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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neurotrash" data-source="post: 5271868" data-attributes="member: 92516">So as of today, having seen the Slayer Fighter build, it's become apparent that one of the things that is now possible with the new policy towards class design is having different subclasses take different roles within the same class, the example so far being Fighters either taking Defender or Striker (Knight or Slayer).I personally think this is a cool idea (although there could obviously be drawbacks), and it makes me feel better about something that has been bothering me about Essentials, that being the absence of a couple of iconic classes from the Essentials line - namely Bards and Barbarians; two classes that have been around for a long time (since 1E) and cover two pretty popular fantasy archetypes from movies and literature. With the Slayer, it seems like we've now got a "Martial Barbarian" - a big guy who does lots of damage with big weapons. Obviously it doesn't make the Barbarian we have now obsolete, but that archetype is now present in the Essentials products, so new players coming in through this line will be able to play a Barbarian-type character without tracking down a PHB2.People in other threads have already begun speculating that the Druid might be getting a Leader build (perhaps stealing the Shaman's schtick). Allow me to make a prediction:So far we've seen the Thief (Striker) as one subclass of Rogue. I think we're going to get a "Martial Bard" as the other Rogue build (perhaps called a Minstrel/Jester/Trickster/Scoundrel/Entertainer...who knows?). Not only does this make it possible for players coming into the game through Essentials to play this pretty popular archetype that they would otherwise have to buy the PHB2 to gain access to, but it also hearkens back to the old 2E days when Thieves and Bards were both classes within the "Rogue" category. Something that I've seen repeatedly in the Essentials previews is a move towards making things "feel more like older editions" in order to win back players who never made the switch to 4E (or even 3E).  I think there's plenty of design space in the game for a Martial Leader who leads through tricks and manipulation rather than inspiration and tactical know-how (the Warlord). We've already seen monsters that have this schtick (Human Noble and Half-Elf Con Artist from MM2), so I don't think it's too much of a stretch.Anyone else have any predictions on what unexpected Class/Role combinations we might be getting in the Essentials line? Are there any other fantasy archetypes that might be getting ignored by the 8 Classes being covered in the "Heroes of...." books?</blockquote>

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