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Originally Posted by
Network
1-Combat Reflexes and at least 14 in dexterity is really all you need.
2-They just have to prepare their action. Nothing really great.
So all eight of them are just teleporting in next to this hypothetical mage, because otherwise they've had to double move, and can't ready an action? Try out the different kinds of movement you would need for this on a board, on a few different types of terrain,
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Sound Burst won't work if the fighters are deaf
They're deaf now? You've crippled your mercenary contingent because you're worried about a level 2 spell? I'm pretty sure this is not a sound strategy.
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They can move 60 ft. per turn. No problem with this one. Eight level 1 mages? They inflict 8d4 +8 damage (12-36),
8D4 + 8 is 16-40, with a mean of 28, not 12-36. And they can do it from 110' away, three times a day before they're reduced to spamming 1D3 Ranged Touch with a range of 25'.
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Eight level 1 fighters with battle axes get 8d8 damage, not counting their Strength modifier, so if we count AC they will probably inflict just as much damage every round.
And here I was assuming they had reach, because moving eight units so they occupy every square from even 35' away is actually pretty well impossible outside of a theoretical standpoint.
So they're light armoured level 1 fighters with I assume you're using the elite array for them, so:
Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.
With Dodge, Iron Will and I'll assume Weapon Focus instead of Combat Reflexes they have a +4 to hit, so against an unarmoured commoner with 10 Dex they have a 75% chance of hitting. Against a mage with only 14 Dex and Mage Armour we're talking a 45% chance to hit, 16.5 damage per round average after the first "setup" round of just double moving into position (assuming they even get to start within 60' of them).
Like I said, it's a decentish plan (and has realistic advantages for hiring an army to fight your battles for you), but if you have to invest 8 Mercenaries per potential target, you're seriously investing a lot into this, and your attrition rate of mercenaries is going to be pretty high.
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Originally Posted by
Vadskye
Cool. I think this is the fix I needed to allow crafting back into my games. Thanks!
Neat, glad it's helpful for you.
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Yes, it should have explicit abilities. But I maintain that those abilities do not need to - and should not - "pigeonhole" the fighter into a specific role.
I'm not really finished with the base system yet, but as stated, I'm happy to incorporate substitute class features once I've finished.
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I see two issues here. First, what does a ranger actually contribute to your ability to two-weapon fight or use archery? They get bonus feats that a fighter can take too. They have a worse hit die and Favored Enemy, which is pretty strongly fluff-specific to the ranger. If you ignore their nature-themed abilities, they're worse than a fighter except for their (largely nature-themed) skills.
Fighter wasn't the only class to be overhauled, every core class has been changed, every core feat being rewritten, and homebrew feats covering as many non-core staple mechanics as necessary.
Rather than reply to most of your post's points, I've included at the bottom of this post the Rogue, Ranger, Barbarian and Paladin in their current (in flux) state so you're not working from a vacuum. Once you know which archetypes can be covered, then it would be easier to discuss covering any that were missing. I'll put up the Bard and Mage when I finish overhauling the entire magic system.
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Is this an E6 thing? I feel like it is, so I'll leave it alone.
Yes, E6: You stop levelling at level 6, and you take feats every 5000 XP you gain after this point. Part of those feats can include feats which essentially replicate Prestige Class acquisition.
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Yes, and Defensive Rebuke lasts for 1 round, while Wall of Blades lasts for a single attack. Because they're incredibly annoying to have as constantly active effects.
Parry lasts for a single attack as well, it's an immediate action. Both manoeuvres are fully accessible every other round though, with recovery, and Wall of Blades every single round if you're willing to Adaptive Style (for example Spiked Chain, Thicket of Blades Stance and 5' stepping away from your opponent down a corridor, Adaptive Styling every round to let you parry lucky hits, AoOing when they move up to attack, and if you don't need to Wall of Blades on a turn, getting to use a manoeuvre to attack instead).
This said, it's a fair point. I've been thinking about how to allow Parry to operate every-other turn or a limited number of times an encounter instead, would that make it a touch better?
I'm reluctant to significantly alter Ferocious Defender however, the idea that the fighter is too dangerous to ignore in combat is fundamental.
Ranger:
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Track (Ex): The Ranger gains the Track feat as a bonus feat.
Favoured Terrain (Ex): A ranger may select a type of terrain from the Favoured Terrains table. The ranger gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Spot, Listen, Move Silently, Hide and Survival skill checks when they are in this terrain. A ranger traveling through their favoured terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses).
A ranger gains half their Favoured Terrain bonus towards Bluff, Knowledge, Sense Motive, Survival and Wild Empathy checks against creatures native to his favoured terrain, as well as on weapon attack and damage rolls against them (for rangers who select Urban terrains, they may select a single humanoid subtype for this bonus to apply to as well as domesticated animals associated with that race).
At 3rd level and 5th level, the ranger may select an additional favored terrain. In addition, each time they select a new favoured terrain, the bonus in any one favored terrain (including the one just selected, if so desired), increases by +2.
If a specific terrain or creature falls into more than one category of favored terrain, the ranger's bonuses do not stack; he simply uses whichever bonus is higher.
Tough as Nails: At 2nd level, and every two levels thereafter, the Ranger gains a +2 bonus to their maximum hitpoints.
Combat Style: At 2nd level, the Ranger chooses a fighting style in which they specialise. The benefits of their combat style only apply so long as they are not wearing heavy armour or using a tower shield.
Bestial: The Ranger gains the Improved Unarmed Strike feat as a bonus feat, and their unarmed strike deals damage equal to a Monk of their level.
Zweihander: When wielding a weapon in two hands, the ranger may take a -1 penalty to an attack roll in order to gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls. They may increase the penalty to -2 at level 4, and -3 at level 6 for +4 and +6 to damage rolls respectively.
Archery: When attacking with a ranged weapon, the ranger gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls against any enemy within 30', and no longer provokes attacks of opportunity for firing or reloading ranged weapons.
Twin Weapons: The ranger gains a +2 bonus to hit on any attack that would have a two-weapon fighting penalty applied to it, including double weapons, fighting with a weapon in each hand, or throwing a weapon from each hand.
Animal Companion (Ex): At 4th level, a Ranger gains a faithful animal companion, chosen from either a: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf.
If a ranger releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished.
Treat their companion as a familiar for the purposes of determining special features such as bonus hitdice and natural armour bonuses. The ranger's animal companion does not gain the "Speak with Master" ability, and their intelligence score is normal for a creature of their type. Instead they gain a number of bonus tricks equal to the intelligence score they would have if they were a normal familiar. An animal companion is considered an animal, not a magical beast.
Should a ranger have levels in another class which has a familiar or familiar-like companion, they may choose whether to have an animal companion or familiar of the type granted by the other class. Their levels stack for the purpose of determining the strength of their companion.
Spells: A Ranger casts arcane spells, which must be drawn from the Nature spell list. He knows all level 1 spells in this list, and can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a Ranger must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Ranger’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Ranger's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Ranger can cast only a certain number of spells per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom score. When the table indicates that the Ranger gets 0 spells per day, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Wisdom score for that spell level.
A ranger may cast spells in medium armour and use a shield (except for a tower shield) without any chance of Arcane spell failure.
Evasion (Ex): At 5th level, a ranger can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the ranger is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless ranger does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Advanced Combat Style: At 6th level, the Ranger becomes an expert in their chosen fighting style:
Bestial: The Ranger gains the ability to Shapeshift as though they were a 6th level mage with an Arcane Focus in Nature.
Zweihander: When wielding a weapon in two-hands, a ranger adds 5' to their reach.
Archery: When attacking with a ranged weapon, the ranger does not have any penalty for firing into melee. Once per encounter as a standard action they may make a single attack with a ranged weapon as a ranged touch attack.
Twin Weapons: The ranger gains an additional +1 bonus to hit on any attack that would have a two-weapon fighting penalty applied to it, including double weapons, fighting with a weapon in each hand, or throwing a weapon from each hand.
Special: A Ranger counts as a Fighter of their level -2 for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
Special: A Ranger counts as a level 1 Mage for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
Paladin:
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Aura of Good (Ex): The power of a paladin’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her paladin level. Spells with the "Healing" descriptor cast within 10' of the Paladin (including by the Paladin themselves) gain a +1 to their caster level.
This ability functions while the paladin is conscious, but not if they are unconscious or dead.
Detect Evil (Sp): A paladin can use detect evil, as the spell, as many times per day as their Charisma modifier (to a minimum of 1). Their caster level for this ability equals their Paladin level.
Smite Evil (Su): Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. They add their Charisma bonus (if any) to the attack roll and deal 1 extra point of damage per paladin level. If the paladin accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day. At 3rd level they may smite evil twice per encounter, and at 5th level they may smite evil three times per encounter.
Lay on Hands (Su): At 2nd level a Paladin may heal wounds with a touch. Each day they may heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to their Paladin level × their Charisma bonus (or x1 if their Charisma is 12 or lower). A paladin may choose to divide their healing among multiple recipients, and they do not have to use it all at once. Using Lay on Hands is a standard action.
Alternatively, a paladin can use any or all of this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures. Using lay on hands in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. The paladin decides how many of their daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching an undead creature.
Aura of Grace (Su): At 2nd level the Paladin gains a bonus to their saving throws equal to their Charisma modifier (if any). Allies within 10' of the Paladin gain a +1 sacred bonus to all saving throws.
This ability functions while the paladin is conscious, but not if they are unconscious or dead.
"Aura of Courage (Su): At 3rd level the Paladin gains immunity to fear. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects.
"
This ability functions while the paladin is conscious, but not if they are unconscious or dead.
Turn Undead (Su): At 4th level a Paladin can turn or destroy undead creatures. A paladin may attempt to turn undead a number of times per day equal to 3 + their Charisma modifier (to a minimum of 1). A palain with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion) gets a +2 bonus on turning checks against undead.
Spells: A Paladin casts arcane spells, which must be drawn from the Healing spell list. He knows all level 1 spells in this list, and can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a Paladin must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Paladin’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Paladin’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Paladin can cast only a certain number of spells per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. When the table indicates that the Paladin gets 0 spells per day, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma score for that spell level.
A paladin may cast spells in armour and use a shield without any chance of Arcane spell failure.
"Aura of Purity (Su): At 5th level the Paladin gains immunity to disease. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +2 sacred bonus on saving throws against diseases.
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This ability functions while the paladin is conscious, but not if they are unconscious or dead.
Paladin Mount (Su): At 5th level, a paladin gains the service of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade against evil.
Once per day, as a full-round action, a paladin may magically call her mount from the celestial realms in which it resides. This ability is the equivalent of a level 2 spell. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the paladin and may remain for up to 12 hours; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action. The mount is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the paladin may release a particular mount from service to gain the service of a new one.
Each time the mount is called, it appears in full health, regardless of any damage it may have taken previously. The mount also appears wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed. Calling a mount is a conjuration (calling) effect.
Should the paladin’s mount die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The paladin may not summon another mount for thirty days or until she gains a paladin level, whichever comes first, even if the mount is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the paladin takes a -1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.
The Paladin may choose between a warhorse (Heavy or light), a warpony, a Riding Dog, or other appropriate mount compatible with their setting. Treat their mount as a familiar for the purposes of determining special features such as bonus hitdice and natural armour bonuses. The Paladin's mount does not gain the "Speak with Master" ability.
Should a Paladin have levels in another class which has a familiar or familiar-like companion, they may choose whether to have a mount or a familiar of the type granted by the other class. Their levels stack for the purpose of determining the strength of their companion.
Aura of Glory (Su): At 6th level, a Paladin projects an aura of glory, driving their allies on to greater and greater accomplishments. Allies within 10' (not including the Paladin themselves) gain a +1 Sacred bonus to attack and damage rolls.
This ability functions while the paladin is conscious, but not if they are unconscious or dead.
Special: A Paladin must be Good in alignment, and should they willingly perform an evil act will lose all their class features except for weapon and armour proficiencies, and must spend 24 hours in meditation and atonement before they regain use their class abilities again.
Should a Paladin ever become non-Good in alignment, then they may not regain use of their class abilities again unless they become good again.
Special: A Paladin counts as a Fighter of their level -2 for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
Special: A Paladin counts as a level 1 Mage for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
Rogue:
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Sneak Attack (Ex): If a rogue can catch an opponent that is unable to defend itself effectively from their attack, they can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The rogue’s weapon attack deals extra damage any time their target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks their target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.
Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. They cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.
A rogue can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.
Trapfinding (Ex): Rogues can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.
Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
Rogues can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A rogue who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with their party) without disarming it.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a rogue can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If they make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, they instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Trap Sense (Ex): At 2nd level, a rogue gains an intuitive sense that alerts them to danger from traps, giving them a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the rogue reaches 4th level, and +3 when the rogue reaches 6th level.
Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
Unerring Strike (Ex): At 3rd level, a Rogue's ability to deliver precise blows increases. The rogue may subtract dice from their Sneak Attack damage for an attack to gain an additional +1 precision bonus to their attack rolls for each sneak attack die subtracted in this way. For each die subtracted, they may ignore 1 point of Damage Reduction of any type.
The rogue may use this ability at any time where they would normally be able to deal sneak attack damage to a target, even if the target would not normally be susceptible to sneak attack damage. They must declare the use of this ability prior to making the attack.
They may not subtract more Sneak Attack dice than they actually have.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 4th level a Rogue retains their Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, they still lose their Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a rogue already has uncanny dodge from a different class, they automatically gain improved uncanny dodge instead.
Skill Mastery (Ex): At 5th level, a Rogue may select any 3 skills in which they are trained. They may always take 10 on these skills, even if they would not normally be able to do so.
Death Attack (Ex): At 6th level, a Rogue becomes able to make a single devastating attack. To perform a death attack, the Rogue must first spend the three rounds prior to the attempt observing the target (taking at least a standard action to do so). After this point, the rogue may make a single strike as a standard action against the target either in melee or with a ranged weapon from within 30'. If they hit, then the rogue automatically deals full sneak attack damage, plus an additional 3D6 bonus damage. If the target is ordinarily immune to sneak attacks then they still take the additional 3D6 bonus damage.
The rogue may forfeit their ordinary sneak attack damage on this death attack through their unerring strike ability as normal. They may not forfeit any of the additional bonus damage dice granted by a successful Death Attack.
Barbarian:
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Fast Movement (Ex): A barbarian’s land speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying the barbarian’s speed because of any load carried or armor worn.
Rage (Ex): As a free action a barbarian can fly into a rage a certain number of times per day. In a rage, a barbarian temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but take a -2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases the barbarian’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when their Constitution score drops back to normal. While raging, a barbarian cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can they cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function.
They may use any feat they have except for Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the barbarian’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A barbarian may prematurely end their rage as a free action. At the end of the rage, the barbarian loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength, -2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter.
A barbarian can fly into a rage only once per encounter. At 1st level they can use the rage ability once per day. At 4th level they may use it one additional time per day.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At second level a Barbarian retains their Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, they still lose their Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a barbarian already has uncanny dodge from a different class, they automatically gain improved uncanny dodge instead.
Damage Reduction (Ex): At 2nd level, a barbarian gains Damage Reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage the barbarian takes each time they are dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 5th level this damage reduction rises by 1 point. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0.
Trap Sense (Ex): A 3rd level barbarian gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. This bonus rises to +2 at 6th level. Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
Stalwart Recovery (Ex): A 3rd level Barbarian becomes better able to recover from the after effects of raging. They are only fatigued for one round after their rage ends, rather than for the remainder of the battle.
Raging Vigour (Ex): A 4th level Barbarian gains the ability to shrug off injuries whilst in a rage. Whilst raging they gain Temporary hitpoints equal to half the bonus hitpoints they receive from raging. For example, a 4th level Barbarian will gain 8 Hitpoints, and 4 temporary hitpoints whilst raging.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 5th level and higher, a barbarian can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the barbarian by flanking them. If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
Rampage (Ex): At 6th level a Barbarian may make an additional attack at their full base attack bonus whilst they are raging. If they do, all attacks made this round are at a -2 penalty to hit.
Special: A Barbarian counts as a Fighter of their level -2 for the purpose of qualifying for feats.