ToB Martial Adept Classes

[AbeTheGnome]

How do the ToB martial adept classes stack up to the PHB classes? Are they balanced well? How do you feel about having a mixed party: a Fighter, a Warblade, a Wizard, and a Swordsage, or some other mix? Do the ToB classes outshine PHB Fighters, Paladins, etc.? Is it possible to pick and choose from ToB, using what you like and leaving what you don't?

 

[Nifft]

ToB classes stack up very well against Wizards, Rogues, Clerics, Barbarians and Druids.

ToB classes are significantly overpowered compared to Fighters.

Cheers, -- N

 

[MerricB]

There is debate on this issue; Fighters are helped significantly by PH2, of course. (And Fighters may be overshadowed by Barbarians, Paladins, Wizards in normal D&D in any case...)

It is possible to pick and choose to some extent.

Cheers!

 

[Seeten]

My group, and by extension, the #dnd3e gaming community, have had success using these classes as a replacement for fighter and paladin. I wouldnt use them side by side. Warblade is not OP compared to a Cleric, only better than a fighter. This isnt a problem in my estimation, since I am a big fan of balance.

 

[blargney the second]

They're fine & fun.

 

[FireLance]

Is it possible to pick and choose from ToB, using what you like and leaving what you don't?

The answer to this is obviously yes.

For example, you can use TOB to "power up" the fighter class, if you feel that it is not as good compared to some of the other core classes, by allowing fighters to take Martial Study more than three times (say, one extra time for every four fighter levels), and giving fighters of 4th and higher level an initiator level of fighter level -2.

Another idea I've been toying with for spell-less and mount-less paladins is to give spell-less paladins a bonus Martial Study or Martial Stance feat for the Devoted Spirit discipline at 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th level, and mount-less paladins a bonus Martial Study or Martial Stance feat for the White Raven discipline at 5th, 8th, 11th and 15th level. Similarly, a spell-less and mount-less paladin's initiator levels for the Devoted Spirit and White Raven disciplines respectively would be paladin level -2.

 

[Seeten]

The answer to this is obviously yes.

For example, you can use TOB to "power up" the fighter class, if you feel that it is not as good compared to some of the other core classes, by allowing fighters to take Martial Study more than three times (say, one extra time for every four fighter levels), and giving fighters of 4th and higher level an initiator level of fighter level -2.

Another idea I've been toying with for spell-less and mount-less paladins is to give spell-less paladins a bonus Martial Study or Martial Stance feat for the Devoted Spirit discipline at 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th level, and mount-less paladins a bonus Martial Study or Martial Stance feat for the White Raven discipline at 5th, 8th, 11th and 15th level. Similarly, a spell-less and mount-less paladin's initiator levels for the Devoted Spirit and White Raven disciplines respectively would be paladin level -2.

You can also replace the Fighter with the Warblade, and rename Warblade "Fighter", or even just add 1 maneuver per level from any combination of schools that you like, and 1 stance every 4 levels, and give fighters an initiator level of 1 per fighter level.

If I were running a swords and sorcery european flavored game, I'd replace Fighter with Warblade, Paladin with Crusader, and Monk with Swordsage, and call it even, but you can simply give maneuver progression to Paladin, and Fighter, and Monk, also, and keep existing flavor. The ToB thing basically adds "spells" to fighters, without calling them spells, and their addition wouldnt make any of the above classes OP compared to a 20th wizard, cleric or druid.