MMORPG-style roles

[Murtak]

As requested by Lago, an example of how to do role protection, MMORPG-style (using Everquest as the base because I know that game).

We have two categories here, roles and sthicks. Every class has one role. Every time a challenge class for "you need an x", anyone with that role should be able to solve the challenge. Additionally roles will have stacking issues, so you want to cut down on doubling up on the same role within the same party. The roles are: Healer, Crowd Control, Beatdown and Tank. Healers get to do level-appropriate healing. Crowd Controllers get place monsters in timeout. Beatdown guys get to fuck up monsters while they are getting beat up. Tanks get to survive multiple level-appropriate attacks and they get abilities to make monsters attack them. Note that "damage dealer" is not a role. Everyone deals damage.

In addition to a role, every class also has multiple sthicks. Some of them have stacking issues, some do not, but what they all have in common is that you don't ever need a particular shtick or combination of shticks to solve a challenge. Requiring one of four shticks may be ok, requiring a specific one never is. Shticks may also be available via race, or as selectable abilities.


On to the sample classes:
Cleric
Role: Healer. Specializes in large heal spells.
Shticks: Curing, solid defenses, extra damage to undead

Shaman
Role: Healer, specializes in long-lasting heals.
Shticks: Poison, scouting in spirit form, dispelling

Paladin
Role: Tank, specializes in single powerful opponents
Shticks: Healing (way below healers), diplomacy, invulnerability

Warrior
Role: Tank, specializes in multiple opponents
Shticks: Area attacks, immunities, regeneration

Berserker
Role: Beatdown, stuns opponents
Shticks: traps, boosts party damage, immunities

Rogue
Role: Beatdown, one-shots weak opponents
Shticks: stealth, open locks, poison

Enchanter
Role: Crowd Control, fascinates unengaged creatures
Shticks: diplomacy, boosts party damage, teleport

Warlock
Role: Crowd Control, summons walls and other obstacles
Shticks: area damage, invulnerability, scouting

[RandomCasualty2]

Shticks: open locks

One minor point. I think that generally for shticks, you want to have multiple people with a general Schick with everyone having their own special way of doing things.

Lets take bypassing doors for instance.

• A fighter might be good at opening doors quickly. You kick the fucker down, better hope its not trapped. It also makes a shitload of noise. Of course, if you happen to knock it down in one kick you can very well surprise what's on the other side as you burst in.
• A rogue bypasses a door quietly. He picks the lock and nobody hears him. He also has a good chance of finding traps and disarming them, but sometimes they go off in his face. Picking a lock however takes a bit more time than kicking the door down.
• A wizard opens a door safely and at a distance. It takes him a pretty long ritual and stuff to get it open, but since he's doing it with telekinesis it can basically ensure that he doesn't set off any nasty traps on the door at all. His method also outlines the door with a blue glow while he's casting his spell, which makes it very obvious to things on the other side that someone is trying to get in, and they're certain to be ready for him.

Combat styles should work the same way. Maybe the fighter is great against living things with weak spots, while the barbarian is good against things that are slow and clumsy, A cleric's beams of light excel at taking down demons, undead and other creatures of pure evil, but are ultimately weak against morally absent things like animals or plants.