Hey gang,

This is a home-brewed Universal Spec that I put together as a possible future 2nd or 3rd Spec for a Marauder character I have been playing. The idea is to evolve into a leadership role that is Coercion-based. I'm posting it here in the hopes to get some feedback on its balance. Is it cheesy, OP, etc...? How could be made better?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0kurfip9bk90ixr/Universal Spec-Warlord Talent Tree.pdf?dl=0

Currently unavailable. Might need to host it elsewhere and link from here.

Try it now. I copied it over from my Dropbox.

So first question is "what is this new spec meant to accomplish?"

At first brush, it comes across as more of a "grab bag" spec in that it rolls two of the more useful command-type talents (Inspiring Rhetoric and Field Commander) into a single spec, along with a few other "good talents." That in and of itself raises alarm bells of the spec being too good, especially since it'd be available for any character to take for 20XP, and ultimately reads as nothing more than a way for your character to get several talents you really want without having to buy the appropriate (and likely out of career) specs that already have those talents. Frankly, if a PC is playing any sort of "leader role" they'd have very few reasons to not delve into this spec given all the good stuff it offers, which is in and of itself a warning flag if you're hard-pressed to come up with solid and believable mechanical reasons why a player wouldn't take this spec for their character.

While the notion of a "Warlord" type of specialization does have merit, having it be a universal spec that again is simply one big grab bag of the various highly useful command-style talents isn't the best approach in terms of making something that's balanced.

Pirate from Dawn of Rebellion might work for a character that "leads through fear and intimidation" as would Warleader from Keeping the Peace for a commander that's a front-line fighter, to say nothing of Mercenary Captain from the EotE core book. Instructor from Lead by Example might be another place to look, though that one's geared towards more of a drill instructor than a proper "warlord" but it does have some concepts that could be applicable to a "leads from the front via intimidation and fear" character concept.

I will be honest, but if a player seriously and unabashedly presented this spec to me as something for their character to acquire and believed it to be "fair and balanced" compared to any other spec currently in the game, I'd probably laugh in their face at just how outright power-gamey this whole spec is.

You can be an intimidating leader who leads from the front but you don't lead from the front by intimidation unless your objective is to get stabbed in the back.

The concept of a warlord is also far too specific to be a universal spec.

The game already covers this sort of thing though. While the options offered by Donovan are all good, the Commander/Tactician specialization from the AoR core book is pretty much a warlord by another name.

Or a pirate. Am I the only one who loves that spec?

8 minutes ago, Rithuan said:

Or a pirate. Am I the only one who loves that spec?

Just between the two of us? Yes, you are.

2 hours ago, Rithuan said:

Or a pirate. Am I the only one who loves that spec?

Nope.

While it's geared more towards a Hondo Ohnaka type of character (frankly, all of Dawn of the Rebellion's new specs are geared towards a more specific type of character than the previously published universal specs), it's still viable for an underworld operator that uses a mix of intimidation and trickery to do their thing. It may not be the Hollywood-fueled swashbuckling image of a pirate that some folks are locked onto, but it does fit within what Star Wars lore has presented for the label.

I could see a Captain Barbossa (of PotC infamy) being built as either a Hired Gun/Enforcer/Pirate or Hired Gun/Marauder/Pirate and being very effective in his role as a pirate captain.

I'll love to play an Enforcer/Pirate. It's a great mix mechanic and storywise

23 hours ago, Rithuan said:

I'll love to play an Enforcer/Pirate. It's a great mix mechanic and storywise

Getting into a bit of a tangent...

I'd rolled up a Knight Level Zabrak female Enforcer/Pirate for a friend of mine to use in a potential one-shot that another mate was going to run. Sadly, we never got around to finishing the character (mostly had the gear left to purchase) but that wound up not being an issue as the one-shot never took place. Shame though, as the character had a lot of potential, though she certainly wasn't the type to be an inspiring leader; was described has having the appearance of a swimsuit model and the personal charm of a rabid terrier (Presence 1), which undoubtedly would have made for some interesting RP situations.