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Read through last night and again today. Did a read through with a couple players and we did some brainstorming building Exemplars by committee.
TL;DR - The flavor is great, the base mechanics (ikons, immanence, feats) are pretty solid, and the power level actually seems pretty good. There are some "classic" heroic concepts that aren't quite served by the class as presented in the playtest, however.
The Good
- Flavor is very fun. There was a lot of discussion about the Rare tag, and everyone agreed that it's a good thing to have on the class. Not from a mechanical perspective (it seems pretty balanced overall), but where we landed was that you really do need to have a character that engages with the world and the specific campaign story to make the class really special. If you want to just be a kid who picked up a sword to go on an adventure, probably be a fighter. Putting aside more egotistical narratives, the class really wants you to think about every bit and bob of your character's backstory and future, which is fun but probably daunting for many players. I would probably have players who want to play an Exemplar write me a quick memo going through the stages of their particular character's Hero's Journey--where they started, where they're going, looking for and defining those moments of heroism, etc.
- The proficiencies on the whole respect that this is a martial class (with the exception of no medium armor). Great! Sometimes that's not the case in playtests.
- The actual mechanic of immanence and transcendence abilities looks pretty dynamic. Lots of cool options. One player said it seemed a little bit like a superhero tool belt. I think the rhythm of picking which ikon to empower and whether to use the transcendence ability or not gives this class a lot of interesting choices round to round. Very happy with that (and it's similar to a divine barbarian "Avatar" class I homebrewed for 1e!). Can't overemphasize how much I like a class with so many little things it can fill a turn with beyond striding and striking at level 1.
- One player noted that there are some baseline abilities they were surprised were possible at low level, and that they were refreshingly outside the box for abilities that can be used all the time, like Rain of Seven Lights or Captivating Charm.
- Thrown weapon support is great! Overdue.
The Hmm
- One player was trying pretty hard to make a cunning sniper type Exemplar with a bow and was finding very little support for a longer ranged character. Auras being 15 feet on worn ikons was limiting, and Fated Shot being the only ranged weapon ikon (and giving an AoE transcendence ability) also didn't really appeal to them. I don't really think that's the thrust of this class, but I did think that a weapon ikon somewhere along the lines of this could work: piercing weapon; adds 1d4 precision damage for immanence; 2-action transcend to attack with a true strike fortune effect. Would also be a different way to do a classic spear hero too.
- We were unclear on Strike, Breathe, Rend (Noble Branch ikon). It seems like one action, deal weapon damage, but "damage equal to your weapon damage dice" made some wonder if "number of weapon damage dice" was intended.
- No Scar but This (Scar of the Survivor ikon) probably should have a requirement on how often it can be used, otherwise it's just free heal to full outside of combat.
- A Moment Unending (Gaze Sharp as Steel ikon) doesn't really seem to be a very beneficial ability. Using an action to hope you get to use a reaction is kind of awkward, particularly because it's a Transcend ability and you have to spend an action on your NEXT turn to put your spark somewhere. Probably would be better if it were just a reaction like a normal Reactive Strike--it'd be similarly limited like the Thaumaturge's weapon implement that I don't think it would overstep. Cool flavor though.
- No 1st level feat is understandable but kinda weird for a "martial". I get it--there's a lot going on at level 1--but even Kineticist gets a feat and they're stacked at 1st level.
The Meh
- No medium armor proficiency is really hard to square with not only the theme of the class, but also makes the attribute spread for a Str-based Exemplar pretty static. It's odd to have the Animist in the same playtest with medium proficiency, while the martial class that can draw on (among others) Achilles or Thor or Beowulf doesn't have it. I suspect the Palisade Bangles are meant to sort of kind of fill in here, but those aren't always active, and it shouldn't be the case that you need to spend your worn ikon just to have armor on par with another Str-based martial if you decide to spring for +4 Str to start.
- Hard to say since I don't know how spirit damage will pan out in the remaster, but it's not great to get a typed damage at 5th when other classes get untyped damage. Pros and cons, but I think most of the time I'd rather just get a straight damage bonus than sometimes getting a bonus on things weak to spirit, sometimes getting my extra damage negated. Especially since a lot of weapon ikons are giving spirit damage already anyways and I'd be triggering that weakness regardless.
- Root Epithets have the clause that trains in a different skill if already trained, but I'd also let the player choose if they want to upgrade the skill to expert. It's a divine spark empowering your bravery or cunning, etc.--I think it's ok to let a class with 2 + Int trained skills get one bonus expert skill.
- Some of the names of abilities are a little long. I'm down for the themes, and I'm also down for the thought behind it, but some more concise terms might be helpful for when people are actually talking about how their abilities work. Small thing though.
- A larger discussion, but even with Humble Strikes it's hard to justify going for a simple weapon over a martial weapon outside of flavor. Flavor is fun, and there are edge cases like longspear vs. halberd (spear crit spec is arguably better than polearm), but most of the time the martial version of a weapon is just strictly better. I don't know the solution, just that it'd be great for there to be more reasons to pick simple even when I have the option to go with martial, and maybe this class could push that just a little further?
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- Flavor is very fun. There was a lot of discussion about the Rare tag, and everyone agreed that it's a good thing to have on the class. Not from a mechanical perspective (it seems pretty balanced overall), but where we landed was that you really do need to have a character that engages with the world and the specific campaign story to make the class really special. If you want to just be a kid who picked up a sword to go on an adventure, probably be a fighter. Putting aside more egotistical narratives, the class really wants you to think about every bit and bob of your character's backstory and future, which is fun but probably daunting for many players. I would probably have players who want to play an Exemplar write me a quick memo going through the stages of their particular character's Hero's Journey--where they started, where they're going, looking for and defining those moments of heroism, etc.
That's the main reason I disliked this rarit tag here.
For some tables, some players and GM the class look like more special and restrict than it need to be.
The class in fundamentally a "martial sorcerer/oracle". Why do you need to be more special or your class more restricted than an oracle?
Why in a not so epic adventure your deity origin needs to be more relevant than your allies that are overwelmed from divine power (oracle), or a lineage linked to celestial or even demigod, minor gods or even gods lineage that gives you fantatic innate magic powers (divine sorcerer), or that have it's own essense linked to elemental planes (kineticist).
The oposite is also valid. Why an oracle, sorcerer or even a kineticist cannot be a demigod just because it doesn't get a rarity tag and some cool/exagerated named abilities (oh kineticists already have that name part).
IMO thare no need for this tag. If your background specifies that your powers comes from a divine spark good, you powers come from a demigod, if not you are so "normal" as anyone.
...cunning sniper type Exemplar...
I agree 100%. This, bludgeoning, shields, and unarmed are the fighting types that aren't really supported by current ikons.
- No Scar but This (Scar of the Survivor ikon) probably should have a requirement on how often it can be used, otherwise it's just free heal to full outside of combat.
I don't personally view this as an issue. This is only marginally better than the Medicine skill in terms of speed. Not to mention several other classes get Non-Selfish "free full out of combat heal" abilities, just slower than this. (Paladin LoH, Kineticist healing, etc).
- A Moment Unending (Gaze Sharp as Steel ikon) doesn't really seem to be a very beneficial ability.
Yeah this one felt super clunky to me as well.
...Humble Strikes...
At first I flipped out thinking that Humble Strikes was going to allow d20 damage dice, until I re-read and realized it was only for simple weapons, and no simple weapon goes above a d10. I do agree that Humble Strikes just seems like a neat little ability but that I'd wager the vast majority of Exemplars would never consider, and all go full in on Martial weapons. The only instance I could see that changing was if somehow Exemplars got a higher proficiency with Simple weapons
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Even if Humble Strikes worked on martial weapons it still wouldn't give access to d20 damage. The rules on changing die sizes specifically cap a d12s (if d14s were a big thing it might be different, but alas that is not the dimension we live in)
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- A Moment Unending (Gaze Sharp as Steel ikon) doesn't really seem to be a very beneficial ability. Using an action to hope you get to use a reaction is kind of awkward, particularly because it's a Transcend ability and you have to spend an action on your NEXT turn to put your spark somewhere.
Transcend abilities automatically immedaitely put your spark somewhere, you don't need to spend an extra action on that.
I would like to see them have a way to get legendary in simple weapons. Making it a choice between a d12 martial weapon or a d10 simple weapon. One you have -2 to Attacks for more damage or you get +2 attack for less damage, seems like a fair trade.
Skin hard as horn needs a flat rework, it is kinda meh, Gaze Sharp as Steel tome is crazy if you don't use the transcend ability.
- A Moment Unending (Gaze Sharp as Steel ikon) doesn't really seem to be a very beneficial ability. Using an action to hope you get to use a reaction is kind of awkward, particularly because it's a Transcend ability and you have to spend an action on your NEXT turn to put your spark somewhere.Transcend abilities automatically immedaitely put your spark somewhere, you don't need to spend an extra action on that.
True, but if I wanted to reactive strike again I'd need to spend an action (maybe doing another transcendence ability, but still) to put it back into the body ikon, then an action to activate it again. A turn later if I use another transcendence ability.
My point is just that it's awkward.
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- A Moment Unending (Gaze Sharp as Steel ikon) doesn't really seem to be a very beneficial ability. Using an action to hope you get to use a reaction is kind of awkward, particularly because it's a Transcend ability and you have to spend an action on your NEXT turn to put your spark somewhere.Transcend abilities automatically immedaitely put your spark somewhere, you don't need to spend an extra action on that.True, but if I wanted to reactive strike again I'd need to spend an action (maybe doing another transcendence ability, but still) to put it back into the body ikon, then an action to activate it again. A turn later if I use another transcendence ability.
My point is just that it's awkward.
If you use Reactive Strike once, your enemy shall act on later turns as if you still have it. Unless the GM uses heavy metagaming against their players.
Eh, that's of pretty minimal utility and is subject to wild table variation. I'd rather not rely on my GM playing a certain way and just have an ability that does things.