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utilitycaster · 3 years

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Updated Class Choices in Actual Play: main PCs

Original post here, I’m just doing the whole thing again instead of reblogging or something like that. Since making this post I’ve fully caught up with NADDPod and RQG and there’s been several new D20 seasons, so LET’S GO

potential spoilers for anything that isn’t a one-shot in Critical Role, TAZ Balance or Graduation, NADDPod, RQG, Relics and Rarities, and all D20 seasons. Also for reference: I’m counting Trinyvale and The Mavrus Chronicles as main campaigns, as well as all the D20 sidequests.

If a player or a PC leaves/character dies mid-campaign the character still counts as a main PC, as does that player’s replacement if the player themselves didn’t leave (eg: both Scanlan and Taryon are considered main PCs for CR campaign 1).

In a couple cases I did have to guess regarding what the base class was, for characters who were multiclass builds from the start, and I’ll note that.

Rusty Quill Gaming is pathfinder rather than D&D, and subclasses don’t fully line up (as for classes, most do and I’m counting Cel’s class as Artificer/Alchemist subclass in D&D).

In the case of subclass or class changes, which has happened a few times in D20 in particular, I’ve noted the change

Keep reading if you want the actual information!

Fighter is the most common, with 11, plus two multiclass dips into fighter. And, like D&D at large, human fighter is a very popular race/class combination. Champion is the most common subclass, with four characters (Magnus from TAZ, Hardwon from NADDPod, Fabian from Fantasy High, and Veros from Relics and Rarities). All but Fabian are humans, at least to start off, and Fabian and later Hardwon are half-elves. Bertie from RQG likely would have been the champion archetype in D&D as well. There are two battlemasters (Boomer and Jet, both from D20), and then it’s all over the place. The multiclassers are both barbarians multiclassed into battlemaster (Grog and Amethar). Of the fighters, one multiclassed into a rogue, one into a bard, and one (Jet) switched into fighter having originally been a rogue.

[edit on Nov 28 per an anon ask - Magnus is actually a Battlemaster despite Big Champion Energy! which means of the fighter-as-main-class, we have 3 each of champions and battlemasters, and Bertie from RQG which is pathfinder, and then one each of gunslinger (Percy), eldritch knight (Theo), arcane archer (Hungry Dave), and echo knight (Henry)]

Cleric is next up with 10, plus three characters who multiclassed into cleric. There’s no clear favorite for subclass - grave is the only domain with two characters (Caduceus and Efink) and the rest vary. Two characters, Kristen Applebees and Zolf Smith, have changed domains (and deities) over the courses of their respective campaigns. All but one of the dwarven main characters in actual play has been a cleric, and there have been a few humans, but otherwise it’s again pretty scattered. The multiclasses have also not shown a clear favorite (1 war, 1 city, 1 tempest). Note: I considered Fia and Saccharina both to be multiclasses into cleric, as well as Bob; no cleric base classes have multiclassed into another class. All the multiclasses into cleric are other spellcasting classes (wizard, sorcerer, and bard).

Barbarian and rogue are tied with 9 characters each, plus one multiclass into barbarian and three into rogue.

Barbarian: three berserkers, two each of ancestral guardian and zealot, and one each of wild soul and storm herald. There are two half-orcs and otherwise no race preference. As mentioned, two multiclassed into battlemaster fighters; there’s also a multiclass from barbarian into sorcerer (Fitzroy) and artificer (Gorgug). The lone multiclass into barbarian is Moonshine Cybin, a druid.

Rogue: there are two arcane tricksters, two inquisitives, and two swashbucklers, plus an assassin, a mastermind, and Sasha Racket who in D&D would probably be a thief. Thanks to D20 being like “toy is a race now” it’s hard to say what the overall race breakdown is, even counting all A Crown of Candy characters as human variants, but there are 1.5 goblins (Nott/Veth being the 0.5) and three confirmed humans (Ruby Rocks, Sasha Racket, and Marcus St. Vincent). Of the multiclasses into rogue, two are rangers who chose the assassin subclass (Vex and Liam Wilhemina) and one is a fighter (Magnus Burnsides, subclass not clear). The two rogues who multiclassed are Vax, who took levels in vengeance paladin and one in druid, and Ruby, who took levels in shadow sorcerer. (note: Jet Rocks is counted as a fighter as she gave up her rogue class entirely, but she was a rogue to start)

Bard is next with 8 characters, all but one of whom (swords) is a lore subclass, with one multiclass into bard. Fig Faeth was formerly a college of whispers bard, but switched into lore during Fantasy High Live. There are two tieflings and two fairies from D20, who I believe use elf stats, plus a high elf, a human, a gnome, and an aasimar. The multiclass into bard is Fabian Seacaster, a fighter; the multiclasses from a bard base class are Fig (into hexblade) and Bob (into city cleric).

Druid and Paladin are the next most common, with six characters; there is one multiclass into druid and two into paladin (and Vax is responsible for most of this)

Druid: The only repeat subclass is circle of the shepherd (Kugrash and Lillith) - the rest all again all over the place, and all six have different races. The multiclass into druid is the aforementioned Vax (rogue and paladin); the only druid to multiclass out is the aforementioned Moonshine (into barbarian).

Paladin: two oath of devotion (one of which, Ricky Matsui, switched to oath of redemption), one oath of the ancients and for a while, vengeance (Beverly), one oathbreaker (Cody “Night Angel” Walsh) and two are from pathfinder and difficult to determine from a D&D standpoint (Grizzop, of Artemis, and Azu, of Aphrodite). The races are completely all over the place again. None of the paladins have multiclassed, but there are two multiclasses into paladin (Vax and Fjord, a rogue and warlock respectively, into oath of vengeance and oath of the open sea, also respectively).

We have a four-way tie for next most common, with five each of ranger, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard.

Ranger: two beast master, two gloomstalker, and a hunter. There are two half-elves (Vex and Nyack) and no other real patterns. No one has multiclassed into ranger, but Vex and Liam W. both as mentioned multiclassed into assassin rogues.

Sorcerer: three draconic, one storm, and one wild magic. Two are human, and there are no other preferences for race. One (Saccharina) multiclassed into tempest cleric, and there are two multiclasses into sorcerer, both from battle classes (Fitzroy, a barbarian, into wild magic, and Ruby, a rogue, into shadow).

Warlock: three are hexblades, because let’s face it that class is extremely cool, one is a celestial warlock and one is a genie. No significant race overlap (technically, Lapin Cadbury uses the human stat block, and Iga is human) (I am assuming pactwraiths have revenant stats but like. who knows). The common ground for multiclassing into warlock is “Emily Axford likes to play hexblades”, with both Fig and Sofia taking levels in it; Fjord is the only warlock to multiclass out, into oath of the open sea paladin.

Wizard: two transmutation, one divination, one necromancer, and one chronurgist. Two are high elves, with no other preferences for race; Fia is the only one to have multiclassed (into war cleric) and no one has multiclassed into wizard.

And finally, tied for last but with four each, we have monk and artificer.

Monk: no subclass overlap until Sofia switched to Way of Shadow, but three are humans and one is probably a human equivalent (bittyfolk from Tiny Heist) - the subclasses represented are Cobalt Soul, Drunken Master, Shadow, and Long Death. No multiclasses into monk (like ranger, monk doesn’t offer too many benefits in a multiclass dip) but Sofia Bicicleta took a level in hexblade warlock.

Artificer: despite not being made official until relatively recently, this caught up, thanks to Zonk Verbena Zirk Vervain. Three are either alchemists or probably the equivalent thereof (Taryon is based on the UA version but is pretty clearly not a gunsmith, and Cel’s class is technically Alchemist, not Artificer, but Artificer with the alchemist subclass is probably the closest 5e equivalent), and one is an artillerist; no race preference. None have multiclassed, but Gorgug (barbarian) has taken a level in artificer.

And finally, there is one Bloodhunter, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Lucien is his name, murdering Cerberus Assembly members is his game.

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several other fun facts from the giant list I made to do this:

Number of characters who have switched races or bodies during their campaign: 3

Number of characters who have switched deities/patrons during their campaign: 7

Number of characters who have briefly not had a class while their party was mid-level, with said change representing a major turning point for their character, but then came back stronger than ever having addressed the negative behaviors they learned from a seafaring father figure and having acquired a new plot-relevant weapon, and immediately multiclassed into a class that uses charisma for spellcasting: only two but it’s weird it happened twice

Number of characters whose first name or nickname is a food or drink: 6

Number of characters whose first name or nickname is a food or drink from A Crown of Candy: 0

Number of characters who typically go by only one name (ie, actively do not use their last name or any titles): 18

Number of characters who go by a given name and title/descriptor (eg: Adjective Firstname, Firstname the Title, Firstname of the Place): 8

Number of characters with three-part names (first, middle, last): 2

Number of characters with four-part names (first, two middles/a two-word nickname, last): 3

Number of characters with no name: 1

Percival Friedrickstein Von Musel Klossowski De Rolo III: but you can call him Percy

#critical role #taz balance #taz graduation #dimension 20 #rqg #naddpod #relics & rarities #i am not tagging with every single naddpod or d20 campaign thanks

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aelwynrights · 4 years

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the succession of stories

read on ao3 here

the sounds of war ring out through castle candy. the queen does not move from her throne. the knights stay standing at attention in the halls and the courtyard, frozen along the wall. the servants do not look up from their duties as shouts echo through the halls.

it is not real, of course. there has not been war in candia for years. the children, though, are fascinated with the subject, fueled by stories of their ancestors and tapestries depicting their heroism. they tumble down the corridors, wooden swords at their sides. they are cousins, siblings, but today they are the heroes of old, six out of seven figures whose statues line the courtyard proudly. the oldest carries a sword and a wooden horn that is a smaller version of the one on his mother’s hip. the youngest is falling behind, a stick representing a crossbow in hand as he pumps six-year-old legs that cannot keep up with his companions. one of them, in makeshift robes, notices and nudges his brother.

“sir theobald, pick up count liam! we have to escape!” the young lapin holds out one hand, pretends that his magic is what lets the little knight lift the younger onto his back.

behind them, the two girls - cousins, though they are so close in age their mothers have given up on convincing them that they are not twins - argue, both holding one end of a thin play sword. “i want to be princess jet!” one of them squeals, already looking the part with makeshift war paint across her cheeks.

the other shakes her head firmly, thrusting an unstrung bow at the other. “i get to be jet this time! you’re ruby! you can do magic if you’re ruby!”

“i’m older, so i say you’re ruby!”

the younger concedes and lets go of the sword finally, shooting a fake arrow at the imaginary enemies behind them. “fine, let’s go!”

in front, the play king amethar stops before a junction, holds up his hand. “sir theobald, lapin, princesses, i believe we may have an ally among us.”

the ally comes in the form of an older brother, who smiles as he sees their weapons and wartime stances. even so, he does not bring good news - he shoots a glance at his younger brother and says, “at risk of disturbing the heroes of candia, mother wants to see you, pollux.”

“i’m not pollux, i’m lapin!” his brother says, costume robes that pool on the floor wrapped around him.

castor indulges. “fine, little lapin, but the lady melia wishes to hear your counsel, dear chancellor.”

the others sigh as little lapin salutes them and runs off to find his mother, sending one last magical wave at them as he runs down the corridor.

“castor, will you play with us?” one of the girls pleads, the little princess jet with her sword sheathed for once. “we need a sir cumulous.”

castor glances around and drops his voice to a whisper, conspiratorially for his young cousins. “but princess jet, of course! i simply needed to conceal my identity from whoever may be listening.”

there is a cheer, and the little theobald keeps time with castor, his favorite older cousin, now the monk of stories, leading them down the hallway and through doorways, hiding up against the wall as servants pass, giving them a wink as he indulges his younger cousins. the knights along the way pretend to be fructeran guards that do not see their stealth; the maids who pass are happy to be called dairian allies as the learned cumulous practices his history for the game.

“and then we arrive at the great stone candy mountains,” he whispers outside the throne room, “and we have an audience with the queen.”

the doors fly open as the queen glances up from her throne, smiling as her son and his younger sister arrive with their cousins behind them, their oldest cousin castor giving her a play-along grin. “ah, i see we have the great candian heroes here to see me!” she exclaims. “to what do i owe the honor?”

her son, who is not her son at this moment but is instead king amethar of days of old, kneels in front of her. “my lady, we ask for free passage through your hall to the candy fields beyond.”

“and of course you shall have it,” she replied benevolently, stroking her son’s hair. “you are, of course, the heroes of candia.”

“not yet, mama!” the little princess ruby pipes up. “right now we are on the run from the empire.”

her mother raised an eyebrow and beckoned her daughter to her, lifting her onto her lap. “someone has been paying attention in her history lessons,” she said, then glanced at her nephew who stood to the side, the closest to adult supervision they had. “or perhaps castor has been teaching you from his books?”

“he’s not castor!” protested the little knight. “he’s cumulous rocks.”

“yeah!” said the little count liam, still on theobald’s back.

“well, cumulous, i give you leave to take the heroes through my land and beyond, and i trust that the king amethar will be protected.” the queen let her daughter hop back off and join her cousin, already whispering to each other conspiratorially. “look after the princesses, too, yes?”

castor bowed to his aunt. “of course, your highness. your wish is my command.”

the queen nodded and watched as the group darted out of the room, castor letting the pretend princesses hang off his arms as they walked, squealing with glee when he lifted them up and let them swing themselves back off. the prince already walked like the king he was pretending to be, and the imaginary crossbow bolts that shot from the littlest one’s toy took down enemies ahead of them as he clung to his older brother’s back.

oh, that the real story could be so simple, thought the queen as they left, that their enemies could have been imaginary and their weapons blunted. the future had been kind to the heroes of old, had let them be honored even when they were disgraced in their own time, but even time could not erase the losses that history had written.

she glanced at the tapestry that hung behind her: a weaving of her grandmother on the throne, scepter in one hand, the crown gleaming over furrowed brows and sad eyes. there were other depictions of her grandmother throughout the castle, and a statue of her in the courtyard, but those always showed younger woman, fighting alongside her father and her sister, brave in the face of accusations and danger, and never alone. they didn’t ever show the afterwards, when she stood alone for the first time, the promises she had once made to her sister sugar-dust in the air, and her sister not by her side, but buried in a peppermint wood coffin.

perhaps, though, with the children, the story would be different. perhaps in their version, they would stand in victory, without the tragedy of their ancestors weighing them down, with not one loss. perhaps the next generation could rewrite their mistakes, learn from them, avoid the cycle of more loss. perhaps there was a chance that someday, the children of the castle would pretend to be heroes of peace.

she hopes that they will only ever face imaginary foes.

#dimension 20 #a crown of candy #acoc #my writing!#a crown of candy spoilers #acoc spoilers #can you tell i wish i had grown up in a castle #king amethar rocks #sir theobald gumbar #chancellor lapin cadbury #princess ruby rocks #princess jet rocks #count liam wilhemina #cotton candy temple cotton candy monk #cumulous rocks

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