Backgrounds & Themes
- Thread starter Brix
- Start date
UngeheuerLich
Legend
yes. This more or less.
(Judging from the look of it)
Seems very well. Hope it plays well on tuesday!
(Judging from the look of it)
Seems very well. Hope it plays well on tuesday!
hafrogman
Adventurer
We currently have four base classes represented in the pre-gens. We will see more base classes later.
The important distinction vs. kits is that backgrounds and themes are not tied to classes. In 2e, each kit was distinct to a class, necessitating different kits to apply the same flavor to different classes. Hedge wizard, peasant hero, peasant priest could now all be rolled under the 'commoner' background.
The important distinction vs. kits is that backgrounds and themes are not tied to classes. In 2e, each kit was distinct to a class, necessitating different kits to apply the same flavor to different classes. Hedge wizard, peasant hero, peasant priest could now all be rolled under the 'commoner' background.
That's certainly a nice feature
But I had something different in minf:
Do we stay with four base classes?
If you take a look a the pregens, there is a cleric (priest) and a wizard (magic user).
How about a warrior (paladin) or a warrior (ranger) or a rouge (bard) or a (wizard warlock), etc..
Sanglorian
Adventurer
No, we'll have more base classes—at least that's the plan at the moment. For example, look at the articles they've posted about their design goals for the Fighter, for the Paladin, for the Wizard, etc.
And I'm happy with it working like that. A sorcerer would have to work mechanically so differently to a wizard that it's easier to have it as a separate class. You could pass off a priest fighter or a cleric (guardian) as a paladin, but that was true in earlier editions too.
Rhoan01ZBT
First Post
Backgrounds give you skill training, and a nice feature that's rather open-ended and helps explain how your character interacts with the game world. For instance, someone with a background as a common laborer would start with a trade they knew like blacksmithing, whereas someone with a background in research may not know the answer to your question but would know that the library / scholar / high priest in the next town over does.
Themes seem tied to feats, so you pick a theme and can follow the list of feats on it to create that kind of character. A character that wants to be a guardian to his companions might gain feats related to using their shield to protect them or hinder opponents, for instance.
One thing we didn't notice on the pre-gen character sheets was tiny text under Background and Theme that said if you wanted a more old-school experience you could ditch these two things entirely. That would leave you with just your class features in terms of what your character can do.
Themes seem tied to feats, so you pick a theme and can follow the list of feats on it to create that kind of character. A character that wants to be a guardian to his companions might gain feats related to using their shield to protect them or hinder opponents, for instance.
One thing we didn't notice on the pre-gen character sheets was tiny text under Background and Theme that said if you wanted a more old-school experience you could ditch these two things entirely. That would leave you with just your class features in terms of what your character can do.
hafrogman
Adventurer
The last word we had on the subject was their intention was to include all the base classes from previous PHBs. So Assassin, Barbarian, Bard, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Warlock, Warlord, etc. etc. etc. Now this causes intense debate among everyone, but at least for now it seems like there will be many base classes.
Cleric is special due to the domains, and the desire to have it reflect the different deities. But in general the classes will be a little more specific and be altered by the themes and backgrounds. So a Fighter with a woodsman background and the archer theme might look like a ranger, but he won't be a ranger. But also, turning off backgrounds and themes is an option for those who want the "old-school" feel. Thus ranger needs to stand alone as well.
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