The Paladin Class, Part One
At the time I started this post, the Paladin class was tied for the top spot in the Future History of the Classes post. Since then, Warlock edged ahead, but since I didn’t set an end date to the polling, ...
Future History of the Classes
O loyal and discerning readers, behold, a choice of ways is given unto you. Inasmuch as we have now completed* our examination of the Bard and Druid classes, we come to the question of what shall be next. I, your ...
The Druid Class, Part Six
Over the course of five articles on the Druid class, we’ve seen a radical shift in theme. They began as monsters, and developed into relatively staid nature-based spellcasters, dedicated to ethical principles of Balance and, perhaps, tormented into inaction by ...
The Druid Class, Part Five
In last week’s article, we saw the likely zenith of the Druid class’s power, relative to the other classes in the game. Of course, we have two more editions to get through, so if I’m wrong, I willow someone an apology. ...
The Druid Class, Part Four
As with… most of the history of D&D, really, the 3.0 Druid is in some regards a huge break from the baby-steps of evolution that took place in the class from OD&D through 2e. The shift is thematic as well ...
The Druid Class, Part Three
Last time, I picked apart the 1e Druid class and its Unearthed Arcana update. Now I’m moving on to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Second Edition – the earliest edition I’ve personally run or played. Superficially, the 2e Druid is so ...
The Druid Class, Part Two
In my previous post on druids, we looked at how OD&D established a baseline for the class. Today, we’ll see that 1e doesn’t stray far from that, until we get into Unearthed Arcana’s revision of the class. The 1e version ...
The Druid Class, Part One
Now that I’ve said all I can think to say on the Bard class, let’s break down the Druid – a class most often defined in its contrast to the Cleric. Like the Bard, the Druid’s history goes back to ...
The Bard Class, Part Five
The Bard Class, Part Five At last, we come to Act V in the drama of the Bard. The narrative arc to date has been… more of a picaresque than anything, with movements in many conflicting directions, often contradicting earlier ...
The Bard Class, Part Four
Welcome back to my ongoing eccentricity obsession series about the Bard class. This time, I’ll be talking about Fourth Edition. I suspect that some percentage of my readers, devilishly attractive lot that they are, despise all things related to Fourth ...