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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vigilance" data-source="post: 2948487" data-attributes="member: 4275">Valhalla, these are all good points. I think in D&D a class is simply an archetype, which could be any of the above things you mention. And here by archetype, I would define it as "take a character from literature and sum him up in a single sentence".If that single sentence has enough substance for 20 levels of class abilities, BAM! you got yourself a core class. I think a lot of people overthink classes. They go read the Forge forums and try to decide if the class is going to represent a gamist aspect of play or simulationist? Several hours later, they've decided the class sucks, or they're bored with it and they walk away. I think if you start with "who is this guy" in one sentence and go straight from there to mechanics, with no preconception about how many levels you're going to wind up with, you end up with a better product.As an example, when I was designing Legends of Excalibur, I intended the Lady of the Lake to be a core class. One of the few openly female archetypes in the legends. I was bound and determined to make it core. After pulling the class entirely, I went back at it with an open mind, and wound up with a 5-level PrC that works pretty well. Basically, I have no "design philosophy" other than "is this class interesting and balanced". And if I have to pick one, I pick the first one. I would much rather have a fun interesting class the pushes the boundaries of balance than a whitewashed class no one wants to play but everyone agrees is the epitome of balance.For examples of designers with better pedigrees than me making similar choices, consult the core Druid class for a class that's interesting and fun despite not being quite balanced. For a balanced class that guarantees snoozing in most players, consult the Bard from the core rules.</blockquote>

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