Best (and worse) new base classes from WotC

[Andor]

It should be noted that I feel perfectly comfortable changing flavor text to match a class to the setting.

Favorite classes:

Samurai (OA) As mentioned it models 'DnD feudal aristocrat' much better than any other class.
Psi Warrior
Warlock
Ninja
Soul Blade (although I think they need a full BAB)
Marshal
Courtier (limited in which campaigns it fits, but a cool class)

Dubious classes:
Wu-jen (I like his spell list, I'm not convinced it needed a new class to use it)
Swashbuckler (A base classe that needs to take the PRC of the same name? WTF?)

Hated classes:
Samurai (CW) An insult to the OA class

 

[schporto]

I'm curious why there are so many spellthief haters? I'm playing one right now and find it to be a fun class. We are low level right now and fighting foes that I'm useless against (i.e. no spellcasters), but the one spell caster we did run into was a bit ticked off that I took his best spell. I like it.
My wife plays a warmage. Yes they are not as 'diverse' at spell casting, and she doesn't like having to check each wand found to see if it is something she can use. But. She played a sorcerer previously because she didn't want to think about what spells to prepare. Now she doesn't have to choose all of her spells either.
I've also seen a scount in play. And effectively so. Just get used to the phrase "I move 10' in an arbitrary direction". He seems to be having fun, and scouts well. There's a rogue too (it's a big party), and they try to double check each other's work so to speak.
-cpd

 

[Psion]

I'm curious why there are so many spellthief haters? I'm playing one right now and find it to be a fun class.

I don't hate it, but I don't use it.

It seems a bit specialized to me for a core class. I could see it as a core class in a campaign where there are a lot of spellcasters, like Brust's Dragaera. In my campaign, I try to play off mages as a bit more unique, so I wouldn't see a broad body of thiefs dedicated specifically to preying on magic as credible. It would be very much a specialty thing, like I normally think is appropraite for a PrC.

 

[shaylon]

I played a Hexblade. It was enjoyable. Hexing should be more powerful IMO, at early levels I had trouble cursing anything because the save was pretty easy to make.

-Shay

 

[Staffan]

Every time I read it ... I dunno. You find that shapeable 1-per-round Sneak Attacks as a ranged touch aren't that powerful? It really seems like it would make the Sorc and the Rogue unhappy. Especially when you start tossing the double-mods on those blasts.

7th level sorcerer: 5 7d6 fireballs, 7 4d6+4d6 scorching rays, and 7 4d4+4 magic missiles per day, assuming he has Cha 16+ and uses all his slots for offensive stuff. That's a total of 19 spells. He also has 4 other 1st, 2 other 2nd, and 1 other 3rd-level spell.
7th level warlock: unlimited number of 4d6 eldritch blasts. Note that they do the same average damage as the sorcerer's magic missiles (which he can cast 19 of if he forgoes higher-level spells), but have to roll to hit and doesn't count as force damage for hurting incorporeal foes. In addition to the blast, the warlock has three least invocations and one lesser invocation, some of which are probably used to augment the blast one way or another.

Also consider the game's default assumption that you'll be having about four encounters per day of adventuring. That gives the sorcerer about 5 spells per encounter. How often do encounters run beyond five rounds? Sure, not all spells are cast in a combat situation, but the warlock's invocation tend to be most useful in combat (with some exceptions, and those are generally the kind that don't benefit you that much from multiple castings).

Edit: Dang, while I was writing this post, about 15 new posts shows up in the thread

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Hrm, I suppose you have some points, Staffan.

Though can't the Warlock trade out his Invocations when he levels up? One of them, I think, which would mean he'd probably go for 2 Least and 2 Lesser Invocations instead of 3/1.

I don't have my book with me here, but thinking back, the Blast only does 1/2 damage to objects, so he probably won't be blasting through locked doors any more-so than a barbarian with a greatsword will. That's one question I had about it, which sort of solved itself.

Eh. You've all convinced me to at least try out an NPC Warlock to see them up and running. In-play I'd think it would be more fun to have more usable invocations than to spend them all upping the Eldritch Blast, but the Blast mods are the FIRST things they talk about in the class description, which naturally inclines people to choose them more often than SLAs ... and that's always been what I'm sort of afraid of is just a walking Ranged Touch Attack without much in the way of other abilties.

--fje

 

[Laman Stahros]

Spirit Shaman - I love this class and will probably play him all the way through with no multiclassing. Lots of flavor and appeals to me a bit more than the hippy druid. Spontaneous casting like a sorcerer, but you get to change your spells known every morning. Good class features too. I just wish they had added "Summoned Monsters" in their definition of spirits. Going to try to house rule that one next chance I get. Summon Elemental Monolith, have your Spirit Guide concentrate to maintain it, summon a second one and you concentrate to maintain that one. Mmmmmmm.

FYI, spirits in Complete Divine reference the OA book. In the OA book, outsiders are defined as spirits. Since Summon Monster x summons a celestial or fiendish animal (animal with a template that changes it's type to outsider), they are spirits that the Spirit Shaman can affect.

 

[jcfiala]

Favored Soul - A good class with the same spell casting benefits / drawbacks of the sorcerer. The biggest downside is the lack of Turn Undead ability so no Divine Metamagic feats. Gaining wings at higher levels saved our party once when the player was able to fly above an antimagic field.

I'm playing a FAvored Soul in one campaign, and I'd have to say one thing that's annoying is how the class has two different statistics for casting - Charisma gives your more casts/day, but Wisdom is what shapes your save DCs. Due to my rolls, I had to go with a 10 for Wisdom, which means that I've got very few 'offensive' spells.

But yeah, it's a shame you can't do any turning, too.

 

[the Jester]

I'm reluctant to throw tons of base classes into my campaign, so I haven't seen most of 'em in play. However, that said, for my campaign I like the psion, psychic warrior, soulblade, scout, warlock and hexblade.

I don't like the oriental classes (except in an Oriental campaign). I really dislike the swashbuckler core class- why have a duellist prc then? I am not very fond of the healer or warmage base class either; stick to cleric and sorcerer, please.

Other than those, I'm fairly neutral.

 

[Psion]

I really dislike the swashbuckler core class- why have a duellist prc then?

Well, I feel that a core class is justified if it plays a big role in your campaign setting. For some seafaring or swashbuckling games, that may be the case.

That said, I don't consider it a particularly good implementation of a swashbuckler core class. Unfettered from Arcana Evolved and Duelist from Swashbuckling Adventures seem better takes to me.