Your character's class is their profession. It defines what stunts they'll be able to choose from, and therefore what cool things they'll do to help the band prevail.

You choose your character's class at level 1 and cannot change it, but you can add a second and even third class as you gain additional levels. This is called multiclassing.

Character classes are intentionally broad and generic. To add flair, complement your character's class with a unique High Concept and, optionally, a distinctive Archetype.

There are four character classes:

• The Cleric uses divinely-inspired magic to strengthen, protect, and heal their allies.
• The Scout uses wits and stealth to overcome obstacles and outwit enemies.
• The Warrior excels at physical combat.
• The Magician wields magic to defeat enemies and overcome obstacles.

Design Notes on Character Classes

A character class in Adventure Band is one of the basic building blocks to define your character. We have fewer character classes than 5E or Pathfinder. Our character classes are meant to express the most basic types of adventurer you can play. For example, Pathfinder (2E) makes the [1] a separate character class from [2], but they're both designed for physical combat. In Adventure Band, we'd consider them both to be Warriors.

The reason we have two levels of categorization--Class and Archetype--is to manage complexity. Simply put, it's easier to learn and remember how four Classes work than twenty. This is what software designers call [3] or coupling.

To make a character with a more specific theme, such as a Viking-style berserker, choose your basic class and add an optional Archetype. Archetypes are themed templates for building a character. Most of the character classes in 5E or Pathfinder are archetypes in Adventure Band. For example, a ranger is a specific kind of Scout, so it's an Archetype. A paladin is a specialized kind of Warrior (with some spellcasting abilities), a druid is a nature-oriented cleric, and so on.