Marshall class balanced with Fighter BAB or as is?

[shmoo2]

As per the title- the Marshall class seems kinda weak, but interesting. Would it be balanced with the Fighter BAB, some other change, or is it already balanced as is?

 

[Caliban]

The martial class is plenty powerful. Having seen a few in play, it's true power is in making other PC's even more effective.

They can also be very effective at trip/disarm with the proper feats and auras.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Whereas my experience suggests that the auras, while really cool, don't make the class balanced. It's still weak.

I played one, briefly, where we gave it fighter BAB and more skill points, but he died too early in the campaign for me to say whether he was truly up to par or not. (Then again, the fact that he died early in the campaign might say something. )

 

[FunkBGR]

Limit their minor auras from equal to their CHA mod, to equal to CHA mod or level, whichever is lower. Prevents the dip!

Edit: I would hazard a guess that fighter BAB wouldn't be bad for them, letting them really take the front-lines. They don't get much in the way of abilities though, beyond their auras.

 

[Drowbane]

With classes such as Warblade and Knight on the table, the Marshall should get good BAB and a d10 HD.

Limit their minor auras from equal to their CHA mod, to equal to CHA mod or level, whichever is lower.

Bam, done!

That would kill the "best non-caster dip for a Sorc" thing real quick.

 

[Nifft]

A pure Marshal: is too weak. The Major auras are weak; the Minor auras only get strong if you significantly invest in your Charisma, and you don't get much else for your investment.

A 1 to 3 level dip into Marshal for a high-level Paladin: is too strong. Your Minor aura(s) will be fantastic, given the low price, and you already have a nice stack of class abilities based around your Charisma.

- - -

Marshal is both too weak and too strong. It needs replacing. Quick fixes won't do it.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Kahuna Burger]

As per the title- the Marshall class seems kinda weak, but interesting. Would it be balanced with the Fighter BAB, some other change, or is it already balanced as is?

I guess the question is "against what?" with a side of "as what?"

I compare dedicated buffer or generalist/dabbler classes to the bard. Since the Marshall strikes me as a dedicated buffer that'd the comparison it gets and it comes out just fine.

 

[Erywin]

I have never really played one or looked at the class very much but how would they compare to Dragon Shamans who get auras as well?

 

[Darklone]

The only thing a marshal needs is that his auras work on himself... as they do IIRC even if it's kinda strangely worded.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I compare dedicated buffer or generalist/dabbler classes to the bard. Since the Marshall strikes me as a dedicated buffer that'd the comparison it gets and it comes out just fine.

The bard has the same BAB, better skills, and only slightly lower HP. While the marshal doesn't have a daily limit on auras, he's limited to the ones he can throw at any one time. The bard's daily limit is fairly high, and--more to the point--they also get a pretty wide array of spells.

I'd say that, even when compared to the bard, the marshal as written comes out second-best.