"Power Sources" and Classes

[gyor]

Absolutely against force feeding one class into another. I want lots of classes.

 

[Kynn]

I think "power sources," like "roles" and other 4e-isms, have been there all along but just were named for the first time in 4e.

And since it's in 4e it's wrongbadawful to certain people, even though the distinction has been in D&D from the start.

 

[paladinm]

It just seems that this would lend itself to "modularity".. you pick a base "class". If your character is primarily a combatant, you start with a fighter base. If an arcane caster, a mage base, etc. Then you build on the base whatever you wish.. rogueish stuff, arcane stuff, divine stuff. Fighter base + arcane trappings = swordmage; fighter base + divine stuff = paladin; psion base + divine stuff = "divine mind" (or whatever)

Why does every class possibility need a full separate class write-up in the PH?

 

[tecnowraith]

Why is this threadeven here when the it was said at the seminar that power sources are dead, buried and gone in 5e?

 

[underfoot007ct]

I think "power sources," like "roles" and other 4e-isms, have been there all along but just were named for the first time in 4e.

And since it's in 4e it's wrongbadawful to certain people, even though the distinction has been in D&D from the start.

Yes, I so agree. So very true.


.

 

[delericho]

I disagree with the need for an "Item" power. If a Wizard made the item, it's Arcane, if a Cleric made it it's Divine, if a Psion made it it's Psionic or Mental or whatever.

That makes a lot of sense. The only thing I would note is that the 4e power sources tended to define how the powers worked (that is, Martial tended to not get Dailies, post-Essentials at least, while Psionic got those Augments, and so on).

There do seem to be a fairly large number of commonalities between Items of all types (not least that they can easily switched out), and a number of things that distinguish them from the 'parent' power source, whatever that is.

Artificers or similar focussed classes seem generally arcane, so there's no need to have a separate power source for one class that appeared in a single campaign setting.

In addition to the Eberron-style Artificer, I would expect the Item source to cover characters like the Steampunk-style Mad Scientist (or Tinker Gnome, if we must), the character who doesn't create the items but merely uses them (Jarlaxle), and the character who is intimately tied to a single signature item (Elric with Stormbringer).

Plus, by supporting classes in this source, we also get auto-levelling items, Weapons of Legacy, or signature items (Anduril, etc) for free - those would simply become a matter of multiclassing.

The game can certainly manage without a dedicated Item source... but I do think it would be helpful.

 

[variant]

Edited.

 

[Andor]

Power sources, as has been noted, always existed in the game.

Clerics (and Druids) called on the Divine powers of the gods.

Mages called on the Arcane powers of batcrap.

Psionics blasted people with the power of their repressed memories of being taunted in gym class.

Fighters punched people in the face with the power of meat (or spinach, for the big daily powers.)

4e then did this kind of weird thing where since there were 4 roles every power source needed at least 4 classes, and then started splitting out power sources so nature gods got split out as primal, etc.

I presume this last bit is what they mean when they say powersources are dead.

The arcane/divine split, while a fairly artificial creation of E.G.G., is by now as sacred a cow as hitpoints.

 

[FireLance]

The arcane/divine split, while a fairly artificial creation of E.G.G., is by now as sacred a cow as hitpoints.

Really? I thought it had its origin in the witch hunts, the D&D analogue of which would have been Divine vs Arcane.

 

[variant]

4e then did this kind of weird thing where since there were 4 roles every power source needed at least 4 classes, and then started splitting out power sources so nature gods got split out as primal, etc.

I presume this last bit is what they mean when they say powersources are dead.

The Druids always got their power from nature. It was only in Forgotten Realms that changed to them getting their powers from a nature god.