Justification for favored classes... Is there any?

[Psyckosama]

Simple way to give humans a very nasty boost that is not too broken.

Remove the +1 skill point per level and +4 skill points at creation, and give them +2 Intelegence. Adaptability and engineuity are often atributed to intelegence. Often the smarter you are, the faster you adapt.

Ofcourse this breaks up the straight tens human stat line...

 

[RodneyThompson]

I'm very much against favored classes. It puts an artificial limitation on character creation concepts. I don't enforce it, and think it should be removed from the game.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I started with GMing SW d20, which has no Favored Class. When I went into D&D, I saw no use for the rule, and have ignored it since. Had no problem without it in SW, decided I'd have no problems without it in D&D. And thankfully, I was right. In fact, it allows the players to stop thinking about just the rules and stops the "Oh wait, I can't do that because I'll get an XP penalty just because it isn't a favored class."
While I can see the concept for this, and do understand it, it just doesn't fit my style or DM/GMing.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Re: Re: Justification for favored classes... Is there any?

Judging by the number of half-elves I've seen in 3E (none), more needs to be done to improve balance for them, not less.

I heard a rumour that there was a guy in Japan somewhere playing a half-elf.

I think it's just an Urban Myth, though.

-Hyp.

 

[Reynard]

Simple way to give humans a very nasty boost that is not too broken.

Remove the +1 skill point per level and +4 skill points at creation, and give them +2 Intelegence. Adaptability and engineuity are often atributed to intelegence. Often the smarter you are, the faster you adapt.

Ofcourse this breaks up the straight tens human stat line...

This actually is not the same thing as giving them an additional skill point. An additional skill point says that humans are more skilled than other characters (because they learn fast and are adapatable, I suppose). A +2 to intelligence says they are downright smarter than the other races, which carries all sorts of problems with it. in addition, it makes them better at all the Int based skills, which isn't the point -- humans are ebtter at whatever they choose to be better at.

As far as favore classes go: they help keep the spot levelling to a minimum. There is nothing more irritating than a PC that has 1 level of four different classes, just to get all the front loaded benefits. Your Rogue 1/Fighter 1/Ranger 1/Sorcerer 1 isn't cool and interesting, it is a blantant case of munchkinism. (NOTE: Yes, i am aware that someone *could* come up with a reasonable, even cool, explanation for that class combination, but, really, it is not likely). I think making them campaign specific is a good idea, though, because, you know, those Dark Sun elves are far more interested in killing things than casting spells.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Maybe I am a bit slow tonight, but how would that be any different?

SD

It would be different because right now, not every class is favored by somebody. I thought it would be more fair if they were.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

It would be different because right now, not every class is favored by somebody. I thought it would be more fair if they were.

Actually, they are. Just not standard Player's Handbook races. There are only 6 Core Races (and only 4 with specified FCs), but 11 Core Classes. It's only natural that something's going to get left out because of it. However, include Lizard Folk (Druid) and Kobolds (Sorcerer), and now you've covered two more (and that's just off the top of my head). I'm betting that taking in Savage Species (and the upcoming Races of Faerun and The Unapproachable East), we'll find them all covered fairly well.

I've also seen (but can't remember where) a "Birth Feat" that functioned along the lines of changing a Dwarf's FC from Fighter to Cleric to represent his family line. Also, FR has a Feat that adds Wizard as an additional FC. There's no reason for either of these to be unique, possibly being found in other forms elsewhere (e.g., a highly devout city promotes priestly study, so a Feat permits 1st Level Characters to have Cleric as a FC in addition to their "racial" FC).

I'm not knocking your proposal (I've made too many alterations myself to look down at any ideas shy of how they're being implemented, to be perfectly honest); I'd be up to seeing it so long as it "doesn't give away the farm", as the saying goes.

 

[Arnwyn]

Is there any real reason to enforce the xp penalty for cross-classing into a non-favored class? Do any of you inforce it? Why?

Yes, of course I enforce it. It's there for game balance (increasing the reason to take humans and/or half-elves). I also like the fact that some races are more inclined to certain classes than others.

 

[Bagpuss]

It does throw up some weird ones if you have more than two classes.

For example and Elf could be a Fighter 6/ Cleric 7/Wizard 2 with no XP penalty, but a human being the same class split would suffer the XP penalty (as his Cleric levels would be ignored) even though humans are ment to be more versitile not less.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Re: Re: Justification for favored classes... Is there any?

Yes, of course I enforce it. It's there for game balance (increasing the reason to take humans and/or half-elves). I also like the fact that some races are more inclined to certain classes than others.

More inclined, sure, but I'd like to think it was a cultural thing, not an inborn trait. The way the rules are written, an elf's ability at Wizarding is as ultimately inherant as his bonus to DEX.

I'd like to think that elvin wizards would be a flavor thing, not actually enforced with bonuses or penalties in the rulebooks.

If they're going to break the steriotypes of the past editions and allow any race to be any class, why don't they go all the way, instead of leaving this pathetic remnant?

The argument of Balance:
Surely there was a way to balance humans other than to restrict all the other races (half elves, I admit, need more balancing). Maybe 4 extra skill points at first level? Another free feat at 10th level?

I think favored class belongs in the domain of Flavor Text (at most) and should not depart from it.