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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6298003" data-attributes="member: 42582">In my 4e game most of the PCs has a significant ability that is exclusive to it in virtue of class: the ranger-cleric has twin strike, plus clerical healing; the fighter has Come and Get It (well, Warrior's Urging) plus a heap of other fighter melee control abilities; the paladin has lay on hands and divine challenge. The sorcerer plays very distinctively at my table, with all these high-damage modest-control AoE attacks (plus sending everyone flying on an attack roll of 1), although a wizard could probably be built that had a similar feel in play. The invoker-wizard occupies a very distinct niche at the table - he is the ritualist and sage - but a wizard or even warlock could probably be built that also emulates this role.In choosing the 1st option, as is often the case with these ENworld polls, I went with the general thrust rather than the literal wording: I think classes should make it easy for a group of players to build characters that will be noticeably different, but still mechanically effective, in play. If some classes are trap choices, they're not doing their job. If the natural pathway for PCs of different classes is to end up converging on certain common sets of abilities, then they're not doing their job either - at that point you may as well just drop classes and go with point buy.Of course, if the players in a class-based game don't want to be different, then they're not obliged to. In my experience with classic D&D, this can work particularly well for all-thief parties. At high levels (ie when they have enough spells available to compensate for their physical frailty), all-mage parties can be very effective also.I've GMed a lot of Rolemaster, where the typical wizard even at very high levels is vulnerable to being taken down by a single good hit from a weapon or attack spell; and is virtually helpless in physical combat.It creates a different play dynamic from D&D, but if you're playing a game like RM then typically that's exactly what you'd be looking for, I think.</blockquote>

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