UA: Your favorite variant?

[Greg K]

I'm a bit surprised so many people allow this. To me it is he most overpowered varient class I have ever seen.
.

I don't consider it to be overpowered.
1. While they have more combat options than sneak attack rogues, they lack the fighter's BAB. So they still hit less often than a fighter, receive bonus attacks at a slower rate than a fighter, and qualify for many bonus feats at a slower rater than a fighter of equal level

2. They lack the fighter's hit die. If they enter melee, they cannot take punishment like a fighter.


3. If they focus on ranged attacks, they still hit less often than a fighter of equal level

4. They lack the ability to do sneak attack damage in melee or range. True, sneak attack is not always possible, but there are feats that increase the opportunity for sneak attacking.

 

[Darklone]

I don't consider it to be overpowered.
...

It's horribly overpowered for example if you use it to multiclass. You have a class with 3 bonus feats in the first four levels, trap sense, lotsa skillpoints and Evasion.

 

[Klaus]

I can't even choose one rule. If I could only use two books to play D&D, the PHB and UA would be it.

I use the first couple of chapters the most but I use pretty much all of it.

Ditto.

 

[ivocaliban]

My favorite variant rules are...everything in the first three chapters.

 

[The Grackle]

Whirling Frenzy, totem barbarians, reducing Level Adjustments.

I'd like to run a game w/the generic classes someday.

 

[Psion]

• Action points
• Alternate wizard specialist abilities
• Terrain specific racial variants
• Racial paragons
• LA reduction

 

[blargney the second]

These are some of the variants my group has used in various campaigns (and my rating of them):
1) Gestalt (7/10). If *all* the players resist the urge to powergame, it's an interesting variant. Otherwise it's a serious nightmare to try to find some sort of equilibrium. For ease of DMing, I prefer upping the power level in smaller ways: +2 skill points/level across the board, higher point-buy, etc.
2) Damage Conversion (8/10). Advantages: ACs are unchanged, healing doubles in effectiveness, lethality is reduced. Non-lethal damage can be a bit of a pain to track, but the variant is overall very cool.
3) Players Roll All the Dice (10/10). Reduces DM load, keeps players engaged when it's not their turn, gives players a bit more control over the randomness. Best variant I've seen.
4) Reducing Level Adjustments (7/10). Not particularly useful at low levels, but opens up some interesting races later in the game.
5) Bell Curve Rolls (7/10). Rather than the flat distribution of d20, I prefer a more normalized randomness. We're using a 2d10 variant that I like a lot.
6) Weapon Group Feats (9/10). Brilliant execution of weapon proficiencies. We only modified two things: Improved Unarmed Strike counts as a weapon group, and Exotic Weapon only applies to one regular group at a time. (ie Exotic Weapons: Heavy Blades).

-blarg

 

[Evilhalfling]

Thug (fighter with skill points, bad name, very useful)
Cloistered Cleric
Item Familiars
- wow missed the Martial Rogue - that is even better, perhaps too good.
If they loose the 2nd level feat then they seem more balance esp the low levels.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Facing

That's my *one* favourite. There would be a few though, given that liberty.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Class Based Defense Bonus (Although I often think there should be a minimum of something like 3 levels before a second class' defense bonus can impact the character. That would prevent cherry-picking. But, even with cherry-picking I still like this and use it.)

Racial Paragons

Buying off LAs

Weapons Groups