Gothic horror classes

[HanBassSolo]

Hey

I'm looking to see in your opinions what type of classes would fit a low magic goth/horror setting, think like a medieval Nosferatu, Dracula. This is a general question, doesn't matter if it's classes from DnD, Warhammer, etc

Looking for ideas is all

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You’d need some kind of warrior and some kind of scholar for certain. You could branch out into rogues and nobles, too. I suggest you check out the classes & archetypes from low/non-magic RPGs set in similar time periods. Northern Crown comes to mind, as does Space:1889. The latter has a wide variety of character types modeled.

Truthfully, though, how many classes you allow will vary greatly, depending on the particular system.

 

[Jack Daniel]

▯

 

[Bedrockgames]

You could use the classes in Gothic earth: Soldier, Tradesman, Adept and Mystic. I think you could also use a proper physician/scientist class. It also depends on the source material you want represented. Castle of Otranto for instance has knights in it. But lots of other gothic stories don't. Also gothic is one where you can almost get away with just having a single class where everyone is essentially a regular person if you want (and distinctions might be more about skills). That can make for much more vulnerable characters.

 

[Kromanjon]

Some kind of investigator class could be fitting. I also agree with bedrockgames that physician would be great. Other than that perhaps hunter, occultist and scribe.

 

[GMMichael]

Zweihander RPG comes to mind. I think it has a lot of classes to choose from.

 

[RealAlHazred]

The 5E-based Masque of the Red Death Players Guide has five classes (please note that this is an affiliate link):

Class​	Description​
Scion	The bearer of an ancient legacy of occult power
Shepherd	An influential leader and inspiring comrade
Sleuth	An astute observer skilled at uncovering what is hidden
Soldier	A master of combat with specialized weapons training
Stalwart	A resilient and athletic survivor

There are also archetypes; a character from any class can take any archetype, so they're kind of like subclasses but not exactly. Your MotRD5E archetype defines your character’s calling. It gives you abilities at 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th level. The sixteen archetypes are:

Archetype​	Description​
Adept	A secretive spellcaster and keeper of ancient arcane lore
Artifact Hunter	An acquirer of rare antiquities
Charlatan	A con artist or stage magician who might blunder into true magic
Criminal	A rogue with a talent for thriving outside of the law
Expert	A scholar, tradesperson, or other specialist with highly-valued skills
Gunslinger	A master of firearms, ranged combat, and trick shots
Laborer	A steadfast worker able to tackle challenges few others could endure
Medium	A seer who views the hidden world beneath reality, whether they like it or not
Mystic	A metaphysical visionary who opens their mind to transcendent perceptions
Outrider	A scout or explorer accustomed to life on the frontier
Parson	A cleric or layperson representing a religious institution
Pugilist	A practitioner of advanced unarmed combat techniques
Slayer	A relentless hunter devoted to destroying monsters at all costs
Socialite	An influential sophisticate skilled at leveraging social privilege
Spy	A covert agent of espionage with specialized skills
Tactician	A master of the battlefield, adept at gaining the upper-hand against enemies

 

[Fenris-77]

A Ghastly Affair has the following classes: Bandit, Demon Hunter, Everyman, Grave Robber, G—y (due to be renamed something like "Wanderer" or "Outsider" when the 2nd edition comes out), Libertine, Mad Scientist, Magician, and True Innocent.

Ghastly Affair is marvelous.

 

[Tonguez]

I did an experiment using just 5e Backgrounds and feats, instead of classes, it worked okay for a low power 'commoner' approach

 

[RealAlHazred]

I'm a big fan of the MotRD 5E version I linked above. He did away with spellcasters, so you need to get Forbidden Knowledge to have magic, and getting Forbidden Knowledge is a Faustian bargain.