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JulesCARV 06-23-06, 12:48 AM

I've mentioned on the Classes board that I'm not satisfied with the current NPC classes (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=606260) (I have little doubt that many will disagree with me on this board, as they did on the classes board, regarding this matter. I can't claim that this is a matter with an objective right answer, but I aesthetically prefer to get rid of the NPC classes in favor of more skilled NPC classes). I've also posted on these UA/House Rules boards that I don't like the largeness of the impact of starting class on hit and skill points (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=623409) -- i.e., how a rogue 1/wizard 1 has 18 more skill points and an average of one more hit point than a wizard 1/rogue 1. Again, many disagreed with me, though in my view, the current system is slightly flawed. My current idea is to draw up a new system of pre-classed progression, replace the NPC classes, and make the first class level no different than any other levels. There are four stages of pre-classed progression: infant, toddler, child, and adolescent. As an infant, most medium humanoids have 1 hit point, and are tiny. They do not have any skill points. As a toddler or child, most medium humanoids are small. Toddlers gain 1 additional hit point, and 4 + int skill points, as well as gaining their racial languages. Children gain a further hit point and 4 + int skill points. If their intelligence is 14 or higher, they may also learn an additional language as children from their race's bonus language list. Children and adolescents may forgo learning these bonus languages (for instance, a future cleric may want to learn infernal instead of a language from his race's bonus language list). Medium humanoids as adolescents are medium-sized, and gain an additional hit point and 4 + int skill points. If their intelligence is 12 or higher, they may also learn an additional language as adolescents from their race's bonus language list. (so an adolescent with 14+ intelligence may learn a language as a child and an adolescent, for two languages) Because of the flexibility of the mind in childhood, all skill ranks bought in pre-classed progression cost 1 skill point, as if the skill were in class. However people in pre-classed progression do not actually have any class skills, so their maximum ranks for all skills are just 2 ranks. In effect, it is as if they temporarily have the Able Learner feat, but no class skills. An adult, before taking his first class level thus has 4 hit points and 12 + 3 int skill points. Most adults, including all adventurers, take a class level (non-adventurers typically become civilians, pioneers, or aristocrats, in addition to some taking PC classes). Some, typically unusually unintelligent, developmentally damaged, or lazy, don't. These retain their hit points and skill points gained from childhood pre-classed progression. Some, usually those with severe developmental problems, may not progress beyond an earlier stage than adolescence. Someone born with severe developmental deficits, for example, might not progress beyond being a toddler (though, at DM discretion, he still might gain some aspects of aging, such as going from small to medium size). Three classes would simply be eliminated: the adept, the magewright, and the warrior. The adept and magewright would be replaced by PC-classed casters, such as wizards, archivists, druids, artificers, clerics, etc. The warrior would be replaced with fighters, knights, barbarians, rangers, and the like. The commoner and the expert would be replaced with the civilian and the pioneer. The civilian is a class all-but incapable of combat, but extremely skilled. The pioneer is based on the generic Unearthed Arcana expert: skilled, but not as much so as the civilian, and also somewhat capable in combat situations. The civilian represents commoners in wealthy, civilized areas. Whereas the Civilian is a highly skilled, if fragile type of commoner, the pioneer is made of sterner, if less specialized, stuff. Pioneers might be found in contested border regions, the borders of untamed wilderness, or crime-ridden urban ghettos. Although capable in rougher situations than civilians, pioneers are still primarily non-adventuring commoners. Whether civilians or pioneers are more common as commoners depends on setting: in a dark ages type setting, most might be pioneers, while in a more renaissance type setting, most might be civilians. The aristocrat isn't replaced, but is upgraded significantly. The Civilian: Hit Die: d4 Class Skills: All Skill points: 8 + int modifier Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 1 +0 +0 +0 +0 2 +1 +0 +0 +0 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 3 +1 +1 +1 +1 4 +2 +1 +1 +1 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 5 +2 +1 +1 +1 6 +3 +2 +2 +2 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 7 +3 +2 +2 +2 8 +4 +2 +2 +2 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 9 +4 +3 +3 +3 10 +5 +3 +3 +3 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 11 +5 +3 +3 +3 12 +6 +4 +4 +4 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 13 +6 +4 +4 +4 14 +7 +4 +4 +4 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 15 +7 +5 +5 +5 16 +8 +5 +5 +5 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 17 +8 +5 +5 +5 18 +9 +6 +6 +6 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization 19 +9 +6 +6 +6 20 +10 +6 +6 +6 Bonus Feat -or- Skill Specialization Class Features: Weapon and Armor proficiencies: Civilians are proficient with one simple weapon of each category (i.e., one light simple weapon, one one-handed simple weapon, one two-handed simple weapon, and one ranged simple weapon). They are not proficient with any armor. Bonus Feat or Skill Specialization: At every even level, the civilian may either gain a bonus feat chosen from the Civilian list, or take skill specialization in a skill in which the civilian already has the skill focus feat. Skill specialization allows the civilian to spend skill points to add a bonus to her specialized skill equal to the number of skill points spent. This bonus may not exceed her civilian class level, and may be increased whenever the civilian spends skill points. It is similar to allowing the civilian to buy bonus ranks equal to her civilian class level, although this are actually a bonus, not true ranks, and cannot be used to meet feat or prestige class prerequisites, provide synergy bonuses, or any of the other uses of ranks other than increasing skill check modifiers. Skill specialization may only be taken in the following skills: Appraise, Autohypnosis, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Disguise, Forgery, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (all skills, taken seperately), Open Lock, Perform, Profession, Psicraft, Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Tumble, Use Magic Device, Use Psionic Device, Use Rope. The civilian may take skill specialization multiple times, each time for a different skill in which she has skill focus. Civilian Bonus Feats: Acrobatic, Agile, Agile Athlete, Alertness, Animal Affinity, Appraise Magic Value, Astral Tracking, Athletic, Autonomous, Complementary Insight, Deceitful, Deft Hands, Diligent, Earthcraft, Investigate, Investigator, Jack of all Trades, Magical Aptitude, Negotiator, Nimble Fingers, Open Minded, Persuasive, Psionic Affinity, Quick Reconnoiter, Recognize Imposter,Resarch, Sea legs, Seafarer, Self-sufficient, Skill Focus, Skill Knowledge, Sociable Personality, Steady Mountaineer, Stealthy, Tactile Trapsmith, Track, Tutor, Urban Tracking, Versatile Performer The Pioneer: Hit Die: d6 Class Skills: Craft, Profession, and 12 other chosen skills Skill points: 6 + int modifier Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special 1 +0 +2 +2 +0 2 +1 +3 +3 +0 Bonus Feat 3 +2 +3 +3 +1 4 +3 +4 +4 +1 5 +3 +4 +4 +1 Bonus Feat 6 +4 +5 +5 +2 7 +5 +5 +5 +2 8 +6 +6 +6 +2 Bonus Feat 9 +6 +6 +6 +3 10 +7 +7 +7 +3 11 +8 +7 +7 +3 Bonus Feat 12 +9 +8 +8 +4 13 +9 +8 +8 +4 14 +10 +9 +9 +4 Bonus Feat 15 +11 +9 +9 +5 16 +12 +10 +10 +5 17 +12 +10 +10 +5 Bonus Feat 18 +13 +11 +11 +6 19 +14 +11 +11 +6 20 +15 +12 +12 +6 Bonus Feat Class Features: Weapon and armor proficiencies: The pioneer is proficient with simple weapons, shields other than tower shields, and light armor. Bonus Feat: The pioneer gains bonus feats at 2nd level and every three levels after that. These may be selected from the list of civilian bonus feats or fighter bonus feats. Aristocrat: Hit Die: d10 Class Skills: Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Survival (Wis). Skill Points: 6 + int modifier Level BAB Fort Ref Will 1 +1 +2 +0 +2 2 +2 +3 +0 +3 3 +3 +3 +1 +3 4 +4 +4 +1 +4 5 +5 +4 +1 +4 6 +6 +5 +2 +5 7 +7 +5 +2 +5 8 +8 +6 +2 +6 9 +9 +6 +3 +6 10 +10 +7 +3 +7 11 +11 +7 +3 +7 12 +12 +8 +4 +8 13 +13 +8 +4 +8 14 +14 +9 +4 +9 15 +15 +9 +5 +9 16 +16 +10 +5 +10 17 +17 +10 +5 +10 18 +18 +11 +6 +11 19 +19 +11 +6 +11 20 +20 +12 +6 +12 Class Features: Weapon and Armor proficiencies: Aristocrats are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all armor, and all shields except tower shields. On taking the first class level as an adult, the character receives hit points equal to his class hit die (rolled, not maximized) and his class skill points (not quadrupled). If he learned languages as a child and/or adolescent, then subtract these languages from his intelligence modifier and add the remaining extra languages. (he already learned bonus languages as a child and as an adolescent) Revisions: Civilian class in its most recently updated form (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=10505264&postcount=9)