Classes

=Introduction to DDO classes=

In DDO you can pick on class or you can mix 2-3 classes. The name of the classes is: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard. Later Monk and Druid (and some more) most likely will be added.

Armor
Any class can use any armor. But but if you use a armor that you don't have proficiency with you will get a lot of penalty when using them. There is 3 types of armor: light, medium an heavy armor. All classes can learn to use all types of armor. To learn them you use feats (you have a limit of available feats). But some skills/spell will not work as good if you try to use them while wearing armor.

Shield
Any class can use any shield. But but if you use a armor that you don't have proficiency with you will get a lot of penalty when using them. there is bucklers, light shields, heavy shields and tower shields. To learn them, you use your available feats. Some skills/spells will not work as good if you try to use them if you have armor on.

Range and Melee weapons
All classes can use all range weapons and all melee weapons. But but if you use a weapons that you don't have proficiency with you will get a lot of penalty when using them. There is simple weapons and martial weapons. To learn them you use your available feats.

Divine spells
Divine spells can be casted even when using heavy armor without reductions in casting effect or chance of failure.

Arcane spell
Arcane spell will take penalty (chance to fail) if you try to cast them when using armor or shields (only exception is bard that can use light armor )

Stealth
Stealth and a lot of other thing that you can do with you caracter are skillbase. Each caracter get a specific number of skillpoints that he can put out in diffent skills. If he has proficience with the skill he get 100% for the skill point if not he will only get 50% of the point. And if he has proficience he can max the skill. Putting one skill point each time he levels up. If not he can only get it halfway.

Healing
All classes in DDO can increase the healing. The reason for that is there is a healing skill that everyone can put skillpoints into. But the "Long-Term Care" that recovers hitpoints will not take effect untill you reach a "Rest Shrine". There you will recover more hitpoints than usually. Divine spell casters gets heal-spells that heal non-warforged races and can heal warforged but with a 50% reduced efficiency. Arcane spell casters gets repair-spells that heals warforged. repair has no effect on non-warforged.

Rest In DDO none of the classes benifit from just staying still. You don't recover you hit points etc. But there in some dungeons there are rest-places. When you reach these places you gain "rest" that recovers hitpoints and spell points and allow you to memorize spells.

Figher
Is a Warrior with extra many feats points allowing him to specialize in melee.

Paladin
Is Warrior that trades some of his melee prowess for the ability to cast divine spells.

Barbarian
Is Warrior that has special powers when he angry and specializes in damage dealing.

Ranger
Has the possible to become an archer or a dual wielding melee. He also have stealth options and casts divine spells. The proverbial jack of all trades.

Rogue
Has the most skills in the game. He can find and disarm traps.

Bard
Has a lot of skills and is a weak arcane spellcaster. The closest you come to a hybrid without multiclassing.

Wizard and Sorcerer
Are strong arcane spellcaster. For an introduction see: DDO Class Guide: Wizard/Sorceror.

Cleric
The Cleric domains are gone in DDO. In DDO there is no evil Cleric so all Cleric will be great Undead killers (no one will be controlling Undeads). He is a strong divine spell caster that use all armor without penalties.

Multiclass
On of the realy fun things in DDO is the option to Multiclass. In DDO is there no exp penalty (as opposite to 3.5 rules).

When multiclassing the hitpoints of the different classes are added. The base attack bonus of the diffrent classes are added. The saving throws of the diffent classes are added. So you could say that a 5/5 Cleric/Figher are getting the hitpoints of 5 lvl Cleric and a 5 lvl Figher. All his stats will be an average of the 2 classes

What's the biggest gain of multiclassing (except that is fun)? :

Skills
By only taking 1 level in a class that has proficiency with a skill you get the possibility to max out that skill. So if you are a Ranger that would like to max out a Rogue-only skill or a Rogue that want to max out a Ranger-only skill just take a level in the other class.

Feats
If you take a class that has a feat you gain that feat. Don't have proficiency with all martial weapons. Then you can take one level as a Figher and you will gain it (+ the ordinary level 1 figher feat).

Drawbacks of multiclasting
The power of spells does not scale liniarly. What is meant by that is, that the spell a Wizard/Sourcer/Cleric can use at lvl 20 is more than 4 times a powerful a the spell that a Wizard/Sourcer/Cleric can use at lvl 5.

Classes and feats.
At lvl 10 this is how many feats a non-human of a class will have: Figher 10 feats. Wizard 6 feats. Ranger 6 feats Rogue 5 feats (or 4 feats and 1 special ablity) Paladin/Barbarian/Cleric/Sorcerer/Bard 4 feats

Classes and skills.
This is how many skillpoint they will gain per level + bonus spell if high intelligence (non-human). Rogue 8 skillpoints Ranger/Bard 6 skillpoints Barbarian 4 skillpoints Figher/Paladin/Cleric/Sorcerer/Wizard 2 skill points

Classes and highest spell
At level 10 this is the highest spell level that character will have key ability in [], spell level at class level 20 in :
 * Sorcerer[cha]/Wizard[int]/Cleric[wis] level 5 (9)
 * Bard[Cha] level 3(6)
 * Ranger[wis]/Paladin[wis] level 2(4)