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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1454468" data-attributes="member: 15470">I don't think that it is important for each class to be perfectly balanced to each other class, and definitely agree with the 'balance does not equal combat effectiveness' camp.I do want to see balance between the character classes to the point where I want to play a long-running character of each major class. This becomes especially important to me when you have similar classes. If you're going to write Sorceror and Wizard classes, they need to be balanced enough that I as a player am intrigued to play both, and don't look at the rules and think, "Oh, this one is far superior to that one." I don't want to see an Assassin class which provides everything the Thief can do and then some... I want an Assassin class which does some things better, at the cost of giving up other things.This is the problem I'm having with so many of the published prestige classes - I know, different boat, but I want to make an example, not open a can of worms. I've seen a number of prestige classes which spin off of one of the base classes... but seem to offer significantly more 'new cool powers' which the character wouldn't get by continuing to progress with the base class. If the prC doesn't have some serious and hefty counterweights to that, then it becomes a 'no-brainer' choice for anyone playing the base class to move into the prC class at higher levels. So it is with balancing the base classes: you need to provide a niche for each, and ensure that no class overwhelms one of its neighbors at the neighbor's niche. If you're writing a Fighter and a Monk, its very important that the Fighter win if they square off with swords and armor, and the Monk win if they square off with bare knuckles and chests. If that isn't true.. then whichever one would "win" the opposite's niche is overbalanced. Then, as others have pointed out, its the GM's job to provide a roughly equal number of uses of the players' niches, giving each an opportunity to 'shine'... and ideally, calling up situations which focus on the niche of a class the players don't have, so that they must improvise their way around that weakness.</blockquote>

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