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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rasyr" data-source="post: 2123500" data-attributes="member: 2855">IMO, D&D promotes the proliferation of core and PrC to what might be considered an absurd point. The way that the game is designed, with Classes (Core and/or Prestige) giving specific benefits for each level of progression, expects for others to create new classes, each with differing abilities. Change perhaps one ability, and poof, you have a new class. So would I. And that is one reason that I designed HARP the way I did (C'mon? Did you actually  expect me to NOT mention HARP? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />). In comparison, D&D and HARP both have some flexibility, but I consider HARP to have more. Why? Because D&D gives its flexibility in large blocks (i.e. classes), and you can only use those blocks to get an approximate of what you want, not exactly what you want. In contrast, HARP gives a few core archetypes (professions), which reflect the direction that your character has decided to focus his training, and everything is decided on a more granular level, which in turn allows for greater flexibility to get what you want. However, I will point out that even then, it is somtimes hard to get exactly what you want.To do that, you would have to go with an even more granular system, such as HERO. In it, you get the ultimate in flexibility and granularity of choice. To the point that it requires you to actually build each spell as you want when you learn it (if you do not take any of the pre-packaged choices).  Recently, there was a thread on here by a guy playing a Paladin, and playing him as something along the lines of a traveling pilgrim. In describing the Paladin, they ended up describing him as a monk (as in the european style monk). Another person in this person's group was playing a character of the Monk class, and pretty much got hung up on the Paladin being called a Monk, and started challenging him to unarmed combat and other foolishness.This is, I think, an example of one of the results of the proliferation of classes (Core & Prestige). It puts too many (not everybody, so don't get your knickers twisted if it doesn't apply to you <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />) into the mindset where the "name" of the class seems to become its definition, both in game and out of it. Thus, a character who is not a member of the Monk Class being called a monk (i.e. an ascetic of some type) causes confusion and problems.The discussion recorded in the first post again reflects this. Two kids saying that they cannot make a Ninja withou a class called Ninja....Now, I don't think that this reflects the attitudes for many older gamers, but it does seem to be the case for younger, newer gamers....Just my opinions, they are worth what you paid for them.... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></blockquote>

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