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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 6176863" data-attributes="member: 1465">There are many character concepts that could be both implemented either as a subclass or as a feat chain. The main differences are that (a) a subclass belong to one class, while feats are available for everyone, and (b) a subclass starts at level 1-3, while a feat chain can have a prerequisite to start at any higher level.Issue (a) means that before shoveling a concept into a subclass, they should think if it is a concept that in fact fits only for that class... See the Arcane Archer feat (which later could be extended to a whole feat chain), as a feat it can be taken by a Fighter, a Ranger, a Wizard... you need to be a spellcaster but there are also feats granting you arcane spells. They can turn the Arcane Archer into a subclass: but should it be a Wizard subclass or Fighter subclass?They are certainly going to have issues when designing "multiclassing" subclasses, because of the inherent question of which class is the better base class for a subclass that is meant to represent 2 classes in one? IMO they will handle this issue by simply designing lots of "martial Wizard" and "arcane Fighter" subclasses in splatbooks.Issue (b) is more tricky IMO, because it has narrative consequences. If you take a cool character concept that represents an elite group, and implement it as a subclass, then you are just forcing everyone to enter that elite group at level 3, or never again have that chance. Mearls is talking about using subclasses to define the world, but then if e.g. you want to use Shadowdancer to represent a close-knit secret elite group that a PC has to gain admission to, then how are you going to handle the fact that mechanically you can only become a Shadowdancer when you take your 3rd level of Rogue?</blockquote>

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