D&D General Best NPC Classes (Dragon Magazine)

[Cruentus]

The Oracle was included in the Best of Dragon Vol V. (Initially in Dragon #53)

Of course, if you go to a level one Oracle, they can only dowse for water, oil, or metals (15% chance) or do some Numerology (8% chance). Better wait till they're higher level....

 

[SkidAce]

I liked the Oracle and the Revised Monk best, followed by the Incantatrix and Witch.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

What class would you like to see in 5th Ed. I love the urban druid, although now it would be only a subclass.

 

[Celebrim]

Classes that actually saw use in campaigns I played in:

Merchant, Corsair, Mariner, Duelist, Archer, Jester and Sentinel

 

[Paul Farquhar]

and was Houri from Dragon?

Houri was from White Dwarf.

 

[Voadam]

There was an Anti-Paladin PC in a campaign I ran (powered almost entirely by the cool rep of the class name, might have died fighting the New Master in the Temple of Elemental Evil) and I believe an archer one too (winged elf archer one shot killed by the New Master using his staff of striking 3 charge hit). I think I used a Death Master as an NPC. I believe my brother played a revised monk in a one shot and loved it. I considered playing a bounty hunter once but it never came to be.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

There was an Anti-Paladin PC in a campaign I ran (powered almost entirely by the cool rep of the class name)

I think I saw more anti-paladin characters then any 1 non phb class back in the 90s

 

[Cadence]

Fine, then how could you not include the alternative monk, the one that was actually worth playing (d4 HD and no dex AC bonus, grumble, grumble, grumble).

I believe both the Duelist and the alternative monk were in a Best of Dragon collection as well. The bounty hunter and Jester were there too.

Best of Dragon III had the redesigned Monk and B***, along with the Archer and Alchemist.

Like Star Trek movies, the Best Of Dragon even volumes had the best NPC classes. (I'll include my placement in parentheses)

II
Anti-Paladin (8)
Berserker
Healer
Ninja
Lycanthrope
Samurai (7)
Scribe

IV
Bandit (5)
Bounty Hunter
Cloistered Cleric (6)
Death Master (2)
Duelist (4)
Jester
Scribe
Smith

Others-
Incantrix (1) (Dragon 90)
Witch (3) (Multiple, Dragon 114 has the best/final)
Shaman (9) (Dragon 141)
Beastmaster (10) (Dragon 119)

And now I'm wondering if I still have my four best of Dragon volumes... (I'm pretty sure I don't have my run from 63 into the 90s anymore)... or if there is a reprint hardcover of them. Would love to have that on the shelf next to my 1e books.

 

[Voadam]

I think I saw more anti-paladin characters then any 1 non phb class back in the 90s

For me it was 3.5 Unearthed Arcana with its inclusion in the SRD and Pathfinder where they became common options.

The older brother of one of my gaming friends had the issue of Dragon or the Best of Dragon with it so I let him play one the few times he was around in the 80s. Otherwise it was a class that was referenced a bunch in Dragon and in discussions but was otherwise sort of mythical for my gaming circles because none of my friends had any solid details on its specifics, just second hand references.

I eventually got the Dragon Archive CD and was able to read about them and the paladin of every alignment articles.

Specialty priests were the most common non-PH class I saw in the 90s.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

And now I'm wondering if I still have my four best of Dragon volumes... (I'm pretty sure I don't have my run from 63 into the 90s anymore)... or if there is a reprint hardcover of them. Would love to have that on the shelf next to my 1e books.

Old gamers never quit.

We just lose our books.