Wednesday May 16, 2012
Character class is a complex subject, but focusing on Cyre
preselects two distinct needs that can be addressed by class. The need for Survival (tied to wisdom) and
the need for Knowledge Arcane (tied to Intelligence). This also predisposes towards high skill
point classes, the hallmark of the Rogues.
Below is a shot breakdown of classes that would be appropriate for these
competing skills.
The need for Survival Skill
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The
need for Knowledge (Arcane)
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Ranger
Iconic survivors in all settings, the Ranger brings survival knowledge
like few others.
He may not choose Mournland as his chosen terrain, as it is at most
four years old by the time of the campaign.
Divine healing from a Ranger still means nothing, though the Heal Skill
(Wis) is a nice perk!
Track and Knowledge (Geography) are nice ever useful skills to make a
Ranger useful in all circumstances.
6+Int skill points for the Ranger.
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Wizard
No class needs Knowledge Arcane like the Wizard, or benefits from
taking it quite like him. Wizards
openly adventure for knowledge, and the Mournland is an enigma begging to be
understood.
Sorceror’s have Knowledge (Arcana) too, but their desire to learn from
the Mournland begins and ends as a test to prove themselves, not necessarily heal
anything.
With
only 2+Int skill points per level, both classes suffer from sever lack of learning
potential.
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Druid
Druids don’t come from cities or nations, but the Last War touched
everybody, so it is possible a druid became wrapped up in a larger conflict.
Druids maintain the Survival and Heal skills. Divine healing still means nothing, but
Goodberries do!
A druid has a readymade reason for focusing on adventuring in scarred,
wounded terrain. Whole prestige
classes are built around the idea.
4+Int skill points for the Druid.
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Bard
In Eberron, bards are inquisitive knowledge hunters who sometimes turn
their ears to performances. They wind
up everywhere there is something to learn.
Knowledge from all categories = Bards can have Knowledge Arcana.
6+Int modifier skill points.
Unique
to this setting is the Artificer, who has knowledge Arcana and 4+Int skill
points.
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Cleric
Includes not only Knowledge Arcana and Heal, but can take the Travel
domain and claim the Survival skill (PH 31).
Clerics shepherd the masses, and so a major burning hole in the ground
like the Mournland is as good a reason as any to draw one in to attempt to
heal it.
Clerics must choose a god to serve (I`m working on reading about
them). Divine spells in Eberron are
powered by devotion more than by the god him/herself.
2+Int
modifier skill points per level (ew!)
Update from Favored Soul = same!
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Q`barra
template, Mournland template
I wanted to create a human with the skills needed to address the wounds
of the land. Q`barra was the nation
that I chose as the home base for this character, but it is not too late to
change it if necessary. The Campaign
setting allows certain classes from certain nations to take on variant skills/feats,
provided that they qualify as typical for the land. (ECS pg 24-26)
Mournland template specifies Warforged, with nonwarforged taking the
Displaced Cyre template. You could
still be a Warforged with Survival and Knowledge Arcana right off the bat,
though loyalty to the wrong type of Warforged might inhibit a quest to heal
the land totally.
The Q`barra template can apply to humans, and grants Survival to
clerics, wizards, fighters, rangers and rogues. Bards are missing! So close!
While other templates can add survival as a class skill to wizards and sorcerers,
I would be remiss to fail to mention the Demon Wastes, whose template can add
Knowledge Arcana and Survival to classes that don`t get either, such as
Warrior and Paladin. Downside is that
you must be from the Demon Wastes…
The
odd paring of skills doesn`t appear anywhere else, forcing one of the skills
to come from the above class lists.
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Suppose that we just decide on Cleric or Wizard, and take
the poor class skill progression on the chin.
I traditionally don`t like Clerics as they have – get this – too many
spells. I always spend too much time
selecting spells, then remonstrating against myself for choosing the wrong ones. Wizard is better, as each spell should be
purchased, but that too requires a lot of metagaming.
I haven`t played a spontaneous caster yet, and wanted to
try one. Well there is still the
sorcerer. Not much recommends itself,
but Droam hosts sorcerers, and with survival as class skills even! With 5% Shifters who have no real presence in
the witches of Droam`s plans, could easily choose their own quest – the war is
over, the whole of Galifar is rebuilding, Droam is still a dangerous place at
its best; is there a place for Shifters out there in the five nations? You won`t know for sure until you send a
scout out there and go looking. The
irony for this plan, is that it puts exactly the skills the humans need, arcane
knowledge and survival at their disposal, but it`s not a human who carries
them, nor a class that can be taught.
Such a shifter could have little interest in setting out for Cyre, but
who knows, if he can help repair the land, there may be a place for shifters
there…
Or it could be just as dangerous as Droam. This character would be amenable to going to
the Mournland, and would go there long before reaching Thrane or Silver Flame
lands, and could also become caught up in conflicts to do with the Sarlonans or
the Demon Waste tribes just as easily.
I`ve put a lot into this question, but I`ve still not got a
race/class combo that is ready to be pitched.
This is where I should stop though!
More tomorrow, hopefully.
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