Core and PrC Class Proliferation

[Estlor]

The Romans really weren't so different in some ways: You could leave your apartment, pick up a shirt with your teams colors on it at the mall, go to the sports arena, pick up your tickets at the will-call desk, grab something from the concession stands, and enjoy a game of soccer.

Yeah, but today's sporting events don't usually end when your team gets mauled to death by a lion. *rimshot*

I don't want to argue about whether we have too many classes or not. People will always want more (or less). But let's get one thing straight. There are exactly 11 core classes in 3(.5)e. No more. No less. Barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, and wizard. Now, base classes, that's a different story. From WotC alone there are currently 32 of them (including the Complete series, Oriental Adventures, Miniatures Handbook, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Dragonlance, and Eberron): artificer, barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, favored soul, fighter, hex blade, marshall, monk, mystic, ninja, noble, paladin, psion, psychic warrior, ranger, rogue, samurai, scout, shaman, shugenja, sohei, sorcerer, spellthief, spirit shaman, swashbuckler, war mage, warlock, wilder, wizard, and wu jen. (33 if you count the Erudite from Dragon Magazine.)

Bah! Just a pet peeve of mine. Core = in the PHB, DMG, or MM. Base = 20 level class you are capable of taking at 1st level. The core classes are base classes, but not all base classes are core classes.

 

[The Shaman]

Yeah, but today's sporting events don't usually end when your team gets mauled to death by a lion. *rimshot*

Reminds me of a line from The West Wing:
CJ Cregg: (speaking of two turkeys at Thanksgiving) "The winner gets a long and happy life at a children's petting zoo in Delaware and the loser, well, gets eaten."
President Bartlett: "Y'know, if the Oscars were like that, I'd watch."



If I was inclined to run another fantasy campaign right now, I would probably go with the generic classes from UA - the only thing stopping me is the time it would take to make the class abilities list for the players to choose from.