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Phosphate
2012-05-11, 05:22 PM
The Skillful Pragmatist

The Skillful Pragmatist is a handyman like no other: jack of all trades, master of some, better than masters at 2 or 3. And most importantly, he can effectually translate his vast expertise into battle using clever techniques, suggestion, and sometimes plain old brawn.

Alignment
Any.

Hit Die
d8.

Class Skills: All of them.
Skill Points: 8 + Int modifier (x4 at 1st level)

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |
Cap Expansion|
Masteries

1st|+1|+0|+0|+0|Tried and True, Cold Hearted Killer|
0|
1

2nd|+2|+0|+0|+0|Step Back|
0|
1

3rd|+3|+1|+1|+1|Bodily Ascent|
0|
1

4th|+4|+1|+1|+1|Spot Weakness, Mental Discipline|
1|
1

5th|+5|+1|+1|+1|Costly Miss|
1|
1

6th|+6/+1|+2|+2|+2|Slight Above Average, Sudden Danger|
1|
2

7th|+7/+2|+2|+2|+2|Peace Cry|
1|
2

8th|+8/+3|+2|+2|+2|Hold Position|
2|
2

9th|+9/+4|+3|+3|+3|Vertical Dodge, Syncretism|
2|
2

10th|+10/+5|+3|+3|+3|Epiphany|
2|
2

11th|+11/+6/+1|+3|+3|+3|Stride|
2|
3

12th|+12/+7/+2|+4|+4|+4|Expectant|
3|
3

13th|+13/+8/+3|+4|+4|+4|I Refuse to Die|
3|
3

14th|+14/+9/+4|+4|+4|+4|Well Above Average, Dismantler|
3|
3

15th|+15/+10/+5|+5|+5|+5|Spot from Afar|
3|
3

16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+5|+5|+5|Quick Fix|
4|
4

17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+5|Shortcuts|
4|
4

18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+6|+6|+6|Mind Pattern, Focus|
4|
4

19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+6|+6|+6|Rip the Veil|
4|
4

20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+6|+6|+6|Jack of all trades, master of all|
5|
4

[/table]

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the skillful pragmatist. All of the features are extraordinary in nature.

Multiclassing Penalty: A character whose character level is double his pragmatist class level or higher loses all class features.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A pragmatist is proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, and light shields. Whenever he levels, except the first level, he may expend up to 8 skill points to gain proficiency with one martial or exotic weapon per 2 points.

Cap Expansion: A pragmatist adds the listed number to the maximum rank he can have in all skills.

Masteries: At level 1, and every 5 levels thereafter, choose 1 skill. You have maximum ranks in those skills. When you select a skill in this manner, you may choose to redistribute any skill points you have in that skill to other skills. You may do so only once with the skill.

Tried and True: You may add your wis mod instead of your int mod for skill points gained per level.

Cold Hearted Killer: You may add your intimidate rank/2 (rounded down) to one melee damage roll per round. Also, after you murder an opponent in battle, in the same round, you may use intimidate on another opponent as a swift action.

Step Back: By level 2, whenever an opponent attacks you in melee combat and misses, if your ranks in Escape Artist are higher than his BaB, you may then immediately move up to 10 feet+5 feet for every size you are above medium in any direction, as long as it is a straight line. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Bodily Ascent: By level 3, whenever you are grappling with a foe, you may make a Climb check as a full round action against the foe's AC to get on top of him. You get a -4 penalty for every size the target is smaller and a +2 bonus for every size the target is larger than you. If you succeed the check, the grapple ends, you may move in any square adjacent to the target, the target cannot grapple you next round, and the target receives damage equal to double your unarmed strike damage, plus your str mod. Additionally, the target must make a reflex save against a DC of 10+Climb Ranks/2+Str mod or fall prone.

Spot Weakness: By level 4, you may make a Search check as a standard action against a creature 60 feet away or less that is immune to criticals. For every point that the search beats 25, you and your allies will be able to deal critical and precision damage to the target for 1 round.

Mental Discipline: By level 4, you may use Wis as relevant modifier instead of Cha or Int for all cha and int-based skills.

Costly Miss: By level 5, whenever you are missed by a melee attack, you may make a Bluff roll opposed by your opponent's Balance roll. If you win, everyone attacking the opponent for 2 rounds will gain the benefit of flanking.

Slight Above Average: By level 6, you may take 12 instead of 10 with all skills that allow you to take 10.

Sudden Danger: By level 6, you may make a Move Silently check against a specific opponent's Listen check as a nonaction at the beginning of the round. If you win, and then charge that opponent and hit him in melee, treat him as flat-footed during the attack, and dazed the following round if you don't miss.

Peace Cry: By level 7, as an immediate action, when an opponent succeeded on an attack roll against you, you may make a diplomacy check with the DC equal to the attack roll. If you beat the attack roll, subtract every point of the difference from the damage you receive. You can only use this feature on creatures that have 3 Int or more and 20 Wis or less.

Hold Position: By level 8, when you are targeted by a full attack, if your ranks in Balance exceed the opponent's BaB, and the first attack misses you, the opponent instantly loses all other attacks and ends his round.

Vertical Dodge: A level 9 pragmatist with at least 8 ranks in Jump cannot be tripped. Furthermore, he may make Jump checks instead of reflex saves.

Syncretism: Synergy gives +3 to skill use instead of +2.

Epiphany: By level 10, after you deal lethal damage to an opponent in melee, you may make a Knowledge (Religion) check opposed to his Sense Motive as a swift action. If you win, the opponent cannot attack you for 1 round.

Stride: By level 11, you may ignore difficult terrain for a number of rounds from the beginning of the encounter equal to the number of ranks in Knowledge (Nature) added to the number of ranks in Knowledge (Local).

Expectant: By level 12, you may make a Sense Motive check against an opponent's Bluff or Hide check (his choice) as a swift action. If you win, you ignore his concealment, if any, and gain a +4 insight bonus to the attack roll. You may subsequently use this as an immediate action when you are being attacked. If you do, you gain a +4 insight bonus to AC.

I Refuse to Die: By level 13, you may make a survival check right after a critical hit is confirmed against you. Whatever damage it deals, it will leave you with either as many hit points you have now, or 15, whichever is higher. Also, whatever damage it deals, you don't need to save against death from massive damage.

Well Above Average: By level 14, you may take 14 instead of 12 with all skills that allow you to take 10.

Dismantler: By level 14, once per round, you may add your Knowledge (Engineering) ranks to damage when attacking objects or constructs, or add half your Disable Device ranks to attack roll against a construct or living construct (you cannot do both).

Spot from Afar: By level 15, when you are attacked with a ranged weapon or ranged touch attack, you can make a spot check with the DC equal to the attack roll+1 for every 50 feet. If you win, gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against that attack only.

Quick Fix: By level 16, if your hit points are equal to your Heal rank or lower, you may choose to gain 10 hit points as a swift action per round.

Shortcuts: By level 17, you may use Dimension Door Knowledge (the planes) ranks/4 per day, with a caster level equal to half your character level.

Mind Pattern: By level 18, you may use Detect Thoughts at will with a caster level equal to your ranks in Decipher Script, but only if your Sense Motive and Concentration ranks are 8 or higher.

Focus: By level 18, you may take 14 on all skills under any conditions, except being unconscious, sleeping, or dead.

Rip the Veil: By level 19, you may become ethereal OR incorporeal for a number of rounds per day equal with your ranks in Escape Artist.

Jack of all trades, master of all: At level 20, you gain 1 rank in all untrained skills and 2 ranks in all trained skills.

Grod_The_Giant
2012-05-11, 06:25 PM
I'm not sure why you're calling this an NPC class-- it's well on its way to being a very cool PC class.

Phosphate
2012-05-12, 01:19 PM
I'm not sure why you're calling this an NPC class-- it's well on its way to being a very cool PC class.

Because there are only two types of PC classes that are good:

- Customizable classes, where no two members are the same.
- Barbarians.


Anyway, I'm done. You may PEACH.

JoshuaZ
2012-05-12, 01:32 PM
Can you get back the skill points you put in a skill after you used Mastery? If not, this will lead to people deliberately using Mastery on skills they have few ranks in, which seems weird. It might make sense to specify that you then get to reallocate the skill points from the skill.

Also, I'm a little concerned about the cap bonus. Skill caps are one of the basic ways that PrCs and feats are limited. There's a lot of potential abuse with that sort of thing.

Phosphate
2012-05-12, 04:51 PM
Can you get back the skill points you put in a skill after you used Mastery? If not, this will lead to people deliberately using Mastery on skills they have few ranks in, which seems weird. It might make sense to specify that you then get to reallocate the skill points from the skill.

You don't. If you could tell me a reasonable way I could implement that, though, I'm listening.


Also, I'm a little concerned about the cap bonus. Skill caps are one of the basic ways that PrCs and feats are limited. There's a lot of potential abuse with that sort of thing.

You PrC too much, you lose the benefits of the class (since you lose all class features if your char level si twice your class level or higher).

Hiro Protagonest
2012-05-12, 05:20 PM
Because there are only two types of PC classes that are good:

- Customizable classes, where no two members are the same.
So everyone takes the same skills and feats?

- Barbarians.

And it's impossible to make another one?

Yeah, this class is definitely more powerful than an NPC class. And more versatile. Damage bonuses, swift action uses, inflicting special conditions, turning incorporeal as a near-capstone... I don't care if it has all bad saves. This is a tier 4, maybe low tier 3 with the right feats. The expert has less skill points, less class skills, lower hit die, lower attack bonus, and no class features, the only better thing it has is a good will save. And it's not built around having good will saves.

JoshuaZ
2012-05-12, 11:47 PM
You don't. If you could tell me a reasonable way I could implement that, though, I'm listening.

How about just "When you select a skill in this manner, you may choose to redistribute any skill points you have in that skill to other skills. You may do so only once with the skill. [/quote]



You PrC too much, you lose the benefits of the class (since you lose all class features if your char level si twice your class level or higher).

Hmm, yeah the rate of progression isn't so bad to be completely abusable, although it may be an issue for feats a little bit. This will become most severe when you hit epic levels, for example, you can pick up "Legendary Tracker" a few levels before you would be able to normally, and a few other feats. Where this would really shine is in a gestalt game, but I don't think that's a regular balance point. Overall, my concerns seem to be overblown. It shouldn't be an issue.

Phosphate
2012-05-13, 12:52 AM
So everyone takes the same skills and feats?

No, but as I've been often told around these forums, skills and feats don't make a real difference, except for PrC tax.


Yeah, this class is definitely more powerful than an NPC class. And more versatile. Damage bonuses, swift action uses, inflicting special conditions, turning incorporeal as a near-capstone... I don't care if it has all bad saves. This is a tier 4, maybe low tier 3 with the right feats. The expert has less skill points, less class skills, lower hit die, lower attack bonus, and no class features, the only better thing it has is a good will save. And it's not built around having good will saves.

I'd imagine it's a full tier 3 by the definition of doing 1 thing really good (in this case, battle) and excelling at many others. It's weaker than the Factotum though.


How about just "When you select a skill in this manner, you may choose to redistribute any skill points you have in that skill to other skills. You may do so only once with the skill.

Appears to be legitimate.


Where this would really shine is in a gestalt game, but I don't think that's a regular balance point.

Making balanced classes for gestalt is...hard XD. I know I'm not good enough to attempt one.

Tarvon000
2012-05-13, 08:15 AM
Because there are only two types of PC classes that are good:

- Customizable classes, where no two members are the same.
- Barbarians.

I don't see why this class couldn't be customizable. All you'd need to do is add more abilities that require skill checks/ranks to use, but only allow the skillful pragmatist to gain one of them per level.

JoshuaZ
2012-05-13, 09:37 AM
Minor note- Cold Hearted Killer should probably involve dropping a opponent rather than "murdering" which isn't a mechanically defined term. Also, Syncretism should probably be +4 rather than +3. Also, I'm not at all convinced that the multiclassing penalty is necessary or helpful (it seems not fluffable easily and doesn't seem like a necessary restriction in any useful fashion).


I don't see why this class couldn't be customizable. All you'd need to do is add more abilities that require skill checks/ranks to use, but only allow the skillful pragmatist to gain one of them per level.

I agree. The obvious levels to put them at would be 3,7,11,15,19. Suggested change to help make things customizable:

Starting at level 2, every two pragmatist levels count as an effective fighter level for qualifying for feats.

At levels, 3,7,11,15,19, you get one of the following:

1) Pick a skill. Whenever you would be able to take 10 on the skill you may instead take 15, and you can do so even when rushed or threatened. You may take this option multiple times. Each time you do, you pick a new skill.

2) Gain a fighter bonus feat you meet the pre-requisites for. You may take this option multiple times. Each time you do, pick another feat you meet the prerequisites for.

3) Gain 1d6 sneak attack. You may take this option multiple times.

4) Gain Open Minded as a bonus feat. You may take this option multiple times.

That should be enough to add some decent customizable options.

Hiro Protagonest
2012-05-13, 07:58 PM
I'd imagine it's a full tier 3 by the definition of doing 1 thing really good (in this case, battle) and excelling at many others. It's weaker than the Factotum though.

So, it's stronger than rogue, and you're still calling it an NPC class. Adept, the best NPC class due to casting from a varied spell list, is about on par with rogue.