I like the way in which the B/X system that I’ve mimicked
creates unique race/class combinations that become classes. These are nifty,
and allow for all manner of unique variations. I have two modifications to this
in mind, and I’d like to explore them both a bit here…
The first is the minor class. I like the idea of minor
classes (limited to six levels of advancement) that represent the secondary
species of the game world. These don’t all necessarily start at ‘level 1’, but
start with the basic hit die of the monster (or maybe one before) and then
carry on for 6 levels. For example, a pixie
leafkeeper advances from levels 1-6 (at d4 hit die), and has access to some
nature magic and some arcane magic (a limited spell list to choose from).
Conversely, a minotaur vigilant advances
from level 5 (5d8 HD) to level 10 (10d8 HD). They get advanced combat
abilities, and pick up a few talents. The minor classes would be unlikely to be
used by player characters, but there’d be nothing to say they couldn’t be… it
would be perfectly viable to run a campaign of pixie creatures each built on a
different pixie minor class, and to develop these classes quickly. You could
have a pixie healer (lighter armor, faith magic), a pixie ardent (no magic,
better fighting ability) and a pixie tinker (kind of a thief with a smattering
of magic) pretty quickly set up as minor classes with minimal sweat equity. In
general, it would make sense that the numbers you might encounter cut in half
with every level. 50% are level 1; 25% are level 2; 12% are level 3; 6% are
level 4; 3% are level 5; about 1% get to level 6. You’d rarely see these more
powerful examples. This is a very simple plug-in that allows for a great deal
of customization, but which you can ignore altogether if that better suits you.
Subclasses, however, don’t allow themselves to be solved
quite as simply.
I don’t like the idea of a proliferation of ‘core’ classes.
The barbarian, ranger, knight, paladin, cavalier, and mercenary all have one
purpose – to drown out the fighter. I like the idea of each of these being a
sub-class (dare I use the word ‘kit’?) that layers over the core class. +Dyson Logos did a brilliant series on subclasses for B/X games, and I like a lot of
things about his approach, although I’d want to tinker some… these have to be a
little bigger than just a +1 or +2 modifier to a particular ability, but grant
access to other abilities beyond what is afforded through the Talents system
that’s already in place.
By taking a sub-class, you sacrifice 10% of your earned XP.
You get all of the features of your basic class, but also get the benefits and
bonus features of the sub-class. Sub-classes would not necessarily be limited
to linkage to one core class, but could be layered over several. Here are some
examples (in early drafty form):
By the way, Minor Magic means that you advance as a caster,
although you always use your LM in place of your level. This means that your
casting ability would cap out at level 11, granting you the effective casting
of a level 6 primary caster. You’d get access to sphere 3 spells (starting at
level 9, when your LM is 5), but no better.
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