Academic

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Gerzel's picture
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factotums
Joined: 2004-05-10
Academic

yes I know this as it stands is unbalanced and not yet complete. I'm working in a lab and this is an easy way for me to send it to myself as well as give people a preview.

Academic
The academic is a character that centers their life on the study of a particular subject or profession. They perform research to help their fellow citizens better understand the universe and to open up new possibilities. The academics are the teachers, researchers, lawyers, lab assistants, and detectives of the Harmonium and other worlds where magic and the sciences co-exist.
The first four levels of an academic’s career are usually spent in a university or with a dedicated instructor. For this reason academic’s out in the field are almost always at least 4th or 5th level giving them a reputation of being strong and highly trained professionals.
Academics often multi-class with other classes depending on the exact field they are going into. Many officers of the Harmonium, for example, start out as Academics and then move on into taking the fighter or even paladin class. Wizards also often start out as Academics as the Academic class levels are added to any other spell-casting class level to determine total caster level for a spell. The Academic levels however are not added to other caster-levels for determining spells per day and the number of spells known.
Hit Die: d6
Skill Points: 8 + Intelligence
Class Skills: bluff, craft, diplomacy, heal, knowledge (all), language, perform, profession, sense motive, spell craft, use magic device
BAB: As Wizard
Fort: Bad
Rflx: Bad
Will: Good

Academic Focus – At level one and every four levels there-after(5th, 9th, etc…) the Academic chooses a particular focus for their studies. Choose one focus from the list below and apply it to the Academic.

Combat focus: with this focus the Academic gains +1 to their BAB (along with the normal increase) on the level he takes the focus and again two levels afterwards. Thus if he takes combat focus at level 1 then his BAB for level 1 would be +1, level 2 it would be +1, level 3 it would be +2 and level 4 +3.

Fortitude Focus: Through physical training the Academic is able to toughen up and increase their Fortitude. They gain +1 fort along with the normal saving through increases each level for the next four levels.

Reflex focus: The academic trains their reflexes and agility to be able to get out of harm’s way. He gains +1 to his base reflex saving throw for the next four levels.

Zuj
Zuj's picture
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Namer
Joined: 2005-06-08
Academic

*casts thread resurrection*

I don't think this class would really work, to be totally honest. It really covers a niche that prestige classes already occupy. See the loremaster in the DMG, or the Exemplar in the Complete Adventurer.

Also, the balance issues are glaring; this would be totally unfair unless you built it as a prestige class.

Spragg's picture
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Joined: 2005-08-22
Academic

Yeah, there are definite problems here, IMHO. It seems like a stripped-down version of the Loremaster, with less class features and certainly none exciting enough to take the class. I'd think a Scholar would have class abilities that enhanced skills and general knowledge, not just enhanced base bonuses. What's more, the class features add too much to base saves, resulting in, uh, bookish people who are somehow... insanely tough or fast or martial.

As mentioned, look at the Loremaster or Exemplar as an example of how a class like this might be done, or even the Generic Expert in Unearthed Arcana. Heroes of Horror also has some interesting classes along bookish lines - namely, the Archivist and Tainted Scholar, that might also be of help in developing a class like this.

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