Base Class: Scholarly Warrior

[Flame_Excess]

Surely, multiclassing with a rogue would end up having a similar traits. Let's take a look at that:

+sneak attack
+high skills (8)
+evasion
+specific skills (disarm traps, decipher scripts)
-HP
-BAB
-focus on both str and dex

The last negative aspect probably makes the whole point for having those classes made into one. You could have stats of 15,14,13,12,10,8.

Str 15
Dex 8
Con 13
Int 14
Sag 12
Cha 10

And if you're lacking of a fighter in your group while you hate playing the fighter well the scholarly fighter is perfect. In that group, you might even already have a rogue so that it would be redundant to have a second. Otherwise, multiclassing would make your high BAB and HP a bit lower and when it's the best benefit of the class.

I've seen many interesting abilities with the Scholar
Instead of additional feats, i'd suggest to grant bonus languages and such.

 

[brehobit]

I generally like it; I'd steal it if it were OGC. Would you consider putting it under the OGL?

Consider it so. Don't think I need to do anything other than say that...

Mark

 

[brehobit]

I think the class will have trouble keeping up in combat. An 8th-level fighter has 5 bonus feats; your class would have 1 (and not Power Attack, Cleave, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, or a host of other martial feats). The skill boosts are nice, but not powerful; I don't see this class seriously contending on the battlefield. If you added more skills it might vie with the bard, but it can't fight -- d8 aside, even.

Personally I'd drop the bonus skill points and skill focuses and give it a few more feats so it is somewhat viable on the battlefield. It need not match the fighter for sheer power and flexibility, but it should be able to do something useful.

Actually, as a fighter, at 8th level you are getting +2 to damage on every attack with any weapon (well not vs undead etc.). So that's at least as good as weapon specialization in hand-to-hand. Plus, assuming an INT of 14, he gets 4 attacks at +3 to attack. He will lose to the fighter (as he should), but it won't be a complete blowout. The 8th level fighter got 5 class feats probably including weapon focus and weapon specialization. The SW can take weapon focus also. So it looks like he's down 9 hit points and 3 feats. The 4 attacks at +3 probably come close to balancing that in a single fight. Of course he has a 14 in INT, so that hurts something else.

Like I said, he loses, but it isn't a pasting.

 

[brehobit]

After reviewing the class, the only change I'd make for sure is moving the will saves to "good".

Perhaps remove the skill focus restrictions and allow the skill focuses at levels 3 and 13 to be "any tactical feat for which you qualify" instead of a skill focus if desired. Doing it for levels 3, 8, 13, and 18 is probably too many combat-useful feats (compared to the fighter).