Re: Coming back to DnD

>> "Bruce Grubb" wrote:
>>> Why would a party HAVE to start at 1st level? :-)  GURPS parties can
>>> start at any point total the GM want.  All the way from 1st level
>>> Commoner equivalent (25pts, realistic) to virtual demi-gods
>>> (500pts+, cinematic).

> JB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> They don't.

Rob Kelk wrote:
> Excuse me, but they do.

Read that again. Bruce asked a question ("Why would a party have to
start at 1st level?"), and JB answered it.

>> What the fuck are you babbling about now? It's a class system and in
>> D&D everyone is a 1st level something. Whoopdy do! Why is that a
>> problem and why is it obvious with NPC classes?

> Because you end up having to come up with new classes for unique
> characters that can't be shoehorned into existing classes.

True. Fortunately, it's rare, because pre-made templates are easier to
work with than unique ones. (Also fortunately, D&D recommends creating
those new classes when it really is the best thing to do. Some folks
have claimed otherwise.)

>>> I mean does there really need to be 'classes' like the Adept,
>>> Aristocrat, Commoner, Expert, or Warrior?

>> Why shouldn't there be?

> Because those group names are useless as descriptions.  What is an
> "Expert" expert at, and how is that different from being "Adept" at
> something?  (In various point-based systems, both terms are used to
> indicate high skill levels.)  What does every "Commoner" have in
> common? 

Judge books by their covers much? Each class also has a definition. Of
course the names don't mean much if you take them out of context. But to
answer your questions: The "expert" is a template for broadly-skilled
characters like most of the medieval middle class (especially urban
craftsmen and merchants). The "commoner" is a template for the medieval
working class. The "adept" is a kind of minor spellcaster. Taken out of
context, the names may seem weird, but they all have clear ties to what
they represent.

Are you done quibbling over semantics? Do you actually have a point?
-- 
Bradd W. Szonye
http://www.szonye.com/bradd