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The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Who wants to review a book of classes?
- Thread starter pawsplay
- Start date
pawsplay
Hero
I have that fixed in the master copy. I'll upload it once I'm sure I have all the typoes.
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Typos such as "typoes"?
pawsplay
Hero
CardboardTube Knight
Explorer
I haven't been active here long, but good luck with the book!
I have been playing with the new classes for a while now and my players just love this pdf. One of my players is playing a Scholar/Martial artist another has based his character around the medical feats. Others have used feats from the pdf as well.
While I find most of the feats and classes balanced (at least as far as I have played with them) there are a few minor balance issues when it comes to a couple of features.
My main pewee is with the smart defense ability of the scholar I really don't think this ability should be used with armor or similar abilities like the monk's AC bonus from wis. My player who is playing a scholar/fighter/martial artist has insanely high AC and most monsters need a 20 to hit him. The stacking of bonuses from agile defense, dex, dodge armor and the smart defense ability is to much IMO. My player also thought the look out lore ability of the scholar was a bit over the top, but I don't really have an issue with that one since there are only a few classes with good reflex saves.
There are a few things I'm wondering about the Scholar's look out ability, would allies benefit from this ability if the scholar was helpless, silenced bound etc? and if the scholar gains improved evasion would the look out ability grant the same to the scholars' allies?
Concerning the medical miracle feat and the major medical feat, would the feat work even if the target suffers more damage. There's no rule as to how much damage a corpse could suffer before being unsuited for the raise dead spell.
While I find most of the feats and classes balanced (at least as far as I have played with them) there are a few minor balance issues when it comes to a couple of features.
My main pewee is with the smart defense ability of the scholar I really don't think this ability should be used with armor or similar abilities like the monk's AC bonus from wis. My player who is playing a scholar/fighter/martial artist has insanely high AC and most monsters need a 20 to hit him. The stacking of bonuses from agile defense, dex, dodge armor and the smart defense ability is to much IMO. My player also thought the look out lore ability of the scholar was a bit over the top, but I don't really have an issue with that one since there are only a few classes with good reflex saves.
There are a few things I'm wondering about the Scholar's look out ability, would allies benefit from this ability if the scholar was helpless, silenced bound etc? and if the scholar gains improved evasion would the look out ability grant the same to the scholars' allies?
Concerning the medical miracle feat and the major medical feat, would the feat work even if the target suffers more damage. There's no rule as to how much damage a corpse could suffer before being unsuited for the raise dead spell.
pawsplay
Hero
Well, I will try to respond to this. The basic archetype of the scholar is "be smart, give good advice, and not die." Other than a bunch of knowledge skill bonuses, that is about all a scholar gets until second level. I didn't see any reason to exclude scholars from wearing light armor. The only reason to keep it from mixing with armor is to make the ability weaker, and I did not intend for the scholar to be weak. In 3e, the Swordsage and some versions of the Bladesinger can get Int to AC in light armor. Saying the scholar's Int bonus to AC is strong is a little like saying the fighter is strong in feats, or the barbarian does a lot of damage. Intelligence typically has little or no combat uses without class features to bring it into play. If the scholar pumps up their Int, that means points or magic that could be going into Dex, Str, Con, or even Wis, all of which have direct bonuses to combat on their own. Considering that Dex already adds to ranged attacks, AC, Reflexes and initiative, I think this ability grants, at most, parity with rogues and monks.
If it didn't stack with armor, the class would become a one-level dip for wizards, or characters would simply start wearing better armor, either by taking a level in fighter, wearing light armor, or smiply eating nonproficiency penalties, making the ability moot.
First of all, let me say that a scholar/fighter/martial artist sounds really cool. But moving along to balance issues, what AC are you getting at what level? A straight up fighter should still be able to beat him in the AC department simply by wearing heavy armor. Going from a chain shirt to plate is worth 5 AC alone, and you would need to be at least 13th level to get any benefit at all from Agile Defense in heavy armor.
Level 9, AC 37 Dodge feat +1, Agile defense +2, Int +5, Dex +5 (works with armor training and mithril armor), Armor +9 (Elven chain mail +3), Ring +2, Shield +3 (Buckler +2) and that's without fighting defensively or having buffs. He usually gets haste and a shield extract from the party alchemist and fights defensively with combat expertise, another party member has an ability that grants a +2 bonus as well. All these bonuses gives him an AC of 47 at level 9 and the party could probably dig up some more bonuses from buffs or magical items if they wanted.
The groups fighter wears full plate +3 and has a non magical tower shield, the dodge feat and +2 from dex for an AC of 29. With buffs and expertise he gains an AC of 38, just one higher than the scholar while un-buffed.
The character is really fun to play. The player only picked up fighter because he wanted to use armor. Even he thinks the AC gets a bit crazy, heck even the fighter thinks he has a crazy AC. None of my players made these characters to be optimized, they just ended up this way. There is also few ways to circumvent the high AC of the martial artist because he has uncanny dodge. Even the swordsage was limited to only using light armor, although that point is moot in this case. I think the int to AC thing makes the class extremely tempting for dipping for any high int classes. By itself the ability is fine and the fluff is very well justified I just see so many potential ways to abuse this for min-maxers.
The groups fighter wears full plate +3 and has a non magical tower shield, the dodge feat and +2 from dex for an AC of 29. With buffs and expertise he gains an AC of 38, just one higher than the scholar while un-buffed.
The character is really fun to play. The player only picked up fighter because he wanted to use armor. Even he thinks the AC gets a bit crazy, heck even the fighter thinks he has a crazy AC. None of my players made these characters to be optimized, they just ended up this way. There is also few ways to circumvent the high AC of the martial artist because he has uncanny dodge. Even the swordsage was limited to only using light armor, although that point is moot in this case. I think the int to AC thing makes the class extremely tempting for dipping for any high int classes. By itself the ability is fine and the fluff is very well justified I just see so many potential ways to abuse this for min-maxers.
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