Questions about Arcana Unearthed/Evolved Class Roles and Balance

[Merlion]

I sadly havent actually gotten to play Arcana Unearthed/Evolved (I only own Arcana Unearthed and Diamond Throne) but when/if the day comes that I get to game again, I very much want to try it out.


This being the case, and to help compensate for not actually getting to play, I would like to ask a couple of questions for those of you who have...basically, since these things are not iron clad, I just want opinions


Question 1: Although I understand that many AU/AE classes are designed specfically and relatively obviously with certain mechanical class roles in mind, I am still curious as to actual in play experiences of which role or roles the classes of AU/E seem to fit into. I also realize that the fact that all spellcasters have access to all spells blurs the lines a good bit, but I'm basically just looking for general opinions


Question 2: Your opinion of the balance of AU/AE, mainly in terms of the classes and their balance with each other, and the magic system/spells


Again, these things are hardly ironclad and as always with RPGs everything is going to depend on playstyle, I just want to learn a little about how these things seem to be in actual play

 

[Crothian]

I haven't seen any balance issues with it as of yet and we've used it for quite a bit. THe classes I think are much more interesting then the core classes of D&D and the magic system is much nicer and moire flexible.

 

[Merlion]

Have you any thoughts on what sort of roles the classes tend to fit into? I mean obviously the Greenbond is a great healer and the Magister is the all purpose spellcaster, but some of the classes like the Witch, Runethane, Akashic, Mageblade are a little more diffacult to say well "if your a Witch your going to be doing this in a standard party" etc

 

[Crothian]

Have you any thoughts on what sort of roles the classes tend to fit into? I mean obviously the Greenbond is a great healer and the Magister is the all purpose spellcaster, but some of the classes like the Witch, Runethane, Akashic, Mageblade are a little more diffacult to say well "if your a Witch your going to be doing this in a standard party" etc

Many of the classes are really flexible and the player can actually make them into a few different things. It is not that each has a speicifc role to play, but that each has a lot of potential for different characters to be played. I never look at classes to see what role they fit, I look toward characters to see what I can do with them.

 

[Merlion]

Yea I figured the AU classes were a bit more flexible...but classes still tend to have strengths and weaknesses. A ranger for instance isnt particularly good as a primary melee character who goes for long periods head to head with enemies, but is better as a skirmishing sort of thing...I figure the Unfettered is probably much like that.

Theres just a few of em I cant really figure what their strongest natural tendency would be, in terms of the mechanics. You can of course play any class any way...I'm curious as to mechanical leanings within actual play.

 

[Crothian]

Well, Akashic is the true master of skills. The Mageblade is a fighter/mage type.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

And due to their AC bonus, unfettered are much better at tanking than rangers.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

Let's see...

The Warmain's role is obvious- they're designed to "tank" even better than a standard fighter.

Unfettered fill similiar roles to both Fighters and Rogues in D&D.

Champions- also "tanks"- basically a more customizable "paladin", though their powers are more focused on heavy combat than the Paladin (most of the Champion's magical abilities directly impact their abilities in battle- conjuring weapons and armor, boosting their physical stats temporarily, etc)

Runethanes are more or less a dedicated caster class- while they only have LVL 1-7 spells, their runic "superspells" give them magical power on par with the Magister (if not the spell selection), at least in my experience.

The Witch is sort of the "Bard" of the setting- moderate combat abilities, moderate spellcasting, and a selection of special abilities.

Totem Warrior fills the "ranger" role, to some extent, though they tend to be more focused (and are more customizable) than the ranger... similiar to the way the Champion mirrors the Paladin.

Ritual Warriors- another fighter class. Don't let the moderate BAB fool you, they can dish it and take it with the big boys. Rituals, especially at high levels, are not to be underestimated.

Any that have been missed?

 

[Crothian]

It's a bit of a shame that the new and orginal classes have to be described in terms of the core classes. People do it with races and other things too, so its not just here.

 

[Blastin]

"Question 1: Although I understand that many AU/AE classes are designed specfically and relatively obviously with certain mechanical class roles in mind, I am still curious as to actual in play experiences of which role or roles the classes of AU/E seem to fit into. I also realize that the fact that all spellcasters have access to all spells blurs the lines a good bit, but I'm basically just looking for general opinions"

I just made up my first character for AE, a winter Witch, and have been having a really tough time comming up with just what role I want him to fit into. I could swing him into the support melee that uses magic to boost his abilities, or I could shoot more for the support spellcaster and take feats that expand his spellcasting abilities. I'm hoping to go somewhere in the middle.
So, I guess I'm saying that the system seems to be geared to allow you to more easily pick the role you want your character to fill through feat, skill and power choices, rather than only by class. I know you can do this in D&D 3.5, but not with this ease.
The versatility is what I love about the system. You could have two characters playing the same class, yet compleatly diffrent focus and style. Granted, some classes do this more easily, but all AE classes can to some degree.
As for the ballance part.....I'll let ya know what our group thinks in a few weeks.