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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 5440329" data-attributes="member: 4937">I'm also worried about his damage potential at high levels, but not for the reason you are.  You are thinking stock 3.X, where the best way to maximize damage is to abuse the 2 for 1 on power attack with a two-handed weapon.  Under my rules, power attack with a two handed weapon is 1.5 for 1, and the ambidexterity feat gives you full str bonus to your off hand.  At low levels, Explorer might actually have the highest potential damage of any martial class save perhaps a raging Fanatic - especially if you build them with that goal in mind.  I know that the Explorer should do fine up to about 9th level.  It's after that that I start to worry.  Fanatics get more and more rage.  Fighters get more and more feats.  Rogues get more and more sneak attack.  Hunters are doing their favored enemy/super criticals thing.  Explorers though stay closer to linear.That's 'master of a fighting style' shtick is sort of Fighter territory.  I can't quite figure out something that boosts damage that gives Explorer it's own niche.  The problem is compounded by the fact that it's bonus feat selection emphasizes endurance, resistance to injury, mobility, and skillfulness, but there isn't a lot there that enhances damage.  But I can't figure out what to change up there that wouldn't tread on either the hunter or the fighter.I've also got a niggling problem with Endurance as the 2nd level bonus feat.  There is no provision for an Explorer to take Endurance at 1st level.  I'm thinking about given the Explorer some sort of feat chain, where, if you already have the feat, you automatically take the next feat up the chain.  But I haven't worked out exactly what it should be other than if I did it, it would be a bonus at 2nd, 7th, 13th, and 19th level and that it would probably start at endurance and move toward things that were more superheroic or supernatural examples of things like alertness, endurance, and mobility.  These including things like never getting lost, finding unknown paths, surviving hostile environments, sensing danger or the presence of enemies, gaining darkvision or blindsight, and so forth and so on.  I'd probably also add at least some of those supernatural things to the general and Explorer bonus feat lists available with some steep prerequisites.  If I went that route, which I'd like to, I'd probably create several such chains of abilities.  One alternate to the stock chain would be to add would be to add a 'luck' type chain.  Another that comes to mind would be a 'planes walking' type chain. Some PrC's I'm considering swallowing into the class are Dungeon Delver, Horizon Walker, Cave Lord, Darkrunner, Royal Explorer, and Wildrunner.  Obviously, I wouldn't consume all those abilities directly, because I would like to avoid mechanical variation for variations sake - something that 3.5 has in spades in a way that that list only begins to hint at and also because many of those supposed PrC's are really just alternate career paths for base classes with a thin disguise.  For example, some of the Wildrunner's powers are to Hunter-ish, but picking up supernatural ability to move through obstacles or move without leaving a trail is more Explorer-ish.  Those things that I could consume and which aren't already available through skill usage and feats, would probably turn into feats.Anyway, that's where I'd like to go from here.  Ideally I can move the class up from Tier 4 (where I think it is now) to Tier 3 without violating its design or making it over powered before 9th level (which it almost verges on at times).Thanks.</blockquote>

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