BARBARIAN
A very strong start. Essentially the Unearthed Arcana version done right, without all the overbearing roleplay restrictions (like insisting on destroying every magic item the party finds) and toned-down just enough in terms of overall power to not make regular fighters obsolete. They enjoy the biggest hit dice of any official S&W class yet, d10s, but they’ll need them, seeing as they can’t wear any armor better than ring mail (AC 6). In addition to that, they get ranger style tracking and resistance to surprise, thief style climbing and keen hearing, some other detection bonuses (secret doors, illusions, etc.) relating to their keen senses, and a unique ability to improve their own odds of gaining surprise by laying ambushes. They tend to be chronically short of cash, however, since they can’t own more wealth than they can carry on their persons. I’ve always been skeptical of the need for a “Conan class,” seeing as how he was already a major source of inspiration for the fighter, but this is still probably the best one I’ve seen.
Rating: 8/10
BARD
Essentially a variant druid that sacrifices considerable spellcasting ability and the signature shapeshifting for a better weapon and armor selection (they can wear chain and wield anything), a percentile lore skill, the ability to fascinate crowds with oratory, and many (one per level gained!) bonus languages. Interestingly, they can also use the same magic items as fighters, druids, and thieves, despite having no thief abilities. On paper, the hit they take to spellcasting seems dire. I’m talking no third level spells until they reach bard level ten, and they must wait all the way until bard level eighteen to access their highest (fifth) level spells. I suspect that whether that tradeoff is worth it or not is going to depend on just how useful lore and language skills are in a specific campaign. I simply adore the flavor, though. Original AD&D’s pseudo-Celtic bardic warriors were always a bit cooler than AD&D 2nd Edition’s foppish minstrel bards in my book.
Rating: 7/10
CHIVALRIC KNIGHT
Of all the classes on offer here, this is the only one that left me completely underwhelmed. In theory an update to the old AD&D cavalier, I just don’t think this one offers enough bang for the buck. Roughly 130 gp worth of free gear at the start in form of a horse, a selection of weapons, and some chainmail armor is…fine, I guess. It’s just too bad that first level is really the only time in a character’s career where laying hands on that kind of money is remotely difficult. Other than that, you get a +1 to hit (only, no extra damage) with sword, mace, and lance. This doubles to +2 on horseback. Oh, and you can request free meals and lodging at castles due to your knightly status. That’s really it as far as upsides. Not much at all compared to the general combat boosts fighters with above-average strength and dexterity enjoy, never mind the likes of paladins and rangers with their suites of exotic powers. Worse, you have serious roleplay restrictions to contend with, such as not being able to use any missile weapons (!) on account of them being dishonorable or whatever, and, of course, being beholden to an NPC liege. I just can’t imagine ever recommending this class to a player as written. If you really want to be a “knight in shining armor,” you’re better served rolling any other fighter type and just ponying up (pun fully intended) for a horse.
Rating: 2/10
DEMON HUNTER
Now we’re talking! These guys, magic-user/cleric hybrids with big Solomon Kane energy, are everything I could want them to be. They lean hard into the original Law vs. Chaos alignment system, being stern champions of Law obsessed with rooting out and destroying Chaos wherever it hides. Think the paladin, if they were less upright knightly types and more grizzled swashbuckling occultists. They also have an opposite number in the form of fallen demon hunters called Nimoroths that have sold out to Chaos. Like clerics, demon hunters have d6 hit dice and can turn the undead (although not quite as well as clerics can). They aren’t restricted in terms of weapon types and can wear light armor. Similar to magic-users, they prepare their spells from books. They have their own spell list consisting of five levels. Demon hunter spells tend to be laser-focused on their core task of finding and destroying manifestations of Chaos and they also all tend to tie into the alignment system somehow. For example, their Magic Missile equivalent, Dart of Radiance, deals full damage to Chaotic targets, greatly reduced damage to Neutral ones, and zero damage to Lawful beings. Finally, attaining higher levels eventually gives them special abilities to detect disguised lycanthropes, demons, and other creatures of Chaos. I can’t say enough good things about the design of this class. It’s wicked cool, well thought-out, and makes clever use of the too-often neglected alignment system.
RATING: 10/10
DWARVEN PRIEST
A slightly modified fighter/cleric with a maximum level of twelve, the dwarven priest suffers from a slowed-down spell progression akin to the Bard’s (that caps at cleric spell level four) and the loss of a few abilities from both classes (fighter parrying, clerical turning) in exchange for not needing as much experience to advance as a true multi-class would. If you like the idea of being able to cast a few cleric spells in conjunction with the fighter’s d8 hit dice and no “blunt weapons only” prohibition, this is the class for you. The big sell here for me, though, is that level ceiling of twelve. S&W typically restricts dwarves to no higher than eighth level as fighters, and anything above sixth requires a strength score of 17+! This alone makes it a great choice if you just want to play a dwarf first and foremost. As a whole, not very novel, but quite functional.
Rating: 7/10
ELFBLADE
At first glance, the elfblade looks similar in spirit to the dwarven priest. You have a single-class elf fighter/magic-user (not unlike B/X or BECMI D&D’s dedicated elf class) that trades in some magical ability for d8 hit dice and a generous maximum class level of twelve. Instead of the fighter’s dexterity-based parry ability that improves armor class in melee, the elfblade has an intelligence-based “arcane parry” that improves their saving throws against magic that targets them. The question of whether the elfblade is better than a standard elf fighter/magic user is a complicated one. I think it depends on the hypothetical character’s exact ability scores. If strength and/or dexterity are notably high, the fighter option can really shine. If they aren’t (and especially if intelligence is), the elfblade becomes a very attractive choice. Keep in mind, though, that the slower magic advancement is no joke. Whereas a fighter/magic-user will be able to start throwing around fireballs after attaining level five (40,000 xp), the elfblade must wait until level seven (100,000 xp). Elfblades are also limited to no higher than fourth level spells, whereas fighter/magic-users with good intelligence can potentially master fifth level ones as well. I’ll rate this one just slightly lower than the dwarven priest, since I don’t feel it expands the horizon for elf players as much as that class does for dwarf fans.
Rating: 6/10
ILLUSIONIST
By far the simplest to summarize and review. This is straight-up Peter Aronson’s vintage illusionist, as first seen in the pages of Strategic Review and later, slightly modified, in the AD&D Players Handbook. It works exactly as you remember it, spell list and all. Not that fans of the class would want it any other way.
Rating: 8/10 (i.e. iconic for a reason)
NECROMANCER
A variant magic-user with a five-level spell list containing a mix of new and recurring dweomers focused on death, darkness, and the undead. Weapon options are notably better, though, with the added ability to use slings for ranged damage and a scythe (reskinned battle axe) in melee. They also get a “bind undead” power that functions much like an evil cleric’s command function from AD&D. In other words, they can roll on a table resembling the one clerics use for turning in order to see if they can compel certain non-intelligent undead like skeletons, zombies, and ghouls into their service. Canny Referees will quickly realize that they can repurpose this table for Chaotic clerics in S&W, regardless of whether they intend to use necromancers proper in their campaigns or not. While they don’t technically have to be of evil/Chaotic bent, necromancers can’t be Lawful. Spells are mostly what you’d expect, with a few surprises, like good old Raise Dead. One thing that strikes me as potentially dicey is that most of their few true offensive spells rely on being able to touch targets. That’s not always a great plan with d4 hit dice and no armor. Still, there's ample spooky flavor here. Who doesn’t love the idea of having hordes of badass undead minions? Such a character would probably do well to exercise some discretion regarding their career choice when mixing with general society, though.
Rating: 7/10
TROUBADOR
This one is dead simple, but I dig it. What we have here is a variant thief that gets access to low level (maximum third) illusionist spells and a magical singing ability (effectively the same as the bard’s oratory) in exchange for no backstab attack and overall slower thief skill progression. A straightforward, pick-up-and-play take on the “arcane trickster” archetype. Not all that different from the assassin, in a sense, except they get more hit points and expertise at poisoning and disguise instead of spells and mind control singing. If you’re reminded of the AD&D 2nd Edition bard, that’s likely no coincidence. Rating: 7/10
WARLOCK
Another class like the demon hunter that combines elements of the cleric and magic-user with d6 hit dice, no weapon restrictions (but alas no armor), and an emphasis on alignment-based magic. The warlock represents an Elric of Melniboné style sorcerer who draws power from pacts made with powerful beings from other dimensions. Despite the sinister title, this can include “good” Lawful entities as well as diabolic Chaotics and aloof Neutrals. In effect, the warlock is three classes in one, as almost every spell on their five-level list has a Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic variation. For example, the first level warlock spell Infuse Mortal Form allows Lawful casters to heal the target of 2-7 damage, Chaotic casters to raise the target’s strength by 2-4 for a limited time, and Neutral casters to temporarily sharpen the target’s senses and greatly improve their ability to spot secret doors. Most critically, though, warlocks are the only casters that don’t need to select and prepare their spells in advance. So long as they have a spell slot of a given level “open,” it can be channeled into any warlock spell of that level from the main list they desire. Their spell list is naturally quite limited to balance out all this flexibility, consisting of thirty choices total, six per level. The warlock is a real winner for me. It has a strong sword & sorcery flavor, since warlocks more closely resemble the magician characters in the fiction works of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, or Michael Moorcock than either the standard D&D magic-user or cleric. As much as I love those classes, I can easily imagine a campaign in which warlocks replace both! Again, as with the demon hunter, the implementation of the spells themselves is a fantastic way to make the alignment scheme really matter in the game. Bravo!
Rating 9/10
WRATH-CHANTER
Shame to end on a lower note, but the wrath-chanters, BoO’s take on berserkers, seems like another undercooked fighter variant in the vein of the chivalric knight to me. Like the knight, they suffer from the dire restriction of being able to use no missile weapons at all. Like the barbarian, they’re limited to mid-range armor (chain), although they aren’t afforded bigger hit dice to compensate. Their one and only asset is the ability to enter a berserk rage in melee. This requires a successful percentile roll, with the success chance starting at an extremely modest 15%. If unsuccessful, they get to keep trying for free in each subsequent round. They can also spend a whole round doing nothing but trying to go berserk, which grants +15% to the roll. Once it does finally kick in, their combat rage does confer some decent bonuses. A starting +1 to hit and damage that eventually reaches a maximum of +3 at eight level, immunity to mind-affecting spells, the capacity to keep fighting for a while with negative hit points, etc. That’s nothing to sneeze at, but factor in the harsh equipment restrictions and their complete lack of other skills and they’re effectively a one-trick pony that will only perform its trick if you get lucky. Why would you settle for this when the fighter, paladin, ranger (and maybe barbarian) can do so much more so much more reliably? Beats me!
Rating: 3/10
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