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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 7618609" data-attributes="member: 82106">Nothing in prior 'classic' versions of D&D really stopped you from doing this either. There weren't explicit rules for it, generally, but it was some pretty basic trivial homebrew. I mean, plastering a few thief levels onto a goblin isn't exactly rocket science...For that matter, in 1e and 2e, most humanoids had leader types, shaman/witch doctors (1e had them as an option in the DMG) which was just basically a variation with some simple 'classes' designed for these creatures (and with the shaman/witch doctor they were even called classes and levels). Even original D&D had a bit of this, as NPC demi-humans had levels, and sometimes in classes that were forbidden to PCs (IE there are NPC dwarf clerics in D&D and B/X). 3e definitely codified all of this stuff, some of which late 2e had already brought into the official game, but it was definitely always there. 4e just leaned heavily on the concept, while at the same time actually jettisoning the concept of NPC classes almost entirely (there's a section on it in DMG1, but it is practically a forgotten option, and WotC never talked about it again).</blockquote>