D&D 5E Deconstructing 5e Classes - interest?

[Graethynne]

Hey Folks,

As a bit of a pet project I have started deconstructing the 5e classes. The premise is this - assume each class was built ala carte from a menu of options on a budget of 100 points. Them imagine you could pick and choose from this menu to build your own class. It's a bit like multi-classing.

I've got a rough draft completed and was wondering if anyone was interested in looking at/commenting on/trying to break it (or pointing out to me that this has already been done and that I should save my breath).

Anticipated Questions:

Why are you doing this? It started out as nothing more than an attempt to make a particular archetype (in this case the soul knife). I considered a few multi-classing options, starting hacking mechanics and then wondered if I could do this systemically rather than ad hoc. It also dawned on me that WotC may have actually concocted a loose point system in their design process and if I stumbled onto it I might simplify this for myself.

Why not just use multi-classing? The MC system looks like something that is neat at very low levels (when you get the basic unlocks for one or two classes) and maybe pretty neat at high levels where you can take just the right numbers of levels in the classes you want in order to achieve whatever it is you are going for. But in the middle range (say 8-14) it seems like it might feel a bit weighed down. Obviously I haven't gotten to play much yet, so this is speculation.

Shouldn't you play before you tinker? Ideally yes, but I don't expect I'll have the opportunity to play enough to answer this thought experiment any time soon.

Why are you saying multi-classing is broken if you haven't played with it yet? I'm not. Multiclassing may actually work super fine good and if somebody wants to post in this thread a multiclass progression that captures the soul knife for them, I'd love to read it.

This idea sounds awesome where can I look at this thing? (I can dream right?) Gee thanks, if there is some interest I'll post a link to a copy of the spreadsheet with free commenting permissions so folks can go nuts. If interest is pretty sparse I might just pm that info or something.

Thanks for your comments,

G

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

As a bit of a pet project I have started deconstructing the 5e classes. The premise is this - assume each class was built ala carte from a menu of options on a budget of 100 points. Them imagine you could pick and choose from this menu to build your own class. It's a bit like multi-classing.

I've got a rough draft completed and was wondering if anyone was interested in looking at/commenting on/trying to break it (or pointing out to me that this has already been done and that I should save my breath).


G

ok, how are you rateing spell casting. how are you handleing subclasses?

 

[Graethynne]

Good questions.

Full casting (for the moment) is 51 points. This was the simplest way to make sure you could only select one of Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, or Wizard casting.

Partial casting (Paladin, Ranger, Warlock) is priced less than that, so you could technically double up on these at the moment (though I'm not sure how useful that would be).

Sub-classes are free, but you only get one, and most of them are tagged with a prereq. (e.g. the barbarian subclasses are based on improving Rage, so you have to have rage).

G

 

[Pickles JG]

Are you factoring interactions between features or is it all linear?

 

[Boarstorm]

I'm interested in seeing the rough draft.

Sounds like fun, honestly.

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

Good questions.

Full casting (for the moment) is 51 points. This was the simplest way to make sure you could only select one of Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, or Wizard casting.

Partial casting (Paladin, Ranger, Warlock) is priced less than that, so you could technically double up on these at the moment (though I'm not sure how useful that would be).

Sub-classes are free, but you only get one, and most of them are tagged with a prereq. (e.g. the barbarian subclasses are based on improving Rage, so you have to have rage).

G

interesting... I wonder if you could make the class I really want out of this..

the battle master fighter sub class on a mostly rogue frame, but with some paliden (of vengeance) add on.

the ability to be a skill monkey sneak attacking weapon master... oh hell I want to be a female Ezio...

 

[Graethynne]

[MENTION=14530]pickles[/MENTION] - for the moment purely linear. With legs I could see working in bumper costs for certain combinations, but that is a little beyond where I am at the moment.

Since it looks like there is a little interest I'll here's link, for the moment it is comment only (and of course you can comment in this thread as well).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-nlABtUvL0Y1b6aAD_bt6fBxW0_637CjJrbM5uUOGsk/edit?usp=sharing

There are some notes at the top (above the actual deconstructed classes).

And umm, have at thee!

G