Themes are Dead; long live Specialties

[Remathilis]

Now, that's more like it!

We can finally get over this "themes/backgrounds will replace classes" thing. Backgrounds are skill packs, specialties are "A specialty represents specialized knowledge and training that helps defines your character’s approach to adventuring. A typical specialty represents something like a fighting style, training in special magical techniques, or knowledge of certain tricks of the trade frequently used by adventurers."

That's it.

No replacing the Paladin/Ranger/Monk/Sorcerer/Warlock/Bard with it. No trying to turn Barbarian or Monk into 4-feat chains (1, 3, 6, 9). I don't know if the "all PHB 1 classes" will be in it, but I suspect most of those classes will be what they always were: classes.

Now, lets start discussing how these classes will look...

 

[Ahnehnois]

We can finally get over this "themes/backgrounds will replace classes" thing.

? Well it's a good thing classes were never just packages of skills and feats then, right?

 

[Pour]

I'm trying to reason out the difference, now, between specialties and feats. Not that I would miss feats.

 

[Falling Icicle]

I'm trying to reason out the difference, now, between specialties and feats. Not that I would miss feats.

Specialties are pre-chosen feat packages that you can take instead of picking your feats a la carte.

 

[Pour]

Ah, so there really isn't anything inherently special or exclusive about them, they're just a thematic feat package to give you a certain feel. Specialties are then basically meant for beginners, encounters programs, and really casual play, and pick up games? And for the rest of us, we can pour over feats to try and get exactly what we're looking for? Interesting, though I still worry specialties will end up being the balanced feats, and ala carte floaters will be where the broken happens.

 

[Grydan]

"That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet"

Themes aren't dead. They changed their name. They play exactly the same mechanical role they did before, in exactly the same way.

People who complained about them for any reason other than the name have no particular reason to stop complaining now.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Ah, so there really isn't anything inherently special or exclusive about them, they're just a thematic feat package to give you a certain feel. Specialties are then basically meant for beginners, encounters programs, and really casual play, and pick up games? And for the rest of us, we can pour over feats to try and get exactly what we're looking for? Interesting, though I still worry specialties will end up being the balanced feats, and ala carte floaters will be where the broken happens.

I think they are also meant, when desired, to function as campaign-specific restrictive packages. That is, you could not allow customization of feats, allow packages to be tweaked (one feat swap, maybe) but not substitute wholesale, and/or make up your own custom packages of feats into specialties for that campaign.

They are thus a potential replacement for some of the things that prestige classes do in 3E. Having the packaged specialties and the individual feats means that you can slice that aspect as coarse or fine as you want.

 

[Pour]

I think they are also meant, when desired, to function as campaign-specific restrictive packages. That is, you could not allow customization of feats, allow packages to be tweaked (one feat swap, maybe) but not substitute wholesale, and/or make up your own custom packages of feats into specialties for that campaign.

They are thus a potential replacement for some of the things that prestige classes do in 3E. Having the packaged specialties and the individual feats means that you can slice that aspect as coarse or fine as you want.

Agreed. I also like what they did in the podcast, where Mike approximated a specialty he thought was close to a concept, and then began mixing and matching feats from other specialties and what I presume are floaters without a specialty into something new.

I really don't want to have to worry as DM if combining specialties is broken or not, though, like combining prestige classes could be. Again, hoping these feats can be swapped and combined into new specialties with minimal concern.

 

[Incenjucar]

This makes me happy.

Really, really annoying having them use "themes" in such a different way from the still-new 4E themes.

 

[the Jester]

I have a bit of a problem with calling them "specialties." It just seems weird that my fighter could have the acolyte specialty.