I'll play it some more and see how the balance feels. From a quick play through the tutorial on Tactician, it feels just as rewarding as a normal class. I do see some typing mistakes, but that's a minor thing at this point.
Maybe make the initial 2 skills (Forward Lash and Provoking Whispers) 1 AP? Not sure myself, but it might help flexibility. Easier reacting to offensive/defensive switch + you still have an AP left in a normal 4AP situation to do smaller things like drinking a potion or moving a bit (handy for moving out of smoke clouds like the one you make with I Am Not Here!). But it could make it a bit too flexible, so I guess its a matter of testing it out.
I do like the honor skills. It's like a mini honor mode, but less punishing if you realize its too hard after a couple of hours. Making the team version scale with level is a good idea. Keeps it worthwhile on all points of the game. The stats bonusses are a bit high though, I think, given how restricting mid-combat save/loading is not that harsh of a penalty. Especially Honor Mode: self might be a bit exploitable early on. Maybe let it scale too, but slower/less?
Anyway, that's all after only a hour or so and really nitpicking. Keep it up and I'm sure this will turn out great! It's definitely in a state that can be publicly released/tested and adjusted on the fly
Sincerely,
Kevin
PS: Nice write-up of the Blade Master story. And introducing it as a sort of specialization instead of a separate class. Makes it feel unique/flexible. Reminds me a lot of the specializations like Reaver and Templar you could unlock in the Dragon Age: Origins DLC.
