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History of the Classes

Writer and game designer Brandes Stoddard explores the history of each of D&D’s classes, from OD&D to 5e.

D&D 5eHistory of the Classes

The Fighter Class, Part Fourteen

As we come to the end (for now, the future is unwritten) of the History of the Fighter, it’s been an interesting run. I’ll get into what I see as the arc of the fighter’s development over the last forty-four ...
13th AgeHistory of the Classes

The Fighter Class, Part the Thirteenth… Age

I’ve been waiting for months to use this article title, don’t give me that look. Today I’m diving into 13th Age’s fighter class. Incidentally, I played my second full session of 13th Age at GenCon 2018 and had a great ...
Dungeon WorldHistory of the Classes

The Fighter Class, Part Twelve

As I’ve said in the past several articles of this series, I thought I wanted to pair Dungeon World with another game’s fighter to have enough to talk about. Then I read the Dungeon World fighter playbook, remembered how much ...
D&D 4eHistory of the Classes

The Fighter Class, Part Eleven

I’ve been looking forward to this entry in the History of the Fighter since I started the series. I played more fighters in 4e (er, two) than any other class, and I absolutely loved the two playstyles. The first was ...
History of the ClassesPathfinder RPG

The Fighter Class, Part Ten

We’ve covered the last of the big developments for the fighter within 3.5e, so what could be more natural than looking to Pathfinder next? It is a pure – and extensive – upgrade on the 3.5 fighter, in terms of ...
D&D 3.5eHistory of the ClassesWuxia / Oriental Adventures

The Fighter Class, Part Nine

As I write this, my younger son has gone to his first day of preschool. Friends, this is an exciting day – the most important milestone of my life as a stay-at-home dad until my older son can safely handle ...
Game Systems - MiscellaneousHistory of the Classes

The Fighter Class, Part Eight

This week in the History of the Fighter, I’m tackling the book that is the first time I personally heard the name “Mike Mearls.” The year was 2005 and the book was Iron Heroes. 3.5e had launched just two years earlier, ...
History of the Classes

The Fighter Class, Part Seven

Welcome back to the History of the Classes, which is a thing you can be forgiven for completely forgetting that I write here on Tribality. Last time in the History of the Fighter, I covered the 3.0 Oriental Adventures. We ...
D&D 3.5eHistory of the ClassesWuxia / Oriental Adventures

The Fighter Class, Part Six

I’m mostly over my cold, even if the rest of my family is still under the weather. Today, I’m pressing on toward the samurai classes of 3.x, found in 3.0’s Oriental Adventures and 3.5’s Complete Warrior. I’ll probably work in ...
D&D 3.5eHistory of the Classes

The Fighter Class, Part Five

It hardly seems like it could have been a month since my last History of the Fighter article, but it was; ring out the bells for its return. I always wonder which edition the greatest number of people started on, ...