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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sadrik" data-source="post: 5084968" data-attributes="member: 14506">So I thought this thread could be tied to the jettison thread in discussing unique niches:I only want to speak only to the core 11 base classes. I would like to strip the cultural and/or geographic trappings from each one of these classes and let the setting define what those cultural or geographic trappings are.Pretty strongly not culturally or geographically biased classes:Fighter - NoneRogue - NoneWizard - NoneSorcerer - NoneStrongly culturally or geographically biased classes:Barbarian - Savage, WildernessBard - Entertainer, SageCleric - PriestlyDruid - WildernessMonk - Asian, PunchingPaladin - European, PriestlyRanger - WildernessCultural or geographic problems, these should be options for the class but should not define the class. Choices here first.Savage- Illiterate and not smart and angry. These are pretty stringent cultural issues with the class that need to change to break the class out of its mold.Wilderness- required hard written tie to nature and either worshiping it or just required to be in it. Wilderness cultural trapping stripped away allows these classes to thrive in more roles than being out in the sticks. Point is why can't any class have a nature bent, wilderness rogue = scout, wilderness fighter = brigand, wilderness cleric = shaman, wilderness wizard = witch doctor etc.Entertainer- requires them to be singing or playing an instrument. This is a major straight jacket.Sage- more than just the Bard should have a sage like ability, the Wizard should definitely have it as well.Priestly- it is pretty deeply seated that the gods grant powers in D&D but I can see removing them and making the "god" classes just more mystical in nature- not necessarily powers granted by a god.Asian- hello, I am from a different culture and I only really fit there.Punching- I punch and that signals my asian trappings. Letting them use weapons without losing their mystical focus training shtick is a key concept to opening up this class from its straight jacket.European- Where the asian trapping yells hey I am from asia this is the opposite.My ideas on broadening them:BarbarianFirst of all the name needs to change, it has too much cultural stigma. Also, their savage nature makes them angry and dumb. Barbarian as your standard frenzied berserker could be broadened to encompass dwarven defenders, whirling dervishes, honorable death trance samurai, crazy ass thugs in a dark alley and any other similar mechanical role. Basically the class would represent someone going into a near mystical stance that they draw melee benefits from.BardGet rid of singing and instruments as a default, tie their class features to any skill you want. Alchemy for a potion maker, diplomacy for a diplomat, perform for musician, acrobatics for jester, knowledge for sage (bardic knowledge). Or better yet tie it to a group of skills. Then let them pick class features that link with those skills. Make them the ultimate skill class and that is there niche. Also get rid of their unique spell list. Allow them to select spells from any list instead. Another Bard idea is to make them the core Mentalist and give them a spell list that reflects that. Essentially a psion for the core game. This would require some shifting priorities but the entertainer theme could mesh well with a Mentalist type.ClericIt is a very deeply seated sacred cow that the cleric be a god worshiper. In the PHB they can already choose to not worship a god. Honestly, I have never seen a player ever do that in all my years, but I suppose it can be done. I think the text could simply be re-written from a stand point that the cleric is not a deity worshiper as default and then add in the gods aspect via a campaign setting. I would also tie, the turn undead power to the sun and good domains only and switch around the domain abilities to all work off the channeling energy class feature.DruidDruid is an elementalist at heart and its celtic and wildshape tie the druids hands. It could stand in for many different roles and none the least a shugenja, making them able to be from a city and allowing them to shuck their naturey thing really opens up this cool class. I think that moving the wildshape class features to their spell list makes a whole bunch of sense. Rather than having them summon animals spontaneously have them wildshape spontaneously or heck give them the choice. Anyway doing this in no way makes the druid less a druid it only makes them more broad and easily adapted to a campaign setting.MonkA Monk has all kinds of mystical Asian cultural trappings. If you strip those you wind up with a guy (or girl) who uses their body as a weapon and has hyper focused in controlling their body. An almost unnatural ability to dodge and weave in combat and to strike quickly. They could represent "jedi" like characters, sword saints (kensai), duelists, heck even certain kinds of swashbucklers... not just I punch you characters.PaladinThe Paladin is stuck in pseudo euro-knight-hood. Remove that whole thing and it opens up the class as a champion who is adhered to a cause. Whether they be religious zealots or obligated nobles or honorable samurai I think this class could also remove the religious shtick and alignment restriction to good effect. Perhaps completely dropping the spell list (let them multi-class into cleric) and going more for the obliged noble swordsman with a cause.RangerCould be a hunter of undead from the city (van helsing), a bounty hunter etc. Being not tied to the wilderness only makes them open up to many more roles. Drop the nature spell list. Make them more like bounty hunters or heck even assassins and give them straight up bonus fighter feats instead of weapon style choices. Make them tacticians and guys that use their smarts to outperform others with special tactics via terrain knowledge or simply knowing their opponents weaknesses. Perhaps that means giving them some sneak attack. Allow them to multi-class into druid if they want the spell casting back.</blockquote>

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