Tequila Sunrise
Adventurer
I’ve been hankering for a homebrew campaign, and I’ve got a few ideas to add a new spin on the old classics. Gygax and Arneson put campaign-inspired flair into many classes as they appeared, and I think it’d be fun if every class had a bit of flair. Potential rules details which I may have overlooked aside — I can always make a ruling as questions come up — what do you think of my campaign-inspired ideas? Do you like this sort of flair? If you ever DM, have you ever done anything like this?
The Barbarian
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Barbarians are paragons of the nomadic lifestyle and chosen of the ancestral spirits, who grant them unique boons. The ability to channel the spirits’ wrath is foremost among these boons, and requires the utmost focus and respect for the spirits’ wisdom and will. As such, a barbarian must be of Lawful alignment, and must obey the code of the ancestral spirits: Never settle for the ‘civilized’ life, never respect a ‘civilized’ law, and protect always the ancestral tradition. If he ever violates this code or ceases to be Lawful, a barbarian loses the ability to rage as well as all other class features. If his trespass was unintentional or coerced, a sacrifice of rare animals and herbs equaling 500 gp in value and a return to all requirements is sufficient to return his class features.
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The Bard
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Bards are traveling minstrels and storytellers, transmitters of news, national history, and the cultural touchstones of legend and myth. As such, bards play an integral role in the fabric of their culture and society, and are welcomed as honored guests by all thanes, chieftains, chiefs, and kings. However, the life of a bard has its downsides — all bards take an oath to selflessly reject all titles and lands which they might otherwise be granted, and the bard’s particular traveling lifestyle requires dedication to one’s country. As such, a bard must be of Lawful alignment, and is furthermore barred from all Evil alignments. A bard who becomes Evil or non-Lawful can no long advance in bard levels. A renewal of her oath, a voluntary tax to her king of 500 gp, and a return to the Lawful Neutral or Lawful Good alignments allows a character to continue gaining bard levels.
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The Cleric
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Clerics are the ministers of communities, and each cleric is a messenger and vessel of all gods. Some clerics favor one god over others, but no cleric is foolish enough to exclude any god of recognized importance from his prayers and invocations, no matter how much he may find a particular god distasteful. As such, a cleric must be of Lawful alignment, and a cleric who becomes non-Lawful loses all cleric class features and spells. A return to any Lawful alignment and an atonement spell is sufficient to return these features and spells.
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The Druid
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Druids take an oath to protect not just their own kin, not just their own race, not just sentient life — but even the wild beasts and untamed foliage of nature. This oath, taken in the presence of the druidic order and the great nature spirits themselves, is a formalization of the highest form of altruism — a consideration of all actions within the context of all life, undistracted by the ideologies of Law or Chaos. As such, a druid must be of Neutral Good alignment, must not knowingly associate with Evil characters, and must never participate is the wholesale destruction of a plant or beast species. A druid who ceases to be Neutral Good or who violates her oath loses all of her druid class features. If her trespass was unintentional or coerced, a daily sacrifice of her own blood and a return to all requirements is sufficient to return her class features for 24 hours. This sacrifice reduces her hit points by one-tenth, and must be continued for one month before she permanently regains her class features.
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The Fighter
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Fighters are masters of battle, with expertise and resilience beyond that of other mortals, achieved through an utter and complete dedication to their art. This focus allows no distractions from ideological extremes or other arts. As such, a fighter must be of True Neutral alignment. A fighter who strays from True Neutrality loses all class features, and all benefits gained via his fighter levels. A return to True Neutrality is sufficient to regain these features and benefits. Furthermore, a non-fighter cannot gain fighter levels, and a fighter who gains a non-fighter level can never again gain fighter levels.
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The Monk
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Monks, like the first unarmed martial artists of history, exist in conflict with established societal norms. To protect themselves — often from their social betters — in a stifling hierarchy which does not allow them access to the weapons of war, these peasants have learned to use farming tools and their own bare hands as lethal weapons. As contradictions to their native society, a monk must be of Chaotic alignment. A monk who ceases to be Chaotic, or who uses any item which was made specifically for war — such as swords, war hammers, and other explicit weapons — can no longer advance in monk levels. A donation of 500 gp worth of foods and supplies to those under oppression, and a return to all requirements allows a character to continue gaining monk levels.
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The Paladin
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Paladins are paragons of honor and virtue, and must be Lawful Good as per D&D tradition. Haven't decided what to do with the 5e alternate paladin builds. Ban them, or apply similar flair...
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The Ranger
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Rangers form the military arm of the druidic order, and as such must maintain a universal concern for life, much like druids. Rangers are secondary servants of nature and are thus not required to take the druidic oath though, and are allowed to diffuse their concern with life with secondary ideologies. As such, a ranger can be of any Good alignment. A ranger who ceases to be Good loses all of his ranger class features. If his departure from Good was unintentional or coerced, a daily sacrifice of his own blood and a return to any Good alignment is sufficient to return his class features for 24 hours. This sacrifice reduces his hit points by one-tenth, and must be continued for one month before he permanently regains his class features.
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The Rogue
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Rogues, while not all ruthless scoundrels as a rule, do practice a diverse skill set which violates the norms of honor and sincerity in favor of, at best, guile and dirty fighting. As such, a rogue is barred from all Lawful alignments. A rogue who becomes lawful loses all class features, until and if she returns to a non-Lawful alignment.
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The Sorcerer
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Sorcerers are mortal manifestations of some supernatural or magical force, whether by heritage or by happenstance. As such, a sorcerer’s very soul is in part guided by her arcane influence, and she must thus be in harmony with that influence: A wild magic sorcerer must be of Chaotic alignment; a draconic heritage sorcerer must choose a true dragon type and adhere to that type’s alignment; and so on. A sorcerer who strays from her alignment requirement loses all sorcerer class features and spells, until and if she returns to the required alignment.
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The Warlock
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Warlocks make pacts with all manner of powerful eldritch entities, all of which have hidden motives which are often incompatible with mortal prosperity and life. Thus, a warlock must either be of any Evil alignment, or must have a Wisdom score no greater than 10. A warlock who violates both of these requirements can no longer gain levels as a warlock. A re-adherence to either requirement allows a character to continue gaining warlock levels.
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The Wizard
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Wizards must possess the utmost discipline and dedication to their craft in order to understand and master the arcane forces of magic. As such, a wizard must of Lawful Neutral alignment and must be ever-dedicated to her studies. As a result, a wizard must find or research a new spell at each level before she can advance to the next wizard level. Furthermore, a wizard who ceases to be Lawful Neutral or who takes a level in another class can never again gain another wizard level.
[/sblock]
The Barbarian
[sblock]
Barbarians are paragons of the nomadic lifestyle and chosen of the ancestral spirits, who grant them unique boons. The ability to channel the spirits’ wrath is foremost among these boons, and requires the utmost focus and respect for the spirits’ wisdom and will. As such, a barbarian must be of Lawful alignment, and must obey the code of the ancestral spirits: Never settle for the ‘civilized’ life, never respect a ‘civilized’ law, and protect always the ancestral tradition. If he ever violates this code or ceases to be Lawful, a barbarian loses the ability to rage as well as all other class features. If his trespass was unintentional or coerced, a sacrifice of rare animals and herbs equaling 500 gp in value and a return to all requirements is sufficient to return his class features.
[/sblock]
The Bard
[sblock]
Bards are traveling minstrels and storytellers, transmitters of news, national history, and the cultural touchstones of legend and myth. As such, bards play an integral role in the fabric of their culture and society, and are welcomed as honored guests by all thanes, chieftains, chiefs, and kings. However, the life of a bard has its downsides — all bards take an oath to selflessly reject all titles and lands which they might otherwise be granted, and the bard’s particular traveling lifestyle requires dedication to one’s country. As such, a bard must be of Lawful alignment, and is furthermore barred from all Evil alignments. A bard who becomes Evil or non-Lawful can no long advance in bard levels. A renewal of her oath, a voluntary tax to her king of 500 gp, and a return to the Lawful Neutral or Lawful Good alignments allows a character to continue gaining bard levels.
[/sblock]
The Cleric
[sblock]
Clerics are the ministers of communities, and each cleric is a messenger and vessel of all gods. Some clerics favor one god over others, but no cleric is foolish enough to exclude any god of recognized importance from his prayers and invocations, no matter how much he may find a particular god distasteful. As such, a cleric must be of Lawful alignment, and a cleric who becomes non-Lawful loses all cleric class features and spells. A return to any Lawful alignment and an atonement spell is sufficient to return these features and spells.
[/sblock]
The Druid
[sblock]
Druids take an oath to protect not just their own kin, not just their own race, not just sentient life — but even the wild beasts and untamed foliage of nature. This oath, taken in the presence of the druidic order and the great nature spirits themselves, is a formalization of the highest form of altruism — a consideration of all actions within the context of all life, undistracted by the ideologies of Law or Chaos. As such, a druid must be of Neutral Good alignment, must not knowingly associate with Evil characters, and must never participate is the wholesale destruction of a plant or beast species. A druid who ceases to be Neutral Good or who violates her oath loses all of her druid class features. If her trespass was unintentional or coerced, a daily sacrifice of her own blood and a return to all requirements is sufficient to return her class features for 24 hours. This sacrifice reduces her hit points by one-tenth, and must be continued for one month before she permanently regains her class features.
[/sblock]
The Fighter
[sblock]
Fighters are masters of battle, with expertise and resilience beyond that of other mortals, achieved through an utter and complete dedication to their art. This focus allows no distractions from ideological extremes or other arts. As such, a fighter must be of True Neutral alignment. A fighter who strays from True Neutrality loses all class features, and all benefits gained via his fighter levels. A return to True Neutrality is sufficient to regain these features and benefits. Furthermore, a non-fighter cannot gain fighter levels, and a fighter who gains a non-fighter level can never again gain fighter levels.
[/sblock]
The Monk
[sblock]
Monks, like the first unarmed martial artists of history, exist in conflict with established societal norms. To protect themselves — often from their social betters — in a stifling hierarchy which does not allow them access to the weapons of war, these peasants have learned to use farming tools and their own bare hands as lethal weapons. As contradictions to their native society, a monk must be of Chaotic alignment. A monk who ceases to be Chaotic, or who uses any item which was made specifically for war — such as swords, war hammers, and other explicit weapons — can no longer advance in monk levels. A donation of 500 gp worth of foods and supplies to those under oppression, and a return to all requirements allows a character to continue gaining monk levels.
[/sblock]
The Paladin
[sblock]
Paladins are paragons of honor and virtue, and must be Lawful Good as per D&D tradition. Haven't decided what to do with the 5e alternate paladin builds. Ban them, or apply similar flair...
[/sblock]
The Ranger
[sblock]
Rangers form the military arm of the druidic order, and as such must maintain a universal concern for life, much like druids. Rangers are secondary servants of nature and are thus not required to take the druidic oath though, and are allowed to diffuse their concern with life with secondary ideologies. As such, a ranger can be of any Good alignment. A ranger who ceases to be Good loses all of his ranger class features. If his departure from Good was unintentional or coerced, a daily sacrifice of his own blood and a return to any Good alignment is sufficient to return his class features for 24 hours. This sacrifice reduces his hit points by one-tenth, and must be continued for one month before he permanently regains his class features.
[/sblock]
The Rogue
[sblock]
Rogues, while not all ruthless scoundrels as a rule, do practice a diverse skill set which violates the norms of honor and sincerity in favor of, at best, guile and dirty fighting. As such, a rogue is barred from all Lawful alignments. A rogue who becomes lawful loses all class features, until and if she returns to a non-Lawful alignment.
[/sblock]
The Sorcerer
[sblock]
Sorcerers are mortal manifestations of some supernatural or magical force, whether by heritage or by happenstance. As such, a sorcerer’s very soul is in part guided by her arcane influence, and she must thus be in harmony with that influence: A wild magic sorcerer must be of Chaotic alignment; a draconic heritage sorcerer must choose a true dragon type and adhere to that type’s alignment; and so on. A sorcerer who strays from her alignment requirement loses all sorcerer class features and spells, until and if she returns to the required alignment.
[/sblock]
The Warlock
[sblock]
Warlocks make pacts with all manner of powerful eldritch entities, all of which have hidden motives which are often incompatible with mortal prosperity and life. Thus, a warlock must either be of any Evil alignment, or must have a Wisdom score no greater than 10. A warlock who violates both of these requirements can no longer gain levels as a warlock. A re-adherence to either requirement allows a character to continue gaining warlock levels.
[/sblock]
The Wizard
[sblock]
Wizards must possess the utmost discipline and dedication to their craft in order to understand and master the arcane forces of magic. As such, a wizard must of Lawful Neutral alignment and must be ever-dedicated to her studies. As a result, a wizard must find or research a new spell at each level before she can advance to the next wizard level. Furthermore, a wizard who ceases to be Lawful Neutral or who takes a level in another class can never again gain another wizard level.
[/sblock]
