D&D 5E Sidekick Classes as PCs, Cultural Paragons?

[doctorbadwolf]

Also, what do we call it? Exemplars? Paragons? Cultural Heroes?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Hell yeah. Okay, so each culture would have a list of races that inform the design space of the culture and how it adds to a sidekick class. Over levels you can gain stuff from any of the races associated with that culture, so that you just exemplify being Stoneborn or Forestfolk or Wanderer, etc. The dragonmark subraces from Eberron might be useful to mine features from, as well.

Stoneborn: Dwarves, Goliaths, Earth Genasi, Rock Gnomes, Mark of Warding

Forestborn: Wood Elves, Forest Gnomes, Firbolgs, Mark of Handling

Faefolk: High Elves, Satyrs, Fairies, can take one feature from Forestborn,

Seafarers: Minotaur (original UA version), Tortles, Tritons, Sea Elves, Mark of Storm

Wanderers: Halflings, Tabaxi, Mark of Passage,

Nightfolk: Shadar-kai, dhampyr, hexbloods, Mark of Shadow

Towerborn: High Elves, Vedalkin, Mark of Scribing,


And so on. Basically create a list of traits from those, put an asterisk on the really powerful traits, and limit how many asterisk traits one character can pick up.

What do you think?

A little more complicated than what I add in mind, but yes. I would just make them generic enough so that each one of them incorporate a few concepts.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Also, what do we call it? Exemplars? Paragons? Cultural Heroes?

Paragons sounds more D&D to me.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

A little more complicated than what I add in mind, but yes. I would just make them generic enough so that each one of them incorporate a few concepts.

Hmmm. How would you handle the actual abilities gained as dead levels, if not by putting several races and their associated features and feats and such into each category of culture?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Hmmm. How would you handle the actual abilities gained as dead levels, if not by putting several races and their associated features and feats and such into each category of culture?

Ahhh I think I misunderstod your point.

So the ''dwarf (or stoneblooded)'' ancestry would be the same template whether you are a warrior or an expert?

Myself, I'd make each mix of ''race + sidekick class'' have their own unique abilities.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Ahhh I think I misunderstod your point.

So the ''dwarf (or stoneblooded)'' ancestry would be the same template whether you are a warrior or an expert?

Myself, I'd make each mix of ''race + sidekick class'' have their own unique abilities.

Ah, my take would be; you pick a race, usually within the culture group but does t have to be, then at dead levels you can pick from race feats and comparable groups of features of races in that culture group.

So I’d you’re a Forestborn, you can pick Gnomes for you level 1 setup, and pick features or feats from Wood elf, Firbolg, Mark of handling, etc when you hit a dead level for your chosen sidekick class.

Because all cultures are gonna have experts and warriors and spellcasters.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Ah, my take would be; you pick a race, usually within the culture group but does t have to be, then at dead levels you can pick from race feats and comparable groups of features of races in that culture group.

So I’d you’re a Forestborn, you can pick Gnomes for you level 1 setup, and pick features or feats from Wood elf, Firbolg, Mark of handling, etc when you hit a dead level for your chosen sidekick class.

Because all cultures are gonna have experts and warriors and spellcasters.

That's a great idea.

For my table's use it is too much choice (they are more casual players who dont want to make character choices beyond the first few levels!) but your idea of ''build-your-own-X'' within set parameters would have a lot of traction.

Lowering the mechanical weight to the classes to give more weight to the ancestry choices is a good direction, IMHO.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That's a great idea.

For my table's use it is too much choice (they are more casual players who dont want to make character choices beyond the first few levels!) but your idea of ''build-your-own-X'' within set parameters would have a lot of traction.

Lowering the mechanical weight to the classes to give more weight to the ancestry choices is a good direction, IMHO.

Thanks! Yeah for those players I’d probably front load the work on myself and make packages to choose from.