GnomeWorks
Adventurer
Howdy, all!
I've been thinking lately about the various proposals, the world geography, and some other things among them.
My thinking has been primarily along the mechanical nature of d20 - for instance, how can we represent that LEW is alive, through the mechanics? We've almost certainly got the roleplaying part down, as shown by extensive character histories, good character interaction, and a variety of locations...
However, the mechanics of the game are just as equally important - they serve to reinforce the ideas of the game being played. Without good mechanics, we might as well not be using dice or any system at all.
Take, for example, the prestige class idea. Initially, PrCs were designed as a world-building exercise - they were supposed to be used by DMs to help give a campaign setting a feel, and put characters in context of the milieu (that might be a direct quote from the DMG, or a close approximation).
The question I pose to you is thus: how do we accomplish this in LEW?
PrCs should provide interesting avenues for PCs. They should have decent prerequisites, and - given the nature of LEW - we can use a wide variety of what would be considered RP prerequisites (for instance, must have been to location X, or be of Y nationality).
In my mind, there should be three classifications of PrCs in LEW.
1) Archetypal PrCs. These are the rather bland PrCs found in the DMG, PrCs that are designed for organizations or cultures that can be found in almost any campaign setting. I think that LEW has set itself close enough to what would be considered a "normal" setting that we can use the vast majority of the PrCs in the SRD.
These PrCs don't exactly lend very good world-building material, since they're very vague.
Example: A rogue/wizard takes levels in arcane trickster. Arcane trickster is a pretty general PrC; though it might add a little to the character RPing-wise, it isn't much. The character is just an arcane trickster, rather than just a rogue/wizard.
2) World PrCs. These would be PrCs that are specific to the world. For example, there was the Mercurial Initiate PrC posted a long time ago - that would be an example of such a thing. Someone creates an organization, and makes a PrC for it, or makes a PrC for an existing organization. It doesn't even have to be an organization - maybe its just some ideology that some guy thought up a long time ago, and the secrets that PrC holds can only be attained after finding those texts he left behind (a great prereq if I ever heard one!).
These PrCs lend very good world-building material. They accomplish the goal of a PrC: to put a character within the context of the setting. If you have a character who becomes a Mercurial Initiate, you know exactly what kind of person that character is, what kind of training he had, and where he goes to learn new lore. There are NPCs that could be Mercurial Initiates, that could be encountered, thereby lending the idea that the world is unique.
Example: A rogue/wizard takes levels in mercurial initiate, after having several adventures in which he dealt with members of that guild. He had an interest in the ideology, and so visited their headquarters; after a few months in study, he learned the secrets of the mercurial initiates. The character has grown in more ways than one - he has specifically gone to an institution in the world and gained tangible knowledge there that has a very noticeable effect on what he is capable of.
3) Character PrCs. Unlike the other two, these would be PrCs that are driven by individual characters in LEW, played by its players. A good example would be the Learner I posted awhile ago: it was intended, at least initially, for Troi Delmontes; from there, it would propagate as he saw fit, and others could learn from him as they desired.
In my mind, these PrCs could be the most powerful world-building tool we have at our disposal. While World PrCs are highly useful, I think there is something to be said for a PrC developed and used by a character: that character specifically researched it, studied it, and developed it, all within the context of the world. You can't get more grounded in the milieu than that! These are also the things from which legends are born: for instance, if someone has a 15th-level character and writes up a prestige class like Defender of Orussus because he has become so tied to that city, that character would undoubtedly become highly famous; when he died, that character would become a world hero, a legend in his own right. Others would aspire to be a Defender of Orussus, and we would all know what it means to be one, because we have that iconic vision in our heads.
Example: Troi Delmontes, after years of study, finally figures out the secret to learning the abilities of monsters. He begins taking levels in the learner prestige class, a d20 mechanics representation of his abilities. These abilities are very tangible both mechanically and RPing-wise; others may see his skills and desire to learn of them, and he can teach them the ways of learners. Eventually, the ways of the learner PrC propagate through the world, and it becomes world-specific, because it grew up in the world; for instance, learners may be common around Orussus, one of Troi's favorite haunts, while they would be rare in the south, a place he rarely visisted, and therefore his ideas didn't spread there as well as they did around Orussus.
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Really, there are only two sides in this argument. One side of the argument is that LEW is an SRD-based campaign setting, one that uses the core rules and very little else, providing the flavor of the world through its interactions, and the sheer availability of RPing and adventuring opportunities.
To be honest with you, I don't think that's a bad idea. Keeping LEW core-focused means that we can have the most people playing at any one time, and bringing new people in is very easy.
However, how much complexity does adding PrCs add? They don't really become a concern until around 5th to 6th level, and the highest level character in LEW is 4th - just now reaching the point where he can take his next level in a PrC, if he so desired (and I don't know if Thurgan even qualifies for any right now, being multiclassed as he is).
Also, I think that adding PrCs that are specific to the world, either because they are mechanical representations of organizations or faiths or an old sage's research on some new spell technique, or because some character sat and researched the topic and developed a new PrC specifically for his idea, lends the world that much more reality. When a character can sit for awhile, and come up with new ways to do something, and implement them fully, represented both by RP and mechanics, I think that lends a certain satisfaction in the idea that a character can influence the world. That a character can leave their mark, and in a very tangible way.
I suppose my point is that, all of you people who oppose PrCs: think about the possibilities. Yes, balance is important; but don't just shoot down a PrC and say "this could be done with multiclassing." Even if it is so, maybe the PrC provides something just a little different, some barely noticeable mechanical difference that makes a world of difference. And not only that, but PrCs also lend to players something they would otherwise have to make for themselves or take from an adventure: an impressive title.
-----
Thanks for reading.
I've been thinking lately about the various proposals, the world geography, and some other things among them.
My thinking has been primarily along the mechanical nature of d20 - for instance, how can we represent that LEW is alive, through the mechanics? We've almost certainly got the roleplaying part down, as shown by extensive character histories, good character interaction, and a variety of locations...
However, the mechanics of the game are just as equally important - they serve to reinforce the ideas of the game being played. Without good mechanics, we might as well not be using dice or any system at all.
Take, for example, the prestige class idea. Initially, PrCs were designed as a world-building exercise - they were supposed to be used by DMs to help give a campaign setting a feel, and put characters in context of the milieu (that might be a direct quote from the DMG, or a close approximation).
The question I pose to you is thus: how do we accomplish this in LEW?
PrCs should provide interesting avenues for PCs. They should have decent prerequisites, and - given the nature of LEW - we can use a wide variety of what would be considered RP prerequisites (for instance, must have been to location X, or be of Y nationality).
In my mind, there should be three classifications of PrCs in LEW.
1) Archetypal PrCs. These are the rather bland PrCs found in the DMG, PrCs that are designed for organizations or cultures that can be found in almost any campaign setting. I think that LEW has set itself close enough to what would be considered a "normal" setting that we can use the vast majority of the PrCs in the SRD.
These PrCs don't exactly lend very good world-building material, since they're very vague.
Example: A rogue/wizard takes levels in arcane trickster. Arcane trickster is a pretty general PrC; though it might add a little to the character RPing-wise, it isn't much. The character is just an arcane trickster, rather than just a rogue/wizard.
2) World PrCs. These would be PrCs that are specific to the world. For example, there was the Mercurial Initiate PrC posted a long time ago - that would be an example of such a thing. Someone creates an organization, and makes a PrC for it, or makes a PrC for an existing organization. It doesn't even have to be an organization - maybe its just some ideology that some guy thought up a long time ago, and the secrets that PrC holds can only be attained after finding those texts he left behind (a great prereq if I ever heard one!).
These PrCs lend very good world-building material. They accomplish the goal of a PrC: to put a character within the context of the setting. If you have a character who becomes a Mercurial Initiate, you know exactly what kind of person that character is, what kind of training he had, and where he goes to learn new lore. There are NPCs that could be Mercurial Initiates, that could be encountered, thereby lending the idea that the world is unique.
Example: A rogue/wizard takes levels in mercurial initiate, after having several adventures in which he dealt with members of that guild. He had an interest in the ideology, and so visited their headquarters; after a few months in study, he learned the secrets of the mercurial initiates. The character has grown in more ways than one - he has specifically gone to an institution in the world and gained tangible knowledge there that has a very noticeable effect on what he is capable of.
3) Character PrCs. Unlike the other two, these would be PrCs that are driven by individual characters in LEW, played by its players. A good example would be the Learner I posted awhile ago: it was intended, at least initially, for Troi Delmontes; from there, it would propagate as he saw fit, and others could learn from him as they desired.
In my mind, these PrCs could be the most powerful world-building tool we have at our disposal. While World PrCs are highly useful, I think there is something to be said for a PrC developed and used by a character: that character specifically researched it, studied it, and developed it, all within the context of the world. You can't get more grounded in the milieu than that! These are also the things from which legends are born: for instance, if someone has a 15th-level character and writes up a prestige class like Defender of Orussus because he has become so tied to that city, that character would undoubtedly become highly famous; when he died, that character would become a world hero, a legend in his own right. Others would aspire to be a Defender of Orussus, and we would all know what it means to be one, because we have that iconic vision in our heads.
Example: Troi Delmontes, after years of study, finally figures out the secret to learning the abilities of monsters. He begins taking levels in the learner prestige class, a d20 mechanics representation of his abilities. These abilities are very tangible both mechanically and RPing-wise; others may see his skills and desire to learn of them, and he can teach them the ways of learners. Eventually, the ways of the learner PrC propagate through the world, and it becomes world-specific, because it grew up in the world; for instance, learners may be common around Orussus, one of Troi's favorite haunts, while they would be rare in the south, a place he rarely visisted, and therefore his ideas didn't spread there as well as they did around Orussus.
-----
Really, there are only two sides in this argument. One side of the argument is that LEW is an SRD-based campaign setting, one that uses the core rules and very little else, providing the flavor of the world through its interactions, and the sheer availability of RPing and adventuring opportunities.
To be honest with you, I don't think that's a bad idea. Keeping LEW core-focused means that we can have the most people playing at any one time, and bringing new people in is very easy.
However, how much complexity does adding PrCs add? They don't really become a concern until around 5th to 6th level, and the highest level character in LEW is 4th - just now reaching the point where he can take his next level in a PrC, if he so desired (and I don't know if Thurgan even qualifies for any right now, being multiclassed as he is).
Also, I think that adding PrCs that are specific to the world, either because they are mechanical representations of organizations or faiths or an old sage's research on some new spell technique, or because some character sat and researched the topic and developed a new PrC specifically for his idea, lends the world that much more reality. When a character can sit for awhile, and come up with new ways to do something, and implement them fully, represented both by RP and mechanics, I think that lends a certain satisfaction in the idea that a character can influence the world. That a character can leave their mark, and in a very tangible way.
I suppose my point is that, all of you people who oppose PrCs: think about the possibilities. Yes, balance is important; but don't just shoot down a PrC and say "this could be done with multiclassing." Even if it is so, maybe the PrC provides something just a little different, some barely noticeable mechanical difference that makes a world of difference. And not only that, but PrCs also lend to players something they would otherwise have to make for themselves or take from an adventure: an impressive title.
-----
Thanks for reading.
