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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 6784436" data-attributes="member: 7635">I think I'm finally seeing where our communication breakdown lies...Is class a real thing in the world isn't just one question, but a series of them. 1.) Do the class titles,like "Fighter", "Paladin", "Druid" or "Bard" exist in the world in some recognizable form? (IE "I"m a a ranger of the North" or  "He's one of them Druids".)2.) Do all PCs with that class automatically belong to that class title? (IE. Are all members of the Paladin class "Paladins"?)3.) Are ONLY members of that class considered to belong to a class title? (IE are only members of the Paladin class "Paladins"?)4.) Can the character tell what class (mechanical) or others belong to? (IE is there a way to identify a Paladin in the world?)Question one seems like a no-brainer: Yes, most if not all of the class titles exist or else there the world has no concept for things like "holy warrior" or "member of the old faith" or even "well-trained ne'er-do-well". There cannot exist Bardic Colleges without Bards to belong to them, nor Wizard Guilds without wizards to join them. You MIGHT argue Fighter doesn't have a direct title worth noting, but nearly every other class name can double as a particular group of people that share some commonality. I don't think there is anyone suggesting now (and prove me wrong if I am) that there is no such things in D&D either explicitly or implicitly as Druidic Orders, Bard Colleges, Monk Monasteries, or Wizard Guilds. Question two is where the dispute begins. I'm on the side of "Yes" if you belong to the Paladin class, you have also joined the group also-called "paladin". Arial and Ovi disagree, saying the Paladin Class does not make you a part of the Paladin group in the world, you can be a member of the Paladin class and instead identify as a Monk, Druid, Barbarian, Cobbler, or Dung-Farmer as long as you can explain your abilities satisfactorily. Question three is the flip to two: can anyone claim a Class Title regardless of what their stats actually are? Do all "Paladins" in the world need levels of the Paladin class to claim that title? I'm a little fuzzier here: Some NPCs who do not actually have "Paladin" written in their stat-block can represent Paladins, but they need to make an effort to somewhat resemble the PC class. I wouldn't use the Archmage NPC stat-block to represent a "Paladin", for example, but I could use it to represent the Wizard (despite not officially having the "Wizard" class). The last question asks if the characters in the world are aware if a particular PC belongs to a certain class. Is there a way to tell a PC has the Paladin class "from an in-game perspective" and if so, what would that in-world person think to call that PC? For me, since I associate the Paladin class with the title "Paladin" in game, the two are synonymous. Others say there is no way to make such a tell, and that a guy using Lay on Hands and Smites might be a Paladin, a Priest, an Exorcist, a demigod-in-training, or just a unique individual who defies any and all attempts to categorize him. To recap: For me, 1.) Paladin is a group in the world, 2.) All members of the Paladin class belong to said group 3.) But not all members of the Paladin group have to have levels in the Paladin class, and 4.) Most members of the Paladin class can be identified as belonging to the paladin group in world. For others. 1.) Paladin may be a group in the world 2.) Not all members of the Paladin class belong to the paladin group. 3.) Not all members (or even none-at-all) of the paladin group have levels in the Paladin class and 4.) therefore, it is impossible to identify if a person belongs to the Paladin class in world. Does that sound like a fair assessment?</blockquote>

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