Classes as Skills, Part Three: A Fully Compatible Simple Class System

In the previous two posts, I have outlined a skills system. But sometimes skill systems are too complicated, you want something simpler. You want:

A Fully Compatible Simple Class System

If you (or your players) prefer a simple class system, then let your players choose from one of the classes below. Characters start off at Level 1, 100XP. At 200XP, 400XP, 800XP… they level up and revise their skill levels according to the progression below.

This option is designed to introduce new players to the game without overwhelming them with choices. At any point you can switch over to the points system, and it is exactly as if they had always been playing with that system.

In particular, you can have a massively cut down version of the character sheet - you can remove all the points costs and for non-spell casters you can remove all spell skills.

For example, a fourth level fighter with 800XP has Melee, Unarmed, Parry & Athletics at level 5, and Thrown & Bows at level 4. This costs 16*4 + 8*2 = 80, which is precisely the number of points they would have to spend in the points system to get these skills.

The only differences with this system (compared to the full points system) are that:

-          all choices have already been made for you

-          all skill improvement comes at the end of the level

Fighter

Melee: Char Level+2

Parry, Athletics: Char Level+1
Unarmed, Thrown: Char Level

Archer

Bow: Char Level+2

Melee, Parry, Athletics: Char Level+1

Ranger

Ranger: Char Level+2

Bow: Char Level+1

Melee, Parry, Athletics, Unarmed: Char Level

Rogue

Scout, Thief: Char Level+1

Melee, Unarmed, Parry, Thrown, Acrobatics, Athletics: Char Level

Healer

Healer: Char Level+2

Body Control: Char Level+1

Melee, Parry: Char Level

Elementalist (or Wizard, Enchanter, Sorcerer)

Air, Earth, Fire, Water: Char Level

Any two magic skills: Char Level +1

Melee, Parry: Char Level

Fire Elementalist (any one main spell list and two subsidiary ones from your chosen area)

Fire: Char Level +1

Earth, Water: Char Level

Any two magic skills: Char Level +1

Melee, Parry: Char Level

Pure Fire Elementalist (any one individual spell list)

Fire: Char Level +2

Any two magic skills: Char Level +1

Melee, Parry: Char Level

Italics are spell lists, and I haven't listed all the different spell class names such as Summoning Sorceror etc. as they're just the name of the list + the name of the area.

You can also have specific types based upon pre-existing spell caster trops, e.g.:

Druid (a type of Enchanter)
Plant Control, Animal Control: Char Level +1
Any two magic skills: Char Level +1

Melee, Parry: Char Level

Illusionist (a type of Wizard)
Sound, Light: Char Level +1
Any two magic skills: Char Level +1

Melee, Parry: Char Level

Sadly, you cannot play a Cleric. The closest is a Sorcerer specialising in Divination and Undead. I hope this isn't a deal breaker for anyone!

Best of both worlds

If you wish to use this system, but prefer the gradual levelling up from the standard system then this can be achieved by preparing a table for each class in advance.

For example, a Fighter’s progression would look like the table below (with the skill to increase highlighted):

XP	Improve	Level	Melee	Parry	Athletics	Unarmed	Thrown
100	All	1	3	2	2	1	1
140	Melee 4	1	4	2	2	1	1
160	Parry 3	1	4	3	2	1	1
180	Athletics 3	1	4	3	3	1	1
190	Unarmed 2	1	4	3	3	2	1
200	Lvl2, Thrown 2	2	4	3	3	2	2
280	Melee 5	2	5	3	3	2	2

For example, after earning the first 40XP the Fighter gets to increase their Melee, then after another 20XP they get to improve their Parry (rather than having to wait until they have 100XP and can level up). 

Observations

Skill Progression per Character Level

As you can see, in both systems, every character level you go up you can simply raise the level of each skill you already have by one level; always leaving some at level 0, and keeping the gap between the other skills constant. This is because to raise each skill one level means spending as many points as you've already spent on it, thus meaning the total cost doubles.

Bonus Differences at High Levels

If you maintain Bows at 2 levels higher than Thrown, and you also have +1 more stat bonus in bows than thrown, then you will always be +3 better in Bows than Thrown. That means you will always be half as likely to miss with a Bow than Thrown - in particular stat differences do not cease to matter at high levels.
Similarly, the Fighter Class always has 3 more bonuses in melee & parry combined than a Magic Using class, so even without stat bonuses they're always a lot better at fighting.

Am I Getting Any Better?
In a world of escalating bonuses for characters and monsters alike, you can feel like you're on a treadmill and never getting any better. But with the wound system in Explore you will always find that lowly Kobolds are a possible threat. Because of this you are still going to get meaningful encounters with low level creatures. Hence your improvement will really be noticeable when you start one-shotting Kobolds.

Wide Spread versus Narrow Focus in Skills
If you have level 5 in one spell list, that's the same as:

• level 4 in two spell lists
• level 3 in four spell lists
• level 2 in eight spell lists
• level 1 in every spell list.

So you can have a very narrow focus on one spell list, at which you are brilliant but limited to just that list; or you can have a middle way with slightly less powerful spells but far more of them; or you can have a wide spread of spells, all of which are pathetic. Somewhere in the middle is advisable!

There's a similar comparison to be made between someone who focuses on a couple of combat skills or just one general skill. For example, compare the Rogue Class to the Archer Class.