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specializations.md

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There are four primary archetypal classes: warrior, mage, priest, and rogue. Each class is some combination of those four:

  • (none) - fool
  • mage - mage
  • priest - priest
  • rogue - rogue
  • warrior - warrior
  • mage-priest - druid, sage, witch
  • mage-rogue - alchemist, trickster, illusionist, magician
  • mage-warrior - warlock, ranger
  • priest-rogue - mystic, occultist
  • priest-warrior - paladin
  • rogue-warrior - mercenary, assassin
  • mage-priest-rogue - bard
  • priest-rogue-warrior - barbarian
  • mage-priest-warrior - knight?
  • mage-rogue-warrior - ranger
  • mage-priest-rogue-warrior - adventurer

Each archetype also allows a specialization:

  • For warriors, the specialization is a fighting style. A few styles are for specific weapon types, others are more about techniques: dual-wield, lightly armored, etc.

  • For mages, the specialization is a spell school. Each spell belongs to one school.

  • For priests, the specialization is a deity to worship. Prayers and granted powers are specific to a deity.

  • For rogues, the specialization is a profession: assassination, robbery, etc.

If the chosen class includes some archetype, than the player may choose a specialization for it. Any class that includes the priest archetype must choose a deity, but the other archetypes can be unspecialized.

So, for example, a warlock (mage+warrior), could be, say, an archer/necromancer. A ranger could be a diviner/lock-pick/swordsman.

Specializations basically boost some skills and penalize others. Choosing a specialization tends to make the game a little harder because the player is less able to adapt to what the dungeon gives them later in the game. In return, they get more replayability because each combination of specializations has a different feel.

Putting all of this together, along with races, opens up a lot of different character types. If we assume there are five races and five specializations for each archetype, it's something like 10,290 combinations.

Obviously, those don't all feel totally different since it's mostly just weighting some different skills. But if we assume that a combination of skills has its own feel (i.e. it feels different to play a character that can cast fireball and pick locks than it does a character who can do either), then we're talking a big play space to explore.

On the other hand, this is a lot for a new player to think about during character creation. So maybe the idea is to combine this with what I talked to Jason about around professions where the specialization isn't locked in at creation time. Instead, it gets earned by the player later in the game.

So, the player initially creates a, say, warlock. Then, later, that graduates to a necromancer/archer based on how it's played.

One mundane challenge with all this is figuring out what to name the class combinations since specializations may take some of the useful words.