{"id":4965,"date":"2025-04-15T19:56:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T00:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deathcookie.com\/home\/?p=4965"},"modified":"2025-04-22T16:17:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T21:17:56","slug":"callings-trades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deathcookie.com\/home\/callings-trades\/","title":{"rendered":"Callings & Trades"},"content":{"rendered":"

After th\"Cat<\/a>e initial release of QAGS, it didn\u2019t take us very long to realize that the wonky system wasn\u2019t really geared for easy modification. For QAGS 3E, I\u2019m trying to correct that mistake because, at least for me, the level of rules complexity I want varies from one game to another. Maybe it\u2019s because I grew up playing D&D, but when it comes to fantasy games in particular I tend to want more crunch than I do in most other games.<\/p>\n

Since I\u2019m hoping to start a regular game set in the City of Ten Thousand Daggers<\/a><\/strong> soon, I\u2019ve been thinking about what kinds of rules I\u2019ll need to adapt the new QAGS rules to that world. This led me to something that I used to think was overly-restrictive and unnecessary: a character class system.<\/p>\n

Back when we wrote QAGS, I though of character classes as something that limited characters to cookie-cutter stereotypes. While I still see the merits of that argument, 25 years of running a game with an a la carte ability system has shown me one major benefit of character classes: they result in characters that make sense. With classless systems, that\u2019s far from guaranteed, often leading to characters who are just a mess of mismatched kewl skillz and abilities.<\/p>\n

\"Ward<\/a>One big reason that I find character classes handy in fantasy games is that they help identify who can do what, particularly when magic and other supernatural powers are involved. Without character classes, it\u2019s harder to keep the right kind of powers with the right kind of characters. Among other potential problems, this can lead to a Dangerous Journeys style situation where even the most meat-headed fighter knows half a dozen spells. The other option is to force players to waste character points or Gimmicks on some kind of \u201cForce sensitivity\u201d type ability that lets them cast spells.<\/p>\n

Another thing that\u2019s made me more open to the idea of character classes is watching the show Leverage. If you replace \u201cHacker\u201d with \u201cSpecialist\u201d, their \u201cMastermind, Grifter, Hitter, Thief, Hacker\u201d is a character class system that works for most action games. It\u2019s such a good taxonomy, I stole it for C10KD. The leverage \u201ccharacter classes\u201d are the inspiration for the five standard Callings that I\u2019m using for the City of Ten Thousand Daggers:<\/p>\n