Shadowdark Western Reaches Stretch Goal: New Classes

[Ruin Explorer]

The bold part is endemic, and drives me crazy. There's this assumption that a Paladin must, of course, have Lay on Hands. Or a Barbarian must, of course, have a rage mechanic. Etc.

I think the issue is that a Paladin with mount/lance stuff, but not Lay on Hands or something similar is alien to essentially the last 25 years of Paladins, where clearly LoH has been more definitively Paladin-esque. It's more extreme with a Barbarian, their defining characteristic in D&D-type games has always (or again, for at least 25 years) been Rage. If you're not using that, why use such a baggage-laden name as Barbarian, even? All you're doing is setting people up for disappointment and/or making people think "Huh, this game is different" - but that's not how other classes are designed - indeed the core Shadowdark classes are pretty much what you'd expect, trope-wise.

I think there's a difference between "failing to pare down", and "removing/replacing defining tropes for no apparent reason". Those examples aren't "failing to pare down", certainly "Barbarians should have Rage" isn't.

 

[darjr]

Shadowdark Class Design with Kelsey Dionne: The Necromancer! Live at 12pm Pacific. #ttrpg #shadowdark #osr Shadowdark Class Design: The Necromancer!

 

[WanderingMystic]

I think the issue is that a Paladin with mount/lance stuff, but not Lay on Hands or something similar is alien to essentially the last 25 years of Paladins, where clearly LoH has been more definitively Paladin-esque. It's more extreme with a Barbarian, their defining characteristic in D&D-type games has always (or again, for at least 25 years) been Rage. If you're not using that, why use such a baggage-laden name as Barbarian, even? All you're doing is setting people up for disappointment and/or making people think "Huh, this game is different" - but that's not how other classes are designed - indeed the core Shadowdark classes are pretty much what you'd expect, trope-wise.

I think there's a difference between "failing to pare down", and "removing/replacing defining tropes for no apparent reason". Those examples aren't "failing to pare down", certainly "Barbarians should have Rage" isn't.

I would hazard a guess that a large percent of the people who play shadow dark have played ad&d or ad&d 2nd ed so the idea of a barbarian going back to something more akin to what they were back then isn't so I familiar.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I would hazard a guess that a large percent of the people who play shadow dark have played ad&d or ad&d 2nd ed so the idea of a barbarian going back to something more akin to what they were back then isn't so I familiar.

I don't think that's likely.

I'm guessing you're unaware due to not being geriatric like some of us, but Barbarian wasn't a PHB class in either edition, and was in a poorly-selling (AFAIK) optional sourcebook in 2nd edition (a better selling but still optional one in 1E). And I doubt "a large percent" of the people playing Shadowdark played 1E at all, let alone 2E with said sourcebook.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

All the folks who were hoping for the Diablo necromancer tensing up when Kelsey starts showing her fondness of a psychopomp-style class.

 

[VenerableBede]

I’m not able to watch the live stream now… What’s it look like? What features are we getting? @Whizbang Dustyboots is making me nervous… Not that I don’t believe in Kelsey’s ability to make an excellent class regardless of the direction she goes, but I was really hoping for a class with an undead “pet.”

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I’m not able to watch the live stream now… What’s it look like? What features are we getting? @Whizbang Dustyboots is making me nervous… Not that I don’t believe in Kelsey’s ability to make an excellent class regardless of the direction she goes, but I was really hoping for a class with an undead “pet.”

At the moment, it's a death priest that uses bladed weapons, can sense the undead and she is planning on creating a bunch of spells.

 

[VenerableBede]

Well, I’m slightly disappointed in that I was excited to finally have a pet class, but I’m still confident that Kelsey will make something excellent.
And, as a forever-GM, I wouldn’t have ended up playing it anyway

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Well, I’m slightly disappointed in that I was excited to finally have a pet class, but I’m still confident that Kelsey will make something excellent.
And, as a forever-GM, I wouldn’t have ended up playing it anyway

Her inspiration is largely from this novel, which is new to me: Sabriel - Wikipedia

 

[VenerableBede]

I’ll have to add it to my reading list.