New T20 Core Class: Combat Savant

[Falkayn]

OK guys, seeing as people aren't visiting the home page as much as they should, you might have missed this one ... and if you didn't I'm still interested in getting some feedback. Here is a new core class for T20, complete with its own prior history - so out with it! What do you think?

Combat Savant

 

[Falkayn]

Bump?

 

[Turanil]

I got a look at the Combat Savant (and downloaded it). The main problem in my opinion is about its name and description that emphasizes on the psionic aspect of the class.

Savant implies an intellectual type, which is clearly not this character. Call it more of a name like "Shaolin monk" or "Martial Artist". About psionic, just tell they train body and mind, so they eventually get psionic abilities. However, as it is told here, it suggests this is a psionicist class.

Give them good Fort and Ref saves first, because they look terribly as matial artists (fighter type). Or maybe middle saves for the three categories (i.e.: as currently given for Ref).

 

[Falkayn]

Thanks for the feedback!

For Savant I was inspired by the concept of an idiot savant, "An intellectually disabled person who exhibits extraordinary ability in a highly specialized area, such as mathematics or music." The thought was that these people would be highly talented at combat, despite not necessarily being hugely physical. They are the result of taking a highly mental person, a psionicist, and then focussing their psionic discipline towards combat.

I did intend this to be a psionicist class. There are no published classes (except perhaps in one TA) that give characters the Psionic spheres as Class skills, os Psionic talents as bonus feats - this one does that. You could not take any of the Psionic skills/feats, but then you might as well take a poor Marine/Martial Artist class, which others have done better than this. Do note that they are intended to be as good at ranged weapons as they are at unarmed combat.

I could easily change the saves, I agree that good Fort/Ref makes more sense for a combat class, but I wanted to make this seem more like an intellectual class that would have good Will saves. For instance to get a better Ref save, you can activate the Combat Trance. This is one area I'm probably not fussed about though.

Thanks again for bothering to comment on it!

 

[Turanil]

I suggest doing two classes:
1) a pure psionicist, developping only his mental potential, not anything combat oriented.
2) the "combat savant".

then create a race that has a tradition of psionics, and then an order of psionicists and combat-savants. finally many NPCs ready to use.

Well, I agree this is much work, and I am interested in getting it, not doing it...

 

[Falkayn]

Originally posted by Anduirnal:
I suggest doing two classes:
1) a pure psionicist, developping only his mental potential, not anything combat oriented.
2) the "combat savant".

then create a race that has a tradition of psionics, and then an order of psionicists and combat-savants. finally many NPCs ready to use.

Well, I agree this is much work, and I am interested in getting it, not doing it...

The pure psionicist is being doen by QuikLink, so I didn't want to do an unofficial version that would look poor compared to their one.

For campaign setting stuff and other interesting classes try Mythmere's Gothic Nebula campaign site. And if you want to see more than that you can lurk the online PBP game he's running for a few of us from here. You could even try and join the team!