Quote Originally Posted by Gnorman View Post
I'm not sure I'm going to have a brawler's "body" enchantable (though I can't cite precedent for it, I see no problem with +1 robes, or some magic tattoos or something), but it might be the only way by RAW to do so, outside of designing a +0 AC lighter-than-light armor (which wouldn't be that hard, honestly).
... Bracers of Armour? It's not like there are many potential items to stick in that slot in E6, and it's up to a +3 bonus.

There are rules that support adding of AC bonii to clothing too, so you can just enchant your shirt for another +2, which stacks since it's an enhancement bonus and Bracers are an Armour bonus.

With 16 Int, this works out at +9 again, but with a lot of gold and effort put into it.

I'm going to have to decide between Flurry and Pounce, because having both is a bit much.
How about: 1: Can flurry on a full attack. 2: May Flurry on a Standard action, but only gains the first two attacks (at full BAB)?

Wording wise, this would be something like: Every time the Brawler makes a full or standard attack action using only unarmed strikes, they may make an additional additional unarmed strike at their full base attack bonus.

The Brawler should rarely need to charge, at 50' regular moves.

Pounce can then be either removed entirely or given as an archetype power.

The hunter: Unerring Shot is on the way out, though it may be incorporated into the hunter's new 6th level ability. I think I'm going to make Ranged Power Attack a feat, instead.
Grand. I'll keep an eye for the changes.

As for the beastmaster: You're right, the +3 level bonus has got to go. Natural Bond would allow the second animal companion to be level 4, if I am reading it correctly? A 6th level and a 4th level companion is certainly more tolerable than an 9th and a 6th. I threw in a thematic permanent speak with animals ability to compensate for the poorly-worded and redundant Moderate ability, and should probably include Wild Empathy as well.
I think I'd prefer just the Wild Empathy to be honest, a diplomacy roll to reduce animals to indifferent on a 9 or better, and magical beasts on a 13 or better is nice enough for a Moderate ability.

You know, I've never been able to find a ruling on this situation. Though part of me wants to reward clever play, being able to deal 6d6 fire damage for 120 gp is definitely over the top. Compare it to a scroll of Scorching Ray (a better comparison than Fireball, considering the reduced area and attack roll required), which costs 30gp more, does 2d6 less damage, and is restricted in use.
For this I'd personally... probably go with 3D6 + 3 damage, 3D6 the following turn unless they take the full round action to put out the flames at DC 17. 3 damage to anyone within 5'.

But yeah, this is my problem with alchemy too. It's capable of a lot, but how to keep it reasonable? What do you do if the player coated them in oil first? Does enough oil work like the grease spell? What about *actual grease*?

I have no problem alchemy being cheaper than a corresponding spell (a Scorching Ray scroll is a piece of paper that can produce magical fire and can hit at 40' with no attack penalty vs. you have to lug around a sack full of volatile alchemists fire in the first place and throw it at a 10' range increments), but its the freedom to apply these things in unusual ways that should by all rights be giving mundanes a lot of the things that RAW only gives to mages (and why the Engineer is such a neat character). If I weren't so terribly lazy, I'd homebrew something to codify something concrete.

I'd personally like to balance primarily around Core (that may be a contradiction in terms), but still keep the non-core options in mind when gauging interactions.
One way around both this and the inevitable scaling issue may be to explicitly restrict non-core feats (maybe include certain books, make it an "extended core", like Bo9S, Completes, PHB II, DMG II?) as standard for the system, but then have E6C specific feats to cover the gap.

For example:
Large And In Charge: You may count as one size larger when performing combat manoeuvres when it's beneficial to you.

Prerequisites: +5 BAB, STR 14+, CON 14+, Level 6, Must have five feats.

Scorpion Hold: You may grapple an opponent you have struck in combat with your unarmed attack with one hand by taking a -10 to the grapple check. If you do, you are not considered grappled. You must still move onto the target's space the next turn in order to maintain the grapple as normal.

Prerequisites: Improved Grab, Breathstealer Major Archetype Power (it would be nice to name these if they're going to show up this way, but I suck at names).


Deadeye:

One handed firearm and hand crossbow proficiency. May reload hand crossbows or one handed firearms as a free action with no AoO.
Homebrew disciplines.
6 Manoeuvres known.
4 Manoeuvres readied. Recovered with a swift action.
2 Stances known.
Firing pistols and hand crossbows does not provoke AoOs. May AoO with Pistols and Hand Crossbows, threatens a 10' area with them.
May disarm, sunder, and trip via ranged touch attempts with ranged weapons. (Should probably say not to apply their strength modifier and count their size as Medium for this attack, failing the trip attempt does not give their opponent the opportunity to trip them back). You may still not sunder with ranged weapons that do not deal slashing or bludgeoning damage, however.

- Free Shadow Hand access basically opens them up to even more SAD via the Shadow Blade feat. If you even bother to use a sword in melee since you get Dex to ranged anyway and a potential ranged-power attack.
For manoeuvres, just focusing on Shadow Hand and Tiger Claw:
-They can teleport 50' as a standard action.
- Sudden Leap: Swift action movement out of trouble? Always nice.
-Shadow Garotte basically allows them a Ranged Touch 5D8+ Dex every other turn (Ranged Power Attack probably shouldn't apply to ranged touch by the by), with a flat-footed penalty based on a save which you don't really care about.
- Cloak of Deception means they can invisibly snipe every other round better than the Sniper can.
- Dance of the Spider (Need an extra Stance feat to get it thanks to Warblade advancement): Spider Climb. This plus ranged specialist. Godmode.
- Child of Shadow: Concealment whenever you move 10'. Until you get Dance this is what you get Dex to Melee with.
- Hunter's Sense: Anti-Ambush utility, for whenever you're walking right side up.

With so few "core" manoeuvres, then outside of qualifying for Hunter's Sense and Sudden Leap they've got three manoeuvres going to waste.

Finally, you can pick up the Gloom Razor feat, just for the extra invisibility chances from misses due to concealment.

If the intention was for a powerful evasive sniper then you've definitely succeeded in my book, but otherwise there's not much encouragement for a gun/sword combatant. Perhaps they should drop their capstone for the ability to use one handed ranged weapons to make melee attacks with Reach if they're fighting within 10' of an opponent?

It just occurred to me that Initiators get the same Manoeuvres known just as an Engineer would get the same Inventions known, so if there's retraining for one, there should probably be retraining for the other.