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What are the Roles now?
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<blockquote data-quote="ceiling90" data-source="post: 6501735" data-attributes="member: 82284"><p>I don't get how anyone can say there are no roles in any edition save 4th - because they have always been there and quite frankly were refined for ease of use in a mostly static and controlled digital world, ie MMOs. </p><p></p><p>The 4 main roles have always been a variant on the Warrior - high HP, High AC and can be hard hitting, the Rogue - Sneaky, skillful, and is a glass cannon, the Cleric - heals, has pretty good durability, and the Wizard - uses spells to control the battlefield and hit multiple targets. </p><p></p><p>Which in MMO terms is Tank/DPS/Healer - and the Controller is so much harder to balance and quantify that it's rolled up and put away or is in parts of other classes, but in 4e has become the defacto Wizard.</p><p></p><p>4e basically took at look at DnD's intellectual great great great grand children, looked into some modern game design theory, and decided that maybe it was easier to split the idea that rules are for combat, and RP was supposed to rules lite. It was okay, and worked mostly - but really since combat was a such a huge deal in 4e, it bled a lot into the RP, cause you can't use your nifty cool blasting powers cutting down trees or what not.</p><p></p><p>So it's inarguable that these "roles" haven't been in the game or aren't now - because they still are. In 5e, instead of it being closely tied to class like it was in previous editions, it is instead tied to functionality of archetypes and options. Let's take the Fighter:</p><p></p><p>Champion archetype - the definitive "hit'em hard, hit me harder!" warrior archetype and is your basic DPR Tank role. Can easily dish it out while taking a whole lot of damage and not going down. Can be very much changed to a tank role with feats like Polearm Master and Sentinel.</p><p></p><p>Battlemaster - it's a martial controller, not a leader just yet. Has multiple abilities that can change how the fight works, from trip, fear, ally movement; and deals a great amount of damage. DPR and Controller.</p><p></p><p>Eldritch Knight - It's a hybrid with the ability to cast spells - and it's the definitive heavy armored caster for now. Which is definitely controller with their focus on abjuration and evocation spells, but let's no forget that many of those same spells love to blowup multiple targets, so it's not losing out on its DPR.</p><p></p><p>So in the end, the Fighter is fulfilling three out of our 4 "roles" or playstyles, but still embodies a single main theme - of a heavy armored, staunch, hard hitting guy.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ceiling90, post: 6501735, member: 82284"] I don't get how anyone can say there are no roles in any edition save 4th - because they have always been there and quite frankly were refined for ease of use in a mostly static and controlled digital world, ie MMOs. The 4 main roles have always been a variant on the Warrior - high HP, High AC and can be hard hitting, the Rogue - Sneaky, skillful, and is a glass cannon, the Cleric - heals, has pretty good durability, and the Wizard - uses spells to control the battlefield and hit multiple targets. Which in MMO terms is Tank/DPS/Healer - and the Controller is so much harder to balance and quantify that it's rolled up and put away or is in parts of other classes, but in 4e has become the defacto Wizard. 4e basically took at look at DnD's intellectual great great great grand children, looked into some modern game design theory, and decided that maybe it was easier to split the idea that rules are for combat, and RP was supposed to rules lite. It was okay, and worked mostly - but really since combat was a such a huge deal in 4e, it bled a lot into the RP, cause you can't use your nifty cool blasting powers cutting down trees or what not. So it's inarguable that these "roles" haven't been in the game or aren't now - because they still are. In 5e, instead of it being closely tied to class like it was in previous editions, it is instead tied to functionality of archetypes and options. Let's take the Fighter: Champion archetype - the definitive "hit'em hard, hit me harder!" warrior archetype and is your basic DPR Tank role. Can easily dish it out while taking a whole lot of damage and not going down. Can be very much changed to a tank role with feats like Polearm Master and Sentinel. Battlemaster - it's a martial controller, not a leader just yet. Has multiple abilities that can change how the fight works, from trip, fear, ally movement; and deals a great amount of damage. DPR and Controller. Eldritch Knight - It's a hybrid with the ability to cast spells - and it's the definitive heavy armored caster for now. Which is definitely controller with their focus on abjuration and evocation spells, but let's no forget that many of those same spells love to blowup multiple targets, so it's not losing out on its DPR. So in the end, the Fighter is fulfilling three out of our 4 "roles" or playstyles, but still embodies a single main theme - of a heavy armored, staunch, hard hitting guy. [/QUOTE]
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