Sample file I’ve been playing role-playing games for over a quarter of small, oft overlooked sidebar in the DMG. It was a simple a century. It sounds so much longer and almost impressive system for creating your very own class. It presented all of when stated in portions rather than in actual numbers. I the abilities of the standard classes and allowed you to mix remember the halcyon days when Gary Gygax’s name was and match them to your hearts content until you achieved emblazoned across the masthead of every book and Larry exactly the kind of character class you wanted to portray. In Elmore, Jeff Easily, Bill Willingham and Erol Otus graced those long ago days, the players I grew up with and me used the covers with fantastical creatures, peoples and settings. that sidebar heavily.

In all that time, across all those editions, systems, and rules- Th is product is an homage to that lonely sidebar of old. sets, not much has really changed for the hobby, at least Once again, you will be able to create just the right fl avor nothing fundamentally important. Th e groups of fellow of character, just the sort of hero or villain or something players around the world still gather at the designated in between that you want or need, one not bound by the meeting place toting along their books, their sacks of shiny strictures of the nine core classes. One that follows your polyhedral dice, their pens and paper, their soda pop and own rules. their snacks. Th ey sit down, they chat, they talk about what happened since the last time they played, and then they Enjoy, and make the best of it. It’s all on you now. get down to brass tacks and whip out the most important tool every gamer needs to have – they once again bring to Sean C. Frolich the fore their imaginations, their creativity. Each feeds off Developer, Author of the others to build up in their minds the images of the personas they will play and the worlds and environments in which these personas live, work, play, battle and sometimes die. What they create is something Sample file wonderful to see, but the only way to see it is to be in it, to play.

Creativity is a wonderful thing since it is limitless. But role- playing games, by their very nature, have a need to reign in that facet of the players. A game, by defi nition, has rules, and these rules must be uniformly understood by all those playing, and these rules must apply equally to all those playing.

Many people I have met and gamed with over the years have, at one time or another, expressed frustration concerning how the rules restrict their vision of how their character should behave. Th e “if only”-ies start coming up in the conversation: “If only this class didn’t have to do this”, or “If only I could do this”…”I’d give this up in a second if I could do this instead”. And so on.

Before the arrival of certain shore dwelling sorcerers, in an earlier incarnation of Dungeons and Dragons, there was a 3 Who…

Th e “Who” is the most important element of the class Th e Class Construction Kit allows players and GMs to build creation process; exactly what kind of class are you looking a unique character class by using a simple mathematical for? Are you looking for a highly skilled and diplomatic formula. By mixing and matching each of the abilities warrior, or perhaps a sword-saint, a holy man able to call presented in this book, players and GMs alike can create a upon the power of a deity and enforce his will through force class tailored for any design paradigm. of arms? Th e types of character that can be built are many and varied. Th e nine core classes form the root of the presented class abilities from which you can choose. Each choice, each ability, each facet of the class you build comes with an Designer’s Notes Th e original concept attached cost to maintain balance across the board. Th ere for this book was a “classless d20 system”, as in are certain design restrictions that are recommended, and one with no predetermined classes rather than these, as well as the reasons for them, will be discussed later. one without class. Under this paradigm, each and every character would be truly unique, with his Th roughout this book there will be several small Designer’s own set of abilities and skills. Th e idea has merit, Notes sidebars. Th ese will be used to illustrate the but it works just as well as an ancillary system, reasoning behind certain decisions. Th ese sidebars are as something to incorporate into a setting or game. much a part of the presented system as the heart of the mathematics; without knowing how a particular element Th ere is a need to stay focused at this stage; trying to create of the system was designed it would be very diffi cult for a a powerful warrior who can call down fi reballs on his foes, player to understand how to add to the system on his own. heal his wounded companions, demoralize his foes and open every locked chest and door to be found is a waste of time. Th e book is broken into four parts of varying size: Who, Th e idea itself is far too broad and open. Balance is always What, and How each goes into more detail concerningSample the filekey, and it is an inherent part of this system. the process of creating a new character class. Th e fourth section, called Th e Tool Box, provides the various tables and It would be best if you wrote down a few ideas as to the formulae. nature of the class you are trying to develop and then, once you delve into Th e Toolbox, you will be able to see if your creation can walk the fi ne line of usability. You may fi nd that it has already gone over the edge.

What this book is NOT... Th is book is written around the concept of a base, What… core, 20-level player character class. Th e presented system will be of no assistance in creating Prestige Once you have determined the basics of what you want for your character class, you will need to look through the lists Classes or NPC classes, since the design paradigm of abilities and pick and choose the ones you will want. of both these other class types falls outside the Sometimes it is a good idea to just choose all the abilities parameters of a core class. without taking into account the related costs. Once you determine how far overboard you have gone you will then be able to pare it down into something much more usable.

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Über Build Designer’s Notes Th is system is a tool that can be used by players and GM’s alike. An über build is one in which the GM sets the upper limit for class creation. With between 100 and 200 Other game designers who are looking for ways points, an incredibly powerful class can be built – some to create their own unique core classes and need might say insanely powerful. More then 200 points is not a bit of a hand can also use it. Th is system is recommended. not, however, the end all and be all as far as class creation goes. It should always be looked at as the Balance for an über build is created by altering the needed skeleton around which a class can be built; new experience points for each level. Spending 100 points will abilities can always be created and added to the allow you to use the normal Experience Point chart from lists. In fact, it is encouraged! By showing how the Player’s Handbook without alteration. Every point the core classes were used to build the system, spent above 100 increases the needed experience by a like you can take it and tweak it to your own liking. percentage. If you spent 130 points, you will need to accrue 130% of the needed experience points for each level.

If you fi nd that what you want to create is very close to one Example: Getting to 2nd level means that you have garnered of the core classes, you may want to reconsider continuing. 1000 XP, while getting to 3rd means that you have 3000 XP. If Most of the core classes can be rebuilt using this system, your class build used 130 points, you would need 1300 XP and but there is no need for you to do so. If the core class is 3900 XP to get to 2nd and 3rd levels respectively. what you want use it. If a variant of a core class is what you are looking for, you should talk it over with your As the points continue to rise, it will become more diffi cult GM (or your players if you are the GM) and hash out the to gain levels, especially at the highest levels. 200-point minor alterations you wish to introduce. Th e Toolbox in build will require twice the XP per level, and core classes this book may help you understand the relative costs of will rapidly rise in power in comparison. various abilities, how they stack up against each other, and that would be a boon toward maintaining balance in your Designer’s Notes Über builds can be fun variant. Sample file for a while, but the problem with them is similar to the problem of racial level adjustments – the higher the level gets the more disproportionate How… the disparity grows. Th ere are many methods in Th ere are several ways that this system can be used, and each other books (especially in unearthed arcana found is just as valid as the other is. Th e utility of each method by those same shore dwelling sorcerers mentioned depends on the players using it. earlier) which detail methods of dealing with this penalty disparity, and these methods might be Standard adapted as a rules variant when using this book.

A Standard build uses 100 points to create a character class using the tables in Th e Toolbox. Going over or under by a Under Build point or two is perfectly acceptable, although diff erent GM’s may choose how strictly they interpret this rule. An Under Build is similar to an Über Build, but in reverse. Th e players are given an amount less than 100 with which Most of the core classes actually come in a little over 100 to build their classes. Th e recommended number is 75, points, some as high as 114. Don’t think that a class that although going lower is always an option. Some players costs a “mere” 100 points cannot stand up to a core class. A have attempted to see how low they can go and still create core class will always lack the diversity and uniqueness of a a viable class. Under builds usually result in classes of the constructed class, while a constructed class lacks the razor- same caliber as the NPC classes presented in the DMG. sharp focus of a core class. Th e strengths and weaknesses of both types of class even things out in the end. 5 Under builds follow the example set for the Über build in Th e descriptions in the table show fractions for the BAB, that the number of points spent equals the percentage of and these fractions are based on the character’s current level. XP needed for each level. A 1/1 BAB means that the bonus is equal to the character’s level; fi ghters and other warrior classes have a BAB like this. GM’s must be very careful when using Über and Th e ¾ BAB is the same as that of the Cleric, while the ½ Under builds. Th e carefully created balance of BAB is the same as that used by the Wizard or Sorcerer. the d20 system is based on the power levels of the classes when compared to the foes that they Hit Die will face. When using Über and Under builds that power level is dramatically altered. Careful Th e hit die of the class also plays a large role in how it is planning and management on the part of the handled in combat, seeing as that is the most likely place in GM will be required. A happy medium of play which hit points will be lost. Th e die type is also indicative can only be determined through trial and error, of how durable or strong members of the class are when since the power level of the various created compared to other classes. classes will vary.

Table 2: Hit Die Cost The Toolbox d4 5 d6 10 Th e Toolbox provides all of the needed math and d8 15 explanation to build the class you have already put together d10 20 in notes. Th is section breaks down each facet of a class into d12 25 the various elements that combine to create a whole, and it provides the cost of each and every choice that you would make. Classes that are most often engaged in physical Sampleconfrontation file will have larger hit dice than those with a Th e process described here follows the same order as a more scholarly or sneaky bent. character class description from the Player’s Handbook (or any other d20 source) does. You start with the very basics Saves (base attack bonus, hit dice, saving throw bonuses, etc.) and then you move on to things like weapon profi ciencies, Aside from armor and hit points, another facet of defense spells, and fi nally class abilities. for a character is one of his three saving throws: Fortitude, Will, or Refl ex. Every class has a class-based bonus to Each section will describe how the calculations work and all three of these saves. In most classes, one save will be provide examples. dramatically better than the other two, while in some two of the saves will be good. All three of a Monk’s saves are good. Base Attack Bonus Here you can choose how many of your class' saves will be Th e fi rst item listed on a class description is that class' Base classifi ed as ‘good’. Th e appendices in the back of this book Attack Bonus (BAB). It is a direct correlation to how well will have a chart listing the good and bad save progressions. the class can handle itself in an actual combat situation.

Table 1: Base Attack Bonus Cost Table 3: Saves Cost 1/1 BAB 30 1 good 3 3/4 BAB 20 2 good 6 ½ BAB 10 3 good 9

6 Skill Points Table 6: Armor and Shield Cost Every character class receives a certain number of skill Profi ciencies points every level to spend on ranks in the skills available to All Light 2 it. Th e usual case is that the more worldly, the more social All Medium 2 (light is prerequisite) classes will have the most skills, while those classes with a more limited focus (such as putting sharp objects into other people or manipulating mighty magicks to set other people All Heavy 2 (Medium is prerequisite) on fi re from afar) will have fewer. Shield Profi ciencies Limited 1 Table 4: Skill Points Cost Number of skills All (except tower) 2 per level Tower 1 2 2 (7-10 skills) 4 4 (18-20 skills) Th e Limited shield category sets a limit to the types of 6 6 (18-20 skills) shields available to the class. Th e Tower category allows the class to be profi cient with a tower shield; as a note, no class 8 8 (20-30 skills) in the Player’s Handbook is normally profi cient with the tower shield. Typically, the more skill points a class has, the more skills it has to choose from. Th e third column of Table 4 lists Spells the recommended number of skills based on the class’ skill points. Th e skills selected for the class should refl ect its Many of the classes in the Player’s Handbook are capable of abilities and its perceived place within the world at large. casting magic spells. If that is something you want in your class, this section will help you factor that in. Weapon Profi ciencies Sample fileTable 7: Spells Cost Most classes are familiar at least with all of the Simple Up to 4th level 10 Weapons, both ranged and melee. Th e more martial classes Up to 6th level 30 are also familiar with the Martial Weapons list. Th e Limited category is for classes, such as the Monk, that have a very Up to 9th level 45 limited list of available weapons. It can also be used to take Spontaneous Casting (Unlimited) 15 into account a small number of exotic weapons in which the Spontaneous Casting (Limited) 5 class is normally profi cient. School Specialization 5 Spells start at level other than 1st (-1 per level) Table 5: Weapon Profi ciencies Cost Spellbook (-5) All Simple 2 Spell Lists Cost All Martial 2 (all simple is prerequisite) Bard 3 Limited (up to 8) 1 Cleric 5 Druid 5 Armor and Shield Profi ciencies Paladin 3 Ranger 3 Some classes provide no training in the use of armor or Sorcerer/Wizard 10 shields, while others enjoy a plethora of options. Th is table covers all the possibilities.

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