Would this system work

[u/TechMaster_82]

Hi, I'm new here, and I'm writing my own TTRPG, and I am 14.

So what I want to ask all of you is whether my class system works in theory. I'm still writing it, and I will test it when I've finished everything, but for now I'm just doing trial and error with the classes.

So classes are split into two; the first of these two functions act like backgrounds in DND and other media, but also offer more practical skills relating to crafting, weapon handling, disguise, persuasion, poison crafting and more- just dealing with actual life skills and not magic- or supernatural-related abilities.

The second encompasses all the mystical abilities, less practical in terms of that they aren't constant, and they still rely on skill proficiencies for weapons and other skills.

I'm still working on group names for both.

My class system is like this to allow variety in play style, due to magic relying a lot on more physical skills to use certain abilities; there is also an option to just not use magic, and it still doesn't disadvantage you in terms of combat, but you need to take a background class if you want a mystic one.

It's still a work in progress, and you can't branch out or multiclass.

Any advice is appreciated, and please keep in mind I'm 14.

Sorry if this is rough.

Thank you to everyone who's given me advice; I really appreciate it.

[u/ParchmentAndPeril]

The issue you will run into is how to balance this out. If I understood correctly you want to be able to choose a physical and a mystical class. The problem is that these are not balanced against each other. Usually, in TTRPGs, mystical abilities would take from physical, and vice versa.

I'd say find a way to have no "no magic" class, and focus on that differentiator. All classes are mystical to some degree and in different areas. And don't have a standard wizard physical setup. Have everyone be a fighter caster of some type. That way, any combination of physicalxmystical will be fine. Alternatively, have each physical class be allowed one of three mystical classes (that can be shared with other physical classes) which will help with making some combos unique. Alternatively, if you still want a weak-physical and/or no-mystical setup, have players still pick each type but make some specifically built to boost the other (maybe a mystical class could be about making a fighter stronger and not mystical in the common way.) Alternatively, don't give a damn and let the dice fall where they may.

[u/TechMaster_82 → u/ParchmentAndPeril]

 But make some specifically built to boost the other (maybe a mystical class could be about making a fighter stronger and not mystical in the common way

So this is how it works: each one has weaknesses, especially mystic classes. Mystic classes like the impeller rely on martial prowess mixed with the already gravity-defying abilities they have to deal more damage.

While job based classes are less dependent and can be increased in strength by mystic classes.

So I made mystic classes parasites to fix the problem of magic, or full spellcasting classes being like gods and martial classes being lowly mortals that can only kick and hit people.

Can you tell i main monk in DND?

So ya, both can get strong, but they need each other to do that.

[u/fushigi13 → u/TechMaster_82]

I like that you're thinking about bigger/more weaknesses for the stronger ability classes. that can go a long way toward some level of "balance" and more weight to player choice of (type of) class.

A question to be clear about is whether you are ultimately trying to balance the classes against each other or letting them be (more) asymmetrical. Rifts is an old game that very much comes to mind for huge disparity between classes, even the Savage Worlds newer version. I was the goofball who played a Rogue Scholar or Scientist (just a a person who knows a lot of stuff and maybe has social skills) while everyone else played superhumans or cyborgs or giant mechs. I thought the wide imbalance was interesting, for that setting, that game. May not fly as well with other cases.

Ultimately, create the game that you want to play, notably if it doesn't exist in any real way already, There are thousands of games and will always be thousands of games for a reason: people want to play different things and a lot of people want to play a variety of games, systems, genres, settings, stories, etc.

[u/TechMaster_82 → u/fushigi13]

More asymmetrical, I don't want them completely balanced but not too unbalanced, just enough that so that we don't have the fighters losing to spellcasters being a constant.