Heroic Classes

[JohnSnow]

Why not?

I imagine that they will be more plentiul than what we had PrC-wise as the mechanics will probably little more than a string of abilities or a feat tree. Also, if there are a significant number of them it will be easier to extrapolate what is a reasonable paragon path and make our own.

I'm leaning fairly heavily on the SWSE as a guide, obviously, but considering the dearth of information it's all I can do.

Here's a little more on the subject from Races and Classes. Here it is:

"The concepts of paragon paths and epic destinies were out there, but it was up to us to determine the way they would work. We came up with a set progression for each with the idea that everybody would be getting, say, a per-encounter power at the same time. That way, they'd be easier to design and DMs could mix, match, and tweak to get paragon paths that fit their campaigns."

Some phrases that come up during the discussion of paragon paths which might refer to actual paths include arcane archer, assassin, battle captain, cavalier, mystic theurge, prince of knaves, vigilant defender, and weapon master. Most of those sound pretty broad to me.

 

[TwinBahamut]

Some phrases that come up during the discussion of paragon paths which might refer to actual paths include arcane archer, assassin, battle captain, cavalier, mystic theurge, prince of knaves, vigilant defender, and weapon master. Most of those sound pretty broad to me.

So, combining those names with what we know of the various classes and the 2 classes per path/3 paths per class rule...

Arcane Archer seems to be a clear Ranger path, though whether it combines with Wizard or Warlock would be just a guess...

Assassin is going to be a Rogue path, but I am not sure what would be the other... Warlock, maybe?

Prince of Knaves sounds like the Robin Hood path, so that would be a Rogue/Ranger path.

Battle Captain is a Warlord path, obviously, but I have no clue what else works with it.

Mystic Theurge would be a Cleric/Wizard path.

Cavalier is probably a Paladin path, but I am not sure.

Vigilant Defender sounds like a Paladin/Fighter path (our two known defenders).

Weapon Master sounds like a Fighter/Rogue path to me.

Of course, who knows if these path names, the number of 12 paths, or any other thing I am trying to pick apart here will be true in the final product.

 

[Ahglock]

Here's a little more on the subject from Races and Classes. Here it is:

"The concepts of paragon paths and epic destinies were out there, but it was up to us to determine the way they would work. We came up with a set progression for each with the idea that everybody would be getting, say, a per-encounter power at the same time. That way, they'd be easier to design and DMs could mix, match, and tweak to get paragon paths that fit their campaigns."

Some phrases that come up during the discussion of paragon paths which might refer to actual paths include arcane archer, assassin, battle captain, cavalier, mystic theurge, prince of knaves, vigilant defender, and weapon master. Most of those sound pretty broad to me.

The last 3 seem kind of broad, the first 5 seem very specific to me. If just 1/2 of them are as specific as an arcane archer or cavalier I don't have much hope of the paragon paths covering what I'd consider just the basics of character concpets.

 

[JohnSnow]

The last 3 seem kind of broad, the first 5 seem very specific to me. If just 1/2 of them are as specific as an arcane archer or cavalier I don't have much hope of the paragon paths covering what I'd consider just the basics of character concpets.

By 11th-level, "battle captain" is a pretty broad concept. It's essentially "I lead troops in combat." To me, that sounds like a path that's targeted at warlords and clerics, but potentially applicable to fighters, paladins and rangers as well.

Assassin, if I'm correct, would be a good path for a paid executioner. Rogue is obvious, but a warlock "assassin" would be a good way to model the mystical killer type. Fighters and rangers might also get some use out of it.

Cavalier is the "horseman extraordinaire." That's probably a path targeted at Paladins and warlords.

Arcane archer and mystic theurge are the only ones that seem kinda specific to me. And that's because they actually imply something about arcane or divine magical prowess. But with 3 spellcasters (cleric, warlock and wizard) in the first PHB, I don't find it all that surprising if say, a third of the Paragon Paths are targeted at characters who use magic.

I think the trick is to make sure there's a path for wizards who don't dabble in divine magic, stealth or skill at arms. Personally, I have faith in the guys at WotC to come up with some good paths that will enable almost all character concepts.

With multiclassing changing, I wouldn't count on the conceptual basis of either mystic theurge or arcane archer remaining exactly the same.

 

[LightPhoenix]

How many prestige classes were there in the 3.0 PHB?

How many concepts didn't fit into those prestige classes?

"The concepts of paragon paths and epic destinies were out there, but it was up to us to determine the way they would work. We came up with a set progression for each with the idea that everybody would be getting, say, a per-encounter power at the same time. That way, they'd be easier to design and DMs could mix, match, and tweak to get paragon paths that fit their campaigns."

Thanks JohnSnow!

I would say, based on this quote, that it should be entirely possible to say, "You've reached 14th level, choose an extra per-encounter ability," to any player that doesn't choose a path.

I'm really interested in seeing how this works now, as if I wasn't before.

 

[Jack99]

I would say, based on this quote, that it should be entirely possible to say, "You've reached 14th level, choose an extra per-encounter ability," to any player that doesn't choose a path.

Sir, I think you are entirely correct. And even if this isn't in the RAW, it does sound like it should very easy to implement on our own.