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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Levistus's_Leviathan" data-source="post: 8185499" data-attributes="member: 7023887">The name "paladin" has no connection to Arthurian legends, correct me if I'm wrong. The current paladin class is way more open than a "knight in shining armor" (Oath of Devotion), it can include an ancient Greek Hero that uses a spear and shield (Oath of Glory), a warrior sworn on vengeance (Oath of Vengeance), a warlord dedicated to conquering all that stand in their way (Oath of Conquest), a knight dedicated to protecting the wildlands (Oath of the Ancients), a bulwark that despises otherworldly beings (Oath of the Watchers), a holyman that believes that all deserve redemption (Oath of Redemption), and a divine warrior devout to a monarchy (Oath of the Crown). Through all of these diveres subclasses, there's a ton of different cultures that can be represented by the Paladin class; Greco-Roman Heroes, Aztec Eagle/Jaguar Warriors, Japanese <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%8Dhei" target="_blank">Sōhei</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einherjar" target="_blank">Einherjar</a>, and many other holy warriors from various cultures.Bards are not a culture. They're similar to the paladin, in the sense that though they were heavily inspired by minstrels and William Shakespeare, they are not limited by that original source of inspiration. The College of Valor and College of Swords are singing warriors, the College of Lore is the more Shakespeare type of bards, the College of Glamour is a fey-type bard, the College of Whispers is a unique idea mostly devoid of cultural inspiration, and so is the College of Creation. The class can include multiple different cultures of characters, basically just restricted to the vast different types of music across the world. You could have a College of Valor Bard that performs the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka" target="_blank">haka </a>in battle to bolster their allies and scare their foes, a College of Glamour Bard could be a sort of pied piper type character, and a College of Eloquence Bard could be a Hamilton-style rapper.There's a difference between <a href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=strict&source=hp&ei=_jwWYKuqKOPP0PEP5I-X2AU&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYBZLDkEXQFtUVOgVQAwEV96iddvyczwj&q=cultural+appropriation&oq=cultural+&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAxgAMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyAggAMgIIADIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgIIADoOCC4QsQMQxwEQowIQkwI6CAgAELEDEIMBOggILhCxAxCDAToICC4QxwEQowI6AgguOgUILhCTAjoLCC4QsQMQxwEQowI6CAguEMcBEK8BUMQ6WK1FYOlTaABwAHgAgAGCAYgB1AeSAQMzLjaYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=psy-ab" target="_blank">cultural appropriation</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=strict&ei=2DwWYJWdN_Kz0PEP6v2N8AY&q=multiculturalism+&oq=multiculturalism+&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIECAAQQzIFCAAQsQMyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoHCAAQsAMQQzoHCAAQRxCwAzoGCAAQFhAeOgIILlDuCVjpE2DaFWgBcAJ4AIABgwGIAf0KkgEEMy4xMJgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXrIAQrAAQE&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwiV6dKPtcXuAhXyGTQIHep-A24Q4dUDCA0&uact=5" target="_blank">multiculturalism</a>. To take inspiration from a culture for a character class can be multiculturalism or cultural appropriation, and it must be approached with caution. Samurai martial architype in 5e are done well and inoffensively (I have not seen anyone complaining about the Samurai subclass being offensive and don't see any part of it that would be seen as offensive to Japanese culture). However, the Monk class in 5e does seem to step on/over the line a bit, perpetuating some stereotypes and being very obviously based around a very specific type of Asian warrior. It's locked itself into a cultural bubble. If it was opened up a bit more, it would not have this issue. If, like the Paladin, its basic idea was less culturally confined and had the subclasses determined more of its theme, that would solve most of its problem.</blockquote>

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