New Classes

[Gwaihir]

Lets say I wanted to start a new campaign. (Age of Worms), But I wanted to run it as a change of pace.

We are at the gaming stage of our lives where we only get to play once a month (read: small children--non gaming wives) so we currently use gestalt classes for the variety of experience as much as party power.

If I would start on AOW, I would want to run with Non Standard classes. What book would be recommended for this? Arcana Evolved? Something else? Thanks.

 

[Estlor]

Bang for your buck would probably be Arcana Evolved or Iron Heroes. AE would require the least amount of changes to the overarching system (spellcasting is slightly different and some feats work differently).

If you've got access to a number of other books, you could piece together classes from the Complete line and the Minature Handbook. Do a 1 for 1 analog and replace everything but the fighter and the rogue.

Next time I start a campaign, I'm planning on going that route. I'm thinking about using the fighter (core), swashbuckler (Complete Warrior), marshal (Miniatures Handbook), scout (Complete Adventurer), rogue (core), hexblade (Complete Warrior), templar (modified Sohei from Oriental Adventures), arcanist (Heroes of Horror), warlock (Complete Arcane), and maybe another class depending on flavor. I'm still working out the details. Obviously, with classes like this, I'm going for a setting where conflict is a major aspect, the focus is more on mobility and less on heavy armor, gods are distant and rarely interact with the world, and arcane magic is considered demonic and persecuted.

 

[Gwaihir]

For Example:

this was the class discussion about the archivist that got me thinking that non-standard classes would be fun.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=153764

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Sounds like a good idea. I'll agree that Arcana Evolved is probably the best choice for a group of non-standard classes, though the standard archetypes are still pretty well-represented. The Thieves' World PHB also has a goodly sized group of new classes.

If you have the cash, I'd also recommend Green Ronin's Master Class series, which have such beauties as the Assassin, Psychic, Cavalier, Necromancer, Death Knight, Witch, Avatar, and more.

 

[Voadam]

For an all in one book to be used with standard D&D adventures Arcana Evolved. Lots of classes for all the D&D niches but different from core ones. Iron Heroes is designed to fight D&D monsters but not get D&D treasure, so modules would need to be modified heavily or loot will pump up PCs beyond their normal ECL power.

Lots of books have a class or two. Oriental Adventures has a bunch, and all the complete books have about three each. Expanded Psionics Handbook has four classes and Magic of Incarnum has three. Unearthed Arcana has a lot of class variants that play differently (spontaneous casting clerics and druids, etc.)

A bunch of Fantasy Flight Games Path of and Legends and Lairs books have different core classes (Cityworks has three core classes like the acrobat).

 

[diaglo]

DMG.

Commoner, Warrior, Adept, Expert, and Aristocrat

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'll second the Thieves World and Arcana Evolved suggestions. Monte did good work on AE in general, and Thieves World is nearly as good as the books it was based on.