Stuff id like for future expansion of fantasy craft.

[Morgenstern]

It's about a 7 step process for me, but since one of those steps is "now throw out all the crap and find something thematically appropriate in the suitable power range to fill the gaps that punched in the class ability skeleton..." it might as well be "and then magic occurs" without a very LONG discussion of pretty much every single existing class ability and how/why they got placed in their skeletons the way they were. Some steps are pretty much rote (... class has uncanny dodge? load up the 4/8 slot...), but that one is a doozy .

There's actually a pretty good thread about this and a lot of my old coments on the process (including some I'd forgotten making) over on the license to improvise board. Your best bet may just be to bring the target class to the attention of the folks who frequent that section and see what happens.

[MugMug]

"and then magic occurs"
<SNIP>
Your best bet may just be to bring the target class to the attention of the folks who frequent that section and see what happens.

I think you've pretty much summed up what happens on that board.

Walter

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

A base class that grants powers as wielded by a Priest but without all the religious features.

[Morgenstern]

You'll have to be a little more specific about which abilities you see as innately relgious, since mechanics are just mecanics to me - I reskin stuff in my head constantly.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

To put it as simply as possible (which I should have said the first time) what I'd like to see is a class that grants path steps without anything else from the Priest class.  I have thought of creating further versions of the Blessed feat to fulfill this, but that takes up valuable feat slots and would not grant as many total steps.

I request this because I really enjoy the flavor of narrow-tailored, non-skill-based magic access as the Path system does it and think this would make a great deal of sense for a class centered around innate spellcasting (i.e. what monsters use).

[Deral]

To put it as simply as possible (which I should have said the first time) what I'd like to see is a class that grants path steps without anything else from the Priest class.  I have thought of creating further versions of the Blessed feat to fulfill this, but that takes up valuable feat slots and would not grant as many total steps.

I request this because I really enjoy the flavor of narrow-tailored, non-skill-based magic access as the Path system does it and think this would make a great deal of sense for a class centered around innate spellcasting (i.e. what monsters use).

Actually I just drafted a pair of expert classes that do exactly this, they're heavily setting-specific, so they won't do you much good, but I made paths for priests that grant little to no real "magical" ability, and to kind of further flesh them out, I built expert classes representing knightly orders devoted to them- only problem is, had I done it in the other order, it would've just felt like I was giving the priest some other class' features, but I'm still happy enough with how it turned out- though those Game-Breaker abilities are kind of tough to find the right balance on.

[Mister Andersen]

To put it as simply as possible (which I should have said the first time) what I'd like to see is a class that grants path steps without anything else from the Priest class.  I have thought of creating further versions of the Blessed feat to fulfill this, but that takes up valuable feat slots and would not grant as many total steps.

Feats
First Step (aka Blessed): Grants 1st step of a Path
Next Step: Grants 2nd+ step of a Path, may be taken multiple times.

Expert Class
Requirements:
1. First Step, Core
2. B1
3. Next Step
4. D1, E
5.  Next Step
6. F
7. B2,  Next Step
8. D2, G
9.  Next Step
10. H

[Sletchman]

Feats
First Step (aka Blessed): Grants 1st step of a Path
Next Step: Grants 2nd+ step of a Path, may be taken multiple times.

Might wanna put that it grants the next step on the path targeted by your blessed feat.  [I know its just an example, but still, in a game with next step and priest, I'd powergame, and I'm not ashamed to admit that.]

[Mister Andersen]

It's written in the rules that you need to have all previous steps of a path before you progress to the next step along it.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I was thinking more of a base class.

[Sletchman]

It's written in the rules that you need to have all previous steps of a path before you progress to the next step along it.

Not what I was referring to, I was more considering potential implications of mixing that feat with priest [5th step by 3rd level, including potentially 4th level spells].  If SilvercatMoonpaw is going to eliminate the priest wholesale, then thats a cat of different stripes, otherwise...

I was thinking more of a base class.

Most of the classes have a skeleton of repeating features [examine the classes and you'll spot it, its really easy to see with soldier].

Also check This Thread as it has breakdowns on the skeletons of classes, and just compare what you make with other classes for power levels, and chuck it up in License to Improvise for people to come up with ways to break it [so you can tweak it].

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Okay, I'll bookmark that and give it a try when I can.  Given how difficult it probably is to design nearly whole class's worth of features I'll probably start out with the "Path Step feat/no Priest" idea first and see if maybe that is enough.

[Deral]

Okay, I'll bookmark that and give it a try when I can.  Given how difficult it probably is to design nearly whole class's worth of features I'll probably start out with the "Path Step feat/no Priest" idea first and see if maybe that is enough.

A not too complicated way to keep that in check, you could pretty easily make it so it can only be taken by career level granted feats, not bonus feats from class levels, that way you won't have someone picking up waves of paths.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

That's pretty much what I've decided to do.

[knight.errant]

Actually I just drafted a pair of expert classes that do exactly this, they're heavily setting-specific, so they won't do you much good, but I made paths for priests that grant little to no real "magical" ability, and to kind of further flesh them out, I built expert classes representing knightly orders devoted to them- only problem is, had I done it in the other order, it would've just felt like I was giving the priest some other class' features, but I'm still happy enough with how it turned out- though those Game-Breaker abilities are kind of tough to find the right balance on.

I'd love to see these, even if they are setting specific, if you care to share them.