Class Articles: Introduction

Hello everyone, this Punch Rockgroin. I haven't been playing D&D 3.5 for terribly long, but being the colossal unrepentant geek I am I've been reading about and thinking about the game for quite some time. I've decided to put some of these thoughts down on paper (or at least on Word), and I'm hoping to write one of these about once every other week or so.

One of the D&D 3.5 things I like to think about are the classes. Classes constitute a very large part of the D&D experience, since classes make up a large part of Player Characters, and it's through the PCs that the players interact with the world the Dungeon Master has created. There's also a LOT of classes in D&D 3.5; by my last count, there are something like 59 different base classes, scattered over dozens of books. Not everyone has access to all of these books, and even if you have those books not everyone has the time to look through them all for a class. I think that's a real shame; some of the coolest and most interesting classes are from the more obscure splatbooks. Therefore, since most people don't have the sort of creepy psychotic obsession with D&D the way I do, I will take it upon myself to showcase some of these less-played classes.

I'll be divvying up each article into several sections:

Section 1: The class in a nutshell: Just a quick description of the base class and what it's supposed to do.

Section 2: Basic Chassis: Taking a look at the basics of the class: Hit die, skills list, weapon/armor proficiencies, Base Attack Bonus progression, saves, and how it all ties together.

Section 3: Class Features: Exploring the meat of the class—the class features. Explore what they are, what they mean, and how they help the class achieve what it's supposed to do.

Section 4: Class Role: What sort of encounters and challenges can the class be expected to overcome? What are its shortcomings? How well does the class typically overcome encounters?

Section 5: What are some of the usual options for the class?: What are some recommended feats, equipment, and class features options for the class?

Section 6: Sample Builds: Here we'll take a look at some quick sample builds available to the class—how to build them, tactics to use, and what to do at later levels.

Section 7: Conclusion: Finishing words to tidy up loose ends.

And with that, let's dive in!