Making Better RPG Classes - What Makes a Class Classic? - Extra Credits

Mages, thieves, clerics, warriors. When most people think of tabletop role-playing games, they usually think of these kind of iconic character roles or classes. Now, of course, RPGs come in all flavors, so those specific archetypes can change to suit the game setting. Everything from psychics, vampires, robots, superheroes, or any concept in between can be packaged up and presented as an easy-to-grasp template. But whether you're working on a cool homebrew option or designing your own system from scratch, what are some of the best design philosophies to follow when crafting classes for your players to enjoy? Thanks so much to Ting Mobile for not playing games with our phone bills. Since our friend Eddie Webb has been designing RPGs for more than 20 years, heck yeah, we wanted to pick his industry brain about how he designs character classes. Because a lot of his work on games like Realms of Pugmire and Vampire the Masquerade have been focused on not only creating character classes, but also modifying and updating old

ones. So, he's thought a lot about makes a good class and how a designer can adjust a lackluster one into something that really pops. Plus, he's just a class act in general. Hey-o! Eddie likes to define a character class as a pre-packaged character concept or archetype. And this can take a lot of forms, even if they're not explicitly called classes. It might be a playbook in a game like Monster Hearts, where you can pick a few options from an established list. Or it could be a character type you select, such as your clan in Vampire the Masquerade, which presents a strong personality archetype that you build your character within. But really, if it's a predetermined profession or character role that impacts your gameplay, we're calling it a class for the purposes of this discussion. So, what are the elements you need to think about when designing a class that could one day become a classic? Well, the first step is coming up with a variety of interesting roles for your characters to play in your game. And you can think of each class as a slice of that anticipated gameplay. In team-based games, some roles will be obvious. There's the person who damages things, the person that gets damaged by

things, the person who heals things, and so on. But, keep in mind, basing a class solely on the role the character performs on a team is only one way to divvy up class concepts. In Vampire: The Masquerade, for example, each of the vampire clans is actually based on a style of vampire movie. The anarchistic Brujah are like the punk vampires in Lost Boys, whereas the aristocratic Toreador kind of channel some Lestat vibes from Interview with the Vampire. And sure, there's some overlap. For instance, both kind of vampires are supernaturally fast, but describing a kind of vampire you saw in a movie once can sometimes be a clearer hook to players rather than simply outlining the individual powers you get. It also works when you do both. When Eddie was reworking the Dungeons & Dragons system for Pugmire, he had to reskin the narrative flavor around each class into something that would work in his pet-centric world. For instance, wizards typically cast spells they've memorized or otherwise learned. However, his dogs don't cast spells so much as they use abandoned technology and believe it to be magic. So, his wizards, called artisans, need to carry a physical

object which actually cast a spell to reflect that shift. The role of wizards on the team is still clearly defined, but there's some additional narrative texture to explore. And once you throw players a bone like that, they'll be psyched to sink their teeth into it. Wait, what? Oh, cuz bone, teeth. Next, you'll need to focus on each class's play style. Specifically, making sure each class has some things the player knows their character is designed to do well mechanically while they play. Because if each class doesn't have a clear focus, players simply won't know what to do when it's time for the dice to hit the table. If you're playing a guardian in Pugmire, even the name tells you a lot of what you're going to be doing, guarding and protecting others. Even though there's a lot of narrative room inside that idea, ranging from a disgruntled city guard to a noble knight of the realm to an aloof mercenary with a taste for the finer things. But, no matter where your player lands, each of those characters is probably going to know how to throw a punch or two. Because good mechanics encourage the player to shape their play style toward that related concept. Now, sometimes

these mechanics are obvious. A healer needs healing abilities after all, but other times they can be more subtle. Stemming from either exclusive abilities that only a specific class has access to or bonuses to common abilities that the class should naturally be better at. And one of the coolest things you can do with your classes is actually make that play style come from a mechanical weakness. When Eddie was working on Vampire for its 20th anniversary edition, he and his collaborator, Justin Achilli, agreed that the Tremere, a clan of blood mages, needed a better, or worse I suppose, clan weakness. And after discussing it for several days, they hit on an incredibly simple idea. See, in the game, vampires usually become emotionally enthralled to another vampire after three drinks of their blood, you know, like you do. But what if these blood mages, who were always dealing with blood, get enthralled after only two? And right there, the full scope of the Tremere snapped into focus. All from an interesting push and pull between needing to drink blood and being terrified of drinking too much. Also, every class needs some element of niche protection so that their distinct

concept can shine through. Granted, some games do this through exclusivity, such as only letting vampire blood magicians use vampire blood magic. But remember that it doesn't mean that each class has to be the only ones able to do a thing. It just means that they should generally be the best at a thing. For instance, anyone can pick a pocket if they try hard enough, but a thief or a ratter in Pugmire should simply have more opportunities to succeed at pocket picking. And finally, remember, classes are at their best when they not only get out of each other's way, but actually harmonize together. And you can think of this kind of like being in a band. Each person in a band has a clear role, and they focus on doing their role as well as they can. And the variety of skills each player brings to the table enhances their music. I mean, there's a reason there's not too many bands that are made up of all bassists. You know, funkiness aside. Also, what can be neat is sometimes people can switch around, like when the lead singer picks up a guitar or a drummer sings backup vocals. Because despite their specialties, they can all assist each other in making loud, glorious, kick-ass music. Or go

kill the frost troll or whatever it is they're doing. I'm getting my metaphors mixed up, but it's the same thing, trust me. So, when designing a class, remember to think about potential interesting roles, play style, mechanics, niche protection, and weaknesses. And if you can balance that variety along with your flavorful details, you'll ensure that your players will feel like their characters are an important, and dare I say, classy part of your game world. That wasn't meant to be a joke. Do you just live on those drums now? And speaking of unfunny things, how's all your phone bills looking these days? Ooh, that's a yikes. Well, luckily we're back with a money-saving deal from the new and improved Ting Mobile. They've got a plan that can work on anybody's budget. For instance, if you just need unlimited talk and text, they've got you covered for only 10 bucks a month. Or depending on your data needs, Ting has plans starting at 15 bucks all the way to the mighty unlimited talk, text, and data for just 45. Meaning there's a perfect plan for you and your family. Oh, and speaking of families, oh Jeff,

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