PC-grade "Master" (Dragonlance: War of the Lance, p.21)

[nonsi]

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Following this discussion, I was wondering if there could be a practical way in which the Master class can be upgraded to make it applicable for being a contributing factor in an adventuring party.

Given that it's divided into 4 different focuses, I tried to come up with something generalized enough so that the result doesn't favor one over the others.

The solution I thought of is as follows:

1. At levels 13 and 19, the master gains Tertiary Focus and Quaternary Focus respectively. At those levels, their primary/secondary/tertiary/quaternary focuses are increased by an additional +2 (to a maximum of +8/+6/+4/+2 respectively).
That way one can become a true master of his primary focus and excel in other focuses, eventually touching all aspects of being a master.

2. Drawing from the Generic Classes solution (Unearthed Arcana (D&D 3e; 2004), p.76)....... at 1st level and again at each level divisible by 3, a master gains a special ability drawn from the list of proposed features (Fav. Enemy, Sneak Attack, Evasion etc.)
This could give the class some level of combat lastability, as well as versatility.


I'm wondering if it's enough for building a decent character, or if the result would be obviously inferior.
I'm leaning toward using this as my measuring tool - which makes me think that my proposal is still not enough.

For the sake of maintaining an elegant class design, levels 4, 10 and 16 can hold additional features, but I'm not sure what to put into them.
Since Knacks already cover the diversification between the different focuses, I thought of a simple solution of granting a general feat at those levels.
... and even then the class seems a bit inferior to me, but I can think of nothing else that could fit into it in a convincing manner.




In terms of class advancement, this is what I have so far:


Table: Master

		Saves
Level	BAB	F	R	W	Special
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Primary focus (+2), Knack, Gen. Class Ability (UA, p.76)
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Bonus feat
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Gen. Class Ability
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Knack, < SOMETHING ?? >
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus feat
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Gen. Class Ability
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Secondary focus (+4/+2), Knack
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Bonus feat
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Gen. Class Ability
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Knack, < SOMETHING ?? >
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Bonus feat
12th	+6	+4	+4	+8	Gen. Class Ability
13th	+6	+4	+4	+8	Tertiary focus (+6/+4/+2), Knack
14th	+7	+4	+4	+9	Bonus feat
15th	+7	+5	+5	+9	Gen. Class Ability
16th	+8	+5	+5	+10	Knack, < SOMETHING ?? >
17th	+8	+5	+5	+10	Bonus feat
18th	+9	+6	+6	+11	Gen. Class Ability
19th	+9	+6	+6	+11	Quaternary focus (+8/+6/+4/+2), Knack
20th	+10	+6	+6	+12	Bonus feat

[rferries]

It depends. If the class is reflavoured to master in the sense of "jack of all trades", your fixes seem logical. If it tries to keep the flavour of "master crafter", it's probably going to have to emulate an Artificer or something else that can create minions or craft items or generate spell effects that are useful in encounters.

[nonsi]

It depends. If the class is reflavoured to master in the sense of "jack of all trades", your fixes seem logical. If it tries to keep the flavour of "master crafter", it's probably going to have to emulate an Artificer or something else that can create minions or craft items or generate spell effects that are useful in encounters.

I'm well aware that it's absolutely essential to have some Artificer fu in order to pose a decent crafter.
The pending question is: "what are the essentials for Performer/Professional/Sage, and how do I make a symmetrical split between the four roles over levels 4, 10 and 16" (because those are the levels that I have room to maneuver with if I'm to maintain a clean class design).

[rferries]

I'm well aware that it's absolutely essential to have some Artificer fu in order to pose a decent crafter.
The pending question is: "what are the essentials for Performer/Professional/Sage, and how do I make a symmetrical split between the four roles over levels 4, 10 and 16" (because those are the levels that I have room to maneuver with if I'm to maintain a clean class design).

That's a tall order... I wish you good luck haha. All I can think of is:

Performer - social skills, Perform, charm effects

Sage - Knowledge skills, divination effects

[nonsi]

That's a tall order... I wish you good luck haha.

Sure, but the effort is justified, because the game deserves a decent Master class.
A lot of fantasy stories have them and it's long over due that players can get to enjoy the archetype as well.

All I can think of is:

Performer - social skills, Perform, charm effects

Sage - Knowledge skills, divination effects

Actually, for the Performer I was thinking about Inspire Courage/Greatness/Heroics, but charm could work as well.
For the Craftsman I was thinking about Craft Magical Arms and Armor + Forge Ring + . . . IDK.
I'm quite stuck when it comes to the Professional though. Maybe it should be a kind of Rogue-Ranger-Scout mesh (including Swift Tracker and HiPS, and Climb/Jump/Escape Artist/Spot/Swim added to their class skills).

I'm also considering different good saves for different focuses:
- Craftsman: Fort
- Performer: Ref
- Sage: Will
- Professional: Fort & Ref (because it's the least attractive focus).
Notice that multiple focuses grant multiple good saves, which is within reason for a relatively low-tier class.


Things are a bit vague for me right now, so throw in whatever ideas that come to mind, even if those are just thought fragments.
It feels to me like we're almost there, and that the result could end up quite decent.