Non-traditional RPG classes
by Gary Haussmann · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 03/31/2005 (9:13 am) · 9 replies
Hi guys,
I was just thinking about what sorts of classes I would come up with if I had to make fantasy RPG classes which didn't emphasize the kill/heal combat style of play. The challenge is to give the player something to do besides combat, but to make sure that the tasks you do are still interesting and varied. So in the same way that a warrior or mage has several tactical options in combat depending on who or what they are fighting, so should the "non-combat" classes have several options available to them in order to keep gameplay interesting.
Some stuff off the top of my head:
1. The minstrel. I guess most RPGs already have a "Bard" or whatever, but this typically seems to be a hybrid rogue/mage class, with the entertainment aspect sorely lacking. For a minstrel, the music aspect is pretty much everything. How could you make this interesting? At lower levels, most of your money and tasks would involve entertaining small crowds. You could choose between possible entertainment methods like music or telling epic stories (i.e., Homer retelling the Odyssey). The instruments are varied so that certain instruments work better at playing various types of songs (battle hymns, love ballads, etc.) and different races or social classes would tend to prefer different forms of entertainment. So the main challenge is choosing the proper entertainment method based on your crowd makeup. Useful talents later would be to influence crowds similar to the "Rockerboy" class of Cyberpunk2020.
2. The courier. The courier is somewhere between a sneak and a spelunker. The courier specializes in getting messages or packages anywhere, no matter how dangerous or difficult to reach. Many abilities involve jumping to places and clinging to things that you shouldn't. At first you're just running around between two points, but the destinations start to get more difficult: maybe you have to scale a castle wall, hide under a merchant cart, or squirm through a hidden passage. Maybe some trap evasion is involved, too...though I've never been really satisfied by any RPG's handling of traps.
3. The con artist. The key activity is convincing people to do what you want. This perhaps involves fast-talking, some impersonation, and other misleading activities. Example tasks would involve bluffing your way through the city gate, convincing that merchant to give you that magic pearl he found, and inciting the Graf von Grausigkeit to attack those pesky trolls in the nearby marsh. Key talents are charisma, "reading" people to see their emotional state and possible hot-button topics, and perhaps a bit of outright document forgery.
Anyways, that was kind of long-winded. The big problem is to make the player's role seem as interesting or exciting as the "hit this thing with a big stick" method. This requires not only the proper game mechanics for the player classes, but also a lot of content that supports these roles. For instance, looking at the classes above, you would need to give the minstrels crowds to "work" in each settlement, some scalable walls or cliffs for the courier, and a gullible merchant or lord in every city for the con artist. Yow!
I was just thinking about what sorts of classes I would come up with if I had to make fantasy RPG classes which didn't emphasize the kill/heal combat style of play. The challenge is to give the player something to do besides combat, but to make sure that the tasks you do are still interesting and varied. So in the same way that a warrior or mage has several tactical options in combat depending on who or what they are fighting, so should the "non-combat" classes have several options available to them in order to keep gameplay interesting.
Some stuff off the top of my head:
1. The minstrel. I guess most RPGs already have a "Bard" or whatever, but this typically seems to be a hybrid rogue/mage class, with the entertainment aspect sorely lacking. For a minstrel, the music aspect is pretty much everything. How could you make this interesting? At lower levels, most of your money and tasks would involve entertaining small crowds. You could choose between possible entertainment methods like music or telling epic stories (i.e., Homer retelling the Odyssey). The instruments are varied so that certain instruments work better at playing various types of songs (battle hymns, love ballads, etc.) and different races or social classes would tend to prefer different forms of entertainment. So the main challenge is choosing the proper entertainment method based on your crowd makeup. Useful talents later would be to influence crowds similar to the "Rockerboy" class of Cyberpunk2020.
2. The courier. The courier is somewhere between a sneak and a spelunker. The courier specializes in getting messages or packages anywhere, no matter how dangerous or difficult to reach. Many abilities involve jumping to places and clinging to things that you shouldn't. At first you're just running around between two points, but the destinations start to get more difficult: maybe you have to scale a castle wall, hide under a merchant cart, or squirm through a hidden passage. Maybe some trap evasion is involved, too...though I've never been really satisfied by any RPG's handling of traps.
3. The con artist. The key activity is convincing people to do what you want. This perhaps involves fast-talking, some impersonation, and other misleading activities. Example tasks would involve bluffing your way through the city gate, convincing that merchant to give you that magic pearl he found, and inciting the Graf von Grausigkeit to attack those pesky trolls in the nearby marsh. Key talents are charisma, "reading" people to see their emotional state and possible hot-button topics, and perhaps a bit of outright document forgery.
Anyways, that was kind of long-winded. The big problem is to make the player's role seem as interesting or exciting as the "hit this thing with a big stick" method. This requires not only the proper game mechanics for the player classes, but also a lot of content that supports these roles. For instance, looking at the classes above, you would need to give the minstrels crowds to "work" in each settlement, some scalable walls or cliffs for the courier, and a gullible merchant or lord in every city for the con artist. Yow!
#2
Plus it would make things such as being a minstrel more interesting than simply hoping the dice roll in your favor.
03/31/2005 (7:34 pm)
I've always thought RPG's with button mashing aspects were more fun. Instead of saying I'm level 40 and can cast Instant Death instead to have key combinations to successfully perform the action. Levels simply unlock the larger harder abilities.Plus it would make things such as being a minstrel more interesting than simply hoping the dice roll in your favor.
#3
03/31/2005 (7:35 pm)
I would lke very much to create an RPG or see one developed in which there are NO classes.
#4
03/31/2005 (8:15 pm)
How about a shopping bagger or burger flipper. FEAR the awesome power of the head bagging maniac, or not...
#5
04/01/2005 (12:23 am)
I like idiots ideas lol 
#6
Items would only appear to be useful, but would only be as powerful as the level of the crafter. So the elite guard looking armor looks neat, but is in reality no more functional than lvl 2 leather.
The class would be based upon deception and illusion. This wouldn't be a great class for a multiplayer rpg, but a fun one for single player (if your actions have consequences).
05/11/2005 (9:46 am)
Maybe a crafter/thief hybrid, where the player creates replicas of items of value and steals the actual item while leaving the replica. The player could create armor replications to appear to belong to a certian guild or class for sneaking by in plain sight. Counterfeit gold (or whatever currency is in place) could be produced, and recognized by the hybrid. Items would only appear to be useful, but would only be as powerful as the level of the crafter. So the elite guard looking armor looks neat, but is in reality no more functional than lvl 2 leather.
The class would be based upon deception and illusion. This wouldn't be a great class for a multiplayer rpg, but a fun one for single player (if your actions have consequences).
#7
:)
05/11/2005 (2:50 pm)
Manager, who extends party inventory (cause he's mean when it comes to suitcase packing!):)
#8
The purpose of the lith is to protect and serve the innocent. Their favored ability is the use of healing magic. Unfortunately, there are times when healing isn't enough. For this reason, lith are trained in the art of combat.
A lith doesn't have the destructive ability of a soldier, but she doesn't need to. Her skills aren't intended for attack, but rather for protection. A lith can learn a battle technique called "Purify" that inflicts additional damage against undead.
When she is more experienced, a lith will be able to use the dangerous "Convert" battle technique to convert her enemies to the side of the law. This only works when the lith gets a critical hit, and sometimes it doesn't work even then. But when it does, it's the most effective attack available to anyone. Lith with good critical hit and conversion capabilities can acquire small armies of converted allies.
Edit: Darn it! The description doesn't sound all that unique. But trust me, they are unique. Or at least they're unique in my own mind.
05/12/2005 (9:38 pm)
Lith (a pseudo-paladin from my rpg framework)The purpose of the lith is to protect and serve the innocent. Their favored ability is the use of healing magic. Unfortunately, there are times when healing isn't enough. For this reason, lith are trained in the art of combat.
A lith doesn't have the destructive ability of a soldier, but she doesn't need to. Her skills aren't intended for attack, but rather for protection. A lith can learn a battle technique called "Purify" that inflicts additional damage against undead.
When she is more experienced, a lith will be able to use the dangerous "Convert" battle technique to convert her enemies to the side of the law. This only works when the lith gets a critical hit, and sometimes it doesn't work even then. But when it does, it's the most effective attack available to anyone. Lith with good critical hit and conversion capabilities can acquire small armies of converted allies.
Edit: Darn it! The description doesn't sound all that unique. But trust me, they are unique. Or at least they're unique in my own mind.
#9
05/13/2005 (8:39 am)
Games such as Star Wars Galaxies have been trying to include non-combat classes and they've taken the brave first step, however, in my opinion they needed to add a little more for them to do in the game. The recent game changes though (read Combat Upgrade) have made it very difficult for a crafter to go into the wild and collect their resources unless they have a friend with them who is a high-level combat type. I've heard that "A Tale in the Desert" has no combat and is doing fairly well. I've never played it myself. 
Torque Owner J. Alan Atherton
In reality now, the idea is interesting, but I think you need to develop it more. This still doesn't sound as fun to me as "hit this thing with a big stick." The courier is probably the best candidate to make fun. You could make a whole game around the courier concept. If you just re-did Prince of Persia, that could be one style of gameplay with that concept. You could also involve monsters which can be killed, but if you spend your time killing monsters you'll be late. So you may have to stop and stun some of the faster/bigger monsters, but just run once you can get away. You could even make a nintendo-era game where you have to tap the buttons faster to run faster, thus adding an arcade element to the game. Keep playing with the idea... I think you can make it work.