[Mechanics] Classes

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Official Classes (Core Rulebook)

• Barbarian
• Bard
• Cleric
• Fighter
• Paladin
• Ranger
• Rogue
• Sorcerer
• Wizard

Official Classes (13 True Ways)

• Chaos Mage
• Commander - depends on interrupt actions, making it very hard to use in Play-by-Post.
• Druid
• Monk
• Necromancer
• Occultist - depends on interrupt actions, making it very hard to use in Play-by-Post.

Ease of Play From the simplest character class to the most complex, the classes go like so: The barbarian is designed for the player who wants to roll dice and slay without worrying too much about the rules. Like the barbarian, the ranger relies on base attacks augmented by class talents instead of a power list. The paladin also relies on a short list of class talents instead of powers. Like the ranger, it can be slightly more complex if you choose its more involved talents. The fighter is simple to play but asks you to make interesting choices between flexible attacks before and during combat. The cleric is probably the easiest of the spellcasters. It requires a touch of patience. The sorcerer is probably more complex than the cleric because of variant spells and the option to cast spells for double the effect in two rounds. Not a decision that new players may feel comfortable with. The rogue can be more complex than other classes because you are tracking whether or not you have momentum, constantly disengaging, and trying to use your Sneak Attack damage effectively. The bard has a variety of options that include battle cries, spells, and songs. Figuring out how to use these options in combat and during roleplaying is probably best for a confident player. The wizard is the most complex class if you choose all the options that allow improvisation and ad-libbing; without those free-form talents, it’s no more difficult than the sorcerer. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 75.

Classes (13th Age SRD)

Authors: hippo, Aethera

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The Barbarian Striding out of the wilderness come indomitable men and ferocious women, barbaric warriors who pit their sinew and will against everything that civilization and sorcery can throw at them. Some win glory and wealth, while others gain nothing but the grim satisfaction of beating down powerful and terrifying foes. Overview Play style: A barbarian character is straightforward and easy to play. It’s a good class for a new player or the player who wants to have fun without worrying much about rules getting in the way of awesome attacks. Unlike most of the other classes, barbarians don’t gain powers every level. Instead, most of their extra oomph comes from their class talents. We keep decisions to a minimum while allowing barbarians to contribute with mighty attacks and awesome bravado. Ability Scores: Strength is the most important score for a barbarian. After Strength, Constitution is next in line, since you’ll take damage often and a high Constitution increases your hit points. Barbarians gain a +2 class bonus to Strength or Constitution, as long as it isn’t the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Many barbaric cultures consist of orcs, half-orcs, humans, or half-elves. Barbarians of other races are rare but obviously plausible and interesting. Alternatively, the campaign you’re in could include a barbaric subculture in some other race—hint, hint. Backgrounds: Wolf clan champion, caravan outrider, fur trapper, mountain tribeswoman, wasteland survivalist, underworld refugee, gladiator, Iron Seacoast hunter. Icons: Barbarians are often related one way or another to the Orc Lord, the High Druid, the Three (especially the Red), or the Diabolist. Sometimes a barbarian isn't from a fully barbaric culture, but is instead a powerful warrior with fewer tricks than a fighter but a lot more rage. These rowdy-but-civilized barbarians could readily be associated with most any icon. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 77.

Barbarian (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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The Bard If the gods didn’t create the world with a song, that’s sure what it sounds like when you hear a mighty bard sing. Bards travel the world, learning and teaching each other the ancient songs and arcane secrets of a hundred lands. They practice an intuitive and nimble sort of arcane magic, using not merely their minds to cast spells but their hearts. Their spells, their swordplay, and their romances all demonstrate not just skill but a certain poetry. The best bards bring out the best in others, inspiring them to overcome all obstacles and then spreading the story in a victory song. The worst bards are manipulative, seductive egomaniacs. Overview Play Style: Bards are flexible characters with many options in roleplaying situations and in combat. They're not the best character choice for beginning players, but can be a lot of fun for experienced and extroverted players who enjoy mastering different types of abilities and performing as jacks or jills of all trades. Ability Scores: The bard’s two most important ability scores are Charisma (used as the attack ability for spells) and either Strength or Dexterity (depending on which ability you choose to use for your basic melee attacks, since the bard gets a choice). But see the class talents for ways of tweaking that arrangement. Bards gain a +2 class bonus to Dexterity or Charisma, as long as it isn’t the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Traditionally half-elves, high elves, and humans have the breadth and soul to ken the complexity of bardic knowledge. Half-elf, high elf, and human bards often claim that gnomes do not have what it takes to ken the complexity of bardic knowledge. But the complaint goes unheard because the gnome bard is already entertaining the crowd. Backgrounds: Music, swordplay, and arcana offer diverse paths that lead to becoming a bard. If you’re stuck for inspiration after the sample backgrounds that follow, look at the sample lists for fighters, rogues, sorcerers, and wizards—most could apply. Wandering minstrel, Cathedral musician, court jester, Drakkenhall court jester, mercenary, tavern owner, failed hedge wizard, diplomat, spy, royal taster, caravan guide, Imperial commissar, smuggler, Grey Harbor smuggler, Necropolis drummer, party circuit maven, battle skald. Icons: The icons most commonly associated with bards are the Elf Queen and the Prince of Shadows. But bards thrive on surprises! Depending on character backstory and the campaign, bards could be connected to almost any of the icons. In fact, connected is a good word for the bard. Three of the bard’s class talents are all about having better icon relationships: Balladeer, Loremaster, and Mythkenner (though the last two are mutually exclusive). Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 82.

Bard (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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The Cleric All mortals call on the gods, but when a cleric calls, the gods sometimes listen. Overview Clerics combine the rare gift of divine power with training in one religious tradition or another. Adventuring clerics learn to fight as a practical matter, if not as a sacred mission. Some clerics are syncretists, happily blending their own prayers and rites with those of their neighbors. They would rather speak of “the gods” than of any particular god. Other clerics follow the secret ways of occult clerical schools, devoted to one god or a handful. Most clerics, as with most religious people in general, speak of “the gods” to outsiders and speak of their own gods by name with insiders. For all the ages, the gods have watched over their creation. Each cleric has a good idea of who these gods are and what they're about, though each cleric’s answer may be different. Play Style: The decisions necessary to play a cleric skillfully as well as the responsibility of tracking your allies’ need for healing suggest that it is a better class for an experienced player. You can shape each battle using one of your invocations, but your choice of invocation won't always be clear. The Justice, Trickery, and War domains require the most attention and should be chosen by players who love paying close attention to everyone else’s turn. Ability Scores: Wisdom and Strength are your two most important abilities. You’ll use Wisdom for most of your spells and Strength for most melee attacks. Charisma can also be significant, particularly if you choose talents and spells that highlight your force of will and persuasiveness. Clerics gain a +2 class bonus to Strength or Wisdom, as long as it isn't the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Humans have a reputation as people who can believe in almost anything . . . with enough fervor to make it so. Half-elves, dwarves, and wood elves also make fine clerics. Backgrounds: Running from the ordinary to the idiosyncratic, here are some backgrounds that more than one cleric might possess: village healer, archivist, military chaplain, temple guard, bartender, reformed thief, abyssal survivor, wasteland prophet, dwarven hierophant, initiate of the Stellar Chorus, bishop of Foothold, multiversal pantheist, Cathedral guide, tutored by angels. Icons: The Priestess understands clerics. So does the Great Gold Wyrm, the Crusader, and the Dwarf King, though these icons might have narrower ranges of faith they are fully comfortable with than the Priestess. All the icons can fit an individual cleric’s story. The interplay between god and icon may even explain the icon relationship. For instance, an elven cleric’s otherwise positive relationship with the Elf Queen might count as a conflicted relationship because of the elf ’s angst-freighted devotion to the dwarven god of the forge. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 92.

Cleric (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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The Fighter The grit and guts it takes to be a true fighter may be as rare and magical as the brains and arcane spark it takes to be a wizard. Plenty of poor slobs all across the world get pressed into military duty, and some fighters start that way, but there’s more to a true fighter than that: skill, discipline, toughness, and an uncanny ability to get in harm’s way . . . with a double dose of harm for the other guy. Overview Play Style: A couple of class talents can make your job more complicated, but overall, playing a fighter is simple. You decide who to attack, roll your attack, and then figure out which flexible attack you want to use. Ability Scores: You need Strength for your attacks and Constitution for hit points when the enemy attacks you. Some fighter talents and attacks also reward high Dexterity. Fighters gain a +2 class bonus to Strength or Constitution, as long as it isn’t the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Wanna start a tavern brawl? Ask which race has the best fighters. Then suggest that it’s not the race of the fighter you are speaking with. Outside of tavern brawls, it’s generally understood that half-orcs and dwarves make great fighters. So do humans. So do a few of the optional races. Backgrounds: Here are some backgrounds to get you started with your fighters: swordmaster, mercenary captain, sea raider, shieldwall spearman, explorer, bouncer, thug, city guardsman, Sea Wall veteran, former gladiator, former orc captive, bankrupt nobleman, duelist, goblin-hunter, former Imperial legionnaire. Icons: We’ve seen many fighters devoted to the Dwarf King or to the Emperor. We imagine that there will be many fighters associated with the Crusader. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 102.

Fighter (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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The Paladin In every age, extraordinary men and women have stepped forward to carry the battle flag of justice. By the will of the gods, paladins are both protectors and avengers whose campaigns of awesome justice serve as warnings to any who threaten those under their protection. The people depend on them, lords celebrate them, and monsters hate them. People have never needed paladins more than they do in the 13th Age. Overview Play Style: The paladin is a heavily armored and fanatically devoted warrior of the gods—or of causes so pure they don't require gods to make them holy. Like the barbarian, the paladin is simple to play. Your choices during combat come from your talents since you don't choose new attacks or spells as you rise in level. Most every attack you make uses your basic melee attack, but you can augment it by using Smite Evil or one of the other abilities from your talents. Paladins who want a bit more complexity can choose talents that let them cast a cleric spell or use a cleric domain. Ability Scores: Strength is your attack ability. Depending on your talents and feats, you might want to have a high Charisma. If you avoid the talents that depend on your magical impact, you'll probably opt for a high Constitution for the hit points. Paladins gain a +2 class bonus to Strength or Charisma, as long as it isn't the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Humans and half-elves gravitate to the zeal required of paladins. Although more rare, some of the most fearsome paladins are dwarves, proving that stature is overrated, and half-orcs, proving that they despise evil. Backgrounds: Paladins are usually highly disciplined warriors rather than untrained neophytes. They often have skills related to their previous assignments or duties. From the somewhat standard to the quixotic, here’s a short list of possible paladin backgrounds to get you started: city guardsman, combat medic, bodyguard, outlaw hunter, Sea Wall captain, Golden Citadel archeologist, Elf Queen’s courtier, First Triumph Inquisitor, veteran of the orc wars, hellhole commando, ex-priest of the Diabolist. Icons: Like most d20 games, we assume that most paladins are good, even lawful good. The Great Gold Wyrm is the patron of such paladins while the Priestess attracts paladins who value the good over the law. Paladins supremely devoted to virtue and the cause of good frequently take the Path of Universal Righteous Endeavor talent. But paladins don't have to be good. The Crusader inspires many evil paladins—they share hatred of demons with the paladins of the Great Gold Wyrm without any of the compassion for the demons’ victims. Even worse, from the Wyrm’s perspective, the Blue’s hold on Drakkenhall has given it a stable base to inspire and train paladins devoted to the Three. Paladins inordinately devoted to evil should consider the Way of Evil Bastards talent. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 110.

Paladin (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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[hippo]

The Ranger Some rangers get their training in an official ranger corps, serving the Emperor or another legitimate authority. Others are initiates into half-wild gangs, resourceful nomads who know more ancient secrets than their rough manner might suggest. Rangers from different lands or traditions respect each other, though they can still be ruthless rivals. In the wilderness, rangers are held in awe, provided the common people even know they're there. In the city, rangers are notorious for complaining about the conditions of urban life, but they are renowned as outlandish party guests. Overview Play Style: Like the barbarian, the ranger is simple to play. Your choices in play come from your class talents since you don't choose new attacks or spells as you gain levels. Most every attack you make uses your basic melee or ranged attack. Unlike most other classes, you can choose to use your Strength or your Dexterity as your attack ability in melee. Choosing to have an animal companion complicates matters slightly, since you’ll have two creatures to act with each turn: your ranger and the animal you choose. If you want to have an animal by your side that has less impact on battles and that requires fewer decisions in play, choose the Ranger’s Pet talent instead of the Animal Companion talent. Ability Scores: Dexterity and Strength are your main ability scores. It’s also likely that many of the skill checks you’ll make in the wilderness will play off Wisdom. Rangers gain a +2 class bonus to Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom, as long as it isn't the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Tradition and natural inclination makes wood elves the prototypical rangers. The class’s flexibility with Strength, Dexterity, and ranged and melee attacks means that everyone from humans to half-orcs and halflings can stride into the role if they choose. Backgrounds: Rangers are trackers, bounty hunters, members of secret orders of frontier guardians, agents of druidic circles, survivors of distant massacres, beast slayers, tree dwellers, initiates of the golden bough, woodsy assassins, dwellers on the Sea Wall, Koru behemoth tribefolk, orc slayers, wanderers, and occasionally even secret monarchs of vanished kingdoms. Icons: The High Druid and the Elf Queen rule the green spaces. The Orc Lord and the Three lay claim to the wastes. And a few hooded rangers who keep their stories straight and their motives plausible may know something of the Prince of Shadows. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 116.

Ranger (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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[hippo]

The Rogue Rogues are a mixed bag. Some are thugs who have learned enough tricks to get a step ahead of the other thugs. A few are mad, driven by a reckless sense of adventure. Most are quick with a smile, a blade, and a getaway. They receive various sorts of training: from a spymaster’s school, a thieves’ guild, a cult of the Black dragon, an independent operator, or an ambitious ogre mage. Rogues prefer never to be called assassins. And you know very well what will happen to you if do. Overview Play Style: Our rogue is a bit of a challenge to play thanks to Sneak Attack powers that require the character to team up with allies and Momentum powers that depend heavily on whether you last hit an enemy or were hit yourself. If the newbie in the group plays the rogue, give them props for skilled play. Ability Scores: Dexterity rules. Second place goes to Charisma. Some rogues find ways to use Intelligence in place of Charisma, as in the Cunning talent. Strength can be helpful too. Rogues gain a +2 class bonus to Dexterity or Charisma, as long as it isn’t the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Halflings love being rogues. So do wood elves and drow. Humans? Well, of course. Backgrounds: Street thug, cat burglar, diplomat, professional gambler, Imperial customs agent, courtier, jewel thief, acrobat, con artist, bartender, hellhole infiltrator, temple spy master, thieves guild organizer, pirate, dandy, rat catcher. Icons: The Prince of Shadows puts a touch on so many rogues that it might be harder to find rogues who don’t have his traces. The Elf Queen, Diabolist, and the Three have their reasons for knowing rogues, and rogues have reasons for knowing them. Thanks to the Smooth Talk talent, some rogues find themselves working with followers of most all the icons at least once in their career. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 124.

Rogue (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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The Sorcerer When the Empire was young, there were no sorcerers. Today, it seems they're everywhere. In the earliest ages, each icon held dominion over their own magic power. Only servants of the Archmage, for example, could use an Archmage’s arcane secrets. But that time was many ages ago, and things are different now. Age by age, arcane and divine power has slipped from the icons’ hands into the spells of mortals who control it as best they can . . . or simply let fly. Sorcerers are notoriously reckless with their spells. Wizards say that a sorcerer doesn't so much cast a spell as uncork it. Elves say you never talk to the same sorcerer twice, and dwarves say not even once. Overview Play Style: Sorcerers are self-taught genius freaks with an intuitive mastery of magic and possibly some brain damage. They tap into the icons’ power with or without the icons’ permission. Some are aligned with an icon, such as the lickspittle eunuch slaves of the Three, trained since before birth to be dragon sorcerers. Some are outlaws, such as a secret cult devoted to occult rituals, including initiation ceremonies that grant deathless and infernal power. Some sorcerers are simply one-off flukes resulting from astrological mismatches, early exposure to otherworldly forces, and other supernatural happenstance. Since sorcerers are so variable, players should personalize their sorcerers freely. Change the names and fiction for your character’s powers. Adjust the details of your powers to make them fit your character fiction better. If your sorcerer was cursed at birth to wield the power of the Lich King, maybe your breath of the white dragon spell is called breath of the grave. Now instead of looking like a blast of ice, the breath weapon effect looks like creepy fog that freezes everything, accompanied by the sound of your own death rattle. Same effect, unique fiction. A sorcerer isn't the simplest class to play, but choosing whether you want to gather power or cast something right now isn't all that tough. Players who can handle dice swinginess may enjoy the sorcerer more. If you're not that type, steer clear of the more chaotic powers. Ability Scores: Charisma is your most important asset. You get to decide whether your high Charisma represents a forceful personality or a winning personality. Your second-choice ability score is less clear. Some sorcerers use magic that relies a bit on Constitution, others prefer speed and Dexterity. Sorcerers gain a +2 class bonus to Charisma or Constitution, as long as it isn't the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: Given the Elf Queen’s pre-eminence as a source of sorcerous magic, it’s no surprise that both dark elves and high elves are quick to dip their souls in sorcery. Half-elves and humans are the other most commonly encountered sorcerers. Backgrounds: Here are a few sorcerer backgrounds to get you started: tribal shaman, former child avatar, pirate captain, spell-arena gladiator, failed wizard, Shadow Port city guard, sahuagin hunter. Icons: The sorcerous heritage talents detail the six icons who are most likely to have sorcerous devotees. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 132.

Sorcerer (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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The Wizard Wizards are the masters of arcane energy. They use geometry, symbology, occult numerology, and a complex grammatical system to describe magic and thereby control it. They fill their heavy, locked spellbooks with crabbed writing, secret codes, and convoluted designs. Each wizard belongs to a school or at least a lineage, traced back from student to master. Today, many wizard schools are aligned directly with the Archmage, but most are independent. Thanks to interlocking treaties among schools, most wizards from rival schools are sworn to respect each other. This restriction, however, seems to stoke competition rather than quell it. Many “book-wizards” are more-or-less cowards who would rather study reality than experience it. The wizards that go adventuring are the rare sort who respond to mortal danger with greater focus rather than panic. Overview Play style: Our wizard is designed for experienced players who like a bit of improvisation. Most of the wizard’s spells can only be used once per day, so timing matters. If you want to play the simplest possible wizard, choose the Abjuration, Evocation, and Familiar talents. To play as the flexible spellcaster who finds unique and amusing answers to problems, choose Cantrip Mastery, High Arcana, and Vance’s Polysyllabic Verbalizations. Ability scores: You don’t get to master dangerous book-learning with your good looks. And you wouldn't be risking this dangerous book-learning if being a wizard required actual Wisdom. It’s all about Intelligence. Wizards gain a +2 class bonus to Intelligence or Wisdom, as long as it isn't the same ability you increase with your +2 racial bonus. Races: High elves know that they are the finest wizards in the world. So they’re a bit piqued that the Archmage is almost always a human—and that the last non-human Archmage was a gnome. Backgrounds: Magical prodigy, spell thief, hedge wizard, chronomancer’s apprentice, Horizon City Guard (magic cop!), transformed familiar, Koru behemoth cleaner, ship’s wizard, Sea Wall veteran, royal poisoner. Icons: The Archmage is the archetype. After the Archmage? Probably the Lich King (positive, conflicted, or negative), the Emperor (usually positive or conflicted), and the Elf Queen. Personally she may favor sorcery, but she welcomes wizards in her service, particularly high elf wizards. Excerpt from Core Rulebook, page 144.

Wizard (13th Age SRD)

Authors: Aethera

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All about Chaos Mages

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All about Commanders

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All about Druids

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All about Monks

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All about Necromancers