How Many Classes Do We Really Need?

[Grimmjow]

The thing I want to see is multiple themes (which I think I read they were allowing more at later levels...can anyone confirm) to cover this off. I hold to the concept that with multiple themes the "idea" of the class can be preserved.

Can confirm it but from what it looks like and from what people have been saying maybe every 6 levels would be an good guess

 

[Ratinyourwalls]

A lot. Like 50 - 60.

 

[The Shadow]

My first character EVER in D&D ( at a ripe young age in 1e) was a bard. LOVED using charms and stuff. (Excuse the pun...it "enchanted" me).

Huh? Out of curiosity, how did that work? The 1e bard was D&D's first-ever prestige class - you needed to dual-class a fair number of levels of rogue and druid first.

Did you start the game at high level?

 

[BobTheNob]

Huh? Out of curiosity, how did that work? The 1e bard was D&D's first-ever prestige class - you needed to dual-class a fair number of levels of rogue and druid first.

Did you start the game at high level?

I have no idea. Having no concept of what D&D is a friend handed me a character sheet and we played. Im just assuming it must have been 1e as it was SO long ago and Im pretty sure 2e wasnt out at that time.

 

[steeldragons]

Huh? Out of curiosity, how did that work? The 1e bard was D&D's first-ever prestige class - you needed to dual-class a fair number of levels of rogue and druid first.

Did you start the game at high level?

Close. In 1e, it was fighter (for minimum 5 or 7 levels I think) then rogue (for a certain minimum amount of levels -effectively making you fairly ranger-ish) then druid. When you began your first level of druid (got to use magic) you were, technically speaking, a first level Bard.

I don't believe it was accounted for in 1e, but since only humans and half-elves could be a bard, the half-elf could multi-class the fighter/thief until they could take up the druidism. Again, I don't think this was stipulated in the bard appendix...but I don't believe there was anything saying you couldn't do it that way, either. But it was one way I know we used back in the day to "speed things up", as it were (for the only bard character I can remember with that group/back then). I suppose allowing that was a house-rule decision.

I very much hope 5e moves the bard away from "rogue/arcane caster" and back to the mythic druidic associations of the archetype, with natural style magic (some illusions and charms make sense too, but not ALL arcane magic!). The "Bardic Spell List/table" should, imho, be primarily druid/nature-oriented spells, minor resistances and curatives, and some charms and illusions. Things like Remove Fear, Resist Elements, Cure Light, Obscurment or Fog Cloud, Charm Person and Sleep -obviously, would all be in my dream Bard spell list).

But, haha, this is completely unrelated to the topic at hand. So...carry on. </aside.>
--SD

 

[Crazy Jerome]

[MENTION=92511]steeldragons[/MENTION], different ways to have classes realize a character seems to point right at the heart of the topic, to me.

 

[Steely_Dan]

Class : Fighter, Background : Barbarian, Themes : Noble, Lurker, Bezerker

So the rage mechanics specific to the Barbarian are moved into Bezerker, with Barbarian being more the cultural and interactive aspects. With Noble and Lurker adding there extra little bit of flavor.

! believe they have stated Noble being a Background (like Barbarian would be, cultural status and all).

 

[Steely_Dan]

I very much hope 5e moves the bard away from "rogue/arcane caster" and back to the mythic druidic associations of the archetype

Yes, I too would like the Bard to return to "under druidical tutelage" action.

 

[Grimmjow]

Yes, I too would like the Bard to return to "under druidical tutelage" action.

i don't think the druid should be anything like an arcane class, a primal class a divine class or anything in its own, it should be able to be from any background

 

[Steely_Dan]

i don't think the druid should be anything like an arcane class, a primal class a divine class or anything in its own, it should be able to be from any background

We're not saying that, steeldragons and I want the Bard to return to its druidical roots.