Anyone using the Generic Classes from UA?
- Thread starter mhensley
- Start date
BiggusGeekus
That's Latin for "cool"
I haven't played the class, but the Spellcaster struck me as having an enormous ammount of freedom. Any spell, any casting attribute (INT/CHA/WIS), any four skills as class skills, and with extra feats to boot. That's a pretty nice package even though it looks really unassuming.
But I haven't playtested it or anything.
But I haven't playtested it or anything.
Estlor
Explorer
I haven't used them, but I've really been considering doing D20 Modern style Advanced Classes of all the base classes out and running a campaign with that instead. PCs have to start in the Generic Classes, then have the option of growing into Advanced or Prestige Classes along the way.
When I get some free time, I'll try statting some up.
When I get some free time, I'll try statting some up.
AFGNCAAP
First Post
I haven't had a chance to use them in a game yet, but I'm working on campaigns where they're primarily used.
One campaign is a 3.5 conversion of Lankhmar, which the generics work perfectly for. However, I'm also using a lot of other UA rules for this game since it's one of the settings that defines classic, low-magic, "sword & sorcery."
Another campaign is based off of a setting used in my fantasy fiction. Standard D&D (in any form) never really cut it for my settings, though I'm a big fan of the game (and other game systems had I lot of elements that I didn't like in them). It pretty much uses the standard generic classes as-is, though I'm altering the standard races, & creating setting-specific PrCs.
Though you could feasibly create all of the class abilities as feats (just with strict prerequisites/feat chains), I think that some class abilities should remain as class abilities, & only be available through PrCs made for the generic classes. A generic unarmed combatant seems great for generics, but the mystical, devoted martial artist ala the Monk core class, IMHO, seems best suited as a PrC for the generic classes (just have a generic PC follow the unarmed combatant path as a warrior or expert to gain access to such a PrC).
I did make up a couple of unique feats/flaws for the generic classes. They're 1st-level character feats only, so they can't be taken later at all, or multiple times.
New Feats for Generic Classes:
Increased Skill Points: Increase the character's base skill points for her class by 2. (Warriors and spellcasters go from 2 to 4; experts go from 6 to 8.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
Increased Hit Die: Increase the character's base Hit Die for her class by one die type. (Warriors go from a d10 to a d12; Experts go from a d6 to a d8; Spellcasters go from a d4 to a d6.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
New Flaws for Generic Classes:
Decreased Skill Points: Decrease the character's base skill points for her class by 2. (Experts go from 6 to 4.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Character must have a skill point base of 4 or higher (before adding racial/Int modifiers). Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
Decreased Hit Die: Decrease the character's base Hit Die for her class by one die type. (Warriors go from a d10 to a d8; Experts go from a d6 to a d4.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Character must have a base Hit Die of d6 or higher. Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
I think these feats work rather well with the generic classes: it allows for a bit of variety for characters.
One campaign is a 3.5 conversion of Lankhmar, which the generics work perfectly for. However, I'm also using a lot of other UA rules for this game since it's one of the settings that defines classic, low-magic, "sword & sorcery."
Another campaign is based off of a setting used in my fantasy fiction. Standard D&D (in any form) never really cut it for my settings, though I'm a big fan of the game (and other game systems had I lot of elements that I didn't like in them). It pretty much uses the standard generic classes as-is, though I'm altering the standard races, & creating setting-specific PrCs.
Though you could feasibly create all of the class abilities as feats (just with strict prerequisites/feat chains), I think that some class abilities should remain as class abilities, & only be available through PrCs made for the generic classes. A generic unarmed combatant seems great for generics, but the mystical, devoted martial artist ala the Monk core class, IMHO, seems best suited as a PrC for the generic classes (just have a generic PC follow the unarmed combatant path as a warrior or expert to gain access to such a PrC).
I did make up a couple of unique feats/flaws for the generic classes. They're 1st-level character feats only, so they can't be taken later at all, or multiple times.
New Feats for Generic Classes:
Increased Skill Points: Increase the character's base skill points for her class by 2. (Warriors and spellcasters go from 2 to 4; experts go from 6 to 8.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
Increased Hit Die: Increase the character's base Hit Die for her class by one die type. (Warriors go from a d10 to a d12; Experts go from a d6 to a d8; Spellcasters go from a d4 to a d6.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
New Flaws for Generic Classes:
Decreased Skill Points: Decrease the character's base skill points for her class by 2. (Experts go from 6 to 4.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Character must have a skill point base of 4 or higher (before adding racial/Int modifiers). Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
Decreased Hit Die: Decrease the character's base Hit Die for her class by one die type. (Warriors go from a d10 to a d8; Experts go from a d6 to a d4.)
Restrictions: May be only taken at 1st level. Character must have a base Hit Die of d6 or higher. Cannot be taken multiple times (i.e., it cannot be selected again if a character multi-classes into another class or a PrC).
I think these feats work rather well with the generic classes: it allows for a bit of variety for characters.
This past weekend I actually just started playing in a no-magic game using the generic rules, so far it's been pretty good. We're also using the Vitality/Wound system which makes for a nice change (man do those wound hits screw your character up).
The other thing is I asked the Dm if I could drop the warriors hd from d10 to d8 to get 4sp instead of 2, worked out great, although he wouldn't let me drop the medium armor for something else. It worked better since the character is a hunter/archer type.
One thing I would have liked is more feats of class abilities, but that's usually pretty easy to whip up, at least for this game since there is no magic we don't have to worry about any of the really out there class abilities and how they'd balance as a feat or two feats.
It's definately fun because you get to customize your character a great deal more, although I don't think I would ever recommend using them alongside the PHB classes since it seems like WotC thinks that if you have your choice of abilities you are that much more powerful than the standard classes that I don't think they would stand up so well on a straight up basis.
The other thing is I asked the Dm if I could drop the warriors hd from d10 to d8 to get 4sp instead of 2, worked out great, although he wouldn't let me drop the medium armor for something else. It worked better since the character is a hunter/archer type.
One thing I would have liked is more feats of class abilities, but that's usually pretty easy to whip up, at least for this game since there is no magic we don't have to worry about any of the really out there class abilities and how they'd balance as a feat or two feats.
It's definately fun because you get to customize your character a great deal more, although I don't think I would ever recommend using them alongside the PHB classes since it seems like WotC thinks that if you have your choice of abilities you are that much more powerful than the standard classes that I don't think they would stand up so well on a straight up basis.
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