User talk:Jota/Gear (3.5e Class)

Author's Note

I’m designing this for 3.5 even though there is a Gears of War campaign setting using d20 Modern, mainly because 3.5 is what I know and what I’m comfortable with. If someone wants to try to adapt it for d20 Modern, be my guest. As it is, I’m designed the class around the repeating crossbow. I considered adding a beholderkin as a familiar (to substitute for JACK), but decided against it, at least for this first version. I would also add that much of what defines a Gear as an infantry unit for the COG is left out of this example, in the sense that all the cultural, story-specific nuances are left out, with only the core abilities remaining. If I figure out d20 Modern, perhaps I will make something that really fits into the Gears of War campaign setting. As this class is now, it is merely a specialized warrior, not something specific to one campaign setting or another. It may be overpowered, because once I starting adding different little quirks I just couldn’t stop. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Onto the class itself: while the Gear does get an inordinate amount of feats, the sacrifices he makes to attain them and the nature of those feats means that, when everything is compiled, he should still be on roughly even ground with a traditional Fighter. I have already roughly mapped out each ability; it is simply a matter of getting everything sorted out and uploaded. I’m still a little worried about him being overpowering, which you may come to feel as more of the abilities are posted. If this is the case, I have a few plans to knock him down a few notches, although I hope it doesn’t come to that. -- Jota 00:26, 17 January 2009 (MST)

Trimming

I know I'm probably going to have to get rid of a few of these abilities, so if you are familiar with Gears of War (or even if you're not) feel free to suggest which abilities just seem to be fluff and which ones should be staples. -- Jota 11:17, 27 January 2009 (MST)

Well done, Sir

Perhaps a bit broken, but I like it.--Lolki 16:55, 13 February 2009 (MST)

Large List of Notes

• Mantle is gibberish. I have no idea what it's meant to do.
• Basic Training forces the Gear to relinquish his first level feat. What if he doesn't take his first level of this class at level 1? --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Fixed, by removing the sacrifice part. Now this basically gives a lot of feats for free, but they only serve to make the gear marginally competent, rather than pushing him over the top, so I don't have a huge problem with it. If anyone does, take it up with me. By the way, I'm striking out your points as I cover them, hope you don't mind too much (if you ever come back). -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Blind-Fire, as written, can be used to fire through walls. After all, shooting at someone through a wall is blocked by cover, which this ability negates. I'd suggest making it work more like the Flanker ability, from the Elocater. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)
• It appears that the miss chance reduction of Blind-Fire is meant to apply to all concealment; if so, it should be made more clear. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)
• While changing the ability to intelligence for Blind-Fire makes sense at first, it could result in the gear having better aim when he can't see the enemy, which is just silly. I'd say just keep it as dexterity. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)
• Tactical Warrior needs to be reworded. Cover is not measured in increments of 1/4, it only has three degrees: cover, improved cover, and total cover. If this ability is allowed to increase to total cover, you should note that the Gear still has line of effect to the enemy, but not vice versa; otherwise, it would hinder him. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)
• Regarding Dead or Alive: he can do that anyway. What this ability SHOULD do is remove the -4 penalty involved. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Fixed. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Geurilla Tactician has the same issue as Basic Training.

See Basic Training. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• With Soldier of Fortune, the issue of potentially having better aim when Blind-Firing becomes even worse. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)
• Perfect Active Reload should clarify that the enhancements are nonmagical. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Done. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Pistolero should be moved to a lower level, or else grant another feat if one of them is already had. With all the abilities that focus on the hand crossbow, the gear would be a fool not to have already grabbed Rapid Reload by then.

Actually the focus early on is the light repeating crossbow, the hand crossbow isn't a focus until a bit later. Tell me if you think the point still stands. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Regarding Pistolery, what if the weapon already has the Speed enhancement? --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Not sure what you mean by this point. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• A disabled or staggered enemy could be a problem with Pound of Flesh; they're still able to move, but given no opportunity to resist. Just put them in with normal opponents, allowing a grapple check.
• Pound of Flesh incorporates facing rules, which, while present in Unearthed Arcana, are one of the variant rules that are rarely, if ever, used. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

• Why on earth can't a dead opponent be a meat shield? --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

True to game adaptation; will consider adjusting. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Pound of Flesh doesn't actually say what benefits a meat shield grants.
• What kind of area does Said the Spider to the Fly have? As written, it has no limit; one can choose to cover the entire surface of the earth. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

My fix (for the moment) for this one is to simply cut it out for the moment since there were so many issues and it's really just meant to be a sticky bomb/grenade. I'll consider re-instating/re-working it once I feel like tackling the tougher issues. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Instead of noting the various ways that being nonmagical changes it separately, why not just say that Said the Spider to the Fly is nonmagical? --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

See above. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• In Said the Spider to the Fly, "party" should not be used as a technical term; depending on the campaign, that could be incredibly vague and/or changing. I'd suggest allowing anyone other than the Gear to activate it. After all, by what magical method does the bomb distinguish between friend and foe? --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

I would imagine an in-game explanation would be by some kind of computer chip, but point taken, and see above. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• For Said the Spider to the Fly, it can be said to be a trap. Finding a trap is generally done with Search, not Spot. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

This is kind of like a hiding in plain sight kind of thing. I mean, it is a trap, but it's not explicitly meant to be hidden. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• The firebomb can't be removed with Disable Device? A rogue can thwart the most esoteric and advanced of eldritch traps and the most mind-bogglingly complex of malicious mechanisms, but they're stumped by a friggin' firecracker? --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

See one above. It's power comes in the fact that it is not removable per se, and yet anyone can set it off. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Is "has no casting time" regarding the firebomb another, less clear way of saying that it's a free action? --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

See first. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• What supplies are needed for the firebomb? Surely he can't just pull one out of hammerspace. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

See first. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• As for Commando, see above comments on Basic Training and Geurilla Tactician. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Fixed. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• In Seriously..., "interactions" and "fighter-based classes" are ill-defined. The former can be interpreted to include such things as attack rolls and even percentile concealment rolls, whereas the latter should probably be changed to "characters with levels in a class with a Good BAB progression". --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Fixed. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Warrior's Intuition: again, this can result is having BETTER aim when blind and behind cover. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)
• Don't You Die on Me needs a range. As written, a friend halfway around the world shows uncanny vivaciousness. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Fixed. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• Seriously 2.0 has the same issues as the first one. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Fixed. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)

• On a final note...Clusterluck? Dirty, Dirty Horde? C'mon, you can do better than puns. --Daniel Draco 03:29, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

So quick note before I review in detail. I'm pretty sure this was the first or second thing I did here, so I'd expect it to have a lot of problems. Also, regarding the last bullet, the puns are not mine, so I can hardly take either the credit or blame for them. -- Jota 11:31, 17 July 2009 (MDT)

Corrected the easy ones, will move on to the more complicated ones later. -- Jota 12:59, 13 August 2009 (MDT)