D&d pc roles: From past to present to future

[Jhaelen]

3.xe
What do you think?

I've used the following four to categorize the 3e classes:
- skill-monkey
- healer
- striker (i.e. targeting one enemy at a time)
- nuker (i.e. focusing on area-of-effect attacks)

Naturally, not all classes fall neatly into a single category. Many of them can cover several roles.

 

[Aloïsius]

On of the shift that can be observed between edition is the importance of combat.
In 4e, it's all about killing things. Thus, there is no more real need for "the face" or "the scout" or "the skill monkey". Striker, tank, healer, controller.
Sure, one of the character will probably be better than the others at one of those non-combat situation, but no class is defined by a non-combat role.

 

[clip]

4e:

LEADERS: Heal. Fight a bit. Some funky class features.

Cleric : After 30 years, still the healing bitch. Take Pacifist Healer Feat, and you may as well be an NPC.

Warlord : A class for only the most generous-hearted players. And your defender had better be a paladin, or the healing is going to run out fast.


DEFENDERS: Like the big metal dude on Fist of the North Star. Minions jump at you and disintegrate when they do so.

Paladin: The alignment restrictions have gone, so the roleplaying PITA goes too. Post Divine Power, this is a cool class.

Fighter : The strikers think they're the new Gods of Battle. But you know that they're wrong.

Warden : Kind of a black hole type character, sucking everything in and destroying it.


CONTROLLERS: Essentially, the wizard. All the others are attempts at alternatives - but they don't do much controlling or AoEing.


STRIKERS: Rolling big handfuls of dice for damage. Marking like its going out of fashion. But oh so flimsy when it gets down and dirty.

Ranger : Class built round an at-will.

Rogue : Class built round sneak attack.

Warlock : Everyone wants this class to work, looks interesting, but are they really strikers?

Sorcerer : Cool, but I think potentially the squishiest out there. Kind of a throwback to the older edition d4 hp, AC10 magic users.

Barbarian : King of the melee with all those charges and conditional extra attacks. But considering its a melee character, the healers will be working overtime.

Avenger : I'm in two minds about this class. I've seen some players make it rule, and others have a nightmare. Mechanically, its almost an old school Cavalier challenging foes to single combat - except without the horse, lance and field plate armour.

Assassin : As far as I've seen - good at hiding and not much else.

 

[JoeGKushner]

My basic thought is that the roles, per se, have always been roughly the same. It isn't like D&D made up small unit tactics.

even the rogue? the thief really sucked at combat back in the day even with its' easy advancement in xp.

 

[Remathilis]

Here's been my take...

WARRIOR: Primarily concerned with dealing out and soaking damage in combat. Often had high hp, decent AC, and good attack bonus. Options included Fighter, Ranger, Paladin, Barbarian.

CASTER: An arcane spellcaster. First role is nuking (doing spell damage to multiple foes, or creating surrogates to fight) with a secondary role as "utility" caster (movement, illusions, divination etc). Wizard, Illusionist, Sorcerer are common examples.

HEALER: Typically a dvine spellcaster, primary concern is keeping the group healthy via hp renewal (cure) and negative status removal (removing disease, poison, death, etc). Secondary Utility role as well. Clerics and Druids often have this role.

EXPERT: Fills one or more skill roles: Scouting (stealth-based), Face-man (social skills), trap detection (find/remove traps) Survival (wilderness skills) and/or Access (opening locks, etc). Secondary role is skirmisher/flanker. Rogues, Assassins, Bards, Rangers, and Monks are all good Experts.

The roles could shift a bit (rangers could be a tank or an expert, depending on the build of the ranger/party, likewise bards and paladins could serve as backup healers or druids as casters or even tanks!) Typically, it was a good idea to fill all four roles, ideally they should be filled with the core 4 classes and other classes taking the role of second X or 5th man.

 

[Lord Captian Tobacco]

Utili-mage

One role that has been missed here is the ‘toolbox’.

The toolbox usually has one or two offensive spells but shines when the party REALLY needs something

Consider the low level 2nd ed wizard and think of the possibilities of replacing the thief (agreed this is only for well planned heists); but spells are certain while skills require a roll.

Door is locked beyond the skill to handle? Cantrip: unlock.
Have to pass guards without them raising the alarm? Sleep, Invis or (later) polymorph self.
Avoid that trap/trigger/hold-up? Telekinesis or Unseen Servant.
Distraction? Audible Glamour.

And the ultimate ‘get in – get out’: Dimension door or Teleport.

For the rest of the toolbox stuff, a brief look at the Div spell list will show many ways to bust a plot wide open.

Think on this…

 

[Remathilis]

One role that has been missed here is the ‘toolbox’.
The toolbox usually has one or two offensive spells but shines when the party REALLY needs something
Consider the low level 2nd ed wizard and think of the possibilities of replacing the thief (agreed this is only for well planned heists); but spells are certain while skills require a roll.
Door is locked beyond the skill to handle? Cantrip: unlock.
Have to pass guards without them raising the alarm? Sleep, Invis or (later) polymorph self.
Avoid that trap/trigger/hold-up? Telekinesis or Unseen Servant.
Distraction? Audible Glamour.
And the ultimate ‘get in – get out’: Dimension door or Teleport.
For the rest of the toolbox stuff, a brief look at the Div spell list will show many ways to bust a plot wide open.
Think on this…

Ugg... Thanks for reminding me of my LEAST favorite aspect of D&D: role-stomping.

Role-stomping is one one class can do ITS role as well as someone else's, often simultaneously. Role-stomping classes (and they are few, but they are familiar to anyone whose spent time around the game) often hog the spotlight from the other classes. Typically, a wizard can steal a rogue/thieves abilities, a cleric or druid can duplicate a fighter and in some cases a druid can out-mage a mage. (CoDzilla or Batman mage). Artificers can pull a lot of the same stunts as well, using the right magical items at little or no cost.

Role-stomping was at its worst in 3e, but even in 2e it was a problem (due a lot to magic being an "auto-win" like with Knock or Find Traps). Additionally, Specialty Priest often role-stomped depending on the deity/source (Faiths & Avatars was especially bad at this). I'm sure elements of it existed before 2e, as most (if not all) the components needed were already there.

While I don't usually grant laurels to 4e's rigid structure, I must admit I was initially pleased that more effort was put into keeping PCs into their roles and not taking theirs and someone-elses. Similarly, I think Pathfinder has nerfed a lot of the grand 3e exploits that allowed Cleric/Druid/Wizard to role-stomp.