Classless Characters

This page describes a way to eschew the traditional SRD character classes and opt for a flat, highly customizable character creation and advancement system. Classless characters are not balanced against SRD core classes. They should only be used in a campaign where the core classes are prohibited.

This experimental system makes major changes to the SRD character system. As shown in Table: Character Level Benefits, save and attack bonuses as well as gained feats are fundamentally changed.

Skill Ranks

Choose 6 skills (7 if you are human) to be your "trained" skills. See Skills I and Skills II for skill descriptions. When you make a skill check using any of these skills, you add 3 + your character level to the result plus any other modifiers as normal. Once per level, you may remove one "trained" skill and replace it with another skill.

Variant: Retraining costs 250 XP × your character level. This experience is spent in the same way a magic user spends XP to create a magic item, i.e. you cannot spend so much XP that you would lose a level, but if you have gained enough XP to attain a new level, you can immediately spend XP on retraining a skill instead of keeping the XP to advance a level.

Gaining Feats

Feats are at the heart of character customization under the classless system. You choose two feats upon creating a character and choose an additional feat each time your character gains a level. Human characters gain one extra feat at creation for a total of three. Any class level prerequisites become character level prerequisites.

This method replaces the normal feat system of gaining one feat at 1st level and every level divisible by three. Characters simply gain one new feat every level.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

You may choose one simple weapon with which to be proficient. You are not proficient with any type of armor or shields. You may take proficiency feats to become proficient with any more armor or weapons.

Variant: You may spend 1 skill point to become proficient with any simple weapon. If using the trained skills variant, you may sacrifice 1 skill at 1st level to become proficient with four simple weapons.

Variant: You are proficient with all simple weapons. You are not proficient with any type of armor or shields. You may take proficiency feats to become proficient with any more armor or weapons.

Hit Points

At 1st level, your character gets hp equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier. At every subsequent level your character gains 1d8 + your Constitution modifier in additional hit points. This puts classless characters on par with the cleric, druid, monk, ranger, and most monsters where staying power in combat is concerned.

Humanoids get a d8 Hit Die according to Table: Creature Improvement by Type in Improving Monsters, and d8 is an average Hit Die among the core classes. It is also the amount of HP a cure spell restores.

Attack Bonuses

Starting at 1st level and every two levels thereafter, characters gain a +1 bonus to their base attack bonus, similar to the epic base attack bonus described in Epic Level Basics. This results in an attack bonus equal to half your character level rounded up. All other relevant modifiers apply.

This puts the average character just slightly ahead of the wizard in combat ability. Combat-oriented characters like soldiers can take special feats to increase their combat focus and become excellent fighters.

Saving Throws

Starting at 2nd level and every two levels thereafter, characters gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws, similar to the epic save bonus described in Epic Level Basics. This results in a save bonus equal to half your character level rounded down. All other relevant modifiers apply.

This puts every character on par with each other and eliminates major survivability gaps at higher levels. Characters can take special feats to increase individual save bonuses for specialization.

Experience

The classless system is intended for settings and campaigns that are less focused on math and combat statistics and more on role-playing. This form of the game favors the "free-form experience" (CRII p. 39) and "story awards" (CRII p. 40) methods of awarding experience to players.

Creature Levels

In the SRD, creatures without a class are treated as having a "creature class" equal to its Hit Dice in levels. If a creature has 1 Hit Die or a fractional Hit Die, the first Hit Die it gains in a normal character class replaces its racial Hit Die.

Classless characters advance in level without a character class as if they had a creature class with HD advancement. This creature class is more powerful than the "humanoid" monster type by necessity, or else it would be underpowered as a player-character.

Humanoid Type: .

Features: A humanoid has the following features.

—8-sided Hit Dice.

—Base attack bonus equal to 1⁄2 total Hit Dice, rounded up.

—Saving throws equal to 1⁄2 total Hit Dice, rounded down.

—6 + Int modifier of skills at rank 3 + HD.

Traits:

—Proficient with all simple weapons.

—Not proficient with any type of armor or shields.

—Two feats at 1 HD, and one feat for every additional HD.

Human Subtype: .

Features: A human has the following features.

Traits:

—Medium: No special bonuses or penalties due to size.

—Base land speed 30 feets.

—1 bonus feat at 1 HD.

—1 bonus skill at rank 3 + HD.