Graf
Explorer
This is an idea that has been bubbling around in my head for a while.
Its an open fact that while the classes are supposed to be "balanced" in 3rd edition (3.5 whatever) the cleric is a bit more balanced than the other classes. This was a specific design decision that has, I think, lead to a big improvement in the game. While most people still aren't going to play the "healer" very often the attractiveness of the class and its flexibility (domains, armor access, broad spell list, healing spell substitution) have increased the popularity vs. 2nd ed to the point that healing is rarely an issue.
Likewise big efforts have also been made to provide healing to other classes and or make healing less burdensome. In addition to the druid and paladin, bards also get cure spells, and most of the settings (especially newer ones like Eberron) have made an effort to support alternative healing (Dragonmark, Artificer produced healing items) sources.
So what was an unnecessary game headache has largely been alleviated by some intelligent re-jiggering of rules.
Which brings me to my thoughts on rogues and traps.
Traps are big part of dungeons... a grand DnD tradition... one of the few challenges in the game that is simultaneously physically threatening to the party but does not involve defeating it by reducing to negative hit points. And, unlike virtually every other part of the ruleset, dealing with traps is not part of the skill system.
Why did I just say that when Traps have DCs just like everything else?
Because of Trapsense... an ability only available to Rogues (in the PhB). Regardless of your skill you can't deal with traps above DC 20. (And almost no traps actually have DCs below 20, even at lower levels).
So we have a situation similar to that of the cleric in 2nd edition: every party must have a rogue. And that character needs to have a lot of levels of rogue to keep up with the wildly escalating trap DCs.
Recently I ran a short low level game (1st to 5th). The rogue was pretty soft in combat. Low hit points, low damage, low AC. But once every few hours he had to be there to disarm the trap. The Kalashar Quest game encountered a similar situation, hit point replenishment can be resolved a number of ways, but there are no potions of Trap Discovery, no other classes that get "limited trap sense", so somebody with lots of rogue levels was a requirement.
So I'm wondering if others feel the same way about the "necessity of the rogue"? Is it a game system inflicted hurdle? Should rogues be constructed to be "more attractive" to encourage players to play them?
(Am just wrong?)
[edits=layout, clarity]
Its an open fact that while the classes are supposed to be "balanced" in 3rd edition (3.5 whatever) the cleric is a bit more balanced than the other classes. This was a specific design decision that has, I think, lead to a big improvement in the game. While most people still aren't going to play the "healer" very often the attractiveness of the class and its flexibility (domains, armor access, broad spell list, healing spell substitution) have increased the popularity vs. 2nd ed to the point that healing is rarely an issue.
Likewise big efforts have also been made to provide healing to other classes and or make healing less burdensome. In addition to the druid and paladin, bards also get cure spells, and most of the settings (especially newer ones like Eberron) have made an effort to support alternative healing (Dragonmark, Artificer produced healing items) sources.
So what was an unnecessary game headache has largely been alleviated by some intelligent re-jiggering of rules.
Which brings me to my thoughts on rogues and traps.
Traps are big part of dungeons... a grand DnD tradition... one of the few challenges in the game that is simultaneously physically threatening to the party but does not involve defeating it by reducing to negative hit points. And, unlike virtually every other part of the ruleset, dealing with traps is not part of the skill system.
Why did I just say that when Traps have DCs just like everything else?
Because of Trapsense... an ability only available to Rogues (in the PhB). Regardless of your skill you can't deal with traps above DC 20. (And almost no traps actually have DCs below 20, even at lower levels).
So we have a situation similar to that of the cleric in 2nd edition: every party must have a rogue. And that character needs to have a lot of levels of rogue to keep up with the wildly escalating trap DCs.
Recently I ran a short low level game (1st to 5th). The rogue was pretty soft in combat. Low hit points, low damage, low AC. But once every few hours he had to be there to disarm the trap. The Kalashar Quest game encountered a similar situation, hit point replenishment can be resolved a number of ways, but there are no potions of Trap Discovery, no other classes that get "limited trap sense", so somebody with lots of rogue levels was a requirement.
So I'm wondering if others feel the same way about the "necessity of the rogue"? Is it a game system inflicted hurdle? Should rogues be constructed to be "more attractive" to encourage players to play them?
(Am just wrong?)
[edits=layout, clarity]
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