Customizing Classes
Customizing Classes and Casting
Each class comes with its own traits, features, subclasses, and possible casting. Using this variant rule you can replace certain traits and features, following the rules provided.
Class Traits
You can customize your class traits as follows.
Hit Points
The Hit Dice, Hit Points at 1st Level, and Hit Points at Higher Levels cannot be customized.
Proficiencies
Rather than the proficiencies provided by your class, you can instead start with 12 additional trait points to spend freely on species and background traits, as discussed in Chapter 1, with the following caveats:
- Weapons: You start with proficiency in simple melee and ranged weapons.
- Armor: You start with proficiency in light armor.
- Saving Throws: You start with proficency in your choice of Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throws.
Equipment
Rather than equipment provided by your class, you can start with 2,000 cr to buy your own equipment. You still get the equipment from your background.
Class Features
You can customize your class features by selecting a feature offered by another class at the same level. If the class feature you select has an obvious prerequisite, such as a Champion's Greater Extra Attack first requiring you to have the Extra Attack feature, you must choose that feature first. For instance, if customizing a Battlemind, you might elect to swap your 5th-level Extra Attack feature for the Scholar's Extra Reaction. If you do so, you could also swap your 11th-level Psi-Empowered Strike Improvements for the Scholar's Greater Extra Reaction.
Certain features of a class cannot be swapped out in this way, as discussed below.
School
Certain school-based class features cannot be swapped out.
The Arcanists. When customizing an Arcanist class, you must retain that class's Spellcasting, Arcanic Trait, and Arcanic Capstone features.
The Focused. When customizing a Focused class, you must retain that class's Focus, Focus Improvements, and Focus Capstone features, as well as one key class feature: Rage for Berserkers, Martial Arts for Mystics, and Cunning Action for Operatives.
The Psionicists. When customizing a Psionicist class, you must retain that class's Psicasting, Psionic Trait, and Psionic Capstone features.
The Superior. When customizing a Superior class, you must retain that class's Superiority, Superior Trait, and Superior Capstone features.
The Technologists. When customizing a Technologic class, you must retain that class's Techcasting, Technologic Trait, and Technologic Capstone features.
Invocations
Each class has its own unique invocation system. Because the progression of each invocation is baked into the class selections, they cannot be swapped out.
Your GM might rule otherwise in cases where a direct parity can be drawn. For instance, the Magus, Battlemind, and Scout each have a similar invocation system. You might allow these classes to swap with each other, but bear in mind that higher level features might build off the invocations in some way.
Ability Score Improvements and Feats
Ability Score Improvements and feats cannot be swapped out.
Subclasses
Since each class obtains its subclass and subclass features at the same levels, subclasses can conceptually be chosen from other classes if they help realize an idea for a character that might otherwise not be feasible. Each class's subclass typically builds on a core class feature. If you swapped a class feature out for this core feature, this should work fairly seamlessly. If not, work with your GM to replace or reimagine those subclass features that might not otherwise work.
Casting
You can also customize the casting of a class in two major ways: swapping it for another casting type entirely, or swapping out only its resources.
Casting Type
You can easily wholly swap out one type of casting for another by replacing that casting tier with another. When you do so, you'll want to make sure you also swap out the traits, capstone, and any references to casting accordingly. For instance, if you wanted to play a Battlemind that was a spellcaster instead of a psicaster, you would swap the Psicasting, Psionic Traits, and Psionic Capstone features for Spellcasting, Arcanic Traits, and Arcanic Capstone.
Certain class features, notably those of the Psionicists and Technologists, might reference points instead of slots. Since slots are created using a number of points equal to the slot's degree + 1, you can convert some slots into the same number of points. A character should not maintain a pool of these points greater than their class level, however, and these points can only be used to fuel their non-casting features that would use them. If they deplete the available points, you might allow them to convert additional slots as an action or bonus. For instance, using the Battlemind example above, a 2nd-level Battlemind could have a maximum amount of two Spell Points for it's now Arcane-Empowered Strikes feature.
Casting Resources
Instead of swapping out the casting type entirely, you might wanted to only swap out the casting resources of a class. For instance, you might want to play a Battlemind that recovers their psi points on a short rest instead of a long. In those cases, you would swap out the quantity and recovery to those of the Scout.
