Regarding Player’s Companion Custom Racial Classes, why is the Build Points 8 Level Limit 8, instead of following the previous progression (-1) to 9?
I might almost think the small race that shall not be named had something to do with this …
The loss of Stronghold and Follower features is so severe in a presumably domain-oriented game, I can’t see ever creating a Build Point 8 class as is.
(Except, perhaps, for hypothetical races that eschew lofty goals like domain rulership, in which case I would rather make that a feature of the race, not the system.)
Maxing out at level 9 doesn’t prevent you from establishing or ruling a domain, it just means you don’t get free followers.
I’ve created two classes so far that max out at 8th level: halfling rovers for my to-be Forgotten Realms campaign, and half-giant brutes for my Dark Sun campaign. Neither should get the free followers because they’re not made to lead; the half-giants are also nicely balanced by the limit (they are terrifying combat monsters in the early levels), and the halflings are an exact replica of Basic halflings.
Even aside from the custom racial classes, there are already options present to create non-ruler builds. For example, any class that puts at least 3 points into HD (to use d10) will be unable to also put 2 points in any single class category, and qualify for that class’s stronghold.
I assume that non-ruler classes are present for the sake of being able to create thuggish henchmen and NPCs. That seems sensible to me. It’s pretty optimistic to suppose that any heroes with a knack for monster-slaying would also have an aptitude for high-level administration. If anything, it’s already a contrivance of the genre to require those skill-sets to overlap as much as they do. (“Stay away from their commander! He can probably slay a dragon in single combat!”)
The following explanation might help you understand why the 8-point builds are capped at 8th level.
The Elven Spellsword is the quintessential 7-point build. It gets the fighting ability of the Fighter and the spellcasting ability of a Mage, in exchange for slow leveling and a 10th level cap. At d6 hd, it’s not as hardy as a Fighter, but still better than Mage.
Imagine if you told the player, your Elven Spellsword can actually get d8 HD; or your Elven Spellsword can get 33% more spells than a Mage; and all you have to do is take a 9th level cap instead of a 10th level cap.
EVERYONE would take that option. Because the difference between 9th level and 10th level is trivial relative to 33% more hit points, or 33% more spells.
But if you say “8th level cap”, then it’s a serious trade-off. You’re giving up 5th level spells. You’re losing 2 HD worth of hit points, attack throws, and damage bonus. You don’t get your 2nd general proficiency. Etc.
In my actual campaigns, 8-point builds are usually seen on NPCs with After the Flesh and centuries of time to gain XP as undead.
Very good point. When using Build Point 8 After the Flesh advancement in your campaign, are Stronghold/Follower benefits still gained at 9 HD? Also, just curious, do you have a “rule of thumb” for how old ancient undead of a certain XP total must be, or do you simply create whatever fits the needs of the campaign?
I assume they will reach whatever level they’d have reached based on the maximum realm they controlled during their undeath, based on GP Treshold.
For instance, if an Undead Lich-King rules an Empire, he’ll eventually get to 14th level from his Campaign XP. It might take a loooong time, but he’s an Undead Lich-King.