Are the alternate base classes becoming core?

[shadow]

Little by little the various supplements have introduced new base classes - the duskblade, the warlock, the dragon shaman to name a few. It now seems that these classes are considered core. Several WotC now reference them (e.g. splat books introducing "new warlock invocations" and new spells for non core classes). Moreover, players are begging to use these classes. No one wants to play a boring old wizard anymore, they have to be a warlock, a duskblade, or a beguiler. When 4e comes out will these classes be considered core? Will we see a major overhaul of the game to include these classes in the core rules?

 

[I'm A Banana]

The sky isn't falling.

Yeah, these classes are consuming some precious page space in the newer supplements to give new stuff to them, too. This is largely a good thing, since (a) it's usually not that much space, and (b) the classes are, for the most part, very cool. Even the weaker ones have some very nifty fluffy aspects about them.

There's no way many of these classes are getting to be in the core.

The one I could see, possibly, is the Warlock, just because it's "more sorcerer than the sorcerer," and is a very cool "dark wizard" archetype. And, I think if it's put in, it will replace the sorcerer (with perhaps a slight flavor mention in the Warlock's write-up about "dragon descendants" or something).

Moreover, players are begging to use these classes. No one wants to play a boring old wizard anymore, they have to be a warlock, a duskblade, or a beguiler.

Human beings crave novelty. These are new and fresh and pretty sweet. They're new inspiration and territory to explore. What's the problem?

 

[Mouseferatu]

Moreover, players are begging to use these classes.

You know, this just hasn't been my experience. Oh, sure, I've both seen and played some of these new classes, but for each warlock, scout, warblade, or favored soul, I've seen a handful of members of the core classes. They still, to this day, make up the majority of the classes in any campaign I've seen. I myself have played a warlock, a scout, a marshal, a duskblade, a binder, and a crusader, but I've also--even since these classes began to come out--played many more members of core classes, and my two favorite characters in the past several years have been a druid and a divination-specialist wizard.

 

[hong]

Current game I'm in has a wizard/shadowdancer, fighter/barb, druid, cleric and eldritch knight. All core except for me, a swordsage. The splatbooks that people seem to use most often are PHB2 and Spell Compendium, but that's for the feats and spells, not the classes.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

No one wants to play a boring old wizard anymore, they have to be a warlock, a duskblade, or a beguiler.

Well ... in my two games at ENWorld I have:

Rogue/Sorcerer, Cleric, Scout, Fighter and a Sorcerer, Beguiler, Cleric, Paladin.

That's 2 out of 8 that aren't core. I think that's fair - especially given all the base classes that have been added. Given that the PHB classes got 6 out of 8 ... or really 7 out of 9 if you count the rogue/sorcerer as 2 ... I think that is evidence that the CORE classes are still okay.

Now, my Story Hours are a bit different. The main characters from the stories are a Duskblade, Wizard, Psion, Favored Soul. But I love those classes!

 

[Corsair]

my parties:

Party 1: Wizard(+PrCs), Fighter/Barb, Paladin, Rogue/Wiz/ArcaneTrickster, Druid, Fighter/Ranger, Samurai

Party 2: Barb/Ranger, Barb/Fighter, Monk, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue/fighter


So... one non-core class out of 13 characters?

 

[Wik]

Yeah. My group has only one "non-core" out of four - and if you count the three PCs played by a now-absent member, only one out of seven. I don't see too much of a problem, although if some classes that can hit more than four encounters (like the dragon shaman, which allows groups to keep on going, or the warlock, which has unlimited spells), I think that'd be a good thing.

 

[starwed]

I think I agree that a class with the Warlock mechanic replacing the sorcerer is the most likely scenario, in terms of the new base classes entering the "core" of future editions.

 

[Glyfair]

I think I agree that a class with the Warlock mechanic replacing the sorcerer is the most likely scenario, in terms of the new base classes entering the "core" of future editions.

I think there are two classes with a decent shot of becoming core. The warlock is one. The Favored Soul is the other.

There is definitely room for a spontaneous divine caster. Of the options we have, I think the favored soul lends itself best to the role. I would expect a lot of revision and reworking, but I do think it would be the base.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

I still see lots of base classes, because they are more flexible than any of the newer base classes. A favored soul can be cool, and its Mystic mirror-image is evem mroe coool, but a cleric has them beat hands down in nearly every way. (And reflex saves arethe weaket save in the game)

The new classes can be cooler, for sure, but I don't see any that are more powerful than a good setup of PHB classes.