PDA

View Full Version : Pathfinder Warblade as PoW Warlord Archetype



Firechanter
2017-04-12, 12:29 PM
The Warblade is my favourite class in 3.5. I like playing Strikers, I like playing intelligent characters, I like having Skills, I like having _options_, I like being endurant. The Warblade delivers all of that.
Looking at Pathfinder, none of the classes that I know deliver on all of these demands: the Magus is more of a Nova striker with mediocre endurance and ends up using the same handful of spells over and over. In Path of War, the Warder is Defender rather than Striker; and I'm not quite sure what to make of the Harbinger - at the very least its Disciplines are... weird. Oh and the Warlord, of course, doesn't have Int synergy at all, though otherwise the class is very much up my alley.

So long story short, I figured that maybe I could simply tweak the class to match my preferences by whipping up an Int-based Archetype, and apart from that maybe also picks up the handful of Warblade goodies that did not get carried over to PoW. So maybe you can help me a bit with that?

Here's my concept:

Skills: The Warblade gains Knowledge (local) and one additional Knowledge skill of his choice as class skills.
[minor upgrade]

Maneuvers, Gambit, Tactical Flanker etc.: All Warlord class abilities that are normally Charisma-based, are Intelligence-based for the Warblade. He adds his Int-modifier to Gambit rolls, recovers maneuvers based on Int-modifier, his Maneuver DCs are Int-based, and so forth.
[I consider this an upgrade, since Int is generally more useful than Cha]

Disciplines: the Warblade may exchange any one of the default disciplines for any other Non-Supernatural discipline.
[minor upgrade -- basically removes the "Trait Tax" for Unconventional Training, which everyone seems to take]

Battlefield Awareness: The Warblade gains the Uncanny Dodge ability (as Rogue) at 2nd level, and Improved Uncanny Dodge at 6th level. This replaces the Warleader ability.
[I consider this an upgrade, because UD is always great to have on lightly-armoured melees, and the action cost of Warleader is bothersome anyway.]

Battle Clarity: The Warblade adds his Intelligence modifier to Reflex Saves at 3rd level. This replaces Force of Personality.
[a certain downgrade - Ref saves just aren't as important as Will.]

--

So much for a rough draft of the lower levels.
Open questions:
- A way to squeeze in Weapon Aptitude? (Re-keying Feats to different weapons)
- What to do with Greater Warleader at 13th level? Maybe replace it with "Greater Battlefield Awareness", granting Evasion?
- Tactical Presences: leave as they are, or downgrade/limit them, or replace with something else, less leader-y?
- What to do with all the minor "Battle XXX" Abilities of the 3.5 Warblade? Most of them are nice to have, but not really big deals. Probably much less valuable than Tactical Presence, so exchanging them 1:1 would be an overall significant downgrade.

Comments?