What themes do you want in core?

TwinBahamut said:
Priest (I don't think this is redundant...)
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I had just the same in mind... perhaps priests of different deities could be Themes, so that non-clerics could still be priests (non-spellcasting) of a certain deity, allowing for more variety in the campaign setting (the typical thing is instead to have everyone in a church or temple be a spellcaster or a paladin, then you have to make the head of the church automatically the highest-level hence the best spellcaster, bla bla...), with the only restriction that you cannot be a cleric of X and priest of Y at the same time, at least in a typical campaign.

It would mean that for example you could have a temple of the God of Magic where everyone is a Wizard (class) and a Priest (theme), without problems in multiclassing two spellcasters or having to split the temple crew in two types.

It would also allow for interesting cults... you can have priests of Archfiends / Demon Lords / Banjos, without worrying whether these "pseudo-gods" can grant spells or not, because the Priest of X Theme can give you some religious-themed benefits without necessarily neither a full spellcaster nor a mid-strong defensive melee warrior (i.e. a cleric).
 
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For generic themes:
Pirate
Inquisitor
Oracle
Mystic
Spy
Tribal
Thug
Bodyguard
Cursed One
Explorer
Ascetic
Scholar
Dreamer
Hunted

Of course I certainly want campaign specific themes, like Inquisitive or Dragonmarked for Eberron, or Anarchist, Bleaker and Sensate for Planescape, if those settings ever came out for 5e. But I think there should be a good base of themes that covers a lot, but not something that's too generic or boring for a theme.
 

Tiefling
Aasimar
Half Dragon (actually, any half-breed being a theme - half orc, half elf, half dwarf, half goblin, etc.)
Shifter (seeing a theme?)
Kalashtar
Some sort of Psionic theme or two, instead of psionic races
Dungeoneer
Archaeologist
Scholar
Warrior
Adept
Expert
 

Some prior classes I'd like to see as themes:

Gladiator
Trader
Ninja
Cavalier
Swashbuckler
Scout
Archivist

Also I wouldn't mind seeing "Worshipper of X" themes, like Worshipper of Kord, Pelor, Ioun, etc.
 

I too am interested in Advanced themes, and I foresee them working like this...

Lets take the Wizard class for this example because its simplistic. At first level the player doesnt really know what they want to do with the character, or where the campaign will take them, so they choose a general theme, lets say "Apprenticed Wizard".

Apprenticed Wizard Theme
You have studied under a powerful mage for a time and have been taught the arcane arts through practice and persistence as much as book learning.

You gain Knowledge Arcana as a trained skill.
You receive a +1 theme bonus to Spellcraft checks.

Advanced theme options:
Upon reaching a Career point (or some arbitrary level, or mechanic) you may gain your choice of one of the following Advanced themes: Professional Wizard, Hedge Wizard, Court Maester, War Wizard, Arcane Professor, Wild Mage.

And if say we are on a 30 level progression, you may have another tier open to you at 20th.

I dont necessarily like arbitrary points for character theme advancement, but it may be the only way to handle it in the system. Could be also as easily based upon class levels as prestige classes were.
 


I'd really like to see the Scholar and Fey Beast Tamer return from 4e, as well as more generic versions of the Pack Outcast (Werewolf) and Dead Rat Deserter (Wererat). Though I doubt the monster-y ones will be in the core book. Vampire should eventually become a theme as well, I felt 4e kinda missed when they made it both a class and a race.

I'd also like to see the Swashbuckler become a theme.
 




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