malcolm_n
Adventurer
I posted these suggestions over on the WotC forums and figured I'd grab our community here as well. This was inspired by Jacob Singer's thread about Essentials of Character Creation.
The idea (per Wizards) is to keep everything modular. So, with that in mind, I thought up how they could handle classes for D&Dn.
The classes aren't laid out like we've seen in the last few editions, made to label you a fighter, mage, thief, or cleric. Instead the concept of a fighter is laid out and it's up to you as a player if you want to actually be a fighter. Builds are presented for you as suggestions for how the designers would build what we've all come to know as a sword/shield fighter, a big weapon fighter, a barbarian, etc. Same for each. The character can mix and match at level 1 and be whatever he wants. They would lay out these 11 builds, which later expand into new talents (like paragon paths or prestige classes).
* Fighter (barbarian or warrior), uses his Strength to overcome enemies or weathers blows with his Constitution. focus on weapons, be they melee or ranged.
* Sorcerer (dragon or elemental), Draws his power from his lineage which is derived from his Strength or Charisma. Allows for a variety of spellcasting, similar to the variety of melee classes.
* Rogue (thief or scoundrel), utilizing his superior Dexterity or Charisma, the rogue gets where he's going. focus on sneaking or tricking others in and out of combat. Not restricted to specific armors and weapons (though the idea of the typical thief is best reflected in classic dagger/leather). The scoundrel, for example may just be a mercenary in heavy armor with a greataxe.
* Wizard (schools of magic return), bringing back the idea of specialists introduced in both 3rd and eventually showing up in 4th, the wizard can specialize or generalize as a mages by focusing his powers through his high Intelligence or Constitution.
*Cleric, remains the class that can branch into several directions with its good Strength, Constitution, or Wisdom.
* Druid (guardian or primalist) With a superior Wisdom or Charisma, the druid is the ultimate ally of nature. By focusing on training as a druid, the character earns an animal companion, spells, and the ability to shapeshift to varying degrees however he spreads his talent and feat choices.
From these 6 class kits (I won't call them core because of specializations and whatnot breaks them up), we derive several options even beyond the two choices presented within each.
** Become a ranger as either a fighter or rogue with druid. Gets animal companion and some combat options, whether ranged or melee. Later down the line may open up room for a couple spells (as in 3.5) or stronger combat focus.
** Become a monk as either a fighter, sorcerer, or rogue with cleric. Instead of choosing spells, gain increased unarmed combat through talents and feats. Higher levels brings a focus on more supernatural abilities like breathing fire, psionic-like powers, or incredibly fast and powerful fighting.
** Become a warlock as either a sorcerer or wizard with rogue. One way (wizard) leans toward the creepy, spidery spellcaster introduced in 3.x while the other (sorcerer) has the feel of the 4e version complete with the different pacts.
** Become a paladin as a fighter with cleric. Alignment may not be necessary, but the paladin does adhere to his beliefs, which often end up leaning toward one. Blackguards and holy warriors from the start as well as justiciars or even knights. concepts outline different choices in talents and feats, but ultimately the player decides how to build.
** Become a Bard with either sorcerer, druid, or cleric with rogue. Strong focus on being useful while maintaining the idea of the jack of all trades. Can sing, but may just inspire through music or action.
** Become a warlord with fighter or cleric with rogue. major concept works around spell-less inspiration. Leads through battle or good strategy.
As early as level 1 you can be any of these 11 archetypes by picking up the proper talents/feat combinations. Anyway, that's my thoughts on how to implement this in D&Dn.
The idea (per Wizards) is to keep everything modular. So, with that in mind, I thought up how they could handle classes for D&Dn.
The classes aren't laid out like we've seen in the last few editions, made to label you a fighter, mage, thief, or cleric. Instead the concept of a fighter is laid out and it's up to you as a player if you want to actually be a fighter. Builds are presented for you as suggestions for how the designers would build what we've all come to know as a sword/shield fighter, a big weapon fighter, a barbarian, etc. Same for each. The character can mix and match at level 1 and be whatever he wants. They would lay out these 11 builds, which later expand into new talents (like paragon paths or prestige classes).
* Fighter (barbarian or warrior), uses his Strength to overcome enemies or weathers blows with his Constitution. focus on weapons, be they melee or ranged.
* Sorcerer (dragon or elemental), Draws his power from his lineage which is derived from his Strength or Charisma. Allows for a variety of spellcasting, similar to the variety of melee classes.
* Rogue (thief or scoundrel), utilizing his superior Dexterity or Charisma, the rogue gets where he's going. focus on sneaking or tricking others in and out of combat. Not restricted to specific armors and weapons (though the idea of the typical thief is best reflected in classic dagger/leather). The scoundrel, for example may just be a mercenary in heavy armor with a greataxe.
* Wizard (schools of magic return), bringing back the idea of specialists introduced in both 3rd and eventually showing up in 4th, the wizard can specialize or generalize as a mages by focusing his powers through his high Intelligence or Constitution.
*Cleric, remains the class that can branch into several directions with its good Strength, Constitution, or Wisdom.
* Druid (guardian or primalist) With a superior Wisdom or Charisma, the druid is the ultimate ally of nature. By focusing on training as a druid, the character earns an animal companion, spells, and the ability to shapeshift to varying degrees however he spreads his talent and feat choices.
From these 6 class kits (I won't call them core because of specializations and whatnot breaks them up), we derive several options even beyond the two choices presented within each.
** Become a ranger as either a fighter or rogue with druid. Gets animal companion and some combat options, whether ranged or melee. Later down the line may open up room for a couple spells (as in 3.5) or stronger combat focus.
** Become a monk as either a fighter, sorcerer, or rogue with cleric. Instead of choosing spells, gain increased unarmed combat through talents and feats. Higher levels brings a focus on more supernatural abilities like breathing fire, psionic-like powers, or incredibly fast and powerful fighting.
** Become a warlock as either a sorcerer or wizard with rogue. One way (wizard) leans toward the creepy, spidery spellcaster introduced in 3.x while the other (sorcerer) has the feel of the 4e version complete with the different pacts.
** Become a paladin as a fighter with cleric. Alignment may not be necessary, but the paladin does adhere to his beliefs, which often end up leaning toward one. Blackguards and holy warriors from the start as well as justiciars or even knights. concepts outline different choices in talents and feats, but ultimately the player decides how to build.
** Become a Bard with either sorcerer, druid, or cleric with rogue. Strong focus on being useful while maintaining the idea of the jack of all trades. Can sing, but may just inspire through music or action.
** Become a warlord with fighter or cleric with rogue. major concept works around spell-less inspiration. Leads through battle or good strategy.
As early as level 1 you can be any of these 11 archetypes by picking up the proper talents/feat combinations. Anyway, that's my thoughts on how to implement this in D&Dn.
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