PDA

View Full Version : Barbaric Prestige Class um.. Grr!



Sleran
2013-06-14, 12:04 AM
Hey there. I'm new but have a few homebrew classes that I would like evaluated. The first one is called the "Brute" class which is basically a prestige class for fighters that is cleave-centric.

Here it is.
Thanks for the input :) edits have been made.
Thanks for the table Temotei.

The Brute Class

Prerequisites: BAB +5, Great Cleave

BAB: Good
Saves: Fort – Good, Ref – Bad, Will – Bad
Skill Points: 4+INT
HD: d12

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Cleaver's momentum, damage reduction 1/-
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0|Bonus feat, damage reduction 2/-
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Cleaving critical, damage reduction 3/-
4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|Supreme Cleave, damage reduction 4/-
5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Tide of death, damage reduction 5/-[/table]



Abilities

Cleaver’s Momentum - At 1st level whenever the Brute uses a Cleave feat, he may take a 5 foot step in any direction; this can only be used once in any given round. This ability may be used in addition to Supreme Cleave’s 5 foot step.

Damage Reduction - At 1st level the Brute gains damage reduction 1/- or improves his existing damage reduction by 1. This bonus increases by 1 at each level to a total of DR 5/- at 5th level.

Bonus Feat - At 2nd level the Brute gains a bonus feat chosen from the list of fighter feats.

Cleaving Critical – At 3rd level, whenever the Brute confirms a critical hit against an opponent he may use any Cleave feat as if he had dropped that foe. The same opponent cannot be targeted by any Cleave attempts you make in the same round.

Supreme Cleave - At 4th level the Brute gains the Supreme Cleave feat regardless of prerequisites.

Tide of Death – At 5th level, whenever the Brute initiates a Cleave attempt, he gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls and a +3 bonus to damage rolls for the rest of the turn.


I hope it is okay. But please don't pull punches if it is bad I want to learn how to make good classes.

Steward
2013-06-14, 01:06 AM
Cleaver’s Momentum - At 1st level whenever the Brute uses a Cleave feat, he may take a 5 foot step in any direction; this can only be used once in any given round. This ability may be used in addition to Supreme Cleave’s 5 foot step./quote]

I like abilities that can be used freely like this, as well as ones that make combat more mobile and dynamic. One of the best parts for me is that it 'stacks' with other, similar abilities; it's always annoying when I see prestige classes with such oddly restricted abilities ("you only use this ability once a week, and it doesn't stack with anything, and it does almost nothing unless your entire build optimizes it").

[quote] Damage Reduction - At 2nd level the Brute gains damage reduction 1/- or improves his existing damage reduction by 1. This bonus increases by 1 at 3rd and 5th level.

A big fan of damage reduction, but I think you should pump this up a little more with bigger numbers. Same with Tide of Death. In my experience, at 10th level a +1 or a -1 to attack or damage doesn't mean that much. Remember, a Fighter in a prestige class like this is giving up like three bonus feats.

CinuzIta
2013-06-14, 08:19 AM
I agree with Steward, the damage reduction and tide of death could be raised a bit!

In my opinion you could give to this class DR 1/- at first level and make it raise of +1 for every class level, to a maximum of DR 5/- at 5th level.
This would leave an empty room at 2nd level, that you could fill with a Fighter's bonus feat for example.

Tide of Death could be raised to a +2 to attack rolls and a +4 or +5 to damage rolls.

Just my two cents:)

Sleran
2013-06-14, 10:14 AM
Thanks :smallsmile:
The suggestions helped alot.

The Tide of Death ability seems a bit too powerful with the enhanced bonus though. Maybe i'm just overestimating it.

SamBurke
2013-06-14, 10:40 AM
I'm always for a special ability over a borin' ole' bonus feat... maybe you could allow them more uses of Cleaver's Momentum?

Merk
2013-06-14, 11:13 AM
Two immediate thoughts:

First, I'd suggest bumping up the skills to 4 + int -- that's what the Barbarian gets, and 2 + int can be very limiting. Having another good save might be appropriate as well.

Second, this class is really only effective when fighting a large number of weak enemies in a close melee. This is a pretty unusual condition. You might consider giving it more abilities to extend the prestige class to level 10, or to fit more abilities in fewer levels as well. Here are some ideas off of the top of my head:


Ranged Cleave: Any bonus attacks granted by Cleave, Great Cleave, etc. may be used with ranged weapons as well.
Quick Step: Supreme Cleave & Cleaver's Momentum grant move actions instead of 5 ft. steps.
Slash & Dash: When you make a successful charge or partial charge attack against any target, you gain the benefits of any Cleave feats you possess as if you had dropped the foe.
Sweeping Strike: As the Warmind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/warMind.htm#sweepingStrike) class feature.

Temotei
2013-06-15, 09:32 AM
First, I'd recommend taking the class out of spoilers. People are coming to your thread to look at your class. Show it off. :smalltongue:

Second, here's a table.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Cleaver's momentum, damage reduction 1/-
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0|Bonus feat, damage reduction 2/-
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Cleaving critical, damage reduction 3/-
4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|Supreme Cleave, damage reduction 4/-
5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Tide of death, damage reduction 5/-[/table]

I made this and a bunch of comments on my phone, but got really frustrated because trying to post on Giant in the Playground from a phone is the hardest thing ever. So, sorry. Others have probably made similar comments, though.

Also, on the table, you can just leave it as "damage reduction" at 1st level if you think it's taking up too much room or looks cluttered or ugly or whatever. Your description gives enough information so that you don't need the values in the table, necessarily.

Sleran
2013-06-16, 04:12 PM
Ranged Cleave: Any bonus attacks granted by Cleave, Great Cleave, etc. may be used with ranged weapons as well.
Quick Step: Supreme Cleave & Cleaver's Momentum grant move actions instead of 5 ft. steps.
Slash & Dash: When you make a successful charge or partial charge attack against any target, you gain the benefits of any Cleave feats you possess as if you had dropped the foe.
Sweeping Strike: As the Warmind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/warMind.htm#sweepingStrike) class feature.


Ok so I like the charging cleave thing, maybe make it like this.

Slash n' Dash - Whenever you successfully hit with a charge attack and still have movement remaining, you may move through the enemy's square in a straight line and up to your remaining movement and make another charge attack against another foe at the same base bonus as the first. Activating this ability is a free action and can be used a number of times per day equal to your class level.