Favourite Classes through the Ages

[Wik]

The Survivor threads got me thinking about classes throughout editions, and how our favourites change. My favourite class in 2e, for example, is quite different from my favourite class in, say, 4e.

So, what are your favourite classes in the various editions (and sub editions) of D&D out there? And why? Try to stick to editions you've played for at least a decent length of time. And, what do you think it says about your playing style?

I'll start, I guess:

BECMI: Halfling. I don't really know why, but I always loved my halfling fighters. I guess because they were fighter-type characters, but their profile and inherent character suggested a character that was less prone for, y'know, combat. Which I've always liked. Plus, they're kind of lazy, greedy, and love food - what's not to love?

1e: Haven't played a HUGE amount of 1e, but I really liked the assassin class. It was dark, and an interesting variant on the thief. I think thief would come a very close second, and if I was playing in a game where the assassin wasn't a valid choice, I'd definitely be the thief. I like problem-solving, and I like lower levels of play - the thief is the perfect choice for that game (plus, it's always fun levelling up at twice the pace as everyone else!)

2e: Druid. Hands-down. The 2e druid could do a little bit of everything, and yet he wasn't weak in any way. I don't really think he was super powered, mind you. Just a perfect class, and a lot of fun. I also really loved the Hierophant Druids/Druidic Organization - kind of campaign specific, but I thought it was cool.

2e, DARK SUN: When playing Dark Sun, I hate druids - they bore me for some reason. I prefer Traders in Dark Sun, or maybe bards. Roguish characters that have to survive on their wits, and their contacts. And they're all generally non-combat in a game that's got a combat focus.

2e, Skills and Powers: I went through a Skills and Powers phase. And for that year or so, I loved wizards. They were just so fun to make, and there was so much you could do with them. Of course, I tended to play specialists, and my specialists were usually non-combat oriented (abjurers and diviners being my favourites - they were definitely roguelike, a tradition I still follow today when I make wizards).

3e: I only really played a few 3e characters, but my favourite is still my first - a human sorcerer. I like the narrow spell role of the character, which I think really ties the character elements together. Plus it helps me really develop WHAT I'm playing. I'm a big fan of taking spells that tie together a theme.

3.5E: Spellthief. My favourite class in D&D, EVER. EVER. If there is ever a Spellthief conversion in 4e (I doubt it will ever happen), I will buy that book in a heartbeat. Even if it were, like, sixty or seventy bucks. I mean, it's a class that has a few rogue-like abilities, yet its main ability requires you to deprive your enemies of resources and then try to find a creative way to use those resources against them. Huge range of options in this class, and they changed every encounter. Too bad the class didn't work out right in actual play.

4e: So far... Shaman. It's one of those "a little bit of everything" classes, in a way that I really like. Plus, it's a healer, and I like playing support characters that make everyone else better. Also, being able to have your companion act as a defender and limited striker while you play at being a leader is a lot of fun... especially when you start dropping area attacks that are sort of controller-y. Second place for 4e would be the Swordmage or Warlord.

So, what does it all say about me? I like versatile characters that contribute to a developed character. That I like being able to do multiple things, but don't really care if I do any one thing particularly well. I want to be in the negotiation encounter just as much as the combat encounter, but I also want to play around with the traps. I don't really care if I'm in the spotlight in any of those encounters - I'm just as happy being the guy helping the guy in the spotlight.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Core books only, to keep it simple. . .

BECMI - Elf. But that's because it was my first D&D class, ever. In my first ever sessions.

AD&D 1e - Wizard*, probably. But the Ranger turned out to be fun as well.

Dark Sun - This setting deserves special mention for me as well. It would have to be Gladiator, I guess. Mind you, Psionicists were many kinds of wacky, sometimes in a good way.

D&D 3.5 - Rogue, hands down. But I also have a soft spot for the Paladin, even though it's not optimal, blah.

Pathfinder - No opportunities, just yet. But, looking through the classes? Potentially, any of them. Seriously, they all look fantastic.


* Oops. That should, of course, be Magic User. It's, uh, been a while, I guess. . .

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

Core stuff I've played

2nd Edition: Bard. I loved the jack-of-all trades role it had during this edition. Also, the Complete Bard's Handbook is just a joy. Probably my favorite splat book of the era.

3.X Edition: Fighter. With the introduction of feats, you could make a fighter with tons of different styles; from the combat brute, to a mobile finesse warrior, to an intelligent tactician. The sheer depth of fighter builds was amazing. In fact, the 3.X Edition fighter is probably my favorite class across all editions of DnD.

Honorable Mention 3.5 Bard.

4th Edition: Sorcerer. This was a hard pick for me as the depth of individual classes decreased from 3rd to 4th. That said, sorcerer has a lot of great thematic elements to it and has some depth to the builds you can create with it.

Barbarian is a close second. Though, it is currently missing Primal Power to round out the class.

 

[Huw]

BECM: Elf. I was young and a munchkin.

1e: Paladin. They just had so many cool powers. Yes, I was still a munchkin.

2e: Thief. Shear flexibility and the fastest advancement of any class. Still a munchkin, but starting to appreciate the more subtle aspects of character design.

3e: Wizard. They finally get the respect they deserve. Effective casting at all levels and balanced (albeit abusable) item creation rules. You think a sorceror is powerful? Try a wizard who can create his own wands With embedded metamagic

3.5e: Tricky. So many options, yet not enough time to try them all I'm going to say hexblade because I always wanted to try one, but never got the chance.

4e: Never played it.

 

[El Mahdi]

2E: Gnome Ranger (Beastrider Kit) - very cool - virtually invisible in a forrest, can communicate with small animals, small size make them hard to hit, and ohhhhh the practical jokes.

2E: Elven Bladesinger - the Jedi of D&D.


All Editions: Ranger, Ranger, Ranger.

 

[the Jester]

Sure, I'll play.

Basic: Elf.

1e: Tough one... ranger, maybe? Or the "Best of Dragon vol. 2" versions of the monk and bard.

2e: Any well-thought out specialty priest. God, how 2e excelled for priests... given a good dm with a critical eye on balance.

3.0: Fighters. Truly fun for the first time.

3.5: Binders. Oh hell yeah. Several of the weird classes were really cool, imho- I was also a real fan of the factotum once I tried it out.

4e: Warlords. Love, love, love me some warlord.

 

[Riley]

BE(pre-CMI): Elf.
1e: Magic-User.
2e: Magic-Userrr - I mean - Wizard!
Skills and Powers: My only character was a bard.
3e: Wizard!
3.5e: Wizard!
4e: Assassin or Shaman. Wizard combat powers left me kinda cold, although I love the cantrips. And these two ooze fun newness.

 

[karlindel]

2E: Bard was generally my favorite class, I loved having a bit of magic as well as some of the thief skills, the jack of all trades archetype has always appealed to me. I also enjoyed the Cleric and the Wizard.

3E: The Wizard, I loved the options, planning out spell selection, and debating whether or not I should cast a spell. Honorable Mention to the Cleric.

3.5E: Still the Wizard.

4E: Artificer. This one's the hardest to choose, as I like a lot of the 4E classes, and I haven't played enough of them to feel out how they all work. I definitely have a liking for leaders and controllers, and I'm loving the Eberron campaign I'm playing in. I like that the Artificer changes the math on magical items in a significant way (items with daily powers become much more valuable with an Artificer in the party) and allows for spreading around surges (making it less of an issue if one PC takes the brunt of a particular fight). I also love the flavor of a magical inventor.

 

[amysrevenge]

1e: Cavalier. I was better at optimizing than the rest of my munchkin high school friends (we didn't call it "optimizing" back then, and weren't even conciously aware that that was what we were doing, but there it was), and this was one of my keys. I seem to recall some sort of cheese I was able to swing that involved getting full paladin, cavalier, and cleric abilities out of one class somehow, probably by abusing/breaking some sort of specialty priest rules. Honorable mention to the Jester class out of Dragon.

2e: Druid and (dwarf) fighter were my favourites. Played several of each. Never really got into mages that far. Honorable mention to the thief.

3e: CoDzilla. Made more than one of these. Honorable mention to wizard and paladin.

4e: I like about 10 or 11 classes almost equally. Barbarian is in the lead, by about 3%.

 

[Dausuul]

Pre-3E (including BECMI and 2E mostly, with a few games of 1E): Wizard. The arcane caster archetype has always appealed to me, and I like having a character with a big bag of tricks available.

3E: Sorceror. Same as before, but now I had the opportunity to escape Vancian casting, which has always annoyed me.

4E: Fighter or rogue. 4E wizards are mostly just blasters now, which does not much appeal to me; the martial classes are more interesting combatants in 4E, and for out-of-combat utility, anybody can pick up the Ritual Caster feat. Although I would totally play a warlock if their debuffs were stronger...