Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 3430702" data-attributes="member: 467">Character ClassesThe following will give a brief description of how each of the base classes, including the new ones from various books, fit into Abyscor.  Some classes, such as the Warlock and Hexblade, are limited to NPCs only.  if a class is not listed, it is not available.  in addition, some classes' variant abilities are noted, either as options or as requirements.PHB ClassesBarbarian: Barbarians are relatively rare among the civilized mortal races (humans, elves, dwarves and goblins).  This is not to say they are unheard of, however, among those races.  Many different cultures came to Abyscor at the time of the Great Catastrophe, and many more were forced to flee into the wilderness by the depredations of the Babyrast Wizard Kings.    Variants: The following variants from unearthed Arcana are available to barbarians: totem barbarians, “hunter barbarians” and the Whirling Frenzy rage variant.  The Berserker Strength variants class ability from PHB II is also available.Bard: Bards are common in Abyscor.  Unlike most other spellcasters, bards were not hunted to near extinction by the Wizards Kings of Babyrast – mostly due to the fact that bards were not considered much of a threat.  bards use a different kind of magic than do other arcane casters, one that draws on the “music of creation”.  being jacks of all trades, bards tend to travel a lot and have been key in keeping the disparate city states of Abyscor at least marginally connected to one another.  Bards are most often humans and elves, though all races have the capability to connect to the music of creation.    Variants: All Abyscor bards are Divine Bards per Unearthed Arcana (their spells are defined as Divine).  With that change in mind, the Bardic Sage and Savage Bard are both available.Cleric: Clerics are most common among humans (who first “discovered” the gods) but all civilized races recognize the divine powers (even if those divine powers have stopped recognizing mortals in return).  Goblins are the least likely to be devout, but, ever practical, goblins do have “prists of convenience” among their number.  Clerics come in two types: crusaders and scholars.  While most adventuring clerics will be the former, the latter are in fact far more numerous.    Variants: The UA Cloistered Cleric is available (and is, in fact, the most common kind of cleric in the setting). Crusading clerics can trade the turn undead ability for Smite, as per UA.  Spontaneous Domain Casting from PHBII is the standard in Abyscor (so if you want to be a healing battery, take the Healing domain!)Druid: In Abyscor, druids are often associated with the same cultures as barbarians.  They serve as both powerful war leaders and wise men.  Some druidic sects believe Abyscor should remain uncivilized and work toward that goal, and considered outlaws and terrorists by the rulers of the various city states.    Variants: The UA Druidic Avenger is available.  Note that the Shapeshift ability from PHB II is the standard for druids (in place of Wild Shape).  Druids may spend a feat to gain an animal companion, but do not automatically gain one.Fighters: Fighters in Abyscor are soldiers and guardsmen, mercenaries and adventurers, strongmen and thugs.  Abyscor is a land constantly in conflict and men-at-arms are both feared and respected throughout the land and all the races.    Variants: The Thug from UA is available, as are all the alternate class features from PHB II.Monk: The tradition of the monk was born among the goblins – among a group that eschews the goblin commercialism and materialism – but has spread throughout all the races.  Monks are rare, and most often remain within their remote cloisters.  Traveling monks are usually on an undefined quest for enlightenment, or serving the greater needs of their order.  monks of different orders, particularly if they are of opposing alignment, often battle (sometimes to the death) when they meet.    Variants: The Fighting Style variants from UA are the standard for monk characters – a monk must choose one of the fighting styles at 1st level.  The Decisive Strike variant class ability from PHB II is available.Paladin: Warrior zealots exist among all the religions of Abyscor, and even as non-chirch associated fraternities or sororities of divinely inspired soldiers beholden to no church.  Many are wary of these groups, as they act of their own will and belief and are difficult to control.    Variants: All four Paladin types from UA exist in Abyscor and a paladin PC must choose one path to follow.  In addition, any sort of paladin may take the “favored enemy” variant from that book.Ranger: Rangers are common in Abyscor, serving as scouts and as guides for travelers between the city states.  Though they often work alone or in small groups, there are many ranger fraternities where rangers meet to trade information and occassionally join into larger groups to deal with particularly dangerous threats.  Rangers often serve as the first line of defense against the orc, ogre and giant forces pushing toward the city states.    Variants: The UA Urban Ranger, as well as the Favored Environment variant, are available.  The Distracting Attack ability from PHB II is available.Rogue: If there is one class more common than the fighter, it is the rogue.  In a world of scheming merchants and warring city states, those that survive and thrive by stealth and guile are both necessary and everywhere.    Variants: Wilderness rogues from UA are available, as is the Disruptive Attack variant class feature from PHB II.Sorcerer: Long ago, there were many different kinds of sorcerers, mortals infused with the magic of the world via the mystical creatures that inhabit it.  then the dragons took notice of sorcerers and, over centuries, eliminated all but those sorcerers that were magically associated with dragons.  In society, sorcerers serve much the same function as wizards and other arcane casters, but in reality they are different enough that wizards, particularly those who follow the teachings of babyrast, do not trust sorcerers.    Variants: The battle sorcerer from UA is available, as is the Metamagic Specialist class feature from PHB II.  In addition, all sorcerer characters must pick a chromatic dragon type with which they are associated.  The sorcerer gains the abilities of a “minor bloodline” of the dragon type, per UA.  Also, spell lists should be built around the dragon type with which the sorcerer is associated.  And finally, draconic “fear aura” is an aura of command for sorcerers of the associated type, meaning that a sorcerer who fails the save is charmed by the dragon instead of affected by fear.Wizard: In Abyscor, the place of wizards is an uncertain one.  magic was once the key to the success of the civilized races, but since the Wizard Kings of Babyrast, with their demonic pacts and infernal magic, corrupted the place of the wizard in society, arcane casters of all sorts have found themselves on the fringes of society.  Sometimes, wizards are outlawed, even hunted.  ost times, though, they are simply distrusted.  the Order of Arcane Light has made efforts, and continues to do so, to rectify this view but has met with only limited success.  that said, there are many who would scour the remains of the Babyrast empire in search of arcane knowledge hoarded and buried by the Wizard kings.    Variants: All wizards must be specialist mages, and all the variant specialist wizard abilities listed in UA are available, as are the Immediate Magic abilities in PHB II.PHB II ClassesBeguiler: Beguilers are a kind of “specialist wizard” developed among the Babyrast to infiltrate and confound their arcane adversaries.  Since the fall of Babyrast, the school survives but in limited numbers and are hunted and often killed if captured.  While there are some few “good” beguilers, most serve their own interests are still work for what remains of Babyrast.Dragon Shaman: Only known among the orcs, ogres and trolls, Dragon Shamans are the favored of their draconic masters and serve their ends as powerful warriors and leaders among the giant tribes.  The Dragon Shaman is not a PC class.Duskblade: Duskblades are most often elves, for that is where the marriage of the arts arcane and war came together first.  However, duskblades can be found among all the civilized races.  like all arcane casters, they suffer the stigma of association with Babyrast, though their tendency to rely on strength of arms in addition to magical might makes some more comfortable with the duskblade than the sorcerer or wizard.Knight: Knights are often commanders among infantry and serve in the many armies of the many city states of Abyscor.  Some knights are “errant”, traveling the land on their own and performing deeds of valor for their own reasons.Complete Series ClassesThe following base classes from the Complete Series are the only ones available.Favored Soul: Some people believe that the gods turned away from mortals when the Great Catastrophe occurred.  the favored souls, few as they are, know better.  While they cannot truly explain it, the know, without a doubt, that the gods are still there, watching and manipulating the mortal races.  Favored souls are conduits to these divine powers and their destinies are already written, even if the favored soul cannot read it.    Variants: The PHB II Deity's Favor ability is the standard for favored souls in Abyscor.Hexblade: Warriors cloaked in infernal darkness, hexblades were commanders and specialists of the Babyrast Wizard Kings.  Like beguilers, hexblades largely disappeared when the empire fell, but a few yet remain – most in service of Babyrast, but some as independent agents.  And like beguilers, hexblades are hunted and severely punished if found.  Hexblade is an NPC only class.Scout: Scouts are relatively common in Abyscor, serving much the same function as rangers and wilderness rogues, though tend to be more often associated with a military or civil organization than either of those groups.  independent scouts are often veterans of Abyscor's city state wars who have decided warfare is not their calling and hire themselves out as guides or to merchant caravans.    Variants: The Dungeon Specialist variant from PHB II is available.Swashbuckler: Swashbucklers exist in all parts of Abyscor among all races, though they are not as common as fighters and tend to be more closely associated with those city states with a slightly higher than average level of technology and culture than most city states.    Variants: The Shield of Blades variant from PHB II is available.Warlock: Like beguilers and hexblades, warlocks were “created” in Babyrast and represent the ultimate link between mortal and the infernal realms.  It is rumored that warlocks were bred, not trained, and that the ritual involved in their creation was the most vile of all Babyrast's crimes.  few Warlocks exist outside the city of babyrast, and those that do are either hiding or on a mission for their masters.  Warlock is an NPC only class.</blockquote>

Verification