Pathfinder - Aegis, need opinions.

[Emparawr]

Okay so all I need is opinion on one thing.

Do you think trading all the following Aegis abilities combined for two bonus feats is balanced?

Reconfigure
Damage Reduction 2/-
Craft +1
Invigorating Suit

I realize this is a rather strange question but please just run with me. We are trying to fix a character for our latest campaign and im conflicted about this idea. Im tying to decide which not by the rules change idea I should run with and right now this is the one im leaning towards. Thanks in advance.

[Keneth]

Feats can make or break a character. It's hard to balance something as variable as a feat against very specific class features, but you're trading away some pretty powerful abilities so I'd personally allow it.

[Emparawr]

Yeah that was my thinking as well. Hell in pathfinder there arent even any feats to get DR. Only to increase existing DR. I mean if you were a barbarian it would take 2 feats just to raise your DR by 2. Let alone the other stuff, but then again feats are all over the place in terms of power. Idk I think its a pretty fair trade but im still conflicted. I really just didnt want to fudge the rules on this set of characters at all because our last campaign was totally OP homebrew chars, but unless I fudge the rules on this one fixing the char will require giving up some keystone abilities. Still going back and forth on whats more important to me, following the rules completely this time, or making the char the way I really want it to be.

[Keneth]

Why do you need to fix anything? Aegis is fine as it is. :smallconfused:

[Psyren]

I mean if you were a barbarian it would take 2 feats just to raise your DR by 2.

That doesn't mean DR 2/- is strong, it means Barbarians are weak. If you're a Psywar it takes no feats at all (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/b/biofeedback) to do the same thing.

I'm with Keneth - why are you "fixing" the Aegis? It's fine as-is unless the rest of the party is grossly underpowered. (I'm talking Cavaliers and archetypeless Monks.)

[Emparawr]

It would take to long to explain in detail, but long story short, we have a character where the only way to make our concept work required a certain number of customizations from the Aegis class. I had seen the new beta feat Student of the Astral Suit and thought it was a perfect fit for what we needed and we had been running with it. It wasnt until the other day that I was rereading it and realized that the reason it seemed so awesomely good is because we had misread it and it actually required two more levels of Aegis then we had thought. So the only way to fit in those levels and stay as close to the rules as possible is to put in those levels and take out the two level fighter dip, but then the character wont have the right feats at the right time for what we have planned, also the level 2 and 3 Aegis abilities really dont fit the char. Hence my idea was to replace all the level 2 and 3 abilities with the two bonus feats needed for the char to work out. I think overall its a fair trade and I think im going to run with it.

[Keneth]

Why not just change the feat prerequisites, rather than the whole class? :smallconfused:

[Chained Birds]

Why not just change the feat prerequisites, rather than the whole class? :smallconfused:

It might be that the Build needs more feats to make it work, like Dodge and Mobility or something silly.

[Emparawr]

This build is multiclassed from about 7 different sources in order to put together the correct set of abilities for the concept we wanted to create, including


Soulknife/Soulbolt/Gifted Blade
Marksman/Kaigun
Monk/Zen Archer
Aegis
Soul Archer
Psychic Warrior/Martial Kineticist
Fighter/Archer


So by altering the level 2 and 3 Aegis abilities im not changing an entire class because this char is only taking 3 levels in it. Truthfully I felt that simply changing the prerequisite for the feat to just needing one level in Aegis would be more of a cheat or a bending the rules change or whatever then still taking the proper levels but trading out abilities that dont work for this build. Simply removing a price that should rightfully be paid for the feat felt like and outright cheat. This idea feels like a fair trade.

Yes I could have done either but I felt like paying the proper price and then making a fair trade was more.......legit I guess, then simply choosing to not pay the price for such a wonderful feat. Truthfully I really didn't want to make any bending the rules changes to this char at all if I could help it. I really really wanted it to be 100% legit but I've come to an impasse so I have to decide one way or the other.

Does my viewpoint on this make any sense?

[Psyren]

To be honest you completely lost me but it sounds like you're comfortable with what you've decided so... godspeed I guess?

[Emparawr]

lol thanks. Yeah I have to admit, this character is probably the most complicated I've ever made, short of the 100% home brew ones but yeah I guess Im pretty comfortable with the decision. A little disappointed that I couldn't make the concept work 100% legit but I can live with it. It is after all..... just a game :)