I'd not pre-define where the power comes from. List the sub categories like elementalist and their powers, but let the player put the flair on it: one is reading spell books, make their rare resource the books, one is listening to the voices in the dark, getting their powers granded... for a price, and the third one one is collecting runes, listening to them and combine them to spells... their rare component can be the rune stones. One class, but a 100 different interpretations.
See, I really like this -- I was having a chat with Bendragon last night, face to face, and we were talking about classes and skills.
...I'm leaning heavily towards skills at this point...but then we talked about how poeple GET those skills. You could try and figure some things out on your own, but they wouldn't be 'clean' and if you don't know the 'basics' for example, in magic, you're not likely to get many results...because you wouldn't know where to start.
BUT once you HAVE the basics, there are more options....experiments you could do...and craft a new, maybe unstable from of magic/spells.
I like the idea of developing their own characters through developing their own skills.
Having practice/experimentation, books, training as paths to get what they want....and then there are rolls for access to those paths depending on where they are.
I'd not pre-define where the power comes from. List the sub categories like elementalist and their powers, but let the player put the flair on it: one is reading spell books, make their rare resource the books, one is listening to the voices in the dark, getting their powers granded... for a price, and the third one one is collecting runes, listening to them and combine them to spells... their rare component can be the rune stones. One class, but a 100 different interpretations.
See, I really like this -- I was having a chat with Bendragon last night, face to face, and we were talking about classes and skills.
...I'm leaning heavily towards skills at this point...but then we talked about how poeple GET those skills. You could try and figure some things out on your own, but they wouldn't be 'clean' and if you don't know the 'basics' for example, in magic, you're not likely to get many results...because you wouldn't know where to start.
BUT once you HAVE the basics, there are more options....experiments you could do...and craft a new, maybe unstable from of magic/spells.
I like the idea of developing their own characters through developing their own skills.
Having practice/experimentation, books, training as paths to get what they want....and then there are rolls for access to those paths depending on where they are.