How will you handle this?

[sjmiller]

OK, so let's assume that my group and I decide to buy 4e and run a new campaign.* I have a player who really has a fondness for playing her gnomish druids. I understand that I may be able to find playable stats for a gnome in the Monster Manual, but I think she's going to be SOL for anything on druids, right? Gaming is about having fun, and she does not find playing fighters, wizards, rogues, and the like to be fun. So, what do we do? Tell her she has to wait to play what she likes? Tell her to play something else until she can play what she likes?

While we're there, what do you tell other players who really want to play things that are no longer available, especially stuff that has been in the Player's Handbook since the early days? I forget, are sorcerers still an option? I have two players who love those, and would be disappointed if they can't play one. I am really curious how others are going to handle this.

*Oh, for the record, the chance of us changing to 4e is very, very slim. I am happy with the edition I am currently running and nobody else wants to buy and learn a whole new and radically different edition when we like the current one.

 

[Peter LaCara]

Well, you've got two choices as I see it:

1) Cleric of a nature diety

2) Fey pact warlock

 

[essenbee]

Players will have to play a class and race that is in the 4e PHB, period. What else would you expect anyone to say?

 

[DeusExMachina]

While it sucks to not be able to play your favorite character class and race (one of the people in my group is particular to the barbarian for example), I also find it hard to believe that people really only like 1 character build. I'm a rogue fan myself, but have also enjoyed swashbucklers, psionic classes, the occasional sorcerer, etc.
So I'm afraid these people will just have to play another character for now or somehting that comes close to it and wait until the new classes come out...

 

[AZRogue]

Let her look over the other Classes and see if one is interesting enough to give a try. She may have played fighters before and not cared for it, but 4E classes are a different animal. It's a game and she'll have to pick one of the options available. She may discover that she likes the 4E version of one of the classes since past experience no longer applies. Hell, she may hate the 4E druid.

No one can really say that they won't have fun playing one of the Classes available. They've changed enough that they may appeal to people who previously didn't care for them. By the time you discover what you like, or don't like, more options will be available with the PHB2.

 

[Ginnel]

Its nice to have your comfort zone tested every now and then, suggest she play a character out of her normal self defined role, ask her what makes playing a druid fun for her is it the mechanics is it the furry friend (or indeed furry) aspect that attracts her? and work on these answers to help suggest another class she could have fun with

If it's mechanics everyone can do something fun now, so thats a no brainer.

If it's the furry friend you could give her the option of having a pet companion which doesn't have a great effect on the game or could even provide plot hooks (my player's henchaman's wombat got stolen once).

If it's the actual furry aspect suggest maybe a tiefling with more animalistic traits or even a dragonborn.

But yeah definelty ask her what she finds fun and see if you can come up with a compromise based on the rules you'll have in 4th ed

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ginnel

"Someone on the internet is wrong!"

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Let her look over the other Classes and see if one is interesting enough to give a try. She may have played fighters before and not cared for it, but 4E classes are a different animal. It's a game and she'll have to pick one of the options available. She may discover that she likes the 4E version of one of the classes since past experience no longer applies. Hell, she may hate the 4E druid.

QFT

4e is a brand new experience, and should be played not as an extension of previous gaming in 3e but a brand new thing.

If she is still dead set:

-Cleric

-Fey Warlock

-Ranger (most likely will have nature-oriented PP)

For the sorcerer, there is no sorcerer in PHB1, but if they like the 3e sorcerer they will probably like the 4e wizard.

 

[Heselbine]

While we're there, what do you tell other players who really want to play things that are no longer available, especially stuff that has been in the Player's Handbook since the early days?

Sounds like a bit of a disguised whinge to me, since you say you're not going to play 4e. Fine, play 3e if you're happier with it. I prefer to game with people who have open minds, however.

 

[sjmiller]

Sounds like a bit of a disguised whinge to me, since you say you're not going to play 4e. Fine, play 3e if you're happier with it. I prefer to game with people who have open minds, however.

Just to set the record straight, I have a very open mind, just not an exceptionally open wallet. Unemployment can really close your wallet pretty tight. Satisfaction with something you already have over something you do not have and cannot get is not being closed minded, it's being pragmatic.

 

[Cirex]

I wouldn't consider the leap from 3e to 4e to be that big or radical, as you said.

Now, converting characters always has this kind of problems. Missing classes, races, concepts, etc. However, I'm sure she can find something she likes at the 4e. No animal companion or shapeshifting, but the ranger has this appealing synergy with nature.