PDA

View Full Version : Racial Class Features for Generic Humans



Milo v3
2014-05-02, 07:37 AM
I'm sort of making a racial class for generic mundane non-heroic humans, sorta of an NPC racial class.... sorta.

But I'm having trouble thinking of class features, does anyone have any ideas what class features it could have?

ben-zayb
2014-05-02, 08:51 AM
You mean like a Racial un-Paragon class? Or some alternative commoner? Expert?

And how would you define heroic? As in doing something inhumanly difficult? At least half of NPC classes can't already do that. As in doing something good/exalted? A bit hard, considering anyone can do something that's heroic and inspiring in the eyes of someone else. I'd even sah heroism is more on the character's personality than class features.

Barring those things, how about giving this racial class some options based on its chosen profession. Perhaps an option that enables one to easily establish new career/s, as human are supposedly able learners, or actual benefits based on main/secondary/etc. profession chosen.

Just my 2cp. It's a really unusual idea, I give you that.:smalltongue:

Milo v3
2014-05-02, 09:29 AM
You mean like a Racial un-Paragon class? Or some alternative commoner? Expert?
Yeah. Sorta... It's technically not a class so describing it is abit hard. But alternative commoner I guess would be the closest approximation to 3.5e.


And how would you define heroic? As in doing something inhumanly difficult? At least half of NPC classes can't already do that. As in doing something good/exalted? A bit hard, considering anyone can do something that's heroic and inspiring in the eyes of someone else. I'd even sah heroism is more on the character's personality than class features.
I mean they aren't heroic in that they are things like farmers, barmaids, temps and receptionists. They could technically go out to adventure, but it isn't really their calling.


Barring those things, how about giving this racial class some options based on its chosen profession.

That'd probably require making a list of common professions, which could take a while.


Perhaps an option that enables one to easily establish new career/s, as human are supposedly able learners.
Maybe being able to retrain profession and crafting type skills work to represent that?

Thunderfist12
2014-05-02, 09:40 AM
From what you said, I think you're asking for a set of class features for each NPC class or something, available to humans.

If you're using generic humans, they would have generic class features. Give them the fighter's bonus feat progression, but with access to all feats they can take. Maybe add in a free class feature every 4 levels chosen from progressing in Sneak Attack, Rage, Smite, Channel Energy, and anything else that could be used as a sort of race-class feat.

That what you want, kinda-sorta?

Milo v3
2014-05-02, 09:52 AM
From what you said, I think you're asking for a set of class features for each NPC class or something, available to humans.

If you're using generic humans, they would have generic class features. Give them the fighter's bonus feat progression, but with access to all feats they can take. Maybe add in a free class feature every 4 levels chosen from progressing in Sneak Attack, Rage, Smite, Channel Energy, and anything else that could be used as a sort of race-class feat.

That what you want, kinda-sorta?

Nope. This is one thing not multiple NPC classes, and it's not meant to have what other classes have, because other classes are meant to be used for adventurers.

Thunderfist12
2014-05-02, 10:02 AM
Nope. This is one thing, and it's not meant to have what other classes have, because other classes are meant to be used for adventurers.

Fine.

Luck Child
Each day, you gain a pool of d4 equal to half your level. You may choose to lower the pool by a number and apply that number of d4 to any one roll. For example, a 4th-level human has 2d4. He lowers his pool to 1d4, adding the 1d4 he subtracted to an attack roll (with 10 Str and BAB +3, he is at 1d20 + 0 + 3 + 1d4). He rolls a total of 14 on the normal roll, but the d4 adds 3 (his roll). Normally, he would not hit the Armor Class of his opponent, but with this ability, he can.

Re-spinning Fate
Once per day, a human can re-roll any one die roll (not the entire pool). This increases by one use every 4 levels.

Those came from the Luck Warrior class I designed. All I did was change the class references to say human.

Milo v3
2014-05-02, 10:27 AM
Fine.

Luck Child
Each day, you gain a pool of d4 equal to half your level. You may choose to lower the pool by a number and apply that number of d4 to any one roll. For example, a 4th-level human has 2d4. He lowers his pool to 1d4, adding the 1d4 he subtracted to an attack roll (with 10 Str and BAB +3, he is at 1d20 + 0 + 3 + 1d4). He rolls a total of 14 on the normal roll, but the d4 adds 3 (his roll). Normally, he would not hit the Armor Class of his opponent, but with this ability, he can.

Re-spinning Fate
Once per day, a human can re-roll any one die roll (not the entire pool). This increases by one use every 4 levels.

Those came from the Luck Warrior class I designed. All I did was change the class references to say human.
Those actually fit a different similar thing I was doing to do perfectly, since it was based on fate manipulation and being lucky... Which it makes obvious sense to fit perfectly with considering the Luck Warrior origins....

Realms of Chaos
2014-05-03, 12:35 PM
I'm not sure that I can recommend any class features, if only because I don't really get the thought process behind this thing. Could you give us a bit of an idea what you are looking for with this?

Are you looking for an abbreviated structure to accommodate for non-combat human NPCs of each level of skill, so that you can can just reference race and level to have a character already built with minimal time wasted? If so, would a level 1 human lawyer and level 1 human baker be identical (other than profession skill)?

When you say that this class shouldn't get things that PCs get, does that include stuff like an HD or BAB? I ask because those things will inevitably make even commoners decent at combat, which seems to be the opposite of your aim for this. Further, are we trying to fill a full 20 levels with class features or are we only concerned with 6 levels or so (about the highest that normal citizens get to?

Also, I'm not sure that making class features for professionals of specific races even works for a couple of reasons:
1. Making class features for professionals: Other than some sort of skill bonus to cement you as a professional, there really isn't much that you could do to separate yourself. As a lawyer, a successful profession (lawyer) check is the full extent of your job, performing the full array of tasks that your job requires. Unless we want supernaturally good lawyers who can read minds or something, you really can't push "Lawyer" much further.
2. Making class features for races: On the other hand, we could certainly give more luck/adaptation/versatility based abilities to a human who is being "more human". Racial paragon classes are a thing and people have attempted turning them into full base classes in the past. On the other hand, making such a thing purely for non-combatants sends the message that human adventurers are somehow "less human" and that they shouldn't strive to be "fully human", which seems odd in its own right.

If you wanted to customized NPCs quickly, there are already ways to handle that:
1. Give them skills in proper profession and feats
2. Give them traits (and possibly flaws) to flesh them out.
3. While not codified anywhere, give them less tangible resources in their immediate resources (such as access to a library, membership in a guild, family in a beaurocratic position, a best friend, etc.).

In the end, I really think that I'd need to know what you are going for with this (and why class features are even needed in the first place) before I could formulate much in the way of class features.

Milo v3
2014-05-03, 07:16 PM
SNIP

Ok, I'm making a d20 system heavily based on 3.X and one of the mechanics is that with each race you select a racial path which grants "Class Features" as you level up in that race. These are not true classes as you don't put levels in them and they don't have things like BAB or Saves, instead only class features once every three levels. Human will have two racial paths, Mundane and Heroic.

Mundane is the generic, normal person. While Heroic gives them minor bonuses and a non-race restricted Racial Path to represent that heroes in fantasy normally have something that makes them special whether it's them being a demi-god like the heroes of greek myth, whether it's being undead, being a golem, or even just being blessed by fate to effectively have a weak form of plot armour.

So yeah.... I'm trying to figureout things that are effectively class features for a Racial Path that are meant to represent mundane normal people in the setting that aren't destined heroes. So far I've just given them a fast way to retrain their skills in profession, perform and craft, and skill focus as a bonus feat that applies to all the skills that make up either craft, perform, or profession.

Gildedragon
2014-05-03, 07:40 PM
Preeeeety sure that's the point of the NPC classes.

Skill focus to something, or the +2 / +2 feats, or toughness, or (in eberron) a dragonmark feat, or an item crafting feat for a magewright or adept, the apprentice/mentor feats to show their standing within guilds

Milo v3
2014-05-03, 07:49 PM
Preeeeety sure that's the point of the NPC classes.
Yeah, well if I don't make the mundane path, then all humans have to have the heroic path and suddenly there's no such thing as a normal human making the whole thing pointless. So just having NPC classes doesn't really work for this.

Gildedragon
2014-05-03, 09:18 PM
well there are other things you gotta take into account, such as Levels as a factor for how mundane one is; a level 20 Expert is an extraordinary artisan in their own right, a far cry from mundane-ness. I do get what you are saying. You could have feat tracks, so mundanes get them every 4th level (1, 4, 8, 12...) and heroics every odd level (a'la pathfinder)
ability score increases are something else every 5th for mundanes, every 4th for heroics...

you might be wise to take a cue from bloodlines from UA
Heroic's are Major bloodlines and Mundanes Minor Bloodlines; which gives you a template for a third path: Extraordinary or Exemplar, mundanes that are rather good at what they do.

The similarities between these paths would also reinforce they are the same race.

TuggyNE
2014-05-03, 09:55 PM
From my own thoughts on this, I would suggest that you not stick to any particular number of levels per racial class; just give as many levels as you can reasonably come up with features for, and if that means humans are four levels and elves are five, that's fine.

Realms of Chaos
2014-05-04, 09:17 AM
Yeah, well if I don't make the mundane path, then all humans have to have the heroic path and suddenly there's no such thing as a normal human making the whole thing pointless. So just having NPC classes doesn't really work for this.

...couldn't you just say that only those with levels in a PC class get ANY path and only have the heroic path? As players don't normally play as NPCs, denying bakers and butchers a source of power that PCs have shouldn't be too much trouble.

Milo v3
2014-05-04, 07:25 PM
well there are other things you gotta take into account, such as Levels as a factor for how mundane one is; a level 20 Expert is an extraordinary artisan in their own right, a far cry from mundane-ness. I do get what you are saying.
Yeah.... Not sure how to mitigate that yet without doing something like a level cap for mundanes...


you might be wise to take a cue from bloodlines from UA
Heroic's are Major bloodlines and Mundanes Minor Bloodlines; which gives you a template for a third path: Extraordinary or Exemplar, mundanes that are rather good at what they do.

The similarities between these paths would also reinforce they are the same race.
Bloodlines were the inspiration of the path things, but I should probably give them another look. I'll try to make the paths similar in some ways.


From my own thoughts on this, I would suggest that you not stick to any particular number of levels per racial class; just give as many levels as you can reasonably come up with features for, and if that means humans are four levels and elves are five, that's fine.
Well you don't take levels in it, though I suppose I probably shouldn't force myself to make sure they get a feature every 3 levels.


...couldn't you just say that only those with levels in a PC class get ANY path and only have the heroic path? As players don't normally play as NPCs, denying bakers and butchers a source of power that PCs have shouldn't be too much trouble.
I can't think of a decent enough argument against this, which leads me to believe I rushed in my decision process.