The Noble by Andrew James Woodyard
http://www.dmsguild.com/product/171842/The-Noble
This 12 page document has a title page and 11 pages of Noble class. This was the second document with a cluttered background which I have a difficult time reading so I copy/pasted the text to a blank word document for readability (even with the other layout choice of 14 point font).
The noble is a d8 class with proficiency in all armor, shields, and weapons. The saving throw proficiencies are Wisdom and Charisma. For skills it gets 4 from a broad list.
The first class feature is Wealth determined by your Charisma and Wisdom multiplied by a d20 roll so there will be quite a bit of variance. In practice the Noble will probably be able to start play with the next tier armor and probably a mount. At best he could start with Plate armor, a barded mount, and still have a stash of cash. This can be a huge bonus depending on the treasure distribution. It is common for characters to not have this much gold until 5th level or higher. A middle result would probably be about 600gp and with point buy the max result is 1800 gp.
The second ability is an option to make the class really skilled by swapping Heavy Armor prof for 3 skills. For a ranged or finesse build that would be no contest (Skilled Feat vs. half the Heavy Armor feat).
At first the Noble gets its main feature - Influence which has a list of 18 influences/commands you can use on allies or enemies - the trick is you only get to pick a few and they are a long rest resource. 7 are enemy focused and the other 11 target allies. “Switch sides” looks really strong as you lose an enemy and gain an ally but it costs you encounter experience. The rest are comparable to the Command spell. The ally focused abilities are the usual grant an action commands with the standout being “Cast”. The “Influences” can be used up to 2 per round and require no action (or Reaction) on the part of the target. They are limited to Level plus Charisma bonus per day. The majority of the Influences are probably too specific to be strong choices due to the selection being limited by Wisdom bonus. One of the archetypes (the Hindmost) gets a few extra. The saves are tied to level rather than proficiency bonus so they lag behind most DCs until 18th level.
The final 1st level class ability is Regalia which lets the Noble use an item to make up some ground on the DCs, and grant attack bonuses based on the rarity of the item.
At 2nd, the Noble gets his second key feature of followers. The Noble has a Leadership Score which determines how many followers he can have. When you get the ability that can be anything between 1 commoner or a mini army of 4 Guards, 4 Bandits, 2 Acolytes, and a Thug (5 HD). More typically, using point buy the Noble would have the Thug as a bodyguard, or an Acolyte and 2 Guards (or 2 Bandits). The Leadership bonus is tied to level and Charisma so as Charisma is boosted it gives a bump on the chart. The way the chart is designed once you max Charisma at 20 you get a follower equal to your level in CR – with a doubling for each CR you drop.
I’m not sure what the action economy is on these. At worst it looks like they burn an Influence to act and another to move which would severely limit their options or most generously if they have orders ahead of time they all get to follow the orders resulting in a large force multiplier. As written they only count towards Experience rewards if the Noble wants them to advance in level. Not sure why you’d do that as the progression doubles the number available each level or increases their CR by 1 – which is a big jump.
The second level 2 ability is Favors which is basically free stuff for downtime. Or you can accumulate Hirelings as well. The value of this is entirely dependent on how the campaign paces itself. The Noble is strongly motivated to sit around and not adventure.
At 3rd the archetypes kick in. The High Born Leader is the closest thing to a normal Warlord since it is the only option with a Hit Point influencing ability. The High Born Leader gets special attacks with a limited use per day which scales with level and Wisdom. The class pretty much doubles the number of special ‘commands’ available per day with half going to Influences and half going to Leadership Attacks. A couple of the Attacks have unclear resolutions such as timing (Strike of Withdrawal) and how many attacks they apply to (Empowering Strike). As the Noble levels he gets even more followers – doubling and then times four. They can also gain an additional Leadership Attack.
The second Archetype is the Aristocrat which gets even more incentive to not adventure by doubling then getting a quadruple bonus for spending time. In addition, it gets a once per day advantage on a charisma check. Easily the weakest of the archetypes as you also get Expertise at level 5 and the skill system is subject to DM fiat.
The Hindmost is the third archetype, with the main feature of extra Influences – and I assume this means more selection but the flavor kind of implies that it is more uses. The subclass probably needs both to equal the High Born Leader. Eventually the Hindmost gets a once per day advantage on a skill check and another Save proficiency.
The remainder of the class abilities are the standard ASI progression (4/8/12/16/19). Expertise at 5th and every 5 levels to the point of running out of skills to use it on (8 total) and double proficiency on a Saving Throw at 7th with a second at 14th. I don't think any class gets double prof on saves.
The class overall probably will have the best gear, the most actions, a good shot at the best skills, and be able to tell the best attackers and spellcasters to do what they do best more often. The action economy seems to be left open with regard to how to treat follower actions and the class gets to many or too high a level.
As a Warlord the class has the action-granting, no damage mitigation except two Leadership attacks in one subclass, and no other recovery of Hit Points or conditions. The class is multiple attribute dependent with a primary of Charisma and then Wisdom (for options). Then the class needs either Dex, Strength or Intelligence depending on archetype. The way the Follower ability works the class is strongly encouraged to use the first few ASIs to max charisma to have stronger followers and cover gaps such as lack of healing or extra attacks. As the Noble inflates party size, the effects of the Inspiring Leader feat are greater and almost required until the followers have more hit points.
With regards to the classic board bugaboos:
1. Ranged inspirational healing from unconscious – no.
2. Background as a class – yes. The Noble.
3. I’m in charge here – yes, many of the Influences are directed by the Noble.
4. Healing by spending Hit Dice – no.
5. Full action granting – effectively for casters, uses per day.
6. At-will attack granting – no. Although followers look like they get a potentially huge number of extra actions.
Thematically, the class models the way nobility works but as a game element the Noble explodes game play in too many directions. Too much wealth and a demotivation to adventure, too many individuals in the party, and too much nova in the form of action surges for casters and rogues (up to 2 per round until out of Influences).
