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<blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 8590989" data-attributes="member: 7635">The issue here is that class, moreso than race, is completely built on archetypes. While you single out unarmored defense as an example of essentialism, you can quite easily do the same with nearly every class: rogues are always agile and nimble, priests are wiser than other people, arcane magic is reserved for the smart or the charismatic. Bards and paladins are always socially adept, etc. Further, bard, monk, barbarian, druid, even warlock and paladin all have some cultural elements dragged in from the origin of the archetype. You won't escape those tropes without losing those names. (See also: the whole debate on why druids have armor restrictions). Thus, you are looking at a symptom of the larger whole: classes being a fairly narrow archetypes that are dependent on certain ability scores. If you want to fix the problem of class and essentialism, you must:<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Remove ability scores from having any influence on class ability. A wizard has the same magical power if he has an 8 or an 18 Int.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Remove or rename classes that have strong cultural elements so that they no longer stand in for a specific culture.</li>
</ul></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Remathilis, post: 8590989, member: 7635"] The issue here is that class, moreso than race, is completely built on archetypes. While you single out unarmored defense as an example of essentialism, you can quite easily do the same with nearly every class: rogues are always agile and nimble, priests are wiser than other people, arcane magic is reserved for the smart or the charismatic. Bards and paladins are always socially adept, etc. Further, bard, monk, barbarian, druid, even warlock and paladin all have some cultural elements dragged in from the origin of the archetype. You won't escape those tropes without losing those names. (See also: the whole debate on why druids have armor restrictions). Thus, you are looking at a symptom of the larger whole: classes being a fairly narrow archetypes that are dependent on certain ability scores. If you want to fix the problem of class and essentialism, you must: [LIST] [*]Remove ability scores from having any influence on class ability. A wizard has the same magical power if he has an 8 or an 18 Int. [*]Remove or rename classes that have strong cultural elements so that they no longer stand in for a specific culture. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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