Since the days of early role-playing Player and DM alike have clashed in battle over such a very simple problem which, has a very simple solution, I am talking about splat books and homebrew rules. Whether you are a particularly open minded DM who will allow anything that is balanced and fair as long as the players provide or if your a straight core man there may have been a point when a player has asked to use something that you have not wanted in your game. I think I may have a solution, that will save time and possible money (your players may never have to buy a splat book again…).
In the little time I have been role-playing the only trouble I have come across is when a player no matter how experienced he is thinks he has a amazing understanding of the rules and so goes out creates a homebrew class and race and expects me to let him play it before I’ve got past the +6 level adjustment that has appeared in my head and wandered why he has +0 level adjustment where it should be. This quickly spiralled into an argument and the player soon left my group, but I think had I known what I know now he could have remained in the group and we could have played quite happily, he still would be playing his weird ass race (whose specific feature I have trouble remembering) and he could still play his more unarmed combat focused class. You see my solution requires only minute changes in the mechanics and a creative imagination.
Now before I explain exactly what I’m suggesting I know this won’t work for all concepts but it is at least worth a try. You see though Splat books provide characters with more and more options they also can add to the intimidating pile of content a player can choose from this can slow down play, where it could have easily have run smoothly my solution should allow that player who decided to play a Samurai / Psi-Warrior / Warblade to just play simply a fighter or paladin multiclass into wizard. Where as the original is basically and insane katana swinging, psionic, martial bad ass it would take more time and more tracking and more paper working to use in game compared to more simpler second idea. Remember however that this could really just be applied to almost any system, as the mechanics barely have to be touched and in most cases don’t even have to be touched at all.
My idea is that you should look at the tools provided for you for example, the Fighter and the Wizards class features, and change the slightest details to match the concept you want, this means no searching the 20 Kilo stacks of books for that feat or spell you need, and instead just carrying the simplistic players guide.
The Example
So using my example, A player at my table wants to play a guy who not only swings around a cool slightly curved blade of awesome known as a Katana (in 3.5 this is represented as a masterwork bastard sword), but can deliver flashy magical effects such as beams of energy or improved strength but also has some descent martial prowess. He decides to be a Samurai / Psychic Warrior / Warblade. Though these classes may provide him the tools he needs for his concept combining the psychic powers, katana wielding and martial maneuvers his selection of classes provide just by changing some fluff of a class here and their he way have had a simpler character who still holds true to his character concept.
So here we go, By instead choosing to be a Fighter he automatically gains a bunch of proficiencies in weapons and armour, if he wishes he could just re-flavour a Longsword so that is essentially a Katana or he could spend a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency, otherwise he should spend his fighter feats on improving his martial prowess this means things such improved disarm and power attack. At some point he should multiclass into Wizard or Sorcerer, this will provide him with the flashy effects, now I know in D&D 3.5 we had a little thing called Arcane Spell Failure this isn’t much of a problem if he decides to wear no armour or, chooses Mithril Armour, as Mithril reduces the spell failure by 10% and this makes arcane spell failure an insignificant risk.
By choosing his spell wisely the player will be able to buff himself and create some slightly flash effects, remember by adjusting the fluff and the mechanics and fluff just slightly a character could be summoning blades of steel instead of force missiles when he uses magic missile and this may suit better to a certain characters concept.
This will result in a character who still swings around a Katana, still has martial prowess and still has magical effects and you only had to use the core rulebooks in the case of 3.5, this can be done in other concepts to, one concept I hope to use in the near future for a character is a man who channels Primordial energies through him to make him harder to kill and allow him to deliver powerful attacks, such a character will appear in a 4e game and by using the Barbarian released on DDI something all of the players at my table have access to, and a bit of re-flavouring such a character will be possible without using anything actually made by self, the powers will mechanically be the same all that is changed is the flavour, and often that is all you need to change to play the character you want…
