It was argued that in a setting with lots of air travel, a Pilot core class is reasonable and a good idea. Because air-vehicle rules vary widely from one system to another, many existing classes don't exactly work (Dragonstar) and even if they did, most are rather boring outside a vehicle... and well your not dragging a space fighter down a goblin hole...
So I've been working on one of my own. The latest draft as bad version of it in there. (http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=121951)
It's not all the balanced yet (still working through how many skill points, what skills, and what feats on the bonus list). The good news is that many of the powers work in and out of the cockpit.
It's also still fairly boring. I want some interesting powers. (barbarians rage, rogues back stab, spell casters blow stuff up or bring back the dead, druids have big animal friends and transform, aviators fly... really really well?) here are some chalk boarding powers:
1) Change Gunner so that the bonus is when ever the character is in flight or fighting a flying enemy... not a big change but it might help.
2) Some sort of Charisma based ability... Pilots can wear armor so no adding it to armor class, and paladins already have a class power for adding it to saving throws so that's sort of out. Maybe a luck ability where they can add their Charisma Bonus to a check 1/day as a luck bonus. Attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, etc. As they gain levels they can do so more often. Minimum bonus is +1. The best combat aces and test pilots are often as lucky as they are good.
3) Add a system where the character selects one of say 3 types of crafts (or types of pilot?) at first level of being an aviator and gains abilities tied to that. So if you pick to be a pilot of a technical craft you get Disable device and Pick Locks as class skills and the Ability to pick locks and find and remove traps at first level. Latter as you gain levels you'd get bonus tied to working with devices and device based ships. If instead you picked magical flight you get Use Magic Device and Spellcraft as class skills, and maybe the occasional magic spell 1/day or such(feather fall for example). If you picked natural flight as your type, (implying you have wings or otherwise fly under your own power) you get Survival as a class skill (and something else) and powers tied to flying under your own power... etc.
I'd either make a split along type of craft or type of pilot.... combat pilot/test pilot/etc. vs Technical pilot/magical pilot/natural pilot.
4) take some of those special pilot powers and make them built in at an earlier stage. For example, Maybe all pilots should have favored stunt(s)?
5) In addition to the minor Dodge bonus increase, maybe adding it the ability to use the dodge feat on more then one target at a time... so at first level they can call dodge vs. 1 target, but by 15th level they can do so against 3? This works against any foe, not just enemy vehicles. I also thought maybe removing the built in dodge bonus but instead giving the class dodge bonuses that can be applied toward separate targets or all stacked on a single target. (again working sort like if you have more then one dodge feat).
Last question: Does the name Aviator work? Keep in mind we arn't calling it the Pilot class because pilot is a more technical term in the book (for the guy in charge of a vessel because you got 1 pilot and everyone else is a passenger).
NOTE: I am trying to avoid simply saying that all pilots get some minor magic powers... doesn't work well for steam punk settings and the like. I don't want all 11th level pilots being able to cast fly 1/day for example. Now the Pilot type idea gets around that.
Help?
So I've been working on one of my own. The latest draft as bad version of it in there. (http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=121951)
It's not all the balanced yet (still working through how many skill points, what skills, and what feats on the bonus list). The good news is that many of the powers work in and out of the cockpit.
It's also still fairly boring. I want some interesting powers. (barbarians rage, rogues back stab, spell casters blow stuff up or bring back the dead, druids have big animal friends and transform, aviators fly... really really well?) here are some chalk boarding powers:
1) Change Gunner so that the bonus is when ever the character is in flight or fighting a flying enemy... not a big change but it might help.
2) Some sort of Charisma based ability... Pilots can wear armor so no adding it to armor class, and paladins already have a class power for adding it to saving throws so that's sort of out. Maybe a luck ability where they can add their Charisma Bonus to a check 1/day as a luck bonus. Attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, etc. As they gain levels they can do so more often. Minimum bonus is +1. The best combat aces and test pilots are often as lucky as they are good.
3) Add a system where the character selects one of say 3 types of crafts (or types of pilot?) at first level of being an aviator and gains abilities tied to that. So if you pick to be a pilot of a technical craft you get Disable device and Pick Locks as class skills and the Ability to pick locks and find and remove traps at first level. Latter as you gain levels you'd get bonus tied to working with devices and device based ships. If instead you picked magical flight you get Use Magic Device and Spellcraft as class skills, and maybe the occasional magic spell 1/day or such(feather fall for example). If you picked natural flight as your type, (implying you have wings or otherwise fly under your own power) you get Survival as a class skill (and something else) and powers tied to flying under your own power... etc.
I'd either make a split along type of craft or type of pilot.... combat pilot/test pilot/etc. vs Technical pilot/magical pilot/natural pilot.
4) take some of those special pilot powers and make them built in at an earlier stage. For example, Maybe all pilots should have favored stunt(s)?
5) In addition to the minor Dodge bonus increase, maybe adding it the ability to use the dodge feat on more then one target at a time... so at first level they can call dodge vs. 1 target, but by 15th level they can do so against 3? This works against any foe, not just enemy vehicles. I also thought maybe removing the built in dodge bonus but instead giving the class dodge bonuses that can be applied toward separate targets or all stacked on a single target. (again working sort like if you have more then one dodge feat).
Last question: Does the name Aviator work? Keep in mind we arn't calling it the Pilot class because pilot is a more technical term in the book (for the guy in charge of a vessel because you got 1 pilot and everyone else is a passenger).
NOTE: I am trying to avoid simply saying that all pilots get some minor magic powers... doesn't work well for steam punk settings and the like. I don't want all 11th level pilots being able to cast fly 1/day for example. Now the Pilot type idea gets around that.
Help?
