What PC classes would the children of nobility study?

[Scalenex]

See I figure a disproportionate number of PC classes would emerge from the children fo the nobility. Having a PC class is expensive and nobles have to protect their lands and citizenry.

I envision a lot of inheriting sons taking up martial classes like fighter or Knight in the majority of places and non-inheriting sons becoming clerics. This would be reversed in areas with less conflict or especially powerful priesthoods.

I picture the most popular PC class for daughters of nobility would be bard or rogue. Noble women in the real world were frequently given duties beyond producing heirs and had to manage their estates and staff and the skill selection would be beneficial for their routine duties. Rogues would win out over bards in more ruthless, cutthroat courts compared to bards for more peaceful courts.

The son/daughter dichotomy would be a tendency not a rule, especially if your world is relatively egalitarian.

I envision wizards being mostly apolitical seeking out apprentices for merit not birth but some wizards would see the political benefits of training the children of nobility and some nobles would see the practical benefits as well but it would be mostly younger children who are wizards.

Favored Souls, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Hex Blades are born not trained so nobles would be unlikely to belong to these classes unless the nobility was made up of bloodlines with these traits common in them. Scouts, Rangers, Druids, and Beguilers seem almost the exclusive province of commoners. Barbarians are typically the products of non-feudal societies altogether.

[0Megabyte]

Since you're asking specifically about PC classes, I won't mention Aristocrat, at least not as a suggestion here. But, I'd probably assume that the majority, maybe even the vast majority, of children of nobles would be aristocrats, and possibly some experts. I don't really assume they'd have significantly higher average stats, either.

However, I'd definitely agree that PC classes are probably more likely amongst the children of nobles than among the lower classes, because of training and most important, the opportunity to pursue those classes.

With that said, I agree that things like sorcerer, favored soul or warlocks would be no more likely within nobles than otherwise (unless this is a specific family known for sorcerers or something) since those aren't generally things that can be trained.

I'd also say that rogues would be less common than fighters, wizards or bards, and rangers and druids would be uncommon. I'd say paladins would be less common than fighters, but more common than rangers, and clerics less common than wizards, but more common than druids. But it depends on the area.

If you're playing Eberron, for example, and the noble family is in Thrane, then you'd almost certainly have a higher percentage of clerics than wizards.

Psionics doesn't seem any more or less likely than the norm, ToB classes might be more popular than fighters if they're well known in this world, Binders seem at best no more likely, possibly less (Because why search for that kind of power, if you already have political power? Not saying they wouldn't, but I'd imagine there'd be more incentive to make pacts with mysterious beings, if you don't have another recourse.)

[arguskos]

Binders seem at best no more likely, possibly less (Because why search for that kind of power, if you already have political power? Not saying they wouldn't, but I'd imagine there'd be more incentive to make pacts with mysterious beings, if you don't have another recourse.)

Actually, Binders and Warlocks seem MORE likely among the very often cutthroat nobility than elsewhere. Why? Because they need the edge more than most. In the vicious political waters of the nobility every magical edge is of use, especially something like soul binding, where if you can hide it you can reap grand rewards. I'd imagine such is quite common among nobility, or well, as much as binders and warlocks can be called "quite common".

[gbprime]

Nobles would tend to want to get their kids into the best opportunities. Typically the first few born would be groomed for leadership roles, while any kids who follow them would be trained for prestigious life outside the line of succession. History shows us that much.

In D+D, the eldest kids are going to be trained in classes with real "leader of men" potential. Fighters and Paladins, Rangers to a lesser extent, Marshalls, swashbucklers, Knights... Anybody in this birth range who has spellcasting ability would be pushed toward developing it in ways that would not tie them to some obligation outside the family. Sorcerers actually fit here, as do favored souls, and most especially Beguillers. (A beguiller is a true prize for any noble family to have in it's arsenal.)

Children of lower birth ranks would be groomed for marrying off to other bloodlines or securing prestigious community ties. Community ties such as wizards, clerics, duskblades, samurai, etc. The marrying kind could be nearly any path of life, and oddly enough might be the most free to choose a career for themselves, apart from the spectre of an arranged marriage.

For anyone who doesn't fit the criteria above, who has the pedigree but not the natural talents, there's Aristocrat and Expert. This by no means makes them lesser family members, just perhaps not the heroic ones.

And finally, there are the outcasts. Those nobles who turn their back on their heritage (or whose heritage turns it's back on them). Sorcerer fits here again, as does fighter and swashbuckler, and you'll also find rogues, monks, druids, wu jen, and warlocks in this category.

[Serpentine]

I'm reminded of Tamora Pierce's Tortall books: almost all sons of nobility (and later a few daughters), including royal children, study to become knights. There's enough room for specialisation in there (i.e. by the time they become full-fledged knights, although they are expected to be competent in everything they're taught, they are able to specialise in a particular weapon) that they might not strictly be of the Knight class, but something like that is definitely the norm.
The girls... They're usually sent off to learn how to be ladies. But that happens at the same place they teach magic, so... maybe they tend to be taught a bit of wizardry? Not sure.

Now, if I were a noblewoman in a D&D world with a gaggle of children to raise... For all Wizard is the most powerful class, it takes a lot of work to do, not leaving all that much time for nobling.
I think Cleric is the next obvious choice. Metagamingwise, it's one of the most powerful classes, with combat, magic and social abilities. Ingamewise, it would always be handy having a god on the rulers' side. They're competent in a wide range of abilities, all useful for running a country/fiefdom. The ability for a member of the ruling family to heal their subjects is always good for PR, as is the whole "divine right" thing. And although I'd imagine it'd still take a fair bit of study, it's not as much as the Wizard, and involves a greater variety of useful talents.
Druid could also be handy - the threat of the very land itself rising up to repel invaders would be a powerful one - but it might be too prone to conflict of interest.

Can't be bothered going through all of them I think Cleric's my top pick for at least one offspring, though.

[Danin]

I would think Swashbuckler would be pretty common. Its a fairly polished way to fight, doesn't rely on heavy armor, intelligence is a virtue and has many useful skills like diplomacy and bluff.

Warlocks too seem common, as they are trying to gain an edge in a very competitive atmosphere.

Favored Souls of gods of trade seem likely among major merchant houses, as do clerics.

Rangers would be common in more remote regions, or younger generation kids that stand to inherit less and thus enter the military. Also fighters and knights would fall into this category.

Bards would likely be heavily encouraged, particularly for women in less egalitarian societies due to the number of skills and more... passive role.

Wizards would likely be encouraged among younger children as a wizard is a great ally, but must devote too much time to their study to be able to properly administrate a region.

Paladins seem less likely in most circles, though in primarily 'good' societies it would likely be seen as a mark of pride and social standing to have Paladins among your house. It adds a sense of legitimacy to your house's actions.

Druids, Shamans, Ninjas, Rogues, Hexblades, Initiator classes and other odd ball classes seem less than likely though. They would more be agents, rather than tied to the house by blood. Adds a certain mobility of action in their exploits. One that could be denied should they ever be caught pursuing a less than legal end.

[WarKitty]

Bard definitely for young ladies. The picture of the innocent, genteel young woman, but cunning and charismatic and secretly able to bend men to her will...definitely a bard. If you allow stuff like oratory as performance, could also be a good class for firstborn sons.

If we're going medieval society, cleric was traditional for "extra" sons. Send them off to the church.

[Admiral Squish]

I had an idea for a setting where the nobility were all sorcerers. Warlocks were like their honor guard, the families of the most loyal servants of the sorcerers. Wizards were traitors, trying to steal the art of the nobles, and clerics were a grudgingly controlled force, a threat against the power of the nobles. The head of each family was a true dragon that started the bloodline. Draconic or even half-dragon nobles were common. There were also bards and hexblades in the noble blood, though they were usually half-noble children.

[Trekkin]

The first thing I'd do with a batch of noble kids is check them for psionic potential; the House needs Seer/Thrallherds. The nonpsionic ones would likely be cloistered clerics or bardic sages; anything likely to get them far more information than the normal noble can access or otherwise enhance their ability to make decisions in the timeframe of snap judgments that nonetheless conform to those decided upon by time-consuming reasoning.

A Mentat Duke would be powerful indeed.

[Gavinfoxx]

Nobility is likely to be Aristocrat class. The Heroic class that is most similar to Aristocrat in skills is, I think, the Bard, Beguiler, Factotum, Lurk, Rogue, and am I leaving any out?

[Keinnicht]

Bard seems like a good choice for the carousing, disappointment-to-the-family child.

[Rasman]

I, sadly, see your views a LITTLE sexist, but that's ok. In my vision, the men of the kingdom would, depending on alignment of the rulership, probably lean towards being Bards or Paladins. Bards for the N/C and Paladin for the Lawful Leaning. Knights are acceptable in place of Paladin as well, I do agree on that point. Dips into Ranger wouldn't be unusual either.

The women of the courts I can see a little bit into bard, but not actually as much as the men. Rogue seems pretty natural along with Wizard or Cleric. Women tended to deal a lot with the religious aspects of daily life. I can see some with dips into Druid as well.

[Gavinfoxx]

Bard seems like a good choice for the carousing, disappointment-to-the-family child.

Not necessarily. A Bard can be a PERFECT Nobleman. It has all of the skills that nobility would need in most fantasy and heroic societies. In D&D, these things would be things like:

Literacy in things beyond the realm of normal folk (basically, lots of languages, maybe ability to cast Read Magic, a rank in Decypher Script, stuff like that)

important courtly skills, LOTS of them, like:

Perform Orate
All the courtly instruments as perform instruments
Disguise
Diplomacy
Bluff
Sense Motive
All the Knowledge skills

The only thing relevant it DOESN'T have is:
Forgery
Handle Animal
Ride

Also the Bardic Knowledge and the Fascinate and Inspire Competence class features would be REALLY useful

for some strange reason. At least it has extra skill points, though...

IMO, Bards should have a pseudo-gestalt with the Aristocrat class. I don't think that would take them out of Tier 3, and would make them 100% the "Heroic Noble" type.

[Serpentine]

It also has Craft. If we're assuming there will be a differentiation between the sexes, then the women will know gentlewomanly crafts such as tapestry making, embroidery and the like.

[Coidzor]

Druids, Shamans, Ninjas, Rogues, Hexblades, Initiator classes and other odd ball classes seem less than likely though. They would more be agents, rather than tied to the house by blood. Adds a certain mobility of action in their exploits. One that could be denied should they ever be caught pursuing a less than legal end.

Initiator classes as oddball classes for black ops? what.

[gbprime]

I had an idea for a setting where the nobility were all sorcerers. Warlocks were like their honor guard, the families of the most loyal servants of the sorcerers. Wizards were traitors, trying to steal the art of the nobles, and clerics were a grudgingly controlled force, a threat against the power of the nobles. The head of each family was a true dragon that started the bloodline. Draconic or even half-dragon nobles were common. There were also bards and hexblades in the noble blood, though they were usually half-noble children.

One of the nations in my campaign world does something similar. The founder of the nation was a Paladin/Sorcerer, and all the nobles today are blood relatives of his. So sorcery is VERY common in the noble houses, and tradition says they are guarded by an order of paladins.

But the players learned the truth of it as the campaign progressed. The original king got his sorcerous power from his demonic bloodline, and the demon prince(ss) at it's head had plans for him. He wrestled with his inner demons (literally) his entire life, and in his old age finally lost that battle. In accordance with his wishes (well... prior wishes), the clergy had him murdered.

And all his decendants carry that bloodline as well, each of them with a talent for sorcery, each of them with the same whispers in their ear at night. And each of them... with a lawful good bodyguard capable of detecting evil at will...

Run noble daughter, run, or the church man will get you. He'll hang you for the good of us all, for things you haven't done, for things you didn't know you could do.

[Admiral Squish]

One of the nations in my campaign world does something similar. The founder of the nation was a Paladin/Sorcerer, and all the nobles today are blood relatives of his. So sorcery is VERY common in the noble houses, and tradition says they are guarded by an order of paladins.

But the players learned the truth of it as the campaign progressed. The original king got his sorcerous power from his demonic bloodline, and the demon prince(ss) at it's head had plans for him. He wrestled with his inner demons (literally) his entire life, and in his old age finally lost that battle. In accordance with his wishes (well... prior wishes), the clergy had him murdered.

And all his decendants carry that bloodline as well, each of them with a talent for sorcery, each of them with the same whispers in their ear at night. And each of them... with a lawful good bodyguard capable of detecting evil at will...

Run noble daughter, run, or the church man will get you. He'll hang you for the good of us all, for things you haven't done, for things you didn't know you could do.

That is AWESOME. I must do this now.

[Goonthegoof]

One of the nations in my campaign world does something similar. The founder of the nation was a Paladin/Sorcerer, and all the nobles today are blood relatives of his. So sorcery is VERY common in the noble houses, and tradition says they are guarded by an order of paladins.

But the players learned the truth of it as the campaign progressed. The original king got his sorcerous power from his demonic bloodline, and the demon prince(ss) at it's head had plans for him. He wrestled with his inner demons (literally) his entire life, and in his old age finally lost that battle. In accordance with his wishes (well... prior wishes), the clergy had him murdered.

And all his decendants carry that bloodline as well, each of them with a talent for sorcery, each of them with the same whispers in their ear at night. And each of them... with a lawful good bodyguard capable of detecting evil at will...

Run noble daughter, run, or the church man will get you. He'll hang you for the good of us all, for things you haven't done, for things you didn't know you could do.

Oh dear god that is so very awesome.

[Serpentine]

Yeah, that's a brilliant idea.

[sonofzeal]

Base class by social class....

Barbarian - lower
Bard - upper
Cleric - mid/upper
Druid - lower/non
Fighter - mid
Monk - mid
Paladin - upper
Ranger - lower/mid
Rogue - any
Sorcerers - any
Wizards - upper

Adept - mid/upper
Aristocrat - upper
Commoner - lower
Expert - mid/upper
Warrior - mid

[thorgrim29]

One of the nations in my campaign world does something similar. The founder of the nation was a Paladin/Sorcerer, and all the nobles today are blood relatives of his. So sorcery is VERY common in the noble houses, and tradition says they are guarded by an order of paladins.

But the players learned the truth of it as the campaign progressed. The original king got his sorcerous power from his demonic bloodline, and the demon prince(ss) at it's head had plans for him. He wrestled with his inner demons (literally) his entire life, and in his old age finally lost that battle. In accordance with his wishes (well... prior wishes), the clergy had him murdered.

And all his decendants carry that bloodline as well, each of them with a talent for sorcery, each of them with the same whispers in their ear at night. And each of them... with a lawful good bodyguard capable of detecting evil at will...

Run noble daughter, run, or the church man will get you. He'll hang you for the good of us all, for things you haven't done, for things you didn't know you could do.

Wow... Awesome

[gbprime]

Yeah, that's a brilliant idea.

It was all part of challenging the player's pre-conceived notions. They've all been playing D+D for decades. So could I introduce them to a lawful good religion that could play the bad guy at times? Sure, all too easy when you look at the rules for Ravages. (Oh look, an allegory for waterboarding! Holy waterboarding!)

Evil people to love, good people to fear, and sacrifices made by the party members in trying to make sense of it all. Good stuff.

[holywhippet]

I'd agree with bard for 2nd edition and 4th edition D&D. For both of them, the bard is a class that studies many things and is good at working with people. For 3rd edition though, the bard is similar to the sorcerer class - both require some kind of special bloodline to give you innate magical powers.

I could see wizard being a choice for some nobility depending on the setting. In some places wizards would be shunned being distrusted but in some cases it would be a worthwhile academical pursuit.

Ranger would be an option for nobility who live out in forested areas - they'd get training for patrolling the region, tracking down bandits etc.

[Ajadea]

One of the nations in my campaign world does something similar. The founder of the nation was a Paladin/Sorcerer, and all the nobles today are blood relatives of his. So sorcery is VERY common in the noble houses, and tradition says they are guarded by an order of paladins.

But the players learned the truth of it as the campaign progressed. The original king got his sorcerous power from his demonic bloodline, and the demon prince(ss) at it's head had plans for him. He wrestled with his inner demons (literally) his entire life, and in his old age finally lost that battle. In accordance with his wishes (well... prior wishes), the clergy had him murdered.

And all his decendants carry that bloodline as well, each of them with a talent for sorcery, each of them with the same whispers in their ear at night. And each of them... with a lawful good bodyguard capable of detecting evil at will...

Run noble daughter, run, or the church man will get you. He'll hang you for the good of us all, for things you haven't done, for things you didn't know you could do.

Awesome...truly awesome. *makes a note* I may have to run a campaign with this in it :smallsidelonglook:

[Godskook]

Initiator classes as oddball classes for black ops? what.

Agreed.

Crusaders and Warblades are essentially elitist versions of Paladin and Fighter, and would be recognized as such by the Nobility of any campaign they're allowed in.

Swordsages.........that entirely depends on how swordsages are handled. Desert Wind and Shadow Hand are more odd, while Setting Sun is to Monk what Warblade is to Fighter. The rest of the swordsage disciplines are available to a Warblade, so a swordsage of those varieties would be treated like a skirmisher-version of a warblade.

One of the nations in my campaign world does something similar. The founder of the nation was a Paladin/Sorcerer, and all the nobles today are blood relatives of his. So sorcery is VERY common in the noble houses, and tradition says they are guarded by an order of paladins.

But the players learned the truth of it as the campaign progressed. The original king got his sorcerous power from his demonic bloodline, and the demon prince(ss) at it's head had plans for him. He wrestled with his inner demons (literally) his entire life, and in his old age finally lost that battle. In accordance with his wishes (well... prior wishes), the clergy had him murdered.

And all his decendants carry that bloodline as well, each of them with a talent for sorcery, each of them with the same whispers in their ear at night. And each of them... with a lawful good bodyguard capable of detecting evil at will...

Run noble daughter, run, or the church man will get you. He'll hang you for the good of us all, for things you haven't done, for things you didn't know you could do.

I *SO* want to incorporate this into my setting, now.

[Coidzor]

For 3rd edition though, the bard is similar to the sorcerer class - both require some kind of special bloodline to give you innate magical powers.

Only with house-ruling. I mean, you could hyper-inflate the importance of a bit of throwaway fluff text and believe dragons(or elementals/celestials/fiends) are what make sorcerers special, but that doesn't explain how you're applying it to bards whose only commonality with sorcerer spellcasting is that it's spontaneous and charisma based.

Even if you play it that way, well, with the inbreeding of nobility, it's quite possible that they've been selecting for such a special bloodline anyway.

[T.G. Oskar]

Hmm...I'd say based on the type of government, the predominant race and the focus of the region of dominion.

For example: on a human feudal-inspired kingdom, Fighters and Paladins (with Knights added for good measure) would be predominant, with the successor having lots of important magic items. The rest would be Clerics (as mentioned before; actually a very good way to get more political power, especially if you're part of the clergy of the predominant faith) and/or Monks (the latter if monasteries are common and they decide to take an ascetic life). I could generally see Wizards and Bards as well, given that both classes imply serious academic studies (either through a college of magic or a bardic college/conservatory).

In the case of Elves, there would be less Paladins and Knights, but you might see a lot of Duskblades, Wizards, some Clerics, and the lesser nobility probably adopting the path of Druidism (on the same regard on which a prince would adopt the mantle of clergy). Dwarves would probably be Fighters, Paladins and Clerics, perhaps with a dash of Artificers (if the class is viable) for good measure.

Now, on a group of principalities (assume, say, Germany during the High Middle Ages and afterwards, up and around the Protestant Reform), Fighters, Knights, Paladins and Wizards would be less common, and you might see a wider variety of classes around (such as Binders and Warlocks, eager for more power; alternatively, you might see more Bards given their options as diplomats and spies). On tribal lands, you might see the children of the chieftains assume the paths of Barbarian (think Scotland, for example; a Barbarian would be well-educated and probably gifted with literacy by expending the two points), Ranger or Druid, possibly with Sorcerer to represent the lesser arcane arts.

Some I wouldn't see: Rogue (Rogues are represented as the class of the common people rather than the nobility, except for the odd prince who's in love with the city; Factotum would be a more extreme version of this, a la Figaro for example), Hexblade, Dread Necromancer, Shadowcaster (the first because of being an outcast, the second on similar trends, and the third mostly as a different kind of outcast), Spellthief (similar to Rogue, and also akin to Assassins), all psionic classes (Psions and Psychic Warriors train their abilities in unique ways, but they are pretty much foreign to the usual perception of nobility; Psions make awesome advisors tho), all Incarnum classes (Totemist would work nicely as a tribal doctor of sorts, Incarnate and Soulborn are of a more philosophical bent), amongst others.

I'd make a distinction amongst the ToB classes. Warblade could work very nicely as a class for nobles, especially if choosing the Iron Heart and White Raven disciplines to specialize into (White Raven is almost a given for crown princes), but Swordsages don't fit into that idea (unless it's a China-inspired country, in which case everybody and their mother would be a swordsage). Crusaders are a bit of an oddball in this case, because it would be a more extreme case of becoming a Cleric: abandoning your pretension to the crown willingly, but you don't get political power out of it, instead doing voluntary service to a faith. However, the Crusader in terms of flavor seems like a choice for the faithful men-at-arms, while Paladins would be the choice of a very select few nobles. In a way, nobility would go mostly as a Cleric, occasionally as Paladins (if they get the call) and rarely as Crusaders.

[Ravens_cry]

In 3.5, which I assume you are referring to, classes are pretty much metagame. That being said, some classes do suit certain roles better then others. In the real Middle Ages, it was pretty common for noble children who wouldn't inherit, that is anyone besides the eldest son, to join the Church. So cleric as a representation of that may make make a good choice. Only the wealthy could probably afford the paraphernalia and schooling associated with wizardry. The Paladin class also tends to be associated with nobility, if only because they equipment is so expensive.

[Urpriest]

It's already been suggested, but I would imagine many nobles would be Beguilers, as it gives a rather impressive edge.

In a setting where psionics are common, I could see many nobles as Ardents, mostly for their devotion to abstract philosophical principles, which seems like the sort of thing that only a wealthy class would have the free time to care about.

[Morithias]

Factorum

Leaders have to be intelligence charismatic and ultimately good at just about everything to a degree. You can be the best at this one area, but it ain't gonna save your skin when someone who can best you in another comes along.

Ultimately though it depends on the kingdom. A kingdom with lots of forests and few super large urban areas, is likely to produce druids more than other types of people, and so on.

Personally I tend to avoid stating royalty, but this would be my best guess. Maybe archivest for divine nobles.