Will Favored Classes Remain?

[wayne62682]

God I hope they get rid of that. Those (and XP penalties) do nothing but further shoehorn you into playing a certain class. Might as well bring back the old "Allowed Races" crap from 2nd Edition.

Hopefully there won't be favored classes or Xp penalties, and anyone can play anything to their heart's desire without being punished for it for no real reason.

 

[CleverNickName]

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.

My gaming group and I have been using the favored class/multiclassing penalty rules since 3rd Edition was released, and it has never once been an issue. (shrug) Our players don't do a whole lot of class/role mixing. Everyone games differently, I suppose.

So keep it, do away with it, morph it into something else; we probably won't notice.

 

[Glyfair]

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".

My prediction is that there won't be any "extra perks" for taking a class appropriate to the race. What I predict will happen is that the racial abilities tied to a class with tend to fit with the race's niche.

For example, an elf fighter might be able to gain certain fighting abilities with an arcane flair. Half-orc druids gain advantages when they change into a "brute-like" form. Gnome rogues gain some sneaky illusory ability.

Remember, early on they said that a higher level dwarven fighter will be different from a fighter of other races. I think these differences is where this will tie in.

 

[RPG_Tweaker]

Favored class should be slaughtered, seasoned, grilled, and served up with some garlic mashed potatoes and a nice pinot.

Player characters are adventurers and heroes. They are supposed to deviate from the norms of their society. There should be no metagame strictures on the player's character concept outside the DM's perogative.

The only use for favored class should be for the DM's guidelines when constructing NPCs... and even that falls under Rule 0 based on their own campaign.

 

[breschau]

According to the new podcast concerning multi-classing, "any combo, any level, always works."

So I can only imagine that favored class will go the way of Thac0.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

According to the new podcast concerning multi-classing, "any combo, any level, always works."

So I can only imagine that favored class will go the way of Thac0.

Hooray for the end of the favoured classes.


I'm all for racial abilities that make you specially suited to certain roles (though it should not be so bad that you overshadow the other races' characters with those roles), but it should not be tied down to a special class.

So, maybe dwarves will be great defenders (no matter whether it is a fighter, paladin, or something else; and they won't be noticably better than, say, a human fighter or paladin), elves great at roles that involve nature and stealth, and eladrins great controllers.

 

[Jedi_Solo]

So I can only imagine that favored class will go the way of Thac0.

Oh, I hope that's the case. Having something along the lines of Racial Talent Trees that make the Dwarven Fighter more... Drawven Fightery is a much better way to do this.

 

[Insight]

I hope favored classes are gone. I don't like penalizing players for thinking outside the box. PCs are heroic figures, not stereotypes of their culture/race.

I don't mind racial substitution levels, as long as there are more than 3 for each race (I'd like to see at least 4 for each, or half of the total base classes presented in the 4E PHB).

 

[Merlion]

I also find favoured class silly. I wouldnt *mind* races getting special perks for "appropriate classes", but really I would rather, and think it may be, that a given race will have certain perks or differences in any class.

 

[breschau]

According to Schaefer's new blog, here, favored class is essentially dead.

It is replaced with racial "special traits" that are best suited for a single class, but not useless to other classes.