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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 6043953" data-attributes="member: 22779">Additionally, if you provide these classes, then presumably these classes are going to be used in the game.  You then need to rejigger the game to balance against a group that is some percentage non-combat, with that percentage being anywhere from zero to one hundred.  How do you possibly write any supplements for this?  Particularly modules.  Do you put disclaimers on the front?  "For a group of X characters, level Y to Z with a ratio of combat to non-combat characters of 3:2"  You just made the game unbelievably complicated to design for.  In every version of D&D, there was a default baseline.  AD&D tended to default to 5-7 PC's (sometimes 6-8) with a two level variation.  Not a big problem since a smaller group would likely be higher level, a larger group, lower and the difference between levels not so pronounced.  3e and 4e default to 4 or 5 PC's of a given level with pretty specific guidelines as to how to slide the difficulty up or down.Now, add in classes that add very little to combat and try to design an adventure.  Or a setting guide.  Or a monster book.  Why try to cater to playstyles that have never been supported by the game and are actually quite contrary to what the game is about?  I've never understood this idea that D&D must cater to every single gamer.  If you want a game about investigation and intrigue with very little combat, why on earth would you use D&D to play that campaign?  If I want to run a hard SF game based on Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, I'm going to turn to GURPS, because GURPS is heavy on the simulation side, and very, very fine grained for the kinds of things that will likely come up in that campaign.  OTOH, if I want to do a Princess of Mars campaign, I'm going to turn to Savage Worlds or D&D (or possibly Gamma World) because those systems will do that campaign much better justice.  It's swash buckling high adventure.  GURPS doesn't do that very well but SW or D&D does.  What's wrong with looking at D&D and saying, "Yes, this is a heroic fantasy RPG, has always been a heroic fantasy RPG and that's apparently what people want out of D&D"?I could see some sort of 3rd party supplement or side supplement a la Unearthed Arcana for something like this.  But in core?  Why?  It does not fit with the game and stands out like a sore thumb.</blockquote>

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