archetype anyway, or maybe even a couple of archetypes).
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By the way, where's our Harrowed Medium?!
Yeah, still curious about the Harrowed Medium. Even if we just got it as a PDF that would have been nice.
^Yeah, although by its nature, doing it right would have made a big PDF.
Closest thing I can think of to Aligned Class other than the above four prestige classes is that some prestige classes advance a subset of primary class features other than spellcasting.
I totally get that some prestige classes advance features on their own. What I don't get is the lack of options to do so outside of them, such as for multiclassing.
Yeah, still curious about the Harrowed Medium. Even if we just got it as a PDF that would have been nice.
As enthusiastic as Mark Seifter has been about eventually creating such a PDF, I suspect that even he wouldn't do it for free -- and I am sure that Paizo has kept him busy enough that he hasn't been looking for freelance work. And even if he were available for such freelance work, very few 3rd party publishers have been releasing PDFs of the size that this one would require.
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Closest thing I can think of to Aligned Class other than the above four prestige classes is that some prestige classes advance a subset of primary class features other than spellcasting.I totally get that some prestige classes advance features on their own. What I don't get is the lack of options to do so outside of them, such as for multiclassing.
There are a few feats that let you advance Class Features, at least a little bit:
- Boon Companion, for Animal Companions- Shaping Focus, for Wild Shape
- Accomplished Sneak Attacker, for Sneak Attack
- Phantom Ally, for Phantoms
^Weird that they have one for Phantoms, but not one for Eidolons (unless they do and the name just escaped me).
If we want to include feats that advance class features, might as well include Prestigious Spellcaster, which is REALLY expensive since it just bumps up your spellcasting progression by 1 level -- but then unlike the feats listed above, you can take it more than once to advance the same spellcasting progression; on the other hand, it has a prerequisite feat tax. Since spellcasting is really good, I wouldn't mind quite so much (but it should probably give up to 2 levels, like the trait Magical Knack does for caster level) if only the prerequisite were better. Favored Prestige Class gives you 2/3 of a Skill Focus that stacks with actual Skill Focus but not with other skill feats (which seems bizarre even if you accept the proprietary of a nonstacking limitation), and you only get up to 10 hit points or 10 skill points or some combination thereof (unless you happen to be able to get your hands on Fast Learner (which is itself partially broken in a disfavorable way). Favored Prestige Class should give you the option to extend a Favored Class Bonus from a favored base class and should stack with skill feats other than Skill Focus. (And Fast Learner should give you the option to substitute a Favored Class Bonus for a skill point or a hit point without having to give up both.)
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Speaking of the summon monster/summon nature's ally spells, I have always felt that the duration should be 3rounds + 1round/level not just 1 round/level.
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Speaking of the summon monster/summon nature's ally spells, I have always felt that the duration should be 3rounds + 1round/level not just 1 round/level.
Agreed. Or better yet caster Ability bonus + 1round/level.
I like having the ability mod tied to the front of duration time as it is based on individual ability.
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Also would have liked to have seen a d10, full BAB Hex user. Hexrager, anyone?
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Also would have liked to have seen a d10, full BAB Hex user. Hexrager, anyone?
A Bloodrager archetype would have worked.
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Throw it on to a ranger base, use shaman hexes and this might make a pretty decent witcher. Not that you could use that name exactly. There's enough people who might want to play Geralt of Rivia out there.
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^For some reason -- even though I have never watched his shows -- I keep having this reflex to read the above Witcher name as Geraldo Rivera. I'm even going to let this serve as inspiration for part of the archetype name below.
Anyway, putting some Shaman abilities on a Ranger chassis is actually not a bad idea, so here's my first dabble at it:
River Kingdoms Spirit Wanderer (Ranger archetype): Some Rangers became dissatisfied with the inflexibility of the standard Ranger training in dealing with the bewildering array of eldritch threats encountered in the River Kingdoms after the unsettling of Fey (driven from the recent reclamation of the Stolen Lands and reforms in Irrisen) and Demons (driven by the Fifth Mendevian Crusade from the area of the now-closed Worldwound). Instead of undergoing traditional training to deal with the land and its creatures (which they see as leaving them ill-prepared to deal with creatures unexpected in the land), they commune with the spirits themselves, to seek redress for what ails the land. Although (at least allegedly) originating in the River Kingdoms, some of these unconventional Rangers have found their skills in demand elsewhere, even in places very far removed.
Shaman Wandering Spirit (Unsworn Shaman version): Replaces 1st level Favored Enemy.
Shaman Wandering Hexes: Replace 3rd level (1st) Favored Terrain, 8th level (2nd) Favored Terrain, 13th level (3rd) Favored Terrain, and 18th level (4th) Favored Terrain.
Modified Ranger Spellcasting: A Spirit Wanderer Ranger's spell list excludes any Ranger Spells (such as Instant Enemy) that depend upon the Favored Enemy or Favored Terrain class features.
Spirit Animal: Replaces Hunter's Bond
Spirit Magic: Replaces 5th level (2nd) Favored Enemy and adds to Ranger Spellcasting, with each level of Spirit Magic accessed 1 level later than the Ranger gets access to the corresponding level of normal Ranger spells (so at 5th, 8th, 11th, and 14th levels); in addition, at each of the same levels, permanently adds 1 spell from the Shaman spell list (even if not on the Ranger spell list) to the list of spells usable by way of Spirit Magic (this spell must be of a level that the Ranger can cast).
Shaman Wandering Spirit Greater: Replaces 10th level (3rd) Favored Enemy.
Shaman Wandering Spirit True: Replaces 15th level (4th) Favored Enemy but is gained at 16th level, while Ranger Improved Evasion is gained at 15th level instead of 16th level.
Shaman Manifestation: Replaces 20th level (5th) Favored Enemy
^I figured that anything that is not an Int-based caster should get at least 4 + IntMod skill points per level, so meeting your specifications would just bump this up by 1 (unless you want to do it even for somebody who Thogs their Intelligence, in which case classes/archetypes expected to do that should get an Unencumbered by the Thought Process ability that gives them skill points based upon their Charisma modifier, but which must be spent on social skills).
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^I figured that anything that is not an Int-based caster should get at least 4 + IntMod skill points per level, so meeting your specifications would just bump this up by 1 (unless you want to do it even for somebody who Thogs their Intelligence, in which case classes/archetypes expected to do that should get an Unencumbered by the Thought Process ability that gives them skill points based upon their Charisma modifier, but which must be spent on social skills).
Funny that some classes got bumped from d4 to d6 in HP, but we STILL had classes with skill points equal to 2 + int modifiers.
Oh, and Fighters NOT getting perception is still pretty dumb... No wonder your guards can't detect a sneaking rogue...
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I had the same thought several years ago. Here's the list for expanding for summon monster I. It has links to the other lists. I hope you enjoy the expanded list.
Bit of a late response. Is there a way I can pay you for this? It's a very good set of monsters for each spell level.
At this point in time, no (short of buying our other Pathfinder products). We are working on Book of Magic: Summon Monster Unchained where these lists will be incorporated, but I'll be honest here, progress in this is slower than I'd like. I don't have a timeline on this.
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Speaking of the summon monster/summon nature's ally spells, I have always felt that the duration should be 3rounds + 1round/level not just 1 round/level.
Agreed. Or better yet caster Ability bonus + 1round/level.
I like having the ability mod tied to the front of duration time as it is based on individual ability.
Hmm solid ideas for incorporation.
Yeah, it has always bothered me that Fighters do not get perception as a class skill.
More feat chains where the previous feats gain new properties and become more powerfull when you acquire the next one. To my knowledge the only feats that do that are the damnation feats from the Champions of Corruption player companion.
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More feat chains where the previous feats gain new properties and become more powerfull when you acquire the next one. To my knowledge the only feats that do that are the damnation feats from the Champions of Corruption player companion.
I could have sworn I saw some feats where the bonus equaled 1 + number of feats in that feat chain that the character has (with an invented feat type to delineate just which feats counted).
More feat chains where the previous feats gain new properties and become more powerfull when you acquire the next one. To my knowledge the only feats that do that are the damnation feats from the Champions of Corruption player companion.I could have sworn I saw some feats where the bonus equaled 1 + number of feats in that feat chain that the character has (with an invented feat type to delineate just which feats counted).
Traits. Those are exemplar traits you're thinking of I'd bet. Though the startoss style chain might just fit.
Not sure I'm a fan of such things in general, stacking gets excessive in PF1 already. It's OK for these two examples because throwing 1 weapon per round, and getting lots of traits aren't otherwise strong options, but we don't need (e.g.) general archery becoming even more feat intensive and effective.
Speaking of fighters, did anyone here ever try giving them a free Combat Stamina feat (from Pathfinder Unchained)? I read a fighter guide saying that this does a lot to shore up their usefulness gap.
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Ok, I am tired of "fighter needs free boosts", but I will try to keep it reasonable:
Fighter is a straight-forward class for a straight-forward play experience. You decide on a weapon, put on some armor and then you go out and kill things. And you are good at it. No spells means you don't have to deal with choosing spells, preparing them, augmenting them etc. etc.. Few skill ranks means comfortably few decisions on level up - and often leaning back while others do the skill job. Because it's their job, not yours. Some might call this a limited concept, I call it a comfortably focused one.
Now, if you want skills and magic, you can have it. Just spend some feats and gold on them. A human fighter with Fast Learner and Cunning is at 5+Int skill ranks per level. Starting at level 1. And can still pick up a combat feat, not to mention the rare heavy armor proficiency and even rarer tower shield proficiency they get from the class. Want identify, blur, spider climb, haste, fly? There are items for that.
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I ran one game with Combat Stamina for fighters. While it does enable a few feats to work more elegantly, it mostly just seemed to give fighters more accuracy on top of their already considerable accuracy. Being able to spend stamina to gain attack bonus after seeing the die for your attack roll quickly ended up being the primary use. My two fighter players were often forgetting all the other stamina uses they had at their disposal.
Many of the other feat "synergies" with combat stamina are just pure numbers boosts around attack rolls or AC, something the fighter rarely has issues with. Others remove penalties or restrictions on various combat feats, or let you use them more often. Stamina doesn't fundamentally change what most of them do (though there are a couple of exceptions). Free Combat Stamina definitely makes the fighter a lot stronger in combat.
Ultimately though, Combat Stamina doesn't generally address actual fighter weaknesses - out of combat utility and in combat flexibility. My players found it was free extra power, but due to its fiddly nature, we didn't end up using it beyond that one game.
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Ok, I am tired of "fighter needs free boosts", but I will try to keep it reasonable:
Fighter is a straight-forward class for a straight-forward play experience. You decide on a weapon, put on some armor and then you go out and kill things. And you are good at it. No spells means you don't have to deal with choosing spells, preparing them, augmenting them etc. etc.. Few skill ranks means comfortably few decisions on level up - and often leaning back while others do the skill job. Because it's their job, not yours. Some might call this a limited concept, I call it a comfortably focused one.
Now, if you want skills and magic, you can have it. Just spend some feats and gold on them. A human fighter with Fast Learner and Cunning is at 5+Int skill ranks per level. Starting at level 1. And can still pick up a combat feat, not to mention the rare heavy armor proficiency and even rarer tower shield proficiency they get from the class. Want identify, blur, spider climb, haste, fly? There are items for that.
The main issue is that the fighter makes for a big one-sided character with a one-sided purpose. It lacks the skills to be a leader like a Cavalier, Paladin or Samurai, it lacks the special abilities like a Barbarian or Gunslinger, and it lacks the overrall skills to be useful like a Ranger.
It doesn't help that the Weapon Master Handbook added much needed abilities for the fighter, only to ALL be for nothing, because the archetypes keep replacing the Weapon/Armor Training. And no, there is NO option for a fighter to gain "back" such features out of his class.
The fighter has a truckload of bonus feats, but the archetypes ŜTILL manage to NOT replace them with abilities.
Also, the fighter is very dependant of its gear, to a fault. It will not carry 10 different weapons, 3 suits of armor or 5 shields "just in case". It doesn't get viable abilities to protect its equipment.
Finally, any other class can fight better than the fighter.
An Unchained Fighter would have been welcomed. That, or archetypes being layered ON TOP of the fighter WITHOUT replacing anything, and make them as "specializations".
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I would be up for Specializations. Vigilante Specialization looked like an experiment in this direction, but then all but a handful of Vigilante archetypes replace Vigilante Specialization rather than doing anything with it. Pathfinder 2nd Edition has a much more widespread adoption of Specialization, but Fighter and Monk are the 2 classes that DON'T get this in 2nd Edition!
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I would be up for Specializations. Vigilante Specialization looked like an experiment in this direction, but then all but a handful of Vigilante archetypes replace Vigilante Specialization rather than doing anything with it. Pathfinder 2nd Edition has a much more widespread adoption of Specialization, but Fighter and Monk are the 2 classes that DON'T get this in 2nd Edition!
I, for once, actually like the Vigilante specializations and archetypes, and it essentially replaced the Avenger and Stalker features to a good degree.
My biggest gripe, like I said, is that of all class features the fighter has to offer, it's the ammount of bonus feats. THOSE should have been traded for the archetypes' features.
That the Weapon/Armor Training only applies to certain items, that,s fine, but to remove them complately is just absurd.
. . . Especially when it comes down to details of wording of the replacement ability (so for instance Two-Handed Fighter gets to have Weapon Training that works as real Weapon Training for two-handed weapons, but Archer's Weapon Training substitute has wording just different enough to hose that possibility).
. . . Especially when it comes down to details of wording of the replacement ability (so for instance Two-Handed Fighter gets to have Weapon Training that works as real Weapon Training for two-handed weapons, but Archer's Weapon Training substitute has wording just different enough to hose that possibility).
The Two-Weapon Warrior got screwed big time... Improved Balance and Perfect Balance have the exact same wording, which at first makes you believe taht you can wield two one-handed weapons at NO penalty... but you can't.
^I see what you mean -- if you are using two One-Handed weapons, Perfect Balance doesn't give any improvement over Improved Balance.
^I see what you mean -- if you are using two One-Handed weapons, Perfect Balance doesn't give any improvement over Improved Balance.
Exactly
So much for wielding 2 waraxes, hammers, picks and dorn-dergars with no penalties...
Yeah, for some reasons, dwarves are pretty badass with wielding 2 of their signature weapons :P
Summoner archetypes that replace the Summon Monster spell-like abilities with... something else, like combat feats, sneak attack, rogue talents, extra Sorcerer/Cleric spells added to the list, etc.
It's already annoying that you cannot summon if your Eidolon is out, so it would have been nice to get specializations that get rid for the summon abilities and be able to create your partner-in-crime.
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I'm sad there was never an unarmed-strike focused barbarian and/or raging brawler archetype. I mean, the guy who goes berserk and punches everything into submission is a fairly common character type.
I'm sad there was never an unarmed-strike focused barbarian and/or raging brawler archetype. I mean, the guy who goes berserk and punches everything into submission is a fairly common character type.
That could have been fixed by simply giving the Barbarian the same progression as the Monk/Brawler.
Seriously, we have a bunch of archetypes that focus on unarmed combat, yet 90% of them are missing the progression.
Spoilers: No, I'm not gonna fight with a 1d4 gauntlet, unless you slap Sacred Weapon of it.
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Summoner archetypes that replace the Summon Monster spell-like abilities with... something else, like combat feats, sneak attack, rogue talents, extra Sorcerer/Cleric spells added to the list, etc.
It's already annoying that you cannot summon if your Eidolon is out, so it would have been nice to get specializations that get rid for the summon abilities and be able to create your partner-in-crime.
There are actually a few archetypes that do this! At least, for the Unchained Summoner.
The Devil Binder replaces Summon Monster SLAs with a bunch of SLAs that the eidolon can use. Of course, your eidolon needs to be a devil, so limited character concepts.
The Storm Caller doesn't lose its Summon Monster SLAs, but can spend them to electrify enemies instead of summoning other creatures. But there's a definite tempest theme here, so again we have the limited character concepts that this archetype can be used for.
Finally, there's the Soulbound Summoner. Essentially, it lets you trade out your Summon Monster SLAs for extra evolution points. I can see this archetype work for a whole range of characters.
Speaking of Summoners, I wish they had done a Scholastic Summoner archetype with prepared spellcasting, with 1 sub-archetype for an otherwise normal Summoner, and 1 sub-archetype for a Master Summoner, that would replace the Eidolon with an Evolving Familiar.