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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Mhoram" data-source="post: 8606213" data-attributes="member: 4789">Figured out how to handle a class that has been bugging me for years. I've wanted a skill based class that wasn't bard or rogue. Archeologist came close. Then third party options - a number that basically had a mechanic that you built multiple mini characters and swapped them - again didn't like the flavor.I liked the factotum from 3rd D&D, aside from the fact I hate that the main power of a class can run out (points). So I tried various classes called Dilettante, and few others like it. I liked the idea of borrowing a few abilities (or a lot of smaller one) from other classes - to sort of help fill in weaknesses in Party (if used in normal gameplay) or character (for gestalt use for solo play.I tried mixing and matching pieces from all the stuff above, and kludged together something - I called it dabbler, then JOT then Lore Master (but that was taken) and so on. I just never got a cohesive flavor I liked and a theme I liked.  I tried Eternal student, but that didn't work. The basics of the later iterations I had abilities that you borrowed from other classes and that went up slowish, so as not to overpower the actual classes. And for the skill side, I used a lot of "extra skill, skill focus, jack of trades, bardic knowledge" kind of abilities - great for flavor and for some things, but even with the borrowed abilities, both too weak an to powerful. For this I borrowed template type concept (or school sorcerers bloodline, Psion discipline) or 5E subclasses, and made a choice that would give more meat to he class.Trouble was I did that, and some were to powerful, especially with other class abilities. Some were too weak. So it sat for days, weeks, months, longer. I kept tinkering trying to make it fit... but it didn't. And today I realized why - I didn't have a clear vision of what I wanted the class to be, just pieces of ideas that kept banging into each other. I also never found a flavor I liked. That changed this morning. What does Vizzinni say? Go back to the beginning! So that is what I did. I wrote down what I wanted the class to encompass. 1) Lots of skills and high skill rolls. That won't be a huge part of the class mechanically, but that is first and foremost what I wanted, so all else had to support that. 2) The Specialty - this is the subclass, and it was very broad. I had like about 5 I looked to focus on. 2 Types of spell using (Prepared and spontaneous, each had a different amount of spells). Combat dude, Total Skill monkey, Psi.  3) borrowing from other classes as to fill in corners (to quote Tolkien).The other problem I had was balancing the abilities chosen from other classes as some are very useful and powerful and some are just there. The biggest differences were from Abilities that leveled up with you, and one and ability known (Channel Energy vs Evasion). Once I realized that the solution was obvious. Split them apart and have them run on separate mechanics.The third aspect was mechanically the easiest. I gathered up a number of skill based class skills (skill mastery, bardic knowledge and the like) and the class got one every other level.. I layed out until level 10 then I put in a choice with about 10 possible choices for the latter half of the class.  The player gets to choose a primary ability, and choose other class abilities so waiting until that point to give the player choice isn't really a drawback, plenty of other ways to customise... and I wanted to make sure certain things were in the class for sure. The fact that specific skills are not a big deal in this campaign made that easier - after all we used both grouped and consolidated skills from Pathfinder Unchained so a lot of "high skill rolls, make it easy to roll, here have more skills" worked just fine.</blockquote>

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