This is a class I designed a while ago and never went back to retool. I like the idea of it, but it still seems a little boring. I was wondering if I could get some help balancing/fleshing it out.
Battle Master
A battle master is a warrior who has reached such a fundamental understanding of the art of melee combat that not a single weapon can be devised which he can not wield with skill and deadly efficiency. The inspiration for this prestige class came from the main character of the PS2 game Drakengard. It was created using many of the elements of the Exotic Weapon Master prestige class from Masters of the Wild and the Drunken Master prestige class from Complete Warrior.
Hit Die: d10
Requirements
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Feats: Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, proficiency with any three exotic melee weapons, weapon focus (any melee weapon), weapon specialization (any melee weapon)
Class Skills
Balance (DEX), Bluff (CHA), Climb (STR), Concentration (CON), Craft (any) (INT), Intimidate (CHA), Jump (STR), Ride (DEX), Swim (STR)
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + INT modifier
The Battle Master
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Adaptive throwing, adaptive melee, partial exotic proficiency +2
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0|Throw anything, melee tactics +1
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Partial exotic proficiency +3
4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|Improvised weapons
5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Full exotic proficiency
6th|+6|+5|+2|+2|Melee tactics +2
7th|+7|+5|+2|+2|Supreme weapon focus
8th|+8|+6|+2|+2|Greater improvised weapons
9th|+9|+6|+3|+3|Supreme improved critical
10th|+10|+7|+3|+3|Supreme weapon specialization[/table]
Class Features
Adaptive Throwing: At 1st level, the battle master gains the Brutal Throw feat as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites, allowing him to add his STR bonus instead of his DEX bonus to his attack roll when using thrown weapons. If the battle master already has this feat, he may choose another feat from the list of fighter bonus feats instead.
Adaptive Melee: The battle master gains the Weapon Finesse feat as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. In addition, he may use this feat to apply his DEX bonus instead of his STR bonus to his melee attack roll with any melee weapon, not just with the weapons normally allowed.
Partial Exotic Proficiency: At 1st level, the battle master can use any melee weapon with which he is not already proficient at a -2 penalty on the attack roll instead of the usual -4. This penalty is reduced to -1 at 3rd level. Note that this only applies to melee weapons (but includes thrown melee weapons).
Throw Anything: At 2nd level, the battle master can quickly get a sufficient grasp on the balance of an object just by weighing it in his hand for a moment, allowing him to use it as an impromptu ranged weapon. He gains the Throw Anything feat for free, allowing him to throw any weapon he is proficient with as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 10 feet. If the battle master already has this feat, he may choose another feat from the list of fighter bonus feats instead.
Melee Tactics: The battle master's intense study of a variety of weapons and combat styles is not only useful in the pursuit of personal improvement, but also in exploiting the various openings and weaknesses in these techniques when opponents employ them. At 2nd level the battle master gains a +1 bonus to any attempts to sunder a weapon, trip, bull rush, disarm, overrun, or feint in melee combat. This +1 bonus also applies to checks to resist any of these maneuvers. At 6th level, this bonus increases to +2. The bonuses from the Melee Tactics class ability stack with the bonuses provided by Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, and Improved Overrun.
Improvised Weapons: At 4th level, the battle master's understanding of armed combat becomes so great that he can turn even ordinary objects into effective melee weapons. Improvised weapons can be bottles, tankards, furniture, farm implements, or nearly anything else the battle master can pick up and wield. In the hands of a battle master, improvised weapons deal 1d6 points of damage, x2 critical on a natural roll of 20. On a natural roll of 1, an improvised weapon breaks and becomes useless. Most improvised weapons deal bludgeoning damage, but some (such as a splintered table leg or a broken bottle) could deal piercing or slashing damage. Longer improvised weapons (such as ladders) can be used as reach weapons according to their length, improvised weapons with many protrusions (such as chairs or stools) add a +2 bonus to disarm attempts, and large, broad objects (such as tables) can be upended and used as improvised tower shields. Other special uses for improvised weapons may be allowed, at the DM's discretion. Improvised weapons are considered exotic weapons, and thus still receive the bonuses from the battle master's Supreme Weapon Focus, Supreme Improved Critical, and Supreme Weapon Specialization abilities.
Full Exotic Proficiency: At 5th level, the battle master becomes proficient with all exotic melee weapons, effectively making him proficient in the use of all melee weapons.
Supreme Weapon Focus: At 7th level, the battle master reaches such mastery in his craft that he is treated as having the Weapon Focus feat with all melee weapons, gaining a +1 bonus to his attack roll whenever using any weapon in melee combat, as well as qualifying as a prerequisite for any prestige class or feat that requires the Weapon Focus feat with any melee weapon. Note that this only applies to melee weapons (but includes thrown melee weapons). This bonus does not stack with that provided by a Weapon Focus feat taken separately.
Improved Improvised Weapons: At 8th level, the battle master's improvised weapons deal 1d8 points of damage.
Supreme Improved Critical: At 9th level, the battle master gains an intuitive grasp for how to best use any type of weapon to take out a foe quickly and effectively. He is treated as having the Improved Critical feat with all melee weapons, doubling the threat range of any weapon he wields in melee combat, as well as qualifying as a prerequisite for any prestige class or feat that requires the Improved Critical feat with any melee weapon. Note that this only applies to melee weapons (but includes thrown melee weapons). This bonus does not stack with that provided by an Improved Critical feat taken separately.
Supreme Weapon Specialization: At 10th level, the battle master truly becomes a master of armed combat. He is treated as having the Weapon Specialization feat with all melee weapons, gaining a +2 bonus to his damage roll whenever using any weapon in melee combat, as well as qualifying as a prerequisite for any prestige class or feat that requires the Weapon Specialization feat with any melee weapon. Note that this only applies to melee weapons (but includes thrown melee weapons). This bonus does not stack with that provided by a Weapon Specialization feat taken separately.
