Community

 
Jump Menu:
Post Reply
10 months ago  ::  Aug 10, 2012 - 7:42AM #1
Goddess_Mystra
Date Joined: Jul 20, 2008
Posts: 38

I know many like to make characters and I've been thinking of letting players make their own class as a way to let them get more fun out of that. And creating one's own class may remove the need for multiclassing in order to get this or that prestige class as well. As DM I also want the selfmade classes to follow the same setup  so they are easy to control. This require a set number of skills and abilities (or talents or feats), in this first version I've given them 5 skills and 3 abilities/feats/spells. Not sure about level up.


I like the Next idea of background bonuses, but I want the players to make their own stories and then decide what bonuses fit with the story (don't like premade stories as it limits creativity). Or? What do you others think of this 'make your own class' idea? What would it require to work? I unfortunly don't have a group to playtest with so I would need input from you expert DM's. Below I've made 2 example char sheets and a blank one. It's only the first draft of course, hope you can help make it better.


char_sheet Show


Name 
Gender
Racename - name your selfmade race here. The leap from self-made class to self-made race isn't a long one... But let's stick to classes in this thread.
Classname - name your selfmade class here
lvl
Alignment - always start at neutral. Must earn - or lose - alignment points to improve oneselves. It's up to the DM to decide when the group earn or loose 1 point, should ideally occure when somthing important for the players and NPC's happen. Maybe not more than once every 4 level or 4 times throughout a whole campaign going from lvl 1 to 20. The alignments would be; 0=neutral, 1=CN, 2=CG, 3=NG, 4=LG, -1=LN, -2=LE, -3=NE, -4=CE.


Sizecategory, - ones height and with desides this no matter what race one are.
?' ?" tall, with X ? wt, - his own weight. Can be removed and use height/with to find out what ridables one can use and stuff.
? yrs old
Speaks languagename (number of languages desided by int or wis bonus wichever is hightest)


Str - choose 3 stats and give them 10 points each,
Dex - the other 3 stats get 12 each.
Con - At each level up one get +1 to put in one stat.
Int - and remember the race +/- bonuses.
Wis
Cha - or continue the 32 point buy as in 3.5ed.


Hit Points - base 4. + HP bonus depending on armor choise; light armor +2 hp, medium +4 hp, heavy +6 hp. You do not add the bonus from lesser type armor.
AC ??, as before; armor+dex bonus+magic+monk wis bonus+feat/ability bonus
Init = dex + level
BAB ? = from weapon + level
Grapple = strenght attack vs. constitution save.
Speed ? (base 6 (medium sized) + 1 per size category (if larger), -1 per size cat. (if smaller))
Fort as 4e?
Ref as 4e?
Will as 4e?


Feats
armor feat - cloth (wizard), light (10% spell failure), medium (25% spell failure), heavy (40% spell failure). Must be decided at lvl 1. (shield type the same as armor type. Cloth = no shield. Pick only one, automatically get the lesser types).
weapon feat - spesific veapon or spellbook for a wizard or cleric type = yes clerics are schoolars too and I always thought they should have a spellbook. Must be choosen at lvl 1.
feat - another feat each 2 level starting at lvl 3?


Abilities
3 combat abilities or spells depends on wheter you want a melee type or spellcaster. A druid/ranger type would want to use one of them to get the animal companion. The wizard can use one of them to get his familiar. They do not HAVE to take the animal companion or familiar. Only at 1st lvl.
ability - another ability each 2 level beginning at lvl 2?


Skills
choose 5 skills. Add another each 4th lvl starting at lvl 4. Different skills gets bonuses from different stat bonuses as in 3.5ed - but not neccesary the same as in 3.5ed.


Racename Traits
self-made races here I come... Basically I was thinking of allowing players to give +2 to any one stat and -2 to any one of the others. Maybe one feat of the +2/+2 kind as well (3.5ed).


Spells (wizard, cleric, druid, artificer, bard, psion)
Spells are all in one pool; a wizard can thus cast heal or a druid can cast mage armor. This is useful for smaller group of adventurers we have today (3 or 4 characters, vs. 6 characters that was the norm 15 years ago). Spellbooks does not store all the spells the wizard or cleric knows, instead they both store the spells they prepare for today in this book. Rituals and runes can also go here.


Special


STARTING GOLD 75 gp => same for all.



example_1 Show


Amie Ferm
female
Race ; snow elf
Class; princess
lvl 1
neutral


small size 2' 7" tall, with 7"
253 yrs old
Speaks snowelven, common, bird


Str 10
Dex 12, +1
Con 12, +1
Int 10
Wis 12 +2 race = 14, +2
Cha 10 -2 race = 8, -1


6 Hit Points ; base 4 + light armor 2 hp
AC 14 Init 13 = dex + level
BAB 1 ; from weapon (zero for book) + level Speed 5 (base 6 (medium sized) -1 size category for small)
Fort 1 (+ level?)
Ref 1 (+ level?)
Will 2 (+ level?)


Feats
armor feat - light armor
weapon feat - spellbook (should the spellbook already have spells in it before one choose abilities?)


Abilities
1- snowballs ; 1 snowball each 3rd level, each doing 1d4 cold damage
2- snowman ; summons a snowman that attacks the casters enemies, doing coldbased damage
3- animal ally: birds ; all birds view her as friend and will not flee unless told to. The birds will not leave their hunting/gathering area. One bird can be used as an animal companion until late evening (21:00). This is not a spell but a druidic ability.


Skills
climb (str) - There's always cracks in the icebergs so climbing is a must have
concentration (con) - spellcasters best friend
profession (royalty) (wis) - she's a princess...
sense motive (wis) - all nobles has an uncanny instinct to sense what you really think...
spellcraft (int) - recognizing the presence of magic and even spesific spells.


Snowelf Traits
+2 wis
-2 cha
Middle aged; 120 to 270 year old. The cold and slow life in the frozen north has made the snow elfs wiser and older than any other elves, but the isolated lives has also made them less sosial.


Special


STARTING GOLD 75 gp => same for all.



example_2 Show


Vulcano
male
Race ; astral deva
Class; this race does not gain class before epic level
lvl 1
neutral


large size 7' 7" tall, with 7"
immortal, but killable
Speaks divine (divine is a special language of the gods: all living beings the deva chooses will understand him)


Str 12 +2 race = 14, +2
Dex 12, +1
Con 12, +1
Int 10 +2 race = 12, +1
Wis 10 -2 race = 8, -1
Cha 10


10 Hit Points ; base 4 + heavy armor 6 hp
AC 16
Init 13 = dex + level
BAB 3 = 2 from weapon + level
Speed 7 (base 6 (medium sized) + 1 per size category))
Fort 1 (+ level?)
Ref 1 (+ level?)
Will -1 (+ level?)


Feats
armor feat - heavy armor
weapon feat - great sword


Abilities
1- cleave
2- deva radiation; bless on the deva and all allies within 2 spaces.
3- magic missile; turning the deva into a tankmage


Skills
concentration (con)
knowledge (arcana) (int)
spellcraft (int)
jump (str)
tumble (dex)


deva Traits
+2 str
+2 int
-2 wis


Special


STARTING GOLD 75 gp => same for all.



 

Norwegian fan page at facebook; DndRogaland
Quick Reply
Cancel
10 months ago  ::  Aug 10, 2012 - 7:55AM #2
Scottevil912
Date Joined: Oct 12, 2005
Posts: 1,630
I rarely create new classes, instead favoring to reflavor existing classes and having a creative selection of skills, feats, and powers.

For example - I wanted to play a hedge mage, someone one who knew just enough about magic to have some basic powers, but wouldn't be relying on them during combat.

In 4e, the way I did this was by taking the Slayer class but putting attributes into intelligence vs. strength, took a feat that used INT for melee attacks.  I also gave him ritual casting.  So right off the bat, he could fight and cast rituals.  

So preferably, Next will allow us to "customize" ourselves like this without having to resort to creating a new class.  It's not that creating a new class is bad, but (and especially during the playtest), it may be harder to balance properly (and, frankly, is a bit of work)
Welcome to ZomboniLand - My D&D Blog http://zomboniland.blogspot.com/
Quick Reply
Cancel
10 months ago  ::  Aug 10, 2012 - 8:20AM #3
Luis_Carlos
Date Joined: Jun 15, 2006
Posts: 2,437
Ideas for new classes we can have got hundreds, but the headace arrives when somebody tries the right balance of power and avoid abuses by munchkins. 
"Say me what you're showing off for, and I'll say you what you lack!" (Spanish saying)


Book 13 Anaclet 23

Confucius said: "The Superior Man is in harmony but does not follow the crowd. The inferior man follows the crowd, but is not in harmony"
Quick Reply
Cancel
10 months ago  ::  Aug 10, 2012 - 8:26AM #4
Mand12
Date Joined: Jun 17, 2010
Posts: 16,931
Most people aren't good game designers.  The point of having gaming books that we pay money for is because the people writing them are better game designers than we are.  And class design, in particular, is the hardest thing to do.

The amount of walls you'd need to put up in the sandbox to avoid falling over the side would basically make it impossible to actually have any creativity.

Leave class creation to the homebrewers.
D&D Next = D&D:  Quantum Edition
Quick Reply
Cancel
10 months ago  ::  Aug 10, 2012 - 12:07PM #5
DoctorNecrotic
Date Joined: May 24, 2012
Posts: 1,097

Aug 10, 2012 -- 8:26AM, Mand12 wrote:

Most people aren't good game designers.  The point of having gaming books that we pay money for is because the people writing them are better game designers than we are.  And class design, in particular, is the hardest thing to do.

The amount of walls you'd need to put up in the sandbox to avoid falling over the side would basically make it impossible to actually have any creativity.

Leave class creation to the homebrewers.




On that note, we might need a homebrew subsection for 5e at this rate.  The game's not out and we have custom stuff for Dark Sun, Standard, and more...

Disgruntled ghost of the Knights of W.T.F.
(Keep D&D alive, end the edition wars!)

"And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Disclaimer: Most of my posts are based on opinions (and are sometimes humorous, other times inspirational)
Quick Reply
Cancel
10 months ago  ::  Aug 10, 2012 - 12:13PM #6
Mand12
Date Joined: Jun 17, 2010
Posts: 16,931
Though, I will say this:  giving us a little "under the hood" information as to expected PC power per level could be useful.  Hitpoints, damage, healing, effects, etc.  But it doesn't have to be spelled out quite so explicitly and generically as is in the OP.
D&D Next = D&D:  Quantum Edition
Quick Reply
Cancel
10 months ago  ::  Aug 10, 2012 - 12:16PM #7
Qmark
  • vitriol and virtue
Date Joined: May 18, 2002
Posts: 16,487
2E had a quite robust custom-class system.

Unfortunately, it somehow managed to be both intentionally crippled and gratuitously exploitable.
Trying to fudge together a sort of "[that class], but [ability A] swapped out for [Ability N]" carried a significant XP penalty, and the last paragraph openly admitted that the system was intentionally engineered to gimp any custom classes which attempted to be on par with the stock classes.  Conversely, it was easily possible to game the XP table to create a class that hit level fourteen around the same time everyone else was around level six.
Quick Reply
Cancel
Jump Menu:
 
    Viewing this thread :: 0 registered and 1 guest
    No registered users viewing