Not the End-All-Be-All of Identity |
Just because someone is biologically a barbarian does not mean they are predisposed to violence or anger. Similarly, a paladin is not predisposed toward lofty virtues. One’s class simply indicates tools and tricks that they have at their disposal. Casters show an inborn connection to magic; martials have inborn physical prowess.
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...And Not Fixed |
Note that this campaign is going to focus on people getting their classes swapped. As usual with superhero fiction, there is little scientific accuracy here…
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Pros and Cons |
There are positives and negatives to being a hero or villain of every class. Those aspects are detailed alongside every class description below.
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Artificer |
Few people are born artificers. Tests often confuse artificers for wizards, so an artificer might go their whole life misunderstanding their talents. Artificers willing to subclass are highly sought after; they have a great degree of utility in an urban society.
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Pros |
Easy promotion. Every hero squad vies to have an artificer join them. |
Cons |
Poor training. Lenorich lacks quality artificing instructors. |
Pros |
Unlimited resources and no oversight. Build what you want, and we’ll fund it. |
Cons |
Boooooooring. Villain artificers are often placed on the sidelines, running recon or blocking security cameras out of the back of a truck. |
Barbarian |
Sometimes the solution to a problem is simply to whack it. Barbarians are the best at whacking! The addition of a barbarian to a hero or villain squad lifts a group out of analysis paralysis and gets it moving toward its goals.
More barbarians make the choice to subclass than any other class (clerics/warlocks/sorcerers do not get a choice, of course.) It is considered an honor among many barbarian family lines. |
Pros |
Smash it! The government will cover your ass if you topple buildings or break pavement. |
Cons |
Pressure. There are a lot of other barbarian heroes; how are you going to stand out? |
Pros |
Lackies. Villain grunts are very impressed and scared by a barbarian’s rage. |
Cons |
The family business. Villainous barbarians are disowned from their heroic families. On the flip side, villainous barbarians are guilted into doing heinous acts by their villainous families. |
Bard |
It’s thought that plenty of bards level up illegally, but few become villains. Instead, bards enjoy acting as spies and informants, playing both sides of the hero/villain conflict.
That’s not to say that bards do not have a place as heroes and villains. Some heroes or villains will refuse to join a team without the promise of a bard to heal them and bolster their abilities. |
Pros |
Networking. Other heroes will advocate for your advancement and vie for your good company. |
Cons |
Plucky sidekick. The media (and your employers) might not give you the spotlight you deserve as a hero. |
Pros |
Double agent. You are trusted to fraternize with and infiltrate the ranks of heroes. |
Cons |
Uncultured. Other villains aren’t looking to hold discourse with you about Chopin v Bach. |
Blood Hunter |
…Unsanitary. Yuck.
Think modern witcher. Heroes and villains are wary of blood hunters, but there are certain tasks that only blood hunters can perform. Like exorcising the monsters that seek to control citizens. |
Pros |
Monstromologist. The government trusts you with information about conspiracies and cover-ups, as they’d like your advice on handling strange phenomena. |
Cons |
Black sheep. You stick out like a sore thumb on a hero squad, and heroes are unsure how to act around you. |
Pros |
Do what you gotta do. On a murderous revenge plot? Need to summon an elder god? No judgment here. |
Cons |
You talkin’ to me? Other villains that feel threatened or off-put by you can, and will, start shit. |
Cleric |
Clerics subclass at first level, i.e. when they are newborns. This means that they are separated from their families and raised by the nation of Lenorich. There are few cleric villains as a result.
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Pros |
It takes a village. You know and are on good terms with other heroes, having grown up around them. |
Cons |
Sheltered. You don’t know much about the real world and its struggles. |
Pros |
Short supply. Villain clerics are unheard of and highly sought after. |
Cons |
Divine judgment. Few gods are okay with villainy. And if your god encourages criminal acts, well…that’s also a major problem… |
Druid |
Druids that look to subclass usually just fuck off to live with druid circles, or among dragons or giants. Those who choose to stay have fascinating, rewarding relationships with their urban ecosystem.
Druids are often the voice of reason in hero and villain organizations. As the stewards of all life, a druid is important for letting superpowered people know when they have gone too far in the pursuit of their goals. |
Pros |
Preservation. If an ecosystem, species, etc. matters to you, the state will go out of its way to help you protect it. |
Cons |
“No wildshape during staff meetings.” The rigid order of the Lenorich often comes into conflict with druidic wisdom and freedom. |
Pros |
Menace to society. Breaking down civic order invites the chaos of nature. |
Cons |
Unsympathetic compatriots. “I don’t care that there’s a rabbit on the lawn; I’m setting off the bomb!!!” |
Fighter |
Fighters are the easiest class to identify in newborns. Young fighters have incredible motor control, but they struggle to perceive spells and magical effects. Eventually, they can grow to sense magic as any other class might.
All superhero and villain squads used to require a fighter. Aside from their abilities in combat, they were used to endlessly administer weapons and other supplies to their parties. Fighters that emulate this tradition might refer to themselves as “arsenals”. |
Pros |
Preservation. If an ecosystem, species, etc. matters to you, the state will go out of its way to help you protect it. |
Cons |
“No wildshape during staff meetings.” The rigid order of the Lenorich often comes into conflict with druidic wisdom and freedom. |
Pros |
Menace to society. Breaking down civic order invites the chaos of nature. |
Cons |
Unsympathetic compatriots. “I don’t care that there’s a rabbit on the lawn; I’m setting off the bomb!!!” |
Monk |
A lot of citizens will say that they wish they, and the people around them, were monks. A superpowered world is inherently chaotic. Life would be a lot simpler if more people could obtain a holistic mastery of themselves.
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Pros |
Unlimited PTO. Hero contracts allow monks to take off of work, no questions asked. You can steal away whenever you’d like. |
Cons |
Divisive disciplines. Heroic monks who practice other monastic ways regard each other as rivals. Often, they take these rivalries entirely too far. |
Pros |
Thrill junkie. Do cool crimes and look awesome doing it! Villains love having monks around to do heists and hardcore parkour. |
Cons |
Underestimated. Other villains might dismiss you as nothing more than a simple street thug. |
Paladin |
The parents of paladins advocated for funding for the research and creation of limiters. The last thing that a parent wants is for their child to thoughtlessly create an oath that they cannot uphold.
Paladin villains and heroes often operate alone. They rarely see eye-to-eye with their compatriots. The paladins that have survived years of fighting independently are notorious…and terrifying. |
Pros |
Devoted fanbase. Paladins are fan-favorite heroes! You have the adoration and admiration of the masses. |
Cons |
“Fly home, buddy, I work alone.” The state tries to pair you with obnoxious teammates and sidekicks that are more of a hindrance than a help to you. |
Pros |
Respected boundaries. Other villains are content to give you your space. They aren’t likely to interfere with your goals. |
Cons |
Whatever you do, don’t get caught. Paladin criminals who get caught usually wind up getting severely punished. |
Ranger |
Rangers are the rarest class to be born into the world. Until very recently, they were not even recognized as their own class. They were thought to be druids: piss-poor ones that could never seem to subclass.
Rangers, most of whom had spent their lives misunderstanding their abilities, are eager to make their (hunter’s) mark. They are equally as nervous to have to test out their talents among people with a good grasp of their classes. |
Pros |
R&D. The government is eager to have you try out new gear being developed for rangers. You get to use cutting-edge tech. |
Cons |
Lab rat. Lenorich doesn’t know much about rangers…that makes you Test Subject #1! Hope you don’t mind being poked and prodded at. |
Pros |
Super secret identity. The state likely doesn’t know you are a ranger. No one will suspect you of being a criminal. |
Cons |
Roll the dice. Some villain bosses are loathe to use rangers on their teams, viewing them as an unnecessary variable. Other villain bosses like to take the gamble; those bosses are somewhat unhinged. |
Rogue |
Heroes and villains alike feel great dismay when they realize they are up against a rogue. Sprawling cities are the rogue’s playground. Fights against a rogue are vexing tests of endurance and ingenuity.
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Pros |
Double agent. You are trusted to fraternize with and infiltrate the ranks of villains. |
Cons |
Caged skill monkey. You might have creative solutions to problems. The state is not likely to hear them, in favor of doing things the way that they’ve always been done. |
Pros |
Privileged access. You are allowed entry into exclusive buildings in the city. That should help you avoid capture. |
Cons |
Voluntold. You are responsible for training up new recruits. Try to help them avoid getting killed, would you? |
Sorcerer |
Sorcery is a badge of pride. Sorcery is the only class that people do not obtain at birth. Rather, people that survive monstrous possession have their original class replaced with sorcery.
Draconic bloodline and giant soul sorcery is rare but does exist. It requires attempted possession by a greatwyrm or storm giant quintessent, i.e. quasi-dimensional entities. |
Pros |
Redemption arc. Heroic acts are a great way to restore your reputation following possession. |
Cons |
Commit to the bit. Your hero persona will likely be inspired by your sorcerous origin. You might feel that your identity is being reduced to or conflated with that of a monster. |
Pros |
They did the Monster Mash! You are trusted to interact with the monsters hiding within and living outside of society. |
Cons |
Relapse. Villainy might put undue strain on your class abilities. You might be a target for getting possessed again. |
Warlock |
Similarly to clerics, the nation claims responsibility for raising any warlock. Most patrons are not at all accepting of this system and will try and send agents to steal their warlocks away.
The birth of a child related to a warlock is an exacting and highly-supervised ordeal. Despite this, patrons are sometimes successful and will do what they can to raise their own warlocks. This usually involves their possession of an adult. |
Pros |
Bodyguards. As a treasured ward of the state, you are given a good amount of backup / protection when you are out on the town. |
Cons |
Servant of two masters. Serving the state likely means you have a strained relationship with your patron. |
Pros |
Spoiled brat. Conversely to heroes, villainous warlocks are on friendly or familial terms with their patrons. Their patrons, or agents of their patrons, likely helped raise them. |
Cons |
Have you seen this child? Everyone that pays attention to the news knows you are a warlock. That might make it hard to get the upper hand on heroes. |
Wizard |
“Next question: what’s your favorite wizard swear?”
“Wizard swear? Is there any context?” “Of course not.” “Hm…then, I think I like ‘fuck’.” Society has no respect for most wizards. The first people to get away with faking power-level tests were wizards, as were the first villain organizations. Wizards are the class that chooses to subclass the least often; wizards are often discouraged by their bad reputation. They are careful not to be seen around other wizards. |
Pros |
Easily impressed. Because the government does not encounter many wizards, they are constantly awed by your capabilities and good service. |
Cons |
Tight leash. Other heroes - and your employers - don’t believe your intentions are pure. They monitor your wizardry and behavior closely. |
Pros |
I cast friends. A villain organization might be the only place a wizard can be treated with dignity. |
Cons |
Supply and demand. Spell components are hard enough to come by. You’ll be competing with more wizards for black-market goods. |