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Derjuin
2011-09-02, 05:10 AM
Marshal

Marshals come in many varieties, from great heroes to dread commanders.


http://static.wowhead.com/uploads/screenshots/normal/177066.jpg

http://static.wowhead.com/uploads/screenshots/normal/177045.jpg

Take heart, soldiers! Upon this very stretch of land we'll make our final stand, and break our foe upon our unwavering valor! We will fight for what we know is right, and we will make it known that they will never bend our proud nation's knee.

~ Falothar the Virtuous, Grand Marshal of the King's Court of Darralon

We will crush them beneath the iron-clad boot of our God-King Ascendant! Let not their walls nor their magic stay your blade - seek their flesh, and let their blood and tears rain upon the ground. Each drop spilt brings glory to the God-King, your lord and master, and may yet earn you a place among his elite in the Days of Eternal Darkness, the utopian future he will bring for us.

~ Urlok the Pale, Legion-Commander of the Deathless King of Jotun

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Marshals have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma is paramount to a Marshal, as it affects most of his abilities. High Strength and Constitution help the Marshal contribute in melee combat, and high Intelligence helps the Marshal put more of his skills to use. Dexterity aids the Marshal in staying alive, and Wisdom affects a few of his skills, but not much else.

Alignment: Most Marshals are of some kind of Lawful bent, as they receive, hand out, and deliver orders, typically from lords to soldiers. However, even the most chaotic of armies has its commanders, who are most likely Marshals of some kind.

Hit Die: d12

Starting Age: As Fighter

Starting Gold: As Fighter

Class Skills
The Marshal's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) (Int), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

The Marshal
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Motivating Presence (1 skill), Battle Command
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Unshakable Resolve (Resistance), Incite
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Daunting Presence
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Commander's Aura (1)
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Motivating Presence (2 skills), Special Mount
6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+5|Unshakable Resolve (Charm Immunity), Shield Mastery
7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+5|Hysteria
8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+6|Commander's Aura (2)
9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+6|Improved Daunting Presence, Ally Surge
10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+7|Motivating Presence (3 skills)
11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+7|Bastion of Defense
12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+8|Unshakable Resolve (Allies), Commander's Aura (3)
13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+8|Vigilance
14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+4|
+9|Mass Hysteria
15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+9|Motivating Presence (4 skills), Greater Daunting Presence
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+10|Commander's Aura (4)
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+10|Battlefield Paragon
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+11|Greater Ally Surge
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+11|Not on This Day
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+12|Commander's Aura (5), Motivating Presence (5 skills)[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Marshals are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all armor and all shields.

Motivating Presence (Ex): The first thing a Marshal begins to motivate is his allies' skills - they feel more confident in their execution just being near a Marshal of at least 1st level. At the beginning of each day, the Marshal selects a single skill (he need not have ranks in this skill) and adds his Charisma modifier to his own checks with that skill and the checks of all allies within 100 feet. At 5th level, he may select an additional skill each morning; at 10th, he may select another, and so on until he is capable of motivating 5 skills at once at 20th level. The Marshal may meditate and practice to change the skills he is motivating; doing so takes 1 minute of peaceful meditation for each skill he wishes to change.

This bonus does not allow the Marshal nor his allies to use Trained Only skills they have no ranks in, but it does help with other untrained checks.

Battle Command (Ex): All Marshals learn at 1st level how to extol their allies and bring out the best each is capable of. The Marshal may, as a standard action, select a single ally and grant that ally a morale bonus to the Marshal's choice of the following: AC, attacks, or caster level for the purposes of overcoming Spell Resistance. This bonus is equal to, and lasts for a number of rounds equal to, the Marshal's Charisma modifier. An ally can only be under the effects of one Battle Command at a time.

Unshakable Resolve (Su): At 2nd level, the Marshal's will is harder to break than might be expected. He gains a bonus to all Will saves equal to his Charisma modifier. At 6th level, the Marshal becomes completely immune to all Charm effects. At 12th level, all allies within 100 ft of the Marshal also gain a bonus to their Will saves equal to the Marshal's Charisma modifier.

Incite (Ex): At 2nd level, the Marshal becomes adept at taunting foes through intimidation and fear. Any time the Marshal makes an Intimidate check to demoralize a foe, he may also force the creature to roll a second Will save against the same Intimidate check. Creatures that fail the first save against his demoralize attempt automatically fail the second save. Any creature that fails the second save must divert their attention to the Marshal for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier or until the creature is no longer under a fear effect from his Intimidate check.

Daunting Presence (Ex): At 3rd level, the mere threat from a Marshal becomes a tangible thing in the air about him. Using this to his advantage, the Marshal may make Intimidate checks to demoralize an opponent from up to 30 feet away from the victim. In addition, he gains a competence bonus on all Intimidate checks equal to his Marshal level.

Commander's Aura: Beginning at 4th level, the Marshal begins exuding a powerful aura in the form of a martial stance. At 4th level, and again every 4 levels above that (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th), he may choose a Martial Stance to learn and use from one of the following schools: Devoted Spirit, Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Stone Dragon, and White Raven. At 4th level, he may learn any Martial Stance from these schools up to 2nd level; at 8th, up to 4th level; at 12th, up to 6th level; and at 16th and 20th, 8th and below. The Marshal does not need to meet any prerequisites of the Stance except as stated above.

For a Marshal, switching Martial Stances is more difficult than it is for a Martial Adept. A Marshal must spend an entire round concentrating to switch from one Martial Stance to another. In a Surprise round, if the Marshal is able to act, he may switch his Martial Stance as a Move action.

Special Mount: Beginning at 5th level, the Marshal gains access to a Special Mount, almost identical the Paladin's. For the list of creatures available as mounts, the Marshal uses the Paladin's list and has a Paladin Level equal to his Marshal levels. For determining the bonuses his Special Mount gains, however, he uses the Druid Animal Companion table; instead of gaining Share Spells, the Marshal may opt to gain Share Stance with his Special Mount, allowing the mount to gain the effects of his Martial Stance gained with Commander's Aura. For the purposes of determining how powerful his Special Mount is, the Marshal's Effective Druid Level is equal to his Marshal level -3.

Shield Mastery (Ex): Beginning at 6th level, the Marshal increases his capabilities when wearing a shield. In order for the Marshal to gain any effects from this ability, he must be wearing a shield larger than a buckler (Light, Heavy, Tower, Riding or Extreme). The Marshal adds 1/2 his Marshal levels to the AC bonus granted by his shield, a bonus equal to 1/2 his Marshal levels on all attack rolls made with a Shield Bash attack, and deals damage as if his shield were two size categories larger on all Shield Bash attacks. In addition, if the Marshal uses a Shield Bash in conjunction with a Power Attack, he inflicts 4 additional points of damage for every 1 point of Attack penalty.

Hysteria (Su): The Marshal wills within his allies a sudden urgency and zeal, granting them increased combat prowess and speed. Beginning at 7th level, once per encounter per point of Charisma bonus the Marshal has, he may cause a single ally to be affected as if by the Haste spell for a number of rounds equal to his Marshal levels. Using Hysteria is a Standard Action and if used on an unwilling ally, is considered a Mind-Affecting Effect.

Improved Daunting Presence (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, the Marshal's Daunting Presence ability becomes more powerful. For the Marshal, using Intimidate to demoralize an opponent is a swift action, or may be done during a move action used to move more than 5 feet, or a standard or full-round action to attack.

Ally Surge (Su): The Marshal suppresses his own vim for a moment to empower an ally, granting them a bonus. Beginning at 9th level, the Marshal may, as an Immediate action once per encounter per point of Charisma bonus he has, empower a single ally other than himself. For one round, the ally may act as though they had at least 1 HP, and gain a bonus equal to the Marshal's Charisma modifier on their next save. The Marshal becomes exhausted for 1 round if the ally makes a save granted a bonus by this ability. This ability can't be used on an ally with -10 or less HP, as they are considered dead.

Bastion of Defense (Su): The Marshal raises either his weapon, fist, or pennant high, creating a powerful field of defense for his allies. Beginning at 11th level, the Marshal may, as a standard action, begin channeling a powerful Bastion of Defense. Doing so drains his vitality each round, but grants a powerful boon to all allies within 30 ft. Each round the Marshal maintains the Bastion, all allies within 30 feet gain Spell Resistance equal to (11 + the Marshal's level); however, he also takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage for that round. The Marshal may channel a Bastion of Defense for as long as he is conscious.

Vigilance (Ex): The Marshal of at least 13th level is extremely vigilant, a master of spotting, hearing and reaction. He gains an Insight bonus to his Reflex saves, Spot checks, and Listen checks equal to his Charisma modifier, and can never be surprised. If a Surprise round occurs, the Marshal is always able to act in it.

Mass Hysteria (Su): Beginning at 14th level, the Marshal is able to embroil nearly all his allies near him into a zealous fervor. The Marshal may, once per encounter, affect up to 1 ally per point of Charisma modifier he has with the Hysteria ability in one Standard action, and also instill within his allies the freedom to move when they need it - they are also affected as if by a Freedom of Movement spell for the duration.

Greater Daunting Presence (Ex): Beginning at 15th level, the Marshal can inspire terror in even those that have taken measures to protect themselves from it. A Marshal ignores creatures' immunity to fear or mind-affecting effects whenever he makes an Intimidate check to demoralze that creature. Creatures immune to mind-affecting effects due to mindlessness (such as some undead, constructs and vermin) are still immune to his Intimidation.

Battlefield Paragon (Su): The Marshal becomes the utter point of clarity and concentration during a battle. Beginning at 17th level, allies within 30 feet of the Marshal are able to Take 10 on skill checks made with the skills he has selected that day with Motivating Presence when in combat or in an environment that would make doing so difficult or impossible.

Greater Ally Surge (Su): The Marshal is able to grant his allies an even greater surge of vitality, at a cost to himself. Beginning at 18th level, when the Marshal uses his Ally Surge on an ally, he may opt to grant the ally an additional Swift, Move, or Standard action (the ally receiving the Surge decides). Doing so damages the Marshal's vitality slightly, causing him to take 1d6 points of Constitution damage. This damage wears off in 1 hour. If the Marshal becomes immune to Constitution damage or he reduces the Constitution damage taken to 0, the ally does not gain an additional action.

Not on This Day (Su): The Marshal is able to sacrifice a part of his health to prevent an ally from falling in combat. Beginning at 19th level, whenever an ally drops to -10 hit points or fewer, the Marshal may, as an Immediate action, take a number of points of lethal damage up to one-half the fallen ally's total hit points and heal them for an equal amount. Doing so prevents their death. The Marshal may only use Not on This Day once per day. The Marshal cannot reduce, redirect, or minimize the damage taken by this ability in any way - it penetrates even Damage Reduction/-.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Meant to replace the Marshal from Minis Handbook, though not necessarily to "upgrade" it since it has pretty much all-new abilities.

Apologies if I've forgotten to include usage times or if there are outstanding grammar errors; I'll try to fix them after I get some sleep :smalltongue:

Morph Bark
2011-09-02, 05:56 AM
This makes the Marshal not only a great leader (lovin' Motivating Presence), but also a great tank. Awesomeness! I love how they can just pick an option to improve and roll with that, rather than be tied to something specific.

By the way, where did you get the first picture from? I'd like the know the source. It is awesomely hilarious and great art as well.

Derjuin
2011-09-02, 10:47 AM
This makes the Marshal not only a great leader (lovin' Motivating Presence), but also a great tank. Awesomeness! I love how they can just pick an option to improve and roll with that, rather than be tied to something specific.

By the way, where did you get the first picture from? I'd like the know the source. It is awesomely hilarious and great art as well.

Thanks! Those two were originally my first concerns with the WotC Marshal, since it doesn't seem like it can do either very well. I also wanted to make the class unattractive to dippers (though I employ the practice myself, I don't really like it) by making most of its abilities really improve through time, or be reliant on Marshal levels to work well.

The first picture is by Paulo Henrique S.B. (http://pulyx.deviantart.com/), of DeviantArt/Warcraft Card Game art. The baby in the picture gets me every time :smalltongue:

Morph Bark
2011-09-02, 11:01 AM
Yeah, the style seemed reminiscent of Warcraft art. :smalltongue:

I still think this makes for a great dip, even better than the original Marshal even, but it really offers its best things later on in the build. A dip would be great for skillmonkeys, but that's it. Also great how he gains a few stances, but only that maneuver-wise. Other Marshal fixes do something like that too, but focus more on the Marshal also being a martialist himself, while this class is basically THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP combined with COME AT ME BRO.


Disclaimer: Not actually the power of friendship.

Straybow
2012-02-24, 04:14 PM
Of course it makes a great dip if it has d12s. That d12 is way too high, it should be d8 like the original Marshal. You've already promoted the class back to fighter BAB progression and added some powerful new abilities. Yes, a high commander has to be tough, but command isn't about individual level melee, nor about being the toughest guy on the battlefield. That's what sergeants are for.

I have observed a tendency for hit point inflation in homebrew classes. So, too, for 3rd party publisher classes, and more than a few WotC classes. Lots of arcane caster mods with d6s and fighter types with d12s. Pathfinder promoted arcane casters to d6, almost all mixed martial/arcane classes to d8, and I can't find any class using d4 in pfsrd. Why don't we just promote plain vanilla fighters to d12, after all they're stuck down there on tier 5, right?

Fighter derivatives that emphasize melee should stick to d10s. Only those that make significant overarching character sacrifices, and include significant sacrifices in melee to compensate, should get d12s (prime example: Barbarian). Those that add lots of non-melee powers should be d8 (prime example: Ranger). The Paladin is an example of a compromise, with fewer added powers and some strong restrictions settling back on d10.

I would knock about half the d12 classes and PrCs down to d10s, especially given that chargen is almost always point-buy and the player can build in high Con if one values high HP.

Grey Watcher
2012-02-24, 11:37 PM
Red Watcher: Thread necromancy, therefore thread locked.