Which new base classes are broken?

[Archade]

Hi all,

After much anguish over allowing more base classes (see my thread http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=173876) I've decided to allow more base classes in my Forgotten Realms campaign.

Hexblades are probably people who follow the heritage of the Raumathauri battle mages.
Samurai are available to the Shou
Warlocks are the legacy of Eltab on the Material Plane
Wu Jen are available to the Shou

Suggestions on where to shoe-horn some of the base classes would be appreciated.

As I'm making my list, and figuring where these base classes came from, has anyone found through experience any of the new base classes to be too powerful or broken? I'd appreciate the benefit of experience that anyone might have.

Thanks!

 

[Crothian]

I don't think any of them are. Some of then can be abused but that's not the same thing.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Many of the martial ones, I think, should have just been made into feats ... swashbuckler could have been a feat chain for fighters. Samurai ... pretty much IS a feat chain for fighters.

Warlock can be a little annoying by employing SLAs at-will outside of combat ... Shattering all day, Dimension Dooring people about repeatedly. I wouldn't consider it "broken" just "requiring of GM forethought".

--fje

 

[pawsplay]

Complete Warrior:
Hexblade - a solid class, handy when used tactically, perhaps slightly weak if used as a straightup beater or a backup mage
Samurai - weak, bad flavor, nuff said
Swashbuckler - a decent class, kind of limp at high levels, but that's okay, since they all turn into Bladesingers, Duelists, and Tempests anyway

Complete Divine:
Shugenja - ever so slightly weak class, suffers from severe lack of utility spells and abilities useful against fiends and undead
Spirit Shaman - fun, balanced class
Favored Soul - not bad, but not good, either; a fun variation with some oddly chosen abilities and no domains


Complete Adventurer:
Spellthief - odd flavor, slightly weak, somewhat good as a boss killer
Ninja - interesting change up from the rogue, some nice tricks, but probably not as strong as a rogue overall
Scout - a nice replacement for the rogue who can also stand in for a non spellcasting ranger, fun, slightly weird in play (they don't get skirmish during a surprise round, for instance, unless they charge)

 

[brehobit]

I'd argue that the book of nine swords classes are more powerful than their peers. Or perhaps simply easier to abuse....

 

[Archade]

I agree some of the classes should have been feat chains - but my players are pushing to try these classes, so I'm coming up with a rough idea where I'd want these classes from, and we'll give it a try. As long as they won't break the game.

Something I'm noticing is the Warlock isn't broken, but highly powerful - especially if someone multiclasses into it. Imagine a Warlock 2/Fighter X with Hideous Blow - they get Eldritch blast at will and an extra +1d6 to damage when they make a single attack, a better Will save, and some unique skill options. All in exchange for 2 feats and +1 BAB.

 

[Shin Okada]

Something I'm noticing is the Warlock isn't broken, but highly powerful - especially if someone multiclasses into it. Imagine a Warlock 2/Fighter X with Hideous Blow - they get Eldritch blast at will and an extra +1d6 to damage when they make a single attack, a better Will save, and some unique skill options. All in exchange for 2 feats and +1 BAB.

But remember BAB is always very important for melee combatants. If you can't hit, you are nothing. And when needed, someone with Power Attack can easily convert their BAB into damages.

Also, Hideous Blow is still an Invocation. It provokes AoO, has arcane spell failure chance and can be disrupted.

At least, I see none of the base classes in Complet books to be much powerful than classes in core. Some are indeed weak (poor Samurai). And Duskblade could be slightly more powerful than others, but not that much significant.

 

[nobodez]

I know it's an odd thing, considering you're in an FR game, but if you check out the Player's Guide to Eberron, they describe how new base classes, as well as new races, fit into that world. You can probably use that as a resource of how to integrate them into Faerûn. I know it's not the best way, but it's got most of the base classes, at least the ones that were out by the time the book was written.

Also, I find that it's not the classes that are broken, it's the player's abusing the rules and the DM letting them that's broken.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

I routinely allow PHB, Complete Series (minus CPsi), XPH, PHB II, and UA. I don't have many problems. But then again I like to game with people who may powergame but don't abuse the rules. That makes as big a difference as anything, IMO.

 

[Wish]

Warblade (book of 9 swords) and duskblade (PHII) are the closest to broken. They aren't really all that far out of line though.

Some of the complete series classes might be broken on the weak side as full progression classes, but they can all serve a purpose for certain character concepts.