TruthHidesNothing
2006-09-09, 04:22 PM
Every person that has played D&D for a few years understands the fact that non-spell casting characters cannot possibly defeat spell casters at higher levels.
Spellcasters should be extremely powerful at higher levels, but so should fighters rogues and barbarians.
Many of the things that have made the Fighter a good choice in the previous editions has been cut and poorly replaced by bonus feats, while wizards only grew stronger and clerics and druids can suddenly melee better then a fighter as well as having a good caster progression.
Warriors are generaly viewed as foolish brutes by most people, and that's simply not true, while some may be foolish brutes and thugs ,many others are disciplined warriors that train both mind and body.
Credit goes to Lord Iames the Light for revising the Force of Will ability and pointing out many grammar and spelling mistakes, to Ghost Warlock for coming up with the name "Cunning Offence" and to Pegasos989 for generaly helping me to balance the class
Anyway, Feedback is welcome
The Frontline Tactician
Conflict defines existence, Warriors live by these words, but none knows how much truth they hold better then he who leads all others. Unlike standard tacticians and strategists, the Frontline Tactician is no coward and fights along his troops, leading by example. These brilliant masterminds fight using their intellect, seeking their opponent's weak spots and exploiting them at the least expected time.
IN GAME MECHANICS
Frontline Tacticians benefit from a high Strength score, as it increases the damage they deal, they also benefit from a high Constitution score, as it helps them survive in combat; likewise, Dexterity serves the same role when used by lightly armored Tacticians. Intelligence is the most important score for the Frontline Tactician, as most of his abilities depend on it
Hit Die: D8
The Frontline Tactician's class skills are: Climb (STR) Profession (WIS) Jump (STR) Ride (DEX) Swim (STR) Knowledge: History, Religion, Nobility, Folklore (INT) Bluff (CHA) Diplomacy (CHA) Sense Motive (WIS) And Heal (WIS)
Skill points: 2+INT modifier
Saving Throws
Good: All
Poor: none
BAB: Full
Level: Ability
1: Warrior's Proficiencies, Tactican's Guile
2: Evasion
3: -
4: Analyze 1
5: Cunning Offense X2
6: -
7: Improved Feint
8: Analyze 2
9: -
10: Force of will
11: Cunning Offense X3
12: Analyze 3
13: Tactican's Brilliance
14: Mettle
15: Cunning Offense X4
16: Analyze 4
17: Supreme Feint
18: -
19: Cunning Offense X5
20: Analyze 5
Warrior's Proficiencies
A Frontline Tacticians is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all light, medium, and heavy armor, and with Shields. Including Tower Shields
Tactican's Guile
A Frontline Tactician adds his Intelligence modifier to damage from attacks, The Tactician may choose not to receive the Intelligence bonus to damage for this round, if he does, he may use his Intelligence modifier instead of his Strength modifier for the purpose of attack rolls for this round.
On an bull rush, disarm, feint, sunder, trip, or overrun attempt, a Frontline Tactician adds his Intelligence modifier to the check.
If the Tactician readies a weapon against a charging foe, the fighter adds twice his Intelligence modifier to the readied weapon's damage.
The maximum bonus from this ability cannot exceed the Tactician's class level, Using the Cunning Offense class feature by-passes this limit.
Evasion
At level 2, the Tactician gains the evasion ability.
Analyze
Beginning at level 4, A Frontline Tactician may attempt to analyze an humanoid opponent as a full round action, Analyzing is handled like a "skill check" against the DC of
the Creature's HD + The creature's Intelligence Modifier+10
If they are aware of the fact that the Frontline Tactician is attempting to Analyze them, they may add their bluff modifier to the DC
The "skill check" works like this:
Frontline Tactician's class levels + The Tactician's Intelligence Modifier+ Sense motive+1D20
Foes that are immune to critical hits and/or have an unclear anatomy have their DC raised by half their HD+2, Creatures such as golems or other artificial creations simply double their base DC instead.
If the Tactician succeeds in analyzing his opponent the following effects take place:
*If the victim has Damage Reduction, The Tactician's Intelligence modifier is subtracted from it, The Tactician may inform the rest of his party of the opponent's weakness as a swift action (given the length and level of detail it requires) but if the Tactician does so and the foe can understand the Tactician's message to the rest of his group, the foe becomes aware of the fact that the enemy has found out of its weak spots and will take farther measures to protect them, Only half of the Fighter's Intelligence Modifier (rounded down) is subtracted in such a case.
* Beginning at Level 8, If an opponent that is immune to criticals is analyzed, The Tactician and any other creature that the Tactician shares this knowledge with treat the creature as if it is not immune to critical hits, Any fortification bonus the opponent had is now gone. A Frontline Tactician may also Analyze non-humanoids from now on
*Beggining at level 12, the Frontline Tactician may attempt to analyze any number of foes, To succed the Frontline Tactican must make an Analtze attempt against the combined DC of all foes he is attempting to Analyze
* Begining at level 16, Whenever the Tactician analyzes a creature, The Tactician and anyone that the fighter shares this knowledge with reduces his critical threat range by one point when fighting that specific creature
*At level 20, The Tactician may "spend" two of his daily Force of Will uses to attempt to analyze an opponent as a swift action, Additionally, The Tactician may make a Feint Check against a foe that he has analyzed as a free action.
* For every 6 Frontline Tactician levels, Whenever a Tactician analyzes a foe, He and all allies that he shares this knowledge with gain a +1 Insight Bonus to AB and Damage against the analyzed foe(s), at level 20 this bonus is increased to +4, if the opponent finds out about the fact that his opponents have found out its weak spots it will put more effort into protecting them. The bonus is then halved, rounded up.
Cunning Offence
As sneak attack, but instead of adding bonus damage dice, the Tactician multiplies his Intelligence bonus (be it for damage or attack roll purposes) for this attack by the multiplier in the ability's name.
Improved Feint
At seventh level the Tactician gains Improved Feint as a bonus feat, even if he does not qualify for it.
Force of Will
While to many the battlefield is a chaotic mess, to a Tactician it is a mathematical equation. Starting at 10th level, a number of times per day equal to his Tactician class levels, when the Tactician has to attempt a saving throw, he can choose to treat it as if his unmodified d20 roll resulted in a number equal to his Frontline Tactican class levels. Modifiers are then applied to the roll normally.
Tactican's Brilliance
A Tactician may add up to twice his Intelligence modifier to any bull rush, disarm, trip, feint, overrun, or sunder attempt that he makes.
The cap on Warrior's Cunning is removed.
Mettle
At level 14 the Tactician gains the Mettle ability
Supreme Feint
At level 17, The Tactician takes no penalties on feint attempts against non-humanoid enemies or creatures with animal-like intelligence, and may attempt to feint creatures with no Intelligence score with a -20 penalty
Spellcasters should be extremely powerful at higher levels, but so should fighters rogues and barbarians.
Many of the things that have made the Fighter a good choice in the previous editions has been cut and poorly replaced by bonus feats, while wizards only grew stronger and clerics and druids can suddenly melee better then a fighter as well as having a good caster progression.
Warriors are generaly viewed as foolish brutes by most people, and that's simply not true, while some may be foolish brutes and thugs ,many others are disciplined warriors that train both mind and body.
Credit goes to Lord Iames the Light for revising the Force of Will ability and pointing out many grammar and spelling mistakes, to Ghost Warlock for coming up with the name "Cunning Offence" and to Pegasos989 for generaly helping me to balance the class
Anyway, Feedback is welcome
The Frontline Tactician
Conflict defines existence, Warriors live by these words, but none knows how much truth they hold better then he who leads all others. Unlike standard tacticians and strategists, the Frontline Tactician is no coward and fights along his troops, leading by example. These brilliant masterminds fight using their intellect, seeking their opponent's weak spots and exploiting them at the least expected time.
IN GAME MECHANICS
Frontline Tacticians benefit from a high Strength score, as it increases the damage they deal, they also benefit from a high Constitution score, as it helps them survive in combat; likewise, Dexterity serves the same role when used by lightly armored Tacticians. Intelligence is the most important score for the Frontline Tactician, as most of his abilities depend on it
Hit Die: D8
The Frontline Tactician's class skills are: Climb (STR) Profession (WIS) Jump (STR) Ride (DEX) Swim (STR) Knowledge: History, Religion, Nobility, Folklore (INT) Bluff (CHA) Diplomacy (CHA) Sense Motive (WIS) And Heal (WIS)
Skill points: 2+INT modifier
Saving Throws
Good: All
Poor: none
BAB: Full
Level: Ability
1: Warrior's Proficiencies, Tactican's Guile
2: Evasion
3: -
4: Analyze 1
5: Cunning Offense X2
6: -
7: Improved Feint
8: Analyze 2
9: -
10: Force of will
11: Cunning Offense X3
12: Analyze 3
13: Tactican's Brilliance
14: Mettle
15: Cunning Offense X4
16: Analyze 4
17: Supreme Feint
18: -
19: Cunning Offense X5
20: Analyze 5
Warrior's Proficiencies
A Frontline Tacticians is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all light, medium, and heavy armor, and with Shields. Including Tower Shields
Tactican's Guile
A Frontline Tactician adds his Intelligence modifier to damage from attacks, The Tactician may choose not to receive the Intelligence bonus to damage for this round, if he does, he may use his Intelligence modifier instead of his Strength modifier for the purpose of attack rolls for this round.
On an bull rush, disarm, feint, sunder, trip, or overrun attempt, a Frontline Tactician adds his Intelligence modifier to the check.
If the Tactician readies a weapon against a charging foe, the fighter adds twice his Intelligence modifier to the readied weapon's damage.
The maximum bonus from this ability cannot exceed the Tactician's class level, Using the Cunning Offense class feature by-passes this limit.
Evasion
At level 2, the Tactician gains the evasion ability.
Analyze
Beginning at level 4, A Frontline Tactician may attempt to analyze an humanoid opponent as a full round action, Analyzing is handled like a "skill check" against the DC of
the Creature's HD + The creature's Intelligence Modifier+10
If they are aware of the fact that the Frontline Tactician is attempting to Analyze them, they may add their bluff modifier to the DC
The "skill check" works like this:
Frontline Tactician's class levels + The Tactician's Intelligence Modifier+ Sense motive+1D20
Foes that are immune to critical hits and/or have an unclear anatomy have their DC raised by half their HD+2, Creatures such as golems or other artificial creations simply double their base DC instead.
If the Tactician succeeds in analyzing his opponent the following effects take place:
*If the victim has Damage Reduction, The Tactician's Intelligence modifier is subtracted from it, The Tactician may inform the rest of his party of the opponent's weakness as a swift action (given the length and level of detail it requires) but if the Tactician does so and the foe can understand the Tactician's message to the rest of his group, the foe becomes aware of the fact that the enemy has found out of its weak spots and will take farther measures to protect them, Only half of the Fighter's Intelligence Modifier (rounded down) is subtracted in such a case.
* Beginning at Level 8, If an opponent that is immune to criticals is analyzed, The Tactician and any other creature that the Tactician shares this knowledge with treat the creature as if it is not immune to critical hits, Any fortification bonus the opponent had is now gone. A Frontline Tactician may also Analyze non-humanoids from now on
*Beggining at level 12, the Frontline Tactician may attempt to analyze any number of foes, To succed the Frontline Tactican must make an Analtze attempt against the combined DC of all foes he is attempting to Analyze
* Begining at level 16, Whenever the Tactician analyzes a creature, The Tactician and anyone that the fighter shares this knowledge with reduces his critical threat range by one point when fighting that specific creature
*At level 20, The Tactician may "spend" two of his daily Force of Will uses to attempt to analyze an opponent as a swift action, Additionally, The Tactician may make a Feint Check against a foe that he has analyzed as a free action.
* For every 6 Frontline Tactician levels, Whenever a Tactician analyzes a foe, He and all allies that he shares this knowledge with gain a +1 Insight Bonus to AB and Damage against the analyzed foe(s), at level 20 this bonus is increased to +4, if the opponent finds out about the fact that his opponents have found out its weak spots it will put more effort into protecting them. The bonus is then halved, rounded up.
Cunning Offence
As sneak attack, but instead of adding bonus damage dice, the Tactician multiplies his Intelligence bonus (be it for damage or attack roll purposes) for this attack by the multiplier in the ability's name.
Improved Feint
At seventh level the Tactician gains Improved Feint as a bonus feat, even if he does not qualify for it.
Force of Will
While to many the battlefield is a chaotic mess, to a Tactician it is a mathematical equation. Starting at 10th level, a number of times per day equal to his Tactician class levels, when the Tactician has to attempt a saving throw, he can choose to treat it as if his unmodified d20 roll resulted in a number equal to his Frontline Tactican class levels. Modifiers are then applied to the roll normally.
Tactican's Brilliance
A Tactician may add up to twice his Intelligence modifier to any bull rush, disarm, trip, feint, overrun, or sunder attempt that he makes.
The cap on Warrior's Cunning is removed.
Mettle
At level 14 the Tactician gains the Mettle ability
Supreme Feint
At level 17, The Tactician takes no penalties on feint attempts against non-humanoid enemies or creatures with animal-like intelligence, and may attempt to feint creatures with no Intelligence score with a -20 penalty