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Character Class Guide

There are 13 different classes that we, the actual players (PCs), can choose from. There are four categories of classes: fighter, thief, cleric, and mage. Each category contains two to four individual classes. Each player may choose one class from each category. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses. No one specific class is necessarily better than another on its own. It's the combination of all four classes that can make a truly powerful character.

Fighter Classes


Barbarians are the most generic of all the fighter classes. Their primary attribute is strength and the skills available to them are based on this. On the plus side, barbarians have some of the beefier combat skills such as bash and axe. What they gain in strength, however, they lack in finesse. One good reason to choose to be a barbarian is if you're playing a race with typically low strength, such as a halflings, drow, or feys. Unfortunately, the other lower strength classes (elves and gnomes) are restricted from being barbs.

Paladins are the holy warriors, the proverbial knights in shining armor fighting to eradicate evil and enhance the good of the world. A paladin's primary attribute is courage. Because of this, they're also the only fighter class with spell skills. These spells are largely curative and protective. Because of their spell casting abilities, the proficiencies aren't quite as strong as what a cavalier or a valkyrie might have and they're lacking the bash and axe skills of a barbarian. However, they do get the riding skill which, when practiced to 100%, doubles a fighter's accuracy in battle. Paladins are a very well-rounded fighter class though they do lack the more specialized features of some of the others.

Cavaliers are a specialized group of male warriors who tend to spend their time in battle on horseback. A cavalier's primary attribute is vitality. Like paladins, they're gifted with the ability to ride horses in battle and, because of this, are the only class able to wield lances, some of the weapons in the game. However, since they're meant to be members of cavalry and less likely to engage in ground combat, they lack some of the skills designed for that type of fighting, such as dagger and acrobatics. When not wielding a lance, a cavalier's next best weapon is his sword. Due to the ability to wield a lance, cavaliers are a very popular class choice.

Valkyries are the female counterpart to cavaliers, though courage rather than vitality is their primary attribute. Also a highly specialized group of warriors, they rely on their speed and strength to best their enemies. In addition to their excellent combat skills, they're skilled at defending themselves. So skilled, in fact, that they're the only class gifted with second defense. Though they do lack the beefier weapons of lance or axe, they're talented spear and swordswomen. Of all four fighter classes, it's the editor's opinion that this is the strongest choice you can make. Though it does lack the paladin's spells (many of which can be acquired in other classes), the strength and defense of a valkyrie makes this class the best choice, in this editor's opinion.

Thief Classes


Rogues are a sly, cunning group of thieves striving to further their own efforts, often at the expense of others. Though they lack any spell skills, they get agility as a class bonus making them excellent at defending themselves and maneuvering out of tight spots. Because of this, they have some great defensive proficiencies, they can fight while blind, they can set traps to ensare an unsuspecting foe, and track their opponents. Because they're meant to sneak up on people and use the element of surpise, they lack any of the beefier weapons like sword, axe, or lance.

Bards are a more genteel thief than the rogues. They're charged with sharing music with the world through the use of song. A bard is gifted with more luck than the other classes. Because they're not as agile as their rogue counterparts, they lack some of those sneakier defensive and hunting/trapping skills. With their songs, however, they're able to do things that the rogues can't, and that's cast spells. Some are offensive and can only be cast in battle, some are protective and can only be cast outside of battle. They require no spellbooks or reagents, just an instrument.

Cleric Classes


Priests are a group of religious zealots dedicated to converting all to their following. They are excellent healers and can call on the powers that they serve both in battle to fight those who will not join them and also to heal and raise their fallen comrades. They lack the ability to wield any really decent weapons and can only use shield block as a defense, but their curative spells are good if you've not gotten those in other classes. Their offensive spells are very similar to those of a Shaman and are also given to some of the mage classes. Their primary attribute is wisdom, which is a nice bonus.

Shamans are a more spiritual and less organized group of religious people than priests are. They also seek wisdom and are granted a class bonus for this. They are more skilled in combat than priests, being able to bash and wield slightly more beefy weapons than priests. They don't quite have as comprehensive a spell list as the priests do, but they have good healing and some good offensive spells nonetheless. They're a good combination with other classes that can't bash or with psionics, who lack the ability to curse and poison and have no curative spells. With wizard as another class, this would be completely redundant.

Druids are a spiritual group who find their inspiration in nature. Because of this natural bond, they are able to call on the elements for protection and to use as a weapon against their opponents. They have some very good defensive spells like ooze invocation (stone skin) and dust invocation, which acts as a second defense. They are not limited to spellbooks and have one of the best self healing spells in the game. They're not beefy warriors, so they're limited in their weapon choices, but combined with a strong fighter class and something like a monk or psionic, druids can round out a truly powerful character.

Mage Classes


Wizards are a fairly varied class of magician. They have a strong, ancient magic that gives them a very wide range of spell abilities. They're the only class that can nexus. Their combat abilities are decent, they are able to wield swords, though they have no defenses at all. The range of spells that they have is greater than any other class, and though there are some that are pretty useless, such as control weather, they have some good combat spells. A wizard's primary attribute is knowledge, which makes it easier for them to learn and memorize spells.

Rangers are similar to druids in their ability to communicate with nature. Like rogues, they're gifted with an agility class bonus which makes them much better fighters than the other mage classes. They're also the only class that gets enhanced endurance, which allows them to regenerate stamina faster. Their spells are pretty much a smaller sampling of wizard spells. And though they can't cast blindness, they have herbalism which allows them to make blind mixtures. Rangers are an very versatile class.

Psionics are a quiet bunch. They live their lives with their minds. They're thoughtful and with those thoughts, can be powerful opponents. A psionic has a class bonus of sanity, making them a truly spell based class. Their combat skills are nothing to speak of. Spells is where it's at for the psi. They can cast spells without warning and an opponent will only know the spell has been cast when they feel the effects. They're not limited to spellbooks or reagents. This gives them a distinct advantage. However, at the same time, the spells that they can cast can sometimes be rather limited. Still, they can be a very powerful class especially when combined with a strong fighter class.

Monks are the bookworms of the mages. They focus on learning and are gifted with knowledge as a class bonus. Like rangers, they are not completely inferior in combat situations. They're able to bash, which is a nice skill for a magic-using class. They can also fight while blind, which can be a great asset against a blind-happy opponent. Their spells, like rangers, are also a smaller sampling of wizard spells, though monks can blind where rangers cannot. A monk is a great compliment to a paladin and bard class combination as it adds some offense and the bashing ability.