Introduction: Freedom of character concept

Hey there! This is Ban, also known as MrBunnyBan. This is a development blog for the medieval fantasy RPG system I'm trying to make, tentatively named Freedom Fantasy. The system is heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons (3E and 5E specifically), Pathfinder and 13th age. What I hope will set it apart is that it is a classless system where you pick and choose exactly which features you want for your character and you'd have a great deal of freedom in defining both the mechanical abilities of the character and the flavor of the character.

Currently in 5th Edition D&D, you are limited to 12 character classes including the classic Big 4 (Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, Cleric) as well as the Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock. The Psion hasn't made it to 5E yet, and the Artificer and Mystic are still in the Unearthed Arcana (i.e. still in development). The list of playable races is much longer, including the classics of elf, dwarf, halfing, half-elf, half-orc and of course human.

But what if I want to play a flame-breathing three-headed hell hound? Her main feature would be biting with all three heads, pouncing, and breathing fire, but lacks opposable thumbs. Three headed Hell hound isn't one of the available races.

How about a dhampir closely inspired by Alucard from the Castlevania series? Sure she can wield a sword, but turning into a wolf/bat/mist form and feeding of blood would be must-have features. Pretty tricky to build in the context of 5th edition D&D.

Another idea I have is a reject of the wizard college who only uses the Mage Hand spell to telekinetically move things around, but does it very very well. She has 5 longswords sheathed on her back. When combat starts all 5 are drawn by Mage Hand and orbit around her, ready to be flung out at enemies who dare cross her path. (I've got to commission art for this.)

As I see it, the big advantage of tabletop role playing games is the flexibility for custom character concepts, limited only by your imagination. So why limit yourself to pre-defined character classes and races made by someone else?

It's perfectly possible to design such a system. This is the dream, the quest. Please follow me on this quest to create a flexible RPG system that allows players' imaginations to explode.