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Roderick_BR
2012-06-08, 03:41 PM
Looking for a bit of feedback on some changes I'm making for a game with friends.

Based on a suggestion I saw here a long time ago, I'm removing the original figther class, and giving his bonus feats to a few other melee classes.
From the point of view of the fighter, it's like he now gains class features, depending on which class you are picking.
From that class' point of view, he gains combat-related bonus feats to further customize their style.

Proposed changes:

Barbarian: Remove the Illiteracy feature. It'll be handled separated from the class' abilities.
Add Fighter Bonus Feats at 1st, 2nd, and every other level (4th, 6th, etc...). Any feat with a fighter level requisite, you can substitute with the barbarian's level.
Fluffy-wise, barbarian doesn't need to be just savage warriors, but it's a general name for brutal frontliners. You can call yourself a berzerker, refluffy rage as a form of superfocus, or whatever.
Ranger: Replace the class with the scout's features, aldo dropping spells, animal companion, etc. Keep the good BAB (1:1).
Add Fighter Bonus Feats at 1st, 2nd, and every other level (4th, 6th, etc...). Any feat with a fighter level requisite, you can substitute with the ranger's level.
Fluffy-wise, the ranger is a fast, light-weight warrior, kinda a swashbuckler thing, instead of a wilderness man with magic.
Fighter: For the original, armor-clad warrior, add the Knight's class features, removing alignment restrictions and the mechanic that makes you lose fighting-challenge uses for acting non-lawful (in other words, the knight without the bigger Hit Die, and common Saves for a meeler).
Combine the skill lists, and get 4 skill points/level instead of just 2. Replace the 3 knight's bonus feat for something else (maybe armor/shield related).
To make up for the reduced hit dice and will bonus, we can add abilities to mitigate damage (maybe like the crusader), and mental attacks. Maybe an ability to use the Concentration skill in place of Saves, like that maneuver, but usable with the expense of challenge uses.
I find the knight sort of an spiritual sucessor for the fighter as the heavy armored person. With the fighter's bonus feats, he gets better at combat aside from being the defensive type (compared to the barbarian as a frontliner, and the ranger as a skirmisher).
Also, his challenge abilities are based on badassery and rule of cool instead of just being lawful.

These changes try to make these classes slightly stronger, and easier to customize, as well as giving enough class features to avoid dead levels. It's far from increasing it fully to a Tier 3, but I think it helps.
Also, it disconnects the class itself from specific scenario roles (like the barbarian being just an attacking class), and have all three classes be more like variations of each other, so no one needs to feel like one is "stepping on the toes" of others.

So, any opinions? Gut-reactions, overanalysis and suggestions are welcome.

Just for the record, I know about the tons of fixes out there, and like some of them, but I'm (ironically) trying to avoid excessive micromanagement that some offer (like those prowess points to increase feats, art of war that is not too different from ToB's maneuver, and the like). I'm trying to keep it simple, but fun, and these three base classes looks simple enough, needing just feats (at the most, you need to keep track of Rages or Challenges).
I'll be adding tables later if anyone's interested.

Additional info:

Since I'm removing fixed bonus feats, whose only benefit is removing requisites, I'll add some suggestions, many which were already added in other people's fix, but I'll add my version here:

Dodge: Gives a +1 dodge bonus to AC. once every round, you can choose an opponent as a free action. Against that opponent, you gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to AC for every 5 points of Attack Base Bonus you have, up to a total of +5 (including the base +1) against that opponent.
Shield Proficiency: Added to the default ability, your shield's AC bonus counts against touch attacks, and similar attacks like grapples or swallow whole abilities (see Shield Ward, PHB2).
Shield Specialization: Added to the default ability, any attack penalty from defensive maneuvers (like fighting defensively), doesn't apply to your attacks of opportunity (see Agile Shield Fighter, PHB2).
Improved Shield Bash: Added to the default ability, you can also make off-hand attacks with your shield, taking only a -2 penalty to attack with both a shield and a weapon.
Two Weapon Fighting: Allows you to make one off-hand attack for each attack you can do with your main weapon, with the normal modifiers. One off-hand attack requires Dex 13. Two off-hand attacks requires Dex 15 and BaB +6. Three off-hand attacks requires Dex 17 and BaB +11. Four off-hand attacks requires Dex 19 and BaB 16+. You can make one single off-hand attack as a defaul attack action, during an attack of opportunity, or at the end of a charge.
Two Weapon Defense: Gives +1 AC shield bonus for each 5 points of BaB, whenever you attack with both weapons.

For other classes, I'm planning some more similar changes:

Rogue: Add fighter bonus feats. Since all his features are mostly for his stealthy stuff, he can use the feats for better combat prowess. Let him also use the bonus feats for sneak-attack based feats.
Monk: Add fighter bonus feats. He do need a boost. Replace the monk's bonus feats for better abilities. Give him the whole Stunning Fist line as class features.
Marshall: As an altenative for a spell-less support class, like 4E's warlord. Add fighter bonus feats, and a few stronger daily use abilities, adding the Reserve Points from Unearthed Arcana (also in the D20 hypertext site).

Paladin and Ranger (original, with spells), and maybe the Duskblade as a further default optional class, as well as full casters will be looked over later.