D&D General Class fluff and reflavor

[DnD Warlord]

Changing the flavor that go with classes. The idea is pretty simple and I am sure that to some degree or another we have all done it. However Morrius's Barbarian thread made me remember a world I did a year or so ago with some modifications. I wonder if anyone else has any to share…



Here is mine, I swapped Rogues and Fighters then I swapped Barbarians and Monks (why that thread made me remember)



So the classes were mechanically as printed… but



my tribesmen that would be called barbarians had the Monk class… they were known for using simple weapons (aka tools more then weapons) and there own hands, heads, and feet. They were fast and deadly striking many times and having an inner almost magical well spring of power (ki stuff). Most of them wore furs or paint instead of armor, but they all were all very observant and fast to react. Some focused on hitting better (open hand) some were more shamanic with the elements(four elements), and others took a darker path (shadow)(Class Monk)



My monastic order was martial, trained to fight as well as meditate and preach. They held all of there emotions in check and had a combat meditation that allowed them to strike harder and resist most attacks with body hardening techniques. Some focused on animal styles (totem), some focused on better but more exaction battle meditation (frenzy) (Class Barbarian)



My main warriors were well trained and well read. They focused more on speed then strength. They knew where to place there shots to do the most damage, and they learned how to roll with punches and explosions. (Class Rogue)



My thieves were all brutes, focusing on hitting hard but also more used to being hit then there warrior counter parts (class fighter)



The best part was the sub classes of eldritch knight and arcane tricksters…so my skilled warriors learned illusions and enchantments well my dirty thieves focused on self protection and blowing things up…



So going by this I had a village being protected by a local monastery (barbarians) I had orc and gnoll battle ragers (monks) and the standing army at the two major city states were all wielding rapiers and in studded leather as skirmishers. Mean while both cities also had thieves guilds that were basically gangs of roughens





I also played with an idea (a bit before this but never did it) where Warlocks and Sorcerers where seen as the 'real' mages of the game and wizards were the occult demonologist and one offs…but it would require a bit more then fluff change.

 

[Ancalagon]

I think this can be use very well, but has to be done judiciously.

A monk (or a barbarian) however, can be easy to RP but sometimes the roleplaying seems a bit "narrow". It can be fun for such classes to explore other flavors/fluff to expand the roleplaying.

I have played a barbarian that was a hermit - a wandering dervish, a wise man with potent inner strength.

I am working on a Kensei Monk where all their powers are attributed to being a elf - high speed/agility, swordsmanship and archery, stunning is based on elven's connection to higher power (invoke Elbereth for example).

However, I'm not sure it's as useful for other classes. A fighter can be almost... anything. RP wise, they are not much constrained by their class.

 

[Voadam]

I played a Dwarven life domain cleric as a nontheist rune smith. "Look you don't need to worship gods. It only takes 20 or so years of apprenticeship to a rune smith, anybody can do this kind of magic."

He was in a party with a charlatan background wizard who was pretending to be a cleric of the god of magic.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Bard + Fighter = Warlord

 

[Weiley31]

I see nothing wrong with it and encourage it. For my Battle Master, I basically just reflavored the name of the Subclass as Warblade since the Maneuvers reminds me of the Tome of Battle's Warblade and I liked that class. Sometimes a name change is all that's needed.

A 5E Half-Dragon is basically a reflavored Dragonborn, just describe it as a half dragon or whatever species with some dragon traits. A 4E Fear Dragonborn in 5E is basically a 5E Dragonborn with its breath weapon swapped out for the Theros Leonin's Roar. Follow the same rules for determining its DC check and just describe it as a Fear Aura Sometimes you can do a light change/swap of the mechanics if you want follow something a bit more.

A Fey'ri is basically a reflavored Tiefling, with Fey Ancestry added/swapped in.

The Path of the Beast Primal path, well you can reflavor/refluff that as a 3.5 Ragewalker, especially if you have an Elf/Half-Elf take the class.

Heck I even read in an article once that mentioned/argued that you can flavor your spells as "summon spirits" that appear, does the spell effect, and then gets the dodge outta there til "summoned" again. That was an interesting take on class reflavoring for spell casters.
Lots of good stuff.

 

[Flamestrike]

I've re fluffed the Hexblade patron to be:

Elistraee, and the sword her moon blade.
My Gold elfs Moon blade as the patron.
The Lich Queen for my Githyanki and my Silver Sword.

Etc.

I've also re fluffed an Aaracrocka to be a human with a fly speed (for my Monk as I wanted to be Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon from 1st level).

Fluff changes allow concepts to function. I see no problems with them.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

My Hexblade Warlock's patron was Karsus, who bonded me to the spirit of a force of creating magic weapons, granting my character their powers.

My Arcana Cleric was a "fake wizard" who took the "easy way" to get arcane magic.

Paladins in a homebrew world of mine are bodyguards, policemen, and bouncers.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

In 3e, we came up with an urban barbarian. We switched around a couple of skills, but basically the character was a regular barbarian, except that he was born in the slums of a crime-ridden metropolis.