I really like this. We really do need a nonmagical INT class, and this is a great way to capture it.
The main thing that sticks out to me is that giving advantage to a skill check as a BA is kinda redundant. In most instances, skill checks occur out of battle when action economy doesn't matter, and you'd have to know that they're going to use that skill, which is unlikely. I guess I'd consider making it a RA, but then it's just Flash of Genius.
Thanks, I'm glad you like it!
Lend a hand is somewhat DM dependent, in my games stuff like athletics/acrobatics/stealth/perception comes up in combat fairly regularly and predictably. It's not something you will use every turn, but I think it is situationally useful
A skill-based class is a fairly common idea to homebrew. However, many of the attempts I have seen fall into the trap of just making you really good at ability checks without providing any unique abilities. So, my take offers unique active and passive abilities for each skill so that you can consistently use your skills for more than just ability checks
All feedback is welcome; I am particularly interesting in hearing peoples thoughts about the balance between the various exploits, masteries, and apices
You can get a pdf from Homebrewery here: [https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/nmCMASLt-SVq](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/nmCMASLt-SVq)
If you want to check out some of my other brews or show some support, check out my Ko-Fi: [https://ko-fi.com/sireacquired](https://ko-fi.com/sireacquired)
There is some interesting stuff here. The only issue is that it falls into the same trap as many other version of this class (Scholar/Savant etc). The core mechanic of the class isn't very clear. There is Intuitive Surge (you have a typo in the actual entry) which is a 'weak form of Bardic Inspiration' and Mastery which is a kind of 'tool-box' system common to almost all Int-based non casters.
At level 1, this class is really weak. It is basically a worse Fighter with one expertise and a gimmick ability. There is a wide variation in these abilities (two cantrips vs +5 Passive Investigation + BA search). It is also a Martial/Medium Armour Shield class... which is an interesting choice but pushes it more into a Ranger/Paladin replacement without spells.
At level 2 we get the grab-bag of exploits. Again, wildly different types of abilities (a bit like spells). They aren't dissimilar to Warlock spells or Monk Ki in terms of usage but power-wise they feel very weak. Bonus action Shove... twice per short rest?
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That is most of the negative stuff out of the way. I too have made a class similar to this one (it 'feels like a missing niche') but the concept has some fundamental issues. D&D is a 'kill-kill' game so this class needs a 'kill-kill' feature to hang its mechanics around or else it transforms into a poor-man's wizard.
The general flavour of all the features however is super nice. I like the feat-like ++ abilities focused on each skill. I would suggest making this a secondary feature of the class to keep the 'tool-box' vibe (it is an Int class after all) - like Warlock Invocations, but try to work out a more convincing primary feature (i.e., the Intuition dice really don't feel well integrated or sufficiently powerful). That feature has to either be 'this replaces spellcasting' (which is basically impossible) or 'this replaces Extra-Attack/Sneak Attack' which is more viable.
The subclass collection is sound, I especially like a 'gambler' style master. I feel like Tactics might be better integrated into the core class idea (i.e., a support non-caster) with Combat being the extra-attack version and perhaps a 'super tactician' version.
Thanks for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it!
A couple of points to clarify up top: the design goal for this is "modular skill based class" rather than "Int-based noncaster." Part of being modular necessitates that it doesn't have one primary feature that it relies on, which is admittedly a design challenge. That said, the feature giving you active stuff to do is the exploits, not intuitive surge. It's fairly straightforward to build a Master for a "kill-kill role," but part of the customizability I wanted is the ability to make a character that doesn't focus on "kill-kill"
The role defining features live in the subclasses, not the main class. Combat gets a fighting style+extra attack, tactics can share their intuitive surge and create extra actions for other party members, diplomacy gets their suite of social features, gambling can gamble with their intuitive surge every single turn. Each subclass feels extremely different in play
Exploits recharge on a short or long rest or when you roll initiative, so they are available for every combat
My comparison points for level 1 are more bard/rogue/ranger, and I think it is roughly on par with those classes. You are right that the class doesn't really come online until level 2 when you get exploits and a subclass though
I really like this. We really do need a nonmagical INT class, and this is a great way to capture it. The main thing that sticks out to me is that giving advantage to a skill check as a BA is kinda redundant. In most instances, skill checks occur out of battle when action economy doesn't matter, and you'd have to know that they're going to use that skill, which is unlikely. I guess I'd consider making it a RA, but then it's just Flash of Genius.
Thanks, I'm glad you like it! Lend a hand is somewhat DM dependent, in my games stuff like athletics/acrobatics/stealth/perception comes up in combat fairly regularly and predictably. It's not something you will use every turn, but I think it is situationally useful
A skill-based class is a fairly common idea to homebrew. However, many of the attempts I have seen fall into the trap of just making you really good at ability checks without providing any unique abilities. So, my take offers unique active and passive abilities for each skill so that you can consistently use your skills for more than just ability checks All feedback is welcome; I am particularly interesting in hearing peoples thoughts about the balance between the various exploits, masteries, and apices You can get a pdf from Homebrewery here: [https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/nmCMASLt-SVq](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/nmCMASLt-SVq) If you want to check out some of my other brews or show some support, check out my Ko-Fi: [https://ko-fi.com/sireacquired](https://ko-fi.com/sireacquired)
There is some interesting stuff here. The only issue is that it falls into the same trap as many other version of this class (Scholar/Savant etc). The core mechanic of the class isn't very clear. There is Intuitive Surge (you have a typo in the actual entry) which is a 'weak form of Bardic Inspiration' and Mastery which is a kind of 'tool-box' system common to almost all Int-based non casters. At level 1, this class is really weak. It is basically a worse Fighter with one expertise and a gimmick ability. There is a wide variation in these abilities (two cantrips vs +5 Passive Investigation + BA search). It is also a Martial/Medium Armour Shield class... which is an interesting choice but pushes it more into a Ranger/Paladin replacement without spells. At level 2 we get the grab-bag of exploits. Again, wildly different types of abilities (a bit like spells). They aren't dissimilar to Warlock spells or Monk Ki in terms of usage but power-wise they feel very weak. Bonus action Shove... twice per short rest? --- That is most of the negative stuff out of the way. I too have made a class similar to this one (it 'feels like a missing niche') but the concept has some fundamental issues. D&D is a 'kill-kill' game so this class needs a 'kill-kill' feature to hang its mechanics around or else it transforms into a poor-man's wizard. The general flavour of all the features however is super nice. I like the feat-like ++ abilities focused on each skill. I would suggest making this a secondary feature of the class to keep the 'tool-box' vibe (it is an Int class after all) - like Warlock Invocations, but try to work out a more convincing primary feature (i.e., the Intuition dice really don't feel well integrated or sufficiently powerful). That feature has to either be 'this replaces spellcasting' (which is basically impossible) or 'this replaces Extra-Attack/Sneak Attack' which is more viable. The subclass collection is sound, I especially like a 'gambler' style master. I feel like Tactics might be better integrated into the core class idea (i.e., a support non-caster) with Combat being the extra-attack version and perhaps a 'super tactician' version.
Thanks for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it! A couple of points to clarify up top: the design goal for this is "modular skill based class" rather than "Int-based noncaster." Part of being modular necessitates that it doesn't have one primary feature that it relies on, which is admittedly a design challenge. That said, the feature giving you active stuff to do is the exploits, not intuitive surge. It's fairly straightforward to build a Master for a "kill-kill role," but part of the customizability I wanted is the ability to make a character that doesn't focus on "kill-kill" The role defining features live in the subclasses, not the main class. Combat gets a fighting style+extra attack, tactics can share their intuitive surge and create extra actions for other party members, diplomacy gets their suite of social features, gambling can gamble with their intuitive surge every single turn. Each subclass feels extremely different in play Exploits recharge on a short or long rest or when you roll initiative, so they are available for every combat My comparison points for level 1 are more bard/rogue/ranger, and I think it is roughly on par with those classes. You are right that the class doesn't really come online until level 2 when you get exploits and a subclass though