Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Empyrealmortal 06-19-05, 05:25 AM	Hey. I'm a fairly experienced DM and I know a thing or two about RPGs 'n crap. Anyway, I thought that I'd modify D20 a bit and take out most of the magic. It's a more realisitic renaissance setting. Anyway, one of the players elected to play the 'expert' class. I let them play all the classes except for wizard and sorceror and promised to compensate them for the classes that have magic (cleric, druid, paladin, ranger, bard). He wanted to play an alchemist guy. That function would normally be given to the wizard who has all kinds of benefits and things that he can do. But he isn't a wizard and the expert class is pretty underpowered compared to the PC classes. They're essentially crappy rogues because they have most of the same things (differing saving throws, but the same attack progression and hit die). They get a couple fewer skills (6+int instead of 8+) but they get to chose 10 skills to make class skills. I still feal like I want to compensate him somehow. I'm looking at the tech specialist from D20 for inspiration but I figured that you guys might have some ideas. I'm thinking bonus feats or special abilities or something. May the wind be always at your back, -Empyrealmortal
katarl 06-19-05, 06:47 AM	The inventor class posted by Dave1001 is a great tech specialist- and giving people the ability to create their own items via tech points is a very good way to compensate for not having magic, and make the player's character very popular in the meantime. Having a campaign without magic can be pretty tough to do, but there are other ways than magic to make a setting interesting. Ive seen plenty of naturalist, alchemist and master creator classes posted in the past- all the player has to do is find one they like. Bonus feats would probably not balance out the lack of magic, although some can soothe the loss of a parties cleric and mage (no healing means very dangerous combat)- feats like Expert Healing, which allows the character to make a heal check at a DC equal to the damage done, to instantly heal 1d4 hp, which can be very good at low levels. Using alchemical healing salves (20gp 1d8hp standard action) is also useful. Special abilities that work like spells probably arent a good idea, as you are just replacing one thing with another, making it less realistic. Mundane abilities should be fundamentally different, but still very useful, if not awe-inspiring. Hope any of that helps
Sildatorak 06-19-05, 03:05 PM	One thing you might want to do to make the expert worth playing is have them get "spellcaster level 1" as a class feature so that they can make alchemical items that require spellcasting. They would be the only ones capable of doing so if you did that.
Temrek 06-19-05, 03:09 PM	you could perhaps at level 1, 4, 8, 12, 16 and so on count his level as if it where 1 higher for the purpose of determining how many ranks he can place in a skill?
Empyrealmortal 06-19-05, 03:56 PM	Hm.... Interesting. Could you link me to the inventor's class? As far as no magic goes, we're used to playing games with no magic so it wont' be that weird. And I miskpoke when I said that because I plan on letting the players getting magic later in the game but I'm not sure how that's going to work yet. I'm planning on potions being a big deal as far as healing goes. I don't have special abilities that function like spells except maybe a handfull on the paladin or whatever but I let it slide. I like your idea Temrek but I'm not sure at the implications there. May the wind be always at your back, -Empyrealmortal