School Program

[alchemyprime]

So I'm trying to start a thing over the summer for the kids in my neighborhood - give me something to do since teaching jobs tend to dry up over the summer, and get the kids to the library (where I hope to host it).

I was wondering, for the various classes and races, what would be a book you'd suggest for each one to help the kids get a better idea of what they're doing (I'm making this range from 11 to 14 in one group, and 14 to 17 in another, so keep that in mind). I already figured "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" for Alchemist. Any other suggestions?

(Also, since the few middle schoolers who already asked me to do this liked my Path of War and Ultimate Psionics books I was reading at lunch, those classes might be included too).

[IZ42]

If you're including Path of War, give King Arthur as an example of Warlord and then Merlin for Wizard.


For monk I would just tell them Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, or if they play Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang. Don Quixote would be an excellent example of Cavalier I suppose.

I'll try and think of more

[alchemyprime]

If you're including Path of War, give King Arthur as an example of Warlord and then Merlin for Wizard.


For monk I would just tell them Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, or if they play Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang. Don Quixote would be an excellent example of Cavalier I suppose.

I'll try and think of more

I'm trying to find books to go off of, as I am pitching this to a library, but I will definitely put the tales of King Arthur in for the Warlord and for the Wizard! Great calls!

[IZ42]

I'm trying to find books to go off of, as I am pitching this to a library, but I will definitely put the tales of King Arthur in for the Warlord and for the Wizard! Great calls!

Hmmmm... Books only? Don Quixote is still a good cavalier example. Lord of the Rings has some obvious class comparisons.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Eh, I think those martial artists (excepting Liu Kang) are better examples of Brawlers.

[alchemyprime]

Eh, I think those martial artists (excepting Liu Kang) are better examples of Brawlers.

Brawlers fit there. Yeah, I kind of compare the PoW classes to Soul Calibur - Seigfried is the new Harbinger, Taki is a Stalker and Sophitia sure seems like a Warder to me. I'd still vote King Arthur for a Warlord though.

(And yes, I will of course make the comparisons of Armor from X-Men and Iron Man to the Aegis.)

[IZ42]

@Ninjaxenomorph: I guess you would be right on that account.

Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara can be excellent examples of Bloodragers. I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with archetypal characters for the various classes. I haven't read very many books lately.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would be a better example of Monks. I think my favorite recent example of a Bloodrager is Ryuko from Kill La Kill.

[Red Fel]

So I'm trying to start a thing over the summer for the kids in my neighborhood - give me something to do since teaching jobs tend to dry up over the summer, and get the kids to the library (where I hope to host it).

I was wondering, for the various classes and races, what would be a book you'd suggest for each one to help the kids get a better idea of what they're doing (I'm making this range from 11 to 14 in one group, and 14 to 17 in another, so keep that in mind). I already figured "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" for Alchemist. Any other suggestions?

(Also, since the few middle schoolers who already asked me to do this liked my Path of War and Ultimate Psionics books I was reading at lunch, those classes might be included too).

Alright, let me think.

Core classes: Barbarian: I'd love to give a more literary source for this, but I'd just point to The Incredible Hulk and call it a day. He's a reference everyone gets. Bard: Here's a different one - Esmeralda from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She's not so much a singer as she is a performer, and to a certain extent a diplomancer. Another option is Erik, from Gaston Leroux's Le Fantome de l'Opera, although we all know how that goes for him. Cleric: For the religious side, consider Arthur Dimmesdale, from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. For the magical miracle-worker side, if you can find a child-friendly version, Xuanzang (Tripitaka) from Journey to the West (or the Arthur Waley abridged translation Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China) is an excellent example. Druid: I want to say Radagast the Brown from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but little is written about him. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales says a bit more, but again, it's sparse, and the material is dense. Fighter: Pretty much anyone who picks up a sword in literature. I can't even begin to count them all. Monk: I'd point to Sun Wukong from Journey to the West for this one. Paladin: Lancelot, from any King Arthur story you can find. Noble, principled to a fault, self-deprecating, and an incomparable knight. Also, Sir Galahad, from the same source, is an excellent example, and without the adultery. Ranger: Brian Robeson, in Gary Paulsen's Hatchet. It's a story about a boy stranded in the wilderness with only the titular implement to help him survive, and is on many school reading lists. Rogue: Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit. Smart, diplomatic, skillful, sneaky. Covers all of your bases. Sorcerer: Merlin is an easy one, although he falls into many categories; his kind of magic is the "I want this to happen so it happens" kind, which is in the Sorcerer's wheelhouse. Wizard: I'd go with anybody from the Harry Potter books. It's not quite the same, they're more Sorcerers than Wizards in some ways, but the idea of having to study, to refine, to academically perfect your magic is very on-point.
With regard to races, Tolkien did most of the work for you. Humans are obvious, and Elves, Dwarves, Halflings (Hobbits) and Orcs are basically what he wrote. For Gnomes... Well, I can't think of a literary source off the top of my head.

That was actually kind of exhausting, but fun. I'll probably dig more into other classes another time. Hope this helped.

[Extra Anchovies]

The 14-17 group Barbarian example could go straight to the source with some of Howard's Conan stories.

[Red Fel]

The 14-17 group Barbarian example could go straight to the source with some of Howard's Conan stories.

Although Conan was sort of a Barbarian/Fighter/Rogue cross-class. Also, depending on the material you choose and the sensitivity of those involved, some of it might be a bit mature.

[IZ42]

IMO Merlin is a lot more studious and book learned than he is charismatic, though being venerable does net him a +3 to CHA :smalltongue:.

For Sorcerer I think Harry Potter kind of fits, but they also have a lot of the magical tomes theme going on.

Otherwise I think you're pretty spot on.

[Kurald Galain]

If you're going to include characters from a wide variety of areas (e.g. Merlin + Don Quixote + Liu Kang) then it might be fun to look at the League of Extraordinary Gentleman (graphic novel and/or movie), which takes a similar approach.

If they're not familiar with D&D/Pathfinder yet, I'd suggest sticking with core classes first, before opening the debate on whether some character is a fighter or brawler or ardent or whatever. Everybody understands what the core classes are about; not everybody understands the subtle nuances between them and base/hybrid/unchained classes. No need to overcomplicate things.

Barbarian: Conan, Cuchulainn, and Herakles are a decent fit. Also, wildlings and Ironborn from Game of Thrones, and uruk-hai from Lord of the Rings.
Bard: Alan-a-Dale from Robin Hood, the main character from Brutal Legend, or Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny.
Cleric: sticking with Robin Hood, Friar Tuck is a decent example. Otherwise there don't appear to be a lot of clerics in mainstream movies, Hollywood tends to avoid the religious healer archetype.
Druid: can't think of any recent examples here, either.
Fighter: those guys from A Knight's Tale, for example. Also, pretty much every major warrior-type character from Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings.
Monk: any wuxia movie such as Crouching Tiger or Hero, but do note that the monk class tends to underdeliver on this promise.
Paladin: knights of the round table, duh. Don't forget the version from Monty Python and the Holy Grail!
Ranger: those guardians of the Wall in GOT, plus any of the Starks that have a pet wolf. While the traditional ranger was based on Aragorn, the rangers by the current rules are decidedly not him (they're based on Drizz't, but I don't assume new players have actually heard of him). Legolas from the LOTR movie kind of fits?
Rogue: Assassin's Creed, probably, and any number of first person sneak characters. Also, Jaqen from GOT.
Sorcerer: Harry Potter. Plus Melisande from GOT. Also, the characters from the Sorcerer's Apprentice (the recent Nicolas Cage film, not the Mickey Mouse one).
Wizard: I can't think of any vancian wizards (or even book-learned wizards) in contemporary fiction, really. From pretty much any arcane caster, sorcerer is the better fit.

[FocusWolf413]

Swashbuckler could be the Dread Pirate Roberts.

[alchemyprime]

Okay, so
I'm making a bunch of "splash pages" with

The name of the class in HUGE print
A small bit of flavor text (like a M:tG card's worth)
Three bullet points about that class (like "Play a fighter if you want to..." then 3 points)
A HUGE picture of the Iconic/a character that fits the idea, right at the front
A list of "party roles" (that are summed up on the front page) that each class hits pretty well (so like, while a monk could POTENTIALLY be a defender or a blaster, I don't list that. I list that it makes a great Scout though)
A few books if they like that class and want to read a book with a decent example of that class

So while the comparisons to pop culture are definitely helping in getting a feel for the classes, it's more books I'm looking for (though I did not think to put in the Forgotten Realms novels or manga! I think the library has a copy of Icewind Dale trilogy and Cleric Quintet, last I checked, as well as some volumes of Naruto! So those will help if the kids like Rangers, Barbarians, Clerics, Monks or Bloodragers!)

Plus, if the kids request a book enough, the librarians should have an easy enough time finding the books (and if they don't... I'm willing to nab some and donate, if need be)

Also, I will be splitting the classes into "Beginner" Classes and "Advanced" classes; at least one kid has played with his big brother's group, so I don't want to deprive him of the awesome pictures he saw in my Ultimate Psionics, but I will warn any newbies that they may have a hard time with the more complex classes.

All of these have been a great help guys! Keep it coming!:smallbiggrin:

[Oddman80]

Bard:
Kvothe from Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind

Ninja:
Azoth or Durzo from Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy (The Way of Shadows)

Alchemist:
Kelsier form Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy