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.
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.