Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder: Domains, Schools, Bloodlines...and more?

[Nellisir]

I like the increased emphasis in Pathfinder on clerical domains, arcane schools, and sorcerous bloodlines, and idle thinking has led me to wonder if this approach might not be good for other classes.

These "path", or "sub-class" abilities are more powerful than feats, and would be a good way to give less magical classes some really showy or nonstandard abilities without pigeonholing the entire class into one track. The concepts been tossed around before, but the abilities generally lacked "punch" (ie, many equalled feats), so there wasn't a strong incentive to utilize them.

For example: fighters could pick two fighting styles (a la domains). Bards could pick a college (a la schools)
Barbarians could pick a totem. Druids could have one domain and one totem.
Rangers already have fighting styles.
Monks could have paths, or orders.
Paladins could have orders, or fighting styles, or domains, or a combination.
I'm stymied on a catchy name for rogue sub-classes.

It might be a partial solution to multiclassing - maybe the Mageblade fighting style gives minor spellcasting abilities?

I've skimmed the feats in Iron Heros for some ideas; I'm going to look at rites from Arcana Evolved also. I'll look at the Bo9S when I get it out of storage. I know other sources have material on alternate barbarian rage effects and the like.

So, I'm just tossing this out there for general brainstorming, conceptualizing, and opinionating.

 

[Banshee16]

Not a bad idea.....however, I think for some like Fighter and Rogue, they're already getting a bunch of new toys...Fighters get DR at high levels, as well as bonuses to AC when wearing armour, and that weapon training ability where they get bonuses to hit with entire classes of weapon. And they already have a bunch of feats. When including the feats from PHB II and other books, I think Fighters can actually become pretty strong.

Similar with Rogues.

I *really* like the Domain, Schools, and Bloodlines, and how in particular Sorcerers and Wizards have been differentiated from each other. This is how it should have been from the beginning.

Just reading through that Pathfinder Alpha, I'm pretty excited. All kinds of ideas for stuff to do pop up in my head. Can't wait to see the full book.

Looking at the changes they've made, it's kind of interesting...it's like they've taken some of the coolest feats (to me) from different supplements like Dragon magazine (the Bloodline feats, for instance, or the feats letting fighters reduce the negative impact of heavy armour), and added them into the core abilities of the classes.

I've never really had problems with Polymorph, but if they have to fix it, I like what they've done much better than the revised spells from PHB II......those spells were just too specific.

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

Double post.