While I like the mechanics behind Brute, do we really need another generic fighter? Champion already does that pretty well.
My main complaint with the Brute is that it misses opportunities to be more flavorful. I think that could be achieved without making the class more complex (because it seems one of the design goals is simplicity). Here's my take at it. Not as powerful by the numbers, but that could be tweaked. I'm mostly thinking of fun/flavorful mechanics:
Brute
Brute Force
Starting at 3rd level, you’re able to strike with your weapons with especially brutal force. Whenever you hit with a weapon that you’re proficient with and deal damage, if your unmodified attack roll is greater than either of your Intelligence and Wisdom scores, the weapon’s damage increases by an amount based on your level in this class, as shown on the Brute Bonus Damage table.
(insert table)
You Are the Brute Squad
Also at 3rd level you gain proficiency in Charisma (Intimidation). If you already have proficiency then your proficiency bonus is doubled.
You’ll Just Make Him Mad
Beginning at 7th level, your obliviousness to discomfort (what others might call “pain”) allows you to shrug off all manner of assault. When required to make any kind of saving throw you may choose to make a Constitution roll instead. If it is a death saving throw, any result greater than 20 counts as a natural 20. You may do this a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once), and regain all uses at the end of a short rest.
Additional Fighting Style
(Unchanged. Not terribly interesting, but at least it has the potential to affect playstyle.)
Staggering Blows
Starting at 15th level, when you score a critical hit, your target must make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the beginning of your next turn. The DC is equal to 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency modifier, and is further increased by 2 if using a weapon two-handed, or by -2 for offhand attacks.
Survivor
(Unchanged...can’t think of anything better at the moment)
I despise Dragonlance (and Warcraft) style "tinker" gnomes; the fact that this became the default archetype for gnomes in D&D from 2E onward just sickens me; it ruined the race and turned them into bad jokes (and has infected every other portrayal of gnomes in fantasy fiction ever since Dragonlance and 2nd Edition D&D (again, just look at the World of Warcraft). Just the mere idea from here of associating the Inventor Wizard with "tinker" gnomes makes me reflexively dislike the subclass, which seemed to me pretty scattershot, unfocused, and uninspiring to begin with.
The Inventor Wizard does nothing for me. I despise Dragonlance (and Warcraft) style "tinker" gnomes; the fact that this became the default archetype for gnomes in D&D from 2E onward just sickens me; it ruined the race and turned them into bad jokes (and has infected every other portrayal of gnomes in fantasy fiction ever since Dragonlance and 2nd Edition D&D (again, just look at the World of Warcraft). Just the mere idea from here of associating the Inventor Wizard with "tinker" gnomes makes me reflexively dislike the subclass, which seemed to me pretty scattershot, unfocused, and uninspiring to begin with. Wearing magitech armor and casting randomly determined unprepared spells? I don't get the connection. It's not that I don't like the idea of mixing magic and technology... I love that. I despise the random slapstick "silly absent-minded professor makes a wacky crazy invention that blows up in his face" feel of it all (which is why I despise "tinker" gnomes.) I greatly prefer the Artificer from many months ago for this kind of concept.
This is probably kicking a hornets nest and potentially thread derailing, but as a person who is unfamiliar with older editions of DnD... What do you want Gnomes to be then?
Granted, I can see having an entire race of "Wacky Hijinks Inventor" getting a bit too much, even though I personally don't mind that character archetype in small doses, but why not have Gnomes be technically minded and a people full of joy and wonder? I mean we have so many different races taking chunks of "short" "lives underground" and "loves wealth" in Fantasy between Dwarves, Goblins, Halflings, Kobolds and Gnomes that I kind of like having SCIENCE and a bit of silly wonderment to help define gnomes as something a bit different from the others.
I think the Brute re-skinned as the ultimate master warrior, being just better at everything through sheer skill and willpower (a Batman-style Badass Normal) is much more fitting to the great mechanics, and I am going to use it as such.
This is probably kicking a hornets nest and potentially thread derailing, but as a person who is unfamiliar with older editions of DnD... What do you want Gnomes to be then?
Granted, I can see having an entire race of "Wacky Hijinks Inventor" getting a bit too much, even though I personally don't mind that character archetype in small doses, but why not have Gnomes be technically minded and a people full of joy and wonder? I mean we have so many different races taking chunks of "short" "lives underground" and "loves wealth" in Fantasy between Dwarves, Goblins, Halflings, Kobolds and Gnomes that I kind of like having SCIENCE and a bit of silly wonderment to help define gnomes as something a bit different from the others.
I think too many people have been caught up in the dragonlance gnomes and WoW gnomes. My general understanding of gnomes in 2e were the forest gnomes with tinker gnomes being more or less dragonlance only. I normally associate gnomes with illusions more so than gadgets, and that is because of 2e that I make that association.
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