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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 4776963" data-attributes="member: 27780">ClassesHere I had several dilemmas to consider. Should I use the BD&D or AD&D ruleset as the basis of this campaign. While they are fairly crosscompatible, there are differences. One version might be more pleasing to one person, and the other to another. However, I believe I've managed to come up with an idea that will allow the two to integrate into a single campaign, and also turn one of the other awkward points of D&D into an opportunity. One of the big problems with D&D as a game is the conflict between a setting largely drawn from medieval europe, where christianity is the dominant religion, and the pantheistic set of deities that inhabit most of the actual settings. It occurred to me that making the conflict between monotheism and pantheism an active part of the setting would open up a good deal of plot hooks. And then it occurred to me that mechanically differentiating them by making the monotheists use the BD&D rules, and the agnostics, atheists, and pantheists of various stripes use the AD&D rules would be a good way to handle this. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, such as the larger spell selection vs need for material components for spellcasters, and higher HP and faster attack progression vs having to worry about proficiency slots and all that for fighters. Plus it presents a very interesting dilemma for demihumans, choosing between the One True Way of their creator decreed racial path, or striking out on their own. So the upshot of this is that a monotheistic religion worshipping Chaos, Law, and Neutrality directly, as the Creator, Saviour and Judge, is going to be one of the big aspects of the campaign world. They certainly aren't monolithic, there is doctrinal disagreements as to whether they are one being with three aspects, three beings working together to create a greater whole, (with the heirachies of these two roughly paralleling the catholic and protestant churches) or three separate entites that are opposed to each other (with a whole bunch of smaller cults devoted to each alignment. ) In any case they are distant, impersonal forces who do not normally interfere in the world, and their worshippers use the BD&D classes, (including mystics, the demihuman racial classes, the BD&D versions of paladins, avengers and druids, plus SR6 bards and the Healer class from Dragon issue 3. ) Meanwhile, there is also the usual collection of gods, demigods, and bickering extraplanar entities who vie for power and the advancement of their portfolio on the prime material. These will be posted up in a future installment, hopefully, and their worshippers use the AD&D rules. Several of the optional classes in the magazine will be tied in to specific gods, and only available to their worshippers. In terms of the large number of optional classes introduced in the magazine, I decided to be fairly permissive, only completely excluding the ones that were too badly written, or completely unsuitable for adventuring. In addition, to increase interest, and emulate the progression of a game from the era I've just read through, I decided that the stuff from Unearthed arcana, Oriental adventures, and most of the stuff after that would not be available at the start of the campaign, but instead to make them unlockable options, in classic CRPG style, thus giving me a load of easy plot hooks, and giving the players a greater incentive to explore the world and unearth all it's secrets. Once they encounter a particular new class, or complete the quest associated with a plot event, they will gain access to the new classes and options as appropriate. So here's the list of classes that will be allowed from the start, the ones that will be unlockable, and the ones that are forbidden. Allowed: Bandit (63), Bard (Both alternates, SR6 BD&D bard, 56 Cearniogen's hope-bringers. ) Bounty hunter. (52. All 3 variants. Holy order of the Bennie, Armstrongian independents, private investigators of Tussey & Strunk. ) Death master (76) Duelist (73) Entertainer (69. Well, every troupe needs a chronicler. ) Healer (3) Hopeless. (96. Strongly recommended for dump stat character.) Huntsman. (102) Jester (Issue 60 version, but add the spells from the issue 3 version to their list as well, and include optional stuff from issue 120, muahahaha ) Jock (72. Another recommended dump stat character to kill in the first adventure.) Oracle (53) Plethora of paladins & blackguard. (39 & 106) Psionicist. (78) Sentinel (89), Smith (70. Multiclassed only) Timelord (65) Witch (5, 20, 43, 114. Later articles take precedence. ) Wizards of a particular type of magic (17) Unlockable: Cavalier & Cavalier-Paladin, Barbarian, Thief-acrobat (72, 63, 69, UA), Barbarian-cleric (109) Elven cavalier (114). All Oriental adventures classes. Escrimador (124) Geisya, Genin (121) Revised monk (53) Samurai (49 Monk-esque variant).  Custom class construction rules in issue 109. 36 level demihuman racial progressions. (RC) Archer & Archer-Ranger (45) Beastmaster (119) Berserker (3) Charlatan (120) Druid/Ranger (100), Incantrix (90) Mariner (107, 116)  Forbidden: SR Illusionist and ranger (Redundant as they're pretty similar to the AD&D 1st ed versions, only not as well written) Early ninja (16 & 30. annoying, badly written and overpowered) Cloistered cleric (a bit crap, really) Alchemist, Astrologer, Bureaucrat, Merchant, Politician, Scribe, (various, xp conditions unsuitable for adventuring life) Gypsies (59. Uh, yeah, thanks a lot, white wolf wannabes.) Idiot, Samurai (3. Description too vague) Anything after the point I've currently read up too. (this will of course change as time goes on, most of them going in the unlockable category.)And that's it for now. As ever, comments and advice are welcome. See you soon.</blockquote>

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