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aimlessPolymath
2017-09-21, 04:10 PM
This was a contest entry I put up a while back. I wanted to make a "scrappy underdog" that still functioned at high level. I'm not 100% on how it turned out- I started running out of good abilities for higher levels. Every Tool I Can Use should probably be a Underhanded Maneuver, for example, I'd like more Defensive Tactics, etc. That said, I'm extremely happy with how By The Skin Of Your Teeth turned out.
PEACH!


The Cowardly Hero

Put an optional image of your class here!

I don't have the luxury of strength.

Not all heroes are powerful. Some of them are forced into adventure, despite their unreadiness. Many find a source of strength. Many die. The rest learn how to stack the deck.

Adventures: Cowards are pulled into adventure forcibly, and do their best to escape it. Some are driven by their conscience, and are guilt-tripped into it, others are paid or bribed into it,

Characteristics: A Coward is an expert at stacking a situation in his favor, setting traps, crippling his opponent, and using guile and trickery to prevent themselves from getting pinned down.

Alignment: Cowards can come in all alignments, though most tend to neither be lawful or chaotic. They're often just trying to get by, but trouble comes looking for them.

Religion: A Coward is relatively opportunistic religion-wise; they tend to follow whatever deity responds best at this particular time (or all deities at once, in a general cry for help)

Background: Nobody tries to become a Coward- it's forced upon them by the situation around them.

Races: Every race has Cowards

Other Classes: Cowards dislike most classes except for monks and wizards- they understand the appeal of secluding onesself in study. Safe, boring study. They dislike paladins and clerics in particular for their tendency to pull them into trouble.

Role: A Coward fulfills some of the same roles as a rogue- they attempt to disable key opponents. However, where a Rogue fights offensively, a Coward fights defensively, attempting to find an opportunity to destroy his foe decisively.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Cowards's have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence- the first two to survive the situations they're dragged into, the third to think of a way out.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: As barbarian
Starting Gold: As rogue.

Class Skills
Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Hide, Jump, Listen, Sense Motive, Slight of Hand, Spot, Survival, Swim.

Move Silently intentionally omitted.


Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

CCoward


Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Special


1st

+0

+0

+2

+0
Every Advantage +1d6, Skin of your Teeth+4


2nd

+1

+0

+3

+0
Defensive Tactics


3rd

+1

+1

+3

+1
Every Advantage+2d6, Pragmatic Maneuvers


4th

+2

+1

+4

+1
Evasion


5th

+2

+1

+4

+1
Every Advantage +3d6, Trap Sense +1


6th

+3

+2

+5

+2
Gotten Used To It, Defensive Tactics


7th

+3

+2

+5

+2
Every Advantage +4d6,Danger Sense


8th

+4

+2

+6

+2
Pragmatic Maneuvers


9th

+4

+3

+6

+3
Every Advantage +5d6, Brutal Tactics, Trap Sense +2


10th

+5

+3

+7

+3
Defensive Tactics, Get Back Up


11th

+5

+3

+7

+3
Every Advantage +6d6, Gotten Used to It


12th

+6/+1

+4

+8

+4
Please Please Please Please I'll Never Ask For Anything Else Ever


13th

+6/+1

+4

+8

+4
Every Advantage +7d6, Trap Sense +3, Underhanded Maneuvers


14th

+7/+2

+4

+9

+4
Flight or Flight


15th

+7/+2

+5

+9

+5
Every Advantage +8d6, Improved Evasion


16th

+8/+3

+5

+10

+5
Gotten Used to It


17th

+8/+3

+5

+10

+5
Every Advantage +9d6, Trap Sense +4, Underhanded Maneuvers


18th

+9/+4

+6

+11

+6
Saw It Coming


19th

+9/+4

+6

+11

+6
Every Advantage +10d6, Class Ability


20th

+10/+5

+6

+12

+6
Favored By Fortune



Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Coward

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Coward is proficient in light armor and simple weapons.

Every Advantage(Ex):: A Coward recognizes his lack of combat skill from the beginning, and learns to capitalize on every advantage available to them. Against creatures who are shaken, sickened, fatigued, dazed, staggered, exhausted, frightened, nauseated, entangled, prone, grappled, panicked, unarmed, or denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, the Coward adds half their level to their attack rolls, and deals +1d6 damage. This bonus increases by 1d6 points every odd level.


Unarmed? For the purposes of this ability, having a weapon or natural attack of any kind makes you count as armed- even a bow. Improved Unarmed Strike gives you protection as a result.


Skin of your Teeth: A Coward is difficult to pin down in combat, but in a sustained fight, they find themselves flagging quickly. While wearing light or no armor, as a free action which can be taken outside of their own turn or in response to attacks against them, a Coward can grant themselves a +4 dodge bonus to AC against the next attack made against them. However, each time they do so, they must accept one of the following penalties. They cannot accept a penalty if they are already affected by the given condiiton, or if they are immune to it:
-Sickened for 1 round
-Nauseated for 1 round
-Fatigued for 1d4 minutes
-Exhausted for 1d4 minutes
They can accept multiple penalties, commensurately multiplying the dodge bonus.
Furthermore, they may fall prone as an immediate action. The bonus this ability grants increases by 1 at 6th level and every four thereafter.

Balance notes: Yes, a level 1 Coward can conceivably dodge the strikes of a 20th level fighter almost automatically- once. It's balanced roughly around dodging one attack easily, a second attack by sacrificing your next action (a "full defense" which you pay for later), and then having two last resorts if you're in trouble.


Defensive Tactics: At 2nd level, at 6th level, and at 10th level, a Coward gains either Oh Jeez I Don't Want to Die; I Should Probably Dodge That; Run Like the Wind; or La La La I Can't Hear You Talking In My Head as a bonus feat (all listed below). If they already have all of those feats, they may instead pick another general feat which has no prerequisites as a bonus feat.

Pragmatic Attacks: Starting at 3rd level, a Coward gains a bonus equal to half their level to checks made to grapple, trip, feint, and disarm their opponents, and can use their Dexterity bonus instead of their Strength for the purpose of such checks. Furthermore, they may begin learning more unusual combat techniques, vying lower and lower in their attempts to gain an advantage. They learn one at 3rd level, and another at 8th level.


Bluffing Threat: Rather than intimidating their foes through martial might, the Coward can simply lie through their teeth. Whenever the Coward could make an Intimidate check, they can instead bluff their skill. This requires a Bluff check, and is opposed by both a Sense Motive check and the normal level check. However, the Coward can choose to adjust the believability of his lie, applying a penalty of any size to one of the opposed rolls at the expense of granting an equal bonus to the other. Furthermore, a creature who made the Sense Motive check may as a free action give all creatures which can understand him a second Sense Motive roll; no creature can reroll the skill check more than once. When this is used to demoralize creatures, the effect lasts for 1d4 minutes or until the Coward is reduced below half health.

Crippling Blow: This maneuver acts as a trip attempt, except that the creature is sickened for 2d4 rounds instead if the attempt succeeds. Improved Trip and similar feats do not affect this maneuver.

Kicking Up Dust: This maneuver acts as a trip attempt, except that the creature is blinded for 1 round instead if the attempt succeeds. Improved Trip and similar feats do not affect this maneuver.

Hit 'em where it Hurts: The Coward gains the Stunning Fist feat, and may bypass the normal prerequisites; however, they specifically do not gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Each two Coward levels count as a monk level for the purposes of uses of Stunning Fist.

Explicitly called out not gaining Imp. Unarmed Strike because it matters- this provokes attacks of opportunity, since you count as unarmed. I consider this fair, because other combat maneuvers also need a feat to avoid provoking.


Make Them Sweat For It: When an enemy misses the Coward at least two times consecutively within two rounds, they become fatigued for 1d4 rounds. If they continue to miss attacks in following rounds, they continue to be fatigued.

Swift Moves: Whenever the Coward takes the full defense action, they add half their Skin of your Teeth bonus to their AC.


Evasion: At 4th level, a Coward gains evasion, as the rogue ability. At 15th level, this improves to improved evasion.

Trap Sense: Starting at 5th level, a Coward develops a finely-tuned sense for danger. They gain the Trap Sense ability, as the rogue class feature, with the bonus increasing by 1 at 9th level and every 4 thereafter.

Gotten Used To It: A Coward of at least 6th level may use Skin of your Teeth once per round without accepting a penalty. At 11th level, they may do this twice per round, and at 16th level, they may do it three times per round.

Danger Sense(Ex): Starting at 7th level, a Coward has developed a finely tuned sense for when things are about to become violent. They no longer lose their Dexterity bonus to AC when surprised; furthermore, they may make a Sense Motive check opposed by a Bluff check automatically to avoid being surprised when a creature they can see attacks them.

Brutal Tactics: Starting at 9th level, whenever they attack a creature who is exhausted, frightened, nauseated, helpless, or panicked, the Coward deals an additional 1d6 damage per four levels, in addition to the bonus from Every Advantage. Alternatively, if they are under the effects of at least two of the conditions listed under Every Advantage other then Denied Dexterity Bonus to AC, they can deal this extra damage.

Alternative formulation: pretend that being nauseated counts as being sickened also, exhausted also counts as fatigued, and so on. Thus, each of them counts for two conditions.
Also, "denied Dexterity bonus to AC" is not a discrete condition.


Get Back Up: At 10th level, the Coward starts to take better care of himself. Ability damage and burn heals at twice the normal rate. Hit point damage is fully restored over a full rest, no matter how battered the Coward is.

Underhanded Maneuvers: At 13th level, the Coward no longer provokes attacks of opportunity for combat maneuvers, or for making attacks unarmed. Furthermore, you have learned never to scorn a tool, and become proficient with improvised weapons. Finally, you learn a new twist on the maneuvers you already know, and another at level 17:

Hunker Down: Whenever you take the full defense action, you gain half your Skin of your Teeth bonus to all saving throws.

Scare Off: When you succeed on an Intimidate check to demoralize creatures, they become frightened for 1d6 rounds.

Take To The Ground: Whenever you succeed on a grapple check against a creature, you can pull them to the ground, rendering both them and you prone.

Gut Punch: You gain the Pain Touch feat. It also nauseates the target in the round where you stun the target. Requirements: Stunning Fist feat.

Outlast: When a creature who is fatigued misses you with an attack, they become exhausted for 1 round.

Into The Wall: When you trip a creature who is adjacent to a wall, you may make an attack against them as though you were using the wall against them, as though it were an improvised weapon. If this attack hits, they are staggered for 1 round, but take no damage.

A Close Shave: When you attack a creature no more than a size category larger than you with a slashing weapon, you can give up 3d6 of your Every Advantage damage to blind them for 1d6 rounds, or until they receive at least 1 point of healing or a DC 15 Heal check.

Stop That, You: Once per round, when a creature attacks you and misses, you may make a disarm attempt against them as an attack of opportunity.

Look Over There: When you succeed on a feint attempt against a creature, they are unable to make attacks of opportunity against you until their next turn.

Every Tool I Can Use: You learn how to tweak and modify your tools to get the most out of them. You can craft alchemical items as though you were a spellcaster. Furthermore, by spending 1 minute working with a poison, up to three sets of caltrops or alchemical item, you may modify it for your use, making any number of the following changes to it:
-If it has a saving throw DC, that DC is increased to 10 + 1/2 the Coward's level if it is lower, then increased by his Intelligence bonus regardless. An item can only gain this modification once.
-If it is an item which is used to deal damage, the Coward increases that damage to 1d6 per four Coward levels. This applies to all forms of damage dealt other than ability damage/drain, including splash damage from alchemical fire, caltrops, and so on.
-If it is some number of sets of caltrop of some kind, the Coward may place them in a quick-release bag- as a swift action, he can release the bag, automatically dropping caltrops in up to that many adjacent squares. Caltrops placed this way gain a bonus to the attack roll equal to half the Coward's level.
-If it is a splash weapon (such as an inhaled poison, alchemical fire or acid, thunderstone or smokestick), he can convert it into a trap which occupies one square. When a creature steps on it, the weapon detonates automatically, as though it had been activated and struck the ground in that square (and so affecting adjacent squares as appropriate for the item). A trap can be dropped in a square as a swift action, or placed carefully as a full-round action. In the first case, the process of dropping the trap can be disguised with a Sleight of Hand check opposed by all who can see the Coward, but has a Search DC of 15; in the second case, the process of dropping the trap cannot be disguised, but the Search DC to find the trap is increased to 15 + the Coward's level + his Intelligence bonus.


Please Please Please Please I'll Never Ask For Anything Else Ever: But you will. Once per day, a Coward of at least level 12 can replicate the effect of any Cleric spell of spell level up to half their Coward level; they do not have to provide expensive spell components for this. Once used, this ability cannot be used again (in addition to the daily limit) until a donation of cost equal to that of a scroll of the cast spell is made to a church of the appropriate deity petitioned.

Flight or Flight: At 14th level, a Coward can ready two actions with the same standard action, setting a different triggering condition for each. When the first of them is triggered, the other readied action is discharged.

DODGE: At 16th level, whenever an attack misses the Coward, if he'd used Skin of his Teeth against the attack, he may take a 5 ft step as an immediate action.

Saw It Coming (Ex): At 18th level, the Coward can see trouble coming from a mile away. They are continuously affected by the foresight spell.

Favored By Fortune(Ex): At 20th level, the Coward gains a special place in the books of the god of luck- as a favored toy. Once per round, the Coward can cause any attack against them or saving throw they make to be rerolled once, and choose which roll is used. If any abilities which could cause those dice to be rerolled are used, the Coward chooses which roll is used.



New Feats:

Oh Jeez I Don't Want to Die[General]:
You can push your body beyond its normal limits when needed to save your life.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits:
You may deal yourself 2 points of Strength damage to reroll a Fortitude save; if you do, you gain a +3 bonus to the rerolled save. You must do this after you made the roll, but before the DM has announced the results.

I Should Probably Dodge That[General]:
By pushing your mind, you recognize the need to dodge before others do.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits:
You may deal yourself 2 points of Intelligence damage to reroll a Reflex save; if you do, you gain a +3 bonus to the rerolled save. You must do this after you made the roll, but before the DM has announced the results.


La La La I Can't Hear You Talking In My Head[General]:
You can push people out of your head by force of sheer personality.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits:
You may deal yourself 2 points of Charisma damage to reroll a Will save; if you do, you gain a +3 bonus to the rerolled save. You must do this after you made the roll, but before the DM has announced the results.

Run like the Wind[General]
Or like Rincewind, at least.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits: You gain a bonus of +20 ft to all your speeds while Frightened or Panicked, and a +4 untyped bonus to AC while panicked. Furthermore, as a free action up to three times per day, a creature with this feat can render himself Frightened or Panicked for 1d4 minutes by a chosen creature he can see. (that is, he must flee that creature).

Happy Feet
Alive feet are happy feet.
Prerequisites: Run like the Wind:
Benefits: As an immediate action that can only be taken between initiative counts, you can move up to your speed. Movement made this way does not provoke attacks of opportunity. After doing so, you take 2 Dex burn, and lose your next move action.
Special: You can use this ability as you roll initiative.

Survive[General]
You have mastered an incredibly dangerous technique which allows you to dodge with incredible skill, at the cost of killing yourself very, very, quickly.
Prerequisites: Con 13, Skin of your Teeth:
"Benefits": You may take 2 Con burn as a cost to use Skin of your Teeth. You may do so even if you are already suffering Con burn.

Improved Crippling Blow:
Prerequisites: Crippling Blow, Dex 13, Combat Reflexes
Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to the Strength check for Crippling Blow, and it no longer provokes an attack of opportunity. Furthermore, whenever you succeed on a Crippling Blow against a creature, you can immediately make a free attack against the creature using a light weapon you hold.

Improved Kick Up Dust:
Prerequisites: Kick Up Dust, Int 13, Combat Expertise
Benefits: You gain a +4 bonus to the Strength check for Kick Up Dust, and it no longer provokes an attack of opportunity. Furthermore, whenever you succeed on a Crippling Blow against a creature, you can immediately make a free attack against the creature using a light weapon you hold.

Notes: I'm considering making these feats deal ability burn.

yarrowdeathbloo
2017-09-21, 11:34 PM
For skin of your teeth you have the feature at 1st leveĺ on the table but 2nd in its description, which is it?

aimlessPolymath
2017-09-22, 12:23 AM
Whoops, should be 1st.

King of Nowhere
2017-09-22, 03:28 PM
Love that, and it also seem reasonably balanced

Only criticism, favored by fortune is too overpowered, as it is applied to every single roll, and it comes suddenly. I'd limit its use in some way. Maybe I'd substitute it for a +1 luck bonus to AC and saves every 4 levels, or make it work once per round.

aimlessPolymath
2017-09-22, 04:23 PM
Swapping to once per round is probably the change I'll make, as it's meant to be a capstone ability. Alternative capstones are also welcome.

Edit: I'm also shopping around for a level 14 feature. I'd ideally like to add a new dimension to the class, but alchemy doesn't fit in some campaigns.

Edit2: Also looking for defensive techniques- ideally those which enact a long-term disadvantage for a short-term advantage.

Baby Gary
2017-09-24, 09:49 PM
first off, I love this. Wonderful flavor and a very interesting idea.

I just came up with an idea for an ability.

Dirty Fighting

once per round you gain 1 unarmed attack against any adjacent creature. This attack is something like a kick, punch, or head bash. This attack is at your highest base attack bonus and deals 1d8 damage for a medium character. you gain the ability to use dirty fighting 2 times per round at level _____

and another one

Live the Storm Out

once per day you may assume a position of protection. It takes a standard action to initiate this and a full round action to end it. While using Live the Storm Out you gain DR x / -- and SR x, where x = your levels in The Cowardly Hero. At ___ level you can do this 2 times per day and at ____ level you can do this 3 times per day

another one

Not Here!

with all the running away that you have done over the years you can, as an immediate action, teleport to any place that you have line of sight to within 10 feet per Cowardly Hero levels

aimlessPolymath
2017-09-25, 07:54 PM
My thoughts:
Dirty Fighting:
Extra attacks are a tough maybe, as this class makes up for its lack of iterative attacks with precision damage that can outscale a rogue on a sufficiently disabled target.
I might consider one as a free followup to combat maneuvers, possibly.

Live the Storm out would not make it in in its current incarnation, but I will consider messing around with full defense in its stead. Damage Reduction just doesn't fit the focus on not getting hit in the first place, and SR feels off.

Not Here! will probably make it in in some form- likely instant-movement instead of teleportation. (Also, you can use it as you roll initiative for maximum NOPE). Probably going in at level 14, or as a Defensive feat. Maybe you lose your next move action when you use it, or Dexterity damage in keeping with the themes of the feats?

Also moving in: Flight or Fight: You can choose two readied actions with two different triggers. Whichever triggers first, you perform (Do you strike, or use full-defense?)

Edit:
Two new tactics developed for Full Defense, one new Defensive feat for instant movement, and Fight or Flight replaces Every Tool I Need, which is now a tactic.

rferries
2017-09-25, 11:07 PM
This was a delight to read! :D

aimlessPolymath
2017-09-25, 11:15 PM
Thank you!

Now looking for:
A defensive feat which deals Wis burn as a downside. I have a cycle and I want to finish it.

Also looking for: Unscrupulous Maneuvers for level 3 or 7.

Baby Gary
2017-09-26, 03:39 PM
Thank you!

Now looking for:
A defensive feat which deals Wis burn as a downside. I have a cycle and I want to finish it.

Also looking for: Unscrupulous Maneuvers for level 3 or 7.

could something like -x to wiz and +2x to AC work? you can end it or it automatically ends after a set period of time?

or when you get it, say level 6, you get x to ac, level 12 2x to ac, and at 18 you get 3x to ac

also some restrictions on how low you can get it

aimlessPolymath
2017-09-26, 08:44 PM
Clarify: Is this a defensive feat or a maneuver? I'm not quite sure what you're presenting.

The pattern for defensive feats so far is that you defend against one attack type with incredible power, at the expense of stat burn (and sometimes another downside). AC is covered by the Survive feat.

If you're presenting a maneuver, could you go into more detail about how it works? Right now, it seems like a variation on Combat Expertise. Is that right?

Baby Gary
2017-09-26, 10:56 PM
sorry, I forgot to clarify. I was thinking about a feat and I forgot that there was one for gaining AC. Wis has to do with Will saves and Will saves are agains mind affecting things.

so a feat could be something like you gain immunity from all mind affecting spell, effects or any similar abilities. this cost 2 wis burn and you gain this for 2d4 minuets, with this you can't get your wis below 1. (if you would attempt to go lower the feat would fail)

also a defensive feat that allows for any miss chance could be interesting, I have no ideas about that right now though

Westhart
2017-09-27, 09:11 AM
Maybe for an Unscrupulous Maneuver you could give them the ability to kick sand (or similar loose debris, dirt, eta, eta) into the eyes of an enemy who must make a fort save or be blinded 1d4 (?) rounds.

aimlessPolymath
2017-09-28, 10:21 AM
Most mind affecting effects are covered pretty well by the Cha burn feat, which lets you reroll Will saves, though.
Also, just be aware that pretty much anything with a duration will be vetoed or tweaked to have it removed- These feats are about making snap decisions that the immediate threat right in front of you is worth taking the ability score damage, not gaining the ability to blank entire encounters.

Blinding is now in as Kick Up Dust. Nerfed to 1 round for fear of being too good at disabling.

Edit: Sudden thought for Wisdom. I know I naysayed SR before, but Wisdom could work as a way of "working out the weakness in the spell". Rather than a reactive tool boosting saves, it works as a way to deal with ongoing no-save effects by working out a countermeasure? Unsure of how to word it.

pi4t
2017-12-13, 10:04 AM
I decided to try and update the Cowardly Hero to Pathfinder, for the somewhat selfish reason that the class suits a particular character concept I have in mind and I normally play Pathfinder. I hope you don't mind, aimlessPolymath.

(Interestingly, "coward" is not really a term that applies to said concept - more "survivor". So...well done on making a flexible class, I guess.)


The Cowardly Hero

Put an optional image of your class here!

I don't have the luxury of strength.

Not all heroes are powerful. Some of them are forced into adventure, despite their unreadiness. Many find a source of strength. Many die. The rest learn how to stack the deck.

Adventures: Cowards are pulled into adventure forcibly, and do their best to escape it. Some are driven by their conscience, and are guilt-tripped into it, others are paid or bribed into it,

Characteristics: A Coward is an expert at stacking a situation in his favor, setting traps, crippling his opponent, and using guile and trickery to prevent themselves from getting pinned down.

Alignment: Cowards can come in all alignments, though most tend to neither be lawful or chaotic. They're often just trying to get by, but trouble comes looking for them.

Religion: A Coward is relatively opportunistic religion-wise; they tend to follow whatever deity responds best at this particular time (or all deities at once, in a general cry for help)

Background: Nobody tries to become a Coward- it's forced upon them by the situation around them.

Races: Every race has Cowards

Other Classes: Cowards dislike most classes except for monks and wizards- they understand the appeal of secluding onesself in study. Safe, boring study. They dislike paladins and clerics in particular for their tendency to pull them into trouble.

Role: A Coward fulfills some of the same roles as a rogue- they attempt to disable key opponents. However, where a Rogue fights offensively, a Coward fights defensively, attempting to find an opportunity to destroy his foe decisively.

As with the original

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Cowards have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence- the first two to survive the situations they're dragged into, the third to think of a way out.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: As barbarian
Starting Gold: As rogue.

The only tricky thing to decide here is the hit die. Most classes which have a d4 or d6 hit die in 3.5 go up one step in Pathfinder. However, HD is more strictly tied to BAB in Pathfinder - low BAB classes always have d6 hit dice, unless there's a very good reason for that not to hold. In the end I decided to fudge the issue a bit by giving Toughness as a bonus feat to artificially increase HP - note that in Pathfinder, Toughness gives 1hp per level (with a minimum of 3).

Class Skills
Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Perception, Profession, Sense Motive, Slight of Hand, Stealth, Survival, Swim.

Move Silently has been rolled into stealth, so I was unable to omit it like in the original. Also Jump and Tumble have been rolled into Acrobatics. I'm...not entirely sure why Tumble was omitted in the 3.5 version as it seems to fit the concept very well, but I decided to err on the side of generosity. Class skills are far less important in Pathfinder anyway. Spot and Listen have also been combined with Search into the (very useful) Perception, which again I decided to include on the list. Also added Profession, since every class gets it in Pathfinder.


Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

CCoward


Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Special


1st

+0

+0

+2

+0
Every Advantage +1d6, Skin of your Teeth+4


2nd

+1

+0

+3

+0
Defensive Tactics


3rd

+1

+1

+3

+1
Every Advantage+2d6, Pragmatic Maneuvers


4th

+2

+1

+4

+1
Evasion


5th

+2

+1

+4

+1
Every Advantage +3d6, Trap Sense +1


6th

+3

+2

+5

+2
Gotten Used To It, Defensive Tactics


7th

+3

+2

+5

+2
Every Advantage +4d6,Danger Sense


8th

+4

+2

+6

+2
Pragmatic Maneuvers


9th

+4

+3

+6

+3
Every Advantage +5d6, Brutal Tactics, Trap Sense +2


10th

+5

+3

+7

+3
Defensive Tactics, Get Back Up


11th

+5

+3

+7

+3
Every Advantage +6d6, Gotten Used to It


12th

+6/+1

+4

+8

+4
Please Please Please Please I'll Never Ask For Anything Else Ever


13th

+6/+1

+4

+8

+4
Every Advantage +7d6, Trap Sense +3, Underhanded Maneuvers


14th

+7/+2

+4

+9

+4
Flight or Flight


15th

+7/+2

+5

+9

+5
Every Advantage +8d6, Improved Evasion


16th

+8/+3

+5

+10

+5
Gotten Used to It


17th

+8/+3

+5

+10

+5
Every Advantage +9d6, Trap Sense +4, Underhanded Maneuvers


18th

+9/+4

+6

+11

+6
Saw It Coming


19th

+9/+4

+6

+11

+6
Every Advantage +10d6, Class Ability


20th

+10/+5

+6

+12

+6
Favored By Fortune



Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Coward

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Coward is proficient in light armor and simple weapons.

Every Advantage(Ex):: A Coward recognizes his lack of combat skill from the beginning, and learns to capitalize on every advantage available to them. Against creatures who are blinded, confused, cowering, dazed, entangled, exhausted, fascinated, fatigued, frightened, grappled, helpless, nauseated, panicked, paralysed, pinned, prone, shaken, sickened, staggared, stunned, unarmed or denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, the Coward adds half their level to their attack rolls, and deals +1d6 damage. This bonus increases by 1d6 points every odd level.

I could have just kept this as it was, but conditions have changed slightly in Pathfinder - and perhaps more importantly certain conditions have been made more relevant as there are maneuvers that can inflict them. Thus I added some other conditions to the list that seemed to be appropriately serious - notably blinded. The ability is, after all, called "every advantage". I also rearranged the list into alphabetical order.


Unarmed? For the purposes of this ability, having a weapon or natural attack of any kind makes you count as armed- even a bow. Improved Unarmed Strike gives you protection as a result.

Skin of your Teeth: A Coward is difficult to pin down in combat, but in a sustained fight, they find themselves flagging quickly. While wearing light or no armor, as a free action which can be taken outside of their own turn or in response to attacks against them, a Coward can grant themselves a +4 dodge bonus to AC or CMD against the next attack made against them. However, each time they do so, they must accept one of the following penalties. They cannot accept a penalty if they are already affected by the given condiiton, or if they are immune to it:
-Sickened for 1 round
-Nauseated for 1 round
-Fatigued for 1d4 minutes
-Exhausted for 1d4 minutes
They can accept multiple penalties, commensurately multiplying the dodge bonus.
Furthermore, they may fall prone as an immediate action. The bonus this ability grants increases by 1 at 6th level and every four thereafter.

No changes needed here, except adding CMD as an option to be buffed if the enemy is using combat maneuvers. The note at this point of the original class is repeated below for convenience.
Balance notes: Yes, a level 1 Coward can conceivably dodge the strikes of a 20th level fighter almost automatically- once. It's balanced roughly around dodging one attack easily, a second attack by sacrificing your next action (a "full defense" which you pay for later), and then having two last resorts if you're in trouble.


Defensive Tactics: At 1st level, 2nd level, at 6th level, and at 10th level, a Coward gains either Toughness; Oh No I Don't Want to Die; I Should Probably Dodge That; Run Like the Wind; or La La La I Can't Hear You Talking In My Head as a bonus feat (all listed below). If they already have all of those feats, they may instead pick another general feat which has no prerequisites as a bonus feat.

Added an extra bonus feat and added Toughness to the list to account for the (relatively) lower HD.

Pragmatic Attacks: Starting at 3rd level, a Coward gains the Agile Maneuvers feat, and when calculating their CMB and CMD they use their Coward level in place of their base attack bonus (in addition to any base attack bonus gained from other classes). They may also use this higher BAB calculation when determining whether they qualify for feats which list Combat Expertise as a prerequisite. Furthermore, they may begin learning more unusual combat techniques, vying lower and lower in their attempts to gain an advantage. They learn one at 3rd level, and another at 8th level.


Bluffing Threat: Rather than intimidating their foes through martial might, the Coward can simply lie through their teeth. Whenever the Coward could make an Intimidate check, they can instead bluff their skill. This requires a Bluff check, with DC equal to the higher of an opposed sense motive check by the target and the normal DC of the intimidate check. A creature who made the Sense Motive check may as a free action give all creatures which can understand him a second Sense Motive roll; no creature can reroll the skill check more than once. When this is used to demoralize creatures, the effect lasts for 1d4 minutes or until the Coward is reduced below half health.

Adjusted the mechanics since Pathfinder treats Intimidate differently. Removed the bit about rearranging bonuses as Pathfinder makes intimidate checks infamously easy in most circumstances.

Dirty Fighter: The Coward gains the Improved Dirty Trick feat, or any feat with Improved Dirty Trick as a prerequisite and which they qualify for. This Unscrupulous Maneuver may be taken multiple times.

Crippling Blow and Kick Up Dust are already possible in Pathfinder via dirty tricks, so I rolled them into a generic "improve dirty tricks" ability.

Hit 'em where it Hurts: The Coward gains the Stunning Fist feat, and may bypass the normal prerequisites; however, they specifically do not gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Each two Coward levels count as a monk level for the purposes of uses of Stunning Fist.

Explicitly called out not gaining Imp. Unarmed Strike because it matters- this provokes attacks of opportunity, since you count as unarmed. I consider this fair, because other combat maneuvers also need a feat to avoid provoking.


Make Them Sweat For It: When an enemy misses the Coward at least two times consecutively within two rounds, they become fatigued for 1d4 rounds. If they continue to miss attacks in following rounds, they continue to be fatigued.

Skill Development: The Coward gains the Signature Skill feat in one of the skills listed in the Class Skills section of this class. This maneuver may be taken more than once.

New ability. Signature Skill gives you "skill unlocks" in a skill - minor bonuses for every 5 ranks you have in that skill. They were mostly introduced to give the rogue some more skill monkey focus. The feat has a prerequisite of 5 ranks in the relevant skill, but that's mostly because you wouldn't get any bonus from it before that - because you don't get a second maneuver until 8th level I'm inclined to allow it to be taken at 3rd if you really want to.

Swift Moves: Whenever the Coward takes the full defense action, they add half their Skin of your Teeth bonus to their AC.


The first half of the base Pragmatic Attacks ability has been rephrased to fit in with Pathfinders tidier maneuver system, but mechanically it works exactly the same - except that I allowed them to apply the level based bonus when defending against maneuvers as well. Classes tend to get buffed a bit in upgrading them to Pathfinder, and the Unscrupulous Maneuvers have lost out a bit due to a lot of them being possible in Pathfinder anyway, so it seems reasonable to give a small extra bonus. Also it feels weird that a class which "fights defensively" gets a big bonus to a type of offence while being very bad at defending against that type of attack. The last bit about feats that list Combat Expertise as a prerequisite is so that feat chains like improved dirty trick -> greater dirty trick -> ... are available at the expected levels, since they tend to use BAB as a prerequisite. This intentionally doesn't cover all maneuvers, just the more "clever" ones.

Evasion: At 4th level, a Coward gains evasion, as the rogue ability. At 15th level, this improves to improved evasion.

Trap Sense: Starting at 5th level, a Coward develops a finely-tuned sense for danger. They gain the Trap Sense ability, as the rogue class feature, with the bonus increasing by 1 at 9th level and every 4 thereafter.

Gotten Used To It: A Coward of at least 6th level may use Skin of your Teeth once per round without accepting a penalty. At 11th level, they may do this twice per round, and at 16th level, they may do it three times per round.

Danger Sense(Ex): Starting at 7th level, a Coward has developed a finely tuned sense for when things are about to become violent. They no longer lose their Dexterity bonus to AC when surprised; furthermore, they may make a Sense Motive check opposed by a Bluff check automatically to avoid being surprised when a creature they can see attacks them.

Brutal Tactics: Starting at 9th level, whenever they attack a creature who is cowering, exhausted, frightened, helpless, nauseated, panicked, paralysed, pinned or stunned the Coward deals an additional 1d6 damage per four levels, in addition to the bonus from Every Advantage. Alternatively, if they are under the effects of at least two of the conditions listed under Every Advantage other then Denied Dexterity Bonus to AC, they can deal this extra damage.

Alternative formulation: pretend that being nauseated counts as being sickened also, exhausted also counts as fatigued, and so on. Thus, each of them counts for two conditions.
Also, "denied Dexterity bonus to AC" is not a discrete condition.


Adjusted for the new qualifying conditions. The ones listed above can be viewed as "upgraded" versions of other conditions.

Get Back Up: At 10th level, the Coward starts to take better care of himself. Ability damage and burn heals at twice the normal rate. Hit point damage is fully restored over a full rest, no matter how battered the Coward is.

Underhanded Maneuvers: At 13th level, the Coward no longer provokes attacks of opportunity for combat maneuvers, or for making attacks unarmed. You may also ignore "Improved [Combat Maneuver]" feats when looking at prerequisites, and may immediately retrain any such feats (including Improved Unarmed Strike) that you possess. Furthermore, you have learned never to scorn a tool, and become proficient with improvised weapons. Finally, you learn a new twist on the maneuvers you already know, and another at level 17:

Hunker Down: Whenever you take the full defense action, you gain half your Skin of your Teeth bonus to all saving throws.

Scare Off: When you succeed on an Intimidate check to demoralize creatures, they become frightened for 1d6 rounds.

Take To The Ground: Whenever you succeed on a grapple check against a creature, you can pull them to the ground, rendering both them and you prone.

Gut Punch: When you successfully use Stunning Fist on a target, it is nauseated for the duration of the stun effect and for one round more. Requirements: Stunning Fist feat.

No equivalent of Pain Touch in Pathfinder, so I wrote out an approximation of the feat's effect explicitly.

Outlast: When a creature who is fatigued misses you with an attack, they become exhausted for 1 round.

Into The Wall: When you trip a creature who is adjacent to a wall, you may make an attack against them as though you were using the wall against them, as though it were an improvised weapon. If this attack hits, they are staggered for 1 round, but take no damage.

A Close Shave: When you attack a creature no more than a size category larger than you with a slashing weapon, you can give up 3d6 of your Every Advantage damage to blind them for 1d6 rounds, or until they receive at least 1 point of healing or a DC 15 Heal check.

Stop That, You: Once per round, when a creature attacks you and misses, you may make a disarm attempt against them as an attack of opportunity.

Look Over There: When you succeed on a feint attempt against a creature, they are unable to make attacks of opportunity against you until their next turn.

Every Tool I Can Use: You learn how to tweak and modify your tools to get the most out of them. You count as having a caster level equal to your Coward level when qualifying for item creation feats. Furthermore, by spending 1 minute working with a poison, up to three sets of caltrops or alchemical item, you may modify it for your use, making any number of the following changes to it:
-If it has a saving throw DC, that DC is increased to 10 + 1/2 the Coward's level if it is lower, then increased by his Intelligence bonus regardless. An item can only gain this modification once.
-If it is an item which is used to deal damage, the Coward increases that damage to 1d6 per four Coward levels. This applies to all forms of damage dealt other than ability damage/drain, including splash damage from alchemical fire, caltrops, and so on.
-If it is some number of sets of caltrop of some kind, the Coward may place them in a quick-release bag- as a swift action, he can release the bag, automatically dropping caltrops in up to that many adjacent squares. Caltrops placed this way gain a bonus to the attack roll equal to half the Coward's level.
-If it is a splash weapon (such as an inhaled poison, alchemical fire or acid, thunderstone or smokestick), he can convert it into a trap which occupies one square. When a creature steps on it, the weapon detonates automatically, as though it had been activated and struck the ground in that square (and so affecting adjacent squares as appropriate for the item). A trap can be dropped in a square as a swift action, or placed carefully as a full-round action. In the first case, the process of dropping the trap can be disguised with a Sleight of Hand check opposed by all who can see the Coward, but has a Search DC of 15; in the second case, the process of dropping the trap cannot be disguised, but the Search DC to find the trap is increased to 15 + the Coward's level + his Intelligence bonus.

You don't need to be a caster to make alchemical items in Pathfinder, so I replaced that bit of the ability with the ability to do proper magic item crafting if you invest in the relevant feats - something which is already possible without casting in Pathfinder, albeit in a limited form, via the master craftsman feat.


Since the Improved [maneuver] feats are prerequisites for the maneuver feat chains and their main purpose is not provoking AoOs, it seems a bit unfair to force the player to take them - or to penalise them for having taken them before reaching level 13. Hence I added a bit of text to deal with that.

Please Please Please Please I'll Never Ask For Anything Else Ever: But you will. Once per day, a Coward of at least level 12 can replicate the effect of any Cleric spell of spell level up to half their Coward level; they do not have to provide expensive spell components for this. Once used, this ability cannot be used again (in addition to the daily limit) until a donation of cost equal to that of a scroll of the cast spell is made to a church of the appropriate deity petitioned.

Flight or Flight: At 14th level, a Coward can ready two actions with the same standard action, setting a different triggering condition for each. When the first of them is triggered, the other readied action is discharged.

DODGE: At 16th level, whenever an attack misses the Coward, if he'd used Skin of his Teeth against the attack, he may take a 5 ft step as an immediate action.

Saw It Coming (Ex): At 18th level, the Coward can see trouble coming from a mile away. They are continuously affected by the foresight spell.

Favored By Fortune(Ex): At 20th level, the Coward gains a special place in the books of the god of luck- as a favored toy. Once per round, the Coward can cause any attack against them or saving throw they make to be rerolled once, and choose which roll is used. If any abilities which could cause those dice to be rerolled are used, the Coward chooses which roll is used.



New Feats:

Oh No I Don't Want to Die[General]:
You can push your body beyond its normal limits when needed to save your life.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits:
You may deal yourself 2 points of Strength damage to reroll a Fortitude save; if you do, you gain a +3 bonus to the rerolled save. You must do this after you made the roll, but before the DM has announced the results.

I Should Probably Dodge That[General]:
By pushing your mind, you recognize the need to dodge before others do.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits:
You may deal yourself 2 points of Intelligence damage to reroll a Reflex save; if you do, you gain a +3 bonus to the rerolled save. You must do this after you made the roll, but before the DM has announced the results.

La La La I Can't Hear You Talking In My Head[General]:
You can push people out of your head by force of sheer personality.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits:
You may deal yourself 2 points of Charisma damage to reroll a Will save; if you do, you gain a +3 bonus to the rerolled save. You must do this after you made the roll, but before the DM has announced the results.

Run like the Wind[General]
Or like Rincewind, at least.
Prerequisites: None
Benefits: You gain a bonus of +20 ft to all your speeds while Frightened or Panicked, and a +4 untyped bonus to AC while panicked or cowering. Furthermore, as a free action up to three times per day, a creature with this feat can render himself Frightened or Panicked for 1d4 minutes by a chosen creature he can see. (that is, he must flee that creature).

Happy Feet
Alive feet are happy feet.
Prerequisites: Run like the Wind:
Benefits: As an immediate action that can only be taken between initiative counts, you can move up to your speed. Movement made this way does not provoke attacks of opportunity. After doing so, you take 2 Dex burn, and lose your next move action.
Special: You can use this ability as you roll initiative.

Survive[General]
You have mastered an incredibly dangerous technique which allows you to dodge with incredible skill, at the cost of killing yourself very, very, quickly.
Prerequisites: Con 13, Skin of your Teeth:
"Benefits": You may take 2 Con burn as a cost to use Skin of your Teeth. You may do so even if you are already suffering Con burn.


No changes here, except that I added cowering to the run like the wind triggering conditions. Pathfinder treats it separately whereas I believe 3.5 rolls the same concept into "panicked, but nowhere to run". Obviously a movement speed increase isn't needed for that condition, though, so just the AC bonus is given. The new "Improved" feats are both part of improved dirty trick now.

Oh, and I renamed the "I don't want to die" feat, since I don't want to use the original name for reasons of faith.

aimlessPolymath
2017-12-13, 10:18 AM
Looks good!

Do note that since Blinded creatures lose their Dex bonus to AC, Every Advantage triggers on them automatically. Ditto Cowering.

I'm not fully sold on a buffed CMD all around. In 3.5, they would use Skin of My Teeth to dodge the initial touch attack, so I think it would make more sense to allow it to raise CMD. Does that make sense to you?

pi4t
2017-12-13, 11:14 AM
Looks good!

Thanks!


Do note that since Blinded creatures lose their Dex bonus to AC, Every Advantage triggers on them automatically. Ditto Cowering.

Fair point, but I think it's still worth mentioning - just so that people see that it's an option. On the other hand, perhaps it should be removed since otherwise you can use every advantage against creatures with blindsight, etc...


I'm not fully sold on a buffed CMD all around. In 3.5, they would use Skin of My Teeth to dodge the initial touch attack, so I think it would make more sense to allow it to raise CMD. Does that make sense to you?

Perhaps, but the standard procedure in Pathfinder seems to be for boosts to CMB to also boost CMD by the same amount. So for example Improved Trip gives you a +2 CMB bonus for tripping, and a +2 CMD bonus against trips. Also, I'm concerned that the difference between the enemy's CMB and your CMD will increase too much for Skin of My Teeth to be very useful if we don't improve CMD - a concern which also holds for the 3.5 version with touch attacks, incidentally, but here we have a chance to solve the issue. And classes, particularly noncasting classes, are generally buffed when updating to Pathfinder.

Either way, though, I do agree that Skin of My Teeth should also be able to be applied to CMD and will adjust that section accordingly.

aimlessPolymath
2017-12-13, 02:32 PM
On the balance, it should probably stay in, just so it can proc Brutal Tactics as one of the two conditions.

I'm not sure about increasing CMD- note that Greater Grapple and similar Greater X feats increase your CMB but not your CMD, and many (though not all) combat maneuvers can't be used in a full attack, so you can dump most of your SoyT into defending against them.


I'm very happy to hear that this class might get used! If you have feedback, please let me know.
I'm particularly concerned about Skin of your Teeth base and scaling. I initially meant to emulate roughly the equivalent of a rogue wearing armor, but I'm not entirely sure that I hit the mark- it falls in an unhappy medium between monk unarmored 2nd-stat-to-AC-plus-a-bit and rogue wearing level-appropriate enchanted armor.
... plus, you can wear armor in addition to getting the bonus. Hm.

pi4t
2017-12-14, 10:34 AM
On the balance, it should probably stay in, just so it can proc Brutal Tactics as one of the two conditions.

I'm not sure about increasing CMD- note that Greater Grapple and similar Greater X feats increase your CMB but not your CMD, and many (though not all) combat maneuvers can't be used in a full attack, so you can dump most of your SoyT into defending against them.


I'm very happy to hear that this class might get used! If you have feedback, please let me know.
I'm particularly concerned about Skin of your Teeth base and scaling. I initially meant to emulate roughly the equivalent of a rogue wearing armor, but I'm not entirely sure that I hit the mark- it falls in an unhappy medium between monk unarmored 2nd-stat-to-AC-plus-a-bit and rogue wearing level-appropriate enchanted armor.
... plus, you can wear armor in addition to getting the bonus. Hm.

I guess the thing is that with AC, you're about on par with any other frontliner who's not particularly focussing on tanking. Even without Skin of your Teeth. Only light armour, but you're probably dex-based as other class features (and the theme in general) supports that. On the other hand, in the CMD department you're only about as good as a frontliner of half your level if you don't use Skin of your Teeth, so you have to use it just to bring yourself to "normal" levels.