New Alternative Class Features for base and prestige classes

[ThanatosZero]

Welcome. A fellow player once expressed themselves to play as armorless gish. Because of that I have started this thread to help them fullfilling their need. Also this Thread will be reserved for more ACF further down the line.


Here the first Prestige Class with a alternative class feature, including a altered entry requirement.

Spellsword Variant: Nimble Spellsword

The nimble spellsword spends more time fighting and casting spells unarmored. They never train to cast spells in armor in exchange for to not negleting their studies in the arcane arts.

Since a nimble spellsword doesn't wear armor, they need to train how to evade enemy attacks, before qualifying as a new nimble spellsword.

Altered Requirements:
The nimble spellsword doesn't need proficiency with all armor (heavy, medium, and light). Instead they must have the feats Dogde, Mobility and Combat Expertise. All other non-mentioned requirements still need to be met.

Spells per day:
Because the nimble spellsword doesn't wear armor, they gain now at each new level a increase in caster level, new spells per day and new spells known, as if they had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class they belonged to before adding the prestige class.

They still does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on), save for an increased effective level of spellcasting.

If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a spellsword, they must decide to which class they adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

This replaces the Ignore Spell Failure class feature of the Spellsword.

[ThanatosZero]

Here two Fighter ACFs, which can be combined.

Nimble Fighter
A cunning warrior, which forsakes any armor to fight unrestricted.

Gains: Bonus to Armor Class when unarmored (as monk, Intelligence bonus to AC instead), Dodge at 2nd level, Mobility at 3rd level and Combat Expertise at 4th level.
Loses: All armor and shield profiencies

Arcane Fighter
A scholar warrior blending sword and magic as one, which favours learning new magic over old fashioned tricks of fighting prowess.

Gains: Combat Casting at 2nd level; continued spellcasting progression (Spells per day and Spells known) of the spellcasting class of your choice, except at 1st level and each four level afterwards, but full advancement of Caster Level after 1st level; all class skills of the chosen spellcasting class.
Becomes active once multiclassed with the chosen spellcasting class (all changes also apply retroactively)
Loses: d10 Fighter HD reduced to d8 HD, all fighter bonus feats at the 1st level and each even level afterwards.

[Zaile]

Welcome. A fellow player once expressed themselves to play as armorless gish. Because of that I have started this thread to help them fullfilling their need. Also this Thread will be reserved for more ACF further down the line.


Here the first Prestige Class with a alternative class feature, including a altered entry requirement.

Spellsword Variant: Nimble Spellsword

The nimble spellsword spends more time fighting and casting spells unarmored. They never train to cast spells in armor in exchange for to not negleting their studies in the arcane arts.

Since a nimble spellsword doesn't wear armor, they need to train how to evade enemy attacks, before qualifying as a new nimble spellsword.

Altered Requirements:
The nimble spellsword doesn't need proficiency with all armor (heavy, medium, and light). Instead they must have the feats Dogde, Mobility and Combat Expertise. All other non-mentioned requirements still need to be met.

Spells per day:
Because the nimble spellsword doesn't wear armor, they gain now at each new level new spells per day and spells known, as if they had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class they belonged to before adding the prestige class.

They still does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on), save for an increased effective level of spellcasting.

If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a spellsword, they must decide to which class they adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

This replaces the Ignore Spell Failure class feature of the Spellsword.

I like the idea here. However, by removing the ASF, but you just turned it into a 10-level Duskblade look-alike. Suggest the following:

Cut to 5 levels like Abjurant Champ and give channel abilities every level. Reduce requirements to Martial weapons and Combat Expertise feat.

OR

Keep 10 levels and casting every-other level
Requirements: martial weapons or unarmed strike feature, improved unarmed strike feat, combat casting feat.
Replace ASF reduction with the following. All stack with monk abilities if the character has them.
1st - Unarmed Damage d8 (or 1-step up from existing), INT to AC when unarmored (shields are OK)
3rd - Weapon flurry (-2, 1 extra attack, similar to Shou disciple), Fast movement +10
5th - Unarmed damage 1d10 (or step-up), +10 fast movement
7th - Weapon flurry improvement (-1, 2 extra attacks)
9th - Unarmed damage 2d6 (or step-up), Weapon flurry, no penalty

[Zaile]

Here two Fighter ACFs, which can be combined.

Nimble Fighter
A cunning warrior, which forsakes any armor to fight unrestricted.

Gains: Bonus to Armor Class when unarmored (as monk, Intelligence bonus to AC instead), Dodge, Mobility, Combat Expertise
Loses: All armor and shield profiencies

Arcane Fighter
A scholar warrior blending sword and magic as one, which favours learning new magic over old fashioned tricks of fighting prowess.

Gains: Combat Casting, 3/4 spellcasting progression (Spells per day and Spells known) of the spellcasting class of your choice, but full advancement of Caster Level -1, class skills of the chosen class.
Becomes active once multiclassed with chosen class (all changes also apply retroactively)
Loses: d10 Fighter HD reduced to d8 HD, all fighter bonus feats at the 1st level and each even level afterwards.

I think Nimble Fighter is just fine if all you get is Monk AC bonus for armor/shield trade. You can get all the feats as bonus feats anyway. That may bee too many feats on the fighter chassis.

Why would I choose Arcane fighter over Fighter/Wiz/Gish or Duskblade/Wiz/Gish?

[ThanatosZero]

I like the idea here. However, by removing the ASF, but you just turned it into a 10-level Duskblade look-alike. Suggest the following:

Cut to 5 levels like Abjurant Champ and give channel abilities every level. Reduce requirements to Martial weapons and Combat Expertise feat.

OR

Keep 10 levels and casting every-other level
Requirements: martial weapons or unarmed strike feature, improved unarmed strike feat, combat casting feat.
Replace ASF reduction with the following. All stack with monk abilities if the character has them.
1st - Unarmed Damage d8 (or 1-step up from existing), INT to AC when unarmored (shields are OK)
3rd - Weapon flurry (-2, 1 extra attack, similar to Shou disciple), Fast movement +10
5th - Unarmed damage 1d10 (or step-up), +10 fast movement
7th - Weapon flurry improvement (-1, 2 extra attacks)
9th - Unarmed damage 2d6 (or step-up), Weapon flurry, no penalty

I could do a variant of the Enlightened Fist instead, where martial weapons are the focus, instead of the fists.
This spellsword variant was created for a user, which doesn't desire the armor profiencies for being a gish.


I think Nimble Fighter is just fine if all you get is Monk AC bonus for armor/shield trade. You can get all the feats as bonus feats anyway. That may bee too many feats on the fighter chassis.

Why would I choose Arcane fighter over Fighter/Wiz/Gish or Duskblade/Wiz/Gish?

One can chose the regional 1st level feat Militia (Player's Guide to Faerun) to gain profiency in all martial weapons. Alternatively the regional background Celestial-Attended Birth from Champions of Valor (p.22) grants access to any race these regional feats.
Fearless, Luck of Heroes, Otherworldly

Otherworldly makes you a Native Outsider, meaning you gain access to anything what all native outsider gain.
That includes profiency in all simple and martial weapons.



With this in mind, with either Militia or Otherworldly a 5th level Wizard can enter Eldritch Knight or Knight Phantom (requires in addition Still Spell and Phantom Steed) and later Abjurant Champion.

Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 3/Abjurant Champion 5/Eldritch Knight +7(10)
Wizard 5/Knight Phantom 3/Abjurant Champion 5/Knight Phantom +7(10)

You get 17 BAB and 19/20 Wizard Spellcasting by RAW.



But now to come back to the ACFs for the fighter.

The Arcane Fighter can be used over other classes, like the hexblade or the duskblade and gain access to higher spell levels. Also it was created with other gish prestige classes in mind.

The current Nimble Fighter shines best, when combined with other classes, where intelligence is very important.
Also the feats are now not gained all at once, to prevent a one level dip.



To Note: Both are as I said compatible with each other.
A Wizard 2/Nimble Arcane Fighter 18 will have 19 BAB, Caster Level 19 and 15/20 Wizard Spellcasting.

One could do the following build instead with the PrC variant.
A Wizard 1/Nimble Arcane Fighter 4/Nimble Spellsword 10/Abjurant Champion 5

Such a character will have 19 BAB, Caster Level 19 and 19/20 Wizard Spellcasting.



If some believe that ACF is too powerful with PrCs, a Arcane Fighter could have medium BAB instead or have it's HD lowered by one step (d10 become d8, d8 become d6).
Thus there will be a slight change in the build.

Wizard 2/Nimble Arcane Fighter 4/Nimble Spellsword 9/Abjurant Champion 5.

We get instead 18 BAB and 19/20 Wizard Spellcasting.

[Zaile]

Not usre if you're familiar with this, but the magus from PF (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/) is a good balance. 3/4 BAB, 6th level spells. You could change it up slightly and get the same effects you're looking for.

If you do the arcane fighter, I would have a set spell list, like duskblade, and have them pick/cast like a sorcerer.

At the end of the day you could also gestalt fighter/wizard, but not sure how many PRCs you want to add on top of it.

[ThanatosZero]

Not usre if you're familiar with this, but the magus from PF (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/) is a good balance. 3/4 BAB, 6th level spells. You could change it up slightly and get the same effects you're looking for.
Alternatively, one could create a Prestige Magus of sorts, akin to UA's other prestigious classes.


If you do the arcane fighter, I would have a set spell list, like duskblade, and have them pick/cast like a sorcerer.
If I was to do that, it wouldn't really work in tandem with the already existing ACF, the Armored Mage.
http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20061010a
https://web.archive.org/web/20151010193227/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20061010a


At the end of the day you could also gestalt fighter/wizard, but not sure how many PRCs you want to add on top of it.
You could run a Wizard //Arcane Fighter, but the Spellcasting progression wouldn't stack at all, just as a Barbarian//Fighter won't gain twice the amount of the Base Attack Bonus or gain higher fortitude saves.
Instead the better of the two progressions are used.


I really appreciate your suggestions Zaile, but this goes steps further into actual classes, instead of variants and alternative features, which swap a class' abilities for further customisation.

[ThanatosZero]

Two arcane multiclass variants for today.

Arcane Fist
A scholary monk, which see the art as their true way to become enlightened.

Gains: Combat Casting at level 2, continued spellcasting progression (Spells per day and Spells known) of the spellcasting class of your choice, except at 1st level and each four level afterwards, but full advancement of Caster Level after 1st level; all class skills of the chosen spellcasting class.
Becomes active once multiclassed with the chosen spellcasting class (all changes also apply retroactively)
Loses: d8 Monk HDs drop down to d6 HDs, Fortitude saves become poor, Bonus feats, Purity of body, Wholeness of body, Diamond Body, Timeless Body


Arcane Shadow
A trickster rogue, which uses the art to expand their reach of expertises.

Gains: Combat Casting at 2nd level; continued spellcasting progression (Spells per day and Spells known) of the spellcasting class of your choice, except at 1st level and each four level afterwards, but full advancement of Caster Level after 1st level; all class skills of the chosen spellcasting class.
Becomes active once multiclassed with the chosen spellcasting class (all changes also apply retroactively)
Loses: Rogue skillpoints are reduced from 8 down to 6 per level; Sneak Attack at 5th, 11th and 17th level; additional Special abilities at 13th and 19th level.