Morph Bark's Homebrew Tier Compendium

[Morph Bark]

He doesn't need an account to read a post.

True, I know that, but he does need an account to reply with a post, so if he doesn't have an account here, he cannot respond to emoplato's points here.

 

[emoplato]

I really like the flavor of the Malefactor, however there is one key thing about it that worries me. The key features are keyed off a single will save. What happens to said character when the foe presented has a good will save(Undead, Fey, Monstrous Humanoid, Aberration, Outsider, Dragon,..etc)? He is a fancy rogue in a flat, open arena. While I do like this better than the actual Hexblade at least the original had other consistent options other than his curse to use. I would at least say to this guy to change up the saves for some ref. and fort. to diversify against opponents he fights.

 

[emoplato]

Tier 1
Golden Alchemist [Unique, Face, Magic, Moneymaker]
Metagamer [Silly, Arcane, Divine, Vancian, Magic, Melee, Ranged, Sage]


Tier 2
Blue Mage [Video Game, Arcane, Vancian, Magic, Ranged]
Blue Mage [Video Game, Magic, Melee]
Deviant [Divine, Vancian, Magic, Sage, Scout]
Ebon Initiate [Arcane, Invoker, Crafter, Face, Magic, Melee, Ranged]
Exarch of the Emerald Shield [Comic, Unique, Crafter, Healer, Magic]
Hakurei Shrine Maiden [Oriental, Video Game, Arcane, Vancian, Face, Magic]
Limit Mage [Video Game, Arcane, Unique, Vancian, Magic, Expanded]
Limit Psion [Video Game, Psionic, Unique, Magic, Sage, Expanded]
Tendersoul [Divine, Vancian, Buffer, Healer, Magic]
War-Marked [Original, Unique, Melee]
Wordsmith [Video Game, Crafter, Magic, Melee]


High Tier 3
These classes generally have much higher levels of power than average Tier 3 classes and may have a gamebreaker or two, but nothing that would bump them up to Tier 2.
Blade Scholar [Martial Adept, Melee, Sage]
Eternal Royal [Video Game, Martial Adept, Face, Melee, Roleplay]
Grandmaster [Arcane, Vancian, Buffer, Healer, Magic]
Scholar [Video Game, Martial Adept, Melee, Sage]
Planeswalker [Arcane, Vancian, Face, Healer, Magic, Sage, Scout]
Soulblade [Incarnum-Unique, Martial Adept, Magic, Melee]
Soulweaver [Horror, Face, Healer, Magic]
Stoner [Binding-Unique, Face, Melee, Ranged, Trapmonkey]
Teleporter [Arcane, Vancian, Face, Magic]
Xenoalchemist [Horror, Unique, Healer, Sage, Expanded]


Tier 3
Battle Psychic [Martial Adept, Psionics, Magic, Melee, Scout]
Chorister [Divine, Vancian, Buffer, Face, Healer, Magic, Incomplete]
Chozo Warrior [Sci-Fi, Video Game, Melee, Ranged, Scout]
Companion [Arcane, Vancian, Face, Magic, Sage, Scout]
Connoisseur [Horror, Unique, Face, Melee, Expanded]
Debaser [Arcane, Vancian, Debuffer, Face, Magic]
Gambler [Original, Buffer, Debuffer, Face]
Hemoscribe [Horror, Original, Unique, Face, Magic, Melee, Scout, Incomplete]
Librarian [Arcane, Divine, Martial Adept, Sage]
Limit Dragoon [Video Game, Unique, Face, Melee, Tank, Expanded]
Lord of the Uttercold [Japan, Arcane, Vancian, Face, Magic, Melee]
Malefactor [Unique, Debuffer, Face, Magic, Melee, Tank, Fix]
Olympian [Face, Melee, Pathfinder]
Overdrive Knight [Video Game, Face, Magic, Melee, Expanded]
Sagittarius [Healer, Ranged, Scout]
Sentai [Modern, Japan, Martial Adept, Buffer, Face, Magic, Melee, Ranged, Scout, Tank]
Shield Warrior [Martial Adept, Melee, Tank]
Soul Disciple [Incarnum, Martial Adept, Magic, Melee, Scout]
Sublime Archer [Martial Adept, Ranged, Scout]
Sublime Matador [Martial Adept, Face, Melee, Sage]
Warlord [Martial Adept, Buffer, Face, Melee, Tank]
Warrior-Poet [Martial Adept, Buffer, Face, Melee]


Borderline Tier 3-4
High Tier 4 or Low Tier 3, either way they mean the same: classes that are just a little behind in either versatility or power to really make the Tier 3 cut, but standing above most Tier 4s, they could fall in either Tier depending on the level of optimization used.
Dabblemaster [Original, Arcane, Binding, Divine, Incarnum, Infusions, Invoker, Martial Adept, Psionic, Shadow, Truenames, Buffer, Face, Magic, Sage, Scout]
Gaoler of Frostflame [Unique, Debuffer, Magic, Ranged]
Machiavellian [Original, Any Genre, Buffer, Debuffer, Face]
Solar Ascendant [Original, Magic, Melee, Ranged]
Sublime Sohei [Martial Adept, Melee, Fix]
Twilight Caster [Unique, Magic, Incomplete]
Witch Doctor [Horror, Buffer, Debuffer, Face, Magic, Incomplete]


Tier 4
Note that Tier 4 is not bad. Tier 4 is is, after all, "capable of doing one thing quite well, but often useless when encounters require other areas of expertise, or capable of doing many things to a reasonable degree of competance without truly shining." Many great classes are Tier 4.
Alchemist [Invoker, Crafter, Magic, Sage]
Barrier Mage [Arcane, Vancian, Magic]
Battle Shinigami [Oriental, Japan, Divine, Vancian, Magic, Melee, Scout]
Blademaster [Martial Adept-Unique, Melee]
Chosen Warrior [Video Game, Buffer, Magic, Melee, Scout]
Dualists [Original, Melee]
Esper Knight [Television, Incarnum-Unique, Magic]
Gentle Fist Adept [Oriental, Japan, Melee, Scout]
Jester [Arcane, Vancian, Face, Magic, Melee, Tank]
Kido Shinigami [Oriental, Japan, Divine, Vancian, Magic, Melee, Scout]
Limit Freak [Horror, Video Game, Unique, Melee, Expanded]
Limit Knight [Video Game, Unique, Crafter, Melee, Tank, Expanded]
Limit Monk [Video Game, Unique, Melee, Expanded]
Limit Ninja [Video Game, Unique, Melee, Scout, Expanded]
Limit Sniper [Video Game, Unique, Crafter, Ranged, Expanded]
Pyromancer [Face, Healer, Magic, Ranged]
Runner [Melee, Scout]
Shield [Melee, Tank]
Thief-Acrobat [Melee, Scout]
White Clad [Video Game, Face, Melee, Scout, Expanded]


Tier 5
If your class is here, consider reworking it. Unless Tier 5 was your aim.
Barkeeper [Crafter, Face, Melee]
Botanimorphist [Magic, Melee]
Channeler of the Planes [Divine, Vancian, Magic]
Fanatic [Face, Melee]
Farmer [Silly, Historical, Melee]


Tier 6
Pity the common man, for he is powerless.


Variable Tier
Assume that you always need special permission to play one of these classes if I am DMing for you. This is because depending on your choices within the class, these classes can vary from Tier 5 all the way up to Tier 2 or even 1.
Stylist [Face, Magic, Sage, Trapmonkey]
[sblock]Most of the Styles are Tier 4, which combined make a decent Tier 3 or at least a Borderline Tier 3-4 class, but some of the Styles bring it up to Tier 2. Beastly and Cosplay in particular.[/sblock]
Traveller [Original, Arcane, Divine, Face, Sage]
[sblock]The Traveller is a Variable Tier class because it’s casting mechanic is effectively like the cleric’s in practice and they can choose what class’ spell list they have access to. Thus, they can choose the Cleric, Druid or Sorcerer/Wizard spell list, which would make them Tier 1. Any other class’ spell list that includes spells up to level 9 will make the class a Tier 3. Choosing a spell list that only goes up to level 4, 5 or 6 makes this class Tier 4.[/sblock]

Hemoscribe, good theme and interesting blend of Incarnum and Psionic mechanics, though somethings don't seem to add up.
1. Blood point payment, you have writings that cost more than the level it appears that only augmentation costs are capped. This would seem to suggest that the bloodcasting is only restircted to how many blood points they have available. This could be a brutal in helping spell casters.
2. Self-harvesting, the writings restricted to if they have any amount of blood points of the certain kinds at the time of creation. A simple fast healing of one yields 600 hit points an hour. So about every 20 minutes a L20 hemoscribe can have his maximum points ready to make writings and castings.

 

[Morph Bark]

I have been gone for a while, but now return! At least for a day or two. Gosh, holidays, I mean really.

I really like the flavor of the Malefactor, however there is one key thing about it that worries me. The key features are keyed off a single will save. What happens to said character when the foe presented has a good will save(Undead, Fey, Monstrous Humanoid, Aberration, Outsider, Dragon,..etc)? He is a fancy rogue in a flat, open arena. While I do like this better than the actual Hexblade at least the original had other consistent options other than his curse to use. I would at least say to this guy to change up the saves for some ref. and fort. to diversify against opponents he fights.

Since you liked the Malefactor, you may like more of Lord_Gareth's work. I did a sort of presentation/analysis of his work on the GitP thread here. I realize the form in which the presentation was done may not appeal to some people though.


On the Hemoscribe, I'm glad you like it! The mechanics were actually moreso based off a different homebrew system rather than psionics and incarnum though (well, the runes were kinda incarnum-inspired, at least the mechanics of it). The high cost of spellcasting is intentional, but the costs for a single spell actually never go higher than their maximum blood point amount at the level they can gain it at. Adrenaline Magic can be extremely powerful, but that is why the costs for it are so high, and if you're playing with Tier 2 and above you have bigger things to worry about anyway.

I don't see self-harvesting as a big problem, mainly because the bloodcasting abilities are relatively weak in comparison with equally-levelled spellcasters and even for the ones that aren't, if you want to use them, you cannot focus on your blood runes, as you have to invest your points in them and thus limit your bloodcasting.

Besides, it's useless to do that when you haven't even had any encounters during the day. A hemoscribe gets stronger from fighting. It's their one and only thing, really. I don't feel bad about them being good at that.

 

[emoplato]

On the Hemoscribe, I'm glad you like it! The mechanics were actually moreso based off a different homebrew system rather than psionics and incarnum though (well, the runes were kinda incarnum-inspired, at least the mechanics of it). The high cost of spellcasting is intentional, but the costs for a single spell actually never go higher than their maximum blood point amount at the level they can gain it at. Adrenaline Magic can be extremely powerful, but that is why the costs for it are so high, and if you're playing with Tier 2 and above you have bigger things to worry about anyway.

I don't see self-harvesting as a big problem, mainly because the bloodcasting abilities are relatively weak in comparison with equally-levelled spellcasters and even for the ones that aren't, if you want to use them, you cannot focus on your blood runes, as you have to invest your points in them and thus limit your bloodcasting.

Besides, it's useless to do that when you haven't even had any encounters during the day. A hemoscribe gets stronger from fighting. It's their one and only thing, really. I don't feel bad about them being good at that.

Well a wise and resouceful hemoscribe would store enemy's blood points always just spending one so it can mix with others and say he did it with this type even though it was mostly his own. As such he can easily max out his abilities when given a hour or two, especially since a few of them are copy cats making only a few necessary. I notice that it is a work in progress and you might get back to it for what I just mentioned but as such I think you need to keep that in mind.
On another note did you manage to look at the original and my necrocarnate?

 

[Morph Bark]

I couldn't get to your question earlier, due to dealing with some troubles these past few weeks, as well as going on vacation to take my mind of 'em, but I had taken a look at both, yes. I still am no PrC expert, but I can say it looks like a pretty okay fix.

 

[emoplato]

I couldn't get to your question earlier, due to dealing with some troubles these past few weeks, as well as going on vacation to take my mind of 'em, but I had taken a look at both, yes. I still am no PrC expert, but I can say it looks like a pretty okay fix.

What do you mean by pretty okay? Are there some concerns or problems you have with it?