Forums » Pantheon Classes

The Origin of Classes in Pantheon

    • 187 posts
    September 17, 2016 3:32 PM PDT

    Lately, I've been thinking about where the class/race restrictions originate from. Naturally, by design, any "origin" type questions of this form typically find their answers rooted in lore. As we all hope for our favorite combinations (personally, I'm hoping for Gnome/Dire Lord), the allowed combinations must make sense in the context of the game's universe. This line of thinking begets an interesting question:

    Where do classes in Pantheon come from?

    This is a particularly interesting question in Pantheon due to the way races are divinely created and how they are spontaneously introduced to Terminus by supernatural deposition. We know that each race is probably created by a god-like entity and had a environmentally unique homeworld prior to living on Terminus. Here are some examples of the race/homeworld/god combos that we know of in no particular order: Halflings/Hiryth/Kiren - Ward of Flame, Archai/Roa/Roa's Dark Celestial Lord, Elves/S'iolaen/Aellos and or Dythiir, etc. Knowing these two important facts allows us to posit two possible answers to my question:

    1) Classes are restricted by the process of divine creation and are related to the capacities inherited by specific celesial entities.
    2) Classes are restricted by the environment in which the races existed in.

    If we take 1) to be true, we can assume that each races originator has particular affinities to certain aspects of magic, possibly related to mana colors. For instance, a race created by Kiren, the Ward of Flame might only be able to have created classes which either a) utilize red mana or b) use no mana. Usually in creation stories, gods create their offspring in a form resembling themselves and it would make sense for magical entities to create races which inherit the capacity to use the same type of magic as their creators.

    Now, lets assume 2) is true. This would mean that the mana climates and social environments of the races homeworlds shaped the formation of that race's classes. Take the Dark Myr for example. Their homeworld of Issul could have been exceedingly blue-rich in terms of mana due to it's vast oceans. This would mean as Myr evolved on Issul, they would have learned how to interact with blue mana in particular and developed blue magic based classes. A mana-less example would be if there were a physically peaceful race which had no need to develop the class of the Rogue or Warrior.

    So my previous claims point out one glaring fallacy: if the races developed classes independently, why do they share the same classes now while on Terminus? What makes a Gnome Wizard utilizing Elos Fire from Stormona the same as an Elf Wizard from S'iolaen? Here's my final solution:

    Terminus acted as a melting pot of classes where, magically and physically similar roles independently developed on homeworlds, assimilate to the classes we have access to now. As races mixed and mingled while having restricted access the mana climates and resources provided by Terminus, a blending occured which eventually lead to defined our current classes. This realization also allows for classes to be formed strictly from Terminus too, which might explain possible Terminus-dependent classes like the Ranger. This assimilation has a pretty cool long term game consequence also. Since this class densification is effectively the averaging of many unique homeworlds, gods, and environments, it means that the classes that we are given now are probably effective in other worlds other than Terminus. I predict the expansions for Pantheon are going to be giving us access to the ancient homeworlds of each of the races and this would allow us to be maintain our effectivness as we battle within these worlds and others throughout the universe! 

    What do you guys think?


    This post was edited by Syntro at September 17, 2016 5:32 PM PDT
    • 1778 posts
    September 17, 2016 6:01 PM PDT

    @ Syntro

    You got pretty deep there at the end, I hadnt thought of offworld travel, but it would be welcome (I went to the moon in FF4 lol). I have found many folks in these forums seem to be very rigid traditionalist (Tolkien-esque) and/or High Fantasy purists. Im not sure if thats in the plans either way, but if it were Terminus itself has enough room actually and lore wise to keep us busy for quite a while.

     

    I will say that if I let it bother me (and I wont because I dont get that hung up on immersion), I could see the whole races not really lining up with current classes. I think it would make more sense if each race had its own classes representing the quadrinity with lore and uniqueness to match. Because why would they all have the same classes? Similar sure but not exact. For instance Crusader vs Samurai vs etc etc for a tank. But to create that many more classes would require loads more time and money so I understand why. And Im not unhappy with the amount of classes (though would have loved Bard to be in at launch heh). But at that point seeing as we have gone this far against immersion and lore why not just make anyrace be any class? Guess the answer is you have to dwar the line somewhere to make class/race choices meaningful?

     

    Im gonna guess that Classes will just have their own lore to explain them and that Races choices could depend on their lore (nevermind those classes didnt come from their culture) or mana properties. All that being said, this is Terminus, and race/class choices dont have to be exactly like EQ or VG. And with that said, I really really want a Gnome Bard!!!!

    • 624 posts
    September 18, 2016 4:36 AM PDT

    I like your thinking Syntro, though I see the 'melting pot' more of a chaos cauldron, conflict causing races to adapt and adopt classes they may lack (if they can).  They have had success with some, and are still working / haven't figured out others yet.  Should the races retain certain benefits in environments reminiscent of their origins...differentiating even within the same class?

    @Amsai Every race should have some form of loremaster, historian, poet, minstrel, performer, e.g. Bard.  My preference trends taller, but here's hoping for your lute-slinging gnome troubadour!


    This post was edited by Kumu at September 18, 2016 4:48 AM PDT
    • 187 posts
    September 18, 2016 8:07 AM PDT

    Kumu said:

    Should the races retain certain benefits in environments reminiscent of their origins...differentiating even within the same class?

    I had the same exact thought and suggested that some Power Scrolls are race/class specific making this differentiation in my post Race Specific Spells and Abilities

    Kumu said:

    @Amsai Every race should have some form of loremaster, historian, poet, minstrel, performer, e.g. Bard.  My preference trends taller, but here's hoping for your lute-slinging gnome troubadour!

    Except the Skar! They don't record their own history :D. Gnome Bard would be pretty neat if it made sense. One day my Gnomish brother Amsai... one day.

    • 1778 posts
    September 18, 2016 10:22 AM PDT

    Hehe. Thanks for the Gnome Bard support guys. It kind of depends on if they make sense like you said. Based off purely that they seem to me a race of magic, mystery, and knowledge I could see it working. And they should be able to do any magic based class. However, If that also came along with being scientific, logic driven, hard liners. Then I could see any magic class that is more artistic or faith driven being a no go. So no Druids, Clerics, Crusaders, or Bards  /sadface.

     

    Interesting side story and I promise Ill stop the derail. My Uncle is a musician. He can play several different instruments well to very well. But he is the scientific sort not really an artists. He told me he used to get bummed about it because he cant be creative. But then he decided to learn to play as many instruments as he could and replicate others music flawlessly instead. And he has done so and teaches at a university. But he just doesnt have the imagination to be creative. I think some people call that left and right brained?

     

    I could see specific primal scrolls for specific race/class combos. Or maybe even the same scrolls but have small difference based on race/god?

    • 187 posts
    September 18, 2016 1:54 PM PDT

    Amsai said:

    Interesting side story and I promise Ill stop the derail. My Uncle is a musician. He can play several different instruments well to very well. But he is the scientific sort not really an artists. He told me he used to get bummed about it because he cant be creative. But then he decided to learn to play as many instruments as he could and replicate others music flawlessly instead. And he has done so and teaches at a university. But he just doesnt have the imagination to be creative. I think some people call that left and right brained?

     

    Neat story, your uncle seems like a cool guy. I think the whole right brained vs. left brained thing is a myth. I'm a scientist and my greatest strength is my creativity. I think your uncle's solution to his lack of musical creativity was actually pretty creative in and of itself if you think about it haha.

    Amsai said:

    I could see specific primal scrolls for specific race/class combos. Or maybe even the same scrolls but have small difference based on race/god?



    Yeah, I thought about that too. That would be really cool.