New HLA's for Swashbucklers Options

[Sikret]

Swashbucklers will no longer have access to "Use Any Item" HLA. Instead, I decided to add other HLA's for them. So far, four HLA's are added:

They already had access to one warrior HLA; so, I decided to add three more (though the total numbers of these new HLA's they can pick are fewer than the numbers a warrior can pick):

- Hardiness
- Critical Strike
- Resist Magic

I also added one new HLA:

- Acrobatic Combat

Description:

By using this ability, a high level swashbuckler can improve his agility and fighting expertise (in both defense and attack) to an extraordinary level. Acrobatic Combat grants +6 bonus to AC and +3 bonus to THAC0 for 5 rounds.

Suggestions for more new HLA's are welcome.*

Thanks.

* Ideas for new HLA's should be original (not copied or taken from other mods).

This post has been edited by Sikret: Oct 21 2008, 10:06 AM

Reason for edit: Fixing typos

[geh4th]

I envision a replacement ability that makes Swashbucklers less like thieves and more like fighters as they get more experienced.

Swashbucklers are the 'fighters among thieves', supposedly the most martial of that profession. It would stand to reason that at higher levels their physical training and exceptional healthy physique would pay off big in some fashion.

UAI was a permanent, take-it-one-time-and-use-it-forever benefit. This replacement ability ought to be equally as useful, and also a permanent benefit.

Swashies have great offensive and defensive class abilities, but in IA we know that the powerful opponents are going to hit you no matter what...so that nice AC benefit is lessened if you're up on front-line combat. They can't backstab, so what exactly is a Swashbuckler's role in combat? Simple: It's fighting. They need to become better fighters at high level.

I'm working off the cuff here - If you guys like it, then take the idea and run with it - but how about:

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Improved Physique (Swashbuckler HLA, can be selected only once)

The Swashbuckler gains the following permanently:

+2 to hit points per level
Immunity to Backstab
+2 to saves vs. Poison and Breath Weapon
an extra 1/2 attack per round


My rationale with the hit point bonus is to give Swashbucklers a boost towards being "agile fighters" at higher levels. A hit point bonus is needed simply because Armor Class alone isn't enough to keep a Swashbuckler alive. Even with a +2 per level, they're still something on the order of at least 4 hit points per level behind true fighters. They gain to-hit and damage bonuses, but they'll never have the equivalent number of attacks per round that fighters have, either. They can't wear as heavy armor, so SOMETHING has to make the Swashbuckler better in stand-up combat.

Backstab immunity is a defense against thieves themselves...who better to know how thieves ply their trade than another thief? This would be from training and experience, not a primeval 'sixth sense' like Barbarians have.

The save bonuses are to reflect two things: for Poison, it's a resistance to something commonly seen in the 'thieving world', so it stands to reason they'd gain a resistance sooner or later (if not outright immunity)...and breath weapon attack saves typically bring to mind some sort of evasive manuevers - right up the alley of a Swashbuckler.

Finally there's the 1/2 attack per round. This is just to keep them from being completely snubbed as a class due to having too few of the all-important attacks-per-round so desperately needed and desired at high levels. It is again something of a 'half-fighter' measure.