Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Feb 12, 2004 16:42:25	There are a wide variety of new classes that can be found in a number of sources, many of which may have application to Dragonlance. I think it might be useful to look at some of these classes and think about what they might bring to the setting, how they could/must be changed to fit the setting better, etc.. I'll start out: In Dragon Magazine issue #316, a new core class, the Artificer, was presented from the Eberron campaign setting. Has anyone considered importing the class to Dragonlance for their campaign? I think it could fit, to a degree, as a favored class (not necessarily in the technical sense) for the gnomes of Mt. Nevermind, or for Dwarven smiths and Elven craftsmen. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly sure how the Wizards of High Sorcery would react to powerful Artificers who can effectively recreate spells of higher than third level.
#2 Dragonhelm Feb 12, 2004 17:32:39	One of my favorite variants out there is Monte Cook's alternate bard. I wrote a quick article on how to adapt it to Dragonlance purposes a while back. Bards of Branchala Interesting topic, by the way. I'd like to hear what you guys think of other variant classes out there.
#3 zombiegleemax Feb 12, 2004 19:26:52	I always liked Monte Cook's variations on the Core Classes, especially the Sorcerer and Bard. The way you arranged the "Bardic orders" is rather interesting, and I might put that into practice for the bards that have been more formally trained, such those that attended one of the colleges in Ergoth or Saifhum. ~ The Swashbuckler Another interesting class variant that I think might prove useful in Dragonlance would be the Swashbuckler from the Complete Warrior. The class fits the Qualinesti and Silvanesti rather well, and I could see both once boasting prestigious schools of elegant fencing. Tutors of "Elven" fighting styles might be in high demand now that the two nations are in exile. I could see Solamnic noble families hiring such tutors for their children, which might produce a new generation of Knights that favor nimble, precise fighting to mounted combat or heavily mailed swordsmen. On a side note, the influx of Elven refugees into the northern lands may create a new appreciation for aesthetics, the arts, swordplay, archery, history and other aspects of elven culture. This could very well lead to a kind of Ansalonian Renaissance, a second flowering of civilization.
#4 cam_banks Feb 12, 2004 22:06:13	My Dragonlance campaign has thus far made use of the swashbuckler and hexblade (from Complete Warrior), the marshal and favored soul (from the Miniatures Handbook) and the akashic (from Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed). The Healer, from the Miniatures Handbook, would make an excellent class for followers of Mishakal, and I can see the warmage (also from the Miniatures Handbook) being an interesting specialist type of sorcerer, very much in line with how the SAGA system presented them (as elementalists, by and large). All of the above have appeared in ways that are perfectly reasonable for the setting, without having to twist the continuity to any degree. It's part of what I enjoy most about new rules and variant options - if you're lucky, you can find a perfect (and balanced) fit for the character concepts you have in mind. And I'm not even going to get into the prestige class assortments... Cheers, Cam