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View Full Version : Base classes in SW d20



dr.cello
2007-07-13, 08:22 AM
I'm talking about the Revised Core Rules, not Saga edition here, just to be clear.

So I'm well aware that there's about four thousand base classes in D&D, one for nearly every possible desire someone could have, and a good two thousand variants on the original base classes.

So I'm wondering--are there any other base classes in Star Wars d20? I'm not aware of any, if there are. Are all of the classes sufficiently generic that any customization comes from prestige classes, multiclassing, or feat selection? Are the class abilities more generalized, so there is a broader utility for them? Is Star Wars a more clearly defined universe, so there aren't four million fantasy authors out there who want to put their own idea of a base class in?

There's actually a couple of really low-level prestige classes in SW. Dark Side Marauder can actually be taken at level 2 if you murder enough school children, and some others can be taken at level 4. (I also observe that prestige classes don't so much give you more powerful abilities as they simply give you different abilities.) Why didn't they just make these new base classes?

While in D&D I often get the feeling there's far too many base classes available, in SW d20 I get the feeling they could have done with a couple more.

SpikeFightwicky
2007-07-13, 08:36 AM
I have pretty much all the SW d20 books, and I don't recall them ever adding any core classes. I'm pretty sure the base classes are:
EDIT: Force Adept
Fringer
Jedi Consular
Jedi Guardian
Noble
Scoundrel
Scout
Soldier
Techinician (I'm not sure if it's called technician, but it's your typical grease monkey type class)
EDIT: Tech Specialist (Thanks Jasdoif!)

I may be missing one or two.... Don't have my books handy.

That said, as I recall, the class abilities are far from generic. All classes (other than the soldier, who's effectively a carbon copy of the fighter) have very unique niches to fill. They all have a run of class abilities that can make it worthwhile to stick to the one class for 20 levels of progression. As such, it's less customizable than Saga edition (most scoundrels, soldiers, jedi, etc... are all likely to have very similar feat/skill selections as other individual scoundrels, soldiers, jedi, etc...). However, there are no multi-class penalties, so there still exists an easier degree of customization compared to D&D.

As far as some of the low req. prestige classes, I often wonder the same thing... Alot of the dark side oriented PrCs 'should' have been base classes. The way it's designed, it's almost impossible to have a good dark side marauder who didn't start out as a jedi (whereas I'm sure Darth Maul never had a level of Jedi...). The prestige classes are so much more powerful, as more narrowing. For example, the Ace Pilot prestige class kind of concentrates you towards spaceship combat. It's kind of a trade-off an increase in some abilities in exchange for versatility.

That's my 2 cents (for the record, I like the Saga edition ruleset better than revised SW d20).

Attilargh
2007-07-13, 09:20 AM
I think it was "Tech Adept".


The way it's designed, it's almost impossible to have a good dark side marauder who didn't start out as a jedi (whereas I'm sure Darth Maul never had a level of Jedi...).
Oh? I recall it's bloody difficult to make a good, saberstaff-wielding Dark Side Marauder, but if one is willing to choose another weapon, Soldier gives a pretty easy access.

SpikeFightwicky
2007-07-13, 09:48 AM
I think it was "Tech Adept".


Oh? I recall it's bloody difficult to make a good, saberstaff-wielding Dark Side Marauder, but if one is willing to choose another weapon, Soldier gives a pretty easy access.

That sounds about right. I needed to make 2 NPCs that were trained from a Sith holocron, but none of the books had a base class for someone who began their NPC career as a trained Sith, so I had to adapt the Jedi class to it. All in all, the soldier is a good route to build up to DSM (though a level in Jedi gives 2-3 free feats, so it's fluff vs. crunch at that point).

Frosty Flake
2007-07-13, 01:53 PM
wasn't there also Force Adept? They were force users trained outside of the Jedi order... usually on primitive worlds or crazy fringe monestaries.

SpikeFightwicky
2007-07-13, 02:00 PM
wasn't there also Force Adept? They were force users trained outside of the Jedi order... usually on primitive worlds or crazy fringe monestaries.

Good catch! I forgot about them. Kind of the 'I want to use the force, but not be a Jedi' class. Fine if you want force powers, but they tended to lack in offense.

Jasdoif
2007-07-13, 02:07 PM
I think it was "Tech Adept". Tech Specialist, if I remember right....

Skjaldbakka
2007-07-13, 02:22 PM
I played force adepts in the two SW games I was in. "I don't know anything about EU, so i'll play a character from a backwater world that doesn't either".

Diggorian
2007-07-13, 02:59 PM
Sith training is essentially Jedi training, as the major difference between them is moral -- the willingness to accept Darkside ponts. You dont need two base classes to make an evil fighter and a good one.

dr.cello
2007-07-13, 08:24 PM
That said, as I recall, the class abilities are far from generic. All classes (other than the soldier, who's effectively a carbon copy of the fighter) have very unique niches to fill. They all have a run of class abilities that can make it worthwhile to stick to the one class for 20 levels of progression. As such, it's less customizable than Saga edition (most scoundrels, soldiers, jedi, etc... are all likely to have very similar feat/skill selections as other individual scoundrels, soldiers, jedi, etc...). However, there are no multi-class penalties, so there still exists an easier degree of customization compared to D&D.

I don't know, I've managed to make some completely different-looking scoundrels and such without any multi-classing. And the tech specialist and scoundrel could both fill the role of the 'trapfinding rogue.' I had a campaign once where my twi'lek scoundrel had ranks almost exclusively in skills which involved crime and not in skills which involved staying hidden, etc. Most of the classes could go multiple ways, even just taking them straight. (Except for nobles. Nobles seem to exist exclusively for prestige classes or multiclassing.)

Multiclassing is a lot more common, though.



The prestige classes are so much more powerful, as more narrowing. For example, the Ace Pilot prestige class kind of concentrates you towards spaceship combat. It's kind of a trade-off an increase in some abilities in exchange for versatility.

That's my 2 cents (for the record, I like the Saga edition ruleset better than revised SW d20).

I guess I can see that. It doesn't feel like the prestige classes give you obscene powers, which I like.

I read some of the stuff about saga edition and while some of the changes sounded interesting most of it felt like they were taking out a lot of the elements I felt was enjoyable. Especially the way they handle skills, now. I liked being able to shuffle skill points around, thank you very much. Oh, and I liked my vitality/wound points. Those were fun.