Marshal PrC- Is WOTC lifting ideas

[WizarDru]

No doubt. Best Paly character I have ever seen! Paksennarion is a must read for people who'd like to play one.

Again, I am not throwing out accusations and I did mention in my first post that I would like to read the stats before I make a final decision.

I am just throwing out the POSSIBILITY.

Then you might consider renaming the thread. Right now, it reads like "Joe Schmoe - Is he still beating his wife?"

Not having ever read the series, I'm curious...what makes the Marshals of Moon's work unique? Obviously, you see something in them that this class has...but is it unique enough that it stretches the believability of independent creation? From the vague descriptions I've heard, it doesn't sound terribly original at all. The character of Bastilla in Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic, for example, has the Jedi Power of 'Battle Meditation', which sounds similar. Piratecat also mentioned Warcraft 3, which did something similar. Tales of Joan of Arc certainly fit, and historic listings abound with folks like, I dunno, Grand Marshal Frederick von Wallenrode.

This doesn't sound that much different from the WarPriest, in some ways, a bard in others, or some of the prestige classes from Bad Axe's Half-orc and dwarven material.

I'm just pointing out that the title of the thread could be softened a little bit.

 

[Umbran]

3. As James said, that's a fairly common concept. Heck, auras and commanders were used in Warcraft 3.

Heck, paladins with "auras" are used in Diablo 2, which came out before Warcraft 3. So Blizzard must have stolen them from...

 

[KenM]

As far as TSR/ DnD stealling stuff. I seem to remember the Tolkien estate being very upset with TSR when DnD first came out. TSR was forced to change some names of a few things so they would not get sued.
IMO the term marshal has been used in real life by real nations, it was a title given to army commanders. I don't know if they took it from that or the EM stuff. I have to get around to reading those books.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

2. If it is a fictional concept turned into game terms, this wouldn't be the first time; for instance, TSR's 2nd edition psionics system is directly lifted from the books of Julian May.

I didn't know that! The books any good?

 

[Piratecat]

Yes. I think there is nine or ten of them, and I enjoyed just about all of them. The first three are sci-fi with fantasy elements, and deal with pre-history, and the latter six or seven deal with how that pre-history has affected humanity. All are hinged on the concept and application of psionics. Very cool.

They start off with The Many-Colored Land, unless I'm mistaken.

 

[drnuncheon]

Not sure I see how she stole anything from DnD. Her world was very unique, IMO.

Are you certain we read the same books?

The ones with the exact same set of races as D&D (human, dwarf, elf, half-elf, gnome - minus the hobbi...er...halflings)?

The ones with paladins, elven fighter/magicusers, druids, and rangers?

The ones with the evil spider-worshiping underground dark elves?

Don't get me wrong. They are great books. They are absolutely the best D&D books ever written (which is damning them with faint praise). But file the names and serial numbers off and they could easily have happened in the Forgotten Realms.

J

 

[Eridanis]

I didn't know that! The [Julian May] books any good?

They're my favorite non-Tolkien series of all time. For me, the later books seemed to slip just a tad - the original four-book series (MANY-COLOURED LAND, GOLDEN TORC, NON-BORN KING, and ADVERSARY) is so chock-full of cool stuff and interesting characters that the later books (which are actually prequels) lose just a small step in my mind. I highly recommend them.

I read the Paksennarrion series on Dink's recommendation, and I agree; if Moon didn't play D&D, then she darn well channelled the way D&D worlds work. It's another excellent book (I read the omnibus trade papereback edition).

I'll wait ot see what this new marshal class looks like before judging if WotC hewed too close to others' ideas. It's an interesting concept, anyway.

 

[Dinkeldog]

I am just throwing out the POSSIBILITY.

I've been thinking about it, and the more I do, the more I think if they were to steal something, it would be Falk's Captains rather than Gird's Marshalls. The Captains were the leaders of trained troops. The Marshalls went into the countryside and trained the yokels to defend themselves as a militia.

*wonders at what point this becomes more about the books and it needs to be moved.