Classes, Races, and Magic

So, at this point we've defined the key characteristics of what Legend4ry is all about. It's brutal, hard/fourth-core, and "old school." The key here is that it's player driven as opposed to being aimed at the other side of the screen. This, again, is an attempt to supplement the more hardcore movements within 4th Edition by providing more player and DM options.

So let's talk about Races:

I have said I want to go with a more old school, or iconic, feel for Legend4ry and as a result some of the more fantastical races are going to have to go, albeit temporarily. Hang around 'til the end and you'll see what I mean by temporarily.

What are the iconic D&D races? Seeing as Godfather Gygax was heavily inspired by Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, I think it's only fitting to follow in these footsteps. They are iconic and "old school," so they meet the needs previously outlined.

Let's go with the following:

• Humans - A fairly race that is growing in size as it spreads throughout the world, they are something of a jack of all trades. While they cannot excel at certain tasks to the same degrees as other races without tremendous effort, they are hardy and make excellent adventurers with whatever they choose to do.
• Dwarves - Hailing from deep within the mountains the Dwarves are an old race, perhaps even older than the Elves if you hear them tell it. Dwarves are short in stature and take great pride in their beards, which serve as indicators to social status and wealth. The Dwarves are a prideful and sturdy people who take great effort to appease their ancestors and uphold the values of their families and clans.
• Halfings - Halflings, or Wee-Folk or even Hobbits, are simple creatures of a small stature that enjoy practical jokes and pranks and make excellent thieves due to their size and natural dexterity. Generally Halflings keep to themselves in their Shires, forsaking the temptations and dangers of the outside world for a life of peace and tranquility, but the occasional Halfling does venture outside the protective earthen walls of the Shire and when they do adventure is soon to follow.
• Elves:
• Eladrin - The Eladrin claim to be the original Elf and the original race in the world. Haughty and stuck up due to their innate connection with the magical world they make powerful allies. 
• Wood Elf - (Elves) The cousins of the Eladrin, long removed from the arcane powers of the world, the Elves have chosen to put their faith in nature, protecting it at all costs.

Let's talk about Classes:

Once again the name of the game here is iconic. Going back to old school, 1e, whatever you want to call it D&D we see a repetition of four main character archetypes. These archetypes have been repeated throughout classic fantasy literature as well as every edition of D&D. 

Now, we need to reconcile something here, the AEDU (or At-Will, Encounter, Daily, Utility) power set up for the classes. The power sources remain unchanged as, frankly, they serve as a brilliant distinction. In previous editions of D&D there was not as huge of a focus on action economy as there is 4e, for better and worse. There was no, in the most grognardian anti-4e example that is apt here, "I can swing my sword four different ways in the course of a day." It was "I hit it with my sword and move." It was simple, precise, deadly, and to the point. That's not to talk badly about AEDU classes, I love them, but I just don't see them fitting with this design theory. For that reason we're going to go with the Basic Attack heavy Essentials variants. 

So, here's what I'm thinking:

• Fighter (Knight) - Your classic sword and board fighter, iconic in every way.
• Rogue (Thief) - The sneaky skill-monkey trap-dis-abler that loves putting the hurt on the baddies.
• Cleric (Warpriest) - This is a bit less iconic as it's not focused only on being a heal-monkey, but it's still an effective and MBA-focused Leader, which fits the philosophy. 
• Wizard (Mage) - Once again, the classic and iconic Wizard with schools and dangerousness all wrapped in one.

So basically what we are looking at here as far as classes and races go is a strict limitation on Heroes of the Fallen Lands. This will also apply to initially available Mage schools. 

Also, as a caveat and an attempt to use Rituals, which, too, are brilliant and neglected, each starting character is considered to have the Ritual Caster feat and starts with one free level-1 ritual. Ritual casting that is tied to a skill can only be used if said character is trained in that skill. In addition to this, once per day a character can cast their ritual for free with no component costs. The reason for this is that I want rituals to play a heavier role in the game as they add a great flavor. There is no source limitation on the rituals provided that they are of appropriate level. As an aside, martial practices are available as well to non-magical classes. 

Now, the class and race list seems limited and there is a reason for that; to keep things simple and iconic. As the players progress though, by way of meta/story rewards other classes, Mage schools, and races can be unlocked (albeit via a roll on a randomly generated table.) This table will be posted in a future entry. In keeping with the same design philosophy, these races and classes will be from Essentials line books, such as the Ranger (Hunter) and the Necromatic school, for example. 

Let's talk about magic:

Magic is supposed to be a big deal and this applies to magic items by proxy. I want magic items to be meaningful and important and having one is a big deal. I also want the characters to be defined by their choices and not the magic items they have, so in keeping with that the use of Inherent Bonuses only makes sense. This helps alleviate the mathematical need to play catch-up on magic items and makes the few magic items received over the course of the game definitive and iconic. Really, rarity and power is crucial here. 

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Tune in for the next post where we will discuss character creation, experience, and death. Also, hopefully I will have the time to have created the aforementioned class/race/school table; if so, I'll be sure to post it as well.

Until next time,

-blob