PDA

View Full Version : Updating Tome of Battle to Pathfinder



Flayerman
2009-10-16, 07:17 PM
Pretty much exactly what it says. Would you change anything beyond the standard HP bump Pathfinder's given?

Eldariel
2009-10-16, 07:18 PM
Pretty much exactly what it says. Would you change anything beyond the standard HP bump Pathfinder's given?

Nothing. ToB is fine as is for Pathfinder; it is just as good a fix for that system as it's for standard 3.5.

Mongoose87
2009-10-16, 07:51 PM
In my estimation, ToB classes are still stronger than Pathfinder Melee-types.

Darkmatter
2009-10-16, 08:04 PM
A glaring exception to Eldariel's (admittedly facetious) comment is the lack of a concentration skill, which is called in Diamond Mind maneuvers. The normal mechanics of concentration are replaced with a caster level check in Pathfinder. This makes the Diamond Mind maneuvers distinctly less attractive, since it is much easier to get skills high than increase initiator level. I would suggest replacing concentration with martial lore in this case. It's not a perfect fit (concentration keying off of Con was pretty nice synergy for melee classes) but it'll do. Another option is just to make a concentration skill they keys off Con and doesn't do anything but power DM maneuvers, but I think that one's a little lame.

Other than that, I think most changes are pretty obvious, like making bonuses on, say, trip and disarm attempts into CMB changes.

TOB classes in Pathfinder, like in 3.5, are going to be much better rounded and a bit more powerful than their core melee counterparts. Pathfinder did close some of the distance in power levels between martial and magical characters, but there's definitely still a disparity.

subject42
2009-10-16, 08:04 PM
Check your skills. Some of the skill lists might need to be shuffled a bit to make sure that you don't have too few in-class skills or too many skills that have suddenly become much more useful after the skill consolidation.

imperialspectre
2009-10-16, 08:49 PM
If I were going to update ToB for Pathfinder, I would also bring in the psionics update that the generally-awesome Dreamscarred Press is building for Pathfinder. The easiest analogue to Concentration in 3.5 is the Autohypnosis skill, and the fluff is very close to the Diamond Mind ethos.

One should note that ToB will basically dominate the melee scene in Pathfinder games, as the lack of a useful Power Attack option and the outstanding defenses that ToB characters have against combat maneuvers will play very much in the ToB characters' favor.

Serenity
2009-10-17, 08:57 AM
Perception is probably the best fit for Diamond Mind in Pathfinder Core, given the fluff of striking the one weak point in the enemy's defenses.

The other major issue is that Desert Wind, Iron Heart, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw are now all based off the same skill, Acrobatics. Of course, only Desert Wind and Tiger Claw have any actual maneuver mechanics tied to that...