Classes

In the realm of Tempest Deeps, there are three starter classes: Fighter, Rogue and Wizard. Initially, this may feel as if there are not enough choices, however, min-maxing is limited by limiting the number of choices available. While some people enjoy min-maxing, a large, silent majority do not. It breaks the immersion of tone and setting, as well as, the flow of the game when the table is required to listen to a list of feats and abilities that make up an extravagantly large amount of damage.     Another significant departure from the standard 5th edition rules is that players do not have the option to choose feats or ability scores. Both of these are weaved into specific class levels. Additionally, not all classes will gain levels at the same rate. Initially, this will feel counter-intuitive to the seemingly streamlined standard rules, however, in earlier editions, this was a way to mitigate issues such as power creep, imbalanced encounters and rampant character leveling.     From the player perspective, these may not seem like major issues. To the dungeon master, these are big deals. No one enjoys playing their character when they are not being able to do the things their character is good at. Likewise, the dungeon master—the player who is literally running the session—does not enjoy spending time creating an encounter that is walked through because all the characters overpowered. Checks and balances like this actually improve the both experiences of running and playing in sessions.    

Common and Special Classes

Classes in Tempest Deeps is broken up into two categories: Common and special. Common classes are the restricted classes available for specific races. Meanwhile, special classes are restricted to a specific race, and/or, whether a player chooses to multiclass. For example, no living race can play as the special class of harbinger. Another example is that of a paladin being a combination of a fighter, then multiclassing as a wizard.