How do we feel about variant classes?

[Kaghuros]

Considering I've been gone a very long time and a lot has changed, I've been wondering what the GM team's stance on variant classes is as of now. This is mostly prompted by the recent changes regarding the Runemaster and Necromancer classes (which are variant base classes more or less) and some of the special profiles I've seen get accepted, such as the Subversive and others.

While prestige classes seem to be off limits for now, is it possible to play something like an Inscriber/Dark Inscriber, or a Druid of the Nightmare or Auradin? These are all classes on par with ones currently available but are specialized in some way that makes them slightly different than the base class. Druids of the Nightmare have domains that are decay focused just as Druids of the Wild have domains focused on life and renewal and, similarly, Inscribers and Dark Inscribers have the same spells as the arcane classes (Mage and either Warlock or Necromancer respectively) with only a different spellcasting scheme. It's not a stretch to say that most variants resemble the base class enough to be represented by them easily, and not outclass any other base classes like certain prestiges might.

If any of these classes are available for play, I'd like to know if there are any specific limits on which ones, or if only the variant classes with no difference in skills are available (i.e. Inscriber since it's identical in abilities to a Mage, but not Druid of the Nightmare because that's too far off).

[Beltharean]

Do note that "variant" titles, that is classes that basically are just another take on a core class (examples: warrior - barbarians, hunters - rangers), will not be listed and you are free to play them as you will.

Source

[Kaghuros]

Ah, thank you. But isn't that the old prestige system? I remember drafting that list almost two years ago, and seeing that titles had been suspended again I thought it wasn't used anymore.

[Beltharean]

Well they've been allowed in every past system (I've had several variants be approved, ranging from a year and a half ago to two months ago) and I was told that the 'Tier 1' prestiges from the last system wouldn't be considered prestige at all in the new system and anyone could take them. Taking that into consideration, if we can take an entirely new class then a variant on an existing class should still remain okay.

That's not official however, just my take on the whole matter.

[Spiralin]

I had an inscriber... And inscribers were pretty much just retconned into someone with the inscription profession. Or at least that is what I was told.

Hopefully that helps if you were thinking about inscribers. I'm not too sure about the rest.

[Grakor456]

"Variants" are just alternate class names, for the most part. They don't actually *do* anything, since WoW already has built-in variations based on spec. Inscribers were utterly annihilated when Runemaster was made base.

[Kaghuros]

I still wonder about variant classes that differ slightly from the base, like Druids of the Nightmare. I'd imagine that's probably out of the question though. And yeah, Inscriber was what I was mainly wondering about, since I kind of enjoy the alternative magic deal for a character. I take what you just said to mean that Inscribers are okay since Runemasters are? Like a variant of them or something? Or since runic magic is now a base class deal and/or a sideline addition to a normal Arcanist class type through Inscription then it's no longer an Arcanist class, just a profession or something you do along with normal magic.

[Grakor456]

Or since runic magic is now a base class deal and/or a sideline addition to a normal Arcanist class type through Inscription then it's no longer an Arcanist class, just a profession or something you do along with normal magic.

Something like this. Inscriber was seen as being fairly redundant between Runemasters and the Inscriptionist profession, so we abandoned the concept entirely. You can still play a Mage with the Inscriptionist profession, which is fairly close to the general idea anyway.

[Kaghuros]

Thank you, that answers my question exactly!