Alternate Class Features For All Classes (Feats/ACFs, P.E.A.C.H.)

[unosarta]

Not bad. I still need to read the rest of the quotes, but you may have a knack for them, unosarta!

Thanks!

Considering this messes with the spontaneous casting by throwing them five spells a level rather than the usual, I may also change it so they can no longer convert slots into SNA X. That said, considering that they are losing wildshape for this, not too terribly bad.

That is actually a good idea.

Oooooh, I love this. Yeah, you're getting the worst maneuvers prepared with the worst recovery method, but actually being a face-eating tiger using tiger claw while riding a bigger tiger... yo dawg has never been finer!

Yeah, I wanted to limit them somehow. When I made the Monk form of the ToB ACF, I was actually thinking about giving them Swordsage progression with Warblade recovery, just because they seriously need a boost, but it seemed like too much.

I'd nix the nerf on the invested essentia loss, state that they learn only Totemist soulmelds but may still blow feats to get access to the other two's lists, and explicitly state that they do get the other binds that a Totemist would get and when they get it. Otherwise, a nice, thematic idea.

Okay.

This is a little harsher, considering a lot of vestiges are all about their active effects. Try to get another line there instead, because, as is, that's really rough. Maybe make it so they recharge over a longer duration than the default five rounds for things that have that recharge time, probably going so far to make all things that formally had a default recharge of five rounds being usable only once per encounter instead?

Short post, so I'll edit in another set of ACFs.

EDIT: As promised, now with more Ranger!

Hm, that isn't a bad idea. I just didn't like the idea of something like a breath of fire ability (that I know one of the vestiges grants) while in animal form.

Again, you need an actual table for spell slots per day since this is changing so much. As is, like with the Paladin, this is fine.

Argh, I knew I was missing something. I will go make that.

Whatever you do, please, please, please do not do it "as a soulborn." It's just too low, even when using the Totemist's stuff. You also need to say which binds they get and when. Although, it could be workable, assuming they at least get the totem bind and go from there, but "as soulborn" just usually a terrible idea out of the box.

Well, they need to get it at 4th level, when they gain casting, and soulborn is currently the only progression that comes close. I could say something like "Totemist - 4", but that also seems low (Albeit still better than soulborn). Maybe I should just go Totemist - 4, with the opened Chakra Binds of a regular totemist?

Solid! You need to say how he refreshes them, and I'd also go ahead and just look at both Fax's and I want to say Stormwind's Martial Adept Rangers, each with their own versions of Falling Star maneuvers made by their respective creators.

Same as warblade, forgot to mention. Yeah, adding the falling star is probably a good idea as well.

I'd probably make it a solid "4 rounds" rather than the random 1d4, but otherwise I like it. The tag about not being able to use it outside of combat is a little klunky, however.

Good by me. The thing about the "not usable outside of combat" thing is that if they were to be able to use it out of combat, it would either be permanent, or else it would be so short that it wouldn't do anything anyway, either way making it pretty much unusable and/or unbalanced. Thus, the best way to do it is to just make it not usable outside of combat.

Under the Ranger's spells per day, you have listed spell level, but not spells/day Essentially, you are missing the bulk of the table.

Herp-derp.

Not to mention that Animal Companion is just a little bit stronger than a feat (Wild Cohort).

Also, Beryl Haruspex seems counter-intuitive in losing the benefits of the invested essentia while wildshaped, as there is nothing in MoI that implies a Druid 5/Totemist X would do so while wildshaped.

Maybe the bard gains multiple Animal Companions?

You should stat the size of the shield then, since that has an effect on the shield bonus. Limiting to when it is held/wielded is also a solid idea.

Good point.

Check the rules on shield bashes here. It explicitly states that a +5 shield with that bonus going towards AC used to attack someone doesn't get an extra +5 to-hit and damage. Thus, you can have the odd scenario of having a +1 shocking +4 SR 15 shield due to the fact that one set of enhancements treats it as a weapon while the other treats it as a piece of armor. That said, it is an odd rule.

That is weird. Well, I used your wording anyway, so it's cool.

Thank you! I'm not normally a Paladin person, but your ACFs definitely caught my eye on this so I'm than happy to get it fine-tuned!

Thanks!

Ah, that makes much more sense as a feat! Well done, I am a fan!

Awesome. I felt really stupid, since this thread was originally just for the first ACF and the feat, and then I added more, and then did other classes, and forgot to move the feat, or tag it.

That's kind of what I was thinking when PEACHing, but it's just hard to get a proper feel for it as a combat mechanic, both due to have versatile some summons can be and due to its odd about of uses per day compared to a high end summoning spell. As I said, I do think your choices on monster should be locked in but also be stronger than a comparative level of summon monster. It's just a really hard thing to get the "sweet spot" of balance on.

Good work on Light from On High. It feels slower than the normal methods, but at least permanent flight comes online, even if four levels late.

I get what you are saying, but the thing is, I was trying to make it CRs that were almost the same as the level when you gained the outsider, so that the outsider loses some of its power, and then you gain a new one of greater power, showing how you move up the rungs of the celestial ladder, so to speak, if that makes sense.

Light From On High was torn almost directly from the Dragonborn (who are, I did not realize before, an awesome race/template), with the progression tinkered with.

Fair enough. My issue was that the fact that the shield already gives you such a solid weapon and/or shield, that this ability feels comparatively lacking. Sadly, I'm not sure what else the weapon could do outside of "more numbers!"

Yeah, I don't know how to change that. I was going to allow the Paladin to ignore focus' in favor of his weapon, but I don't know any Paladin spells that require a focus.

Free arrows sounds good, with or without the Ranger spells. Just make sure that you limit them on type of arrows used or called to better showcase the Moonsilver enhancement.

Good point. They would have to be mundane anyway, since the enhancement bonus wouldn't stack with that of the Bow.

Ah, fair enough! I'm so used to playing with smites being per encounter that I sometimes forget that the default is per day. As such, that is a solid idea for a weapon quality. Still miffed that the melee and ranged weapons only last for 10 minutes, though.

I could extend them to an hour, I suppose.

That sounds good. The once a day thing is a nice touch but may be "too much." I'd try to get another 'brewer's opinion on it first. I personally don't think it would be overpowered, but I'm honestly not sure.

Yeah, I didn't add it for that reason.

Probably just at the end of each ability with something like "Class Feature X is a supernatural/spell-like/extraordinary ability.

Okay.

Next post will probably be for the Druid ACF. I feel like by the time each class is covered, you'll need a separate thread just to have them all together and on the same page! That or you could links to your first post to each post with the various ACFs.

Good idea. I could have a small section above the Paladin part, talking about it.

Unfortunately, there are VERY few classes that are easy or fun to homebrew ACFs for. The class has to have actual class features, and not just spellcasting or feats (*cough*Wizard, Sorcerer, Fighter*cough*), and yet has to have class features that you can replace, that aren't amazingly integral to the class, and allow you some room to actually make interesting class features, since you can't do much when you are replacing something like "DR X". Like, the above criteria gets rid of Fighter, probably Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard, Psion, Psychic Warrior (although there is maybe some stuff I could do with that class...), and probably the Barbarian. There just aren't enough class features for me to remove in order to make interesting ACFs. Which is really frustrating.