What themes do you want in core?

I'd really like to answer this...but I need someone to explain for me what "Themes" are...or rather, what they are going to be?

Are they, essentially, "secondary class add-ons" as some are saying -priest, gladiator, swashbuckler...is "knight" fair game but "warlord" it's own class?

Are they occupational training things -blacksmith, soldier, tanner?

Are they social/background/interactive related things like -noble, scholar, village idiot, "pubcrawler" (which just reads to me as a.k.a. "town lush" lol.)

Are they going to be all of them?! And if so, how are they going to generate suitably adequate "skills" and/or "bonuses" to make picking "bog farmer" no less valid for play than "cavalier"?

It is an interesting new[ish] way of creating characters, and I am looking forward to seeing how it is done.

But without actually knowing what "Themes" are and will entail/include, it is difficult to come up with a list of suggestions.

--SD
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Nobody knows.

I saw a preview article on Dark Sun Themes and they seem to be Alternate Class Features that are available to characters of any class. Which in 4th Edition is possible because all characters get the same type of ability at any level. So at level X you can select one of your class abilities for that level, or the Theme ability.
Since 5th Edition seems to go back to where 3rd Edition left off, I have no clue how that mechanic would work in the new game. Probably something entirely different.

A class or theme might give a bonus to a skill, but no actual skill list. DM calls for relevant ability score check, and if you have a class or character feature that gives a bonus to that action, you add it in. Makes possible for open-ended, infinite set of specific flavorful micro-skills.
Click to expand...
Themes cover potion-makers and blacksmiths. Like kits from 2E. You can improve in that theme with feats etc. Or you can use skills and feats to customize your own theme.
Click to expand...
Themes such as commoner, noble, knight, apprentice. Also planetouched, deva, avenger. There is one called "pub crawler". So you can have an avenger themed paladin.
Click to expand...
Themes tie into open-ended skill system - skills for specific themes.
Click to expand...
 


Regarding races, a [race]-raised theme would be cool.

Dwarf-raised characters would have the bonuses against racial enemies and working with stone, but not the darkvision or ability bonuses.

A dwarf could be elf-raised, getting longbow proficiency and whatever, instead of his typical cultural bonuses.
 

Reading this, I want a big fat splatbook exclusively with themes.

Freed Slave
Farmer
Scribe
Noble
Dragonblood
Celestial Blood
Beggar
Smith
Nomad
Wizard hunter
Inquisitor
Undead Hunter
Raised from the Dead
Heretic (for divine classes)
Hedge Wizard (less formal magic, more worldly)
Village Witch
Outlaw
Giant blood
Raised by a cult
Raised in a monastery
Rich Merchant
Carnie
Circus freak
Jester
...
 


Grazzt said:
If themes are in and are akin to kits, I could see them doing the whole "Complete xxx Handbook" series all over again.
Click to expand...

I want to see "The Complete and Total Bastard's Handbook".

All the tips for dirty tricks and subterfuge in one easy supplement! Something worthy of Machiavelli and Lord Blackadder at the same time.
 

I want the good ones, and none of the bad ones ... :D


No, seriously, that is what I want. I don't care about which ones are there or not there. If they have a really good, flavorful, functional theme for "guy that stands on the corner and looks menancing", give it a name and put it in there. And if "knight" or "priest" or any of the other obvious choices aren't working out, leave them out.

I'd rather 6 or 10 or 15 or whatever quality themes, even if the space they cover is erratic, than trying to be comprehensive and having a bunch of filler themes. The latter is how we end up with splats.
 

MoxieFu said:
I want to see "The Complete and Total Bastard's Handbook".

All the tips for dirty tricks and subterfuge in one easy supplement! Something worthy of Machiavelli and Lord Blackadder at the same time.
Click to expand...
It could have a chapter devoted to cunning plans by someone named Baldrick.
 

Themes were more an extension of the paragon path and epic destiny paradim. So at heroic you had the themes, at paragon you had paragon paths, and at epic you had epic destinies.

Kits in 4e were more like subclasses like (fighter) Slayer and Knight, (paladin) Blackguard, Cavalier, (druid) Protector and Sentiel, (wizard) Shi'ar, Arcanist, Mage, Witch, Bladesinger, (warlock) Binder and Hexblade. Basically they switched out class features, but still counted as the base class for meeting prerequistes.

In 5e I think kits and themes will be different.

Themes/pp/eds will have there own section representing background, like how you grew up, your passions, and odd ball stuff and kits/builds/subclasses will represent class specializations and alternate class features. I believe kits will be in the class section of the character sheet and themes will be in the theme section.

So fighters basic maybe the slayer, but the core may give the option to take the weapon master as a kit or the knight, or even mix and match kits. Say that fighter desides to go with the weapon master kit, but he desides that the character wasn't always a fighter, that he only took it up after orc butchered his wife, so he takes the widow theme as well to flesh his character out.

Also I think that the common, uncommon, rare system will effect how many kits a class gets in core, so common fighters, rogues, clerics, and wizards may get 3 or 4 kits each, plus base class features, Priests, Paladins and Warlocks 2 kits each plus base features, and rare assassins could end up with just base features or 1 kit in the core books.

Also I believe I heard packages refered to in reference to classes and it sounded like kits to me more then themes.

What inspires my thinking in general on 5e is how they say that core will have seeds of multiple moduals so themes and kits will get expansions later on.
 

Remove ads

Top