Thomas Bowman
First Post
What is wrong with the D&D classes? Aristocrat, Barbarian, Bard,, Commoner, Cleric, Druid, Expert, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warrior, and Wizard? I think those cover the whole gamut?
Ten basic medieval fantasy classes
- Thread starter GMMichael
- Start date
You may be right. Try matching them to the different categories and you'll see!
It's a different approach to come up with a full complement of classes. Surely you don't believe that D&D is the one true way? Why doesn't Earthdawn have exactly the same classes as D&D? Were the designers just stupid or may there be a reason why the classes they picked work better for their setting?
Tony Vargas
Legend
Oookay...
PPP - Hero (D&D Fighter + Rogue &c)
PPM - Martial Artist
PPS - Mystic (D&D Monk or D&D Psychic Warrior, I suppose)
MMM - Mastermind (Holmes & Moriarty)
MMP - General (D&D Warlord)
MMS - Sage (D&D Wizard, but less & less powerful direct spell casting)
SSS - Madwand (D&D Sorcerer or D&D Psion)
SSP - Templar (D&D Cleric)
SSM - Sorcerer (D&D Warlock or Shaman)
PMS - Adventurer (D&D Bard, less the music baggage)
GMMichael
Guide of Modos
Very 3e of you (I approve). However, toward the end of creating a spectrum of heroes, the 3e list might be a little redundant. I'll try it though:
PPP - Barbarian
PPM - Warrior/Fighter
PPS - Monk/Ranger
PMM - Rogue
PMS - Aristocrat/Commoner
PSS - Paladin/Cleric
MMM - Expert
MMS - Bard
MSS - Wizard/Sorceror
SSS - Druid
The pieces fit, but there's some reconciling in order. What do you call a class that could work for a monk and a ranger? Or an aristocrat and a commoner? Is Druid too much of a pigeonhole for an all supernatural class?
This helps out in another way. Working on the above list, I wondered if I could view each class by their amount of time spent exercising (P), reading/studying (M), and meditating/praying (S)...
Bromjunaar
First Post
What about moving Sorcerer to SSS, as Sorcerer is a castor with inate magic, and moving Druid to PMS, as a spell user capable of filling a bunch of different roles? Also, wouldn't PPS be Paladin, with the class being a predominately fighter class with magic backup, leaving Cleric as is since that is more of a warrior priest class. From there, maybe move Ranger to PMM as a skill focused fighter, and Rogue to MMM as Skill Monkey Supreme? Maybe Monk would be the PPM class, being a skilled fighter, with Barbarian, Warrior, and Fighter simply being specializations of a generalized base class, possibly named Skirmisher or something like that? Or would this be entirely off base?
Edit:
Which would make my class list as such:
PPP - Skirmisher
PPM - Monk
PPS - Paladin
PMM - Ranger
PMS - Druid
PSS - Cleric
MMM - Rogue
MMS - Bard
MSS - Wizard
SSS - Sorcerer
Last edited:
GMMichael
Guide of Modos
Not entirely off base, but the D&D class list isn't very well-rounded until you include the NPC classes Aristocrat and Expert. Aristocrats are classic adventurers: see Jon Snow, Boromir, King Graham, Prince Adam... The Expert, or Skill Monkey Supreme, is more technically useful than a thief, and less likely to stab someone in the back than a rogue/assassin.
I'm not inclined to peg the Ranger as an overly Mental type, although being a tracker requires some sense. Casting spells and speaking with animals points them in a Supernatural direction.
SSS is a good spot for sorceror, but it's also a good spot for shamanist/animalist type classes too.
So your pegs look good, but it's not a D&D class list that I'm after. My question is: what list of ten classes would make you say, "I think I see the character I want," instead of "there's no X? I'm going to find another game." Is there a major medieval fantasy trope that's not represented in your list?
The starting point is basically the Lord of the Rings, although it points toward races as classes. Wizard/ainu, aristocrat, ranger, elf, dwarf, and burglar. And whatever the heck old Tom is. Earlier than that, you could take knights and wizards from the Once and Future King.
Obviously, there have been countless med-fan classes since then, so the trick is to narrow them down without missing anything major. The other trick is to see classes not as a profession, but as a meta-game feature. In this instance, the class is just a statement of emphasis: is the character mostly Physical, Mental, Supernatural, or some blend thereof? The name of the class is more of a helpful theme than a mandate of what the character must do.
Ancalagon
Dusty Dragon
I am wary of mandatory symmetry as well.
I think it's a good idea to think about medieval archetypes that may not be well served by the current class selection, but ...
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
PPP - Fighter
PPM - Tomb Raider (Any Adventuring Scholar type eg Indiana Jones), Horseman, Monk
PPS - Cleric (Paladin)
MMM - Scholar,
MMP - Rogue (skill mokey), Merchants and Swashbucklers too
MMS - Priest (Friar Tuck)
SSS - Scorcerer
SSP - Warlock
SSM - Wizard
PMS - Bard
PPM - Tomb Raider (Any Adventuring Scholar type eg Indiana Jones), Horseman, Monk
PPS - Cleric (Paladin)
MMM - Scholar,
MMP - Rogue (skill mokey), Merchants and Swashbucklers too
MMS - Priest (Friar Tuck)
SSS - Scorcerer
SSP - Warlock
SSM - Wizard
PMS - Bard
Bromjunaar
First Post
I was looking at putting Ranger as I did because I view that as a Fighter who earned his place through being a very skilled fighter. (M being more a focus on skills and learned tricks, application of the brain if you will, P being a kick ass fighter/combatant, application of the body, S being a how natural magic is to them, as I view it)
As far as Aristocrats and Experts go, Expert would probably be a better fit for MMM as a general class. Aristocrat could go anywhere on the board depending on the world and campaign, since different cultures give different emphasis to different traits that are desirable in their leadership. That means in some campaigns, the Aristocrat would work better in a PPM slot, a MMP slot, a PMS slot, or even a MMS slot, depending on if the local leadership style is clan chieftain, High King warrior, a High Priest war chief, or a wizened elder who knows some parlor tricks to get people to listen to him.
SSS would work for any inate magic or mystic class that is focused around the power within and what is naturally felt, so shaman could fit within this set well enough, though they might branch towards SSP and PMS from how they are taught/learn to work the aether.
I will agree though that the names for each archetype might need a touch of work.
GMMichael
Guide of Modos
...you need a day or two to let us know what those might be?
The "adventuring" is a good distinction on the PPM scholar. It implies that a character, or adventuring, has a required Physical component to it. Tomb Raider is a good choice, but is there a medieval equivalent? Also interesting to see rogues and merchants in the same category. Does the handling of large quantities of money constitute a class characteristic? Are merchants less physically oriented than rogues, or is that not a necessary distinction?
[MENTION=996]Tony Vargas[/MENTION] dropped the Mastermind into the MMM slot, which has a definite villain-flavor to it. Scholar has no flavor, except for a hint of Harry Potter. And sages...are just old. Aren't they?
This has me thinking that there could be three base classes - warrior, mage, thief - and each one has two varieties based on which direction it takes to differ from the base. The Skyrim standing stones might be too much of a pigeon hole though, but warrior/fighter and mage/wizard seem pretty obvious. Poet doesn't sound like a good class, but as a person who uses his mind to get what he needs, it fills the gap between warrior and mage pretty well.
True, but I wonder if it takes on some common characteristics if you consider it another term for "leader." Charisma, inheritance, followers, good genes...do these traits show up across cultures?
