I'm not going to put the actual classes here, I'll throw those in IMOI as I work on them. This is just a soliciting ideas thread where I repeat a bunch of things Frank said with minor tweaks, fill in some basics, and poke TGD with a stick until it responds. Also, one big thing: every class is going to have their abilities set up like they were a spellcaster. If you're a hero your abilities are called deeds, and deeds are organized into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc level and as you level up you pick off better lists exactly like you were a wizard.
There are seven martial classes (assassin, berserker, champion, marshal, monk, paladin, rogue) and ten caster classes (alchemist, cleric, elementalist, enchanter, necromancer, psion, shaman, sorcerer, warlock, wizard). The goal is to give every class six levels of abilities unlocking at 1,4,7,10,13,16. The monk, the druid, the warlock, and the elementalist are exceptions to this pattern, because these classes all learn multi-level bundles of abilities. The monk, the druid, and the warlock unlock new bundles at 1,7,13, while the elementalist's bundles span the entire level range.
Martials
[*]Their abilities are called deeds.
[*]Does not know the entire deed list. Does not need to prepare deeds.
[*]Deeds can be activated at will without limitation.
[*]d10 HD; good BAB; fortitude, will; 4+int
[*]Light, medium, and heavy armor; shields; simple and martial weapons.
The Assassin
[*]Their abilities are called marks.
[*]Does not know the entire mark list. Does not need to prepare marks.
[*]Marks cost precision, and the assassin builds precision against a specific target by spending actions studying them.
[*]d8 HD; average BAB; reflex; 6+int
[*]Light armor; simple and assassin weapons.
The Berserker
[*]Their abilities are called furies.
[*]Does not know the entire fury list. Does not need to prepare furies.
[*]Furies cost rage, and the berserker builds rage by taking and dealing damage.
[*]d12 HD; good BAB; fortitude; 4+int
[*]Light and medium armor; shields; simple and martial weapons.
The Marshal
[*]Their abilities are called strategies, orders, and warnings. They also know a small number of deeds from the champion list.
[*]Does not know the entire list of any. Does not need to prepare for any.
[*]Strategies are always-on passive benefits that can be changed with a swift action. Each turn, the marshal randomly draws a certain number of orders and warnings based on their level and can activate any of them as an immediate action before their next turn (when they are lost and redrawn). Deeds are at will abilities, as per the champion.
[*]d8 HD; average BAB; fortitude, will; 4+int
[*]Light and medium armor; shields; simple and martial weapons.
The Monk
[*]Their abilities are called styles.
[*]Does not know the entire style list. Does not need to prepare styles.
[*]Styles offer the monk a stance (a passive benefit) and a number of techniques (abilities the monk can use at will in that style). Changing styles is a swift action.
[*]d8 HD; good BAB; fortitude, reflex, will; 6+int
[*]Simple and monk weapons.
The Paladin
[*]Their abilities are called inspirations.
[*]Knows the entire inspiration list. Needs to prepare inspirations. Preparation requires brief meditation (five minutes).
[*]The paladin draws a certain number of prepared inspirations based on their level each turn, and can use as many of them as they have actions for. They discard any unused inspirations and redraw at the start of their next turn.
[*]d8 HD; good BAB; fortitude, will; 4+int
[*]Light, medium, and heavy armor; shields; simple and martial weapons.
The Rogue
[*]Their abilities are called tricks.
[*]Does not know the entire trick list. Does not need to prepare tricks.
[*]Every trick has a catch, which is a condition that must be met for the rogue to use that trick.
[*]d8 HD; average BAB; reflex; 8+int
[*]Light armor; shields; simple and rogue weapons.
[*]Their abilities are called gifts.
[*]Does not know the entire gift list. Does not need to prepare gifts.
[*]Gifts can be activated at will without limitation.
[*]d6 HD; poor BAB; will; 4+int
[*]Simple weapons.
The Beguiler
[*]Their abilities are called deceptions and mysteries.
[*]Does not know the entire list for either. Needs to prepare deceptions, but does not need to prepare mysteries. Preparation requires brief study (five minutes).
[*]Each prepared deception can be activated once, while mysteries can be activated at will.
[*]d6 HD; poor BAB; reflex, will; 6+int
[*]Light armor; simple weapons.
The Cleric
[*]Their abilities are called prayers.
[*]Knows the entire prayer list. Does not need to prepare prayers. Each cleric selects some number of domains which adds to their list of prayers.
[*]Each prayer has a certain amount of time that must pass once it is activated before it can be activated again.
[*]d8 HD; average BAB; fortitude, will; 4+int
[*]Light and medium armor; shields; simple weapons.
The Elementalist
[*]Their abilities are called elements.
[*]Does not know the entire element list. Does not need to prepare elements.
[*]Each turn, the elementalist rolls a die (size based on level) for each element they know. The higher the roll, the more powerful abilities of that element that are available.
[*]d8 HD; poor BAB; will; 4+int
[*]Light armor; simple weapons.
The Enchanter
[*]Their abilities are called infusions and discharges.
[*]Does not know the entire list of either. Needs to prepare both. Preparation requires doing fancy calligraphy (one hour).
[*]An enchanter enchants objects by preparing an infusion and a discharge into each. The infusion is a passive effect that lasts until the discharge is used. The discharge is an activated spell effect.
[*]d8 HD; average BAB; fortitude, will; 6+int
[*]Light and medium armor; shields; simple and martial weapons.
The Necromancer
[*]Their abilities are called rites and curses.
[*]Knows the entire list for both. Needs to prepare both. Preparing rites requires rituals (one hour, possibly more). Preparing curses requires brief study (five minutes).
[*]The necromancer has a limited amount of essence that they can spend animating or improving undead minions (rites) or gaining access to abilities they can use at will (curses).
[*]d6 HD; poor BAB; will; 4+int
[*]Simple weapons.
The Psion
[*]Their abilities are called powers.
[*]Does not know the entire power list. Does not need to prepare powers.
[*]The psion has a reserve of points they can spend activating their powers. They can also spend these points to apply a limited number of levels worth of metamagic feats to their powers as they activate them, even if that would push their final level above what the psion could ordinarily cast. Points recover with five minutes of rest.
[*]d6 HD; poor BAB; will; 4+int
[*]Simple weapons.
The Shaman
[*]Their abilities are called spirits.
[*]Does not know the entire spirit list. Does not need to prepare spirits.
[*]Each turn, a random spirit answers the shaman. They may use any of that spirit's abilities freely. At higher levels, they can force a reroll of the spirit that answers them or even manifest multiple spirits.
[*]d8 HD; average BAB; fortitude, will; 4+int
[*]Light and medium armor; shields; simple and druid weapons.
The Warlock
[*]Their abilities are called pacts.
[*]Does not know the entire pact list. Does not need to prepare pacts.
[*]Each of the warlock's pacts has multiple abilities. Some are usable at will, while using others risks a stacking debuff culminating in death.
[*]d6 HD; average BAB; reflex, will; 6+int
[*]Light armor; simple weapons.
The Wizard
[*]Their abilities are called spells.
[*]Does not know the entire spell list. Needs to prepare spells. Preparation requires brief study (5 minutes).
[*]Each of the wizard's prepared spells can be used at will.
[*]d6 HD; poor BAB; will; 4+int
[*]Simple weapons.
And far more importantly, any comments on the proposed resource mechanics? Any suggestions for what sort of class features a particular class should be getting to round out its pseudo-spellcasting?