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Message: <blockquote data-quote="takyris" data-source="post: 815790" data-attributes="member: 5171">Hey, Vigilance: As far as your classes go:I sort of worry about "more well-rounded".  I'll explain why below.So let's see.Better saves.  Easier entry.  One could argue that Concentration is a non-utilitarian price to pay, since it doesn't come up much in d20 Modern -- unless you added multiple feats that make use of Concentration checks.What kind of worries me is that the Master has drawbacks and strengths that, right now, are kind of unclear.  What's the rule mechanic for when a TKD Master can kick versus when he has to punch?  Right now, there's an unarmed strike is whatever I flavor-text it to be, so why wouldn't I just ALWAYS kick?If it's more limited, then great, but right now, you've taken the Martial Artist class, made it easier to get in, given them better saves, and given them a restriction that they would have taken anyway -- that is to say, someone who was playing a TKD Master would already be describing their stuff as kicks.  Now they get bonuses for doing so.Perhaps I don't understand how you'd differentiate between the different strikes.  Maybe there's a limit on kicks, or they have to be positioned a certain way?This could be great, or it could be overpowered, depending on what the Ki stuff looks like.  On the one hand, I'm generally against Ki-user classes as separate from "normal" martial artists, because any good school eventually teaches its students about Ki and pressure point strikes.  On the other hand, if this would work with multiclassing -- start out Martial Artist and then take Contemplative Artist at higher levels -- it could work well.  That sort of turns it into a prestige class, though.One other thing that I had noticed, and I really disagree.  I get into this argument a lot, and I'm prepared to agree to disagree, but:TKD should not equal Fast.  They might BE fast, but TKD practitioners do not get their power from the d20 interpretation of Dexterity.  They get their power from the d20 interpretation of Strength.  TKD should come from Strong.In d20, Strength is a combination of "raw power" and "coordination of large muscle movements".Dexterity is "fine manipulation", "agility", "reflexes", and "hand-eye coordination for ranged purposes".TKD practitioners are known for blocking strikes, not dodging out of the way.  That takes away from the agility factor.  They are known for doing impressive kicks and for hitting hard with them -- which is Strength, not Dexterity.That's why we use Strength on attack rolls -- because it's only partly about how hard you hit.  It's also about having the hand-eye coordination to swing it at the right place.  If you're determining where the weapon goes with your shoulders, waist, or arms, it's Strength.  Only if you're using your fingertips to determine where it goes does Dexterity enter the picture (ranged weapons, finesse).Since you mentioned TKD as a Fast-based martial art, I had to bring that up.  Anything that uses a "hard" style absolutely positively has to be Strong.  No exceptions.  It can have Fast Hero practitioners, but that shouldn't be the norm."Strong" Martial ArtsKarateTKD(anything)-Ryu"Fast" Martial Arts -- MaybeCapoeiraSome of the softer Kung-Fu stylesAikido-Tacky</blockquote>

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