"Themes"

[Somebloke]

For the samuri example. it's worth noting that the Rokugan d20 system specifically allowed players to play samuri fighters (basic samuri) samuri spellcasters (Shugenja) samuri rogues (Scorpion spies as well as the courtier class) samuri barbarians (Crab bruisers who, while embarassing, are valuable on the wall) and samuri monks (Samuri who have taken monk vows). So themes may be a lot more flexible than you might think.

 

[Ratskinner]

In AD&D, we used to have sub-classes like paladin, ranger, barbarian and cavalier for fighters; then all of them got raised to the level of a true "class". If we throw "theme" into the mix, how long before each class/role/theme/whatever becomes its own class, and we can have 3 times as many players handbooks?

Personally, I hope that some of the current batch of classes get "downgraded" to themes, but that depends a lot on the mechanical implementation (or lack thereof.) We really don't have much information at all about what themes are and what they do.

The concept of a "theme" can and will become as muddled as the concept of "feats." Why can't we simplify and leave the minute details to good roleplaying?

I don't mind a character having a note on his sheet that gives some background and a starting place. I like letting the roleplay work itself out as well, but sometimes that can be jarring when some new bit of "background" gets invented at 6th level or something.

 

[Ratskinner]

Maybe it's an addition to the character creation game as mechanical incentives to create a background. I think they are basically pre-designed backgrounds one could pick rather than create.

Depending upon how Races are defined, these could be mechanically indistinguishable.

That's what I'm kind of hoping for. Race and Theme as sort lesser classes that you bolt on the main one. This would allow for a lot of flexibility without having to re-build classes for every possible subtype.

 

[am181d]

What I really want is the Alternate Class Level type approach we had in 3e, where a theme is "instead of this set of abilities, you can take this similar but thematically tweaked set of abilities." I believe Pathfinder does something very close to this in their Advanced Player's Guide.

I'm less interested in "take the pirate theme and you get a +2 to two skills" approach which I think may be where we're heading.