She's too fast!

Yoriko Obato, Fast Hero

In a previous post, I mentioned that the "Fast" class from d20 Modern needed an alteration in a game I ran within the system.  It's a small tweak, but it has noticeable impact on the game, and better balances the class.  The information for the Fast hero can be found here on the SRD for d20 Modern as a reference.

The fast class is one of the three Combat classes, alongside the Strong and Tough hero.  It's supposed to be the Fragile Speedster, focusing its skill trees on avoiding damage and increasing it's speed, while benefiting from a higher base defense due to their propensity to dodge.  They get a reduced HP and a small selection of class skills that point them towards the party scout / parkour type.

Improved Fast Bonus

Unfortunately, the Fast class is a little too fast, and a little too smart, perhaps.  In spite of it being a Combat oriented class, it gets a sizable (5 + Int Bonus) number of skill points per level, more in line with the Dedicated Hero than her battle buddies.  Additionally, the fast class started out with three times the defense bonus of the other classes, and progressed faster.  While defense was the class's "thing", combining it with the increased skill points and available talents made it the obviously superior choice of the three combat classes (and possibly a contender with the Dedicated as well)

To remedy this, adjust the skill points down to (3 + Int Mod).  Then, alter the Defense bonus progression to the chart on the right.

Individually, the changes aren't huge, but together they bring the class into better balance with the other two, and reduces its encroachment on the Dedicated.  It doesn't deprive the Fast class of it's niche, either, so it stays a viable option for anyone who likes to play this archetype.

More on d20 Modern another time, perhaps!