Adventurer Class

[GreyOne]

Has anyone seen or made up a basic Adventurer class. One that you can use as a basic template to build on and then specialize by attaching skills, feats and class abilities? Any links or info would be appreciated.

 

[peterka1]

yes. me. rogue based, but more versatile


adventurer

Adventurers are generalist who just can take on every skill or feat available. Better jack-of-all-trade than bards. For those who want to be real generalists…

Hit Die:
Adventurers gain 1d6 hit points per level. The character's Constitution modifier applies.


Class Skills
The adventurer's class skills, and the key ability for each, are as follows (see PHB, Chapter
Four: Skills for skill descriptions). Any 8. +1 class skill/ level

Skill Points at 1st Level: (8 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 8 + Int modifier.


Class Features
All of the following are class features of the adventurer:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
The adventurer is proficient in the use of all simple and martial weapons and with light armor only. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble.

Feats: Consider here GENERAL feats non in fighter bonus feats list are weaker than the other (ex: iron will, alertness). Without sneak attacks, rogues feats are of lesser use, idem for metamagic feats for non-casters. Add crapy feats like tougness.


Table 1-1: The Adventurer bab: as rogue; saves: good fortitude and reflex


Level Adventurer

1 2 feats (non in fighter bonus feats list)

2 Any feat
3
4 Any feat (non in fighter bonus feats list)
5
6 Any feat
7
8 Any feat (non in fighter bonus feats list)
9
10 Any feat
11
12 Any feat (non in fighter bonus feats list)
13
14 Any feat
15
16 Any feat (non in fighter bonus feats list)
17
18 Any feat (non in fighter bonus feats list)
19
20 Any feat (non in fighter bonus feats list)

 

[Drawmack]

Check this one out. http://www.mortality.net/modules.ph...s&file=index&do=showpic&pid=519&orderby=hitsD
I have been really tearing it appart and cannot find any holes in the system that he has set up. I have used it do devise a couple of classes for players. One player came to me and said, since we're doing a city campaign can I be a Sherlock Holmes type so I made up a class that did that, because nothing else fit at all. Another wanted to be a city ranger so I used this to tweak the ranger class.

I am thinking about for the next game allowing the PCs to take a core class, tweak a core class as per these rules or create a class from the ground up using this system.

I will warn you that it is a bit strange at first. It took me a couple of readings to really understand what the guy was doing. It all works very well. The point system is great because it's easy to alter. For low magic add points to the cost of magic. For a high intrigue campaign you might want to play with the numbers for the skill points and class skills.

There is one thing that I have changed. The Barbarian and the Rogue Uncanny dodge cost the same amount. But the barbarian gets everything one level sooner. So I alter the rouge to get the bonuses the same time as the barbarian.

 

[Wolf72]

that is a very cool engine!

working with that and peterka1's idea I came up with the following (240 cp)

HD: d6,
8 skill points, 31 + class skills (make it 35?),
light armor and shields, simple weapons,
BAB as rogue/cleric,
any alignment,
rogue's saves (high refl, low will/Fort).

that left 55 extra points, which could be used as bonus feats (11, the same as a fighter).

I don't know if I'd just make it any general feat or come up with an exclusive list.

 

[X-ray Crossbow]

Nice engine...

HD: D6 20
Weapon Prof: All Martial 15
Armor Prof: Light & Shields 15
Skill Points: 6 45
Alignment: Any 0
Class Skills: 20 20

Escape Artist
Open Lock
Disable Device
Search
Spot
Listen
Balance
Tumble

Wilderness Lore
Knowledge:Nature

Spellcraft
Knowledge:Arcana
Knowledge:Geography
Concentration
Jump
Ride
Climb
Swim
Use Magic Device
Speak Language

BAB: Lesser 30
Saves: Adroit (High Will, Ref) 25
Spell Capability 10
General Abilities: Select one "Focus" Feat every 5 levels-Skill Focus, Weapon focus, magic focus-- at 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th
Mystical Abilities: Arcane Spells 30
5 max of each level at 20th, learned and cast as wizard

Armored Casting 10

Total: 240 Points

A medium person at everything...fighting, magic, stealth, diplomacy.

 

[GreyOne]

Great! Thanks you guys.

 

[Al]

The engine shows its faults when it details the lists of existing classes. Clerics, sorcerors and wizards come out as below average, when actual play reveals that they are actually rather strong classes. Conversely, the monk and bard come out on top, whilst play reveals that the monk is perhaps mediocre and the bard is generally accepted to be weak.

The other problem is that the engine can be 'worked' and skewed to provide optimal benefits. The 'spells/day at 20th level' is also slightly bizarre, because a character that can cast only 2 9th level spells instead of 4 9th level spells (and so on down the line) is not necessarily half as powerful as the wizard. Similarly, the ability to cast lots of low-level spells is probably inferior to the casting of high-level spells. It strikes me as strange that the bard's arcane ability is placed at a higher point tariff that the cleric's spellcasting ability; and most bizarre that it is 7/8 the value of the wizards' spellcasting ability.

It is a workable engine, but the reality check must always be applied.

 

[Drawmack]

I agree on the reality check and the fact that the engine can be manipulated. Let's face it the core classes can be manipulated and opening that up even more opens up the manipulation even more. That is why if the players are designing their own classes the DM must retain veto ability on classes. I use the engine in two ways:
1) When I am creating my homebrew classes it gives me a good idea of the power level and balance of a new class before I play test it. This way the new classes need less, but usually still some, tweaking through play.
2) If a character says I like the rogue but I'm thinking of something slightly different I'll allow them to use the engine to tweak the class. For example I have a player in my group right now who wanted to be a rogue that is just a bit more martial. So we used the engine to give them less skill points and less class skills with a higher HD and martial weapon proficiency.

As with any supliment it must be kept in it's place but it is still a very useful tool.

BTW: I am one of the few who disagree about the ''weakness'' of the Bard. The Bard is a very subtle, but very powerful class.