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View Full Version : The Paragon [high-tier feat-based class]



Belial_the_Leveler
2013-05-18, 05:43 PM
The Paragon
http://a142.idata.over-blog.com/258x299/1/82/86/97/et-de-4--/conandestroyer-copie-1.jpg
The great champion. The ranger. The warlord. The duelist. The assassin. The brute. The martial artist. All those archetypes epitomize different aspects of physical prowess and skill; they might follow different paths but their abilities are still based off their raw talent and physical ability developed after years or even decades of training and experience in pushing their bodies past their strictly mortal physical limits and into the realm of legend.

The Paragon does not focus upon any of those archetypes exclusively; he (or she) is the wandering warrior, the zenmaster, the man (or woman) that seeks to master any and all styles of physical combat, regardless of origin. Any weapon, any style, any form of fighting and physical prowess and trained skill is available to the Paragon eventually, until they are legends capable of challenging even the gods.

Hit Die: d10 Skills/HD: 3
Class Skills: all based off Str, Dex or Con

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Improved Feat Knowledge

2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0|

3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Stunt

4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|

5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Quick To Master

6th|+6/+1|+5|+2|+2|

7th|+7/+2|+5|+2|+2|Heroic Stunt

8th|+8/+3|+6|+2|+2|

9th|+9/+4|+6|+3|+3|Gradual Recovery

10th|+10/+5|+7|+3|+3|

11th|+11/+6/+1|+7|+3|+3|Paragon Stunt

12th|+12/+7/+2|+8|+4|+4|

13th|+13/+8/+3|+8|+4|+4|Adaptive Technique

14th|+14/+9/+4|+9|+4|+4|

15th|+15/+10/+5|+9|+5|+5|Epic Stunt

16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+5|+5|

17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+5|+5|Reactive Technique

18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+6|+6|

19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+6|+6|

20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+6|+6|Legendary Stunt

[/table]

Improved Feat Knowledge [Ex]
A Paragon studies more techniques and feats than most people even hear of in a lifetime, let alone learn. At each class level, the Paragon learns 2 feats they have access to. In addition, if they observe a feat even once, they can spend 8 hours of meditation and preparation to also add it to their feats known. The gain all knowledge of such techniques and adapt their body to use them.
But not even a paragon can use all the feats he knows at once. A Paragon instead has a number of feat slots depending on his level; those slots represent how many feats they can attune their bodies to at once and use. A Paragon requires 15 minutes of preparation after a standard rest to fill up those slots; once this is done, they have access to all memorized feats as if they were normal choices - except when stunting, the paragon doesn't expend memorized feats, only use them.
As Paragons increase in power and experience, they get access to more complicated feats, to the point of gaining abilities only heard of in legends; a paragon may use their 1st level slots for any feats with skill/BAB perequisites up to rank 7 without meeting such perequisites (but still have to meet any other perequisites). For every 1 higher slot level, the max skill/BAB requirement waived increases by 5. To waive a specific class or race requirement (including monstrous races), increase the level by 1 more. To waive an ability score requirement increase the level by 1 for every 6 total points the Paragon is below requirement. To waive a specific special ability/quality requirement, increase the level by 2 - but while the Paragon might get the feat, that feat might still be unusable without the base ability. Level increases stack. Paragons of sufficient level can (and should) get Epic feats into their feat slots.


Stunt/Heroic Stunt/Paragon Stunt/Epic Stunt/Legendary Stunt [Ex]
While a Paragon normally retains attuned feats over long periods, they can also exert themselves to perform at extraordinary levels at the cost of fatigue.
A paragon can Stunt as a free action; they can expend a feat slot to double the bonus of a feat contained within for a number of rounds equal to the slot's level. After this time, they lose access to the slot (and the feat) until they recover. Only one stunt may be active at a time; activating a new one ends any previously activated and the slots remain expended.
Heroic Stunting allows the expenditure of two slots at once.
Paragon Stunting allows the expenditure of slots as a free action to gain the benefit of a single [Ex] ability of the Barbarian, Rogue, Monk, Ranger or Fighter for a number of rounds equal to half the total level of slots expended. The ability cannot be a feat and functions at a level equal to the paragon's class level - only one ability may be active at a time.
Epic Stunting allows the activation of either [Ex] abilities or doubling feat bonuses as an immediate action such as activating Evasion if hit by a fireball.
Legendary Stunting enabled the Paragon to perform truly Legendary feats; they can enhance a number of feats or activate a number of abilities simultaneously equal to their Constitution modifier.

Quick to Master [Ex]
As a paragon advances in experience, they can attune their bodies faster; with Quick to Master a Paragon can exchange one attuned feat for another after 1 minute of concentration without the need of rest.

Gradual Recovery [Ex]
Like all soldiers everywhere, the paragon knows rest is not always readily available. Not only they learn to rest when they can but they can also partially recover from their exertions without resting fully; a Paragon can recover a feat slot by resting for a number of minutes equal to its level, though he recovers only one slot at a time.

Adaptive Technique [Ex]
A Paragon with this level of mastery has learned to attune with an act of concentration. As a move action, they can change an attuned feat for another.

Reactive Technique [Ex]
True masters of rapid attunement, Paragons with reactive technique can, once per round, exchange an attuned feat for another at least a level lower as an immediate action.


{table=head]
Daily Feat Attunements
{table=head]Level |_1_|_ 2 _|_ 3 _|_ 4 _|_ 5 _|_ 6 _|_ 7 _|_ 8 _|_ 9 _
1st | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2nd | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
3rd | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
4th | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
5th | 6 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
6th | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
7th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
8th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - |
9th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
10th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | - |
11th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - |
12th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | - |
13th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | - | - |
14th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - |
15th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | - |
16th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - |
17th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
18th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
19th | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
20th | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
[/table][/table]

FreakyCheeseMan
2013-05-18, 09:36 PM
In addition, if they observe a feat even once, they can spend 8 hours of meditation and preparation to also add it to their feats known. The gain all knowledge of such techniques and adapt their body to use them.

This is way too vague, and way too much trouble. Trust me, you don't want to make the DM read off every feat that every monster or NPC they encounter has.


Paragons of sufficient level can (and should) get Epic feats into their feat slots.

Leaving aside for the moment the fact that epic feats are mostly either useless or broken... you don't have an explicit definition of when the Paragon could get them. None of the rules for waiving requirements mention character level - the closest would be the ban on a specific quality, which would mean picking epic feats as 3rd level feats, which is just... awful. Or did you just mean that epic Paragons can use Epic feats?

And, in general... sorry, but no. Feats just aren't really good class features; they're certainly powerful, having bonus feats can compliment a class, but the way 95% of feats are written, they're tools that can support existing options, but not really provide that much power in and of themselves.

That being said, this class is also wildly unpredictable, which is not
a good thing - it means that neither you nor the DMs who'd be approving it will really have any idea how or at what level it will function, which means that it's impossible to correctly balance. My first instinct, however, is that this will be badly overpowered at low levels, and either mediocre or munchin-broken at high. It also requires a staggering amount of paperwork and knowledge to play (or to plan for), which, again, is not good.

You might also want to consider the (quite wild) applications this class would have to those who only took a one or two level dip - being able to take flexible feats isn't really enough for a good class in itself, but it's a ludicrous bonus to give to classes that already have real class features.

Last note - Stunting is ill-defined. "Doubling the Bonus" makes sense for some feats (Weapon Focus), but very little for a whole lot of other ones.