What character classes do you gravitate to?

jwb3

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The only thing I can think of, is that A. rolegaming is actually historically an extension out of table top wargaming, and thus logically it can be argued that of course min maxing makes sense, as all wargamers strive to dominate the battlefield routinely through superior tactics and B. it therefore makes "sense" to use wargamer thinking in a rolegame.
Personally I think it's just a part of human nature. I doubt one has to have a wargamer mind to indulge in min-maxing. Certainly the same sort of behavior occurs in Live-Action Role-Playing, which tends to attract non-wargamers. My thinking is that it's more about power and self-esteem (by way of the character) than anything else.

I recently played in a game where I had to 18 stats. I gave one to Dex (I wanted an archer) and I gave one to Charisma (I wanted him to be likable). Sadly though, I found that the game was just going to be hack and slash. My 18 Charisma wasn't worth squat to the group. It didn't contribute to monsters getting dead. No one ever wanted to let me use my dude in a way that his Charisma could impact the situation.
Again, that's the group, not the game. And this is one of the things I like about 3.0... because it has better (IMO) rules for how to use Charisma to affect things. (Granted, I've never actually seen them used in practice!)

3.0 was the first iteration of D&D where I actually thought about putting a relatively high score in CHA. In the earlier versions, one's character's Charisma was always essentially the player's own charisma. Hardly anyone I knew ever rolled for an NPC's reaction on the tables they gave us. All meaningful NPC interaction was handled by role-playing it, which had only as much relation to the character's CHA stat as the player chose. And Charisma wasn't good for much of anything else.

By actually including hard-coded rules for things like comparing one person's Bluff to another's Sense Motive, 3.0 made it possible to quite literally roll-play a social interaction. Granted, that's not the way I choose to do it in my D&D games, but at least it makes it hypothetically possible for an unskilled role-player to play someone extremely different from him- or herself just by having the right (or wrong!) stats.


I like Alternity much better. It's the only game I will run as DM. It rewards a player built with a brain. It penalizes harshly any player that has a glaring deficient stat(s). And the game also makes it easy to observe early on, if you insist on a combat encounter several times every game session, you likely won't be around 10 sessions later without extreme good fortune hehe.
In short, the game requires something better than just resorting to violence.
Never tried it, although I think I remember reading the promotional stuff in Dragon mag. D&D has been fundamentally combat-oriented (i.e. as the primary solution to all problems) ever since it started, I'd say. Though that may depend quite a bit on the group...


John
 

Earthpig

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As a player I prefer combat classes but I like having a good story line to play with. Hack and Slay only is as boring for me as Puzzle only play. I love a good mix:smoke:
 

Count_Zero

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I'll play whatever. I DM any non-evil campaign, but can play evil NPC's equally well. Comes from years of playing in multiple settings and groups.

- Josh
 

Pdqport

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Back in the day, I played a lot of magic-users. It was an overlooked class by most of the guys I gamed with, but always wound up being crucial to the campaign. I liked the challenge of starting out fairly weak and ending up pretty badass -that's if I lived through the first couple levels.

I try to play a wide variety these days. The group I'm with now does a lot of campaigning in the old Dark Sun universe (we're all old school players). I played a Sunek magic-user type in one game and now have a human Ranger going. Never played many rangers in the past, so it's a cool change for me.

My favorite guys have been dwarven fighters. Loved getting the Constitution bonus as a dwarf and it's a blast wading into the thick of a fight with battleaxe in hand.
 

Dr Zaius

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I've played dwarven fighters in the past and had a lot of fun doing that. Actually, that was when I was playing MERP. With D&D I almost always go for a magic user.
 

Double Deuce

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I've always been partial to the outdoorsy type, Rangers and Druids. When I used to DM, my campaigns were almost always heavy outdoor/wilderness as well.
 
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fleetB17

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I lean to the magic users but have had the a lot of fun with a ranger or back in the day with the handbooks a Paladin dragon slayer. The funest one was a magic user merchant in a city. Great DM who created a good storyline and roleplaying.

Most fun: the paladin when I got the wife gaming. She was in on the roleplaying and during one break the DM cornered me and asked why I was hitting on his friend (a female 1/2 elf) in front of my wife (a male halfling). We awarded points for good roleplaying and that was priceless.
 

Aries

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It's not the class, it's how you play it. And if you can't use a class in some illogically unlikely fashion, then you are probably playing a boring straight jacketed online game.

Right now in my weekend game, I am playing a half ogre halfling loving barbarian that just wants to be a famous chef. He's basically a grappler in battle though, and loves to just grab the opponent and laugh at their distress when they realize a suit of uber full plate armour with an AC that won't quit, actually makes it easier to grapple them and lay a hurting on them.

And no matter what your original AC was, if your pinned, everyone in the group is going to have a ball getting in easy cheap shots on you :) Archers rarely miss their target when it's being held steady for them hehe.

But when not in combat, there's nothing like swapping recipe's with the halflings eh. And shopping for cooking gear.

And since my guy took a vow of poverty, I don't have to fret over getting my share of the loot or wondering what sort of magic is on an item.
 

mfl

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Sort of covering to questions at once.
When I played, I almost always was the DM. In high school study hall, we got a group up to having kingdoms and breaking into various parts--each with their own unique feeling to their kingdoms--somewhat became an offshoot of their characters. We built armies based on personal wealth and the Swords and Sourcry system--where I converted some of the wealth factors. We then even converted some of the armies to counters and developed a game system, made a huge map, then ran out of time--mid invasion by the forces of Aringroth?--looked like those forces might take the continent and some characters might die the heroes death, where others would seek refuge and perhaps return from the mystical Islands of (Rubucki? to the Northwest)--perhaps to return again, perhaps never to be heard from again. I can't remember the level of the characters, but they were pretty high up.
On the very rare occasions that I played, thief or theif/magic user if allowed was sort of fun. Had to escape the dwarf fighters axes sometimes, however.
Mike
 

Dion

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Never play anymore. Though I'm always interested in it. Never have the time I guess. I'm always writing house rules though, so my interest has never really faltered. When I used to play way back in the day I was usually the DM. But when I had a character I was usually a wizard. Though when I played my best and enjoyed the game the most I was a fighter. I always thought wizards and priests were supposed to be really wise and make great awe inspiring speeches like Gandalf or Moses who I was never good at copying so I was better at playing a fighter. It's kind of hard trying to copy a character created by a professional writer or portrayed by a professional actor as is the case with Gandalf and Moses. Anyway who has ever heard of any other character other than a fighter becoming a knight. If I had to pick a favorite character it would a fighter, or at least a fighter is one my favorites as they are easer for me to play. But my absolute favorite character is not really a character at all but an alignment of good.
 
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Gunner Scott

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Hi-

I prefer to usually play an Elf Fighter then go into the prestige class Champion of Corolon from races of the wild.


Scott
 

McIvan

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Always Fighter-Magic users for me, usually elven of some variety. My first character was an "Elf" using the Basic D&D system....then migrated to advanced D&D as a dual class F/M. Always fitted me perfectly, and have never found other classes to be half as fun.

3.5 equiv, although I don't play it except in computer games, would be something like a 3rd lvl Ranger and the rest of the lvls in some sort of magic, whether wizardry or sorceror.
 

Smoke

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I used to stay away from magic, but then I became interested in how much deeper being a wizard or sorcerer can be than just flicking wands and throwing bottles. I'd choose a wizard. Before I'd pick a fighter, soldier or warrior.
 
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