Guide on Novels and Games - CLASSES & JOBS

"Class" aka "Job" is a classificiation system that is mainly used for classify and divide characters.

In games this system is applied to all the characters that the player can "control" for example soldiers, merchants and administration staff,while in novel is basically applied to anyone but mainly on the ones that fight like soldiers, adventurers and ex-adventurers.

I saw the term "occupation" in a novel, hwat is the difference?
While the class/job indicate the way you fight and what type of weapon and skills you use, the occupation indicate your work but let me make a couple of examples:

NAME: Lisa

CLASS: Axe Knight

OCCUPATION: Blacksmith – weapon specialized

NAME: Sasha

CLASS: Sage

OCCUPATION: Butler

In this 2 example we have a woman that work as weapon maker and fight using axes and a man that work as butler and fight using magic.

A little side note... Sasha is an unisex name that sometimes is rarely used as surname and can be considered the corresponding of Alexander and Alexandra.

Can someone have 2 or more classes?
Yes, and we can divide this based on videogame and novel.

If we talk of a videogame case then we have a case of "multy class feature", as the name imply this feature make possible "equip" different classes as:


 * Main,	the class placed as main influence the traits, or stats if you like	more the term, of the character.


 * Sub,	the classes placed as sub slightly increase the stats and van grant	access to the skills of the equipped job.

If we talk of novels than is nothing strange that a character have more than one class, humans and all the other living beings have the tendency to "grab" all the skills and powers they can and in fantasy this is for survive the environment that is basically never peacefull so is not abnormal... at least this is what I think despite the fact that basically I basically always see people that focus only on one class to mastery with very rare cases where they have various classes.

It's possible change the class?
If talk about games than there is a feature called "Job Change" that make possible change the class of a character once that class is unlocked and this can be done in the base camp or in the normal menu after enter the status window of the character but in novels this feature is commonly under the "control" of the adventurer guild and/or the church.

In novels is possible too change class but this depend all from the story, in fact I saw a story where the classes can't be changed and the MC was able to do so only thanks to a special item.

So, any character must have a class?
No, it's not something really needed because characters can have skills despite the absence of a class.

How a character can obtain a class?
When we talk of videogame then any character you can lead in battle have a class, at least in most of the cases, in this case please remember that in some games there's a job tree system where one begin with a starting class and unlock new ones once reach certain conditions like level up 2 classes (example: Warrior lv 5 & Black mage lv 4 unlock black knight) or level a class for unlock the "next grade" (example: Warrior lv 5 unlock Knight).

In novels is different because we have "real" people and then we have to use the same 2 parameters of any other living beings that are:


 * Personality,	if the character is impulsive or calm and analytic.
 * Body	build, if the character have a storng, common or weak body.

Before I said that the class is how a person fight and this on its own explain why, when we give a class to a character, we have to keep in mind that two points but is better make an example.

Let's say that I have an impulsive but smart character that physically is not strong, the first limitation for his class it's his body build that prevent him any type of class that require physical strenght or the use of heavy weapons so wield a tower shield or a sword big like the character is out of question... the second limitation is his personality, since it's smart can have some mind based class but since since it's impulsive than there is a limitation of what can do despite its being smart that help contain that trait... in conclusion I think that this character can be a tactician oriented thief specialized into lockpicking and trap detection & disarming that have as second class magician.

How can I make a Class?
Anyone that know the elements that "compose" a class, people don't know this but classify all the element and the composition of something is the better way for CREATE something.

In the case a class the things are need to know are:


 * Skills,	what will be the skills of the class and their type	(physical oriented or magical oriented) like arts for physical	oriented and spells for magical oriented.
 * Equipment,	what kind of equipment the class will use like a sword as weapon	or a lether armor as defensive gear.
 * Name,	the name is important because it represent its identity and for	this reason must give some kind of hint of its traits plus a name	can be made by a single word or by two words, for example "dark	knight" hint that is a warrior that use a knight weapon, like a	sword or a spear, and is connected to darkness and this mean magic	or whatever dark arts.
 * Limitations,	limits are something that anything have especially when we use a	closed system like the class one. Depending on the class itself	the limitations change, for example a magic based class limit the	weapon and the armor used, right now I'm talking about equipment but	the limitations extend too to skills and eventually race too... yes,	I said race because a human can't use the class "Beastwarrior"	that is a beastman only class... in the end the limitations that one	class have normally are:  > The equipment that the user of that class can use.  > The type of skills.  > The race of the user.


 * Weakness,	every	class have weakness, that is a stats or an attribute or equipment is	irrilevant the weakness rule is universal. The	classic example one can give are the main magicians classes that	don't use armors and don't have a good physical attack because they	devote their life over the use of magic putting aside any physical	training.

Can you give me some examples of classes?
Before make a list of the some possible classes I'll list the macro groups that mostly divide the various lists, keep in mind that a single class never exclude the chance of be part of various macro groups:


 * Blade	Warrior, this group	include all the classes that use bladed weapons like swords and	daggers, the type of sword or that is single or a pair is not	rilevant.
 * Pole	Warrior, this group include	all the classes that use pole weapon that are weapons with a rod	like spears and scythes, skilled warriors of this class are able to	use 2 pole weapons at the same time.
 * Ranged	Warrior, this group	include all the classes that use ranged weapons, a type of weapons	that hit from long range and that usually use "bullets",	an example of this weapons are guns, bows and crossbows.
 * Magician,	this group include all the classes that use as their main point	magic, the tyep of magic, like attack or healing, is not rilevant.
 * Stealth	Warrior, this group include	all the classes that use conceilment skills so that once they move	they are not detected and are mostly based on agility as their main	stat.
 * Breaker,	this group include all the classes that are specialized into	breaking defences, that they are physical, like shields and armors,	or magicals, like barriers and seals. For what concern weapons this	group mostly use heavy weapons like hammers and big axes.
 * Defender,	this group collect all the classes that focus on the defence,	that the defence is physical or magical is not rilevant.
 * Crafter,	this group inclede all the classes that focus on the creation of	items, the type of item (armors, weapons, potions, etc.) are not	rilevant.
 * Mechanics,	this group include all the classes that are specialized in the use,	creation and reapair of mechanical things.
 * Variant,	technically speaking this is not a group but a class	itself and take under itself all the people that is versatile and	this mean that is not specialized into anything, basically this is	what we call "jack of all trades", but there is a	difference that a variant is basically like 2, 3 or even 4 classes	at the same time while the "jack of all trades" is all the	classes at the same time.

List of Classes
Now I can start to list the classic classes we can see in the various works, keep in mind that the skills listed here are the generalized one and don't take into consideration eventual personal one:


 * Warrior
 * Knight
 * Magic Knight
 * Paladin
 * Crusader or Templar
 * Dark/Black Knight
 * Spearman or Lancer
 * Dragoon or Dragooner
 * Heavy Warrior
 * Tank
 * Dreadnought
 * Breaker
 * Wizard or Magician
 * Red Mage
 * Blue Mage
 * Summoner
 * Necromancer
 * Elemental Magician
 * Crystalmancer
 * Cardmancer
 * Sage
 * Healer
 * Priest
 * Thief
 * Assassin
 * Archer
 * Hunter
 * Tamer
 * Beastmaster
 * Browler Mage
 * Monk
 * Alchemist
 * Engineer

This is all I need to know about classes?
Nope, there is one last information about jobs... the differences between Fixed Job, Upgrade Job, Change Job and Job Tree.

- Fixed Job, this type of job is... fixed, once a character obtain it it become impossible to change and so for all the life of the character, for example a character obtain the priest class and this mean that is not important what he/she do, the class will be always that, personally I discourage on use this type.

- Upgrade Job, this jobs are classes with an evolution system included and work in a simple way... you start with a job and once reach a certain degree or level it will become possible evolve it into the evolved class.

The evolution make possible learn new skills, use new type of equipment (if the system have a "equipment block" that basically force the user on use only certain type of equipment).

- Change Job, technically speaking this is not a real job but more an "open function" of the system that grant the possibility of change the class of someone into another one BUT always if the requirement are fulfilled, for example someone with a physical oriented abilities with low mana have hard time on enter in the limit that are required by any magical class.

- Job Tree, this too is a system related to Jobs... basically you start with a basic initial class like Novice or Adventurer and from that, if the character respect certain conditions, can do a class change, respect the normal class change there are difference:

1- The tree can be visualized by the user at will and see the conditions that are need to respect.

2- The change of the class can be done anytime.

3- Once a class is unlocked can be "equipped" anytime without restriction.

4- All the skills obtained can be used if they don't have a class or weapon restriction.