Class: Unfettered
The Unfettered
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maneuvers | ||||||||
| Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Maneuvers Readied | Maneuvers Known | Max Maneuver Level |
| 1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +0 | Weapon Focus | 3 | 4 | 1st |
| 2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Combat Style | 3 | 5 | 1st |
| 3 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +1 | Comprehend Weapon | 4 | 7 | 2nd |
| 4 | +4 | +2 | +2 | +1 | Weapon Specialization | 4 | 8 | 2nd |
| 5 | +5 | +3 | +3 | +1 | 5 | 10 | 3rd | |
| 6 | +6/+1 | +3 | +3 | +2 | Parry | 5 | 11 | 3rd |
| 7 | +7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +2 | 6 | 13 | 4th | |
| 8 | +8/+3 | +4 | +4 | +2 | Weapon Versatility | 6 | 14 | 4th |
| 9 | +9/+4 | +4 | +4 | +3 | 7 | 16 | 5th | |
| 10 | +10/+5 | +5 | +5 | +3 | Einhander Talent | 7 | 17 | 5th |
| 11 | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +3 | 8 | 19 | 6th | |
| 12 | +12/+7/+2 | +6 | +6 | +4 | Einhander Talent | 8 | 20 | 6th |
| 13 | +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +4 | 9 | 22 | 7th | |
| 14 | +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +4 | Einhander Talent | 9 | 23 | 7th |
| 15 | +15/+10/+5 | +7 | +7 | +5 | 10 | 25 | 8th | |
| 16 | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +7 | +7 | +5 | Einhander Talent | 10 | 26 | 8th |
| 17 | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +8 | +8 | +5 | 11 | 28 | 9th | |
| 18 | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +8 | +8 | +6 | Einhander Talent | 11 | 29 | 9th |
| 19 | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +8 | +8 | +6 | 12 | 31 | 9th | |
| 20 | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +6 | Einhander Talent | 12 | 32 | 9th |
Unfettered
- "I'll take speed and grace over brute strength and toughness anyday."
This, uh... this is the last class in the triad that began with the development of the melee class theory, a few years back. The unfettered has never been written in the style intended/implied by the system, and since the standardization of melee class mechanics, unfettered have - more than ever - required an update.
And by update, I mean a write-up.
First, though, we have to figure out what this thing does. That's always the fun part. Since this class is a fundamental building block of other classes, as well as being a cornerstone of how melee combat is balanced, the unfettered's balance is very, very crucially important. Without it, there will never actually be any balance in the melee classes (defender v. einhander, defender wins).
So... how do we accomplish this.
The Design
I like the idea of tokens. But that's too similar to the defender. Slots are cool, but that's the einhander's bag. Honestly, we're out of options here: it's got to be one or the other, or an entirely new resource (AoOs, anybody? Karateka design is still awesome).
How do you win a fight without focusing on weapons or armor? This is a lot more complicated than it sounds, and responding to that question with "speed" is, I think, missing the point. The unfettered needs more - a lot more - to even begin having a chance to survive, much less thrive and actually serve its purpose (beating the defender).
At the moment... I am envisioning a multiple-resource system. That is, there are multiple things that the unfettered does, and thus has different resources associated with them. Think of this kinda... kinda like the akashic, which has the three different categories of things to deal with. Unfettered would have three different token types, and their maneuvers would require certain ones. More awesome maneuvers would require combinations of tokens.
After all, the purpose of tokens and token gain is intended to enforce a particular playstyle. By giving unfettered multiple token types they need to worry about, so long as the token gain methods are synergistic in some fashion, we can enforce the idea that they move all over the place.
...yes. The more I write this idea, the more I think I really, really like it.
The token types...
- Speed: These tokens represent movement, getting around the field quickly and also reacting quickly. You gain these through movement. These are the IH harrier-inspired abilities.
- Grace: These tokens represent avoidance, either through parrying or dodging attacks, and generally being a PITA for people to deal with. You gain these through defense. These are the original unfettered parry abilities.
- Panache: These tokens represent style, either screwing with your opponent through taunts, or doing things like swinging from chandeliers. The hardest and riskiest tokens to gain, you generally gain them through skill use in combat. These are... abilities that fill out their maneuver list, I guess.
This is interesting, because the unfettered is starting to reflect the third token pool type: the "many cups" model. I think this was subconscious. Also, I like threes. Yay.
