Character Classes

Greetings one and all,



In the last update about monsters, beasts, and the unsavory elements of the world, I mentioned that this update would focus a bit on some of the classes in Aleph, and thus it shall. But before I get to the classes, I wanted to show the end product that resulted from the feedback given the other week in regards to the building interior design choices.

First, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to comment and give suggestions, either publicly or privately. The end result was about ¾ option 2 and ¼ option 1. What that means is when you enter a building, the front wall disappears, as does the roof. The outside area is darkened and any objects, npcs, etc that were nearby are no longer visible. I kept the surrounding area in tact so that you can get a quick sense of your location when entering/exiting buildings, while still maintaining higher visibility. Here is an example:

Moving on to classes!
Classes for the most part are 50% title, 50% mechanics. Each class has a couple of skills unique to the class and various starting bonuses to certain attributes. A rogue, for example, starts with higher Agility and Dexterity than ‘average’, and has two unique skills, Feather Touch which instantly puts one enemy asleep (it has a cooldown though so it can’t be spammed), and Sticky Fingers which attempts to steal gold and items from all enemies simultaneously. In addition, each class has its limitations on certain types of armor and weapons. However, depending on how you play, you may choose to increase any attribute and give a number of skills or spells to any character class. You can make your Wizard more physical and teach her how to rock some beasties with a wooden cudgel, or wizen up your drunken brawler and give him access to higher Circle spells. I wanted to keep as much flexibility and customization as I could while having each class do different things and fill certain niches. Right now, there is one playable character for each class with the exception of Knight, which there are two but both have different starting skills and attributes. There are mercenary versions of most classes as well.


The Apothecary:

“With the precise and proper mixture of herbs, ground for an exact amount of time and boiled at just the right temperature, any malady becomes treatable. Even lost limbs.”
          -Praetyr the Soft, Master Apothecary

The Apothecary specializes in the non-magical healing arts. Drawing from a large variety of herbs and ingredients, the Apothecary can create effective poultices that heal party members, bolster their attributes, even bring them back from the dead. Any item that the Apothecary uses in combat will have double the effectiveness compared to any other party member using it. If the Apothecary knows how to cure what ails you, he also knows how to ail what cures your enemy. The more sinister side of alchemy allows the Apothecary to debilitate enemies with a variety of ailments and diseases. Limited to cloth and leather armor, the Apothecary is not a front-line fighter and should be supported by those that are better at taking damage.

The Apothecary’s starting skills:
Clumpweed Drought: Instant use. Removes a number of status ailments from one party member.
Dragon’s Breath: Inflicts diseases upon a small group of enemies, hindering their ability to fight.



The Cleric:

“The devout light the candle to cleanse the darkness of the faithless, read the book to dispel ignorance, and wield the mace to ward the realm from those that seek to do it harm.”
          -Father Eiryk Thostyr, The Morning Light

The Cleric, equipped with mail and mace or warhammer, is a versatile fighter, capable of dealing damage (particularly to the undead) and mending the wounds of allies. Clerics train from an early age to learn how to read and fight, both skills which serve them well making them able to wield heavier weapons and armor than a Wizard while still being able to cast useful spells. Devoted to their faith and stalwart in their convictions, Clerics are renowned for their high status amongst the retinues of Lords and Ladies as council, confidante, and guard simultaneously.

The Cleric’s Starting skills:
Flash Heal: Instant use. Heals a party member for a small amount of damage.
Turn: Grants higher damage against Undead creatures.


The Knight:

“The enemy host trembled in terror as Sir Dannon Calor approached. They had heard the stories of how he slain five and twenty Men-At-Arms before taking the head of Lord Callister the Darkbringer. I have seen Sir Dannon in battle, and trembling is an appropriate response.”
          -Varyn Calor, Master Historian of House Calor

Knights are born and raised for battle. Equipped with the heaviest and often most expensive armor and weapons, a Knight is a truly fearsome person to reckon with in combat. From the time they are squires to the time they wield their first lance with the title ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’, the Knight trains and hones his or her skill with the blade. The code of chivalry is what separates a true Knight from the baseborn sellswords and fighters, giving them a higher social status and wealth, which they tend to use for the good of the realm. Knights make great front-line warriors, capable of dealing and receiving all manners of physical damage in large quantity.

The Knight’s starting skills:

Horn of Battle: Increases all attributes of all party members temporarily.
Crushing Blow: Deals heavy damage to one enemy and stuns them briefly.


The Wizard:

“The Wizard has a responsibility to himself, to his Lord, and to his realm to first and foremost cause no harm with magic for selfless gain. A Wizard must exercise the utmost caution when using any magic spell, 1st Circle or 9th Circle, it makes no difference.”
          -Martyn Wordsworth, 2nd Wizard of the House of the Scroll

Many people dabble with magic, perhaps gaining competence with the 1st and 2nd Circles of spells, but very few become masters of it. A lifetime of dedication and study is required to attain absolute control over magic, or else the possibility of self destruction or planetary annihilation is possible. A Wizard spends most of his time strengthening his mind, which leaves little time to strengthen the body; therefore a Wizard is incapable of wearing heavy armor or wielding large weapons. But the Wizard more than makes up for this lack of physicality with his large plethora of spells. A great Wizard has a large number of offensive, defensive, and supportive spells, and sometimes even mastery over life and death itself.

The Wizard’s starting skills:

Flash Fire: Instant use. Consumes one enemy in a fiery inferno, dealing damage.
Concentrate: Increases the Wizard’s spell power temporarily.




So that is a brief look at a few of the classes. I am still in the process of tweaking some of them. So the skills and attributes are not yet finalized.

Thank you and enjoy your week!