| Azothath |
now that we are past the production life cycle of PF1...
let's try to come up with some decent metrics for PF1, DnD 3.5, along with PF2 analogs that encompass play-styles, roles, and goals of the players.
Other Metrics of Character Power, 2014/09 has some interesting posts.
ROLES:
I think classes fall into one of several wide categories or roles; [Martial, Skilled/Social, Spellcasters, Downtime]. I'd like to keep this general rather than get into ranged, two-handed, evocations, or gold piece value generated per week. We can compare within a Role but across Roles will have less value. Some will be in two Roles, but we can choose the better and just apply a simple modifier to the rating for the other lesser effective role (I hope). I expect there will be Role Specializations/subcategories (like Martial-DamagePerRound, Martial-Ranged, Martial-Maneuvers, Spell-DamagePerRound, Spell-Recovery/Healing/ConditionRemoval, etc).
EXPERTISE:
I think some classes are simple (Gunslinger) whereas some really take some expertise (Wizard) beyond feat selection. So I'd go; [Simple, Average, Expert]. This is about how hard it is to build and play the class rather than its power.
POWER:
a bit tricky as there are different kinds. DPR(martial or magic), targets sidelined or controlled, areas or objects controlled, minions(yeah, the accursed Leadership spammed or never leave the summoner/necromancer/enchanter alone to cast at their leisure). Gold is it's own kind of power as it leads to hiring minions and excessive magic items on hand.
| Tottemas |
id begin with dividing the roles into five categories. i think these are the roles i most frequently see pop up.
This role is about striking hard and striking true. From a pure combat perspective, how good is the class at actually dealing consistent damage? Here we find the traditional martials such as Fighter and Barbarian.
the DEFENDER
How good are you at soaking punishment for your party? This role is often combined with the HAMMER but exceptions occur frequently. Good saves, high AC, self-heal and condition removal are important factors here. Paladin is a perfect example.
the CONTROL
We are still talking combat here so this is battlefield control. Your ability to change the game state during combat. Spellcasters rank high here with staples such as Grease, Obscuring Mist, and Color Spray. But we also find those with other ways to inflict conditions.
the HEALER
This is about the three categories of healing. Preventative, active, and mending. A wand of CLW will top you up between encounters but it wont pull the HAMMER back from the brink of death during combat, or make the party immune to negative levels before you venture into a vampire den. Condition removal is absolutely crucial here.
the PROBLEM SOLVER
This is a very broad role and also the most powerful because here we see the potential to circumvent combat entirely. Skillsets such as social, stealth, and knowledge belong here. But more commonly this role is defined by spellcasting, especially at high levels. Do note that this category also involves combat as in the case when a wizard casts Fly on a fighter to enable them.
someone with more imagination is free to come up with better names so that an acronym is possible. HDCHP doesnt exactly roll off the tongue. to give an example in practical terms (rated from 1-5) here is how id rate the slayer and bard in their potential for the different roles at mid levels.
Slayer
H 5
D 3
C 1
H 1
P 2
Bard
H 2
D 2
C 3
H 3
P 4