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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 5868492" data-attributes="member: 82106">Putting my game designer hat on, how does this help me design classes? I mean sure, the idioms DO make sense, but if they lack common mechanical underpinnings they're really just design notes. I still have to implement a game which translates character concept into game rules. For that task what I need is a grouping that pulls out common mechanics I can apply to different classes, which appears to be at least somewhat independent of idiom. The Monk illustrates this well. As a martial arts expert the monk logically relies on a form of prowess. I don't really see where 'divine' factors into that. Even if it does his version of 'divine' has nothing in common with that of the Priest class. Nor does his fighting technique have much in common with the fighter. It seems like to me the more useful breakdown is more concrete.Martial - characters who use weapons to fightMagical - characters who cast spellsCunning - characters who use clevernessSocial - characters who use 'people skills'I can pull some subsystem designs out of this. Martial PCs leverage the weapon combat system, so there is an indication of some sort of fighting mastery subsystem there. Magical clearly indicates a casting subsystem. Cunning implies subsystems for sneaking, backstabbing, stealing, and physical deception. Social implies leadership/morale, and social influence/skill subsystems. Now, maybe there are other categories, I'm not sure, but I think that's a fairly good core list at least. Now, clearly, different actual classes would potentially pull from multiple categories, but I should be able to build most concepts from the core mechanics I've identified and most of them will primarily emphasize one or another, with some degree of overlap. Thus:Martial - Fighter, BarbarianMagical - Wizard, Druid, Cleric, etcCunning - RoguesSocial - Bard might be purely social, but probably no class is ONLY Social.Other classes will draw more from a couple of categories, the combinations would be again fairly obvious:Martial/Magical - Paladin, SwordmageMartial/Social - WarlordMartial/Cunning - RangerSocial/Magical - Bardetc.</blockquote>

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