Within Rules: How many PHb character combinations?

[Emirikol]

Yes, obviously there are other variations and not everyone is going to be exactly the same..except for those three variables: Race, Class, Feat choices. All basic characters are really just clones then. It's like the old basic D&D system where you only have the illusion of choice. For some reason, players seem to think that they are MORE individualized if they play a demi-human, when we can see by the numbers, that demi-humans are more than twice as likely to be a cliche.

I've seen so many arguments going the other direction (i.e. that you should just not have classes and only use skills), but they don't consider one factor: time and effort to create a character. D&D succeeded because it was a _reasonable- amount of work to make a character. WHen I first learned, you could have _absolutely no game knowledge_ and still whip up a character in no time. You'd give each fighter in your party a different personality, and that's what made them individuals.

I've seen it said that too many players confuse 'novelty' for 'personality.' That is, they depend on their feats or skills to determine their character's personality instead of starting with personality and then assigning feats and skills.

Here's my solution: There should be about 3-4 more 'core' classes. For example: Why bother with the extra feat for fighters at first, when you're just going to categorize him anyway? Save yourself some time. That's what the people playing Rangers, Monks, or Barbarians have done. They took the easy way out and picked a clone of a clone and just gave him a different personality (sometimes


Em










..

 

[Emirikol]

One thing that we forgot. Some feats can be taken multiple times (e.g. toughness or exotic weapon prof).

Em

 

[Darklone]

You forgot the polearm fighter.

Yeah, we have seen all combinations that are likely to occur already. Does it make it bad? No.

 

[bret]

[ snip ]
1(fighter)x(feats)x(fighter bonus feats)x5(races-human)+
10(classes-fighter)x(feats)x(feats)x1(human)+
1(fighter)x(feats)x(feats)x(fighter bonus feats)x1(human)

I think.

You expression assumes that any feat can be taken twice. There are many feats that this is not true for.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

All basic characters are really just clones then.

They were if these three traits would be the only thing you could choose. But they are just the skelleton of the character. Sure, they are only a limited number of skelletons (which is high enough for me, since I won't have to make the same thing twice, and there's no need for two players in the same group to choose the same skelletons. And then there are scores of rules accesories....) but they hardly make the character. It's the weapon of choice, the color of their hair, their skin, their eyes; it's their size and weight, the languages they speak; it's their skills, their ability scores, their alignment; it's the way they behave.

It's like saying that since you can only can have 6 different grades in an essay, there can only be 6 different essays for every topic.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Ignoring personalities, there were only six choices in OD&D (since races = classes):

Fighter
Magic-User
Cleric
Elf
Dwarf
Hobbit

If you think characters are clones now, all I can say is:

"D&D, you've come a long way, baby!"

 

[SpikeyFreak]

Stats

Domains

Weapon Focuses (any weapon)

Exotic Weapon Profs (any exotic weapon)

Martial Weapon Profs (any exotic weapon)

Familiar selection

Skills

Spells

Seems like a silly thing to try to figure out. There are so many that its completely inconceivable.

--Overwhelmed Spikey

 

[Kae'Yoss]

(since races = classes)

Hm... I really don't like RPGs where they don't distinguish between races and classes. We had one of those around here (except that they updated the rules recently, and now they are much closer to D&D....)

 

[WattsHumphrey]

Yes, as can a fighter or a rogue (although why they'd want to is another matter) - there is no caster level prerequisite for the feat.

J

Wouldn't it let you take that feat that gives you +2 to saves against your Spell Focus'ed school? Arcane Defense from T&B, I think.

Not a good use of the feats... but amusing... I guess.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Would be overkill: 2 feats for +2 on one school.