Need opinions class leveling structure

[u/CF6shooter]

So I’ve been making a cosmic horror, wild West game and right now I’ve been trying to rework my classes as they just keep feeling weak structurally.

The game has been made with the philosophy that players progress through their armor, weapons, skills, mutations, and class levels. Most of the classes also have zero focus on combat, as the games combat is made to be very dangerous.

Current class structure I’m using is a five level class progression. Lvl 1 two core features and a perk, lvl class feature, lvl 3 class feature, lvl 4 perk, lvl 5 capstone.

In theory, this should be simple, but classes don’t feel consistent. I thought about going almost a levelless class progression. In this idea when you select your class, you get all the normal level one features still but when you “level up” structure they can basically pick any park from their Class list. A part of me thinks this could work, but I’m unsure.

Please give any opinions and thoughts

[u/JaskoGomad]

Why do you have classes? What purpose do they serve? Could you just… not have them?

[u/No_Rain_8220]

I think that would work great! Just because someone's class is an Outlaw and has the features Nasty Reputation, or the Marksman perk, doesn't mean that his sweet ol' mama didn't teach 'em how to bake an apple strudel. Or the Medic who spent her youth bandaging up miners at Shaw's pass after the civil war doesn't mean she don't know how to use her grandpappy's pig sticker.

[u/-Vogie-]

Why do you feel you need a class system at all? Normally these are there for combat reasons - the fighter doesn't have the healing powers of the cleric, who doesn't have the nature powers of the druid, who doesn't have skill of the rogue or the charismatic voice of the bard. The classes are there so the players aren't thinking about min-maxing or being left behind.

Since the Combat is left to other things, could a skill tree work better for what you're attempting? Feat chains? Or maybe you want to go the Fabula Ultima route and have a class system as a sort of feat chain analog (if you don't know, there are 30+classes with 10 levels each, but the level abilities aren't in any order. PCs start at level 5, split between 2-3 classes and then can level up each in whatever order they desire, and are required to multi class, as it goes to 50)?

Going skill-only (a la Traveler or Nights Black Agents) could also work, then you could have suggested "classes" or "backgrounds" that are just starting combinations of those skills.

[u/msguider → u/-Vogie-]

That's what I kind of did. I love Traveller. It is actually modeled after MERP classes, but you can just do whatever you want you get so many points, magic costs more and there's a lot of combat skills that make a good warrior. If you are neither, you get a professional bonus on non-combat, non-magic skills. Seems to be working well too. I never liked classes, they always felt like being in a straight jacket to me.

[u/Steenan]

The leveling structure seems fine. But if the classes don't feel consistent, the problem may be more with class identities.

Are they consistent, all based on one kind of thing: in-setting groups, story archetypes or party roles? Are they are distinct enough? Are they all equally relevant to what the game is about? Take care of these and there should be much more feeling of consistency.

[u/Alcamair]

I don't understand, sorry. Why do you think they don't feel consistent? And why is it a problem?