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Corsairs of the Celestial Sea - Wuxia Space Fantasy - Setting & Systems
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<blockquote data-quote="DammitVictor" data-source="post: 9073800" data-attributes="member: 6750908"><p><strong>Classes and Clades</strong></p><p></p><p>Like I mentioned, one of my main goals in replacing all of the classes in 5e was to remove <em>Fighter</em>, <em>Rogue</em>, <em>Mage</em> and <em>Cleric</em> as "default" options, in favor of a larger number of narrower classes. I'm also removing the <em>Monk</em> class because <em>everyone</em> has ki, fast movement, and martial arts.</p><p></p><p>I'm generally fuzzy on the distinction between "warrior" and "rogue" classes, with the general impression that some warriors are not rogues, some rogues are not warriors, but most warriors <em>or</em> rogues are warriors <em>and</em> rogues. This... is not helpful.</p><p></p><p>The warriors/rogues I'm working with so far: <strong>Cavalier</strong> (swashbuckler/cavalier/paladin), <strong>Freebooter </strong>(swashbuckler/thief), <strong>Ranger </strong>(ranger/rogue), <strong>Berserker</strong>, <strong>Assassin </strong>(assassin/ninja/way of shadows), <strong>Alchemist </strong>(both PF bomb-chucker and Daoist), <strong>Investigator </strong>(inquisitive/archeologist)... and I really want to have a <strong>Courtier</strong> class but I can't figure out what it does except be worse at martial arts than a Cavalier.</p><p></p><p>Still working out my "psychic" selection, but generally there will be a few different options and psychics tend to be secondary warriors.</p><p></p><p><strong>Bard </strong>is most of what you'd expect it to be, but also has a firm grasp on elemental magics because the class includes the <em>sha'ir</em> and the <em>magus</em>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Shaman</strong> is... probably the replacement Cleric for "default priest" since pretty much all of the religions in the setting use them. They're more or less a cross between the PF Oracle and the 3.X Shugenja, adapted to use the Chinese elements instead of the Japanese. The <strong>Sorcerer</strong> lies in a weird space between Draconic and Divine Soul, and has some transformative/melee options based on draconic feats and/or the Dragon Disciple. <strong>Warlock </strong>is your pretty standard Hexblade/Fiend type.</p><p></p><p>The<strong> Druid </strong>is still mostly recognizable... losing elemental spells and spells that affect non-living matter to gain access to more mind-affecting spells and having a more focused and <em>weirder</em> version of <em>wildshape</em>. <strong>Witches</strong> are more teamwork focused, with party buffs and debuffs instead of self-buffs. </p><p></p><p>Then we get into the <strong>Alien Classes</strong>, since this will be a race-as-class system. As you might have guessed from the list of <em>sources</em> I'm drawing from, I've got a truly <em>extensive </em>and <em>excessive</em> list of aliens to work with here. Especially for a race-as-class system.</p><p></p><p>The D&D/OA races are:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Elves</strong> are Fey with Arcane magic, basically either full martial and medium bard/magi, or vice versa. They're <em>fast</em> and teleportative, and between Solar Wind and Elemental Flux they can throw out a lot of energy damage.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Dwarves </strong>are miniature Giants, heavy and slow, full martial but with penalties for accessing supernatural abilities. They're hard to hurt, hard to move, and hard to move <em>around</em>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I'm combining <em>halflings </em>and <em>gnomes </em>into <strong>Gnomes</strong>. The gnomish subraces are <em>fraal </em>(rock gnome), <em>hin</em> (forest gnome/ghostwise halfling), and <em>xeph. </em>Gnomes are telepathic and good with divination, illusion, and enchantment magics.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I'm dividing <em>kobolds</em> into the horned ratling <strong>ysoki</strong> (nezumi/monkey goblin scavengers) and the reptilian <strong>t'sa </strong>(<a href="https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/samurai-sheepdog/accelerist/" target="_blank">accelerist</a>/<a href="https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/bloodlines/bloodlines-from-paizo/kobold-bloodline-sorcerer-kobold/" target="_blank">kobold</a> sorcerer/<a href="https://dnd.arkalseif.info/classes/swiftblade/index.html" target="_blank">swiftblades</a>)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Goblins </strong>are Fey, sort of pyrokineticist ninjas.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Bugbears </em>are <strong>Weren</strong>, also Fey. It's difficult to thread the needle between honorbound warrior-poets and thugs and bullies that literally feed on their victims' fear, but it occurs to me that individual weren likely try and fail to thread that needle all the time.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Orcs </strong>are brutish, pig-faced humanoids with demonic blood. They come in many fun, vibrant colors! Older, tougher orcs throw around destructive lightning and necrotic magics, but not fire or acid as these interfere with their regenerative abilities. <strong>Ogres </strong>are just bigger, nastier orcs.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Kreen </strong>bear little change from the D&D version. Most kreen the PCs encounter will be <em>thri-kreen</em>, spacers who hatch, serve, and die on their pack's ancestral spelljamming vessels. <em>Xixchil</em> are a rare kreen mutation and special priest caste within (but not wholly a part of) kreen society.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Gith</strong> also bear little change from the D&D version, except there's a single <em>gith </em>race of which <em>githyanki </em>and <em>githzerai</em> are optional subclasses. The gith civil war is the most common cause behind Vlaakith CLVII's repeated switching sides in the eternal hot-and-cold war between the Elven Imperial Navy and the Confederacy of Free Kreen.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Kenku </strong>combine the D&D <em>kenku</em> (obviously based on tengu) and the PF <em>tengu</em>; they're decent flyers, but they can only show off their terrific swordsmanship when not using their wings. They're natural bards, gifted with air magics and with using the power of their voice.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Vishkanya</strong> are pretty purely the PF race of the same name, venomous and hypnotic. Widely believed to be the investors and the namesakes of the Steel Serpent Discipline.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Kappa </strong>are sort of <em>dragonborn </em>anthropomorphic <em>dragon turtles</em> with tough spiked shells and a steam breath weapon. Classwise, they're like draconic bloodragers.</li> </ul><p>The <em>Spelljammer</em>/<em>Star Frontiers</em>, <em>Star•Drive</em>, and <em>Starfinder</em> aliens are:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As mentioned previously, the <strong>fraal </strong>are <em>gnomes</em>, the <strong>t'sa </strong>are (modern) <em>kobolds</em>, and the <strong>weren</strong> are <em>bugbears</em>. The <strong>ysoki </strong>are (classic) <em>kobolds.</em></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The <strong>Hadozee </strong>are also <em>vanara</em>, picking up the D&D/PF vanara racial traits and a lot of the really cool vanara folklore that D&D never used. They keep the gliding ability, but lose the wingflaps, and pick up the fiercer visage and the blood enemy of the <em>yazirian</em>. Classwise they're like horrible paladin jesters.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Dralasites</strong> are still a work in progress, but I'm keeping them pretty close to their 5e SJ appearance and their class is something like an oozemorph/oozeling Shifter.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Aleerin </strong>(mechalus) are mostly PF <em>android</em> and a little bit D&D <em>warforged</em>, but they reproduce naturally and grow their "cybernetic" components organically. They're tactile telepaths, and many develop the ability to enhance their prehensile hair's reach and strength. Classwise, they're akin to the <em>wiremind</em> (cryptic) and <em>living weapon </em>(brawler) android class archetypes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Vesk </strong>are something of a combination of the <em>Starfinder</em> species and the standard D&D lizardfolk, with a little bit of <em>sleeth </em>(from <em>Gamma World</em>) thrown in. They're both ruthlessly pragmatic and rigidly honorbound, and it's this tension that brings out the best and the worst in them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Giff </strong>are big, bad brawlers equally at home with their hand-cannons and their bare hands. Really, Giff are perfect as they are, and I don't need to do anything but <em>include</em> them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I <em>think</em> I am going to end up combining <em>dromites </em>and <strong><em>Shirren</em></strong> as something akin to thoughtsinger/kineticist. And give them wings.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I'm working on what I'd like to do with <em>kasatha </em>and <em>lashunta</em>; I'm taking suggestions, along with suggestions about other <em>Starfinder</em> species I might want to have a go at.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DammitVictor, post: 9073800, member: 6750908"] [B]Classes and Clades[/B] Like I mentioned, one of my main goals in replacing all of the classes in 5e was to remove [I]Fighter[/I], [I]Rogue[/I], [I]Mage[/I] and [I]Cleric[/I] as "default" options, in favor of a larger number of narrower classes. I'm also removing the [I]Monk[/I] class because [I]everyone[/I] has ki, fast movement, and martial arts. I'm generally fuzzy on the distinction between "warrior" and "rogue" classes, with the general impression that some warriors are not rogues, some rogues are not warriors, but most warriors [I]or[/I] rogues are warriors [I]and[/I] rogues. This... is not helpful. The warriors/rogues I'm working with so far: [B]Cavalier[/B] (swashbuckler/cavalier/paladin), [B]Freebooter [/B](swashbuckler/thief), [B]Ranger [/B](ranger/rogue), [B]Berserker[/B], [B]Assassin [/B](assassin/ninja/way of shadows), [B]Alchemist [/B](both PF bomb-chucker and Daoist), [B]Investigator [/B](inquisitive/archeologist)... and I really want to have a [B]Courtier[/B] class but I can't figure out what it does except be worse at martial arts than a Cavalier. Still working out my "psychic" selection, but generally there will be a few different options and psychics tend to be secondary warriors. [B]Bard [/B]is most of what you'd expect it to be, but also has a firm grasp on elemental magics because the class includes the [I]sha'ir[/I] and the [I]magus[/I]. [B]Shaman[/B] is... probably the replacement Cleric for "default priest" since pretty much all of the religions in the setting use them. They're more or less a cross between the PF Oracle and the 3.X Shugenja, adapted to use the Chinese elements instead of the Japanese. The [B]Sorcerer[/B] lies in a weird space between Draconic and Divine Soul, and has some transformative/melee options based on draconic feats and/or the Dragon Disciple. [B]Warlock [/B]is your pretty standard Hexblade/Fiend type. The[B] Druid [/B]is still mostly recognizable... losing elemental spells and spells that affect non-living matter to gain access to more mind-affecting spells and having a more focused and [I]weirder[/I] version of [I]wildshape[/I]. [B]Witches[/B] are more teamwork focused, with party buffs and debuffs instead of self-buffs.[B] [/B] Then we get into the [B]Alien Classes[/B], since this will be a race-as-class system. As you might have guessed from the list of [I]sources[/I] I'm drawing from, I've got a truly [I]extensive [/I]and [I]excessive[/I] list of aliens to work with here. Especially for a race-as-class system. The D&D/OA races are: [LIST] [*][B]Elves[/B] are Fey with Arcane magic, basically either full martial and medium bard/magi, or vice versa. They're [I]fast[/I] and teleportative, and between Solar Wind and Elemental Flux they can throw out a lot of energy damage. [*][B]Dwarves [/B]are miniature Giants, heavy and slow, full martial but with penalties for accessing supernatural abilities. They're hard to hurt, hard to move, and hard to move [I]around[/I]. [*]I'm combining [I]halflings [/I]and [I]gnomes [/I]into [B]Gnomes[/B]. The gnomish subraces are [I]fraal [/I](rock gnome), [I]hin[/I] (forest gnome/ghostwise halfling), and [I]xeph. [/I]Gnomes are telepathic and good with divination, illusion, and enchantment magics. [*]I'm dividing [I]kobolds[/I] into the horned ratling [B]ysoki[/B] (nezumi/monkey goblin scavengers) and the reptilian [B]t'sa [/B]([URL='https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/samurai-sheepdog/accelerist/']accelerist[/URL]/[URL='https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/bloodlines/bloodlines-from-paizo/kobold-bloodline-sorcerer-kobold/']kobold[/URL] sorcerer/[URL='https://dnd.arkalseif.info/classes/swiftblade/index.html']swiftblades[/URL]) [*][B]Goblins [/B]are Fey, sort of pyrokineticist ninjas. [*][I]Bugbears [/I]are [B]Weren[/B], also Fey. It's difficult to thread the needle between honorbound warrior-poets and thugs and bullies that literally feed on their victims' fear, but it occurs to me that individual weren likely try and fail to thread that needle all the time. [*][B]Orcs [/B]are brutish, pig-faced humanoids with demonic blood. They come in many fun, vibrant colors! Older, tougher orcs throw around destructive lightning and necrotic magics, but not fire or acid as these interfere with their regenerative abilities. [B]Ogres [/B]are just bigger, nastier orcs. [*][B]Kreen [/B]bear little change from the D&D version. Most kreen the PCs encounter will be [I]thri-kreen[/I], spacers who hatch, serve, and die on their pack's ancestral spelljamming vessels. [I]Xixchil[/I] are a rare kreen mutation and special priest caste within (but not wholly a part of) kreen society. [*][B]Gith[/B] also bear little change from the D&D version, except there's a single [I]gith [/I]race of which [I]githyanki [/I]and [I]githzerai[/I] are optional subclasses. The gith civil war is the most common cause behind Vlaakith CLVII's repeated switching sides in the eternal hot-and-cold war between the Elven Imperial Navy and the Confederacy of Free Kreen. [*][B]Kenku [/B]combine the D&D [I]kenku[/I] (obviously based on tengu) and the PF [I]tengu[/I]; they're decent flyers, but they can only show off their terrific swordsmanship when not using their wings. They're natural bards, gifted with air magics and with using the power of their voice. [*][B]Vishkanya[/B] are pretty purely the PF race of the same name, venomous and hypnotic. Widely believed to be the investors and the namesakes of the Steel Serpent Discipline. [*][B]Kappa [/B]are sort of [I]dragonborn [/I]anthropomorphic [I]dragon turtles[/I] with tough spiked shells and a steam breath weapon. Classwise, they're like draconic bloodragers. [/LIST] The [I]Spelljammer[/I]/[I]Star Frontiers[/I], [I]Star•Drive[/I], and [I]Starfinder[/I] aliens are: [LIST] [*]As mentioned previously, the [B]fraal [/B]are [I]gnomes[/I], the [B]t'sa [/B]are (modern) [I]kobolds[/I], and the [B]weren[/B] are [I]bugbears[/I]. The [B]ysoki [/B]are (classic) [I]kobolds.[/I] [*]The [B]Hadozee [/B]are also [I]vanara[/I], picking up the D&D/PF vanara racial traits and a lot of the really cool vanara folklore that D&D never used. They keep the gliding ability, but lose the wingflaps, and pick up the fiercer visage and the blood enemy of the [I]yazirian[/I]. Classwise they're like horrible paladin jesters. [*][B]Dralasites[/B] are still a work in progress, but I'm keeping them pretty close to their 5e SJ appearance and their class is something like an oozemorph/oozeling Shifter. [*][B]Aleerin [/B](mechalus) are mostly PF [I]android[/I] and a little bit D&D [I]warforged[/I], but they reproduce naturally and grow their "cybernetic" components organically. They're tactile telepaths, and many develop the ability to enhance their prehensile hair's reach and strength. Classwise, they're akin to the [I]wiremind[/I] (cryptic) and [I]living weapon [/I](brawler) android class archetypes. [*][B]Vesk [/B]are something of a combination of the [I]Starfinder[/I] species and the standard D&D lizardfolk, with a little bit of [I]sleeth [/I](from [I]Gamma World[/I]) thrown in. They're both ruthlessly pragmatic and rigidly honorbound, and it's this tension that brings out the best and the worst in them. [*][B]Giff [/B]are big, bad brawlers equally at home with their hand-cannons and their bare hands. Really, Giff are perfect as they are, and I don't need to do anything but [I]include[/I] them. [*]I [I]think[/I] I am going to end up combining [I]dromites [/I]and [B][I]Shirren[/I][/B] as something akin to thoughtsinger/kineticist. And give them wings. [*]I'm working on what I'd like to do with [I]kasatha [/I]and [I]lashunta[/I]; I'm taking suggestions, along with suggestions about other [I]Starfinder[/I] species I might want to have a go at. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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