Favored Class Rules?

[Psion]

By C&C terms, the minotaur's entry would read: Suggested classes: fighter, mariner.

This is much more accurate to me, and it doesn't really shoehorn a minotaur into being a fighter. Suggested classes are just that - suggestions on what classes a character of a certain race might take. There's no rules limits on it, and people can play the type of character they want without worrying about penalties.

Perhaps an obvious observation, but favored classes don't control which classes members of the race can be, either.

What they do seem to represent is a class that is so much part of the race's culture that all members of the race would potentially have some exposure to it. AFAIAC, that's a fair thing to represent in game terms.

 

[Flyspeck23]

I prefer the way Castles and Crusades handle it. They have a list of suggested classes. This lets the player know what the race typically focuses on, but doesn't force them to take one of those classes.

The MM does that too, more or less.
For instance, it says that goblin leaders tend to be rogues or fighter/rogues, and what deity is worshipped by goblin clerics. A goblin's favorite class is rogue, but most of the time they're warriors (as that's the class used for the standard stats).
Favorite class: rogue doesn't mean that a majority of goblins will be rogues.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Perhaps an obvious observation, but favored classes don't control which classes members of the race can be, either.

What they do seem to represent is a class that is so much part of the race's culture that all members of the race would potentially have some exposure to it. AFAIAC, that's a fair thing to represent in game terms.

And perhaps I didn't phrase it the best. I guess what I don't like is that there are rules on penalties for multiclassing, unless you take the favored class. I think this has a tendency to make a player choose the favored class the most, just for rules reasons.

And while I agree that some races' cultures would probably expose them to some classes more than others, it isn't wholly accurate to say that it would just be one class. I think the Dragonlance minotaur is a perfect example of this since they are equally fighters and mariners.

I prefer to think of favored classes in terms of a role-playing guideline rather than something that needs to be represented through rules.

 

[Psion]

And perhaps I didn't phrase it the best. I guess what I don't like is that there are rules on penalties for multiclassing, unless you take the favored class. I think this has a tendency to make a player choose the favored class the most, just for rules reasons.

I don't see why that would be, unless the player specifically intends to multi-class.

And while I agree that some races' cultures would probably expose them to some classes more than others, it isn't wholly accurate to say that it would just be one class.

I think that's more a matter of rules convention than rules. There is nothing, to my knowledge, that prevents you from having more than one favored class, other than nobody does it. I am reminded of the days when WotC first put out Prestige Classes that had more or less than 10 level, and people reacted with astonishment.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

R.A.W.

 

[Darkness]

I don't use them. However, I have an unwritten rule going, which states that no PC may take more than 3 classes and more than 2 prestige classes during his career. Everything beyond that is probably powergaming, anyway .

If you take 5-level prestige classes, you'll likely need a 3rd at the higher levels.

 

[Capellan]

Never use 'em. If a player wants to take a Level 1/2/2/2/2/2/2/2/1/2/2 Barbarian/Bard/Cleric/Druid/Fighter/Monk/Paladin/Ranger/Rogue/Sorcerer/Wizard let him.

You realise that even if you use favoured classes, there's no XP penalty for that character, right?

 

[STARP_President]

You realise that even if you use favoured classes, there's no XP penalty for that character, right?

Er...um...well...er...you see...um...I...um...er...

(There is a small thunderclap sound as he disappears)

 

[Navar]

Don't like them, don't use them. They just get in the way.

Agree

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

In D&D 3e, I use them as written. We don't do a lot of multiclassing, so the favored classes rules don't come up all that often.

In the C&C paradigm of favored class rules, I use them as racial class limitations. I'm trying to get back to the archetypal feel of the game that was more or less shattered by 3e.