Classes
| This page contains information on each class. |
|---|
| Classes represent an investment in a particular type of training for a character. This training can vary, within a field, or can include multiple fields (multi-classing). The table below gives a rough outline of the levels of investment expected from classes. |
| Title | Level Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | 1-4 | ~30% of the population. |
| Adept | 5-8 | ~25% of the population. |
| Experienced | 9-12 | ~22% of the population. |
| Professional | 13-16 | ~20% of the population. |
| Master | 17-20 | ~2% of the population. |
| Grandmaster | 21-30 | ~1% of the population. Requires an application for characters to proceed into Epic Levels. |
Contents
Base Classes
Barbarian
- Description
- Barbarians are brave, even reckless warriors, and their great strength and heartiness makes them well suited for adventure. Barbarians scornfully reject the fighter traditions of arms training and discipline, instead tapping into a powerful rage that makes them stronger, tougher, and better able to withstand attacks. They only have the energy for a few such displays per day, but it is usually sufficient. Constant exposure to danger also gives barbarians a sort of "sixth sense," a preternatural ability to sense danger and dodge attacks, and their running stamina is legendary.
- Alignment Restrictions
- Non-Lawful
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- None.
Bard
- Description
- Bards often serve as negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies. They love to accompany heroes (and villains) to witness heroic (or villainous) deeds firsthand, since a bard who can tell a story from personal experience earns renown among his fellows. A bard casts arcane spells without any advance preparation, much like a sorcerer. His magic emphasizes charms and illusions, and the bard can also play an inspiring song that strengthens him and his allies. Bards also share some specialized skills with rogues, and their knowledge of item lore is nearly unmatched.
- Alignment Restrictions
- Non-Lawful
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- None.
Cleric
- Description
- Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds. A good cleric helps those in need, while an evil cleric seeks to spread his patron's vision of evil across the world. All clerics can heal wounds and bring people back from the brink of death, and powerful clerics can even raise the dead. Likewise, all clerics have authority over undead creatures, and they can turn away or even destroy these creatures. Clerics are trained in the use of simple weapons, and can use all forms of armor and shields without penalty, since armor does not interfere with the casting of divine spells. In addition to his normal complement of spells, every cleric chooses to focus on two of his deity's domains. These domains grant the cleric special powers, and give him access to spells that he might otherwise never learn.
- Alignment Restrictions
- None.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- Divine Worshipper: Must select a god in order to be able to channel energy for spellcasting.
Druid
- Description
- Druids are divine spellcasters who receive their spells from nature, not the gods. They strive to live in harmony with the natural world, and hate anything that is not part of the natural cycle, especially aberrations and undead creatures. As they gain experience, they learn to take the shapes of animals and eventually of more powerful creatures. The strict oaths taken by every druid prohibit using weapons and armor outside their traditions.
- Alignment Restrictions
- Any Neutral.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- Nature Magic: Must select a god or mother nature in order to be able to channel energy for spellcasting.
Fighter
- Description
- Fighters can be many things, from soldiers to criminal enforcers. Some see adventure as a way to get rich, while others use their skills to protect the innocent. Fighters have the best all-around fighting capabilities of the PC classes, and they are trained to use all standard weapons and armor. A fighter's rigorous martial training grants him many bonus feats as he progresses, and high-level fighters have access to special melee maneuvers and exotic weapons not available to any other character.
- Alignment Restrictions
- Any.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- None.
Monk
- Description
- Monks are versatile warriors skilled at fighting without weapons or armor. Good-aligned monks serve as protectors of the people, while evil monks make ideal spies and assassins. Though they don't cast spells, monks channel a subtle energy, called ki. This energy allows them to perform amazing feats, such as healing themselves, catching arrows in flight, and dodging blows with lightning speed. Their mundane and ki-based abilities grow with experience, granting them more power over themselves and their environment. Monks suffer unique penalties to their abilities if they wear armor, as doing so violates their rigid oaths. Monks wearing armor lose their wisdom and level based armor class bonuses, their movement speed, and their additional unarmed attacks per round.
- Alignment Restrictions
- Any Lawful.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- None.
Paladin
- Description
- Paladins take their adventures seriously, and even a mundane mission is, in the heart of the paladin, a personal test - an opportunity to demonstrate bravery, to learn tactics, and to do good in the world. Divine power protects these warriors of virtue, warding off harm, protecting them from disease, healing them and their allies, and guarding against fear. Divine power also guides their sword arms, making them among the most effective warriors against undead and evil outsiders. Many of the paladin's special abilities also benefit from a high Charisma score.
- Alignment Restrictions
- Lawful Good.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- Application Class: Lawful Good crusaders are rare in the setting of Netheril and as such are under application only.
- Divine Worshipper: Must select a god in order to be able to channel energy for spellcasting.
Ranger
- Description
- Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the wilderness. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy - a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions.
- Alignment Restrictions
- None.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- Application Class: Lawful Good crusaders are rare in the setting of Netheril and as such are under application only.
- Nature Magic: Must select a god or mother nature in order to be able to channel energy for spellcasting.
Rogue
- Description
- Rogues have little in common with each other. While some - maybe even the majority - are stealthy thieves, many serve as scouts, spies, investigators, diplomats, and simple thugs. Rogues are versatile, adaptable, and skilled at getting what others don't want them to get. While not equal to a fighter in combat, a rogue knows how to hit where it hurts, and a sneak attack can dish out a lot of damage. Rogues also seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to avoiding danger. Experienced rogues develop nearly magical powers and skills as they master the arts of stealth, evasion, and sneak attacks. In addition, while not capable of casting spells on their own, a rogue can sometimes "fake it" well enough to cast spells from scrolls, activate wands, and use just about any other magic item.
- Alignment Restrictions
- None.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- None.
Sorcerers
- Description
- Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories - just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons.
- Alignment Restrictions
- None.
- Mechanical Changes
- Power Source: Sorcerers draw their power either from pacts, or awakened bloodlines to fell powers; character's should be aware which they are drawing from.
Wizard
- Description
- Wizards are arcane spellcasters who depend on intensive study to create their magic. To wizards, magic is not a talent but a difficult, rewarding art. When they are prepared for battle, wizards can use their spells to devastating effect. When caught by surprise, they are vulnerable. The wizard's strength is her spells; everything else is secondary. She learns new spells as she experiments and grows in experience, and she can also learn them from other wizards. In addition, over time a wizard learns to manipulate her spells so they go farther, work better, or are improved in some other way. A wizard can call a familiar, a magical creature, small or large, that serves her.
- Alignment Restrictions
- None.
- Mechanical Changes
- None
- Special Details
- None.
