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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kannik" data-source="post: 5824259" data-attributes="member: 984">This is a great topic, and I think a great opportunity for D&D[sup]N[/sup].  In the poll I voted for what class has come to mean for me over the last couple of years, which does, admittedly, differ from how it was for me in previous years, and it describes how I want them to be seen for the future...A “class” is your encounter “job.”  Or perhaps better said, it is your MO when the swords and spells hit the wall.  How do you interact when the monsters come-a-calling?  How do you fight?  Where do you draw your power from?  Thus, class is interesting mechanics, your combat role and your combat methodology.  From there it is vitally important to flesh out the other bits with other aspects of character creation, preferably supported with mechanics (again, why I wrote my Trade Skills supplement for 4e).  A classic example oft used is the “Ranger” who has so many schticks that comes part and parcel with the class:  the wilderness warrior, the divine caster, the dabbler in magic user spells, the dude with the bear companion, the peerless archer, the dual weapon skirmisher, the tracker, the one who has single minded focus on certain enemies.  All great, but issues arise when you want one or two of those, but not the rest.  A military archer w/o the wilderness trappings?  Or what about the wilderness warrior who doesn’t have spells?  Or just uses a single dagger all wolf-style?  Which class do you pick that matches the few things you want, and then do you ignore the other aspects?  Will you be gimping yourself by doing so?I think 4e began the process of divorcing the strict encounter capabilities and the rest and I would like to see that continue (and it sounds as though that will be the case).  A band of wilderness warriors could have some great archers, skirmishers, even a holy priest or two, yet all equally trained in survival and tracking and other things a band of wilderness warriors would have.  Maybe even a paladin of a nature god.  Yet the PCs ought not to be disadvantaged because their chosen character class (to best model their encounter playstyle) only lets one or two of them get all the wilderness trappings.Peace,Kannik</blockquote>

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