SCRAWL: New & Alternate Character Classes

I like SCRAWL. I like SCRAWL a lot.

This won't come as much of a surprise to anyone whose been following my recent, One Man And His Dice postings; where I have been playing through a short wilderness adventure; crafted on the fly; as a prelude to the first official SCRAWL dungeon - Dungeon of the Orc Boss.

So far it's been a blast, and I really have to give a shout out to Stuart Lloyd, who not only made this enjoyment possible by creating SCRAWL; but who is also a stand up guy.

As well as playing SCRAWL, I've also been chatting with Stuart about my ideas for other things that I'd like to introduce to the system. One of which has been new classes, and he has been very supportive.

Whilst homebrewing for roleplaying games is nothing new to me, I always take the approach that I want to do it right. This means learning the system, and learning what makes it tick. As the way I see it, anyone with an imagination can create something for an RPG. A new class, a new race, a new spell.. But to do it right, you have to consider a few things.

Balance against existing material  is one such thing.

For example, I could create a new spell that instantly kills a monster. But should I?

On the one hand there is nothing like it in the game, so there is a gap in the market so to speak; and it would probably appeal to players. Which is also a plus. However, in terms of balance, it'd be a nightmare! To the point where it might actually damage, even destroy the game. Nobody wants that!

Adding new classes is no difference.I had to ask myself Would adding this class, make another class unplayable? Do other classes render this class moot? Am I going to break the game?

After a lot of thinking I concluded that the best course of action was probably to redesign the existing classes; under new names; so as to absolutely ensure balance with the new classes.. But wouldn't that render the existing classes moot? Haven't I just broken my own rule?

Not at all!

SCRAWL is all about the players choice, and the player can choose to either version of the character class. For example, if you decide that you want to play as one of my new classes, but then in a later adventure you'd like to play say, a Bard. You can.

Whilst I'll be creating a character class based upon the Bard (the Troubadour), the Bard will still exist. The supplement isn't about replacing anything; it's about offering the player more choices they may want.

So, without further ado, here's what I plan to create...

Revised Classes

Cleric - A revised version of the Priest.
Mage - A revision of the Wizard class.
Ranger - The alternative to the Traveller.
Rogue - Based upon the Trickster.
Troubadour - An all singing, all dancing alternative to the Bard.
Warrior - The alternative option for those looking to play a Fighter.

New Classes

Alchemist - A variant on the Wizard, who will be able to concoct a wide variety of potions and prepare other chemical compounds such as poisons and acids.
Barbarian - The archetypal warrior of the wilds, capable of flying into a berserk rage.
Druid - A priest of nature.
Mage-Hunter - A member of a secretive religious order that believes that all problems in the world stem from the misuse of magic. Like Priests, Mage-Hunters have access to a small array of spells which they believe to be tools given to them by their patrons to save humanity from itself.
Martial Artist - Masters of unarmed combat, with incredible discipline.
Necromancer - Priests capable of raising and communing with the dead.
Paladin - Stalwart warriors for their cause, capable of some minor magical feats.
War Dancer - Warriors and performers that blur the line between martial technique and artistic talent.

These are very much all still in the planning stage, and with time the list may grow or shrink as ideas either come to me or, become unworkable.

That's where we're at for now though. Stay tuned for further developments, and more exciting adventures in SCRAWL!