Limited Time Sneak Peek: the Scholar, Early Draft Revised

(Forgot to hit Shift before hitting enter so I'll continue what I was going to say here. Sorry that this is now more annoying to read) I also think that the Tactician's Orders is too strong as a bonus action. If it were an Action to use I feel it would be a lot more balanced as you effectively give your turn to someone else. As well as improving the balance I feel that it would also add to the Flavour and game play of the class in that the Scholar must make a tactical decision on how best to use their action for that turn. As an action Tactical Orders would give you the choice of doing something productive yourself or taking the strategic decision that it's more benefical to the party to give someone another attack, for example a sneak attacking rogue or getting more milage out of a buff spell or Barbarian's Rage. Finally does Intelligent Assault add your Intelligence modifier to weapon damage instead of the regular modifiers or in addition to them? Apart from those observations the class is excellent, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Matt Lowry

First of all I want to say great job on the class so far, there are a lot of aspects to the Scholar that are exactly what I'd like to see in a class. I like the current version of Critical Analysis. I have no idea how the do the 'behind the curtain' maths that goes into balancing such features but on the face of it there seems to be enough balance between it and similar features like Bardic Inspiration and the Mastermind Rogue's Master of Tactics as it takes an action to set up and the rest to the Scholar's abilities don't include features like being a full caster. I love Reasoned Defence, Quick Study and Erudite Applications, especially Outdoorsman.

Matt Lowry

I noticed that you only gave proficiency with light armor when taking chain mail as part of starting equipment was an option. Is this meant as an intentional detriment to the Scholar who takes the safe approach? Also, I noticed that a shield was offered without proficiency, as well, which would mean the shield would confer no AC benefit and be promptly handed off to a different party member (such as a ranger who had proficiency but does not start with one). And now that I've read Reasoned Defense, I find myself wondering why anyone would choose the chain mail, as a Scholar's average AC using the point-buy system (assuming the lack of proficiency with shields was a mistake), would also be 16, meaning the scholar still would not need to invest Dexterity, and without the pesky disadvantage on Stealth checks. I'm not sure how I feel about Tactical Advice. It kind of feels like a much stronger version of Bardic Inspiration, especially at early levels, since it also doubles the chance of a natural 20. I find this especially true because you need only use a single use to be able to grant advantage for a full minute, which has significantly less cost over time than Bardic Inspiration (which a bard can only use 5 times per rest maximum at the same levels). I believe most people can agree that Bardic Inspiration is pretty powerful, so having a version that's better in nearly every circumstance is rather terrifying. I feel that Tactician's Orders is extremely powerful as a bonus action, especially at early levels. To gain a full-power extra attack at 3rd level, most classes have to make an investment, like raging for Berserker and Battlerager Barbarians. I'm not including monks because their extra attack without investment is only a d4 at 3rd level. The Scholar makes no investment save for its bonus action, which is an opportunity cost vs. Tactical Advice, but giving a fighter or barbarian with a 1d12 or 2d6 weapon an extra attack is significant, especially since it also boosts the damage of the attack. I feel that this would better serve using the Scholar's action, as most parties will gain more damage off of this extra attack than what a Scholar could produce him- or herself. This fix, of course, creates a potential abuse case when mixed with Tactical Advice, but I think that feature is an abuse case in its own right in its current form. The Erudite Applications are an awesome way to give both flavor and mechanics. The Cunning Linguist one, however, just seems a bit too powerful and unrealistic for a class that doesn't use magic. I would increase both durations to at least 1 hour, especially given that it's a permanent benefit. First Aid also seems a little overpowered since it has very similar effect to the Lesser Restoration spell (which is 2nd-level) at no resource cost. Overall, though, I like the changes made to the class since the first draft. I'm excited to see where you take it.