Missing base class concepts (link?)

[Li Shenron]

{It's a debated topic already, and I think there was a thread 1-2 weeks ago, if anyone has a link to that, feel free to post it.}

Here's a list of non-psionic non-oriental D&D base classes from WotC books:

Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin, Swashbuckler, Hexblade
Rogue, Ranger, Bard, Scout, Spellthief
Cleric, Druid, Favored Soul, Spirit Shaman
Wizard, Sorcerer, Warmage, Warlock

to which we could add the Eberron's Artificer, and MiniHB's Marshall and Healer.

That's quite a range, but do you think that there are still character concepts which should be available to base classes, but aren't really feasible with the one published so far?

I was feeling like there is not very much a base class for an Archer concept and for a Necromancer (tho IIRC there's something in Heroes of Horror...).

Of course as an archer, the fighter class is fine, but you always end up having lots of hp and heavy armor proficiencies, which aren't something you'd expect an archer to have, and given the lack of archery feats you end up not fully focusing on archery. Furthermore there's not a class feature or mechanics which allows to represent well the archery skill of aiming. The other option would be the ranger, but the class has a lot of ideas (the nature-survival style, the favored enemy, the druid-like spellcasting, the stalker abilities) which are largely redundant for an archer.
There doesn't seem to be a class which is fully an archer and nothing else...

Then the necromancer concept, well there can be many necromancers ideas, but the wizard class only truly support the type which replicates the abilities of undead (energy drain, ghoul's touch, vampiric touch...), and specializing in necromancy doesn't change much.
Replicating undead abilities - or becoming more similar to undead - is not the most popular necromancy concept here, which instead is that of a caster who animates dead, controls/dominate undead or befriend undead.
Animating spells usually allow to have a single undead, which is quite limiting. Evil clerics are better necromancers than wizards, thanks to their rebuking ability.
I was thinking that there could be a base class which (1) rebukes undead without being a religious figure, (2) can create a decent amount of low-level undead minions, (3) have a single stronger undead companion/familiar. (UA variant wizards give a help here)

Do you think instead that you're satisfied with the existing base classes to cover these two concepts?
Is there any other concept you wish there was better support from base classes?

 

[Aus_Snow]

I think that something along the lines of the Ranger from Thieves World (a recent acquisition I'm very happy with, incidentally) fills a WotC-neglected niche rather nicely, better in fact than other similar variants I've seen, including my own.

Dragon Magazines for such things as Paladins of every alignment. . . the list goes on, really.

 

[Kweezil]

The necromancer as it exists in fantasy literature is a hard concept to emulate in D&D, because as soon as you make all those undead minions, some cleric comes along and steals command of them. A cleric-necromancer works fairly well, as you can create and command undead easily, but you have have heavy armour and no access to the undead-esque powers.

The Dread Necromancer (from Heroes of Horror) is an almost perfect fit for a necromancer in my opinion, though their automatic progression toward lichdom is a little restrictive if you wanted to make something else, eg a vampire necromancer (Strahd) or a spirit/ghost (the Necromancer from the Shattered World series of novels) or even just an outsider like a half-fiend who cannot become undead.

The True Necromancer prestige class from Libris Mortis is my personal favourite for necromancy in D&D, though it takes work to do (levels in Cleric, and planning to go into it as soon as possible so you can get all of the class before Epic). The combined clerical and arcane necromancy blurs the line between the two, and the other class abilities (like the bonus to caster level with necromancy effects) provide an mechanical bonus to entice the cahracter into using a lot more necromancy.

Edit: D'oh forgot the archer.
I've found the Scout to be the one of the best archer classes in the game. The wilderness abilities are not so heavily laden as the ranger, nor do they have the heavy armour of a fighter, instead they excel at mobility, staying out of the heart of the fight and taking one lethal shot a round (barring Improved Manyshot, which just gets scary/silly), as an archer should in a standard D&D close fight.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Soverign Stone has an archer class.

And there is the PDF Three Arrows for the King which has Archer and Archer Ranger.

 

[Tonguez]

I don't think Necromancer should be a 'base' class at all and there are already enough Necro PrCs. Scouts work well for Archer and really the problem with fighter archers can be overcome by swapping out the heavy armour proficiency and creating more archery feats.

The base class I want to see is an Alchemist that isn't a magic user per se - give me smoke bombs, grenades and mysterious poisonous gases

 

[Staffan]

One class I think is missing is a fighter/mage type. I know the Hexblade is somewhat in that direction, but on one hand it sucks, and on the other it's heavily focused on curses and such. I'd want something more along the lines of a paladin or psychic warrior (but with arcane magic), or Arcana Evolved's Mageblade.

 

[Crothian]

One class I think is missing is a fighter/mage type.

That's what mutli classing and prestige classes are for.

 

[Greg K]

That's what mutli classing and prestige classes are for.

Only if you like that half arsed way of doing it.

 

[JoeGKushner]

One class I think is missing is a fighter/mage type. I know the Hexblade is somewhat in that direction, but on one hand it sucks, and on the other it's heavily focused on curses and such. I'd want something more along the lines of a paladin or psychic warrior (but with arcane magic), or Arcana Evolved's Mageblade.

Thaneblade/mage? in Advanced Player's Guide from Green Ronin. Or the Mageblade from Arcana Evolved.

 

[Anti-Sean]

One class I think is missing is a fighter/mage type. I know the Hexblade is somewhat in that direction, but on one hand it sucks, and on the other it's heavily focused on curses and such. I'd want something more along the lines of a paladin or psychic warrior (but with arcane magic), or Arcana Evolved's Mageblade.

Battle Sorceror from Unearthed Arcana. Yum.