“Character classes” in old-school parlance. QuestRex has only four classes but you can combine talents to create a dizzying number of fantasy archetypes. The ones presented here are just guidelines. Players are free to define their own version of Druids or Paladins as long as they fit into the GM’s campaign. If a GM wants very strict rules for their world then they can build out a set of approved archetypes for the players to choose from. Not as fun IMHO but I can see it as middle-ground between character pregens and everyone rolling their own.
The archer is a lightly-armored, maneuverable fighter skilled in ranged combat. Historically they echo English longbowmen and the light infantry skirmishers in Byzantine, Islamic, or Mongol armies. Playing against the “All fighters to the front” trope, these characters are most effective when they can harry opponents at a distance by playing the battlefield as a […]
The Cavalier was one of many new classes proffered in Gary Gygax’s imperfect 1985 Unearthed Arcana. It leaned hard into the Arthurian, knightly-warrior archetype: a skilled rider, a formidable combatant, and a devout adherent of chivalric codes. The “knight in shining armor” trope gets passed over in a lot of fantasy RPGs, likely because it […]
The illusionist was always my favorite class to play. Standard magic-users were more powerful and a lot easier – with them you just blasted opponents and leveraged your considerable utility spells as needed. The illusionist could be very powerful but only with careful playing. You had to really think and scheme how to angle situations […]
These fast-moving fighters live by both flair and the sword. They’re adept combatants with numerous well-rounded physical abilities making them wily opponents. Swashbucklers tend to travel unencumbered and wear only the lightest of armor. Many pirates fit this archetype. Alignment: Any Chaotic 1st level: Combat (x1), Multi-Attack (x1), Stealth (x1/2) 3rd level: Acrobatics (x1/2) or […]
The mendicant is a wandering priest who embraces extreme asceticism to increase their connection to the divine. They keep only what they can carry and live as modestly as possible – often as beggars or wretches dependent on alms. This hard life forges hardy characters who are preternaturally tough and adept at mundane, earthly skills.
The obscurantist is kin to the illusionist or mountebank but leans more heavily into the stage magician trope. They will typically present themselves as either "mere thieves" with no magical abilities (Stealth Casting) or as "powerful wizards" by staging their mundane skills as magical effects. If the later, opponents may be quite surprised at how […]