D&D 3E/3.5 4E Paragon Paths look like 3E Half-Celestial and Half-Fiend Templates

[victorysaber]

Apologies if this has been brought up before.

But when I read about the 4E Paragon Paths, well, they sounded like 3E Monster Templates. Not all templates of course, they look more like Half-Celestial or Half-Fiend templates.

In that at XX HD, you get XX ability. So it's a progressive template, it gives you more powers as you level up.

Of course, in 4E's case it's a template without any plusses to the CR. It's like... a free template! For me, well, I've really been trying to do Sailormoon as a template (instead of a Magical Girl class, yes I know BESM exists but I didn't want it as a class), and hearing about Paragon Paths really fit with the ideas I've really wanted to do.

Now I can tack on anime abilities to my heroes (good thing), make them Lone Wolf Kai Lords without forcing them into a prestige class (I always thought Kai Lords should be a tradition rather than a pure class by itself), and many more things "fit" without being made into classes.

To me, it seems the Paragon Paths make for a third dimension of characters, the other two being race and class.

So I want to say... I like it and I'm going to try and implement it in my 3E games.

Have I gotten all the assumptions correct?

 

[FabioMilitoPagliara]

snip

Have I gotten all the assumptions correct?

I would expect that you can choose between some abilities of that path/destin and maybe there will be some prerequisite but mostly should be like what you said

 

[Belorin]

What was that middle part again?
Sailormoon Template?
Paragon paths are just a way to add to your primary class(es) once you reach 11th level, you will be able to access new abilities that compliment whatever concept of your character you have.
I don't think transforming wands or magical talking animals come with them.

Bel

 

[captaincursor]

Uh....

I think that epic destinies are most analogous to taking a second prestige class, but rather than gaining abilities based on the organization that your character joins you gain abilities based on the epic destiny that you are headed towards.

 

[Incenjucar]

Paragon paths are described as standard PrCs, but are added to, rather than instead of.

Epic paths are explained the same way, but they're essentially "exist strategies."

Level 30 is basically the "You are now a historical figure" level, and is written like a last chapter, when you attain absolute greatness, like Odysseus when his only task left is to plant an oar, or Hercules when he's sitting in the bonfire.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Apologies if this has been brought up before.

But when I read about the 4E Paragon Paths, well, they sounded like 3E Monster Templates. Not all templates of course, they look more like Half-Celestial or Half-Fiend templates.

In that at XX HD, you get XX ability. So it's a progressive template, it gives you more powers as you level up.

Of course, in 4E's case it's a template without any plusses to the CR. It's like... a free template! For me, well, I've really been trying to do Sailormoon as a template (instead of a Magical Girl class, yes I know BESM exists but I didn't want it as a class), and hearing about Paragon Paths really fit with the ideas I've really wanted to do.

Now I can tack on anime abilities to my heroes (good thing), make them Lone Wolf Kai Lords without forcing them into a prestige class (I always thought Kai Lords should be a tradition rather than a pure class by itself), and many more things "fit" without being made into classes.

To me, it seems the Paragon Paths make for a third dimension of characters, the other two being race and class.

So I want to say... I like it and I'm going to try and implement it in my 3E games.

Have I gotten all the assumptions correct?

I think the comparison is pretty accurate.

Implementing into your own game should be possible. It might require some tinkering to find "fair" template equivalents for what you want to achieve, but that's what new PrCs and classes need, too.

I wonder of the racial abilities that are gained by level will work similar to Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies. It would make sense, but on the other hand, you might want a lot of different racial abilities to allow for some diversification between the races.

I like this concept also as a basic framework to grant characters unique powers - like Dragonmarks, for example, but maybe also superhero powers (not so fitting for most fantasy games, but a D20 Modern game could benefit from it).