The Thunder Rift campaign setting takes its core classes from the Player's Handbook, the Psionics Handbook, Oriental Adventures, the Rokugan Campaign book, and The Cavalier's Handbook. Below are a list of core classes that are used as-is, and the source book they can be found in:
In addition, some classes are used from the source books with minor adjustments that don't require a rewrite:
Barbarian: The barbarian's damage reduction starts at 4th-level and increases every 4 levels (DR 1/- at 4th-level, DR 2/- at 8th-level, DR 3/- at 12th-level, DR 4/= at 16th-level, and DR 5/- at 20th-level).
Rogue: When wearing light or no armor at all, the rogue can fight with two weapons as if he had the feats Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting. He looses this special bonus when fighting in medium or heavy armor, or when using a double weapon (such as a two-bladed sword).
At 10th-level when the rogue begins to gain special abilities, add the following to the class list:
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting: When wearing light or no armor at all, the rogue may attack with two weapons as if he had the feats Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, and Improved Two-Weapon fighting. He looses this special ability when fighting in medium or heavy armor, or when using a double weapon (such as a two-bladed sword).
Sohei (Oriental Adventures): The sohei has a full BAB.
Sorcerer: Sorcerer's get Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st-level.
Wizard: Arcane Bond (Ex or Sp): At 1st-level, wizards form a powerful bond with either an object or creature. This bond can take two forms; a familiar or a bonded object. Once a wizard makes her choice, it is permanent and cannot be changed. Familiars are chosen as is described in the Player's Handbook, page 50 with the following exception: it does not cost a wizard anything to summon her first familiar.
Wizards who select a bonded object begin play with one at no cost. Objects that are the subject of an arcane bond must fall into one of the following categories: amulet, ring, staff, wand, or weapon. These objects are always masterwork quality. Weapons acquired at 1st-level are not made of any special material. If the object is an amulet or ring, it must be worn to have effect, while staves, wands, and weapons must be held in one hand. If a wizard attempts to cast a spell without her bonded object worn or in hand, she must make a Concentration check or lose the spell. The DC for this check is equal to 20 + the spell's level. If the object is a ring or amulet, it must be worn around the neck or a finger accordingly.
A bonded object can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the wizard has in her spellbook and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the wizard, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the wizard's level. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities. The bonded object cannot be used to cast spells from the wizard's opposition schools.
A wizard can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if she has the required item creation feats and if she meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a wizard with a bonded dagger must be at least 5th-level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat in the Player's Handbook). If the bonded object is a wand, it loses its wand abilities when its last charge is consumed, but it is not destroyed and it retains all of its bonded object properties and can be used to craft a new wand. The magic properties of a bonded object, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the wizard who owns it. If a bonded object's owner dies, or the item is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.
If a bonded object is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the wizard prepares her spells. If the object of an arcane bond is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per wizard level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous bonded item. A wizard can designate an existing magic item as his bonded item. This functions in the same way as replacing a lost or destroyed item except that the new magic item retains its abilities while gaining the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a bonded item.
Cantrips: Wizards begin play knowing all cantrips commonly available to a wizard, including cantrips of opposing schools. A wizard can cast any cantrip she knows without preparing or memorizing it, meaning that in effect wizards can cast all cantrips spontaneously as a sorcerer, however she is still limited by the number of cantrips (0-level spells) she can cast per day.
Some classic core classes from the Player's Handbook, as well as other sources, have been adjusted to fit the Thunder Rift campaign in such a way that they have been completely new write ups:
And finally there are classes that are new to the Thunder Rift campaign setting. Core classes unique to the game based on cultural uniqueness of the setting:
Favored Classes
Every race has a favored class, a class that represents their racial/cultural leanings. Some of the most obvious and iconic are the half-orcs that take after their orc parentage and have the favored class of Barbarian, tapping into their cultural bias towards violence and rage, or the gnome illusionist bringing their natural talent for illusions and fey magic to the front, or the thri-kreen tapping into their natural talent for psionics.
Some races are more adaptable, one particular class does not define their entire society. Chief among races like this are the humans and half-elves (eta); both races do not have a singular favored class, instead humans being as adaptable as they are, and half-elves having the choice to live among humans or elves, both of them make the first class they take their favored class. The elves also do not have a single favored class, instead each Great Clan of elves have their own favored class; the Silvercrest favor the Ranger, the Timber Wolf and Swallowtail clans favor the Samurai, the Imperial Sun clan's favored class is the Shugenja, and so on.
Benefits of the Favored Class:
Multiclassing
Most classes within the Thunder Rift campaign, there are some classes that have restrictions to multiclassing (Cavalier, Paladin, Samurai, etc) but for the most part, all classes are open to the possibility of multiclassing. When a character gains a new level, instead of gaining the abilities granted by the next level in your character's current class, he/she can instead gain the 1st-level abilities of a new class, adding all of those abilities to his existing ones. This is known as "multiclassing."
For the most part, the rules for multiclassing as presented in the Player's Handbook on page 56. Below are some of the restrictions of multiclassing: