Classes (Dominaria Supplement)
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[edit] Creator's Note on Party Comp
Dominaria is meant to have a lower (less magic NOT less powerful, in fact magic is almost more powerful because less people have it) magic feel and it's very important to the setting to have magic be an extraordinary thing. Powerful magic and powerful magical items are awe-inspiring and that feel is integral to how the world works. I mean magic is definitely an important part of the setting and is not restricted to the level of say Lord of the Rings, but powerful dedicated casters are the absolute upper echelon of the magical community. Powerful casters exist in Guilds who are mostly opaque to the average person and powerful magical items are usually named and known to those with the relevant knowledges. A three-to-one/five-to-two ratio of non-casters to casters should be followed as much as possible. Note that hybrid casters don't count as casters as far as this ratio goes.
[edit] PC Classes
[edit] Casting Classes
[edit] Cleric
A cleric is anything from your classic priest to a crusading zealot; they are essentially a mix of divine casting power and martial abilities. Your average Dominarian will have many interactions with Clerics over the course of their lives as the Gods are a fact as opposed to a belief. Clerics can be encountered in all corners of Dominaria: from the gigantic temples of large cities, to small shrines in the wilds, and even in the ranks of armies as healers of battle casters. Clerics can come from anywhere, and each region and Deity will lend their own feel. Clerics will always have some sort of training, be it at a temple or magical school or even a master/apprentice relationship. Self-taught clerics are rare but usually radical or unique in some way.
[edit] Druid
Druids are the the guardians of the natural world and channelers of the raw power of nature. Druids draw their magical power from nature can shape change and control natural forces. They are the sentinels of the wilderness, from the serene Wood Elf Druids of the West to the savage Rock Shamen of the Arixan Wastes they stand watch over the natural world, ensuring the 'Cycle' is maintained. They play an interesting and unique role in any party with their very specific yet very powerful magic. Motive should be carefully considered with Druids, because they do not leave their watch over the wilds for nothing or any petty reason. They are generally neutral, caring for their chosen environment and the overall continuation of the 'Cycle of Life'. Druids come from wilderness, where they can live alone or in colonies.
[edit] Favored Soul
The Favored Soul is a chosen agent of a Deity who gains their power through divine blessing rather than clerical study. As such Favored Souls can come from anywhere. Prophets and 'Saviors' can and have been called forth from among the various flocks during times of trouble or upheaval. Favored souls will always have a purpose to which they are called and it will be their life's calling. It could be anything from reclaiming a stolen artifact to defeating a foe which now threatens the church from without or even within. Favored souls work with their churches on about a 50/50 basis, some becoming respected heroes and others becoming pariahs through their work.
[edit] Sorcerer
Sorcerers are arcane magicians who cast not with books and incantations, but with instinct. They have no books, no training, no theories – just raw magic that they direct at will. Their's is an unrefined art, and as such Sorcerers are almost never part of a Guild or Order, preferring to pursue their own personal ambitions. They are outcasts in the magical community, their natural ability to manifest magic a complete abberation among Humans especially, although they are far more accepted among the Dwarves and admired among the Elves as an improvement. To be a Sorcerer is to be different; they may still adventure and commit themselves to causes like other classes, but it will be far harder for them to earn the trust of the established magical power (except for several more 'enlightened' areas of course).
[edit] Warlock
Warlocks are the ultimate wielder of the Dark Arts, a Wizard or a sorcerer who has given themselves over to a Dark entity in return for terrible power. Magic courses through them in a way no Wizard or Sorcerer understands. A Warlock has the power of the greymare coursing through them and they are bursting at the seams, often ranting at length about the power and developing numerous ticks and personal issues as they contend with the darkness inside of them. A Warlock’s power comes to the fore in combat or when inflicting harm and is based on hurling curses, hexes, contagions and other dark powers at their enemies. Some Warlocks are good, either bending the power to their will or having slowly clawed their way back into the light after a lifetime of darkness. A good Warlock is a true rarity and should have a well developed backstory.
[edit] Warmage
The Warmage focuses on the application of arcane magic to warfare. They are arcane spellcasters who are most at home on the battlefield, focusing on the magic of destruction and protection. They are usually trained at some sort of magical university or a war college for nobles, however, they can also come from less savory backrounds such as gladiatorial fighters. Warmages can be lawful or chaotic, good or evil based on their backstory. Their first love is using big flashy spells in battle.
[edit] Wizard
Wizards are arcane magicians who learn the careful art of greymare from ancient tomes and secret rituals. Wizards are almost by necessity trained by a master, but it is possible to learn out of a book by oneself. Wizards in Dominaria tend to join Guilds and Orders. These organizations facilitate training and the gaining of new spells. Each guild will have it's secrets and 'artifacts' and they can be very clannish. Guilds and guild association is incredibly important in the wizarding world and rivalries are often deep seated. Being in an Order or a Guild is incredibly important and useful for a Wizard and the more powerful the better.
Work in Progress
[edit] Hybrid Classes
[edit] Bard
The bard is your classic jack of all trades and they are often particularly good with the perform skill. Bards use their words and music to weave enchantments and other spells to help them and theirs and hinder the actions of their opponents. They are also not helpless in a fight and are skilled at being skilled. They don't quite fit into Dominaria's 'Sword and Sorcery' or occasionally 'High Fantasy' feel but are perfectly allowable.
[edit] Hexblade
The Hexblade is a mix of the trained fighting skills of a fighter and the innate magical skills of a sorcerer. They can be built as sneaks, frontline magical fighters and magical support. Hexblades’ powers are not understood by many but are of dark roots. A Hexblade is likely to make people unnerved by their very presence and have a bad reputation in many areas. Hexblades can come from any background but don’t really fit into any.
[edit] Paladin
The paladin is the quintessential holy warrior. They are beasts of fighters clad in gigantic sets of armor, gifted with the ability to cast small but powerful amounts of healing magic. Paladins can come from any walk of life and are usually given some sort of formal training in war and religion. They are the first line of defense against evil and are the best at fighting it.
[edit] Ranger
Rangers are a cross between skills and fighting ability. They come from the wild areas of the world and learn very quickly to become excellent fighters and skilled nature men. Because of their wild upbringing they tend to be chaotic characters, earning high skill points and the same attack bonus of fighters. A special trait of rangers is that they can pick a favored enemy.
[edit] Non-casting cLasses
[edit] Barbarian
A barbarian is an untrained beast of a fighter, who uses brute strength and rage to overwhelm their opponents. They have the most hit points of any of the classes and are fearless frontline warriors. A Barbarian usually comes from from untamed wilderness or sparsely populated areas, but a backstory of a gang tough from inside a city is even possible for a more urban barbarian feel. Basically Barbarians could have been raised anywhere from the untamed reaches of The Verge, to the wilderness of Arcadian Felix, one of the more open spaces inside The Imperium, and even the underbelly of a city. Barbarians are generally uncomfortable in larger cities (unless born there then flip this) but many in the West grow used to it, especially the seedier and rougher side of cities.
[edit] Fighter
Fighters are highly trained disciples of the art of war. Where a barbarian uses raw strength, a fighter uses skill. Fighters are trained in combat at an early age and in world, fighters are knights and champions. Fighters get the most feats out of any of the classes.
[edit] Marshal
A Marshal is a true practitioner of war and a student of tactics. They are adept at leading others and with the Leadership feat, can acquire NPC followers and cohorts. They usually come from royal families and learn the art of war from schools or old generals. The countryside hero makes a compelling Marshal too. They are good fighters and get feats that let them empower followers and allies.
[edit] Monk
The monk is the reclusive philosopher and the expert martial artist. They necessarily live at or come from monasteries deep within nowhere where they receive expert training in hand to hand combat as well as the more mystical practices like ki. They’re most comparable to a ninja or a watered down version of Neo. Monks are the best class at fighting when unarmed.
[edit] Rogue
The tricksy and sneaky rogue is the other skilled character. Rogues excel at tasks such as breaking locks, disabling traps, evading enemies and other subtle sleight of hand tricks making them good thieves, assassins and scouts. Anyone wanting to play a sly, shadowy character or wanting to be able to do specialized tricks should be a rogue.
[edit] Scout
Scouts are characterized by their uncanny ability to navigate deep wildernesses, ruins and, with a feat, dungeons. They are usually born in the wild and live their formative years traversing the wild. They can track, evade and navigate with uncanny skill and are indispensible to any party travelling through the wilderness. They are most likely to live on their own, with druids or travel with a party.
[edit] Swashbuckler
A Swashbuckler is a flashy fighter: agile and swift, witty and charming. They are your Jack Sparrows and Will Turners. They are the talk of the town and more often than not the bane of the authority. Their abilities include and fast tongue and a swift blade and seek fame, praise and action. The storybook Swashbuckler also wants to right the occasional wrong but that is up to the player. Swashbucklers, for whatever reason, often show up in seafaring communities, coastal towns and river societies.
[edit] NPC Classes
[edit] Adept
An adept is a spellcaster who utilizes a mixture of divine and arcane spells and usually comes from isolated humanoid or beastial communities. The adept class reflects a lesser general knowledge of magic and a more raw application of its power. In tribal or less sophisticated cultures they serve their communities as wisemen, shaman and mystics. Adepts gain their spells through meditation and can also summon familiars.
[edit] Aristocrat
Aristocrats are wealthy, educated individuals who were born into high positions and are the politically influential people throughout the world. Aristocrats are able to train in whatever they want and have access to all the money, goods and opportunities of royalty. Rulers, nobles, and their families and courtiers are usually aristocrats, although many aristocrats multiclass at least once during their adventuring years.
[edit] Commoner
Common folk farm the fields, staff the shops, build the homes and produce the goods. They do not have the desire nor the skills to undertake the life of an adventurer. Commoners are often highly skilled in their particular vocation be it farming, mining or mercantile. They make up the majority of the population. The few commoners that rise above their existence are true legends and usually folk heroes. Conscripts in any army will usually be commoners.
[edit] Expert
Experts are the smiths and skilled craftsmen of the world. Everyone from blacksmiths to judges, teachers to merchants and then back to shipwrights are experts. Anything that requires a skill, they can be the master of. Experts have a vast range of skills and most towns and communities have at least a few. These are the people in the town on which everyone relies and knows on first name basis.
[edit] Warrior
The warrior is a combatant without the finesse of a fighter, outdoors skills of a barbarian or ranger, or the sophistication and religious focus of a paladin. The warrior is self-taught or has some minor military training and is straightforward and unsubtle opponent in a fight, but a respectable one nonetheless. Warriors are common among beast races as well as being soldiers, thugs, bullies and even the unusual commoner multiclass.
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