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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Afrodyte" data-source="post: 1741815" data-attributes="member: 8713">examplePlease be gentle.  This is only an example to show you what I'm talking about.  A lot of the ideas I had in my initial post have been revised a great deal, especially considering how I wanted to format things.  I took sinmissing's idea about having something less distinct as the starting classes and use the adventuring classes as something more advanced.  My hopes for this design are: making sure that the warrior-type classes are the best at surviving and thriving in direct combat without relying almost exclusively on magic equipment, give an incentive for warriors to choose different types of abilities instead of going for the tank archetype all the time, provide a way to truly differentiate sorcerers from wizards and druids from nature clerics, and allow for a skill-based class that does not come with the baggage that the rogue gets.  I initially started with trying to encompass talent trees for each adventuring class from the start, but it quickly proved too cumbersome.  The more I looked at it and thought about it, the more I saw that a lot of the talents I was using through each class fit a greater archeype, more along the lines of Unearthed Arcana's generic classes.  From there, I started over, and it was much easier to make each class distinct from each other.  Some of the stuff from the PHB is there, some of it is not.  For the most part, I wanted to make sure that the abilities of the class fit the flavor and archetypes than could be found within each class, and I used those archetypes as my guide for the talent trees.  It's not perfect, but I am glad that I at least have an idea of how I want it done.  Without further ado, here's my example: the warrior classes.  I may follow through with the spellcaster generic class once I design the base classes for them.WARRIOR GENERIC CLASSFlavor text as DMG warrior NPC class.  The warrior generic class is only a 10-level class.BAB: goodHD: d10Saves: One good, two poor (player's choice).  Alternatively, one good, one medium*, and one poor.  The medium base save progression, according to the base saves at the levels, are: +1 (1st & 2nd), +2 (3rd & 4th), +3 (5th thru 7th), +4 (8th & 9th), +5 (10th & 11th), +6 (12th thru 14th), +7 (15th & 16th), +8 (17th & 18th), +9 (19th & 20th).Class Skills: Craft, Profession, plus any 6 skills.Skill Points: 4 + Intelligence modifier (times 4 at 1st level)Weapon and armor proficiency: All simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, shields (except tower shields).Talents: At 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th level, choose a talent from one of the talent trees below.Bonus Feats: at 2nd, 5th, and 8th level, choose a bonus feat from the PHB fighter's bonus feat list sans Greater Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Specialization.Defensive Tactics Talent TreeDefensive Tactics.  The attack penalty you sustain while fighting defensively is reduced by 2. Prerequisites: Combat Expertise.Improved Defensive Tactics.  You gain a +2 competence bonus to AC (total +6) when fighting defensively.  Prerequisites: Defensive Tactics.Advanced Defensive Tactics.  When fighting defensively, your bonus to AC increases by half your warrior levels (maximum +10).  This bonus supercedes the bonus from Defensive Tactics II.  Prerequisites: Defensive Tactics.Extreme Effort Talent TreeExtreme Effort.  Before making a Strength test or Strength-based skill check, you may add +2 to the attempt.Improved Extreme Effort.  Before making a Strength test or Strength-based skill check, you may add double your natural Strength bonus to the attempt.  This supercedes the bonus from Extreme Effort.  Prerequisites: Extreme Effort.Advanced Extreme Effort. Before making a Strength test or a Strength-based skill check, you may add half your warrior levels to the attempt.  This supercedes the bonus from Improved Extreme Effort.  Prerequisites: Improved Extreme Effort.Offensive Tactics Talent TreeExamine Opponent.  Designate one opponent and observe him for one round.  At the end of that round, make an Intelligence check with an insight bonus equal to half your warrior class levels (base DC 15, modified by your target's attempt to Bluff or Intimidate).  If successful, you know his overall combat skill (based on BAB and number of feats: novice, seasoned, veteran, or master), his strengths (ie. strong, agile, tough, and/or cunning), and his condition (perfect, scratched and scraped, badly wounded, or near death).  Your opponent can deceive you into thinking his is less or more skillful depending upon his Bluff and Intimidate check result.  The better your check result, the more information you can determine about your opponent.Exploit Weakness.  After using Examine Opponent against your chosen target, you may find a way to gain an advantage by using cunning over speed or brawn.  As a move-equivalent action, you may make an Intelligence check and add your warrior levels vs. DC opponent's highest BAB.  If the check succeeds, you may add your Intelligence bonus to attack rolls made against that opponent that round.  Prerequisite: Examine Opponent.Offensive Tactics.  Whenever you make a full attack, you gain a bonus to either to your first attack or to all your damage rolls that round.  This bonus is equal to +1 for every 4 warrior levels.Resilient Talent Tree(Acid/Cold/Electrical/Fire/Poison/Sonic) Resistance. Choose a type of damage.  Your resistance to this damage type is equal to your Constitution bonus.Improved (Acid/Cold/Electrical/Fire/Poison/Sonic) Resistance.  Your resistance to the damage type chosen in Resistance increases to half your warrior level.  This supercedes the benefit of Resistance.  Prerequisites: Resistance.Spell Resistance. You have SR equal to half your warrior levels.  Prerequisites: Resistance.Hardy. When you make a Fortitude save against any disease, you get a bonus equal to half your warrior level.Weapon Mastery Talent TreeWeapon Sense.  You gain a competence bonus to using weapons with which you are not proficient equal to +1 per every 2 warrior levels (max +4).Improved Weapon Focus.  Choose a weapon for which you have the Weapon Focus feat.  When wielding that weapon, you gain a +1 attack bonus for every 2 warrior levels.  Prerequisites: Weapon Focus (weapon chosen).Improved Weapon Specialization.  With the weapon you have chosen for Improved Weapon Focus, you get +1 damage for every 2 warrior levels.  Prerequisites: Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in chosen weapon.Expanded Weapon Focus.  The bonuses you receive from the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats apply to all weapons in that same group.  The groups are: axes, basic weapons (club, dagger, quarterstaff), bows, crossbows, flails and chains (light flail, heavy flail), heavy blades (longsword, greatsword, falchion, scimitar, bastard sword (two-handed use)), light blades (dagger, punching dagger, rapier, short sword), maces and clubs (club, light mace, heavy mace, greatclub, quarterstaff, sap, warmace (two-handed use)), picks and hammers (light pick, heavy pick, light hammer, warhammer, scythe, maul (two-handed use)), slings and thrown weapons (dart, sling), spears and lances and polearms (javelin, lance, longspear, shortspear, trident, glaive, guisarme, halberd, and ranseur).  Prerequisites: Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in one weapon in the group.Exotic Weapon Group Proficiency.  The Expanded Weapon focus talent applies to exotic weapons in the group as well.  Prerequisites: proficient with one of the exotic weapons in the weapon group, Expanded Weapon Focus.BERSERKER BASE CLASSFlavor text similar to PHB, except instead of being an uncivilized brute, the berserker is a warrior who channels emotional energy into increasing his natural abilities.Prerequisites: Any two warrior talents from the Extreme Effort, Resilient, and Weapon Mastery talent trees.BAB: goodHD: goodSaves: Fortitude good, Will and Reflex poor.  Alternatively: Fortitude or Will good, Will or Fortitude medium, Reflex poor.Class Skills: as PHB barbarian.Skill Points per level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.Talents. At 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th level in the berserker class, you gain a talent from the talent trees below.Bonus feats.  At 2nd, 4th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 20th level in the berserker class, you gain a bonus feat from the following: thletic, Combat Reflexes, Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack), Endurance (Diehard), Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike (Stunning Fist), Iron Will, Power Attack (Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder), Run, Self-Sufficient, Toughness, Track, Weapon Focus (Weapon Specialization)Rage Talent Tree.Greater Extreme Effort.  You may choose one of the talents from the Extreme Effort tree in addition to the ones in this talent tree.  Prerequisites: Extreme Effort.Supreme Effort.In addition, before making a Strength or Strength-based skill check, you may add half your berserker levels to the attempt.  This stacks with the bonus granted from Advanced Extreme Effort.  Prerequisites: Advanced Extreme Effort.Rage.  As PHB barbarian ability.  You may use Rage a number of times per day equal to half your berserker levels.Greater Rage.  As PHB barbarian ability.  Prerequisites: Rage.Indomitable Will.  As PHB barbarian ability. Prerequisites: Rage.Tireless Rage. As PHB barbarian ability.  Prerequisites: Rage.Resistance Talent Tree.Advanced Resistance.  You may choose one of the talents from the Resilience tree in addition to the ones in this talent tree.Greater Resistance.  You may add your berserker levels to your warrior levels for the purpose of using talents from the Resilience tree.  Prerequisites: Improved Resistance, Spell Resistance, or Hardy.Purity of Body. As PHB monk ability.Diamond Body.  As PHB monk ability.  Prerequisites: Poison Resistance.Damage Resistance.  You gain DR/magic equal to your Constitution bonus. Prerequisites: Resistance.Damage Resistance II.  You gain DR/- equal to your Constitution bonus.  Prerequisites: Damage Resistance.Damage Resistance III.  You gain DR/- equal to half your berserker level.  This supercedes the benefit of Damage Resistance II.FIGHTER BASE CLASSFlavor text as PHB.Prerequisites: Any two warrior talents from the Defensive Tactics, Offensive Tactics, and Weapon Mastery talent trees.BAB: goodHD: goodSaves: Fortitude or Reflex good, others poor.  Alternatively: Any good, any medium, Reflex or Will poor.Class Skills: Craft, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (history), Listen, Profession, Ride, SpotSkill Points per level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.Talents. At 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th level in the fighter class, you gain a talent from the talent trees below.Bonus feats.  At 2nd, 4th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 20th level in the fighter class, you gain a bonus feat from the PHB fighter bonus feat list.Combat Prowess Talent Tree.Weapon Master.  You may choose one of the talents from the Weapon Mastery talent tree in addition to the ones in this talent tree.Weapon Grand Master.  You may use your fighter class levels in addition to your warrior class levels for the purpose of using talents in the Weapon Master talent tree. Prerequisites: Weapon Sense, Improved Weapon Focus.Greater Defensive Tactics.  You may choose one of the talents from the Defensive Tactics talent tree in addition to the ones in this talent tree.Supreme Defensive Tactics.  You may use your fighter class levels in addition to your warrior class levels for the purpose of using talents in the Defensive Tactics talent tree.  Prerequisites: Advanced Defensive Tactics.Improved Offensive Tactics.  You may choose one of the talents from the Offensive Tactics talent tree in addition to the ones in this talent tree.Advanced Offensive Tactics.  You may use your fighter class levels in addition to your warrior class levels for the purpose of using talents in the Offensive Tactics talent tree.  Prerequisites: Examine Opponent, Offensive Tactics.Fencing Talent TreeUncanny Dodge. As PHB ability.  Prerequisites: Dodge.Improved Uncanny Dodge.  As PHB ability.  Prerequisites:Uncanny Ddoge.Improved Dodge.  You gain a dodge bonus to AC equal to half your fighter levels.  Prerequisites: Uncanny Dodge, Mobility.Riposte.  When wielding a light melee weapon, you can make up to your Dexterity bonus in extra attacks, but the penalty to all attacks you make when doing so is equal to the number of extra attacks you make.  Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Dexterity 13+.Precise Strike. When you successfully attack your opponent with a light melee weapon, the number you rolled in excess of your target's AC is added to your damage roll.  Using Precise Strike is a full-round action.  Prerequisites: Improved Critical (light melee weapon used).Juggernaut Talent Tree.Tough. You increase your fighter HD to d12.  Prerequisites: Constitution 13+ and Great Fortitude or Toughness.Brawny.  You reduce the Armor Check Penalty of any armor worn by 2 (min -0).  Prerequisites: Strength 15+.Brawny II.  Medium and Heavy armor do not hamper your Speed at all.  Prerequisites: Brawny.Crushing Blow.  You ignore an object's hardness or a creature's damage resistance equal to your Strength bonus.Devastating Blow.  Add your Fighter levels to the save DC of massive damage attacks that you make.Marksman Talent Tree.Called Shot.  As a full-round action where you aim carefully at a single target, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your next ranged attack.  Using Called Shot provokes an attack of opportunity.  Prerequisites: Expert Shot.Expert Shot.  Reduce range penalties and your target's cover AC by 2.   Prerequisites: Precise Shot.Improved Rapid Shot. Reduce the penalties to using Rapid Shot to -1.  Prerequisites: Rapid Shot, Dexterity 15+Power Shot. With any type of ranged weapon except a crossbow, you may increase the damage die by 1 step.  Prerequisites: Weapon Focus (ranged weapon used), Strength 13+Bull's Eye.  When you hit a target in ranged combat, the number you rolled in excess of your target's AC is added to your damage roll.  Using Bull's Eye is a full-round action.  Prerequisites: Called Shot.</blockquote>

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