I can remember when I first came across NPC classes in the 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide (Warrior, Expert, Adept, Aristocrat, Commoner) back in...hmm, like 2003...? I thought they were such a good idea that I immediately wanted to start making characters with them. The Expert class, especially...I mean, why wasn't it already a widely used option? It just seemed so versatile, and (personal side note, skip to next paragraph if that sounds terrible) it matched up with what I had as a sort of lifelong dream, to earn the right to be considered an Expert in one topic or another. (It's why I eventually pursued a PhD...I was levelling up myself(!)...and arguably became just that, for one specific thing. One beautiful, very narrow, practically worthless, conversationally tedious thing.)
I also liked that the DMG specifically highlighted the Expert class as one that may be worth promoting to the big leagues...to pull a quote from the SRD:
The expert could make a PC-worthy class choice, but only for those players willing to create a character focused on something other than a traditional adventuring career.
As someone who was pretty new to the ways of D&D and enjoying the chance to immerse myself in whatever class ideas I could get my hands on, this sounded awesome! And then...I thought it was pretty cool when I happened to open the Sage miniature in a Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game booster and realized that they had actually made him an Expert, according to the full RPG stats that were found on each mini's card (on the opposite side from the skirmish game stats). (I think, anyway...)
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| The Sage, from an eBay listing; I can't wait to see the other side of the card and be proven right. Someday. Maybe. |
When I eventually realized (via the SRD) that the 3.5 book Unearthed Arcana also included so-called 'generic classes' (Warrior, Expert, Spellcaster) that served as amped-up versions of the NPC options...and I found out that the True20 system, right from its start in the original Blue Rose book, sorted every character into a similar tripartite taxonomy...I started to really take an interest in this approach!
I think that part of the reason I've become so drawn to these classes is that they're a fairly clean combination of aspects I like in some of my favorite RPGs. I love D&D-style class-and-level gaming because of its history, its implementation of genre archetypes, and its interesting 'stories' that are told without any dice being rolled, just by internalizing the abilities of a specific class. And I love West End Games' Ghostbusters (maybe my fave RPG ever) and many of the games it has inspired, as their straightforward attribute + skill mechanics are easily grokkable and contribute to a freewheeling tone where it seems like, somehow, 'normal' people fit in and anything goes when it comes to the adventure.
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| Dr. Peter Venkman's Ghostbusters stats; from the very helpful collection at Ghostbusters International |
I like where generic classes sit in between these two approaches and have had them in mind a lot lately while considering the setting that shares a name with this blog, especially since I typically think about the Monstrous Matters campaign as some variant of 'Ghostbusters + D&D.' And to a lesser extent, I like applying the generic classes to thoughts on UNLTD/POA/whatever I end up calling this 3.75-inch action figure skirmish game thingy I'm kind of working on...
So, let's see...
I have one spot in my home where I actually display action figures (other than the Lego minifigs that topped our wedding cake). The lineup changes based on whim and convenience. Here's a pic I took a few months back; I figure that eventually, I'm going to want to have all of these characters statted out for playing war, so I guess I'll start with that parapsychologist down in the lower right (next to Tars Tarkas) since I already have some 'official' numbers to base him on. Seems like a good testing ground for an Expert class (and I certainly have no issue treating the Venkman of the first film as a Level 1 character!)...
(He came from the awesome Plasma Pack set featuring the entire 'busting quartet in 3.75" form, btw...a pretty awesome 48th birthday gift from the parents this summer...!)
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Peter Venkman, Ph.D.
Expert, Level 1
Human, 34 years old
Affiliation: Ghostbusters (the 'real' ones)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (--) 13 (+1) 10 (--) 11 (--) 19 (+3) 19 (+3)Attack Bonuses: +0 melee (expertise with unarmed attacks), +1 ranged
Proficiencies (Expertise***)
Saves: Dexterity, Intelligence
Weapons: All simple weaponsArmor: Light armor
Languages: English
Skills: Investigation, Insight, Perception***, Deception***, Persuasion***Tools/Talents: Parapsychology
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