D&D General What is the right amount of Classes for Dungeons and Dragons?

[CreamCloud0]

My ideal set-up would be that each class gets One Unique Thing that is important enough to establish their class identity and then their sub-classes modify how that One Unique Thing works. If their One Unique Things is cool enough then a slew of other class features shouldn't be necessary, if their One Unique Thing isn't cool enough then back to the drawing board with the class. For example:

Barbarian: rage.
Rogues: cunning action (but VERY buffed, I always liked skill money rogues more than assassin rogues)
Wizard: pure Vancian magic.
Sorcerer: spontaneous magic.
Cleric: magic based on 2e-style Spheres.
Druid: wildshape.
Bard: inspiration/song.
etc. etc.

personally i never really understood advocating for this approach, it seems needlessly limiting IMO, you design and balance an entire mechanic and then you only let one class naturally access it, nobody else gets to play with the toy unless they buy into the class.

what do you really gain by only incorporating mechanics into one class? ranger, barbarian and hell, maybe even sorcerer would feel right at home using wildshape, couldn't a fighter, a cleric of war or paladin of vengance enter a battlefury Rage? have the monk using sneak attack and maneuvres...

i think there's far more interesting design to be gained by letting these sorts of things be distributed between all who might have them, you might even be able to establish class identities even better by doing that, rather than just having the one who's been deigned to use it as their special thing that's exclusive to them and only them.

 

[Scribe]

what do you really gain by only incorporating mechanics into one class? ranger, barbarian and hell, maybe even sorcerer would feel right at home using wildshape, couldn't a fighter, a cleric of war or paladin of vengance enter a battlefury Rage? have the monk using sneak attack and maneuvres...

You gain.

Simplicity.
Balance.
Replayability.
Uniqueness.

 

[CreamCloud0]

You gain.

Simplicity.
Balance.
Replayability.
Uniqueness.

i find all of those of debatable merit or correlation.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Was wondering this when it comes to new editions of Dungeons and Dragons. How many classes are too many and how many are too little?

Is it for flavor purpose and fulfilling certain archetypes? Having certain roles be fulfilled?

As many as folks want to design and play.

 

[Horwath]

You gain.

Simplicity.

that is mostly a negative not a positive.

Balance.

WotC can't balance 3 classes with one another if they had a gun to their head so having open classes will not change a thing.

Replayability.

I would have more replayability with 200 features to pick than with 10 classes with 20 fixed features

Uniqueness.

See above

 

[Scribe]

i find all of those of debatable merit or correlation.

Based on the post I was responding to, I would assume so, but its just 2 (of the many) branches we can take in terms of design.

Look at the Elf in Shadowdark, vs the Astral Elf in 5e. Both reflect the "Elf" trope/archetype.

The same thing with Class options. Personally, I've come to a point where I hate multiclassing, I think its bad for the game, and I dont particularly like mix and match mechanics.

Simplicity, elegance, and if you want that Sneak Attack? Play a Rogue/Thief.

Both are valid, I'm just increasingly not interested in the complex approach.

 

[Scribe]

that is mostly a negative not a positive.

To you.

 

[Horwath]

To you.

with complex system you can always make simple characters,
with simple system you cannot make complex characters.

 

[Scribe]

with complex system you can always make simple characters,

Yes?

with simple system you cannot make complex characters.

Great, I dont want those characters in my system.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes?



Great, I dont want those characters in my system.

This is why there are (or should be) multiple games for different tastes. Ideally, WotC would pick one of those tastes and run with it, allowing those who don't share it to pick a different game and feel good about it.