[FR] Windwalker PrC - what the...?

[Arnwyn]

For those who have the FR book "Faiths & Pantheons" (and can reference it), am I overreacting and/or missing something, or does the Windwalker PrC seem to be overpowered?

While not going into all the details, I'll note that it has a BAB progression as a fighter, has a +1 caster level increase every level, gets at least one (sometimes two) special power each level (including a first-level power of permanent feather fall), 4 skill points per level, and class skills that include Hide, Move Silent, Search, and Spot among others.

Now, I see what they were trying to do - it's a PrC that a single-class ranger can easily qualify. However, if you have a ranger/cleric (with oodles of levels in cleric), this PrC seems to create an absolute machine.

Am I being too harsh?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

*pulls out book*

I hadn't actually looked at the Windwalker before...WOW. Powerful. But I wouldn't say its overpowered, mainly since its FR. And there are a good amount of Prereqs to meet to qualify. I'd have to see it in play to really judge it though.

 

[kreynolds]

I think the Windwalker is fine. It's requirements are pretty stiff, but I don't think its too powerful. With that said, I am surprised that it has a fighter's BAB though.

 

[ruleslawyer]

While I generally find FR material actually reasonably balanced, the WW strikes me as being balanced a bit too high, mainly due to the BAB, which allows a WW to gain the magic 4 iterative attacks per round; it's a fave of the posters on the WotC min-max board, BTW. IMHO, no cleric PrC should offer fighter BAB, just as no sorcerer PrC should offer bonus metamagic feats; those two classes give up too little by taking a PrC to have those PrCs give them such large advantages. Of course, in a campaign where Persistent divine power is relatively prevalent, the windwalker BAB thing isn't really a big advantage...

 

[WattsHumphrey]

Coming off of Ranger, I don't think it's too powerful. I like seeing that the 3.0 ranger got a lot of abilities from a Ranger PrC that made taking levels in the (IMO, AWFUL) Ranger class worth it.

Coming off of a Ranger/Cleric build, I'm not sure. The abilities are good... but I'd have to build one myself to see if I thought it was overpowered.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Coming off of Ranger, I don't think it's too powerful. I like seeing that the 3.0 ranger got a lot of abilities from a Ranger PrC that made taking levels in the (IMO, AWFUL) Ranger class worth it.

Coming off of a Ranger/Cleric build, I'm not sure. The abilities are good... but I'd have to build one myself to see if I thought it was overpowered.

Here's the funny thing about the Windwalker: Shaundakul can't grant Ranger spells (see Faiths & Pantheons page 90 for the list of nature deities). So, even though Shaundakul has "rangers" listed among his worshippers, any rangers who actually worship him don't get any spells!

This is one of those cases in the FR where the rules don't match up with the flavor. (Another is that fire genasi make poor Sorcerers, although they are supposed to be relatively common.)

 

[Arnwyn]

*pulls out book*

I hadn't actually looked at the Windwalker before...WOW. Powerful. But I wouldn't say its overpowered, mainly since its FR. And there are a good amount of Prereqs to meet to qualify. I'd have to see it in play to really judge it though.

Heh. I have the (unfortunate?) fate of seeing one in play right now...

(And for us, "powerful" and "FR" has nothing to do with it, as we've allowed virtually everything core and FR in the campaign - lower magic item availability, though - including a decent dose of 3rd party material... and I haven't had any experience with something of the Windwalker's calibre, yet).

This thing seems to be an uber-cleric on steroids, losing only its turning capability, but gaining a lot of other things...

 

[Hardhead]

The sad fact is, just because something is published by WotC, that in no way means it's balanced. The Windwalker is an example of an unbalanced PrC. It may even be broken.

 

[Burne]

Something to note, the Windwalker is intended to be a ranger class progression. Problem is of course things other than rangers can qualify.

love
Burne

 

[Arc]

Sounds like the Eldritch Knight come early to me. Course, that might be the problem.