Favoured Soul v2

[Anime Sword Fighter]

Suggestion to add the following to this path which now feels lacking:

The Arelith Favoured Soul is an individual has been favoured in some way by their god, acting as a priest and a champion of their faith at the same time for the blessings received by this path.

This is what they get as of now.

• -50% Arcane Spell Failure on Torso & Shields
• Cooldown Casting as Weave-Master Path
• Ability to consecrate altars, must adhere to same alignment restrictions of chosen deity as a cleric
• Lose bard-song abilities

These are what I'd love applied to Favoured Souls, if nothing else.
The raised hit-die because Favoured Soul is a cleric variant in PnP, movement speed because the Favoured Soul in PvP gets wings that give him extra movement speed. Not suggesting that they get wings, but they could get a small bonus to simulate that.

• +5% Movement Speed Bonus
• Raised hit-die to d8

If this next list is possible to implement, and still allow players the choices to pick from the feats they get, it would be fantastic. This is the most PnP like of the suggestions.

• Resist Energy feat at level 5, 10, 15
• Weapon Focus feat at level 3
• Weapon Spec. feat at level 12
• Lawful-aligned gets DR 10/silver, Chaotic-aligned gets DR 10/cold at level 20. Neutral would get to pick (ideally) one or the other, but for the sake of simplicity lets say 10/fire
  (Or, DR 1/^ for every level after 19 taken in the class; 20, 21, ect)

This next possible set of additions treats the favoured soul as truly blessed (and perhaps lucky) from their deity. Increased saving throws to represent the divine power within them aiding them along the way.

• Luck of Heroes feat at level 4
• Iron Will feat at level 12
• Lightning Reflexes feat at level 16
• Great Fortitude feat at level 20
• Epic Will at level 22
• Epic Reflexex at level 24
• Epic Fortitude at level 27

This gives a +7 to all saves at the end. It isn't as shiny as the previous suggestion, but it's something more than what is currently given.

[Katze]

hmm, that sure is a lot of additions. I think some drawbacks would help balance this. I can already see this class becoming as powerful as the cleric, maybe even more.

[Anime Sword Fighter]

ALL of the things I've suggested aren't meant to be added, my mindset was one (weapon focus, spec., ect.) or the other (save bonuses) along with the HD to d8 and movement speed bonus.

And it really still isn't TOO powerful, I'd think. You need dedication with the class with these suggestions, and still you don't get access to powerful spells above sixth level or epic.

[What_Evil_Lurks]

Can I ask what feels lacking about Favored Souls?

[Anime Sword Fighter]

For not having bard song:
You become a cleric with only up to sixth level spells (and not even cleric spells), with less Hp than an actual cleric (d6 compared to d8), and the only thing that improves as you level up is the learning of new spells.

I am leaving the infinite raise dead out though. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't register with me when I think of Favored Soul.

[yellowcateyes]

I believe adding bonus feats or feat selections to certain classes is not possible, absent a hakpack. That'd go against Arelith's long-running "no downloads needed" policy. If such things were possible, we'd have actual new class choices instead of "paths" using scripted modifications of the vanilla classes.

[The Rambling Midget]

I'm inclined to believe that Mithreas has found a way to add feats without haks, because of the new Dragon Major Award, which gives Dragon Skin and Armor Skin. Since Favored Soul can only be selected in the Entry Area, there should be no worry about characters getting feats and deleveling.

[Seven Sons of Sin]

I was thinking about the Favoured Soul the other day,

I'd actually like to see them like the new warlocks, except being a cleric path rather than a bard. Have a "good" "neutral" and "evil" Favoured soul divide.

[aaa3]

For not having bard song:
You become a cleric with only up to sixth level spells (and not even cleric spells), with less Hp than an actual cleric (d6 compared to d8), and the only thing that improves as you level up is the learning of new spells.

I am leaving the infinite raise dead out though. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't register with me when I think of Favored Soul.

Excuse me...but when you build FS you can get this:
Avarage WM dealing 100 dmg on critical, while:
getting infinite buffs
getting infinite mass haste
constant auras on
Infinite greater dispell

Acess to wide range of skills, which cleric has to multiclass, huge number of skill points. For all that you need just charisma 16.

And i leave aside all the possible builds together with CoT, Bg, Paladins, heavy charisma focus + divine powers, and lots of others ways to multiclass. Still thinking, this path is lacking any?

[Anime Sword Fighter]

I'd actually like to see them like the new warlocks, except being a cleric path rather than a bard. Have a "good" "neutral" and "evil" Favoured soul divide.

I think mithreas said it was impossible for him ATM to give non-innates cooldown casting, but now I am wondering if it is possible to give non-innate innate casting and maybe have their selection of spells dependent on alignment/domains? A bunch of work though.

Avarage WM dealing 100 dmg on critical, while:

Where does Weapon-Master fit into this? Or are you saying you multiclass into it with Favored Soul? Because then that could apply to every class. Or are you saying FS can get a WM's damage without having to multiclass? And if you do go enough favored soul to get all the spell levels (16 bard) and get WM as well you'll still be outclassed when compared to the mainly fighter WM.

getting infinite buffs
getting infinite mass haste
constant auras on
Infinite greater dispell

You say "infinite" when I would still say once an encounter, and after that- then what? By the time you can get your greater dispel off you've been disjunctioned/IGMS'd/knocked down/out damaged anyway. Infinite uses of mass haste isn't as good due to the cooldown- you won't be using any other spells for the encounter you're in for it. It'd remain just a tool for fast travelling.

Acess to wide range of skills, which cleric has to multiclass, huge number of skill points. For all that you need just charisma 16.

This is the only advantage.

And i leave aside all the possible builds together with CoT, Bg, Paladins, heavy charisma focus + divine powers, and lots of others ways to multiclass.

Anyone trying to power build would definitely pick normal Bard over Favored Soul for these things, from my small knowledge of building.

I'm also of the mind that a class shouldn't need to multiclass to be viable always. So a lot of my argument would be coming from a mindset of "What could a pure Favoured Soul have to make them better?" if that makes any sense.

[The Rambling Midget]

You say "infinite" when I would still say once an encounter, and after that- then what? By the time you can get your greater dispel off you've been disjunctioned/IGMS'd/knocked down/out damaged anyway. Infinite uses of mass haste isn't as good due to the cooldown- you won't be using any other spells for the encounter you're in for it. It'd remain just a tool for fast travelling.

You have to treat it as the support/half-caster class that it's meant to be. No, you won't be dropping multiple high level spells in a single battle. The power that you have is to buff up your party members until they glow like the sun, toss a grease or sleep at the mob, with no cooldown, and then mass haste everyone and start hacking and slashing. If anyone gets debuffed during the fight, you can rebuff them while you're traveling to the next mob.

[Seven Sons of Sin]

Spamming warcry could also be valuable mid-fray.

[aaa3]

The problem is you see your magic as main weapon which is not. Secret lies in making a very decent meleer/sneaker whatever and adding to it cheap magic which does not need load of ability score to get off.

You can still get up to 500 hps, very good saves, damage, and in addition to this you get magic costing you nothing but 16 charisma points. Get silent spell, spell penetration, silence yourself and get the caster try to cast while you hack him down. Use scrolls and you have no need to be casting spells every single round.

Oh and for al these classes to be better without FS. Tell them that, when you force them to keep roll on fear from war cry and similar. Even on low DC it is a big threat - just remove their protection.

[Ecstatic]

As mentioned, FvS is a class for spellsword hybrids, a role in which it is truly excellent. It gets a wide array of combat buffs, more forgiving AB progression than Weavemaster, and infinite casting. It is also well-tailored for multiclassing, with no pressing need to invest more than 20 levels in the class.

You shouldn't need more than that one mass haste per fight.

[Hunter548]

I personally wouldn't take more than 16 FS levels (And the class just screams to be combined with WM and Fighter levels)

[Anime Sword Fighter]

My problem isn't the spellcasting lacking anything, it's that the class by itself offers very little to actually keep being the class, rather than multiclassing into something else. A class should offer more the more you level in it, and it severely just drops off once you start hitting 16 and more.

[What_Evil_Lurks]

That is more to do with the base class than Favored Souls. NWN is a game of multi-classing. Ninety nine out of a hundred builds are improved by adding a second class. Except some casters that rule holds true for a third class as well. In my mind, as with regular bards, that you only need sixteen levels to get a ton out of the class is a great boon not a bad thing.