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View Full Version : [3.5e]Good alternate non-caster base classes.



Yora
2009-06-25, 04:37 PM
I'm working on a campaign setting for quite some time now and would like to give it some more uniqueness by incorporating some unusual base classes.
Curently it's:

Barbarian
Bard
Druid
Fighter
Rogue
Ranger
Shaman (close to divine wizard with light armor)
Witch (Psion with alternate power list)
Wizard

5 types of spellcasters seem to be enough to me, so I'm looking for ideas for new non-caster classes. I'm doing a lot of homebrewing, so it's not to bad if the classes are somewhat underpowerd by RAW. Also, characters have only up to 10 levels, so problems starting beyond that don't matter.
But it seems almost all other base classes are pretty bad or just try to coppy a certain build from the core classes. Often it's both.

Somebody has some nice hints for interesting melee or non-spellcasting magic classes I should look up?
ToB is said to be very balanced, but the classes seem to be fighters who cast spells. Not really what I'm looking for.

lsfreak
2009-06-25, 05:38 PM
ToB is said to be very balanced, but the classes seem to be fighters who cast spells. Not really what I'm looking for.

Just don't think of them as spells (and maybe get rid of Desert Wind and some of Devoted Spirit). They are now simply mundane techniques learned by different peoples. Elves favor Diamond Mind due to its elegant precision, wild races emulate the beasts they revere with Tiger Claw, and Iron Heart is what imperial soldiers train in. They are now completely mundane techniques with no magical influence.

Xefas
2009-06-25, 05:47 PM
ToB is said to be very balanced, but the classes seem to be fighters who cast spells. Not really what I'm looking for.

Character A focuses all his strength into a powerful blow, sacrificing his accuracy for a decisive swing.
Character B focuses all his strength into a powerful blow, sacrificing his accuracy for a decisive swing.

Which one just used the Power Attack feat, and which one just used the Mountain Hammer strike while in the Punishing Stance?

Character A swings his blade in a wide arc, cutting through one foe and cleaving into another.
Character B swings his blade in a wide arc, cutting through one foe and cleaving into another.

Which one just used the Cleave feat, and which one just used the Steel Wind strike?

Character A thrusts his blade forward, under his opponent's swing, twists his blade and pulls up, deftly wrenching his foe's blade out of his grip.
Character B thrusts his blade forward, under his opponent's swing, twists his blade and pulls up, deftly wrenching his foe's blade out of his grip.

Which one just used the Disarm action, and which one just used Disarming Strike?

Character A makes a running leap and thrusts both blades into his opponent.
Character B makes a running leap and thrusts both blades into his opponent.

Which one just used the Leap Attack and Two-Weapon Fighting feats, and which one used the Sudden Leap and Wolf Fang Strike maneuver?

Yeah, those damn Tome of Battle classes and their crazy magic we've never seen before 'cept in Anime. Such a massive difference, you can tell.

Owrtho
2009-06-25, 07:00 PM
Lord_Gareth's Harrowed class (which can be found here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58810)) is a rather good and unique non caster class. Though it does lean more toward supernatural abilities.

Owrtho

Yora
2009-06-26, 04:17 AM
I had allready considered something along the lines of a bear warrior or dragon shaman. This one goes a similar way, maybe I should look for more classes like that.
Thanks.

Nero24200
2009-06-26, 05:54 AM
Firstly, I think you should be warned. You're asking for alternative martial classes, so about 1/2 of the responses you get will be "Use TOB", even if you say it's not what you're looking for (and note, another 1/4 will be posts justifying it).

Standard martial classes aren't so bad if you're only going up to 10th level (though I'd personaly still touch up a few classes).

The only non-TOB martial classes which I can think of which seem to have alot of options would be these

Ultimate Classes (http://www.liquidmateria.info/wiki/Ultimate_Classes)

Yora
2009-06-26, 06:09 AM
Firstly, I think you should be warned. You're asking for alternative martial classes, so about 1/2 of the responses you get will be "Use TOB", even if you say it's not what you're looking for (and note, another 1/4 will be posts justifying it).
I noticed. I just decided to ignore it. They wouldn't listen to my view anyway. ^^

GreatWyrmGold
2009-07-03, 08:35 PM
Ah, yes...
Well, as I've heard, the problem with wizard v. fighter (well, one of them) is that fighters scale linearly, while wizards and other spellcasters scale quadraicly. Or at least close enough.

Fighters:
*
*
*
*
*
*

Wizards:
*


*

*

*

*
*

Or something like that. (Edit: Come on! That graph was a good graph, and they took the spaces out!)

For BMS*, try giving them quadraticly-scaling abilities. I hate to say this, but most such class features are maneuvers, spells, etc.
*BMS: Better Martial Classes.

DracoDei
2009-07-03, 09:15 PM
Or make up some better feats with pre-requisites...