Please rate the Cavalier

[smetzger]

If everyone is rating prestige classes by different criteria then the result is relatively meaningless. Feats are rated on relative power, prestige classes should be rated on the same basis.

...To have a meaningful result classes of the same archetype need to be rated together under a single criteria. Different archetypes can be rated on different criteria but within a category there must be some constant against which they are judged. Most prestige classes so far have been rated seemingly randomly from 1-10.

Maybe if I changed the byline to:
So, rate it on:
1) How well it stacks up with core classes.
2) How often a PC or NPC will go with this class.
3) How 'fun' it is to play this class and how much this class adds to the game.
Each is worth 3 points, with an additional point that you could add for Misc. reasons.

I think its valid to rate it on things other than strictly a smack down rating.

 

[Archer]

1) If it stacks up well against core classes then 2) players will take this class and 3) those players will have fun if they like playing powerful characters.

If a class is weak, its easy to give the NPC as many extra levels as it takes to compensate so an NPC can have any class you want to give it. I've seen some classes so poor they barely stack up against commoners. You could make the worst possible choices and have a 40th level character that would barely challenge a 10th level party. In the end it doesn't matter how many levels the NPC had.

NPC's can take hyperspecialized classes because they are only going to be around for the one adventure that showcases their abilities.

There is general power and then there is smackability. Just because in a special situation a character is unearthly powerful doesn't make the prestige class good.

 

[Cyraneth]

I really enjoyed playing a Fighter/Blackguard/Cavalier with a heavy warhorse as her fiendish servant. I think it is a -good- prestige class because it has the following:

a) Flavor, for all us creative roleplayers.
b) Smackdown Ability, for all you power players.
c) Adaptability, thinking of my Blackguard/Cavalier...
d) Clear Concept, contradictory to some of the more confusing prestige classes, like the Justicar Jester, or the Flower Assassin.

The only minus, maybe, is the ton of requirements, but they seem fitting, so I really don't mind.

- Cyraneth

 

[Li Shenron]

BALANCE:

The class is quite balanced, as long as the Cavalier is effectively fighting on mount. Once he is unable to ride, for example in a dungeon based adventure or indoor scene, the Cavalier is left more or less as a Featless Fighter (given the fact that he is likely to have spent most of his feats to qualify for the PrCl which therefore are mounted feats). It makes for a better villain who meets the PCs on his own ground than for a PC, generally.

FEATURES:

Most of the new features are quite tasteless bonuses to Ride and Lance or Sword attacks while mounted, or movement facilies. They are all going to be useful, and being a Cavalier is the only way to get these focuses, but they are definitely not too much exciting.

FLAVOR/RP:

The class seems to represent quite an archetype of jousting knight, with a honor bound to a kingdom, a lord or noble family or similar authority. It can be thought of as a western counterpart for the Samurai, with the code of conduct left for the player or the DM to define; hence, while the overall concept is simple and solid, there is still space for campaign customization. This is not necessarily a good property for prestige classes, which originally were supposed to be very specific "careers", but on the other hand it increments the usability of the Cavalier to more characters.

REQUIREMENTS:

The Lawful alignment requirement is very in line with the idea of this PrCl.

The high BAB required makes it implicit that the PrCl is for elite warriors, as well as the high number of feats: particularly, four of five feats imply that the character is already expert in fighting on
mount, which makes it clear what all Cavaliers have in common.

Skills needed make very sense, but it's good that the rank required is not too high, and don't penalize too much characters which must take them as cross-class.

An equipment requirement is almost always a bad mistake: exceptions should be rare and should regard the process of getting into an organization. This class is not the case, since which group the Cavalier is going to be a part of, if any, is left open.

DESIGN:

Unfortunately, this PrCl has several little incomprehensible design weaknesses.

Handle Animal should be definitely a class skill, since it is a prerequisite and a Cavalier can't be in any way less facilitated in training his mount than a normal Fighter is. The entry about Knowledge(Nobility) and Burst of Speed are fine after the errata, but the Full Mounted Attack ability needs a real explanation or it doesn't make sense at all. Furthermore, some class features have an irregular level progression for no apparent reason.

A little more attention when editing this PrCl would have made a much better result.

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OVERALL: 5