New Elven Favoured Class?

[Nyaricus]

seems as though my ideas are similar to most other peoples out there, though if there was a class out there like the duskblade but more magic and less combat, iwould ahve gone for that.

See also: the Battle Sorcerer

More magic, less combat

 

[Nyeshet]

And the (current) winners are:

46 Ranger
33 Duskblade
30 Sorcerer
23 Wizard

Runners Up:

13 Bard
07 Scout
06 Any

03 Druid
03 Hexblade
03 Warlock

I'm not too surprised at the results, although I admit that I expected Bard and Beguiler to do a little better.

When you look at them, a few archtypes really stand out:

Ranger / Duskblade
- the fighter / caster combination

Sorcerer / Wizard
- the (arcane) casters

The Bard was (not surprisingly) the first runner up. It seems to capture the fae nature of the elf well, but its (arguable) weakness as a class combined with the fact that the core elven race is not all that fae likely aids in its lapse from a winning edge.

Note that Scout fits the Ranger motiff a little, but lacking magic does not, apparently, seem 'elfish' enough. It still did far better than most other classes, at sixth place.

Any was chosen a few times, but I think this is likely an arguement against favored classes altogether rather than a statement about the elf's favored class. In future polls I think it should be dropped, but I admit that is only my opinion.

The remaining three that managed to get more than one or two votes were not that surprising really. We have representatives from the remaining caster type (divine Druid) and a variant sorcerer - the Warlock. The final class - Hexblade - is in some respects a variant Duskblade in that both are combatives with some arcane casting ability.

Perhaps - as the 'typical' party is expected to have a combative, a skills expert, and one of each casters - each race should have multiple favored classes, as such, with up to two classes per type maybe:

Combative:
Skills Expert:
Arcane Casting:
Divine Casting:

In which case I might expect something like:

Combative: Duskblade / Ranger
Skills Expert: Bard / Scout (?)
Arcane Casting: Sorcerer / Wizard
Divine Casting: Druid

The fact that both all classes listed happen to use magic would be indicative of the commonality of magic in the race. A less magical race might have others chosen. For Dwarves, for example, we might choose Fighter and Samurai for Combative, Cleric for Divine Casting, Artisan (?) for Arcane Casting, and Rogue (?) for Skills Expert (although I think savage bard might arguably be a bit closer in some views of them).

This would weaken the idea of favored classes (having at least four and as many as eight), but it would also take away some of the difficulty of working with them. I could actually see - perhaps - the designers view of them (ie: the race leaning towards a particular class). With 60+ official classes having as many as eight per race is not that out of line, I think.

I will admit, however, that I dislike how favored class was handled and am suspitious of the concept as a whole.

 

[TroyXavier]

I picked Scout with Ranger 2nd.

 

[Nyaricus]

Any was chosen a few times, but I think this is likely an arguement against favored classes altogether rather than a statement about the elf's favored class. In future polls I think it should be dropped, but I admit that is only my opinion.

Indeed. It seems that that problem came out only in this poll (when 'any' was aded in), so I think I am going to leave it out for the following ones, since answering "Favoured Classes suck" is not the point of this excercise about.... FAVOURED CLASSES. Oh well...

Live and learn, I suppose. In any case, this has been *really* fun thus far. I think the Gnome is going to be really interesting, in any case

 

[Aus_Snow]

Indeed. It seems that that problem came out only in this poll (when 'any' was aded in), so I think I am going to leave it out for the following ones, since answering "Favoured Classes suck" is not the point of this excercise about.... FAVOURED CLASSES. Oh well...

Nyah, nyah. Told you so.

I think the Gnome is going to be really interesting, in any case

Yeah. Beguiler or Artificer I wonder? Hrm, or Sorcerer I suppose. . .

 

[Nyaricus]

Nyah, nyah. Told you so.

I know, c'est la vie....

Yeah. Beguiler or Artificer I wonder? Hrm, or Sorcerer I suppose. . .

It's a tough choice; I first experienced Gnomes as Tinkers in DL, but I'd vote a more nature-y gnome class (ala the druid) or the Beguiler (which is an awesome class) any day over artificer, 'cause I think it fits them better. Articifcer is still up there though

 

[Aus_Snow]

Oh, I was just trying to figure out the most likely winner(s).

Me, actually *voting* for anything to do with Gnomes (other than "Genocide, yes or no"). . . ? Sure.

 

[MarkB]

It's a tough choice; I first experienced Gnomes as Tinkers in DL, but I'd vote a more nature-y gnome class (ala the druid) or the Beguiler (which is an awesome class) any day over artificer, 'cause I think it fits them better. Articifcer is still up there though

Beguiler works well for Eberron gnomes, which are my favourite portrayal of gnomes. Artificer probably works for their more traditional portrayal, but really, if I were to assign Artificer to any race, it'd be humans.

 

[Knight Otu]

I've voted ranger, but I was tempted to vote something else:

The elf was patient, well hidden in the tree's crown. It has been a few days since the community became aware of the poacher on their territory. During the following days, he and the other leafwardens monitored the actions of the poacher to formulate their plan, and determined that the human would come by here today.
The leafwarden saw the poacher long before the poacher even saw the tree the leafwarden was hifing in. As the poacher finally arrived near the tree, the elf quickly checked his glove, silently walked down the tree, and announced "These are the elven realms. You have no place here." As expected, the poacher panickedly whirled around, and the elf struck with his gloved hand. The poacher stood stunned and dropped his bow as he listened to the leafwarden's further words. "Do not return here, and no harm will come to you." Then the poison on the glove did its work, and the poacher dropped, unconcious. The leafwardens would carry the man savely back to the borders of the forest.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Druid, definitely.

Elves love nature.....check!
Elves are magically inclined.......check!
Elves are long-lived, staid, and wise......check! (wis casting, timeless body)
Elves are kind of jack of all trades (magic, fighting, skills, they dabble in all).....check!*

*Honestly, despite the respective flavor text, druid is more a jack-of-all trades than a bard. Fighting ability equal; hp druid > bard; spellcasting druid >> bard; skills bard > druid; saves equal; special features... tough to call, but I'd say druid. Animal companion, wildshape, and a thousand faces alone > bardic music in power and versatility.

I really thought it was a mistake not making it druid from the outset. A people that are naturally chaotic and like to be in the open outdoors favoring a bookish, locked-up-in-some-tower-studying-all-the-time-never-to-see-the-light-of-day class. Huh?

(That's a BLUISTSATTNTSTLOD Class for short) ^_^