Choosing a Class
If you are new to Dungeons & Dragons you may find that the huge amount of classes, feats, and skills available can be confusing. For beginners we suggest the following classes:
- If you want to play a character who uses weapons and can wear heavy armor: choose Fighter. Most important attributes: Strength and Constitution.
- If you want to play a good all-rounder character who can fight well but can also learn some spells and have a pet: choose Ranger. Most important attributes: Dexterity and Wisdom.
- If you want to play a mage who can shoot offensive spells at enemies and has a pet: choose Sorcerer. Most important attribute: Charisma.
- If you want to play a healer with good defensive ability and lots of spells to aid the party: choose Cleric. Most important attribute: Wisdom.
Revised Classes
All of the standard Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition classes are available in Hidden Tradition. However the Bard and Ranger classes, which are notoriously weak in the D&D 3.0 rules, have been improved to make them considerably more powerful and useful.
Bard
Bards get a free Bard-only ring on first logging on to the Hidden Tradition server. This ring automatically improves every few levels, and gives the Bard additional skill points in Perform, which are essential for the Bard to maximise the effects of their Bard Song and Curse Song – see this table for details of how many points Bards require for this. With this ring Bards should not need to spend skill points in Perform at all any more, so can spend their points on other skills instead. Bards also receive a free extra spell slot appropriate to their level with this ring. This is designed to reflect the extra skill points and special abilities that Bards receive in more modern D&D rules, and help make the Bard a solid choice as an excellent all-round party support character.
Ranger
Rangers receive a free ring on first log in which also automatically improves as they level up and which gives them additional points in useful Ranger skills plus improved Reflex saving throws. As with Bards, this reflects the extra abilities this class gets in D&D 3.5, and makes the Ranger a great choice as an skillful light fighter with good utiility skills. Rangers and Druids also have the ability to speak to many of the friendly animals who roam the world.
Prestige Classes
A Prestige Class is a special class that may only be chosen after meeting certain requirements and may not be chosen at first level. There are 12 Prestige Classes available as standard in Neverwinter Nights.
Hidden Tradition allows you to choose any of these standard NWN Prestige Classes. However on the HT server some of them have sightly different requirements. The revised requirements provide better game balance and in most cases are closer to the original D&D rules. For example, our server changes make Harper Scout and Purple Dragon Knight significantly easier to acquire than before, and make Shadowdancer, Pale Master, and Champion a little bit more difficult. Note that these revised requirements listed below replace the requirements listed within the game itself, so use this list as your definitive guide.
Arcane Archer
- Race: Elf or Half-elf
- Base Attack Bonus: +6
- Feats: Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow), Point Blank Shot
- Spellcasting: Able to cast first level arcane spells (i.e. a level of Bard, Sorcerer, or Wizard)
Assassin
- Alignment: any Evil
- Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks
Blackguard
- Alignment: any Evil
- Base Attack Bonus: +6
- Skills: Hide 5 ranks
- Feats: Cleave
Divine Champion (Champion of Torm)
- Alignment: any non-Evil
- Base Attack Bonus: 7
- Skills: Lore 3 ranks
- Feats: Weapon Focus in any melee weapon
Dwarven Defender
- Race: Dwarf
- Alignment: any Lawful
- Base Attack Bonus: +7
- Feats: Dodge, Toughness
Harper Scout
- Alignment: any non-Evil
- Skills: Persuade 8 ranks, Lore 2 ranks
- Feats: Alertness, Iron Will
Pale Master
- Alignment: any non-good
- Skills: Lore 8 ranks
- Skill Focus: Lore
- Arcane Spellcasting: level 3 or higher
Purple Dragon Knight
- Alignment: any non-Evil and non-Chaotic
- Base Attack Bonus: +4
- Skills: Intimidate 1 rank, Listen 2 ranks, Persuade 1 rank, Spot 2 ranks
Red Dragon Disciple
- Class: Bard or Sorcerer
- Skills: Lore 8 ranks
Shadow Dancer
- Skills: Hide 10 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks, Perform 5 ranks (note: you will need at least two levels of Bard in order to acquire this)
- Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Lightning Reflexes
Shifter
- Feats: Alertness, Wild Shape (i.e. must be a Druid)
- Spellcasting: level 3 or higher
Weapon Master (Kensai)
- Base Attack Bonus: +5
- Skills: Intimidate 4 ranks
- Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Expertise, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, Weapon Focus in a melee weapon
Full details of all of the Prestige Classes available can be found here.