Level Up (A5E) Savants, Exertion Pools, and Multiclassing - A Problem?

[xiphumor]

I just noticed this today: if a savant chooses to gain access to maneuvers, they only gain an exertion pool half the size of every other martial class (heralds excepted).

The multiclassing rules states that your exertion pool remains the same and does not stack if you gain combat maneuvers from multiple classes. This creates the odd scenario where a level 1 fighter who took 2 levels of savant would have an exertion pool of 4, but a level 2 savant who took 1 level of fighter would have an exertion pool of 2.

Now, there’s obviously some precedent for not getting all of the features from a class in the multiclassing proficiencies table, but it seems weird for it to apply to a level 2 feature. I’m wondering if anyone has any commentary regarding this.

 

[Faolyn]

I think that it's just a "them's the breaks" kind of deal, possibly designed to prevent minmaxing--savants have to choose between tricks and maneuvers, which helps to balance it, but a martial/savant wouldn't. I guess it's easier for a combatant to settle down to a life of learning than it is for a scholar to become a fighter.

That being said, I could easily see houseruling savants so they get exertion as heralds do (i.e., twice the PB).

 

[RangerWickett]

I do not recall making a conscious decision to give them less than the amount everyone else gets. I may have mentioned that I never really paid much attention to the combat maneuver system in A5E, so my hunch is that what happened is I just misremembered the rules gave you exertion equal to your proficiency and I typed that instead of 2x proficiency, and did not bother checking it.

 

[xiphumor]

I do not recall making a conscious decision to give them less than the amount everyone else gets. I may have mentioned that I never really paid much attention to the combat maneuver system in A5E, so my hunch is that what happened is I just misremembered the rules gave you exertion equal to your proficiency and I typed that instead of 2x proficiency, and did not bother checking it.

In fairness, I’ve been staring at the savant for weeks now, and I only just noticed it. The question now is whether things should stay as they are or be changed.

 

[VanguardHero]

It'd be nice if there was more of an optimization scene for LU so it'd be easier to determine Classes effective potency ceilings and floors.

 

[xiphumor]

I’ll note that Purple Martin Games’ Field Engineer artificer receives a full exertion pool, and they get maneuvers from an archetype. Also, a consequence of the current system is that you would never want to choose more than a small handful of maneuvers in place of tricks. I know @RangerWickett wanted to make sure that savants didn’t eclipse fighters, but I think that’s sufficiently accomplished by limiting their maneuver progression.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It'd be nice if there was more of an optimization scene for LU so it'd be easier to determine Classes effective potency ceilings and floors.

Its a pretty new game. Give it time.

 

[noodohs]

To be fair, most multiclassing has some sort of cost/benefit based on what you choose first. There is almost always one "better" order to do it in, so that's where that "them's the breaks" mentality comes in.

 

[VenerableBede]

Its a pretty new game. Give it time.

I work on optimization stuff, but since there's usually little discussion on the forums I've kept most of my projects to myself.

 

[xiphumor]

I work on optimization stuff, but since there's usually little discussion on the forums I've kept most of my projects to myself.

I’d be interested in at least hearing about such projects. You should post some!