LetsBuild5e:Classes

Player-Character Classes

By the Numbers

Most people in Axalvo do not have levels in PC classes. Of those that do, the breakdown is as follows (Decision: [1]):

Barbarian: 11%
Bard: 5%
Cleric: 9.5%
Druid: 7.25%
Fighter: 10.75%
Monk: 8%
Paladin: 8%
Ranger: 5%
Rogue: 10.75%
Sorcerer: 6.5%
Warlock: 6.25%
Wizard: 7%
Multi-class: 5%

Classes and Archetypes

Arcane magic | Religion

Barbarian

Barbarian totem warriors revere fey nature spirits who manifest as animals. The Path of the Berserker is whispered to be a curse from the Elder Dragon God Kugbazel on the unruly children of the younger gods, twisted into a blessing by the barbarians. If they did not go mad from time to time, it is said, all humanoids would be slightly more prone to anger and violence, which might be enough to push civilization over the edge.

Bard

The bardic tradition is strongest in the far northeast. However, the Old Imperial culture has its own distinctive version of it. The Bardic College of Valor stems from the Old Empire, and is heavily dominated by orcs and half-orcs. The College of Lore is a more ancient organization, claiming descent from before the last flip, and has very stringent requirements in order for a member to be declared a "master".

Cleric

The gods each grant the following spheres:

Chief God: Light, Tempest, War
Elder Dragon: War, Tempest, Life
Death God: Knowledge, Death
Lover: Life, Death, Charm*
Trickster: Tempest, Trickery, Knowledge, Charm*
Healer: Light, War, Life
Wisdom God: Knowledge, Light
Chief Fiend: Death, War, Knowledge

• The Charm domain is new, and still needs to be fleshed out.

Druid

Druids worship nature as an abstract force. A lot of Moon Druids are elves, especially wood elves trying to promote natural forest growth; a lot of Land Druids are halflings, trying to make the land more fruitful.

The lands of Axalvo are periodically swept by a strong warm mountain wind. This wind is honoured by the Druid Circle of the Land. Accordingly, a set of Wind spells is available in addition to the other terrain options:

Wind Druid Circle Spells

3rd level: gust of wind, levitate

5th level: fly, wind wall

7th level: dimension door, freedom of movement

9th level: phantasmal killer, telekinesis

Fighter

Fighters with the Champion Archetype usually hark back to the great martial masters of the Old Empire, who devoted their lives to becoming superlative masters of one form of fighting. The Mage Guilds created the Eldritch Knight Fighter Archetype, training the most intelligence of their mercenary leaders with some magic as well.

Monk

All monastic orders are philosophical in nature; none of them specifically reveres a spirit or deity. The Four Elements monks were covertly backed by the magocracy to provide spies and street-fighters.

The Way of the Open Palm monk order is originally an elven tradition, teaching its adherents to achieve enlightenment by eschewing all unnecessary material possessions, which includes teaching them to use their body alone as the greatest weapon. The drow took the teachings to the steppes with them, however, and now many small monasteries on the steppes teach this art as a means of furthering self-reliance.

Paladin

The Paladin Oath of the Ancients is usually administered by the druid circles, whereas the Oath of Righteousness is usually made to one or several gods. The Oath of Vengeance is generally understood to be a twisted blessing from Metepes the Trickster on those who swear revenge with sufficient passion.

Ranger

Rangers are essential as guides from one side to the other when the flip happens, and because of this they are supposed to be held in high regard and their knowledge is supposed to be passed down from generation to generation. However it's been so long since the last flip that some people think the flip is just a myth, and fewer and fewer people are wanting to train as rangers. They find it hard to find employment as anything other than itinerant guides and caravan guards and they are seen less as potential saviours and more as a bunch of travellers who get moved on by the militias of cities who don't want them making the place look untidy.

Now that signs and omens of a possible impending flip are starting to appear, the rangers' stock is suddenly rising and they're finding themselves in demand, at least in some areas. This is complicated by people's unwillingness to admit they were wrong and apologize, so many factions are basically trying to shanghai rangers into serving or teaching others their secrets, rather than just asking nicely.

Rogue

The Arcane Trickster rogue archetype is very new, having developed in the years leading up to the rebellion as dissidents tried to learn arcane magic to defend against the wizards.

There is no single common pattern of thieves' guilds; some cities have single thieves' guilds, some have limited gang warfare, and some don't have high-level organised crime.

Sorcerer

Draconic bloodline sorcerers are quite commonplace, and claim descent from the prehistoric heroes who first drank the spilled blood of the Elder Dragon God. Wild Magic origin sorcerers, in contrast, are extremely new and rare - they just started showing up within the last year, after the rebellion. Most people think of them as just something new and weird, but some elves claim they're an omen of bad things coming, linking them to elven legends about the fall of their empire on the other side.

Warlock

The warlock patrons are a mixed bunch; some of them are much better-known to lay folk than others. Powerful fiend patrons such as Asupuxai are minor figures in mainstream mythology. The archfey are the stuff of fairytale and urban legend. The Great Old Ones are the stuff of mere rumour, their own esoteric mythos known in detail only to arcane magic-users. (Decision: [2] )

Wizard

Most of the mage guilds teach a limited amount of every school; however, each guild specialises in only one or two schools. The guild which has just been expelled from Gartihann prioritised evocation and abjuration.

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