Talk:Soldier (3.5e Class)

Talk

Hey, just a heads up here. Once per encounter abilities are a bad idea. Why? Because of this "I attack a rat using power attack and combat expertise to to take the maximum penalty on my roll! DM: You miss by a couple miles. Player: Well seeing as I'm now in combat I heal myself with first aid and then stomp on the rat." Using this method you could heal yourself infinitely. Using a max healing limit maxes the point moot, but being a shameless power-gamer I can't help but nitpick. My rating: 3.5 out of 5, a decent improvement on the Fighter.

Meh class. I would never use it as its pretty boring. The name reminds me of an NPC class, super generic and absolutely terrible. Well, acually, the whole class is just an easy twist on the Fighter with less feats and better skill set. Oh, and don't worry about encounter abilities too much. Most DM's mitigate which is which. Like, did you even roll intv? Anyway, I liked the Rend abilities. I just wanted that to be the classes focus. Not bonus feats. Fighters own bonus feats. No one else should. --Jay Freedman 07:41, September 17, 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, on a second readthrough it does seem a little to generic, so I've changed my rating to 3.5: a solid class, with small amount of improvement on the fighter, but it has a lot of unused promise. Plus, the name is way to NPCish --ThirdEmperor 08:07, September 17, 2009 (UTC)

The saves are all wrong (should be 1/2 class level) and the abilities are not level appropriate.

1. For starters, in combat healing is very mediocre, especially with the limitations you have imposed on it (to half max hit points, standard action). I would suggest making it a swift action (so you can still attack) that has no limit on the amount of health healed. You also might consider making it a straight 1d8/level.
2. Second, Provoke is probably the best ability here. The ability to dictate what the enemy does is awesome, but aside from that you offer:
3. Caster level penalties (which don't effect saving throw DCs, so that primarily effects scorching ray or disintegrate casters, but not finger of death or other save-or-die spells)
4. Strength damage (which is fine in principle but the amount you offer is rather low, could be improved by upping the amount offered (ray of enfeeblement does 1d6+1 per two levels with no save, that might be a good place to start--consider whether or not you offer unlimited use and whether or not you offer a saving throw when determining the total amount))
5. Slow (which isn't bad, but offering it at 14th level is rather inappropriate in my mind--I would think 7 or 8 would be fine)
6. Improved rend magic (which is fine, although I would make it take away a wizard's highest level of prepared spells as well to make it even; also something about affecting limited use spell-like abilities might be nice)
7. 0.5 ½ the target's current health is only useful on incredibly hit point-wealthy monsters, and even then wizards are doing save-or-die. Suggest 1d6/level with save vs. some pretty good status effect perhaps, like stun.

Otherwise this offers seven feats, which is nice, but I don't think I'd take it past level 5, and I'm not sure I'd take it to five since you have a dead level and First Aid in between, which essentially amounts to two dead levels. It's got potential (by the way, is the FFTA-based?), but it doesn't carry itself far enough IMO. Also, last thought: why are the saving throws (which as I said, are incorrect) based on Wisdom? As a fighter you already need Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution; why make the class any more multi-ability score dependent than it needs to be? -- Jota 12:35, September 17, 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for all the feedback. This is only the first rough draft, essentially, so the input is definitely welcome. I already had some plans for things I was going to change, and now I've got a couple more based on what you all said. My main problem as I was making it was coming up with something to do to help with the dead levels, as I'm trying to keep it close to the source material (it is FFTA based, as Jota guessed ^^; ). I know that feats are kind of boring but they fit somewhat and they were easy for a first draft. I'm still not sure what to do in regards to First Aid; I know that per encounter abilities essentially amount to infinite use abilities outside of combat, which is why I limited it to max of half hp. I'll probably end up making it take a lesser action to use, whether that be move or swift I don't know yet. Otherwise I'm not sure exactly what to do with it. But I already have some things planned to revamp the rends a little and to attempt to fix lifetap. I know that Wis might be MAD-tastic but it felt right at the time. I'll probably switch them to strength. Jokey665 15:49, September 17, 2009 (UTC)

Balance Level

Just curious, what balance level were you aiming for with this class? - TarkisFlux 05:18, September 28, 2009 (UTC)

My goal was a rogue-esque level of power, but I think I ended up somewhere between rogue and fighter. Jokey665 05:36, September 28, 2009 (UTC)

Between all the extra feats taken from anywhere and such, I think you might be in wizard or unquantifiable territory, depending on what the DM allows. See this class and its accompanying talk page for more. --Ghostwheel 17:36, March 29, 2010 (UTC)

I think this may be rogue level, especially combining Bone Crusher a high crit weapon and robilar's gambit, but heh. Also, have you thought about giving the soldier the ability Monkey Grip from FFTA with no penalties? and this could increase with level to huge weapons. Just a thought. Lastly, perhaps the healing could eventually also restore effects like stun, paralyze, blind etc. P.S. The limit on healing is strange, I mean crusaders don't have it. Idkwhatmynameis 22:00, March 29, 2010 (UTC)

Name Issues

This name is too generic and quite deceiving. Can I motion that it be renamed with a reference to Final Fantasy. Something like: "FF Soldier" or "Soldier, Tactics" or "Tactic's Soldier". Something other than just plain old "Soldier". Thanks. --Jay Freedman 03:30, March 30, 2010 (UTC)