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Goonthegoof
2010-05-06, 11:35 AM
I'm writing up some fixes for base classes for a campaign I'm running at the moment, and I figured I'd post them here so people could point out the inevitable stupid ideas I'd come up with.

I'm aiming to raise the classes to somewhere between tiers four and three, probably leaning towards three (Players are currently cleric, crusader, bard, swordsage, dread necromancer and rogue), as I let players who die and would prefer to play something else bring an equal level character into the campaign so we have fairly high turnover, and there is a feeling that classes like fighters can't really be played because they'd fall behind.

MONK


Focused Strike: Beginning at fifth level a monk may opt to use his wisdom modifier instead of his strength modifier to determine bonus damage with monk weapons.

Stunning fist may be used an additional number of times per day equal to your wisdom modifier.

Full BAB instead of 3/4

Flurry of blows can also be used on a standard action attack.

Slow fall does not require presence of a wall, and monks can run on water for a distance equal to the distance they can ignore with slow fall.

Quivering palm may be used once per day, and can be reused by sacrificing 5 uses of stunning fist.

Abundant Step can also be used as Plane Shift by sacrificing 3 uses of stunning fist, and can be reused by sacrificing 2 uses of stunning fist.

RANGER

Natural Skill: Once per day at fourth level and once more per 4 ranger levels the ranger possesses she may choose to take 15 on any wisdom, strength or dexterity based check or skill check.

Wild Strike: At twelfth level a ranger adds his wisdom modifier to damage rolls made with a manufactured or natural weapon.

The feat Battle Blessing now also applies to ranger spells.

BARBARIAN

Imposing Physique: At 7th level a barbarian may add his strength modifier to any intimidate check he makes.

Sweeping Rage: At 12th level any time a barbarian in a rage deals damage with a melee attack she can apply half of the damage done to up to two enemies she threatens that are within 5 feet of the target. The barbarian does not make a new attack roll- She takes the result of the original attack roll and applies that to the enemies she wishes to damage, and if it that attack roll would hit the creatures take damage. This skill does not work in conjunction with Whirlwind Attack or similar abilities, but does work in conjunction with Cleave and Great Cleave.

Greater Sweeping Rage: At 18th level the enemies attacked can be any distance up to the barbarian's weapon's reach from the original target.

FIGHTER

Parry: At tenth level, the fighter may choose to take this class feature instead of a fighter bonus feat. A fighter who does so may choose to sacrifice the ability to make attacks of opportunity in order to parry the attacks directed at him. At the end of his turn the fighter can choose to parry instead of making attacks of opportunity until the start of his next turn.

A fighter can choose to parry a melee or ranged weapon attack directed at her by making an attack roll at her highest base attack bonus. You may then use the result as your AC against the incoming attack, and can choose to use the higher of the result and your normal AC. You cannot parry under conditions in which you would not be able to make an attack of opportunity and can parry as many times as you wish, though each round each parry attempt after the first takes a successive -5 penalty. You may apply your shield bonus to a parry attempt. Attempting to parry a ranged attack takes a -5 penalty if you use a weapon and gains a +5 bonus if you use a shield.


Weapon Style:
At 5th level a fighter gains a choice of one of the following styles:

Sword and Board:
A fighter with this class feature wielding a shield can take any feat that applies to two-weapon fighting and ignore any dexterity pre-requisites, but those feats can only be applied when the fighter is wielding a shield (or shield spikes) as one of those weapons. The fighter no longer takes a -2 penalty to attacks for wielding a tower shield, but still cannot use one to make a shield bash attack.

Deft Grip:
A fighter with this class feature can treat any one handed melee weapon as a light weapon.

Scattering Strike:
When wielding one melee weapon and no shield a fighter with this class feature may make a bull rush attempt whenever she hits with an attack and does not provoke an attack of opportunity for doing so. She resolves the bull rush normally but does not move into the opponent's square if she succeeds. If her strength check is high enough she can move her target more than 5 feet, but she does not follow the target unless the strike was used as part of a charge. If she has a spare hand she can choose to initiate a grappling attempt instead of a bull rush, acting as if she had the Improved Grab ability.

Powerful Blow: When wielding a two handed melee weapon and using the power attack feat the fighter with this class feature may choose to ignore damage reduction equal to the attack sacrificed as part of the power attack.

Hand to Hand:
A fighter with this class feature who selects this style deals unarmed damage as if she were a monk equal to her fighter level -4. This does not confer flurry of blows or any other monk class ability, just unarmed damage. Fighter levels and monk levels stack for determining unarmed damage and a fighter with this style can multiclass between monk and fighter without being barred from further advancing in the monk class.

Weapon Tossing:
The fighter with this class feature gains the Throw Anything feat even if she does not meet the pre-requisites. She can throw her weapon at a nearby foe and command it to immediately bounce back to her grasp. Any time she makes a ranged attack with a thrown weapon on her turn, the weapon immediately returns to her, and she can catch it as a free action. This ability allows her to make a full attack entirely with thrown weapon attacks, or with a mix of thrown
and melee attacks. She can also take any two-weapon fighting feat without the dexterity requirements, but can only apply it to thrown weapon attacks.

Marksmanship:
A fighter with this class feature wielding a ranged weapon can add half her dexterity modifier to damage dealt. This stacks with the Crossbow Fighter feat.


Armour Style:
At 9th level a fighter gains a choice of one of the following styles:

Unarmoured:
An unarmoured fighter with this class feature can make a full attack on a charge attack and gains a bonus to her AC equal to her fighter class level/4.

Light Armour:
A fighter with this class feature wearing light armour may make two attacks per weapon instead of one when using a standard action to attack. Both these attacks take a -5 penalty.

Medium Armour:
When a fighter with this class feature is wearing medium armour it is treated as having the medium fortification property.

Heavy Armour:
A fighter with this class feature wearing heavy armour reduces the armour check penalty by 2 and increases the maximum dexterity bonus to AC by 2.


Improved Weapon Style:
At 13th level a fighter gains a choice of one of the following styles, or a selection from the Weapon Style list:

Dual Wield Mastery: A fighter with this class feature gains +2 to damage and attack rolls when wielding two weapons and can treat any feat or class feature that applies to one of her wielded weapons (such as Weapon Focus or Weapon Perfection) as applying to her other weapon, even if the other weapon is not of that type.

Powerful Grip: A fighter with this class feature wielding a weapon in two hands now deals twice her strength modifier as bonus damage and gains a +4 bonus to using and defending against disarm and sunder attacks.

Unarmed Deadliness: A fighter with this class feature gains a bonus to damage on her unarmed strikes equal to her dexterity modifier or her strength modifier, whichever is higher. She can also choose to use her dexterity modifier in place of her strength modifier on grapple checks and her strength modifier place of her dexterity modifier on armour class.

Amazing Grace: A fighter with this class feature who is wielding a light weapon in her main hand and no weapon in her off hand gains a +6 bonus to dexterity and the benefits of evasion feat. If she already has the evasion feat she gains the benefits of the improved evasion feat.

Shielding Ally: A fighter with this class feature gains a +2 bonus to AC when wielding a shield and can use her shield to protect others. When an ally that is within reach of the fighter is targeted by a melee or ranged weapon attack the fighter can choose to redirect the attack, acting as if the attack instead targeted the fighter. She cannot use this feature when she is incapable of either parrying or making opportunity attacks.

Weapon Hurricane: A fighter with this class feature can choose to treat her ranged attack rolls with thrown weapons as melee attacks. She can use melee attack bonus, including Strength bonus, feats, and so forth, to determine her attack bonus for each attack as normal, but she applies the standard modifiers for range penalties. Attacking into melee, through cover, and so forth incurs the standard penalties. As such, you can apply 1.5 times your Strength bonus to damage if you wield the thrown weapon with two hands, and you can use Power Attack with your thrown weapon attacks (adding two times the number subtracted from attack rolls as a bonus on damage rolls when throwing a two handed weapon). You can also, as a full attack action, attack one enemy per four fighter levels with a thrown weapon at your highest attack bonus.

Close quarters archery: A fighter with this class feature's ranged weapon attacks do not provoke attacks of opportunity and you now threaten nearby squares with a ranged weapon, allowing you to make attacks of opportunity. You threaten squares within a range equal to one tenth of a ranged increment of your weapon, rounded down to the nearest five feet to a minimum of five feet.

Sniper: A fighter with this class feature can now make precision long distance attacks with a ranged weapon. If you spend three rounds preparing a shot you can make a ranged weapon attack, ignoring the penalties for range increments, though you still cannot attack further than the weapon's normal maximum range. This attack automatically threatens a critical regardless of the weapon's actual threat range and is treated as having a critical damage multiplier of 5x.

Improved Armour Style:
At 17th level a fighter gains a choice of one of the following styles:

Unarmoured:
An unarmoured fighter with this class feature gains a bonus to her AC equal to her constitution modifier and gains a 20' bonus to movement speed.

Light Armour:
A fighter with this class feature wearing light armour gains the benefit of the evasion and uncanny dodge feats.

Medium Armour:
A fighter with this class feature wearing medium armour no longer takes a penalty to movement.

Heavy Armour:
A fighter with this class feature wearing heavy armour reduces the armour check penalty by a further 2 and gains DR 5/- which stacks with other sources.

Weapon Perfection: At level 20 a fighter with this class feature may choose a type of weapon. When wielding a weapon of this type the threat range increases by two and the critical damage multiplier increases by one.

PALADIN

Remove disease also removes poisons and is usable per day, not per week.

Divine Training: At level 3 and every 4 levels thereafter a paladin receives a bonus feat, which must have the [Divine] descriptor. In addition, the paladin may use any divine feat that is listed as requiring a standard action to use as a free action.

Purity of purpose: At twelfth level the paladin gains the Good Devotion and Law Devotion feats.

Divine Ascension: At 20th level the paladin gains the Saint template, incurring all bonuses but retaining her current ECL.

Goonthegoof
2010-05-06, 09:49 PM
Part two of this, I'm now fixing non PHB1 base classes.

HEXBLADE

Hexblades no longer have an alignment restriction and the feat Battle Blessing now also applies to Hexblade spells.

Hexblades are now proficient with shields and with medium armour.

Summon Familiar: The hexblade is treated as a sorcerer of his hexblade level when determining his familiar's abilities and qualities, and does not pay an experience cost when the familiar dies, instead losing the ability to cast spells for the rest of the day. A familiar can be brought back to life by using a number of spell slots equal to the hexblade's class level.

Light Shield Casting: At third level the hexblade does not suffer arcane spell failure when wearing a light shield.

Augmented Attack: Beginning at sixth level, a hexblade may choose to use his charisma modifier instead of his strength modifier as a bonus to attack rolls with melee weapons.

Medium Armour Casting: At seventh level the hexblade does not suffer arcane spell failure when wearing medium armour.

Intimidating Familiar: Beginning at eighth level any enemy adjacent to the hexblade's familiar takes a -2 penalty to saves and armour class.

Heavy Shield Casting: At eleventh level the hexblade does not suffer arcane spell failure when wearing a heavy shield.

SWASHBUCKLER

Insightful Strike: A swashbuckler's insightful strike works against all enemies, regardless of their immunity to critical hits or sneak attack.

Precise Strike: At fourth level and every four levels thereafter a swashbuckler increases the damage she deals with a weapon to which she can apply weapon finesse increases by two.

Dodge Bonus: The dodge bonus class feature applies to all attacks against the swashbuckler, not just those by one enemy. The bonus increases by one and the swashbuckler is treated as having the Dodge feat.

Agile Athletics: Beginning at sixth level a swashbuckler can add her dexterity modifier to her swim, jump and climb skill checks.

Enhanced Mobility: Beginning at ninth level a swashbuckler gains +4 to AC against attacks of opportunity caused when she moves out of a threatened square. This stacks with the mobility feat, and counts as the mobility feat for meeting other pre-requisites.

Agile Parry: At tenth level, a swashbuckler not wearing medium or heavy armour and wielding only light weapons (or a rapier) may choose to sacrifice the ability to make attacks of opportunity in order to parry the attacks directed at her. At the end of her turn the swashbuckler can choose to parry instead of making attacks of opportunity until the start of her next turn. She is still treated as threatening nearby squares for purposes of flanking.

A swashbuckler can choose to parry a melee or ranged weapon attack directed at her by making an attack roll at her highest base attack bonus, with a bonus equal to her dodge bonus class feature. You may then use the result as your AC against the incoming attack, and can choose to use the higher of the result and your normal AC. A swashbuckler cannot parry under conditions in which she would not be able to make an attack of opportunity and can parry as many times as she wishes, though each round each parry attempt after the first takes a successive -5 penalty. If she is only wielding one weapon and that weapon is a light weapon or rapier the successive penalty is only -2.

Enhanced Spring Attack: Beginning at level 13 a swashbuckler may make a full attack action and move her speed, but can only attack a target once during the action. She may make her attacks at any points before, during and after the move. A swashbuckler cannot take a 5 foot step in addition to an enhanced spring attack, and takes attacks of opportunity as normal. This can be combined with the spring attack feat in order to avoid some attacks of opportunity and counts as the spring attack feat in terms of meeting other pre-requisites.

Riposte: At 16th level a swashbuckler's skill at parrying increases. She may now make both attacks of opportunity and parry attempts. She can choose to once again relinquish her ability to make attacks of opportunity in exchange for the ability to riposte. When this feature is activated whenever she successfully parries an attack she may make a melee attack against the enemy that attacked her, providing this enemy is within reach. This attack is performed at the bonus at which she made the parry, and provides an attack of opportunity from the enemy who attacked her and she in turn is attacking. This can cause an infinite loop of attacks, but keep in mind she takes a successive penalty to parry checks.


MARSHAL

Simple fix, marshals aren't really good enough at what they do and are rather inflexible. Increase the bonuses and increase the flexibility and the class is improved.

Auras known: The marshal knows every single aura from the marshal aura list.

Extra Minor Aura: Beginning at sixth level a marshal may have two different minor auras activated at once. The marshal gains the ability to have a third minor going at twelfth level and a fourth minor aura at eighteenth level. The marshal may give up the effects of one or more minor auras in order to increase the power of an already present minor aura, gaining an increase to ane aura of your choice of 3. If a second aura is relinquished the bonus increases to 5, and if a third is relinquished the bonus increases to 6. A relinquished aura can be resumed as normal, but the benefit gained from relinquishing it is negated.

Extra Major Aura: Beginning at tenth level a marshal may have two different major auras activated at once. The marshal may give up the effect of the second aura in order to gain a +2 bonus to the first. A relinquished aura can be resumed as normal, but the benefit gained from relinquishing it is negated.

Grant Standard Action: Beginning at eleventh level a marshal may instead of granting his party a move action grant a single party member within 30 feet a standard action. A character can take only one extra standard action per round.

Unstoppable Command: Beginning at nineteenth level a marshal who has an ally that he is commanding within 60' cannot become dazed, unconscious, stunned, silenced or paralyzed. Abilities that cause such effects may still target the marshal but are considered supressed until the marshal no longer has an ally within 60' that he is commanding.

Cute_Riolu
2010-05-07, 06:02 PM
Simple and elegant fixes. I like 'em, and am rather surprised that no one else has commented yet. I'll get around to pointing out individual stuff in a bit.

Merk
2010-05-07, 09:50 PM
These are good. I especially like the Monk, Hexblade, and Swashbuckler fixes (finally, a use for Swashbuckler as more than a 3 level dip!) I'd probably use these in a campaign.

Doc Roc
2010-05-08, 04:38 AM
Let's just put it this way:
I hope you're banning wizard, sorcerer, cleric and druid.

Thieves
2010-05-08, 06:01 AM
Let's just put it this way:
I hope you're banning wizard, sorcerer, cleric and druid.

Or let's just assume that people as optimization-crazed and liberal towards game breaking for the sake of their own fun as these boards tend to get simply do not end up in your group. It's not an IYF, Doc Roc, just a counterpoint towards something that becomes the general atmosphere around here and distorts one's view of these classes. Also, he actually pointed out he is aiming for tier three.

"Insightful Strike: A swashbuckler's insightful strike works against enemy." What the Nine Hells does that mean? You mean it doesn't have the "critical point" damage so it works against those Sneak Attack does not damage?

Doc Roc
2010-05-08, 07:32 AM
Or let's just assume that people as optimization-crazed and liberal towards game breaking for the sake of their own fun as these boards tend to get simply do not end up in your group. It's not an IYF, Doc Roc, just a counterpoint towards something that becomes the general atmosphere around here and distorts one's view of these classes. Also, he actually pointed out he is aiming for tier three.

"Insightful Strike: A swashbuckler's insightful strike works against enemy." What the Nine Hells does that mean? You mean it doesn't have the "critical point" damage so it works against those Sneak Attack does not damage?


That's just it though. Wizard as this weird hard-to-build titan of optimization isn't a really very good characterization. The problem with wizard is that you can just say "Well, I like cloud effects a lot." And accidentally blow a smoking gaping screaming hole in the game. And druid is even more problematic. Of course I'm going to wildshape into lions and bears! Lions and bears are awesome!

Guess what some of the best wildshape forms are?

Druid takes one feat to become a potentially huge problem, and that feat is the no-brainer "Natural Spell."

Thieves
2010-05-08, 08:08 AM
That's just it though. Wizard as this weird hard-to-build titan of optimization isn't a really very good characterization. The problem with wizard is that you can just say "Well, I like cloud effects a lot." And accidentally blow a smoking gaping screaming hole in the game. And druid is even more problematic. Of course I'm going to wildshape into lions and bears! Lions and bears are awesome!

Guess what some of the best wildshape forms are?

Druid takes one feat to become a potentially huge problem, and that feat is the no-brainer "Natural Spell."

All true. Sometimes I just wonder how drunk they were when they playtested druids.

Zeta Kai
2010-05-08, 08:30 AM
Druid takes one feat to become a potentially huge problem, and that feat is the no-brainer "Natural Spell."

Yeah, in my campaigns, I have a gentlemen's agreement with my players that Natural Spell is an epic feat.

These fixes are good (&, in fact, WotC or Paizo really should have implemented some most of these), don't get me wrong. It's just that they still aren't enough to compete with the full casters. There have been many class fixes here over the years, & in general, the most radical sweeping changes are the most effective. Simple, elegant fixes tend not to go far enough, & these are little different.

Goonthegoof
2010-05-09, 09:38 PM
Let's just put it this way:
I hope you're banning wizard, sorcerer, cleric and druid.

Actually, I am banning sorcerer/wizard, if they want arcane casting they can use a beguiler, warmage, dread necromancer or spellshaper (a conjuration/transmutation specialist class I homebrewed). I've also banned divine metamagic (the feat, not the concept) and natural spell.

Also thanks for catching the insightful strike typo guys :smallsmile:

My party consists of a bard, a dread necromancer, a crusader, a swordsage, a rogue and a cleric. The cleric may present a problem, but I am keeping a close eye on him to try to keep him from being much stronger than the rest of the group and making encounters that play more towards the rest of the group's strengths.