The Commander (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

The Commander (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Aleolus
03-28-08, 02:23 PM Here's a class I came up with real quickly, want to know what you all think of it.

The Commander

http://www.animetopten.com/images/content/fireemblem0806.jpg

Who do the people turn to in times of crisis? Some say the Gods, some say their kings; but I say the military, and it's leaders!

Commanders are leaders, through and through. Suited to life on the battlefield, they uncanny insights and reflexes in all forms of combat, and are able to keep up their comrades moral, even in times where it seems victory is impossible.

BECOMING A COMMANDER

The easiest path to becoming a Commander is as a fighter, though any class can quailify. However, since the class offers no spellcasting progression, casters such as Wizards and Sorcerers rarely enter it, though Clerics have been known to, and Paladins are almost as common as Fighters.

Entry Requirements
Alignment: Any Lawful
Abilities: Int 13, Wis 13
Base Attack Bonus: +7
Skills: Knowledge (Tactics) 4 ranks, Profession (Soldier) 4 ranks
Feats: Leadership
Special: Must be inducted into this class by a member of nobility or royalty.

Class Skills
A Commander’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are
Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Tactics), Knowledge (History), Profession (Soldier) Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str)
Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int

Hit Dice: d10

BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities
1. +1 +2 +0 +2 Inspire Bravery, Inherent Courage
2. +2 +3 +0 +3
3. +3 +3 +1 +3 Group Watch
4. +4 +4 +1 +4 Bonus Feat
5. +5 +4 +1 +4 Uncanny Dodge
6. +6 +5 +2 +5 Bonus Feat
7. +7 +5 +2 +5 Tactical Advantage
8. +8 +6 +2 +6 Bonus Feat
9. +9 +6 +3 +6
10.+10 +7 +3 +7 Beacon of Courage

Weapon Proficiencies: A Commander gains no new weapon or Armor proficiencies

Inspire Bravery (Ex): Commanders are able to inspire their troops to shake off effects that would normally render them unable to fight effectively. As a standard action, a Commander may grant any ally who can see and hear the Commander a second saving throw to ignore a fear effect, with a Moral bonus equal to the Commander's class level.

Inherent Courage (Ex): A Commander gains a Confidence bonus equal to his Commander level on all Will saves against fear effects.

Group Watch (Ex): As they gain experience, Commanders are able to move their troops as a single being, almost. All allies within 30 feet of a Commander are treated as having a hive mind, in that if any one of them is aware of a danger, they all are, and none of them are treated as flanked unless they all are. This ability only functions for allies able to see or hear the individual who is aware of the danger.

Tactical Advantage (Ex): Commanders are able to exploit even the smallest weaknesses in their foes, by giving rapid and accurate commands to their followers. As a free action, a General may grant a bonus on attack rolls to one ally equal to his (the Commander's) Intelligence modifier. The attack must be made before the end of the characters next turn, and the the target must be able to hear the Commander speaking. A General may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Leadership score.

Bonus Feat: At fourth level, and every three levels after that, a Commander gains a bonus feat. This feat must be chosen from the list of Fighter Bonus Feats, and he still must qualify for it as normal.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Experienced Commanders have uncanny insight into the ways and motions of battle, allowing them to react to events before their senses would normally allow. At fifth level, a Commander gains Uncanny Dodge. If he already has Uncanny Dodge from another source, he instead gains Improved Uncanny Dodge. See the Rogue class ability of the same name.

Beacon of Courage (Ex): When a Commander leads his men into battle, they are capable of performing feats beyond their normal capacity. As a standard action, a Commander may grant all allies within 30 feet a bonus on attack and damage rolls equal to his Charisma modifier. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Commander's character level, plus his Cha modifier

Multiclass Note: A Paladin who takes levels of Commander may still continue to advance as a Paladin

PLAYING A Commander
Generals are both warriors and tacticians, equally. Though wise enough to recognize that combat isn't always the answer, and calm enough to seek those alternatives when possible, they become vicious opponents when backed into a corner, or when ordered to war by their Liege.
Combat: Commanders are a frightful sight in combat. They are able to move with the precision and strength possessed by only the best warriors, and they are able to spot and strike the smallest of weak points to inflict damage on their foes. What is most frightful about them, though, is their cooperative powers, able to bind several individuals who have nothing else in common to sharing a single goal, and pushing through any obstacle to achieve that goal.
Advancement: Most Commanders continue to advance in any combat-oriented class they possessed before becoming a Commander. The only requirement is that they be at their Liege-Lord's command at a moments notice. Beyond that, they are free to pursue whatever lifestyle they wish.
Resources: Commanders are able to call upon vast levels of military might, having authority to command any subordinate in the army or militia of the nation he was inducted as a Commander into. Many Commanders are respected and given deference even by opposing armies, if only for their sheer reputation and known valor.
Kursk
03-28-08, 02:33 PM "Generals are warriors first, and tacticians second"

Why call the class "General"? Need to redo the premise. Generals specialize in Strategy 1st, then tactics, they don't themselves engage in direct battle unless they absolutely have to.

By the quote above rename the class, "Corporal".
Aleolus
03-28-08, 02:37 PM Well, ok, then. What would you call someone who leads battle from the battle? Someone who goes with the troops at all times, and who they can look to for confidence?
Kursk
03-28-08, 03:23 PM Well, ok, then. What would you call someone who leads battle from the battle? Someone who goes with the troops at all times, and who they can look to for confidence?

Usually it's called a 2nd Lieutenant. Go generic and just call it a Lieutenant.
Aleolus
03-28-08, 04:46 PM Was that what they were in medieval times? If so, then I'll change it.
Kursk
03-28-08, 06:02 PM Was that what they were in medieval times? If so, then I'll change it.

In medieval times they were generally knights on horseback.
IdleAltruism
03-28-08, 08:05 PM Leading troops into battle thematically is nice, but mechanically it's a nightmare. The closest D&D can provide to this theme is a Cohort and a few class abilities. Armies/troops are nice and can serve their purpose in an overall plot, but D&D was not designed around this concept.

Entry Requirements
Alignment: Any Lawful
Abilities: Int 15, Wis 13
Base Attack Bonus: +7
Skills: Knowledge (Tactics) 4 ranks, Profession (Soldier) 4 ranks
Feats: Leadership
Special: Must be inducted into this class by a member of nobility or royalty.

You don't normally see stat requirements in a PrC. The stat requirement there make just about anyone who would actually want to get into this PrC unable to(Fighters/Paladins aren't known for their high INT and even with a high pointbuy its going to be hard to achieve those stats)

I can't recall ever seeing Knowledge(Tactics), if its from a splatbook could you please show me where I could find it? I tried searching without much luck. If you just made it up, it might be a good idea to tell us exactly what it does :D .

I didn't think you could actually take professional soldier. It just doesn't seem like there could be many tricks to the trade of a professional soldier, and if that were the case you'd think fighters would have access to the profession skill.

Class Skills
A General’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are
Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Tactics), Profession (Soldier) Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str)
Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int

You should probably add Knowledge(History) and possibly local(you might just want to copy warblades skill list)

Immune to Fear (Ex): Generals are immune to all forms of Fear effects.

Inspire Bravery (Ex): Generals are able to inspire their troops to shake off effects that would normally render them unable to fight effectively. As a standard action, a General may use Remove Fear, as the spell. He may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his class level plus his Charisma modifier.

Immunity to fear is a very special and unique ability...just because someone has the leadership feat and has been donned the title of general they become immune to fear all of a sudden? Fear is generally a very supernatural ability(other than being demoralized), what about this class trains them to not be afraid of the many tentacled beasts of the far realms, or the awesome power of a great wyrm red dragon?

I could see a general/leader type moral type bonuses against fear and possibly to all will saves, but should they really be able to remove it? So for 10 minutes he can make bill the commoner not be terrified of a great wyrm red dragon? This is D&D and we do stretch alot of realities rules, but I personally think using a bit of logic first is a little more fun then just throwing it all out of the window.

Group Watch (Ex): As they gain experience, Generals are able to move their troops as a single being, almost. All allies within 30 feet of a general are treated as having a Hive Mind. If any one of them is aware of a danger, they all are, and none in the group are flanked unless all of them are. For this effect to apply, each member must be able to see or hear the General, and the General able to perceive each of the group.

I suggest separating fluff from actual mechanics. What exactly does this do? There are several different versions of Hivemind(it might be useful to list which one you're using) and they generally involve telepathy. I understand basically what it does, but being a little more specific won't hurt. For example

Group Watch: If any ally within 30 feet of the general is not considered flat-footed none of the his allies within 30 feet are considered flat-footed. In addition, no ally of the general within 30 feet of him are considered flanked, unless all of the his allies are within 30 feet are flanked.

Tactical Advantage (Ex): Generals are able to exploit even the smallest weaknesses in their foes, by giving rapid and accurate commands to their followers. As a free action, a General may grant a bonus on attack rolls to one ally equal to his (the General's) Intelligence modifier. To benefit from this ability, the target must be able to hear the General speaking. A General may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Leadership score.

This ability is a little odd, and could potentially be overpowered. Leadership score probably isn't the best way to accomplish your goals in this class. If you really want to make a Leadership score based class, I'd recommend going all out with that, but using it here is unnecessary.

How long does this bonus last? Until next round, next attack, next hit, forever?

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Experienced Generals have uncanny insight into the ways and motions of battle. At fifth level, a General gains Uncanny Dodge. If he already has Uncanny Dodge from another source, he instead gains Improved Uncanny Dodge. See the Rogue class ability of the same name.

I get the feeling the only reason they have this ability is because they have that Hivemind stuff.

To be honest I would never play this class. It basically has a few passive benefits, but other than that it just gives you two good saves and a full base attack bonus.

It's very plain and the lack of useful/unique class features makes it undesirable. There are a few leader based classes( I believe one is in the Heroes of Battle). You might want to take a look at them.
Aleolus
03-28-08, 10:19 PM Ok, so how would you go about cleaning them up? I'm open to suggestions, and I can drop some of the stuff that's leadership based, or change what it's based off of. I just thought the idea of a class that is designed to lead large groups of people and give benefits as such would work really well.

**EDIT** Changed the name, got rid of the immunity to fear, and modified some of their abilities.
Prince_of_Parkness
03-29-08, 07:58 PM the idea of a cammando class is nice so lets see how I can help.

The front loadedness of this class bothers me. Why take any levels beyond 5? Take fighter levels to get feats more often in exchange for 2 skill points.

So some more abilities there would be good. Things spring to mind like bonuses to leadership scores (maybe half your commando level) maybe doubling amount of first level followers allowed, and ability to cast bless on all men under his control that can hear him (exraordinary ability) that gets more powerful as you level up.

A good capstone ability could be a second cohort, or maube a good mass buff, like +4 to Str, Dex and Con and the benefit of one extra fighters feat.

Sorry for being so vague with suggestion but hopefully they will help.
DonThelonious
03-29-08, 08:49 PM I have to agree with PrinceOfParkness (if its okay I'll use PoP) as well as others.

Drop the Ability requirement, or at the very least lower it and require just one. As it is it will be very difficult for almost ANY melee class to qualify.

Spread the abilities out more, and make some of them scale with the class. Also PoPs suggestion to increase the number of followers gained by leader ship. Some thing like 1d4 + Cha mod. in additional 1st and 2nd level and just 1d4 for followers level 3+.

You could also give the class some good morale based buffs and as a capstone he could grant all of his troops and allies temporary access to a class ability they had prior top becoming a commander (IE: Rogue levels give SA, Barb levels give Rage, Fighter levels grant feats, etc.). Going this route each individual high level commanders force could be unique, with one squad of raging shock troops, another squad made of sneaky rogues, or fast moving scout squads.

Good work overall and I hope to see this class reach its potential.
--
PS: Thank you for formatting your work! It looks great.
Aleolus
03-29-08, 08:59 PM Well, their Inspire Bravery ability is based off their Commander class level, so that's another thing you would want to continue taking levels of it for. If you're going against a high-HD dragon, you're going to need all the rerolls against fear you can get to doll out.
I like the idea of a capstone ability, and honestly, of your suggestions, I like the mass Bless effect most. I'll add that in in a few minutes, I need to do a couple other things first.
Also, I had thought about giving bonuses to Leadership scores, but I looked it up, and a character's Leadership score is your Character level plus your Cha modifier. So, maybe adding in another score, or you get particular levels twice. A second cohort might work as well.
M-bark
04-02-08, 12:59 PM Instead of the ability requirements, put in specific feats that have those ability scores as requirements. They would still need a specific ability score but it just doesn't say that in the requirements description then, just as the DMG says it should.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aleolus 03-28-08, 02:23 PM	Here's a class I came up with real quickly, want to know what you all think of it. The Commander http://www.animetopten.com/images/content/fireemblem0806.jpg Who do the people turn to in times of crisis? Some say the Gods, some say their kings; but I say the military, and it's leaders! Commanders are leaders, through and through. Suited to life on the battlefield, they uncanny insights and reflexes in all forms of combat, and are able to keep up their comrades moral, even in times where it seems victory is impossible. BECOMING A COMMANDER The easiest path to becoming a Commander is as a fighter, though any class can quailify. However, since the class offers no spellcasting progression, casters such as Wizards and Sorcerers rarely enter it, though Clerics have been known to, and Paladins are almost as common as Fighters. Entry Requirements Alignment: Any Lawful Abilities: Int 13, Wis 13 Base Attack Bonus: +7 Skills: Knowledge (Tactics) 4 ranks, Profession (Soldier) 4 ranks Feats: Leadership Special: Must be inducted into this class by a member of nobility or royalty. Class Skills A Commander’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Tactics), Knowledge (History), Profession (Soldier) Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str) Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int Hit Dice: d10 BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities 1. +1 +2 +0 +2 Inspire Bravery, Inherent Courage 2. +2 +3 +0 +3 3. +3 +3 +1 +3 Group Watch 4. +4 +4 +1 +4 Bonus Feat 5. +5 +4 +1 +4 Uncanny Dodge 6. +6 +5 +2 +5 Bonus Feat 7. +7 +5 +2 +5 Tactical Advantage 8. +8 +6 +2 +6 Bonus Feat 9. +9 +6 +3 +6 10.+10 +7 +3 +7 Beacon of Courage Weapon Proficiencies: A Commander gains no new weapon or Armor proficiencies Inspire Bravery (Ex): Commanders are able to inspire their troops to shake off effects that would normally render them unable to fight effectively. As a standard action, a Commander may grant any ally who can see and hear the Commander a second saving throw to ignore a fear effect, with a Moral bonus equal to the Commander's class level. Inherent Courage (Ex): A Commander gains a Confidence bonus equal to his Commander level on all Will saves against fear effects. Group Watch (Ex): As they gain experience, Commanders are able to move their troops as a single being, almost. All allies within 30 feet of a Commander are treated as having a hive mind, in that if any one of them is aware of a danger, they all are, and none of them are treated as flanked unless they all are. This ability only functions for allies able to see or hear the individual who is aware of the danger. Tactical Advantage (Ex): Commanders are able to exploit even the smallest weaknesses in their foes, by giving rapid and accurate commands to their followers. As a free action, a General may grant a bonus on attack rolls to one ally equal to his (the Commander's) Intelligence modifier. The attack must be made before the end of the characters next turn, and the the target must be able to hear the Commander speaking. A General may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Leadership score. Bonus Feat: At fourth level, and every three levels after that, a Commander gains a bonus feat. This feat must be chosen from the list of Fighter Bonus Feats, and he still must qualify for it as normal. Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Experienced Commanders have uncanny insight into the ways and motions of battle, allowing them to react to events before their senses would normally allow. At fifth level, a Commander gains Uncanny Dodge. If he already has Uncanny Dodge from another source, he instead gains Improved Uncanny Dodge. See the Rogue class ability of the same name. Beacon of Courage (Ex): When a Commander leads his men into battle, they are capable of performing feats beyond their normal capacity. As a standard action, a Commander may grant all allies within 30 feet a bonus on attack and damage rolls equal to his Charisma modifier. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Commander's character level, plus his Cha modifier Multiclass Note: A Paladin who takes levels of Commander may still continue to advance as a Paladin PLAYING A Commander Generals are both warriors and tacticians, equally. Though wise enough to recognize that combat isn't always the answer, and calm enough to seek those alternatives when possible, they become vicious opponents when backed into a corner, or when ordered to war by their Liege. Combat: Commanders are a frightful sight in combat. They are able to move with the precision and strength possessed by only the best warriors, and they are able to spot and strike the smallest of weak points to inflict damage on their foes. What is most frightful about them, though, is their cooperative powers, able to bind several individuals who have nothing else in common to sharing a single goal, and pushing through any obstacle to achieve that goal. Advancement: Most Commanders continue to advance in any combat-oriented class they possessed before becoming a Commander. The only requirement is that they be at their Liege-Lord's command at a moments notice. Beyond that, they are free to pursue whatever lifestyle they wish. Resources: Commanders are able to call upon vast levels of military might, having authority to command any subordinate in the army or militia of the nation he was inducted as a Commander into. Many Commanders are respected and given deference even by opposing armies, if only for their sheer reputation and known valor.
Kursk 03-28-08, 02:33 PM	"Generals are warriors first, and tacticians second" Why call the class "General"? Need to redo the premise. Generals specialize in Strategy 1st, then tactics, they don't themselves engage in direct battle unless they absolutely have to. By the quote above rename the class, "Corporal".
Aleolus 03-28-08, 02:37 PM	Well, ok, then. What would you call someone who leads battle from the battle? Someone who goes with the troops at all times, and who they can look to for confidence?
Kursk 03-28-08, 03:23 PM	Well, ok, then. What would you call someone who leads battle from the battle? Someone who goes with the troops at all times, and who they can look to for confidence? Usually it's called a 2nd Lieutenant. Go generic and just call it a Lieutenant.
Aleolus 03-28-08, 04:46 PM	Was that what they were in medieval times? If so, then I'll change it.
Kursk 03-28-08, 06:02 PM	Was that what they were in medieval times? If so, then I'll change it. In medieval times they were generally knights on horseback.
IdleAltruism 03-28-08, 08:05 PM	Leading troops into battle thematically is nice, but mechanically it's a nightmare. The closest D&D can provide to this theme is a Cohort and a few class abilities. Armies/troops are nice and can serve their purpose in an overall plot, but D&D was not designed around this concept. Entry Requirements Alignment: Any Lawful Abilities: Int 15, Wis 13 Base Attack Bonus: +7 Skills: Knowledge (Tactics) 4 ranks, Profession (Soldier) 4 ranks Feats: Leadership Special: Must be inducted into this class by a member of nobility or royalty. You don't normally see stat requirements in a PrC. The stat requirement there make just about anyone who would actually want to get into this PrC unable to(Fighters/Paladins aren't known for their high INT and even with a high pointbuy its going to be hard to achieve those stats) I can't recall ever seeing Knowledge(Tactics), if its from a splatbook could you please show me where I could find it? I tried searching without much luck. If you just made it up, it might be a good idea to tell us exactly what it does :D . I didn't think you could actually take professional soldier. It just doesn't seem like there could be many tricks to the trade of a professional soldier, and if that were the case you'd think fighters would have access to the profession skill. Class Skills A General’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Tactics), Profession (Soldier) Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str) Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int You should probably add Knowledge(History) and possibly local(you might just want to copy warblades skill list) Immune to Fear (Ex): Generals are immune to all forms of Fear effects. Inspire Bravery (Ex): Generals are able to inspire their troops to shake off effects that would normally render them unable to fight effectively. As a standard action, a General may use Remove Fear, as the spell. He may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his class level plus his Charisma modifier. Immunity to fear is a very special and unique ability...just because someone has the leadership feat and has been donned the title of general they become immune to fear all of a sudden? Fear is generally a very supernatural ability(other than being demoralized), what about this class trains them to not be afraid of the many tentacled beasts of the far realms, or the awesome power of a great wyrm red dragon? I could see a general/leader type moral type bonuses against fear and possibly to all will saves, but should they really be able to remove it? So for 10 minutes he can make bill the commoner not be terrified of a great wyrm red dragon? This is D&D and we do stretch alot of realities rules, but I personally think using a bit of logic first is a little more fun then just throwing it all out of the window. Group Watch (Ex): As they gain experience, Generals are able to move their troops as a single being, almost. All allies within 30 feet of a general are treated as having a Hive Mind. If any one of them is aware of a danger, they all are, and none in the group are flanked unless all of them are. For this effect to apply, each member must be able to see or hear the General, and the General able to perceive each of the group. I suggest separating fluff from actual mechanics. What exactly does this do? There are several different versions of Hivemind(it might be useful to list which one you're using) and they generally involve telepathy. I understand basically what it does, but being a little more specific won't hurt. For example Group Watch: If any ally within 30 feet of the general is not considered flat-footed none of the his allies within 30 feet are considered flat-footed. In addition, no ally of the general within 30 feet of him are considered flanked, unless all of the his allies are within 30 feet are flanked. Tactical Advantage (Ex): Generals are able to exploit even the smallest weaknesses in their foes, by giving rapid and accurate commands to their followers. As a free action, a General may grant a bonus on attack rolls to one ally equal to his (the General's) Intelligence modifier. To benefit from this ability, the target must be able to hear the General speaking. A General may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Leadership score. This ability is a little odd, and could potentially be overpowered. Leadership score probably isn't the best way to accomplish your goals in this class. If you really want to make a Leadership score based class, I'd recommend going all out with that, but using it here is unnecessary. How long does this bonus last? Until next round, next attack, next hit, forever? Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Experienced Generals have uncanny insight into the ways and motions of battle. At fifth level, a General gains Uncanny Dodge. If he already has Uncanny Dodge from another source, he instead gains Improved Uncanny Dodge. See the Rogue class ability of the same name. I get the feeling the only reason they have this ability is because they have that Hivemind stuff. To be honest I would never play this class. It basically has a few passive benefits, but other than that it just gives you two good saves and a full base attack bonus. It's very plain and the lack of useful/unique class features makes it undesirable. There are a few leader based classes( I believe one is in the Heroes of Battle). You might want to take a look at them.
Aleolus 03-28-08, 10:19 PM	Ok, so how would you go about cleaning them up? I'm open to suggestions, and I can drop some of the stuff that's leadership based, or change what it's based off of. I just thought the idea of a class that is designed to lead large groups of people and give benefits as such would work really well. EDIT Changed the name, got rid of the immunity to fear, and modified some of their abilities.
Prince_of_Parkness 03-29-08, 07:58 PM	the idea of a cammando class is nice so lets see how I can help. The front loadedness of this class bothers me. Why take any levels beyond 5? Take fighter levels to get feats more often in exchange for 2 skill points. So some more abilities there would be good. Things spring to mind like bonuses to leadership scores (maybe half your commando level) maybe doubling amount of first level followers allowed, and ability to cast bless on all men under his control that can hear him (exraordinary ability) that gets more powerful as you level up. A good capstone ability could be a second cohort, or maube a good mass buff, like +4 to Str, Dex and Con and the benefit of one extra fighters feat. Sorry for being so vague with suggestion but hopefully they will help.
DonThelonious 03-29-08, 08:49 PM	I have to agree with PrinceOfParkness (if its okay I'll use PoP) as well as others. Drop the Ability requirement, or at the very least lower it and require just one. As it is it will be very difficult for almost ANY melee class to qualify. Spread the abilities out more, and make some of them scale with the class. Also PoPs suggestion to increase the number of followers gained by leader ship. Some thing like 1d4 + Cha mod. in additional 1st and 2nd level and just 1d4 for followers level 3+. You could also give the class some good morale based buffs and as a capstone he could grant all of his troops and allies temporary access to a class ability they had prior top becoming a commander (IE: Rogue levels give SA, Barb levels give Rage, Fighter levels grant feats, etc.). Going this route each individual high level commanders force could be unique, with one squad of raging shock troops, another squad made of sneaky rogues, or fast moving scout squads. Good work overall and I hope to see this class reach its potential. -- PS: Thank you for formatting your work! It looks great.
Aleolus 03-29-08, 08:59 PM	Well, their Inspire Bravery ability is based off their Commander class level, so that's another thing you would want to continue taking levels of it for. If you're going against a high-HD dragon, you're going to need all the rerolls against fear you can get to doll out. I like the idea of a capstone ability, and honestly, of your suggestions, I like the mass Bless effect most. I'll add that in in a few minutes, I need to do a couple other things first. Also, I had thought about giving bonuses to Leadership scores, but I looked it up, and a character's Leadership score is your Character level plus your Cha modifier. So, maybe adding in another score, or you get particular levels twice. A second cohort might work as well.
M-bark 04-02-08, 12:59 PM	Instead of the ability requirements, put in specific feats that have those ability scores as requirements. They would still need a specific ability score but it just doesn't say that in the requirements description then, just as the DMG says it should.