Flexible, Balanced Saving Throw Progression

Zerakon

First Post
I've devised an alternate method of Saving Throw progression for my Will Power system that I'm happy with, and it could easily work in any system, so I'll post it here if anyone is looking for such a system. Feedback always appreciated.

Goals:
  • eliminate "weird bonus saves" for multiclassed characters
  • allow a player to customize his saves a little bit
  • leave behind the concept of certain classes having better base saves (if you want a class with better-than-normal saves, give it a special ability, e.g. divine grace)
  • have the new system generate numbers roughly equivalent to the core system's numbers. I'm choosing to use the number +27 which is the average of +24 and +30 (the total amount of base saves for the core classes)

Zerakon's Saving Throw Rules:
  • Each character has listed sets of saving throw adjustments. For example, [F2 R1 W0] is a set that represents a +2 adjustment to Fortitude save and a +1 adjustment to Reflex save.
  • The first set listed is the set that the character must choose as a 1st level character.
  • At 2nd level, a character may choose to apply any of the sets from the class she is progressing in.
  • At level 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 20, a character may choose to apply any of the sets from the class she is progressing in. However, she may not apply a set that causes her highest saving throw to be more than 5 higher than her lowest saving throw, until she has reached level 20 at which point it is allowable to have a +6 differential between highest and lowest saves. If a character cannot apply a set in such a way as to keep the allowed differential, then the character must apply a universal [1 1 1] set.

Class Saving Throw Sets

Mage: [F0 R0 W3] [F1 R0 W2] [F0 R1 W2]
Fighter: [F3 R0 W0] [F2 R1 W0] [F2 R0 W1]
Inquisitor: [F2 R0 W1] [F1 R0 W2]
Priest: [F1 R0 W2] [F2 R0 W1]
Rogue: [F0 R3 W0] [F1 R2 W0] [F0 R2 W1]

Prestige Classes
Arcane Archer: [F2 R1 W0] [F2 R0 W1] [F0 R2 W1]
Arcane Trickster: [F0 R2 W1] [F0 R1 W2]
Barbarian: [F3 R0 W0] [F2 R1 W0] [F1 R2 W0]
Bard: [F0 R2 W1] [F0 R1 W2] [F1 R0 W2] [F2 R0 W1]
Bounty Hunter: [F2 R1 W0] [F1 R2 W0]
Cabalist: [F0 R2 W1] [F0 R1 W2]
Demon Hunter: [F2 R1 W0] [F2 R0 W1] [F1 R0 W2] [F0 R1 W2]
Duelist: [F1 R2 W0] [F0 R2 W1]
Dwarven Defender: [F3 R0 W0] [F2 R0 W1] [F2 R1 W0]
Eldritch Knight: [F2 R0 W1] [F1 R0 W2]

Example Progression:
  1. Marcus the Gray is a 1st level rogue, so he must take [F0 R3 W0]. Saves: Fort +0, Reflex +3, Will +0.
  2. At 2nd level, Marcus takes a level of fighter, and chooses to take [F2 R1 W0]. Saves: Fort +2, Reflex +4, Will +0.
  3. At 4th level, Marcus has taken another level of fighter, and chooses the [F2 R0 W1] set. Saves: Fort +4, Reflex +4, Will +1.
  4. At 6th level, Marcus has become a Bounty Hunter and chooses the [F1 R2 W0] set, bringing his saves to: Fort +5, Reflex +6, Will +1.
  5. At 8th level, Marcus takes another Bounty Hunter level and cannot take either of the available sets, because it would force his Will save to fall too far behind his lead save. So he must take the [F1 R1 W1] universal set, bringing his saves to: Fort +6, Reflex +7, Will +2.
  6. At 11th level, Marcus has again taken bounty hunter (he's now a Ftr2/Rog2/BtyHtr6) and again is forced to take the universal set. Saves: Fort +7, Reflex +8, Will +3.
  7. At 14th level, Marcus takes level 9 in bounty hunter and takes the universal set once more, bringing his saves to: Fort +8, Reflex +9, Will +4.
  8. At 17th level, Marcus takes another thief level and must again take the universal set because his Will save is so far behind Reflex, bringing his saves to: Fort +9, Reflex +10, Will +5.
  9. At 20th level, Marcus takes a final thief level and chooses to apply the [F0 R2 W1] set (he's allowed to have a +6 differential between highest and lowest saves at 20th level), bringing his final saves to: Fort: +9, Reflex +12, Will +6.
 

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