The Niche Protection Poll

[Ahnehnois]

Does the term "class" imply an exclusive niche? Vote away.

"Exclusive" means something that is only accessible by taking the pertinent class (or a class within the pertinent group). For example, a bonus to base attack bonus/THAC0 is not exclusive, because all characters receive some level of improvement to this commodity. Conversely, sneak attack/backstab is exclusive because it requires membership in a particular class to make any use of this ability at all.

A "group" of classes would represent something like the four categories that 2e used to divide classes (warrior, rogue, priest, mage; IIRC) or would correspond roughly to 4e power sources. That is to say, classes within the group might share their niche abilities freely, but classes outside the group would not have access to them.

For cases where some classes should have exclusive abilities but others should not, the obvious example would be magic being the exclusive thing and the nonmagical classes not having anything exclusive. Not the only example, necessarily.

 

[Morrus]

Eh?

 

[ForeverSlayer]

I would like for everyone to have access to certain types of abilities that don't require a specific class such as perception, jumping, climbing, acrobatics, etc.. Other such abilities such as fighter only feats, for example, should remain fighter only.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Eh?

Is the jargon not clear? I would hope that the poll options would make it clear enough what I'm getting at.

 

[Crothian]

I like each class to have unique abilities. If any class can do anything then I would prefer to play a system that would better support that.

 

[howandwhy99]

I choose option 2. Groups could be considered groups of subclasses in D&D.

Is option 4 an actual option for a class-based game? I mean, isn't it "characters pick abilities and classes don't exist"?

My understanding is every character can do any of the things any of the others can, but they are less capable in doing so. HP and To Hit are high for Fighters because that's those stats are from combat, the game system they get XP in as the player masters it. Clerics have divine abilities to affect people more than the abilities most classes have. Magic-users have more ability to engage with magic than other classes. Everyone can fight, relate to people, and use magic, but the abilities are better for the classes focused on them and in turn are defined by the activities.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Is option 4 an actual option for a class-based game? I mean, isn't it "characters pick abilities and classes don't exist"?

I'm trying to cover all bases here. I terns of D&D, I would think that most versions are #2 or #3, so #1 and #4 are pushing the boundaries. Perhaps if you go back to the fighting man and magic user, it's #1.

#4 is essentially your 3e fighter, used for every class. Which is to say, each character gets some freely spent resources, and some that he's forced to spend towards a particular goal, but ultimately you can make any choices you want with those free resources. I'd call it "class-enabled" rather than class-based.

With a full range of supplements, 3e begins to approach option #4, because various ACFs/substitution levels/other variants make it difficult to discern that any particular class has a monopoly on anything of consequence.

For example, take the rogue. A fighter can trade his feats for sneak attack. Evasion is available as a ring and monks and rangers get it. Barbarians get trap sense and uncanny dodge. UMD is not an exclusive skill in 3.5. A boatload of prestige classes can duplicate these abilities, as can various monsters and spells. The only thing that could be considered exclusive, really, are (some of) the rogue special abilities, and the trapfinding ability.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I think it's okay for some classes to have unique abilities that aren't available to any other class, and for some classes to have only abilities that are shared by other classes, but no class should have unique access to something that would be considered critical to a large number of games - i.e. clerics can't have a monopoly on all healing, and thieves can't be the only ones capable of getting past a lock or trap.

 

[DMZ2112]

Straight up: if a class does not have unique abilities, it is not a class.

 

[GSHamster]

I would actually phrase it as the inverse:

Every class should have things that it cannot do.

Restrictions are more important that niche protection.