RPG Crafting #5 - Character Definition

For our simple fantasy RPG for beginners, Sam and I wanted to stay away from most of the conventions of a traditional RPG. In most RPGs you define yourself by your class, "I'm a fighter," "I'm a wizard." Once you've selected a class, you are then restricted in what you're able to do. A rogue can backstab and move silently while a druid can commune with nature. What ends up happening is rogues all end up being very similar to one another and the same for fighters, wizards, and clerics.

In the RPG we are creating, those artificial lines have been erased. Who is to say that a fighter wouldn't know a healing spell? Who's to say that a wizard wouldn't use a sword? In our game, the answer is - nobody. Any character can pursue any skill set so, for example, you could have a character that can cast a magical attack spell, move quietly, wear armor, and uses a bow. Such a jack-of-all trades character wouldn't have the mastery as a strongly focused character but it is possible. If you wished, you could select skills to build a traditional fighter or rogue or wizard or cleric. Or you can have a primary focus area but pick up one or two other abilities from what would be traditionally considered another class. A rogue that knows an invisibility spell? A fighter with Magic Missile? Look out!

But what about character advancement? I promised to address that issue in this post but I'll put that off until the next post... I promise!