Playtest (A5E) Level Up Playtest Document #10: Adept

Welcome to the 10th Level Up playtest document. This playtest contains a candidate for the first 10 levels of the game’s adept class. The adept is a renaming of the monk of O5E, and allows us to portray a wide variety of unarmed combatants.

Level Up Playtest Document #10: Adept — Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)

Welcome to the 10th Level Up playtest document. This playtest contains a candidate for the game’s adept class.

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When you have absorbed the playtest document, please take the survey and let us know what you think!

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[StirFriar]

Love the work, looks cool. Strength for AC is a great idea. I a few complaints about exertion points:

1. How do I regain exertion points?? There is nothing written about regaining them on a rest! The only thing I see is that I can battle meditate to get 1d4 once per rest. Is that it??
2. Why no exertion point column? So... My exertion points at level 4 are two times one number on the chart doubled, added to another number on the chart? That is 2*2+1 times more complicated than it needs to be. Take out the "Bonus Exertion" column and replace it with an "Exertion Pool" column so that I know what I get and can reference it quickly. I get that you want the extra exertion to be a class feature, but it's extra work for the player.

 

[Aldarc]

Brawler seems to work well as a name for a class meant to cover archetypes including Martial Artist Monk, a Gladiator, and a Thugish Street Fighter.

 

[dalisprime]

So I've missed the fighter document when it was out but one thing about exertion doesn't sit well - spending it. Exertion should be something that builds up rather than being spent.
Perhaps rename it into stamina/endurance or make it a pool that builds up as you use abilities (up to a cap) and resets after rest (so basically a reverse of the current mechanic)?

 

[ruemere]

I'd like two make two not-so-simple wishes.

It would be great if it was possible to build the cast of Baki (the recent tournament arc). Baki and the Ogre play a different game, of course, so they would be monsters rather.

Add recommendations for Martial Styles, so instead of picking maneuvers, just pick a style and go with it.

 

[Waller]

This is the first name change I personally find unnecessary. That's all.

The word Adept implies mystical. It's used for either magic or psionics in many settings from Shadowrun to Earthdawn to SF Harp and many other sources. To use it to mean a non-mystical kind of unarmed fighter character really just seems off to me, especially since the main reason to change the name is to do away with Ki Points that are linked to the Monk stereotype and replace it with a non-mystical equivalent.

If the class is a non-mystic class, then why not pick a non-mystic word to fit the class?

An adept is somebody skilled. Nothing to do with mysticism.

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[dave2008]

Add recommendations for Martial Styles, so instead of picking maneuvers, just pick a style and go with it.

I think that is a good idea. Have you filled out the survey? That is where you should post comments if you want them to be heard by the designers.

 

[Morrus]

Add recommendations for Martial Styles, so instead of picking maneuvers, just pick a style and go with it.

You already can do that. We call them 'traditions' rather than styles, though.

 

[ruemere]

You already can do that. We call them 'traditions' rather than styles, though.

They are still pools to pick from. I was looking for something more like predefined list of picks to make. For example, a player says, I have no time to think it through, but I want to play a Muhammad Ali-type of character. And then GM replies, pick a Boxer trad, and remember, this is a fantasy game - you'll be punching through steel armor soon.

Pools and long lists of choices are fine, it's just that when you're playing a game for the first time, it is simpler to start with something decent and default instead.

As for the document - it's very chaotic. The list of Focus Features for example, is alphabetical, but Requirements create their own order. It is also not clear which abilities are offensive, which are defensive, and which are utilitarian. It gets worse when you consider how many different special abilities are available:
Adroit Defense, Martial Arts, Exertion, Combat Maneuvers, Exploration Knacks, Adept Archetype, Focus Features, Battlefield Etiquette, ...

Someone really needed to go wild while building the class. It's really confusing.

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To be constructive, here would be my take on the organization of the document.

CLASS FEATURES
(add Exertion here)
(add Exertion recovery here - for short and long rests)

MARTIAL SPELL USES/LEVEL (a table)
(Martial Spell is a vancian system for tracking usage of special abilities)

MARTIAL SPELL LIST (well, it should be renamed to something martialartsy)
(list martial spells here - put ALL abilities here, from Adroit Defense, through Flurry of Blows, to Diamond Soul and other fancy stuff that is still mostly inferior to arcane spells)
(martial spells should have a few tags: Offensive, Defensive, Utility, Physical, Spiritual, Wondrous, Exploration)
(Physical are feats of body, Spiritual are feats of will, Wondrous are just that - wondrous and go beyond simple trained abilities)
(each martial spell should list Exertion cost to re-cast it during the same combat or scene)

Examples (note that recast is possible only during the same combat or scene one has used the ability - if you have only one instance of a Flurry of Blows in your martial spell slots, you will be able to use it during a single combat only):
Seven-Mile Step (level 5; Exploration, Utility; action: none; duration: 5 minutes; recast: Exertion 1)
Travel a path with a single step.
Multiply the distance traveled by your proficiency bonus.

Flurry of Blows (level 1; Combat, Offensive; action: attack action; duration: attack action; recast: Exertion 1)
Overcome by overwhelming them.
Gain bonus action usable only for making melee attacks.

Tougher than Rock (level 3; Combat, Exploration, Defensive, Utility; action: reaction; duration: until the end of the next round; recast: Exertion 1)
My body is my shield.
All damage taken is halved.

MARTIAL STYLES (name + list of Martial Spells):
Boxer
Commando (soft plus vital strikes plus stealth)
Hard Art (kicks, punches)
Soft Art (throws and blocks)

 

[Faolyn]

An adept is somebody skilled. Nothing to do with mysticism.

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In 3x, the Adept NPC class was used as a generic spellcaster class.

 

[Faolyn]

Love the work, looks cool. Strength for AC is a great idea. I a few complaints about exertion points:

1. How do I regain exertion points?? There is nothing written about regaining them on a rest! The only thing I see is that I can battle meditate to get 1d4 once per rest. Is that it??
2. Why no exertion point column? So... My exertion points at level 4 are two times one number on the chart doubled, added to another number on the chart? That is 2*2+1 times more complicated than it needs to be. Take out the "Bonus Exertion" column and replace it with an "Exertion Pool" column so that I know what I get and can reference it quickly. I get that you want the extra exertion to be a class feature, but it's extra work for the player.

The info is in the Fighters packet. You get twice your proficiency bonus in exertion points, and you gain them all back after a rest.