Simple Base Class Fixes (ToB slapped on EVERYTHING) (PEACH)

[Solaris]

Partly inspired by a discussion about what ought to have been in core, and partly coming about from my own incessant habit of tinkering with things, I've devised some rough ideas on lowering the bottom rung for PC classes to even out the power issues somewhat. My intention is that there be no classes that are simply a waste of levels to take as anything more than a dip, like the monk and the CW samurai, but at the same time retaining their extant identities more than just 'replace monk with unarmed swordsage'.

Barbarian was left unmodified on account of my wanting to keep one class simple enough that it's just 'I hit things', without having it be the lame fighter.

Spoiler: Class Fixes

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In general: A class's initiator level is its BAB. Only actual initiator classes (a definition broadly expanded) contribute maneuvers known/max manuevers, though.
Fractional saves and BAB are in use, encouraging multi-classing.
The caster level bonus for non-casters is in use (see UA for details). This encourages gishes.


Battle Dancer: Gains swordsage maneuver/stance progression.
Battle Dancer abilities are usable in light armor.

Battle Sorcerer: Can gain swordsage maneuvers/stances as spells.

Druid: Gains animal companion at 4th level. The animal companion's abilities progress at the druid's level -3.

Duskblade: Can gain swordsage maneuvers/stances as spells.

Fighter: Keeps bonus feats, gains warblade maneuver/stance progression.
Gains 4 + Int skills/level.

Knight: Gains crusader maneuver/stance progression.

Ninja: Sneak attack instead of sudden strike.
Gains swordsage maneuver/stance progression.
All abilities are usable in light armor.

Monk: Full BAB.
Gains 6 + Int skills/level.
Gains swordsage maneuver/stance progression.
Monk abilities are usable in light armor.

Paladin: Gains crusader maneuver/stance progression. Can gain paladin spells as maneuvers (see arcane swordsage variant for details).
Smite evil works for all attacks until the next turn, and is a free action to activate.
Loses spellcasting, and instead gains the Martial Paladin ACF from CW.
Gains 4 + Int skills/level.

Ranger: Gains animal companion at 1st level, as PHB druid. Loses spellcasting, and instead gains the Martial Ranger ACF from CW.
Loses combat styles, gains swordsage maneuver/stance progression. Can gain ranger spells as maneuvers (see arcane swordsage variant for details).
Wild shape ACF: Lose maneuver/stances, gains barbarian rage at 2nd level and wild shape as druid (starting at 6th level and continuing as druid -1).

Samurai: OA version, not CW version.
Gains crusader maneuver/stance progression.

Sorcerer: Gets Eschew Materials and a Heritage feat as bonus feats at 1st level. Gains 1 heritage or metamagic bonus feat at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.

Soulborn: Gains crusader maneuver/stance progression, but maneuvers known/readied are halved.

Soulknife: Gains psychic warrior power progression or swordsage maneuver/stance progression.
Gains AC bonus as swordsage.
Might be removed entirely and replaced with a feat chain.

Swashbuckler: Gains swordsage maneuver/stance progression.
Maybe warblade instead?

Witch (new class): As UA battle sorcerer, but gains the witch spell list (see DMG) and a clerical domain. Familiar gains the chassis (bonus HD, Str/Dex boost, natural armor boost, method of calculating abilities) of an animal companion with the Intelligence and special features of a familiar, and druid/ranger animal companions are available.

Any problem combinations or classes I overlooked?

[Necrovosh]

If soulknife gains psychic warrior power progression, what's the point of psychic warrior?
If soulknife is replace with a feat chain, then you'd be spending feats to get magic swords. Swords can cut people, feats can break the universe. That seems a little weak. Soulknife is sort of a flawed concept, really difficult to balance without losing its intrinsic flavor. I'm not really sure, but the rest seems to bring up most classes without losing their core concepts.

[Solaris]

I agree on that being the swishiest of the fixes, and appreciate the feedback.
I see it as having the option of the soulknife's class features or the psychic warrior's bonus feats.

The feat chain I had in mind would be something along the lines of this, except I'd have the soulknife's enhancement bonus and ability to enhance his soulknife rolled in with the first feat. Getting a weapon in and of itself isn't worth a feat, but making a magic weapon is.

[Almarck]

I disagree with removing the soul knife for a feat chain. Mostly because I do think people should play psionic class that actually don't feature the power use. (Weird I know). Bump up soul knife to a full melee class progression to diverge them from buff happy psychic warriors.

Anyways I understand it's a hasty fix.

I don't know what to think of all of these modifications.

On the one hand it allows weaker classes the power to use manicure which tend to be awesome, on the other looking back I dislike the rigid system tome of battle had. Only 9 manuvers and none of them emphasized ranged combat.

It's a fun idea since it means everyone can run around using manuvers or a casting class but it also in a way.... reduces options oddly enough.

Alot of these fixes I don't really agree on with the exception of giving fighter more skill points but that might have to do with poor experience and understanding of the classes presented.

Still j wouldn't mind a game where everyone uses manuvers.

By the way are the recovery options the same as the class than runs them?

[Zireael]

I like what I'm seeing, except:
1) I like Paladin spellcasting
2) I think wild shape should be the druid's shtick, otherwise their niche gets stolen. So no wild shape for rangers, even as ACF. A good ranger ACF is Urban Ranger, though, and I think I recall some dungeon-y variant, too.
3) Please keep the soulknife.

[Solaris]

I disagree with removing the soul knife for a feat chain. Mostly because I do think people should play psionic class that actually don't feature the power use. (Weird I know). Bump up soul knife to a full melee class progression to diverge them from buff happy psychic warriors.

Anyways I understand it's a hasty fix.

I don't know what to think of all of these modifications.

On the one hand it allows weaker classes the power to use manicure which tend to be awesome, on the other looking back I dislike the rigid system tome of battle had. Only 9 manuvers and none of them emphasized ranged combat.

It's a fun idea since it means everyone can run around using manuvers or a casting class but it also in a way.... reduces options oddly enough.

Alot of these fixes I don't really agree on with the exception of giving fighter more skill points but that might have to do with poor experience and understanding of the classes presented.

Still j wouldn't mind a game where everyone uses manuvers.

By the way are the recovery options the same as the class than runs them?

Even with a full BAB, the soulknife is still an entire class built around the concept of making a second-rate magic weapon. While that frees up gold, it consumes the build resources - and build resources are much scarcer than gold.

Yes, they're the same on account of my wanting to keep things as simple as possible.

I like what I'm seeing, except:
1) I like Paladin spellcasting
2) I think wild shape should be the druid's shtick, otherwise their niche gets stolen. So no wild shape for rangers, even as ACF. A good ranger ACF is Urban Ranger, though, and I think I recall some dungeon-y variant, too.
3) Please keep the soulknife.

1) Well, the paladins still have access to their spell list - just in the form of maneuvers accessible from first level.
2) Interesting. I always saw the spellcasting as more iconic to the druid than the shapeshifting - not that it's not a big part of their flavor, but that it's not a concept unique to them.
I like the wild shape ranger from UA on account of it making the shapeshifter archetype available without being a primary spellcaster, but I upped its power on account of this version giving up more, relatively speaking, than the standard wild shape ranger does.
Are you referring to the Dungeonscape ranger ACF? The one that gives up Track for trapfinding and Disable Device as a class skill? That's a pretty good one.
3) I like the class, I really do, but... it struggles to do anything. It's a low T4 if well-optimized, and with the other classes getting maneuvers/stances it needs something to keep up.

What do y'all think of adding in the psychic rogue's power points and power list to the soulknife instead of the psychic warrior's? I'm still mulling over whether I want it to stay a non-manifesting psionic character that uses maneuvers or give it psionic powers.