D&D 5E (2014) Should martial characters be mundane or supernatural?

[Minigiant]

Both

There should be a mundane martial class and a supernatural martial class. As well as a magical martial class.

However all three should span all Tiers of play,

 

[Tonguez]

Its a fundamental question about the nature of reality as evidenced in the game.

What is considered Mundane is entirely dependent on what the world considers Supernatural and in a world of common magic the mundane might not exist at all.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The term is Badass Normal.

Mundane in context of their world, but capable of doing awesome stuff that makes 'realism' sad.

 

[Tony Vargas]

What is considered Mundane is entirely dependent on what the world considers Supernatural and in a world of common magic the mundane might not exist at all.

Or some sorts of magic might be mundane. You could be a courthouse mage who casts amanuensis at trials all day.

...oh, LE Modesitt had a setting with a magocracy where there ruling 'white mages' sent lesser members of the order to magically, but still laboriously, day-in, day-out, blast the capital's sewers clean...

 

[Voadam]

I feel that there should be both in D&D.

Conan should be a D&D option. Spartacus style amazing non-magical combatants. Samurai Jack. Fantasy James Bond expert at skills and fighting.

But also explicitly superpowered paladins. Warhammer style Chaos champions. 4e Swordmage magical weirdness.

Ideally balanced against each other and the other classes in the game.

 

[Muh]

I see two approaches to the fighter and they should both be available to the player:

1: The class that isn't supernatural but which becomes supernatural at or around level 7
2: The class that is explicitly supernaturally themed from levels 1-20.

There is no design space for a "mundane" character beyond level 7 or so.

 

[Umbran]

Why does everything need to be labelled? There is no particular need to name the source of power for each thing, since we don't do much of anything with that information.

When I watch a fantasy movie, lots of times guys with swords do things that would be simply ridiculous and impossible in our real world. But nobody in the film gasps and says, "Oh, my gosh, that guy is using magic!!!1!!one!".

Martial characters in D&D need to keep up with wizards and cleric who throw fireballs and summon demons from the netherworlds. Those martial characters will therefore need to be capable of feats that would be ridiculous to see in our world.

I DO NOT CARE if that is called "mundane" or "supernatural." I care about the resulting functionality and balance, not the label. To make everyone happy, build the function, and for some subclasses call it "mundane" and for others, flavor it as some supernatural source.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Both

There should be a mundane martial class and a supernatural martial class. As well as a magical martial class.

However all three should span all Tiers of play,

this

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Simple enough question. What are your thoughts?

I'm against whatever other people are for.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Both

There should be a mundane martial class and a supernatural martial class. As well as a magical martial class.

However all three should span all Tiers of play,

The issue is that I don't think "20th level mundane" is a coherent concept, at least not unless we are super liberal with the definition of "mundane."