Will Favored Classes Remain?

[Howndawg]

One subject I have not heard a peep on is favored classes. I'm wondering if they will remain or be replaced with something else. I suspect they will be a thing of the past. Well, sort of.

It's been mentioned that races will get race specific feats and talents, like, for example, a dwarven fighter with earth power. What if races only got race specific talents for classes that were common to the race in question? Like if dwarves got talents for being a fighter or cleric but not for monk or bard. This would give a reward for taking a "favored class" without giving a penalty for not taking one. Thus a dwarven wizard would have no dwarf specific talents but could still take any of the regular ones. While a cleric could take giant smiting if he wants to be a typical dwarf cleric or he could take turn undead if he wants to go against type. This would also allow races to have multiple classes they are good at without locking them in a single favored class.

These are just my thoughts on the issue.

Howndawg

 

[Atlatl Jones]

That sounds good to me.

Favored classes and the XP penalty for multiclassing is probably the single most ignored rule in 3rd edition, so I would be very very surprised if it stays. It's also a rule that accomplishes absolutely nothing for game balance, while punishes certain arbitrarily character concepts. Good riddance.

 

[jasin]

Howndawg pretty much summarizes my thoughts on the issue.

 

[Victim]

I think it's even more likely than racial feats/talents/abilities are available to all classes, but simply more useful to characters of the favored class(es).

 

[Masquerade]

Favored classes and the XP penalty for multiclassing is probably the single most ignored rule in 3rd edition

QFT. Also note that SWSE does away with both, as did d20 Modern way back in the day.

Your system, Howndawg, reminds me very much of racial substitution levels, and, like those racial substitution levels, it's an interesting idea and a worthwhile option to have available, but I don't think it will be (or should be) printed on the pages of the PHB.

 

[Remathilis]

I think the races will still have classes they favor (via some mechanic to still showcase dwarven fighters, halfling rogues, or elven wizards rangers, but not the favored class mechanic.

Lets hope its not as limiting as FC was.

 

[Masquerade]

I think the races will still have classes they favor (via some mechanic to still showcase dwarven fighters, halfling rogues, or elven wizards rangers, but not the favored class mechanic.

Ability score adjustments, perhaps?

 

[Simplicity]

Talent Trees are definitely the way to deal with it. XP penalties are arbitrary unfun suckage.

 

[Snapdragyn]

My hope is that they do away w/ favored class.

I would like them to then have whatever special abilities are gained by a race be clearly favorable to a <race> of a particular class, but nothing to preclude one from going another route. In such a system, your halfling wizard might not get much use out of some 'sneak bonus' racial ability compared to a halfling rogue, but it might be just the nudge that lets him stay unnoticed in some dire moment at lower levels, or helps him keep closer to what a single-class rogue could do if he multiclasses into rogue.

 

[Klaus]

There will still be Favored Classes, but not as we know them. I believe each race will get extra perks if they choose to be from their "favored class", instead of getting extra perks if they choose NOT to be from their "favored class".