I had set out to develop a difficult class, one that wears no armor (or only light armor), uses no shield, and relies only on the sharpness, swiftness, and strength of his own mind and character to inform his combat skill.
The idea is a full base attack warrior that is as effective as any Str/Dex/Con based one but that focuses on Int/Wis/Cha. The problem I'm having is finding a way to do this without making the class far too dip-worthy. It needs to be able to attack reliably without needing Strength or Dexterity, it needs to have respectable hit points and AC, and it needs these things at 1st level. Of course, the standard procedure, simply replacing the normal combat stats with the mental ones, would just make casters more powerful...
Any ideas?
EDIT: Progress so far
[SPOILER]
Alignment: Any
HD: d8
Attack Bonus: As Fighter.
Saves: Poor Fortitude, Good Reflex, Good Will.
Class Skills (6+Int): Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Any), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Swim, Tumble, and Use Magic Device.
Weapon & Armor ProficiencyA Grandmaster is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light armor, and with shields (but not tower shields).
Advanced Proficiency (Ex): A Grandmaster takes the study of his weapons very seriously, and by employing his superior intellect is better able to understand their complexities in both theory and practice than his muscle-bound contemporaries.
After spending 24 hours in practice with a weapon for which he has proficiency, a Grandmaster adds his Intelligence bonus to attack and damage rolls with that weapon. These hours in practice must be split into sessions of no less than 1 hour per day but no
more than 8 hours per day, and must be taken at least every other day.
A Grandmaster may boast
advanced proficiency with a number of different weapons up to his Wisdom modifier. A Grandmaster may begin play with advanced weapon proficiency in as many weapons. Advanced proficiency may be used in place of Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization to qualify for class features, feats, or prestige classes. A Grandmaster loses the benefits of advanced proficiency while he is Confused.
Instinctive Avoidance (Ex): A Grandmaster adds his Wisdom modifier as a
dodge bonus to AC and to Reflex saves. Relying on his instincts to protect him, a Grandmaster errs on the side of his "flight" impulse when things get hairy and when reduced to less than half his total hit points must succeed on a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 Encounter Level) or become Shaken. This fear can last for as long as the source of damage that reduced the Grandmaster below half his total hit points remains able to deal him damage, but never lasts longer than 1 hour.
Unyielding Confidence (Ex): A Grandmaster gains additional hit points with each Grandmaster level equal to his Charisma modifier and adds his Charisma modifier to Fortitude saves. Like diamond is harder than stone but shatters under too much strain, so is a Grandmaster's strength of character, thus he suffers double standard morale penalties, and struggles with Mind-Afflicting Effects for double their standard durations. A Grandmaster that becomes immune to Mind-Afflicting Effects loses this feature for the duration.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Grandmaster retains his Dexterity modifier (and by extension his dodge bonuses) to AC (if any) if he is caught flat-footed or attacked by an invisible creature. He also cannot be flanked except by a Rogue with at least four more Rogue levels than his Grandmaster level.
Mind Over Matter (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a Grandmaster may use his Intelligence score in place of his Strength score when making skill or ability checks and to qualify for class features, feats, or prestige classes. He may use his Wisdom score in place of his Dexterity score, and his Charisma score in place of his Constitution score in the same way.
Bonus FeatsAt 4th level and every four levels there after a Grandmaster gains a bonus feat drawn from the Fighter's list of bonus feats. He must meet the prerequisites for feats chosen in this way (though see Mind Over Matter above).
[/SPOILER]
