I will allow the following books for for use in the game. The classes from swashbuckling adventures. Just the classes nothing else until I put down what is allowed and not allowed. For right now just the classes. classes from Ravenloft, except ones that reference to ravenloft powers or thing specific to the mist, etc. classes from official pathfinder books, DND 3.5 books, Book of eldritch might 1 and 2, most sword and sorcery books ( I need to look them over before I allow a sword and sorcery class, because I want to see if it fits into the world that I created for the game). Some of the classes from Dragonlance, please let me look it over before I allow it.
The classes in pathfinder are the same in the regular DND Core game 3.5. The difference is that it was fixed and made were they seemed more playable and logicaly fixed. Yes they are more powerful then the 3.5 but they are better for roleplay and combat wise. So far I have not heard much bad feed back and myself feel that it is a game that I believe that will be fun to play and run.
I will present the classes from the pathfinder game as they fit in my world.
Barbarian
The barabrians in my game are ran buy race and culture not class. That means that if your character has no back ground with any of the barbaric cultures then you will not be able to take the class. There are exceptions to the rule because a person may live with that culture or have visited it for long periods of time. You may play the merchants and warriors of the Norse men, or the tattoo and wode covered warriors of the Kelsarians from Avalonia, Or the very primitive Picts who hide in the Forest to the woodelves and the Kush are all barbarians. The Barbarian culture is one of battle and war, it may be fighting nature to fighting your enemy to raiding monstaries to villages that are on the coast. (Pathfinder Core rule book page 31 to 34)
Bard
The Bard is just not a Minstrel or plays some instrument. They are Jesters, Conmen, Actors, the warrior Skalds of the Norse, The warrior poets of the Highalanders, to the Bards who are teachers of the Kelsarians to the Bard blades who murder for Hire. Bards are alot more in my world, There are bardic colleges and schools but they are rare. There is only 4 bard colleges in the whole world and that not all bards come from any of them. There is the bardic order that is devoted to assassination and are none as the Assassins of the blue Star who are made of all Bards. So when making a Bard, Bards are alot more and put more into them then a wondering minstrel or knowledge seeker. (Bard can be found in the Pathfinder Core rule Book Page 34 to 38)
Cleric
The Clerics in my world are different in my game and in my setting. Clerics are holy men and women who worship and gain there powers from the Pantheon they worship. A pantheon is a group of gods to which a society worships. Such as our real world Celtic Pantheon of gods and the norse and greek pantheon of gods. They will be able to choose there domains from the book but only the ones that fit there alignment and goals in life, most of the pantheonist are neutral.
The priest in my game only worship a single god, Some call them specialist or specialty priest.
Know there are many different kinds of holy men and women out there and they can be the movers and shakers of the world, they can be anything that your imagination will allow. You can be the holy/unholy warriors, priest of death gods who kill the undead, to exorcist, evangilist, etc. (cleric class can be found in the pathfinder core book page 38 to 48)
Special Note: The Diosian priest will not be using the regular cleric class from the book, they use the Thean priest class from swashbuckling adventures magic arcana book page 70 to 71.
Valdarian priest are a special class in my world, they are a mix between arcane and divine, the class is based on the voodoo religion and with that inspiration I bring it to my world. But it does have a twist and some changes that must be met for my world. The valdarian priest are taught some of there abilities but there true teachers are the Loas and Krewes a series of spirits and elementals who teaches the priest in how to manipulate the forces of nature and to gain powers from the Loas. The Loas are god like beings but not gods but teach the priest in how to gain and control there powers, in return they worship them out of respect. The Krewes are elementals who are not worshipped but are teachers in how to control natures and how to harness the powers of nature in a more balanced way. They teach elemental magic and it is arcane. They also will aid, help and defend the priest when summoned.
Druid
After thinking about what I should do with the Druids I finally thought about the real druids and it came to me, I will do some what what I did with the barbarians and that is that they are race specific. A player must be a Kelsarian human barbarian from Avalonia, I wanted to make them seem special instead of just another nature priest out there. The other thing about them is that the druids are not just nature priest but are about there people, they teach, and protect them. Yes they do command the elements but they do so for the people nor the gods but for the betterment of there society and to bring the kelsarians to the gods. Yes while the can be quit brutal and seem evil they are getting there powers from the gods so they can serve the people. The gods see that they have something special with these druids and that if they serve there people in turn they will serve them.
Yes druids do make sacrifices but not for evil ends and they stop the human sacrifices hundreds of years ago. Animals, plants and valubles are sacrificed now. The druids control primal powers of nature buy order of the kelsarian gods. They are one with nature and are able to control these primal forces to battle there enemies, heal the sick, protect, and there homes. They tend to make friendship with animals and are considered a secret group with there own secret language. Now does druids protect nature, YES they do, they will protect the very place and things that provide for them. The gods created the land and so they must protect what the gods created. If the land is destroyed they will not be able to use the land to cloth, feed and take care of them.
After the Cataclysm There is a new Pantheon called the Threan Pantheon, which all the nature gods in that pantheon now allows druids from any race who wants to become a druid. This is a way to stick it to the Kelsarian pantheon who had a monopoly on druids, They may be Good, Neautral or Evil alighnments
(Druids can be found in the Pathfinder core book page 48 to 54)
Fighter
The fighters are with out doubt the most numerous class around. They may be mercanaries, adventuers, soldiers for a kingdom, freedom fighters, terrorist etc. What ever the cause you will always find a fighter with there weapons and armor ready for a hand. They do it for a cause or just for the fight itself. Some have a code of conduct and others do not. Some like to fight and others have no choice. fighters are the lords of the battlefield and none will ever go hand to hand with a fighter. In the world of Glassrealm you can find them every were you go, some wonder, other doing good for the world and some are just wanting power buy the sword but woe to the person who stand in the way of the fighter and dare to stand against them. (fighter can be found in the pathfinder core book page 55 to 56)
Monk
What are the monks of the world. Are they warrior or scholar. Will some are both and some are none of the both. The monks of the west are not the chop suey eastern kung fu monks that are stereo typed in all the DND games and other games out there. The historicalness of a western monk has been taken out and the "cooler" chop people in half monk with the death touch is what was made. This has gotten to be the same old thing over and over again and nothing much has been written for 3rd edition products. I'm personallhy tired of the same old thing over and over again. While this is fun every once in a while it gets old real fast, and at the end the monk just turns into the same old aesthitic monk who can beat some butt. Will I want to make somehting original or at least something unigue enough that it may be refreshing for the player to play something different from the western monk that can kick your head off.
In my world the monks are more then the stereotype kung fu monk. I leave that for my eastern dnd games were it will fit just fine. In the western world the monks while are still aesthtic are also very religious and seekers of justice or knowledge. Some will become scribes, alchemist, magicians, wonderers, or just want to protect the innocent or bring justice to the unjust, some may even become adventurers or even mercaneries. Players may be what they like but remember this when making a monk character.
The look for the monks are as follow, the northern monks have the friar look, halo hair with brown or green wool robes. The two others in the southern are the either in black robes with black square hats and the last are the one that are from desert communties who were turbans and light fetting clothing. ( I based them on the real world monks and priest which I feel will fit what I'm looking for, The western monks are the friar monks that we have all saw before, the last two is first the eastern orthodox monks and the islamic mullah, and Imams)
Women are allowed as monks since this is a fantasy game. So in the the north they will wear a habit while the one in the south tend to wear either habits Similiar to the nuns of the eastern orthodox church and the Desert monk female monks wear what is called a abaya and the Hijab which keeps the Female monk modest to the site on men. Female monks are given more respect from most societies, not all but most have, because they have intered the world of men and have made some name for themselves there.
Fighting styles, like I stated are not the karate and kung fu chop you in half jet lis or the wondering shaolin monk. While they are cool are still stereo typical and not much original to them. So I desided that the following will be done. No kicking beside basic survival fighting the only kicking martial art comes from lyon a fighting style called Savate were the use kicks and knees to fight the enemies, there is some hands but mostly feet. The others will use boxing and or wrestling these are what most will use and I leave the kung fu karate monk to the Oriental adventure game, which is were they belong. (Monks can be found in the Pathfinder core book page 56 to 60)
Rangers
The Ranger comes from a long line of men and women who live on the fringes of civilization. They live in the wilderness, travel the land and go to places were many will not delve. The history of the Ranger come thousand of years in the past. They were said to be wilderness warriors devoted to hunting and fighting giants. This was said to be when the fall of the elvish and human empires. When the empires fell many evils were coming out in the open more and one of these were the giants and there giant armies. Will a group of elves and humans devoted themselves to fight a geurrilla war against them and with that they were said to have won and the giants went back to the hills and mountains were they belonged. The woodsmen later called the rangers started to find other things that needed to fight against like organizations and creatures. What we have today are people devoted to fighting enemies of all kind each one specializing in hunting down things that they deem a threat to them, there society and or there family. Some will take up the role because some bad has happened to them in the past, such as a orc attack on a village, or becoming a bounty hunter, survivalist, scouts etc. They have the skills of being a master tracker, relish in the thrill of the hunt and they are some of the best trackers in the world. Some areas in the world despise the rangers and there wild ways even calling them wild scum or calling them uncivilaized wildmen. In other societies they are respected and honored. (Rangers can be found in the Pathfinder core rule book on page 64 to 67)
Paladin
What are these men and women who swore a oath to never tell who they are even unpon threat of death. Death before dishonor above all. Will first, paladins are a myth and that they were said to have been in the past but were destroyed buy some great evil. While some may take the word paladin as a title they are actually not paladins. These men and women are in a secret society devoted to the healing of the wounded and the dead, and the destruction of evil and especially the evils of Chaos. They know that they will never be able to be in the open because they do not know fully how much that chaos enfiltrated the governments of the world. So they fight a secret war in the shadows! keeping the myth alive and aways keeping the secret alive. The order that they belong to is called the Red Rose and the Golden Cross, other wise none as the Rosicrucians who devoted there life for a just cause. The Paladins are always in disguise and most will play the role of the battle priest. All are Diosian worshippers. (Paladins can be found in the Pathfinder cor rule book page 60 to 64)
Rogue
The rogue is the most interesting person in the world and can be found in just about all the societies of the world. They are found in the furthest reaches of the north the farthest reaches of the south. They are scouts and assassins to conmen, spys, bounty hunters, hitmen, catburglars, or in organize crime. Rogues can be found every where and in just about all the cities and villages of the world. Many love to adventure and even see the challenge in delving in dungeons or being a acrobat in the upper streets of the cities. They will use there skill and cunning to use it against there enemies and tend to prepare for everything and anything, since they worry on every possible event there plans tend to be done very will, will at least the smart ones. Some work for law enforcement or bounty hunters, investigators even some became diplomats using there skill for politics.
Rogues in my world are free will and tend to either stick with a group or tend to be on there own. Others make guilds or operate outside the guild system. (The rogue can be found in the Pathfinder core rule book page 67 to 70)
Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is a interesting character because in my setting they are just a little more. Will first since I changed to pathfinder game the sorcerer class is now someting that I feeled I can play, I never liked the sorcerer in the 3.5 they seem that they had nothing to them, no meat to the bone so I never liked them. Until I came upon them in pathfinder and saw something done real good and fun to play. It now has alot of logic and makes some since to the class. Only problem that I seem to have in the class is how they learn because there has been no real logical way in game to show how one can do that. But over all the class is fine and playable but putting aside the my feelings about how they learn spells it is still a good class. But the class in my setting has more to them then just a persdon born with it. they seem to be like the Jedi from star wars, which makes them more one sided then something more then something in the sandbox, there is all types of sorcerers and sorcerers sub classes. The most numerous is the person born with the power to cast spells. This person was born with the power because she had a ancestor that was a magical or outerplanar creatue. So through the generations there descendents had sorcerest abilities. The second is the person some how was able to make a pact with a creature from the inner and outer planes or even the farrealm and or the land of the fey. The last is the person who got a magical item that either had spells or magical energy and learned to use that energy to cast spells from it.
Now there are others types out there the famous warlocks who have made pacts with outerplanar creatures, or the Fatewitches of stygia, the Espanian El Feugo Adentro mage, Zeurestrong from Ostland, the Glamour mages from Avalonia, the rare Porte mages, the Leardom mages from Northland, and the Scrying women of Ascaria. Will they are just a few people you can use sorcerous abilities, with the exception of the warlock the rest are bloodlines were there ancestor made a pact with a powerful outsider and there powers were given to there bloodline generation after generation. Please ask if one wants to play one of these and ask if you want to know about these type of mages. There are other sorcerer classes avaible that are not in this list just ask if you want to plan one. (The Sorcerer class can be found in the pathfinder core rule book page 70 to 77)
Wizard
The wizards in the setting are the scientist of this world they are curious and imaginative. They seek to understand and in some cases seek to control nature or gain power. What ever the case these men and women want to know about the secrets of the universe. They just do not learn magic but the other sciences like biology, anatomy, alchemy/chemistry, astrology/astronomy etc. They study long hours and some even travel to see if there theories are right. These men and women goes beyond the veil of the mundane and hide the secrets of absulute power. They know of the secrets of the realm of spirits, lore of the creation of the wondorus and the horrible, and the secrets behind the stars in the sky. Many have study optics, the secrets of flight, the power of numbers and the power to heal with out a god.
Wizards come in many sizes and flavors, some specialize in a form of magic that pertains to there own philosohpy and make in life. Others become more universal and have access to all things magical and scientific in nature.
After the cataclysm there is two new Wizard studies that came about and that is Wild Magic and Elementalist. The elementalist have used wizardry to have a close study of the elements, some have used alchemy to acsent there study in elemental magic. The study of wild magic came about when a wizard and his apprentice found a wild magic area and noticed that his magic that was used and not what he wanted to use. While yes there has been some wild and dead magic area in the past it was not truely studied until the wizard changed his focus and wanted to delve in pure chaos of these areas of dead and wild magic. This is not true chaos magic from the farrealm but called buy some a chaos but most will call them for what they are wild mages because of the spells can be unpredictable.
The thing about the people who practice wizardry first they see it as the noblist of all sciences. In somelands they are seen as evil and must be eradicated from the face of the earth for they are tapping into things that men were not ment to know. In some lands wizards are the noble class and all other arcane magic users are illegal. But at the other end of the coin lands with sorcery inherent to the noblesfamilies and wizardry is illegal and feel it is hard to control. In some lands some see no differecne between arcane and divine magic. (Wizards can be found in the pathfinder core rule book page 77 to 83)
Alchemist
Whether they are in some smoke field lab or in some kind of school of science of alchemy they seekers of forbidden knowledge that many will not even try to seek, even most wizard will not go beyond there normal alchemical studies because of what one can go beyond the norm. They were once less prevalient in the world but after the cataclysm there is now a new look at this ancient art many went about to search for truth, spiritual enlightment, creation of gold and other rare metals, the elixir of life and the philosophers stone, etc. Some go about adventuraing for rare compnenets, books, treatises, and items use for his or hers expiraments. Then there are some that live a quite life selling tindertwigs and alchemist fire while others feel a deeper calling. Alchemist do not cast spells like wizards and Sorcerers, they capture there own magical potential within liguids, oils, potions and brews. They take extracts and infuse the chemicals and spagyrics with virulent power to grant the alchemist with imprissive skill in poisons, explosive, and a transformation either physically or spiritually. (Pathfinder Advance Players Guide Pg 26-32)
Special Note: This can make a good Mad scientist type character or those who want a obsessive person who seeks truth or a person who seeks knowledge beyond the norm.
Cavalier
While many warriors strive to perfect there art, spending all of their time practicing and honing the art of War. Then there are others who spend as much time dedicating them selves to a cause. About a year ago Cavaliers were few in numbers. The most been found in Ascaria and Ostland. Now after the cataclysm they like the alchemist is prevalant in many kingdoms and countries. Even the warmer climes there will be found cavaliers working to a goal. There are cavaliers devoted to a house, a clan, a order, a knighthood, cause, a freelancer looking as a merc or a personal goal, but all swear to a purpose, serving it to all else. They are master of maounted comeback even in somecases equal or beter then the knight. When a cavalier or a group of cavaliers are charging enemy lines the defenders have been known to flee in fear. The cavaliers true power comes from the conviction of his ideals, the oaths that he swears, and the challenges he makes. (Cavaliers can be found in Pathfinder Advance players guide Pg 32 - 37)
Note to player- Some of the Orders present in the book are not in my game, So ask If I have something to replace it or something different.
Inquisitor
In the grim world of of threa there is a determined group of people that dedicate themselves to keeping there faith, religion, society, clean from there own enemies. May it be cults, heretics, chaos, evil, good, or magic. The Inquisitors root out there enemies of there faith, religion, society by using trickery and guile when righteousness and purity is not enough. Although most inquisitors are dedicated to a kingdom, faith, religion, or scociety. Most will only answer to there Diety, king, leader, and there own sence of duty, glory, honor and justice. Since they only answer to there leaders or god they will take extreme measure to meet there personal, leader or god's goal. (Inquisitor can be found in the Advanced players guide Pg 38 - 42)
Note - A player need not choose a religion but may also choose a kingdom or a group to be part of there version of a inquisition. Most are very religious though.
Oracle
Although the gods work through there agent who are the cleric and priest of the world. Perhaps none are as more mysteries then the Oracles. These divine agents are vesels who have been granted powers without their choice selected by there god to wield powers that even the Oracles do not fully understand. They do as there god say, being the instrument of there deity. Unlike the Priest and clerics, who draw there power through devotion to a deity, Oracles garner strength and power from many sources, namely those patron deities who support their Ideas, But others sources may mean, angels, the plane to which the god resides, some secrets the god may not give, other lower gods, or the pantheon as a whole. (Oracles can be found in the Advance Players Guide Pg 42 -54)
Note - not all gods have Oracles So please ask when you make your character.
Summoner
While those wizards who specialize in conjuration/summoning, they are just dabblers in the arcane. There is a summoner who is more skilled at summoning then a specialist. This practitioner of the arcane arts forms a close bond with one particular being, known as the Eidolon, who gains power as the summoner becomes more proficient at his summoning. Over time, the two become linked, eventually even sharing a shard of the same soul. But this comes with a price: The summoners spells and abilities are limited due to his time spent enhancing his powers and exploring the nature of the being known as the Eidolon. (Summoner can be found in the Advance Players Guide Pg 54 - 64)
Witch
The witch is the most misunderstood and feared character through just reputation and stories alone. But this misunderstanding can and is used as a tactic when dealing with the unknown or with other people. There is 4 types of witches in the world of Threa and there is the ones who devote there time to a chosen god or power, the second is through study of the arcane arts and transfer there spells in a spell book, the 3rd is the feared chaos witches who have made pacts with the deities of the farrealm and the last is through communion with the unknown. They may be as evil or as good as they like.The witches in some lands are respected and are honored while in other places they are seen as evil even if they have a good alighnmet they are still put to death to make sure there evil or taint will not spread to the others in the area.
They can be as stereotypical to the funloving or scholary type. Magic to them is power and they are here to wield it for a cause they choose. Many are loners but most are members of a group known as a coven, and they work to some goal of the covens choice. (The Witch can be found in the in the Advance Players Guide pg 65 - 71)