What Classes Existed in Earlier Editions?

[Weregrognard]

Has anyone mentioned the Tinker (1st Ed Dragonlance Adventures)?

You could also add:

- Mariner
- The three Knight of Solamnia classes
- Handler (kender thief variant)

 

[Steely Dan]

You could also add:

- Mariner
- The three Knight of Solamnia classes
- Handler (kender thief variant)

Yep, and Order of the Stars and Wizards of High Sorcery.

 

[Scribble]

Classes classes classes!

Any more?

I'll update the list ina bit. After coffee.. Precious coffee...

 

[TerraDave]

In 2E, as noted, druids where still around.

Also, specialty priests, if you choose to use them, where really a different class (or system?) then clerics. And of course, there where different ways to do them in the different books (Complete Priest was one way, Spells and Magic another, Faith and Avatars another...)

 

[Remathilis]

ONe category of class not mentioned so far are the additional classes from the Gazatteer series for Basic/Expert etc D&D.

From memory, they the following:

Ylarum: Dervish (Druid variant),
Rockhome: Dwarf-Cleric
The Five Shires: Master (Keeper of the Flame?)
Minrothad Guilds: Merchant-Prince
Darokin: Merchant
Ethengar: Shaman
The Shadow Elves: Shadow Elf
Atruaghin Clans: Shamani

THe Orcs of Thar Gazatteer provided class versions for several monster humanoids like orc, goblin, etc.

Also, one class sort of presented was the Thug (or Headsman) from the Master set. It was a halfway attempt to provide an equivelent of the Assassin to Basic D&D. It wasn't officially a class, but the monster description provided a 1-12 HD progression of abilities, clearly modeled after the Assassin class.

Rakasta appeared as an OD&D class in the module Rage of the Rakasta, but only the first three levels worth.

 

[johnsemlak]

Two from Basic D&D I almost forgot were the Forester class and the Rake, both from the Dawn of Emperors boxed set. The forester was a Fighter-Mage varient (I remember it being basically a human version of the Elf class) and the Rake (remember little about it, like a Thief).

 

[johnsemlak]

I found a useful post here if you want more complete info on OD&D or Mystara classes. There certainly were a lot of them by the time OD&D completed its run.

 

[Remathilis]

Domains of Dread (the last Ravenloft 2e product, hardcover) had four new classes.

Avenger (a fighter-like class with a serious vendetta problem)
Arcanist (a wizard class, specialized in dark magic. Could turn undead, but lots of his spell list caused powers checks to cast)
Anchorite (a specialty priest of Ezra, one of the biggest churches on the core.)
Gypsy (a Vistani-lite class akin to bard, but not anywhere near as useful)

It also had variants for rangers, fighters, mages, clerics, elementalists, thieves, and psionicists. It didn't include paladin, druid, or bard.

 

[Voadam]

Howl at the Moon from Basic D&D had 20 level classes for the various lycanthropes.

 

[howandwhy99]

I could swear there was an Archer class published for OD&D in one of the early The Dragon magazines, but I couldn't say which.