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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 7652922" data-attributes="member: 87792">Specific I find a truly horrible goal unless you are intending to write a very focussed game. To take one of my favourite games at the moment, Monster of the Week, the classes include things like the Luchador - a former masked Mexican wrestler who is now, for whatever reason, hunting monsters. But Monster of the Week is a highly specific game about people trying to stop ... a monster of the week. You're all trying to do the same thing - and if you want to run another type of game play another game. And specific leads to another question - classes are normally exclusionary. Let's say you want to play an assassin who's Fearless and will assassinate a dragon but doesn't want to be seen and in fact specialises in Melting Into The Crowd. Do you need to invent a class for this? Or do you just take abilities from the two classes - in which case you don't have a class system at all, but a point buy system that offers packages? (In MotW you can take a limited number of advances from other playbooks so the Luchador might have a couple of moves borrowed from the Chosen by the end).Specific works, in my experience, not as classes but as packages within classes. Instead of the Grey Blade, the Guttersnipe, and the Thrilling Acrobat you have one Rogue class that can be made mix and match. But if someone wants to lock down their choices into one of the archetypes they get a package deal bonus (in part to make up for the drop in power from not being able to pick the best). Or it works in a game where everyone is assumed to be a rogue (or monster hunter or teenage monster or whatever) and the purpose of the classes is to differentiate within that specific category. Efficient works. It, however, needs the right sort of game to support it. The classes for most of the Apocalypse World family (Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, Monster of the Week) fit onto a double side - and so do the non-casters in Dungeon World (my current wizard doesn't because his entire theoretical spellbook is on his character sheet and he just ticks the ones he has). And Dungeon World is a great game - if you're interested in efficient class design <a href="http://nerdwerds.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/all-of-playbooks.html" target="_blank">look to that family of games for inspiration</a>.Translatable is nothing more than another way of saying "Constrained point buy". It's useful for development purposes but doesn't reach to the heart of anything.So what should classes be in my opinion?<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bold</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Inspiring/Inspired</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Flexible</li> </ul>Bold. A class should be bold. It should do impressive things. If a class doesn't have abilities, probably right from level one, that lead to a significant proportion of the table saying "I wish my character could do that" then it fails. Mostly because if the abilities are forgettable then the player in question is going to forget them, which means they will take much longer and be much more frustrated playing them. (This is one of the core 4e failings - the various attack powers for PHB classes are too simmilar so people forget which different ones they have). The biggest issue with this design is to make sure that people wish they could do that not they think they ought to be able to.Inspiring/Inspired There are two measures of a class's inspiration, and both are important - but to be good a class needs only one. Inspired classes are normally generic (like fighters, wizards, and rogues) are for when people come to the game with a clear character concept independent of the system already in mind and it fits the game's tone and power level they should be able to make something pretty close using the classes presented to them without much trouble. Inspiring classes on the other hand are much more specific and should lead to the reaction "That's a cool concept. I want to play one of those." (For me the Luchador I mentioned fits - as does the Malediction Invoker in 4e; a cleric with a shard of their deity's power and who hurts themselvs using it). Others have different takes - and every inspired class should have a number of inspiring options of course.Flexible. I don't care how good a designer you are. My vision is not going to match exactly up to yours and I need ways to tweak your vision to better match up to mine. Options are necessary; we've all used pregens at some point or other - would you want to use one for campaign play? I wouldn't - especially not without the ability to guide how my character grows.I'm now going to say that your Seer of the Crystal Dragon is an awful class. It consists of nine abilities, one of which is purely reactive, and of the other eight abilities all are usable only once per day - with three being coincidental. This isn't bold. And the ability to do a little occasionally isn't something I find inspiring (it certainly isn't an inspired class). And at level 8 you automatically get a dragon scale? Wait, what?I'm going to offer the seeds of an alternative.Seer of Wind and Stars(Because honestly? The Crystal Dragon is far too specific - if you want to connect a seer of wind and stars to the Crystal Dragon, be my guest).Seers of Wind and Stars live partly in the now, and partly predicting the future. Able to see the future in the heavens, and to predict the lives of others, most Seers of Wind and Stars are employed either by farmers or by merchants to predict, and even control the weather. Surprisingly few are employed by gambling syndicates because their death becomes predictable and very unpleasant. And you always know the weather.Basic AbilityDetermine Fortune (Three times per short rest you can hand out Advantage by predicting auspicious moments)orAlter Fortune (Once per extended rest you can change a dice to a natural 20 or a natural 1 after it has been rolled)Combat AbilityStarlight Conjuration. (Sacred Flame at will)or Biting Wind. (Lesser Wind Blast at will)orPrescience (All attacks you make are made with advantage - but you only start with proficiency in rogue weapons)or Avoid Doom (All attacks against you are made with disadvantage - just a pity you start with very little armour proficiency (either none or leather) so this is useful but requires investment)Advanced abilities (pick one per level - aimed at a 5 level class - may also pick basic abilities)Truly Perfect Preparation: If you have half an hour to plan and the ability to throw a horroscope advantage on all rolls by your party to set an ambush and for the first three rounds in an ambush. Note that this cancels and is cancelled by Never Off GuardNever off guard: Neither you nor your party is ever surprised in combat, and gain advantage on checks to see through bluffs whenever someone promises you something they shouldn't.Cold Reading: Gain Advantage on the second and subsequent charisma checks you make against any given mark.Just stand right there: Ranged attack of some sort with a recharge mechanic - most of the damage done is "coincidence" that in the right game can be anything up to and including a surprise anvil or grand piano drop (although generally not so silly)Suggestion: If it ain't broke, don't fix itClairvoyance: If the Seer does nothing else in the turn they can move their perceptions.Starlight Nova: Something like PrismEntrancing Aurora: Hypnotic PatternStrand of Starlight: A cutting laser.Fortune on the Wind:  The winds bring you something usefulComforting Wind: Short distance flight.Thunderstorm:  Call LightningNorthwind: If it ain't broke...It's all thematically consistent, but out of it I can build an awful lot of different approaches to th world.  And can be used for anything from an utterly coincidental precog who can predict the weather to a thematic gish of several sorts.  It's deliberately set up so there are three pure concepts under the same banner (the coincidental precog, the starlight scryer, and the weather mage) - but can drift into a lot of territories depending on how people want their scryer to specialise - combat focus that picks up armour proficiency gets impressively well defended, or two handed weapons hit hard.  And there are probably broad concepts I haven't seen there.  Still fits onto one page.</blockquote>

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