D&D (2024) Races as classes

[Man in the Funny Hat]

I left race-as-class behind when I graduated from Holmes basic to 1E AD&D and shed not a tear about it. I have a negative amount of interest in seeing it return. For those who like it for whatever reason, game and be happy. But it's NOT for me as part of any version of D&D I care to play.

 

[the Jester]

Even if it was an option? Again you could in this system play an elf that is basicly a human with dark vision and a ribbon with 1 less skill...and still take any class in the game, or you could take levels in elf and get Fey ancestry elven weapon training some spells and perception bonuses

That is so not how I want races to work. Instead of making them more human-like, I want them to be less human-like.

 

[steeldragons]

I don't mind race-classes...but at least in my homebrew I don't make them mandatory. Non-human species (well, anyone, really) can be any/all "base classes": fighter, thief, cleric, mage.

From there, there are some subclass options available to different species, and then at least one or two species-specific classes. e.g. Dwarves Fighters, certain Warrior subclasses, all Mystic classes (cleric, templar, druid, bard), most Rogue subclasses, and then have "Guardians": fighter-cleric multi-class, like if the Dwarven Defender and Paladins had a baby, "Dwarf-adin lite." That only dwarves can take. Elves have a similar list plus fighter-mage combo that is theirs alone, and a ranger-druid combo, Halflings have a fighter-thief "rangerish" specialty, etc...

I'm also not averse to species specific "paragon/prestige-type classes." Like, 3-5 levels (I think is enough) that can be taken to become an elfier-elf or dwarfier-dwarf...You trade out some of your class features for these special trait/features that other species can't be/get.

 

[Weiley31]

Didn't 3.5 have something where it was that they had Paragon race as classes or something like that?

 

[Don Durito]

Didn't 3.5 have something where it was that they had Paragon race as classes or something like that?

Yes. You could take a few levels in a race based prestige class. An ok idea - but most of them weren't worth taking.

What would be interesting is to use the idea from 3.X era classes of spellcasting progression to slightly enfore the traditional idea of elven fighter-magic users and the like.

 

[Tonguez]

Didn't 3.5 have something where it was that they had Paragon race as classes or something like that?

Racial Paragon Classes :: d20srd.org

The Half-Dragon Paragon gave:

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special​
1st​	+1​	+2​	+0​	+2​	Sorcerous blood
2nd​	+2​	+3​	+0​	+3​	Natural armor increase
3rd​	+3​	+3​	+1​	+3​	Breath weapon 3/day