What's Your Class?

[gamer025]

In general which class do you play most online? If you have more than one PC - please select the class you use the most. (Poll will be revealed when it's over.)

[avatar666]

Mostly I have recently been playing Logan, he is fighter/cleric

[scrubyoukai]

Judging from my vault (and much to my surprise) it seems like the most frequent class is fighter, then bard, then paladin.

[Asgardian Grey Hawk]

vastly every build I have is multiclass

[Windhover]

Easy

[malclave]

The class I'd like to play is not the one I play the most due to my soloing abilities (or lack thereof)... which answer should I put?

[TrueBlueOriginal]

Rogue and Divine Champion are my most played classes. I have the same amount of characters with these classes in Neverwinter Nights.

In Pathfinder Kingmaker, the only other game I play with D&D-based classes, my most played class is Slayer, which is a hybrid of rogue and ranger that gives up ranger spellcasting and animal companion for (slower) sneak attack progression and the option to select rogue abilities instead of ranger bonus feats. Slayer changes Favored Enemy into Studied Target, that allows the target of the extra damage to be declared every combat instead of picking a favored enemy type at level-up. Slayer is a full BAB class. I almost always use the deliverer archetype, a divine archetype for slayer that trades some slayer features for alternate divine features, and requires the selection of a patron. (Pathfinder Kingmaker added the slayer class in a patch. When they did, I restarted the game, as I had originally been playing as a rogue/ranger multiclass.)

When I built Kira for fun as a level 20 Pathfinder RPG character, I built her as a bard/slayer(deliverer of Bastet)/evangelist[bard] of Bastet. (Evangelist is a divine prestige class that enhances an existing base class, and gives some divine boons.) In NWN, she's bard/rogue/divine champion of Sharess. The bard/slayer/evangelist[bard] kept her same attacks/round at twenty since slayer replaced the full BAB of divine champion and I took enough levels to have the same sneak attack as her rogue levels in NWN. The evangelist PRC was her highest level class and she actually ended up with +1 caster level of bard because of the combination of bard and evangelist versus her NWN version, but she took a hit on saves since evangelist has its own save progression that isn't as good as bard save progression. (Bards have two good saves, Reflex and Will.)

I also built Samantha for fun as a level 20 Pathfinder RPG character. In NWN at 20 she was a rogue/divine champion of Selûne. I built her as an unchained rogue/brawler(wild child)/inquisitor of Desna. Same BAB, used brawler, a full BAB class that is a hybrid class of fighter and monk (that does not use ki), for the BAB boost to replace divine champion's full BAB, and the wild child archetype granted her an animal companion (which I always wanted on Samantha). The inquisitor is a divine class with a ranged weapon focus, so used it to keep the divine ties. Inquisitor is a spontaneous wisdom-based spellcaster with a bard-like spell progression and a spell list that is mostly a sub-set of the cleric spell list, but I didn't give her enough levels for that to significantly change the character. (On FRC, she has triple-classed into an arcane spellcasting class post-20, but I was building a level 20 version of her.)

So anyway... I like to play characters with sneak attack and divine abilities. And high Charisma.

[MTGPackFoils]

I like playing Clerics.

[tarsiz]

I tend to gravitate towards martial classes the most. To me, there is something more satisfying about a character obsessing about mastering their skills with a specific weapon and training their body to achieve perfection on their field, than a spellcaster - even though wizards do need to study. It feels more deserving, e.g. something they acquire from their own merit rather than an innate gift they're born with.

Traditionally on NWN I play fighter-weapon masters, so perhaps to change a bit I made Shaerlyn an Arcane Archer, which retains that martial vibe and mixes it a bit with the tiniest amount of magic (FRC actually pushes you to use more magic as an AA, limiting the class to 10 levels). I've really enjoyed playing her, both mechanically and RP wise.

Multiclassing is to me the essence of D&D 3.5, as it enables you to go above and beyond in the personalization of your character. I could hardly see myself play a single-class character, unless I made a monk or a sorcerer.

Clerics and divine agents are the ones I play the least, probably for the same reason I play martial classes the most: to me, this feels the less rewarding, as their powers mostly come from their gods. Which means, in a sense, they are given everything and don't need to do anything to deserve it (oversimplification, of course). I have a cleric on FRC which I like from a mechanical point of view but still have a hard time jumping into.

[Luckbringer]

I like to try and play every class and do exotic combinations too, to find different ways to make classes relevant instead of building the most popular builds.

But looking over my vault, cleric is the most popular class. I have a dragon discipline battle cleric, a made of paper arcane archer cleric and a rogue/cleric sneaker as well as a Sorceress with a dip into cleric and a bard who might someday dip into cleric for the same reason.

After playing so many clerics I find myself intentionally making a deity a big part of other characters too, though some of them are focused that way by other classes like Shana who is a champion of Arvoreen and my wild elf paladin of Mielikki.

[grivel]

I chose druid because I have been playing Kali more lately. I play Manus almost as often, and he is a fighter/WM.

[Animayhem]

I lie to try and create classes character's outside of the box and have some casting ability.

Marister- pure ranger

A'zu'ra-   95% sorcerer 5% cleric

Naralith - pure cleric

Carto- barbarian who else would hang with the GG volunteers :lol:

[lucid]

I’m one of those wackos who comes up with a character first and then develops a build to express it.

I think the only class I haven’t played is Druid.

[Ivarcles]

In my first go around on FRC I played a straight up paladin. The second time around my main character was a multi-class spellsword. I have to say, I really enjoyed playing Wyeth as a build. He was 21 wizard/5 fighter/7 rogue. It took a really long time for things to come together for him though. He didn't really start to hit his stride until about level 23 or 24.

[darthweasel]

Back when I first arrived I pretty much well played the monk.

This time around Ashti is my main and is the Pally, but has to be aligned to the CG love goddess instead of the usual.

[gamer025]

Thanks to everyone who voted!

[DM Flash]

We clearly need more Paladins

[The Triadic Order]

[sightblinder]

Jun 30, 2022 20:58:19 GMT -5 DM Flash said:

We clearly need more Paladins

TBF, paladins have a *lot* of restrictions on the server. I have an elven paladin that I would play more often if I could have chosen a deity from the elven pantheon but sadly that is not an option.

[mandene]

Jul 1, 2022 10:11:47 GMT -5 sightblinder said:

Jun 30, 2022 20:58:19 GMT -5 DM Flash said:

We clearly need more Paladins

TBF, paladins have a *lot* of restrictions on the server. I have an elven paladin that I would play more often if I could have chosen a deity from the elven pantheon but sadly that is not an option.

Yeah, the best you can do is to play a divine champion.

Otherwise it's an interesting discussion to have.

[sightblinder]

Seems to me they should make at least one of the elven pantheon acceptable for elven paladins. Elves -can- be paladins after all.

[malclave]

Khalreshaar is an aspect of Mielikki worshipped in Evermeet, often depicted as half-elven. As a NG deity, she could sponsor Seldarine-associated paladins.

[sightblinder]

Is that deity one of the ones listed?

[malclave]

Not in 3E material, or listed on this site. Khalreshaar is referenced in the 2E book Demihuman Deities, so she is canon for the Forgotten Realms.

[LightsInTheSky]

Ranger/Wizard

[gathera]

Sorcerer by far. I always enjoy the planning out of spells and the flexibility and yet limitations of the class. Although I have played all of the base classes at one time or the other except paladin.

[mandene]

This is not as simple as Malclave makes it. I have read about Khalreshaar, as I play a follower of her (and have Mielikki as patron)

In 2e materials she is both described as a human and a half-elf. As a human she is described as a druidess with the name Khalreshaar that sacrificed herself to defend an elven forest from evil. Upon her death she ascended to godhood. And is venerated by elves for that. So here she sounds like she can't be Mielikki to begin with, and rather like a lesser goddess that was absorbed by her. Doesn't sound either like a goddess venerated enough to have priests among elbes, but more like an example of good among humans appreciated for her bravery and sacrifice .

As a half-elf, Khalreshaar is believed to be a daughter of a Seldarine and a deity from the Faerunian pantheon. I think it's Silvanus and Hanali. Her role in this aspects is being the messenger of Silvanus (which makes her not a Seldarine) [edit] (I doble checked, and she is seen as a messenger for Rillifane) [/edit], instead of the role as patron of the forests that Mielikki has. In this description she is considered by some half-elves to be the first real half-elven deity. And thus a patron of half-elves, the same way as different elven sub-races have their own patrons. These half-elves place her as a Seldarine. This view is considered to be a herecy by most elves.

You would need a really good explenation why an elf wants to champion a goddess like that as a paladin.


Now to my real discussion around the subject of elven paladins.

Firstly, the elven culture itself doesn't promote "law" as virtue. Elves promote freedom based on personal responsibility (a freedom and individualism connected to collectivism) and not following rules or superiors. The Seldarine are chaotic, so paladins and monks are not true to elven traditions - due to the rules, codes and regulations being to rigid for their taste. That is why the Seldarine do not promote these classes. To be a paladin you need to feel called by your deity to that role, and by definition in cannon a Seldarine would not do that. (You can be elven monk that follows a Seldarine, but monks don't get divine spells, and thus can't claim to be divinely sponsored).

HOWEVER. There is a CG deity in Faerunian pantheon that has paladins - Sune. If Sune, who is notoriously CG can have these... Why wouldn't Hanali, who is, if you simplify things, elven Sune. And based on that, maybe some elven deity could allow it. It would still be weird. But I see it as an opening for exceptions.

[Southpaw]

Jul 2, 2022 5:53:15 GMT -5 mandene said:

This is not as simple as Malclave makes it. I have read about Khalreshaar, as I play a follower of her (and have Mielikki as patron)

In 2e materials she is both described as a human and a half-elf. As a human she is described as a druidess with the name Khalreshaar that sacrificed herself to defend an elven forest from evil. Upon her death she ascended to godhood. And is venerated by elves for that. So here she sounds like she can't be Mielikki to begin with, and rather like a lesser goddess that was absorbed by her. Doesn't sound either like a goddess venerated enough to have priests among elbes, but more like an example of good among humans appreciated for her bravery and sacrifice .

As a half-elf, Khalreshaar is believed to be a daughter of a Seldarine and a deity from the Faerunian pantheon. I think it's Silvanus and Hanali. Her role in this aspects is being the messenger of Silvanus (which makes her not a Seldarine) [edit] (I doble checked, and she is seen as a messenger for Rillifane) [/edit], instead of the role as patron of the forests that Mielikki has. In this description she is considered by some half-elves to be the first real half-elven deity. And thus a patron of half-elves, the same way as different elven sub-races have their own patrons. These half-elves place her as a Seldarine. This view is considered to be a herecy by most elves.

You would need a really good explenation why an elf wants to champion a goddess like that as a paladin.


Now to my real discussion around the subject of elven paladins.

Firstly, the elven culture itself doesn't promote "law" as virtue. Elves promote freedom based on personal responsibility (a freedom and individualism connected to collectivism) and not following rules or superiors. The Seldarine are chaotic, so paladins and monks are not true to elven traditions - due to the rules, codes and regulations being to rigid for their taste. That is why the Seldarine do not promote these classes. To be a paladin you need to feel called by your deity to that role, and by definition in cannon a Seldarine would not do that. (You can be elven monk that follows a Seldarine, but monks don't get divine spells, and thus can't claim to be divinely sponsored).

HOWEVER. There is a CG deity in Faerunian pantheon that has paladins - Sune. If Sune, who is notoriously CG can have these... Why wouldn't Hanali, who is, if you simplify things, elven Sune. And based on that, maybe some elven deity could allow it. It would still be weird. But I see it as an opening for exceptions.

There are many orderly structures a person can follow that would not violate the way of the Seldarine.  If you constrain yourself to an idea of "law" that requires a top-down command hierarchy, then sure, you've defined the idea of an elven paladin out of existence.  However, as some current real world government systems demonstrate, law can also be used to codify a protection of individual freedoms, like the right to free speech and religion.  These "laws" protect personal freedom, and are no less lawful for doing so.  In those instances, it is the one who tries to constrain freedom inappropriately who is violating the law, not the one who practices it.  You can also have "law" that says, essentially, "Everyone is on a level with each other, and nobody belongs trying to tell other people what to do.  If they try, they are breaking the rules."  Examples of this in real world governmental systems would be concepts such as equal voting in a democratic society, and the egalitarian functioning of a governing body like a city council or parliament/congress of a country.  The essence of "law" is a basic structure that fosters social agreement as to what the norms everyone is operating on are, and does not require top-down command hierarchy.  I think that from that point of view, the paladin class would be perfectly endowed to uphold the traditions of the elves by taking the protecting of personal freedom and egalitarian status between members as "laws" to never be violated, for the obvious "good" that can be accomplished by such a way of doing things, with the self sacrificing personal discipline the class is known for.  If the paladin were to look at individual cases on the basis of watching to make sure that even these "rules" are always accomplishing "good," and always ready to set them aside if they are not, then this would fit the "law for the sake of good" calling of a paladin perfectly.

[scrubyoukai]

If we're on the subject of elven paladins, what about Vandria Gilmadrith? On ForgottenRealms wiki she's listed as follows: Vandria Gilmadrith was a minor elven goddess of vigilance, grief, and war. Due to the lighthearted nature of elves, her worship fluctuated greatly. [...] Some of the few elven paladins chose to follow Vandria, as many parts of her dogma appealed to their nature.

[mandene]

Jul 2, 2022 10:35:22 GMT -5 scrubyoukai said:

If we're on the subject of elven paladins, what about Vandria Gilmadrith? On ForgottenRealms wiki she's listed as follows: Vandria Gilmadrith was a minor elven goddess of vigilance, grief, and war. Due to the lighthearted nature of elves, her worship fluctuated greatly. [...] Some of the few elven paladins chose to follow Vandria, as many parts of her dogma appealed to their nature.

I don't know 5e, but in 3e she is not part of Seldarine in Faerun. She is Grayhawk/cannon dnd deity. Forgotten realms wiki is not to be trusted as a source. You need to check out each source they quote to be sure. I only know her from races of the wild, which is not a Faerunian book.