A character's class determines their skill set in a battle. All characters must have a class, and it is advised to have an idea of what path they will take as they level up.
Classes are differentiated by four class types, which describe what sort of skills a character has, and three class tiers, which describe their power/skill level. These are:
Class Types
Fighter
The specialists in direct combat. They generally have high strength and stamina but must rely on their bodies for their advantage.
Mage
The specialists in arcane arts. They command magical forces to fight but tend to be less physically robust than others.
Healer
The specialists in healing. They are capable of remedying damage to the body but mostly lack offensive skills.
Scout
The specialists in speed and deftness. They are quick of body and of mind but lack stamina.
Class Tiers
Base
People with latent talent, but who have not honed their skills yet. Everyone in Alva will find an affiliation with one of the four Base classes, and choose their path accordingly if/when they decide to develop their class skills.
Intermediate
People who have refined their abilities and are now considered skilled. Intermediate tier classes are specialisations of the associated Base class.
Final
People who have attained the skill level to claim expertise within their Class type. Final tier classes specialise further or refine the skills of the associated Intermediate class.
Please note that:
▶ Characters cannot change class paths during the group plot. You can have a character who has changed classes in the past, but they cannot retain their old skills beyond the equivalent of Base tier.
▶ When a character levels up, they won't immediately have all the skills of the new class but will be able to start earning them. We don't enforce a rigid skill system to allow flexibility, but we do this on the trust that you'll be reasonable.
▶ Characters can have peripheral skills in one other class type, however only basic skills on par with Base tier are allowed. E.g. A Summoner may be able to hold his own in a bar fight, but he will never be close to the skill level of a Warrior.
▶ At creation, an Intermediate tier character must be no younger than 18 and a Final tier character must be no younger than 25. These age limits will not prevent a character from leveling up but will be imposed at time of creation. Please note that these are the absolute minimums for the talented, dedicated and trained - the averages are closer to 25 for Intermediate and 40 for Final. It is not unusual let alone under-achieving to be at Base or Intermediate in late life as class skills are not a life necessity. A reknowned scholar, for example, need never leave Base tier if their expertise doesn't require it.
The
class path trees, flowing from Base tier at the top through to Final tier at the bottom, are as below:
Fighter Classes
Fighter
The natural strength of a fighter is their physical ability. They are robust people and many have an instinct for combat, however their talent is still raw and untrained.Disciple
Disciples have trained their bodies for speed and efficiency rather than brute force. What they lack in raw power they make up for with techniques that optimise their movement and a unique skill - Disciples have started to learn how to harness their internal energy to reinforce their bodies.Warrior
Warriors are the purest of fighters. They rely only on their weapons and physical prowess, and to that end have dedicated their training solely to their bodies and weaponry techniques. In direct combat, a Warrior's physical abilities make them daunting opponents.Knight
The protector of the fighting classes, Knights focus on defense above all else. They are less aggressive in fighting style but supplement their physical combat skills with a capability to perform small defensive magics, such as minor magical shields and protections.Ascetic
Ascetics are masters of movement, efficiency and manipulating their internal energy. Their training has given them fine control over their bodies, and the ability to not only reinforce themselves, but also project their energy in special attacks. The techniques of Ascetics are highly esoteric, and therefore vary greatly.Paladin
Paladins are ultimate defensive fighters, having furthered the training of Knights to its peak. Their skills in battle are highly developed and, in addition to minor shields, Paladins are able to perform limited healing magics on themselves and others. This gives them great stamina, and makes them valuable comrades on the battlefield.Champion
Champions have taken the path of the Warrior to its pinnacle, to become the most fearsome of true fighters on the merit of only their own highly trained bodies and weaponry skills. Many are skilled in multiple weapons, or are masters of their single weapon of choice. A Champion's skills in the art of combat are fearsome, both on the battlefield and in command.Berserker
Berserkers are the monsters of the battlefield. While they often possess less trained skill and technique than their peers, they have a formidable advantage in their brute force, stamina, animal instinct and sheer bloodlust. A Berserker in full battle mode is an uncontrolled and uncontrollable, nigh-unstoppable tank of a fighter.Mage Classes
Mage
Mages are those who have discovered an innate ability to tap and shape the magic of the world, though they have yet to gain the skill and knowledge to fully craft it to their will.Illusionist
The magic of Illusionists centres on creating fake images and other incomplete but misleading tricks to the senses. As these illusions have no physical effect on reality, Illusionists rely on the creativity and cleverness of their ruses to trap or avoid their opponents, rather than confronting them directly.Sorcerer
Sorcerers focus on the purer forms of magic, learning how to ply raw elements, energies and runes to direct magic in a number of ways. Intensive time, concentration and knowledge is required to manage such freeform power, but the range and flexibility of sorcerers is the most unbounded of all the mage types.Summoner
Summoners employ the powers of otherworldly creatures – known as familiars – by transporting them from other dimensions and manipulating them to do their bidding. While this grants them swift abilities, it is crucial that Summoners stay vigilant and strong-minded at all times, lest the familiar deviate from their will.Enchanter
Enchanters can fabricate false realities and deceive others to an artful degree. While their magic still lacks real form, leading to the view that Enchanters are not true mages, the way they can tamper with a person's surroundings, perceptions and even dreams makes them a difficult opponent to deal with, and experts at tricking, confusing and escaping.Conjurer
Conjurers are masters of commanding other magical beings. They are able to keep complex familiars with them for lengthy periods of time, tap directly into their abilities and harmonise wills near-seamlessly, thus utilising their companions with frightening accuracy and unity. To fight a Conjurer is not to fight a single person, but an army with a single mind.Wizard
Wizards are the purest of magic users, devoted to the art of shaping raw energy. Able to assemble the most basic elements of magic to build a vast variety of spells from scratch, the versatility of a Wizard's magic is often unmatched among their peers, though working with such fundamental and unbridled power still takes great time and focus to control.Sage
Sages are a unique type of mage that specialises not in casting magic, but stopping it. Through their meticulous understanding of how magic works and the precise use of barriers and seals, they can disrupt and stem the flow of energy, thereby halting spells or even causing them to backfire. For this reason, Sages are often known as the mage's bane.Healer Classes
Healer
Healers have begun to awaken to their ability to mend the body. While they have natural intuition for first aid and some can heal small injuries, they don't yet have the ability to fully harness their powers.Shaman
Blessed with an affinity to the earth, Shamans use the energy of the earth to help them. They can enhance the power of plant-based medicines, and boost recovery by bridging the healing force of the earth for the patient. This is the only class path capable of healing animals.Acolyte
Acolytes are the traditional healers - they channel magical energy into a patient's body to combat wounds or illness. The focus needed to control the magic is high, but it is effective and makes their work fast among their peers. Acolytes are able to cast minor shields to protect themselves while healing.Bard
The Bard's unique ability is to heal the body through music. Through their voices or their instruments, they weave spells that accelerate the healing of a listener. Their music also often has soothing properties, making their practice the most pleasant healing art.Druid
Druids have attained a level of connection to the earth that allows them to tap and reshape its energy directly. A Druid's craft is relatively slow, however their access to this huge reservoir gives them immense stamina for healing. Many can also temporarily boost the physical abilities of allies, or their own, by calling on nature's protections.Troubadour
Troubadours have honed their skills to become capable not only of healing the body, but also touching the mind. A skilled Troubadour can enrapture an audience, galvanise an ally, or debilitate an enemy. While their healing work is not as powerful that of their peers, the positive effect of boosted self-healing can remain, in part, long after the spell has finished.Cleric
A Cleric's craft is held to be the purest of the healing arts, and in turn Clerics also to be the purest of heart. They can unravel ills and regenerate the body with great efficiency and finesse, through refined skills in both channeling magic and directing it inside the body. Practitioners of an art with long history, Clerics make the most versatile and well-rounded of healers.Exorcist
Exorcists practice a special form of healing; they banish sickness and injury by drawing it out and storing it inside their own bodies as converted energy. While they suffer the shadows of the ills they bear and are often sickly as a result, their technique gives them rare speed in healing, and a weapon - that energy can be released as bursts of destructive power, making them the sole offensive healer class.Scout Classes
Scout
Scouts are those whose natural abilities are speed and agility. They are often deft with their hands and quick on their feet, but have yet to hone these advantages to their full potential.Hunter
Hunters are the long range specialists of the scouts. They use their keen senses and skilful hands to take down an enemy or prey from far away, usually with weapons such as bows. Hunters are out of their depth in the close range and therefore avoid direct combat - where their skills shine is killing from afar.Thief
Quick and dexterous, Thieves use their wits and speed to give them their advantage. They are specialists of the close range, and of the sneakier methods of getting their way. They are at a disadvantage if captured, lacking strength and stamina, so they rely more on evasion and hit-and-run tactics.Gunner
Gunners have opted to arm themselves with the higher technology of the world. While their weapons of choice are expensive and dangerous, they are often well-balanced middle range combatants. A Gunner relies heavily on his or her weaponry.Ranger
Rangers have perfected the art of dealing quick and efficient death with an arrow. With senses trained to pick up the slightest of signs and minds keenly attuned to their environment, they are excellent hunters, trackers and trappists. Many Rangers have learnt basic self-defense skills as contingency, yet many others simply use their forte - staying one step ahead of pursuers.Sniper
Snipers are connoisseurs of their weapons, be they short-range arms that pack a punch or precise rifles. Most have pet weapons that they boost with new technology, alchemy or their own magics, and that they know like extensions of themselves. With both specialists and generalists, the Sniper class is versatile and valuable in many fields.Rogue
Rogues are the phantoms of the scouts. They are masters of stealth, secrecy and killing silently from the shadows, undetected and untraced. A Rogue does not have physical durability as strength, but a Rogue has speed, precision and a wide repertoire of deceitful techniques to make up for it - after all, the best time to kill an enemy is before they can resist.Marauder
Marauders are the boldest of the scout classes. Instead of silence and subtlety, they have honed their speed, cunning and penchant for dirty tactics to take battles head-on. Quick on their feet and quicker of mind, Marauders use chaos to their advantage rather than running from it. This skill in facing danger directly often makes them charismatic leaders.
More specific info on all classes and how they work can be found on our detailed resource collection,
Alvapedia. If you'd like to know more about the premise and limits of each class, please check it out!
Alvapedia
