Giving Path Of War Stuff To Characters For Free

[CopperWyrm]

Based on recent discussions on these forums, I looked into Path Of War for the first time.

Needless to say, I like it a lot, but there is one significant flaw in it.

The whole point of PoW, IMO, is basically "hey, look at all these nice things we made! Let's go give them to the martials."

However, the problem with that is that there is only a few ways to get access:

-new classes can get full access to the new stuff
-a handful of archetypes from regular pathfinder classes get reduced access
-the "Martial Training" feats

None of these give anything for free. The archetypes come close, but aren't nearly universal enough. To rectify that, I have thought of two options:

-Give the martial training feat lines for free once characters meet certain requirements in their progression. Of course, you have to be careful how this is managed. Basing it on BAB gained from non-full-casting classes wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

-come up with a basic archetype or template for full BAB classes, as well as one for 3/4 BAB classes that don't have full casting. These archetypes can combine with all other archetypes, so characters can get maneuvers for free. These basic archetypes would probably look very similar to the Myrmidon archetype for fighters.

Obviously, this would alter balance considerably, but if everyone except the full casters get empowered, I figure it should be fine.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: This chart is probably useful. Another method to fix things would be to have characters advance on this table based on their BAB, rather than their level. BAB gained from classes that are full casters wouldn't count.

[GotAFarmYet?]

If you just want a bit of an alternate BAB table, try this Alt BAB

New Classes and Features are pretty much the reason for the expansions, it is because the core class become redundant or optimized with a particular build. The question then becomes is really compatible with the older versions, power creep is notorious in all new versions. The question is how did they limit the new Classes. The best thing might be to not use them at all or only allow the more limited versions out.

The problem would be will they work with your current campaign as well. There are a few Arch Types and Prestige classes that we did not allow as we thought they were to one sided or over powered. You will have to look at them and decide will they be helpful or harmful to the group.

Feats always have requirements before you can pick them, but adding them and tracking changes is a pain, trust me on this one. So allowing them or not unchanged is best for a option.

Either way play test them with your group and mock combat and see if they are a fit before making any changes. Reading and playing might be a total different experience.

[PFRPGrognard]

Path of War is very easy to unbalance. It is best run as written. If players want to use PoW, then they should choose the appropriate class or archetype and go from there. Giving them abilities for free is to invite disaster.

[Quixote]

For those of us without access to supplemental material, could you maybe post a few examples of the sort of thing you're considering?

[GotAFarmYet?]

Quixote wrote:

For those of us without access to supplemental material, could you maybe post a few examples of the sort of thing you're considering?

Best place to look is at d20 Here

It is the basic class, Archetypes and Prestige setups.