D&D 5E Whats in a Class?

Zardnaar · Jan 20, 2018

TheCosmicKid said:
[MENTION=6716779]Zardnaar[/MENTION], you're spending a lot of time and effort the class names but you give us very, very little hint as to what your criteria are and why, and are sometimes outright confusing. You say the mystic "implies spellcaster or perhaps something religious" -- why is that a bad thing? You say of the warlord "if you have not played D&D this name is very bad" -- why? Noble: "title/job description" -- isn't that precisely what class names are supposed to be? Occultist: "could almost be anything" -- really? Mystic again: "terrible on all kinds of levels" -- what levels, and how? Warlord again: "you hear the name warlord what are you going to think?" -- what do you think we're going to think and why is it bad?

What are you trying to communicate to us? Can you give us any general advice that might let a hypothetical designer of some future class select a "good" name, or at least spell out the sorts of mistakes that make for a "bad" one so that they may be avoided?

Generally the name should give you a hint at what the class does at least in broad terms. THe occultist for example is more of a shifter class where you get traits that replicate werewolf/vampire/construct.

Things like Swordmage, Mageknight kind of hint at what they are about. Occultist kind of implies magic but the class is more of a shifter. Mystic is fine name by itself not for a psion though IMHO. The older classes have the benefit of being around long enough that they get grandfathered in even if the names not ideal. Basically if you have played D&D you probably know what the barbarian is about. If you have not its not to far out from left field once you read the book.

rgoodbb · Jan 20, 2018

To answer your question.

35 students packed in a room designed for 16.
1 severely sweating supply teacher covering, because the usual one went off sick with stress.
3 oversized heaters near a huge window that cooks the pupils in the summer and is far too old and thin to keep out the cold in the winter.
Chairs that are uncomfortable and small
Tables that are broken
1 plant that has learned to live off cigarette butts rather than water
1 goldfish that has developed a personality disorder and pretends to be dead by swimming very slowly on its side
8-25% of human beings in the room pondering either suicide or philosophicide
13-32% of human beings in the room considering defenestration or autodefenestration
40-69% of human beings in the room thinking about nothing. nada, zip gone.

hawkeyefan · Jan 20, 2018

Mecheon said:
Won't have a chance. Most anyone who knows about RPGs probably knows about Warcraft, wherein the Wardens are the Night Elves' secret police force dedicated to eliminating every threat to the Night Elves by assassinating it, or, if they can't assassinate it, jailing it underground.

Huh...well this is all news to me!

But I honestly think Warlord is a good name for the class, if they decide to go with it. I feel like it gives at least a basic idea of what the class is meant to do. Warden isn’t terrible either...but Warlord is just cooler.

I agree with most folks about the Mystic. An odd choice. I’d prefer Psion or even Psionicist to go back to the old days, but neither of these is particularly evocative, and Psionicist is cumbersome and only has nostalgia going for it. Never understood why they never just went with “Psychic”....seems pretty obvious and better than the alternatives.

D&D 5E Whats in a Class?

Zardnaar

Legend

rgoodbb

Adventurer

hawkeyefan

Legend

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