D&D General One thing I hate about the Sorcerer

[Remathilis]

Not every fighter is, but certainly quite a number of them are as their background before adventuring begins. Its part of the class fantasy, just being an average guy who learns to use weapons and pushes themselves down that path.

Yeah. That's part of their background. It stops being important once they get that first level of fighter. Much like how a soldier can be a background for a ranger, barbarian or paladin. Or even a sorcerer. It has no bearing on what the fighter does as a class.

 

[Mephista]

Yeah. That's part of their background. It stops being important once they get that first level of fighter. Much like how a soldier can be a background for a ranger, barbarian or paladin. Or even a sorcerer. It has no bearing on what the fighter does as a class.

Not entirely, no.


From the Fighter class description:

All of these heroes are fighters, perhaps the most diverse class of characters in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Questing knights, conquering overlords, royal champions, elite foot soldiers, hardened mercenaries, and bandit kings—as fighters, they all share an unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face.

Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively untrained soldiers with only the most basic combat knowledge. Veteran soldiers, military officers, trained bodyguards, dedicated knights, and similar figures are fighters.

Its saying that not every soldier or guard is a Fighter, but that implies quite a number of them very much are, and very much are part of the class fantasy.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Except maybe the ocean of blood he manages to keep inside his body.

He's also not fighting giant demons and ancient dragons. Cool or not, he's a man fighting other men. That simply doesn't require the high levels that D&D combats frequently do.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yeah. That's part of their background. It stops being important once they get that first level of fighter. Much like how a soldier can be a background for a ranger, barbarian or paladin. Or even a sorcerer. It has no bearing on what the fighter does as a class.

It is not required to, but it can. There's a difference. I simply don't see PCs as a separate order of being from those from whom they originate.

 

[Remathilis]

But every fighter comes from such a background. PCs aren't just harvested every autumn at the protagonist farm, they have a past. Who says your cleric didn't start as the village baker? A good loaf of fresh-baked bread is certainly a religious experience to me.

But the problem is that backgrounds are different from classes. A fighter can be a member of an army, but so can every other class. That doesn't change what the class is though. He stopped being a soldier and became a fighter the same way he could stop being a soldier and become a sorcerer or paladin or warlock.

 

[James Gasik]

He's also not fighting giant demons and ancient dragons. Cool or not, he's a man fighting other men. That simply doesn't require the high levels that D&D combats frequently do.

Not true- he needs those levels to justify his Hit Die total.

 

[Remathilis]

It is not required to, but it can. There's a difference. I simply don't see PCs as a separate order of being from those from whom they originate.

How many NPCs in your world are leveled in one of the PHB classes? Not "archmage" or "veteran" but "4th level fighter" or "18th level sorcerer"?

 

[Mephista]

But the problem is that backgrounds are different from classes. A fighter can be a member of an army, but so can every other class. That doesn't change what the class is though. He stopped being a soldier and became a fighter the same way he could stop being a soldier and become a sorcerer or paladin or warlock.

The difference is that its part of the Fighter's class identity and class fantasy, whereas its not necessarily part of anyone else's.

Anyone can spend time praying in a temple, not just clerics. Likewise, anyone can study in an academy, or learn to play music, or steal things. They're not class-locked. But it very much is part of certain class stories and fantasies.

 

[CreamCloud0]

But the problem is that backgrounds are different from classes. A fighter can be a member of an army, but so can every other class. That doesn't change what the class is though. He stopped being a soldier and became a fighter the same way he could stop being a soldier and become a sorcerer or paladin or warlock.

both a fighter and a sorcerer might be an ex-soldier from the guard, but you don't represent the classic guard captain with a sorcerer, like the quotes @Mephista provided shows, a knight, a mercanary, the royal guards, a champion warrior, all of these are represented by the Fighter class and thus those themes of what those are reflect back at what the themes of the fighter are.

 

[Remathilis]

I look forward to seeing 20 level classes for bakers, farmers and haberdashers soon.