Blizzcon and the Future of BFA

Even-numbered years for Blizzcon tend to be weird for WoW because generally the happen either right before or not long after an expansion has launched. Every other year (except for weird times like when they announced Legion at Gamescom) we get an expansion announcement, which of course tends to be the most exciting news.

So what we get with these even-year Blizzcons tends to be news about the rest of the expansion, usually the middle patch. I remember that the announcement for Cataclysm actually came out prior to the release of 3.3, and the trailer itself even teased a bit of Icecrown Citadel, while the announcements at the con included stuff like the LFG tool (if you started playing post 3.3, getting any dungeon group at all worked like Mythics now, but without the group finder either. You basically had to sit in trade chat and spam "LFG Shadowfang Keep" for an hour in the hopes you'd find a group and then go there yourself. The Scarlet Monastery run for Alliance characters was pretty crazy.)

Anyway, Blizzard has even posted on their forums that the focus of the WoW news at Blizzcon is going to be what comes after 8.1. Tides of Vengeance (the official title for 8.1) is on the PTR now, and I suspect that it will probably come out within the next month. Given how much of it is already on the PTR, it would be very underwhelming for them to talk about stuff that any player can take a look at already.

As such, we're likely to see a real definitive answer to the question that has been at the center of BFA since it began - is this expansion truly going to remain focused on the faction war or is it going to shift to larger, universal threats?

The Battle of Dazar'alor is going to be the first raid that is fully about the faction conflict. We did see individual encounters in Trial of the Crusader and Icecrown Citadel that pitted us against members of the other faction, but that turns out to be the entire theme of the upcoming raid - such that there are even some encounters that only one faction canonically fights while the other experiences it only as a flashback (giving the player a "flashback costume" as a member of the other faction including different racial abilities.)

I think the big question surrounding that battle is whether it's going to be the big, defining battle of the conflict. On one hand, with the Zandalari unofficially having joined the Horde, this is a grand assault on a Horde (ish) capital that ends with some serious losses for the defenders. But it does not look as if it's putting the conflict to bed the way that the Siege of Orgrimmar did.

Does this mean that we will need to continue our focus on the faction conflict and ultimately spend the rest of the expansion reckoning with Sylvanas' descent into cruel dishonor?

The thing is, there have been big hints throughout the expansion that N'zoth and Azshara have been plotting the entire time. Dazar'alor is not the only raid to come with 8.1, after all - we'll be getting a Naga-themed two-boss raid later on. It would make a certain degree of sense that the Crucible of Storms would signal a change in direction for the expansion, leading into a plot that focuses more on these forces bent on the corruption of Azeroth.

I can imagine two scenarios:

One is that the faction conflict runs parallel to the greater story, and there is a sort of meta-conflict in which the factions might internally disagree about which is the greater threat. It could lead to a very messy fight as we scrap with one another on the way to our fight against Azshara and N'zoth, very much like the later parts of Wrath of the Lich King.

The danger of this scenario is that it might not leave enough space to see this current conflict resolved. To an extent, the Alliance and Horde must always have some degree of opposition between each other, and the level to which the conflict has been escalated would make it harder than ever to get to that "put aside our differences" place we'd need to fight the bigger threat. If we were to see the conflict pushed to the background, might we then be forced to endure it for several more expansions after it? To use Wrath as an example, the conflict that started with the Wrath Gate and the Battle of Undercity didn't really end until the Siege of Orgrimmar two and a half expansions later.

The other possibility I can imagine is that Blizzard misled us when they said Azshara would be the Gul'dan of the expansion. What they told us they meant by that was that she would be the boss of the first major raid (normally I'd say "tier raid" but that doesn't really apply in a tier-less expansion.) That is clearly not actually happening, as the Battle of Dazar'alor will be the raid that serves that function (it's weird that it feels like BFA has been out a long time and yet we still haven't gotten that first major raid. I think it just feels like it's been out for a long time because there isn't as much story content as there was in 7.0.)

So perhaps what they actually meant (or I should say "what her actual role is") is that Azshara will lead us into the next expansion, as Garrosh and Gul'dan did. She could be a raid boss in BFA like Garrosh was in Mists, or she could evade us and instead have us fight her next time like Gul'dan.

For a figure with so much lore, it might be a more appropriate use of her, but I think there are problems with this scenario as well.

For one, it delays stuff I've been really hoping to see in BFA. This is the most nautically-themed expansion they've done, and it seems like we should be fighting ocean threats. I don't want to have to wait another two years before we get to at least see Naz'jatar, and I'm super-excited to glimpse Ny'alotha (which I imagine to be a massive ultra-creepy city, basically Warcraft's version of R'lyeh.)

It also means that other stuff they've been hinting at would be delayed even further. There is so much about the Shadowlands and the nature of undeath in BFA that it seems like a pretty clear hint that we'll be exploring the "Death Domain" in a way we haven't been able to yet. If N'zoth and Azshara are pushed back to the next expansion, it means the earliest we'd get a spooky expansion like that would be 2022.

It's a tricky position that the story of WoW is in right now. There are obviously also a lot of system issues to think about. The Azerite Armor system is going to be with us throughout the expansion, but I imagine they'll iterate on it quite a bit to help it work better and be more enjoyable. I'm certain we'll hear about some of their ideas about how to improve it. But in terms of where we're going, exactly, with BFA, I've made my suggestions. In a few days, we'll find out.

The Fate of Gilneas and the Gilneans

The Worgen were the first race to come out that gave me the "not enough classes" crisis. In Wrath, we had ten classes and ten races, so I could have full representation on a single server.

I've often thought that if I had to start all over, I'd probably main a Draenei Paladin and have a Worgen Death Knight as my primary alt (though Lightforged complicate that as well! I might stick with standard Draenei because I like their blue coloration.) But I'm too attached to the characters I've been playing all this time to race-change them, which means that until they make a new class I can play as a Worgen (had really been hoping for Demon Hunters, though I do think the heavy extra customization and new voice acting was really cool for them) I'll primarily stick with the Warrior - sadly leaving my original Orc Warrior gathering a lot of dust.

Anyway, in terms of story and aesthetic, Worgen are one of my two favorite playable races (tied with Draenei, though Undead are a close third) and I've always been invested in the idea that the Worgen should re-take Gilneas.

With the destruction of the Undercity, not to mention the destruction of their sanctuary in Teldrassil, it seems like there has never been a better time for the Alliance to re-capture Gilneas. The Night Elves would naturally find welcome there, and it would help cement the Alliance's position in the subcontinent of Lordaeron.

The Gilneas zone is rather gorgeous in its rain-soaked gothic gloom. Since Cataclysm - and indeed, not really past level 20, at least before level-scaling - Gilneas has been an empty space. The Battle for Gilneas battleground has been the only reminder of the conflict over its territory.

The Gilneans - humans, worgen, and potentially Night Elves, who could be welcomed as full citizens as thanks for their earlier generosity and hospitality - are fully justified in taking the territory, as it was straight-up invaded with no warning or pretext by the Forsaken, and it's not even clear that the Forsaken have truly held it - Darius Crowley, when he wasn't bodyguarding my Warrior on the Broken Isles, has led a resistance to the occupation, and by my interpretation, the quests in Silverpine for Horde players end with the line being drawn basically at the Greymane Wall.

I also think that it gives us a golden opportunity to make the Horde more sympathetic.

Now, to be clear, the invasion of Gilneas was pure Forsaken villainy - yes, they were pressured into it by Garrosh, but that doesn't make it any less villainous (for one thing, "just following orders" is not a valid excuse for war crimes according to international law and, you know, logic and reason.)

But the Worgen have a value that I don't think Blizzard ever really capitalized on since Catalcysm's release: the Worgen are the only monster that ever really scared the Forsaken.

When I was leveling up my rogue through the old Silverpine back in Vanilla/BC, the Worgen felt like a major threat. Yes, I took great satisfaction in putting down the Scarlet Crusade, and I enjoyed stalking through Hillsbrad and dismantling the town one throat at a time, but those werewolves would come out of nowhere and tear you apart. There were some elites that would patrol the zone called Sons of Argual who would wipe you out in a second if they caught you.

Werewolves are one of the classic canonical monsters, complete with 30s Universal Horror movie and medieval folklore, and that's exactly what the Worgen are.

To walk back slightly one of my earlier statements, we do get to see a bit of the scary fanaticism of the Worgen in a Cataclysm context - in Silverpine quests, the Worgen manage to set up an entire squad of Forsaken to be killed in a mine, and when the humans of Fenris Isle accept the curse to fight against the Forsaken, you and your Val'kyr escort know to make a rapid retreat lest you be torn apart by wolf-men.

Ivar Bloodfang - who I think might have been a more or less personality-free "kill this one guy" quest NPC in vanilla - was made into the leader of a grizzled and ruthless resistance unit waging a guerrilla war against the Forsaken in Silverpine. Ivar's still alive, and seems to represent the type of Worgen I'd like to see more of - feral by choice.

Genn and Darius, who are really our most prominent Worgen characters, are both still fundamentally human in their attitudes and behavior. And the Worgen story has been mostly about the human kingdom of Gilneas dealing with their period of exile. But there's a lot of potential there for the Worgen to just let loose and become a real menace to the Horde - and possibly the Alliance as well.

Right now, any Forsaken in the Eastern Kingdoms are either hiding out in Quel'thalas and hoping the Alliance doesn't attack (I think the Alliance would be wise to encourage Silvermoon to sit the war out if they can do so, even if the addition of Void Elves to their ranks gives them a big advantage in taking the area) or trying to cling to their territories through their own guerrilla tactics.

The Bloodfang Worgen would, I imagine, consider it to be open season on Forsaken.

While a king like Anduin is always going to lead the Alliance in an honorable way, I think we need a lot more bloodthirsty and vengeful people in its ranks to make the conflict interesting, and to give the Horde a better foe to fight.

In many ways I feel that the Worgen were always supposed to present that opportunity - for the Alliance to be bad, or at least morally questionable. Yet certainly from the Alliance perspective and largely from the Horde perspective, they haven't really had the opportunity to be monsters.

I think the Allied Races the Alliance has gotten all present opportunities to take the Alliance down a more morally grey road - the Void Elves, the Dark Irons, and even the Lightforged Draenei, who can play the part of zealous inquisitors - and to be fair, I think they're hinting at that a bit with the Battle for Dazar'alor. But there needs to be a tip in the balance - so far we tend to only see the Alliance go dark when the Horde has gone far darker.

It'll take a lot to make the Forsaken seem like they don't deserve any pain they receive, but I think you could do some very interesting things with Forsaken civilians who might not even know that much about what happened at Teldrassil (you've got to assume that Sylvanas has a masterful propaganda game) and all they know is that the Alliance showed up and destroyed their home, and now they're fleeing through the woods as werewolves chase them down, picking them off one by one like they were a herd of deer.

This could be the moral cost that Gilneas pays to take their home back. But so far we don't even know if that's ever going to happen. It seems like it really, really should, but let's see if there's anything about it at Blizzcon!

(Oh man, a Warfront straddling the Greymane Wall would be super-cool.)

Urban Adventuring in Ravnica

Your classic, typical D&D campaign will, at least to begin with, generally involve small villages and travel through wilderness. Cities are certainly an element in D&D, but usually they're relatively safe places where you might need to watch your behavior so as not to be arrested by the city guard. Danger in cities tends to be exceptional, rather that the expectation you have when crossing a dangerous wilderness.

Ravnica is a purely urban setting - you can't leave the city without leaving the plane.

Now, to be certain, there are equivalents to the "wilderness." Expanses of ruins like the Rubble Belt can function quite a bit like non-Urban environments, only that rather than remote villages you'll find various members of the Gruul Clans. Ravnica's Undercity is more or less its equivalent to the Underdark, and given that the vast majority of Ravnica's populace really prefers to be able to see the sky, its inhabitants are going to be stranger - you might be forced to call upon the hospitality of the Golgari to avoid getting eaten by horrible monsters and... well, zombies that are part of the Golgari.

So you can avoid the crowded bustle of the city if you want when planning Ravnica adventures, but I think the fun of the setting is to lean into that urban density.

Let's say your party has been assigned to go track down some serial killer. You've discovered that they have ties to the Cult of Rakdos, and so a group of motley-costumed thugs come to attack you on the streets.

When putting together the encounter, the DM should account for not just the party and the enemies, but also put a bunch of civilians in harm's way, as well as environmental effects that might cause problems or be exploitable, like a nearby aqueduct or a cart full of small round fruits that, if spilled, could make the ground around it difficult terrain. This gives your players the a chance to figure out their values on the spot - your Boros Paladin might eagerly charge in and put herself between the thugs and that crippled street vendor who is trying to hobble away on his cane. Your Izzet Sorcerer might blast them with a fireball and then immediately regret it as the scaffolding on the nearby building is engulfed. Your Orzhov Cleric might not give a crap about what happens to innocent bystanders and drops a Flame Strike on the enemies and anyone near them.

Another potentially interesting element in Ravnica is that it's likely the party has homes. People joke about D&D parties often tending to be kind of Murder Hobos - simply moving from place to place and picking up loot as they go. But in a place like Ravnica, it makes sense that your players would have an apartment to go back to. The plane is just as big as any world, but it's also a city that has established routes of transportation. Giving each character neighbors and acquaintances outside of the party can really help flesh out the RP element of the game.

Guilds obviously provide a structure here as well. In other settings, players can belong to certain factions, but in Ravnica, these groups are built into the very structure of the setting. Yes, you can play a guildless character (though I think as DM I'd not allow that for at least peoples' first characters) but putting each person in a guild gives them not only obvious connections to NPCs, but also gives you a whole class of NPC that would have certain behaviors associated with them.

This means that players are not necessarily as anonymous as they would be in other settings - yes, Ravnica's got to have like trillions of people in it if the plane is anywhere near as big as Earth, but it's all settled and all more or less under one unified system - the Guildpact - which means that there are going to be people who know who you are.

Character Choice in WoW

It's hard to put the RP in video game RPGs.

As I've detailed on this blog, I've spent the last few years immersing myself in the great joys of Dungeons and Dragons, which really launched the RPG genre before video games were really a thing (other than maybe Pong and Asteroids.) Because the Dungeon Master who is running the game can respond in real time to every decision the player characters make, it's more or less endlessly flexible.

Video games can't really do that. Even if you did have a programmer and designer sitting and watching you play, there's no way that they could implement every scenario in real-time. Instead, video game RPGs have to anticipate every choice you could make and program in the consequences of those choices.

That means that decisions have to have very short-term and impermanent consequences - like combat - or they the consequences all lead back to the same point - such as when you have a quest chain that branches out into two or three sub-chains, but you have to finish all of them to complete the story - or the decisions have to result in a discrete and small number of ending scenarios that the developers have time to plot out, and that don't mess too much with the plot or the prepared content.

Mass Effect 3 got a lot of criticism for ultimately leading down a similar path regardless of the major choices you made over the course of the three-game series, and while yes, the ending got a lot better when they extended it with free DLC (and also gave you access to the third ending without forcing you to play the crappy mobile game attached to it,) it still ultimately went down the same few beats and gave you three endings that all railroaded you into some kind of self-sacrificing ending regardless of your choice. And the final combat segment was all identical regardless of your choices.

WoW is in an even tougher position, because it's a fundamentally multiplayer game. Not only do they need to anticipate your choices, but they also need to come to a consistent final scenario at the end of each expansion.

And that's what makes the 8.1 stuff kind of interesting:

SPOILERS AHOY

Cuphead

Now that it is available for Macs, I got Cuphead off Steam a couple days ago.

Cuphead's most exciting feature is its animation style - evoking the experimental and inventive (because the medium was so new) images of 1930s animation like Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, and of course the original Disney shorts, Cuphead attempts to place itself in that context of iconic cartoon designs, and the art style of it is profoundly cool. Pure cartoon-logic moments are frequent, like an anthropomorphic zeppelin transforming into a large and malevolent (and somewhat mechanical) crescent moon in the fight's last phase.

Sort of a platformer, but with a strong focus on lengthy boss fights, Cuphead is also infamously difficult. While the gameplay is very distinct from Dark Souls, the attitude one must cultivate to enjoy the game is similar - you're going to be spending time learning the rhythms of these fights and you will likely die many, many times before you finally eke out a victory.

Most of the encounters are boss fights, with most a sort of platforming challenge while others having you fly a little plane and go into full bullet-hell gameplay. Indeed, bullet hell is probably a good way to think about the whole game, as this is going to be more about figuring out how to effectively dodge attacks than placing your shots carefully - holding down the "shoot" key and then focusing mostly on dodging attacks is probably the right way to play.

There are a few Run and Gun levels - which are more traditional platforming levels with similarly unforgiving things to dodge.

As difficult as the game is, persistence and careful learning of the boss' patterns will eventually allow you to succeed, but it's definitely a game that I'd recommend stepping away from if you get frustrated.

Still, its evocation of old-school cartoons is really great, between the animation, the soundtrack, and the ridiculous notion that the final boss is the literal devil.

A Summary of New Character Options in Ravnica

To a large extent, the main appeal of Ravnica is the setting itself. Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica will come with lore about the world and new monsters, but as the altoholic that I am (see the title of the blog) I am of course always excited at the prospect of new character options.

I don't believe anything has been official confirmed, but if we assume that everything from the related Unearthed Arcana posts will make it in, perhaps with some edits and revisions, here's what we have:

EDIT: Wizards of the Coast has published the Table of Contents for the book, which cuts out some of the options. Viashino appear to be on the chopping block, along with the Brute Fighter archetype and the Wizard School of Invention. These of course are still up in Unearthed Arcana for players to use with a DM's consent, but sadly they do not appear to be making it into the game proper. If you want to stick to officially published stuff, you could swap in Lizardfolk from Volo's Guide to Monsters, and perhaps Champion Fighters and Evocation Wizards as similar substitutions.

New Races:

Minotaur

Centaur

Loxodon

Vedalken

Simic Hybrid

Viashino

New Subclasses:

Cleric Order Domain

Fighter Brute Archetype

Druid Circle of Spores

Wizard School of Invention

New Background/Guilds:

Simic Combine - Simic Scientist

Izzet League - Izzet Engineer

Gruul Clans - Gruul Anarch

Selesnya Conclave - Selesnya Initiate

Orzhov Syndicate - Orzhov Representative

House Dimir - Dimir Operative

Golgari Swarm - Golgari Agent

Cult of Rakdos - Rakdos Cultist

Azorius Senate - Azorius Functionary

Boros Legion - Boros Legionnaire

EDIT: I also appears that will be certain spells associated with various guilds.

There is also a 66-page bestiary of various monster stat blocks, a great deal of which is dedicated to NPCs linked with each guild.

The Creature Codex

While I'm not done reading the entire thing, I'm getting toward the end of Kobold Press' Creature Codex, which is essentially their second super-sized Monster Manual-like supplement for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons.

There's a great variety of things in here, with a good spread of challenge ratings. In particular, I think that Kobold Press has taken some areas where the official D&D releases are missing gaps - particularly Fey and Aberrations - and really given us a lot to work with. Given that my setting has both a strong presence of eldritch horrors and also a massive war being waged across the Shadowlands and Esperlands (my setting's equivalents of the Shadowfell and Feywild, respectively,) this book has given me a ton of material to make rival forces that can clash with one another.

There's also something about the style of the art I can't really put my finger on that reminds me of hanging out in my local game shop as a kid getting Magic: the Gathering booster packs.

The books clearly work quite well with Kobold Press' Midgard setting, a largely Norse-inspired world that nevertheless incorporates a lot of other real-world cultures and mythologies. But naturally, as with anything you find in D&D, you can easily re-skin things to suit your needs. Midgard's Shadow Fey Elves, for example, would make perfect equivalents to my own setting's Dire Elves.

While there are some mechanics that will start to look familiar after reading through so many entries (knocking a target prone after charging them, for example,) there's also a large number of really interesting and RP-inducing abilities here. I'm also glad to see a lot of good-aligned monsters that might either serve as friendly NPCs or potentially provide a challenge for less moral parties.

Given that I believe it has more monsters than even the Monster Manual, this is a massive resource for anyone looking for inspiration beyond what was found in the MM, Volo's, or Modenkainen's (though I did love those releases.) The Creature Codex is also the publisher's second book - their earlier Tome of Beasts came out a while ago, and has a similarly massive number of monsters within it.

The Creature Codex is built for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons, and can be used pretty easily alongside the core books. There are some monsters with alternate spells from Kobold's other Midgard publications, but these are always offered as variants rather than the monster's core stat block.

Blizzcon Expectations

Blizzcon 2018 is coming in less than a month. What might we expect to see?

I'll put this caveat here that I'm less of a Blizzard omnivore than I used to be - I haven't played much Diablo or Heroes of the Storm in a while. But I can speculate!

Overwatch: While perhaps not as steady a stream as it had when the game was newer, Overwatch does tend to get new characters over time. I suspect that we'll get some new reveal, probably another one of their gorgeous story cinematics, and likely updates on how the Overwatch League is going. They might also announce a new character.

Heroes of the Storm: HotS gets a pretty steady stream of characters, so I'd expect two or three to be announced at Blizzcon. New events and maps would also be welcome. Given their experiments in Nexus-specific stories, we might see that expanded with perhaps fully original characters, though that's pretty broad speculation.

Hearthstone: A new expansion's announcement would be pretty well-timed, given that the Dr. Boom cards have been out for a while.

Starcraft: I don't really know what the plans for the future of the Starcraft franchise are. I suspect that they'll focus primarily on new multiplayer options, but this franchise has shuffled its way to the back a bit.

Warcraft: With 8.1 likely coming either right before or right after Blizzcon, it's time for us to find out more about where the expansion is going. Two years ago, we got a big preview of the Broken Shore and Tomb of Sargeras, with a last-second cliffhanger-offhand-comment being that in the patch to follow, we'd go to Argus. I suspect we'll get a big preview for 8.2 and possibly a similar hint to 8.3, which I'd assume is BFA's capstone patch. The Blizzcon to follow will presumably be to announce the next expansion, so this is when we can expect a big focus on BFA.

Diablo: A week ago I might have said that there's something massive, like Diablo 4 or a second Diablo 3 expansion. But Blizzard has attempted to calm the hype after building it up, so what I suspect is that we're going to get more of a promise than a preview - I would bet that they don't really have the project in a state that's ready to show off, but that we might get a title or basic announcement and then a promise that we'll get a big preview to follow. We might also get word on a rumored Diablo Netflix show, which would be a pretty big deal.

Planar Travel in Ravnica: D&D versus Magic

D&D's structured multiverse is meant to encompass all of its various worlds. The worlds of Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Dark Sun, and the Forgotten Realms all exist within what is called the Prime Material Plane. Indeed, even our own Earth, at least in D&D canon, exists within that plane. Beyond this, you get the Shadowfell and Feywild, moving into the Elemental Planes, then farther out into the Outer Planes followed by the Far Realm.

While I imagine that most campaigns stick with one of these worlds in the prime material, theoretically you can hop between them easily with different types of teleportation. Plane Shift might not do it (as you generally need to go to a different plane for that, and these are all technically on the prime material) but in theory, if you learn of teleportation circles or if your druid knows a big enough tree, one ought to be able to hop from one to another.

Indeed, the entire Spelljammer setting is based on the idea of crossing through various worlds of the prime material through a fantastical version of space travel in the eponymous ships. It's not quite space as we know it - the worlds exist within geocentric spheres, as medieval philosophers imagined, with the ships being able to pass between the spheres.

Magic has its own multiverse, and that multiverse actually has a name: Dominia, which to be fair is sort of outdated and while not officially de-canonized, it has largely been dropped. Magic's original setting, Dominaria, was the "song of Dominia" and was, prior to the massive "Mending" event, sat at the nexus of this multiverse.

Outside of... dammit, I'm going to call it Dominia. I started playing Magic in 1994, so I'm stuck in my ways. Outside of Dominia is a realm called the Blind Eternities, which is where the lovecraftian Eldrazi hail from.

When it comes to these "outside of everything" realms and fusing fictional universes/multiverses, I think we can consider them all to be part of the same "outer" realm. So the Far Realm and the Blind Eternities (and the Todash Darkness if you're a Stephen King fan, or the Space Between if you're a me fan) are all basically the same thing - profoundly alien and dubiously real.

In Magic, traveling between planes is a very common thing for its major characters and, officially, the players. These people are Planeswalkers, and you can probably guess what they do. Prior to the Mending, which occurred at the end of the Time Spiral block (which was also the last time I played the game much,) Planeswalkers were former mortals who had been imbued with incredible power - they were essentially gods, but at a level where they could create entire planes with their own gods. Planeswalkers were the top tier of power in Dominia.

Post-Mending, however, Planeswalkers are now mostly just particularly powerful spellcasters - still likely to be more powerful than most entities on the plane they go to, but no longer really the figures that religions would grow up around (take, for example, the Church of Serra on Dominaria - Serra was a planeswalker in the pre-Mending days.)

Anyway, in Magic parlance, each world is its own plane, and some of these worlds might even be divided into separate demiplanes. Kamigawa has a mortal and spirit world. Lorwyn sometimes transforms into its dark reflection, Shadowmoor. Theros has its godly realm called Nyx.

Now that Ravnica is going to be an official D&D setting, one wonders how exactly Dominia and the "Great Wheel" cosmology of D&D are going to fit together.

One possibility is that we now have two canonical Ravnicas - one is in Magic and the other in D&D. Yes, Jace's role as the Living Guildpact may still be important in the D&D version, but perhaps a Planeswalker means something different, perhaps suggesting that it's really that Jace can hop around between worlds in the material plane.

Magic doesn't really have alignment-based outer planes like the Great Wheel, largely because Magic doesn't use the same system of alignment. Even monocolored planes are unusual. Phyrexia, a realm of pure black mana, was destroyed, and New Phyrexia (the plane formerly known as Mirrodin, and before that formerly known as Argentum,) has now found ways for the horrifying Phyrexian process and philosophy to spread between all five colors.

There's also some potential for confusion surrounding the role of big bads. In Magic, there's really no bigger dragon villain than Nicol Bolas (which I have the Chronicles version of and got way before they decided to bring him back something like ten years later and he was just the Elder Dragon Legend that fit the colors I preferred to play.) So how does he fit with Tiamat?

It's not that I don't think that Ravnica will work as a D&D setting - frankly I'm really excited about it. But there are some weird things to think about - does this mean that Ravnica has a Shadowfell and Feywild version? Does this mean Rakdos is from the Abyss? And given that people from Ravnica, like Azor I, have gone to other Magic planes (I believe he shows up in Ixalan,) does that canonically pull the entirety of Magic into D&D?

Is Innistrad one of the domains of dread from the Ravenloft setting? Or if it isn't, would someone from Innistrad feel perfectly at home wandering Barovia?

Ultimately I realize that this is all for dungeon masters the world around to decide. But given the shift in D&D to really place everything in the same multiverse (something that is complicated by Eberron's established planes - likewise my own Sarkon setting,) it does make Ravnica's canonical inclusion as a D&D world pretty complicated.

Just think of how many worlds House Dimir can infiltrate now!

Keeping it In the Family with the Orzhov Syndicate - Class Options in Ravnica

As the song from Cabaret goes, money makes the world go 'round. And in Ravnica, there is one guild that controls the flow of money. A strange mishmash of urban power structures, the Orzhov Syndicate is simultaneously a church, the mafia, and the tax collectors for the city. The Orzhov can always help you out, for a price.

As a powerful elite of the city, the Orzhov are excessive and extravagant, yet despite their eager willingness to exploit the rest of the city, they do take care of their own. Once you're in, you're in, and they'll take care of you, for better or worse.

And that care lasts long past your own death - Orzhov members get to live on as ghosts, while their bodies are repurposed as strange necromantic creatures known as Thrulls.

Alignment:

The Orzhov are an excellent fit for the Lawful Evil alignment - they like to keep things civil and keep the money flowing into their coffers, but any pretenses of piety and righteousness are a rather thin veneer to simply maintain their authority in the eyes of the public. That Lawful aspect to them is somewhat ironic, given that they are in part a crime syndicate, but much like the glorified versions of the Mafia we've seen in things like the Godfather, they're not about petty theft and murder, and prefer more systematic and ultimately safe enterprises.

Yet their commitment to the stability of the city can result in their members falling backward into heroism should some threat emerge that would endanger civilization. They are also less prone to backstabbing within the organization than you might expect - though this might shift as one gets closer to positions of leadership. Indeed, leadership of the guild is shared by a council of ghosts, rather than one individual.

In Magic, Orzhov is the Black and White guild. If you're more familiar with D&D, you might associate these colors with Evil and Good, respectively, though Magic's use of the colors allows for a bit more nuance (even if those moral alignments often wind up that way.) The guild is a good blend of the ironically complementary forces of altruism and selfishness - in some ways, Orzhov is a Black (selfish) guild that uses the trappings of authority and order (White) to legitimize itself, but it's also an organization that truly believes in its (White) purpose as an order-maintaining guild that seeks to serve its members while believing that anyone outside the Orzhov are fair game for manipulation and exploitation (a Black quality.) One could argue that it takes the self-centered and self-interested aspects of Black and applies it to a broad organization that is internally close-knit, reflecting its White nature.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

Path of the Zealot might work for the Orzhov, but generally I think Barbarians are going to be somewhat rare amongst them.

Bard:

College of Whispers is not a bad choice here, allowing them to maintain various criminal enterprises around Ravnica.

Cleric:

Death domain works pretty well for them, especially given their use of Necromancy. Light domain might also be a good choice if you're one of the members more concerned with maintaining a respectable air. Order can also work.

Druid:

Druids are unlikely to be involved with the Orzhov.

Fighter:

Given the need for muscle, Fighters of most types would fit decently into the Orzhov, including the Brute from Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica.

Monk:

I think that several Monk ways could work here, from Long Death to Sun Soul, as long as you maintain the idea of them as committed to maintaining the Orzhov's position of privilege and power.

Paladin:

Given the cynicism of the Orzhov, I would say that you're probably going to only really work with the darker Paladin types, like Conquest or Oathbreaker. An Oathbreaker pretending to be Oath of Devotion would be a strong fit. Oath of the Crown is probably also a good fit, as a less morally-focused lawful option.

Ranger:

Not a very Ranger-friendly guild, I'd think.

Rogue:

The Orzhov presumably have lots of Rogues running around keeping tabs on things. Masterminds and Assassins are probably pretty common, and perhaps some Arcane Tricksters. In a way, I think Thieves are less likely as the Orzhov is generally going to acquire what they need through force and intimidation.

Sorcerer:

Divine Soul is a good option here, given the religious bent of the guild. Shadow Sorcery is also a good option.

Warlock:

Undying patrons (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) are probably the best option here, given the guildmasters of the Orzhov, but I think Celestial could work as well. Indeed, the idea of making a transactional deal with a holy being is actually very on-brand for the Orzhov (to the extent that it may make better sense than having Clerics or Paladins attaining power through genuine faith.)

Wizard:

Necromancers are probably a big presence in the Orzhov syndicate, but Abjuration might also be a common practice, as well as anything that makes it easier to manipulate people, like Enchantment.

Putting the Sin in Syndicate:

Cynicism runs through the heart of the Orzhov, and as such, they likely don't consider their actions evil, but simply practical. There is a culture of contempt for non-Orzhov, but one that also trains them to put on a friendly smile in order to better extract wealth from the rubes.

That being said, members of the Orzhov are given a certain degree of security and protection that might be very appealing to those who join. Sure, the religious veneer is primarily just that, but if you ever wanted to truly experience a life of ease and luxury, getting into the Orzhov would have a great appeal. And hey, if the people feel better once you've provided them with the comforts of your religious narrative, isn't that a service in itself?

A corrupt Orzhov bishop makes for an excellent adversary for a party - they're powerful enough to be untouchable until the party gets strong. On the other hand, with their deep pockets, the Orzhov would likely be willing to hire adventuring parties in order to perform various functions - from shaking down those late with their tithe payments to perhaps taking down criminal gangs who are interfering with business.

Ten Guilds Down!

Well, that was a bit of whirlwind of posts about the various Ravnica guilds and ideas for characters in each of them. I don't have the book yet, and most of what I know of Ravnica is just from playing the game (primarily in the original block,) so there's a good chance I've gotten some of the lore wrong or left things out.

Ravnica revolves around its guilds, but one thing I really love about it is that, even for a Magic the Gathering setting, it's not always obvious who the bad guy will be. For Dungeon Masters, I highly recommend waiting until your "session zero" and finding out which guilds your players belong to before deciding on the master plot of your adventure or campaign. Playing Guild and Party loyalties off of each other might make for some really interesting drama.

I'll be really interested to watch how Ravnica develops as a setting for two games. Theoretically this means we could see entities like Demogorgon and Asmodeus interacting with stuff from Magic. I am a bit concerned about replacing Magic's color wheel with D&D's alignment system - White is not Good and Black is not Evil - but I think getting to explore Ravnica in greater detail as you can with an RPG should be a ton of fun.

Anarchy in the Tenth District with the Gruul Clans - Class Options in Ravnica

Ravnica is a city and a plane that are one and the same - the urban sprawl entirely encompasses the world that its inhabitants live in. You can't go anywhere on the plane of Ravnica without being in the city of Ravnica.

And the Gruul Clans are not happy about that.

Anarchists, punks, and gangs of delinquents, depending on your perspective, the Gruul Clans rage against the machine of the city, and would far prefer to see the place torn down and restored to whatever pre-urban wilds it may have once been. Anarchic by ideology, the Clans are not really a unified force, but rather an affiliation of various groups that are united only in their disdain for the endless cityscape.

Still, no guild escapes the symbiosis of the Guildpact, and the Gruul have their own role within the city - that of demolitionists. In a sense, the Gruul get to see their desires made manifest on a small scale. Buildings that have outlived their usefulness or are too dangerous to inhabit anymore become the prey of the Gruul Clans. In a sense, the Gruul are the most vociferous advocates for the scattered quasi-wild places of the city. But their rambunctious and chaotic nature puts them in conflict with the law-and-order types of the city.

Alignment:

The Gruul are pretty distinctly chaotic neutral, with a great value placed on freedom and the flaunting of urban civility. The various clans may come in different flavors, some rioting punks and some more deeply spiritual shamans. Of course, the two identities are not mutually exclusive. Some might lean more toward good, simply wishing to see Ravnica's natural world given the room to breathe and for people to live in freedom, while others might lean toward evil, stewing in contempt for those who prefer the urban lifestyle and the protections it provides.

In Magic, the Gruul Clans are the Red and Green guild. Red gives it its strongly chaotic and anarchic values, while Green gives it its respect and desire for a return to nature and its respect for bestial strength.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

This really is the Barbarian guild if ever there was one. Between Shamanistic Storm Heralds, beast-affiliated Totem Warriors, and fury-driven Berserkers, most Barbarians are going to fit right in with these guys.

Bard:

Bards might fit in with them as traditional musicians weaving magic that touches on emotion and instinct, but there's no really obvious fit here.

Cleric:

Tempest, Life, Nature, and War Clerics are all probably good fits for this guild. On the other hand, Order is basically the guild's anathema, so I'd avoid it.

Druid:

Most Druid circles would work here - the Gruul value both animals and elemental power, so pretty much any Druids would work (save perhaps the Circle of Spores.)

Fighter:

I believe that the Brute martial archetype in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica is meant to associate with the Gruul. Barbarians might be the closer fit for front-line, non-magic brawlers, but the more practiced soldiers amongst them might skew more toward Fighter.

Monk:

I could imagine some of the more spiritual clans having monastic traditions, with Four Elements and Open Fist as good subclasses.

Paladin:

Paladins to tend toward the Lawful, but I could see Oath of the Ancients working well here. Oath of Vengeance could also be a good option.

Ranger:

As the most wilderness-based guild in a plane without any true wilderness, Rangers of all types would probably work with the Gruul. Beast Masters in particular seem like a good match, flavor-wise, though I'd say most would work quite well.

Rogue:

While they aren't going to go much for urban subterfuge, Scouts would be a good option here, and perhaps the more flamboyant troublemakers could go Swashbuckler.

Sorcerer:

Storm Sorcery, Wild Magic, and maybe Dragon Ancestry could work decently here. The Gruul are probably more likely to get their arcane magic through in-born ability than study, so Sorcerers work pretty well.

Warlock:

I could see Archfey Warlocks working pretty well, but beyond that, there aren't many chaotic, nature-based warlock patrons for them to choose from.

Wizard:

The Gruul probably don't have much in the way of Wizards, given their disdain for the kind of sedentary institutions a Wizard would want to access for their training or research.

Raging with the Clans:

The Gruul have the potential to play as dumb brutes, and that's not a terrible decision. But I think that you might get more out of it if you played up the spiritual, shamanistic element of the guild. Despite being looked down upon as hordes of thugs always fighting one another, there is something tragic about the Gruul's ever-failing struggle to free Ravnica's natural world from the urban sprawl.

Given their disorganization and their inability to really fit in within the city, the Gruul clans could easily be framed by conspirators, giving you a great red herring villain. On the other hand, some ambitious clan leader could also take their beliefs to an eco-terrorist level of extremity - maybe that Izzet lab's explosion wasn't the result of a failed experiment, but actually Gruul sabotage!

Gruul territories might provide people with a respite from the urban grind, but given its disjointed nature, it might also be a treacherous place for those not in the guild to learn all the complex politics between rival clans.

Laying Down the Law with the Azorius Senate - Class Options in Ravnica

In the eyes of the Azorius Senate, they are the most important guild in Ravnica. They are the lawmakers and the judiciary, the bureaucrats who make sure that the city functions, and who have the power and authority to grind it to a halt when it's necessary. They are the government, the ultimate authority within the city.

In practice, they are a massive and byzantine bureaucracy that yes, does allow the city to function with some semblance of order, but also creates mazes of red tape and confusing forms with an indifferent disregard for exceptions that might be needed for moral reasons - they are ultimately tough but fair, though you might argue that the labyrinthine legalise in which they set the rules makes it difficult for the average Ravnican to even know whether they are breaking the law or not.

Alignment:

Maybe more than any other guild, the Azorius have a clear D&D alignment in Lawful Neutral. A collection of courts, bureaus, and legislative bodies, the most fervent of Azorius probably get very excited about filling out various forms and applications - if you watch Acquisitions Incorporated: The "C"-Team, Omin Dran and Walnut Dankgrass would both probably be very happy in the Azorius Senate.

In Magic, Azorius' colors are Blue and White. From White, it gets its love of order and law, while Blue gives it its sense of intellectual and cerebral superiority. The result is the ability to literally weave magic through confusing fine print and lock down anyone who they believe threatens the order of the city.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

The very notion of a Barbarian is probably anathema to the Azorius, so you'd have to argue pretty hard with a DM.

Bard:

The use of spoken word and song to subdue foes is pretty on-brand for the Azorius, and Bards' spells that charm or otherwise lock down foes would probably be useful. College of Lore seems like a good choice here.

Cleric:

In Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, Clerics get the Order domain, and this is clearly the top choice for the Azorius. Not a terribly spiritual guild, the Azorius nevertheless value the structures of society. I could also see Light, Knowledge, and Arcana domains working pretty well.

Druid:

With its emphasis on the regimented structure of civilization, Druids are probably not going to figure prominently in the Azorius Senate.

Fighter:

While the Boros are the primary police force on Ravnica, the Azorius have their own law enforcement officials - indeed, some judges will actually patrol the streets and rule on situations that they happen upon. Most fighter types can work here, but I think an Eldritch Knight with a strong emphasis on Abjuration magic is a strong fit for this.

Monk:

Personal discipline is certainly something that the Azorius value, so I could see several Monk types fit here. Way of the Sun Soul could work pretty well cosmetically.

Paladin:

Paladins who come down strongly on the Lawful side of things work well here. Oath of the Crown is a very good option (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) but Devotion is also a good call. Oath of Conquest might work as well, if you take it more of a Lawful Neutral direction than a Lawful Evil one. Oath of Redemption's pacifistic leanings actually work pretty well too, given that the Azorius would much rather arrest people than slay them.

Ranger:

I could imagine a Monster Slayer or Hunter being employed as a bounty hunter to take in some lawbreaker, but the Azorius are generally too fastidious to really be into all that muddy nature survival stuff.

Rogue:

Inquisitives are a great option here, as the Azorius have many investigators independent of the Boros that can go and look into all manner of malfeasance and criminality.

Sorcerer:

I could maybe see a law-aligned Divine Soul sorcerer at work here, but the improvisational aspect of Sorcerers is probably going to be way less appealing to the Azorius than Wizards.

Warlock:

There aren't really any patrons that jump out to me as Azorius. That being said, contracts are probably a very popular thing amongst them, meaning that any could work. Celestial patrons might work the best cosmetically. Frankly, I wish there were some sort of "Great Machine" patron (think Primus, the ruler of the Lawful Neutral plane of Mechanus) that would be a perfect fit for these guys.

Wizard:

Wizards might actually be the most Azorius class, as a Wizard is going to love a well-organized yet inscrutably-labeled archive like the kind you'd get with the Azorius. In particular, I think Abjuration wizards make the most sense, though Enchantment and Transmutation wizards would also work quite well.

Living it Up, Senate-Style:

You might be tempted to play your Azorius character as the ultimate Lawful stupid arrogant prick. This is a perfectly valid option. Frankly, I think that extremely lawful characters have more comic potential than those on the chaotic side of things, and playing up an Azorius character as a total square is probably going to be a lot of fun.

That being said, as arrogant and infuriating as the Azorius might be, the city does need some semblance of law and order if it is to operate, and the Azorius do serve an important role. While the organization is clearly Lawful Neutral, there's room for idealistically Lawful Good people within it.

At the same time, you might get petty bureaucratic tyrants that are practically Lawful Evil - and even some ambitious actual tyrants who might wish to truly dominate the city.

The Azorius Senate is very unlikely to ever admit to a mistake, which means you could easily have a plot involving a cover-up that spirals out of control into a true disaster.

Reveling in Decay with the Golgari Swarm - Class Options in Ravnica

Given that the entire plane of Ravnica is one massive city, there's only one real place to expand, and that is up. What this means is that there is a massive undercity that extends beneath it. Sewers and tunnels lead down into the depths of Ravnica, and the waste of the city - garbage, rubble, and the bodies of the dead - all wind up sinking down into this hidden realm. While the Dimir and Rakdos certainly have their presences in this Undercity, it is the Golgari Swarm who have made it their kingdom.

The Golgari believe strongly in the churn of life and death. The cycle is the core of their ethos, and in practice, that means that they are undergoing constant upheaval. Its leadership changes on a regular basis, and the Swarm actually embraces the usually-contradictory magics of life and necromancy with equal fervor.

Practically speaking, the Golgari are the waste management of the city, recycling everything that falls into their domains into food and other useful materials. Employing swarms of insects both large and small as well as zombies and ghouls, the Golgari also foresee the upheaval of Ravnica in general, and expect that their growing underground empire will one day take over the surface.

Alignment:

The Golgari fit quite well into a Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil role, but certainly in their eyes they probably consider themselves to be True Neutral. Despite their dangerous ambitions, the Golgari perform an indispensable role for the city, and thus there might be some Golgari who feel drawn to the guild out of a sense of responsibility and even love for their fellow citizens.

On the other hand, do they serve the equivalent of Soylent Green to the city's population? Yes.

In Magic, the Golgari colors are Green and Black. Typically, Green represents life while Black represents death, but the Golgari view these as merely two sides of the same coin, and that dichotomy is something they strive to embody. Furthermore, Green can sometimes represent a sort of detached view of hierarchies and individuals. Black is a color of selfishness, but that allows the Golgari to go through constant reshuffling of who is in power. Notably, both colors are good at dealing with the dead and discarded, and the Golgari excel at that.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

I wouldn't say no to Golgari Barbarians, but I don't know that I'd say they're quite the right fit. Playing up the necromancy angle of the guild could help with a Ancestral Guardian Barbarian, but you might need to "re-skin" it slightly.

Bard:

College of Whispers could work here, given the Golgari's penchant for backstabbing, but they're probably not a terribly Bard-oriented guild.

Cleric:

The Golgari Swarm might actually be the one guild in which Life, Death, Grave, and Nature Clerics all make a lot of sense. Because they see Life and Death as part of the same cycle, there's no contradiction there. While Grave clerics are usually opposed to the undead, you could imagine that the Grave clerics are more focused on the recycling aspects of the guild while Death clerics work to raise the dead for their forces.

Druid:

In Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, there will be a new Druid Circle that is specifically designed for the Golgari - the Circle of Spores, which gives the Druid the ability to raise zombies using fungal spores. This is obviously your best choice for a Druid circle, but if you're able to find a darker angle on the other existing ones, they could fit here.

Fighter:

While no fighter subclass jumps out to me as obviously Golgari in nature, none seems totally disqualified. Given the constant backstabbing that goes on in the Swarm, some of the powerful guild members would probably want some trusted bodyguards.

Monk:

Way of the Long Death and Way of Shadow are both pretty good options here, given both the Golgari's necromantic tendencies and its shadowy domain.

Paladin:

Oath of Conquest, with its emphasis on following whoever is strongest, is actually a really good fit here. A dark-themed Oath of Ancients could also work. Oathbreakers as well would fit quite well here.

Ranger:

Gloomstalkers make a ton of sense here, given the Undercity environment. I could also see Monster Slayers being useful given the things hiding under the city (many of which might be products of Golgari magic.)

Rogue:

Rogues of all stripes will probably work within the Golgari, except maybe Swashbucklers.

Sorcerer:

Shadow Sorcerers work pretty well here. I'd put them as my top pick.

Warlock:

Archfey and Undying (from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) are both good picks. The Golgari are known to have a fair number of powerful liches, which could serve as a patron for the later type.

Wizard:

Necromancy is probably the top one here - few guilds wield necromancy as much as the Golgari, and so I think this should be your first pick if you want a Golgari Wizard.

For the Swarm!

The Golgari have a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the city, but whether it's parasitic or mutually beneficial probably changes from day to day.

As a member of the Golgari, you might be counting the days until you rise up and take over the city, but you might also feel cynical about that ever happening, as the leadership changes within the Guild happen so frequently that you doubt that day will ever come.

You also might not be that malevolent, instead eager to do your duty and make sure that the city's poor are able to survive on the food your guild provides. Yes, they might be squeamish if they knew what (who) it was made from, but it's all just part of the natural cycle, isn't it?

Intrigue and in-fighting within the Golgari could be a very good story hook - the party could be allied with one faction in the guild against another one. And these conflicts could potentially spill out into the surface world. Having a big army of undead under the city is probably something that the citizens should keep an eye out for...

Discovery at Any Cost in the Izzet League - Class Options in Ravnica

There are, admittedly, two guilds for mad scientists in Ravnica. The Simic Combine produces strange creatures with its biomancy. But the Izzet League is less about gradual (even if it's accelerated) evolution and more about big, exploding catastrophes from which knowledge can be gleaned.

This is the guild that likes explosions and crazy magical experiments, and has a magical steam-punk aesthetic to it. If you like Gnomes or Goblins in World of Warcraft, this guild will probably appeal to you. It might be the silliest guild, but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.

At its center is Niv-Mizzet, the guild's Parun (its original founder and guildmaster,) who is a dragon wizard who is so brilliant that he basically has the biggest ego on the plane. The guild maintains the city's infrastructure and its buildings, including the maintenance of steam pipes that provide Ravnica with heating and power.

Alignment:

I might call the Izzet Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Good, but I'd want to make it clear that chaos is not their intent - it's more that they use chaos as a tool, and that they are somewhat indifferent to the dangers that their experimentation might unleash. Their ethos is really based around discovery.

In Magic, the Izzet colors are Red and Blue, which are both classic spellcaster colors. From Blue, it gets its intellectual curiosity and abstract thinking abilities. From Red, the Izzet get their reckless passion and outside-the-box thinking. Both colors are capable of doing weird stuff, which in this case includes the creation of quasi-elemental beings called Weirds.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

The only Barbarian option I can think would fit for the Izzet is Storm Herald, perhaps gaining one's powers through an experiment gone wrong (or right!)

Bard:

There's no really obvious place for Bards within the Izzet League, but I could imagine maybe a College of Lore Bard getting their start as some kind of note-taking assistant.

Cleric:

While not religious generally, Tempest clerics might be a decent fit given the guild's obsession with electricity and storms. Knowledge and Arcana clerics (the latter from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) might also fit, as less spiritual and more intellectual clerics.

Druid:

The more scientifically-oriented druids are probably going to fit better with the Simic guild, but on the other hand, if you want to focus less on beasts and fey creatures and more on a Druid's elemental magic, I'm sure the Izzet wouldn't mind having some druids to call on storms when they needed a big source of electricity.

Fighter:

Eldritch Knights I think fit really well with the Izzet League as guards who actually know some magic. A full-on battlemage would probably be a great opportunity for the Izzet to test experimental armor. Arcane Archers could also fit here for similar reasons.

Monk:

The main Monk way I could see working here is Four Elements. The other types aren't really flashy enough for the Izzet.

Paladin:

The Izzet League is probably not going to draw many Paladins to it, to be frank.

Ranger:

Less concerned with the wilds (such as they are in Ravnica,) I could maybe see a Monster Slayer or Horizon Walker, but again, I think you're probably better going elsewhere.

Rogue:

While subtlety is not something that the Izzet are known for, simply having magic might make an Arcane Trickster work for them. Swashbucklers might also be a fun option if you imagine them swinging from the rigging of airships as lightning crashes around them.

Sorcerer:

The Izzet do tons of experiments, many of which I'm sure imbue their subjects with magical power. Wild Magic and Storm Sorcery work great here, and I think that Dragon Ancestry could potentially be imbued in people by experimenting directly with Niv-Mizzet (I'm certain that he's tried replicating his own essence.)

Warlock:

Most of the options for patrons here aren't going to work terribly well for the Izzet, though I could see one of their experiments accidentally opening a portal to a Great Old One. I don't think the Izzet would actively recruit those who already have made a pact.

Wizard:

There is a new Wizard school that is coming in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica that I believe is explicitly designed for the Izzet - the School of Invention, which allows you to cast random spells and wear cool steampunk armor. This is the obvious choice here, but I think Evocation, Transmutation, and possibly Conjuration are all good choices for the guild as well.

Living in Up in the League:

Playing an Izzet character is a great opportunity to be an absent-minded professor type. You're probably going to be either easily distracted by new discoveries or laser-focused on something and thus missing everything that's going on around you (seems a low Wisdom score works pretty well here.)

The Izzet don't really have a moral stance, but I think you could play them as good or neutral. Good Izzet characters are optimistic about the progress of science and are trying to solve the city's problems. Neutral ones don't really care about the end benefits so much as just the information gained. Izzet generally aren't going to be malevolent, but you could play a jealous and secretive Izzet researcher who wants to hog the glory of their discoveries for themselves and maybe looks down on everyone else as idiots.

As instigators to plots, the Izzet are great, as their constant experiments can easily unleash horrors and monsters and maybe open up gateways to other planes. A particularly bad disaster might prompt them to cover it up, or perhaps you might see the Izzet getting framed for some catastrophe that was really the work of some more sinister guild like the Dimir or the Rakdos.

Bringing it Together in the Selesnya Conclave - Class Options in Ravnica

In a big city - and there's no city bigger than Ravnica - it can get lonely. It's an irony - despite being surrounded by people, an individual can fall into the cracks. The Selesnya offer belonging and community. They are united by a common purpose - to do the will of the world's spirit (a being they call Mat-Selesnya) and to ensure harmony and communion.

Practically, the Selesnya maintain the parks and gardens of the city, which serve an extra-important purpose given that this plane-sized city has no true rural areas to grow crops to feed people. Not only are the Selesnya's parks and public spaces crucial to give people some respite from the daily grind, but they also allow nature to harmonize with the city itself.

Alignment:

Generally speaking, the Selesnya are going to skew toward Lawful Good and Neutral Good. While not particularly focused on the bureaucratic aspects of Law, they do place a very strong emphasis on community, to the point where one's individual needs are always going to be secondary to the need of the collective.

At its creepiest, the Selesnya begin to resemble a sort of cult in which individual thoughts are subsumed by the guild's consensus, but generally speaking, it's mostly just a welcoming and inclusive organization that tries to do right by its members. That being said, the Selesnya are far from being pacifists, and maintain a military-like force to protect their sacred spaces.

In Magic, Selesnya is the Green and White guild. Both of these colors often tend toward the good and heroic side of things, and I think that this is a good choice of a guild if you want to play a good guy. Its Green aspects focus on its respect for nature and harmony, and its White aspects highlight its focus on the community and the collective, with little room for selfishness or personal greed - though White also gives it its regimented structure - this is not an anarcho-syndicalist commune, even if its members are the most hippy-like, because they do believe in authority.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

Barbarians of a more spiritual bent will likely do well in this guild. Totem Warriors and Spirit Guardians are both probably pretty good choices.

Bard:

Given their tendency to help others in the party, Bards make good sense for the Selesnya as well. Glamour college bards would fit well, given the guild's psychic communion elements, but Lore and Valor are also pretty good options.

Cleric:

This is a pretty Cleric-heavy guild, and Life and Nature domains are both quite appropriate options. I could also see Grave domain Clerics working - not that there's an obsession with death, but more that they're there to ensure the cycle of life continues. Light and Tempest are probably also decent choices here.

Druid:

Likewise, this is a pretty Druid-heavy guild as well. I think just about every Druid circle could work here, and you could play the more benevolent, conventional Druid as Selesnya. The new Circle of Spores (in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica) is probably the one Druid circle that really doesn't work for them (we'll see the guild that that's built for later.)

Fighter:

While peace-loving, the Selesnya do have some military-like forces at their disposal to protect their grounds. In particular, the Cavalier option works well here, given the Selesnya's famous wolf-riding knights, though Arcane Archers could also work pretty well, given the elvish, tree-based environments they have.

Monk:

Monks actually fit quite well into the Selesnya vibe, with their communal living and emphasis on the good of the collective. As a more light-side guild I might steer away from Shadow or Long Death monks, but the others are all probably pretty good (Four Elements might not totally jive with their magical style, though.)

Paladin:

This is basically the guild that Oath of the Ancients was built for, with its emphasis on protecting nature. Oath of Redemption is also a pretty good fit for the guild, while Devotion, being kind of the "standard" Paladin oath is also not a bad idea. I might steer away from Vengeance, Conquest, and Oathbreakers.

Ranger:

Finally, we've got a guild where Rangers make a ton of sense. Someone's got to patrol the parks and safeguard the green spaces of the city. Just about every Ranger type makes sense, though I'd say the Hunter and Beast Masters are the best fits.

Rogue:

The Selesnya are not the types to go in much for assassination and subterfuge, so I'd say you're better off with Scouts or possibly Swashbucklers.

Sorcerer:

Wild magic is a pretty good fit here, and I'd say good-aligned Divine Soul sorcerers make sense as well. While there are other guilds that fit Storm Sorcery a bit better, I'd allow it here.

Warlock:

Archfey and Celestial patrons make pretty good sense here, but I'd steer away from the other patrons for this guild.

Wizard:

While likely not big on arcane magic, I could see Abjuration wizards helping to protect people or maybe Conjuration to bring in various elementals (like Saprolings) to aid the guild. Enchantment might also work.

Convocations of the Conclave:

Selesnya is a great option for an optimistic, good character, not to mention naive ones. You don't have to be naive to be Selesnya, though, as their purpose in the city is very clear.

If you want to play up the more sinister angle of the guild, you can focus on its collectivist demands, where individual freedom and even individual thought has to kind of take a back seat to your responsibilities to the Conclave. You might be a rebel, straining your relationship with your community, or perhaps you're trying to recruit more, believing that it's just that those who haven't joined are sad fools who don't realize how great it is.

Given the acceptance that the Selesnya have for anyone who wants to join, it's possible you have a dark past you're trying to leave behind. What drew you to the Conclave, and what secrets might you have kept out of fear of rejection?

Tearing it Up with the Cult of Rakdos - Class Options in Ravnica

Living in a world that is just one enormous, packed city requires a careful, cooperative kind of civility - whether it's the intricate protocols of law practiced by the Azorius, the shared struggle of the Gruul, or the fraternal bonds of the Boros.

The Rakdos has no use for civility. As a guild more or less entirely controlled by the id, it can, in some ways, serve as a pressure valve for city life. But it can also be a horrifying menace. The point is that the Rakdos provide a means for Ravnica's people to let go of their moral and ethical concerns and just blow off some steam and go crazy for a bit.

Functionally, the Cult of Rakdos is actually Ravnica's primary source of entertainment. But their dark carnivals take the idea of transgressive entertainment all the way into hedonistic, blood-soaked debauchery.

Alignment:

In most cases, the Cult of Rakdos and its members fall very easily into the Chaotic Evil alignment. Their macabre carnivals sometimes involve actual torture and death, and its members are not above performing assassinations and property destruction. It makes sense, given that their Parun (founding Guildmaster) is a giant demon lord.

Still, things are more nuanced with Magic's color wheel, and while Rakdos is definitely going to skew pretty strongly toward the Chaotic Evil end of things, they do perform an important service in keeping the populace entertained. An idealistic Rakdos member might simply be drawn to the artistic side of the guild.

In Magic, Rakdos is Red and Black. Red's rejection of order in favor of chaos and Black's rejection of morality make the Rakdos a profoundly transgressive guild. They are maybe the least predictable guild. They are also definitely the most kinky.

The Classes:

Barbarian:

Barbarians fit pretty well with these guys given their propensity for starting riots. Berserkers and evil-aligned Zealots (probably drawing their divine power from Rakdos himself) are great options.

Bard:

Given their role as entertainers, Bards of all stripes work quite well amongst the Rakdos. I might leave College of Glamours out, but even they could work. A knife-juggling College of Swords Bard would work quite well here.

Cleric:

The guild is a cult, after all. If your DM allows it, Death Clerics would be a good fit, but I also think that War, Trickery, and possibly Forge domains could all work.

Druid:

I could maybe see an emphasis on the feral nature of, say, the Circle of the Moon working here, but it's a stretch.

Fighter:

There appears to be a new Fighter type in the Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica called the Brute. I could see this being more specifically for the Gruul Clans (coming in a later post,) but given Rakdos' use of armed thugs, this could works quite well. Indeed, I could see Champions and even Eldritch Knights that focus on offensive magic working with the Rakdos.

Monk:

Drunken Master could work quite well here, as could Shadow or Four Elements. As someone who can reliably start and prevail within a brawl, you could make it work, even if monastic training doesn't line up terribly well with the Rakdos ethos.

Paladin:

Even Conquest Paladins skew lawful, so I think the only Paladin type likely to work for Rakdos would be Oathbreakers.

Ranger:

I think Rakdos members are more likely to be getting chased by a Ranger than being one themselves. If you wanted to be some kind of wilderness-capable assassin, it might work. Alternatively, you could be some kind of animal handler for their circuses.

Rogue:

Assassins would play very nicely with the Rakdos, as would Swashbucklers. Rakdos members are often brought on as hired killers, and you might even make your role as an entertainer part of the ruse to make your target lower their guard.

Sorcerer:

Wild Magic, Shadow Sorcery, and possibly a Divine Soul with Rakdos as your evil-aligned divine source might all work pretty well here.

Warlock:

Rakdos would make an excellent fiendish patron. I could also maybe see a Hexblade patron working here as well, though really you don't get much more fiendish than red and black.

Wizards:

While most Rakdos are probably not going to spend the time to crack the spine of a book, a number of wizardly schools might serve pretty well. Evocation for explosions, Illusion for literal stage magic, perhaps the more direct bodily harm aspects of Necromancy, and certainly the potential for chaos that you get through Conjuration magic all work decently here.

The Cult Puts on a Hell of a Show:

Rakdos might be the ideal guild if you really just want to play a murder-hobo. But I think that there's opportunity for some really interesting ideas when you consider the Rakdos role as entertainers.

Naturally, with all of its torture and murder, ending shows by having performers explode in showers of gore (and sometimes doing the same to the audience,) it might be hard to think of the Rakdos as being anything other than just totally insane and evil.

And to a large extent, that's probably the right read.

But one could imagine (and I suspect that the book will elaborate on this) that such displays are not the typical way one interacts with the guild. Presumably most Rakdos performances merely play at the idea of being dangerous. And the Rakdos are free to express themselves in ways that other guilds would never allow.

So yes, there is a narrow sliver even in the Rakdos for you to play a good character. You might be drawn to the magical and transgressive world that they create, flaunting convention and giving people an opportunity to indulge in their desires and maybe work through their issues through cathartic art and expression.

But most of the time it's going to be a horror-show.

Evolving with the Simic Combine - Class Options in Ravnica

The Simic Combine is one of two Ravnica guilds that focuses a great deal on research. It's really the nature of the research and the attitude of that research that distinguishes them. The Simic are biomancers, meaning that they manipulate life with magic. Their goal is not to circumvent nature, but rather to push nature and evolution faster and faster - to create the perfect life forms, and the Simic are eager not to be left behind.

Within the city, the Simic are responsible for the waterways of Ravnica - ensuring that the populace has enough to drink and that it is safe and clean. All in all, they are the maintainers of biological health and diversity within the city, and much of their motivation for experimenting with biological forms is to ensure that there is life that can survive in this vast urban landscape.

Additionally, the Simic are the city's physicians and healthcare professionals, combating disease in the dense metropolis.

Alignment:

The Simic are probably the best example of a True Neutral guild in Ravnica. They aren't particularly interested in good or evil, nor are they drawn particularly to law or chaos. There is a sort of fatalism to their philosophy, even if they profoundly don't know what the future holds for life on the plane - one could sum up that philosophy as "the only constant is change."

In Magic, the Simic colors are Blue and Green. Blue is a cerebral and intellectual color, which explains their eagerness to experiment and prod along their projects, while green represents nature, instinct, and evolution. While both colors have often produced good-aligned characters, they are also both capable of a kind of detached view of things - green merely watches nature take its course and blue merely observes and gathers data. Despite being opposed along the instinct/intellect axis, this detached, even indifferent stance is reinforced by their fusion within the Simic.

The Classes:

Barbarians:

The source of a Simic Barbarian's rage is likely some kind of experimental adrenaline enhancement. You could flavor many Barbarian paths with this, but I think that Berserker and Totem Warrior both work quite well (with the Totem Warrior, you could say that you've literally been infused with the power of your totem animals.)

Bards:

There might not be that many great fits for Bards with the Simic.

Cleric:

While their interests are less faith-based, I could imagine Life, Knowledge, Nature, and Arcana (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) domains functioning pretty well for the Simic.

Druid:

You're going to find some unconventional Druids in this guild, but it's actually a pretty good fit, especially focusing on animal forms and, well, animals. So Circle of the Moon and the Shepherd (the latter is in Xanathar's) are probably both good fits.

Fighter:

Like the Barbarian, you could flavor your Fighter as having been enhanced in some way through experimentation. Eldritch Knights actually work pretty decently here.

Monk:

Given their fascination with taking things apart to see how they work, the Way of the Long Death actually works creepily well for the Simic. Other monk paths could work as well given the focus on perfecting one's body.

Paladin:

Paladins might be a bit of a stretch for the Simic, though I could maybe see an Oath of the Ancients paladin fitting in (though we'll get to a guild that matches that Oath really well later on.)

Ranger:

Playing up the nature-magic side of the Ranger is not a bad call if you want to go Simic. Beast Masters and Monster Slayers are probably both good fits, though nearly every Ranger type probably works.

Rogue:

While not likely to employ assassins and spies in the field very much, the Simic are probably fascinated by any natural ability to strike silently and deadly as a predator. So Assassins and Thieves both might be of interest to them.

Sorcerer:

Sorcerers are probably a very common thing amongst the Simic, most likely the result of some kind of mutation. Dragon Soul, Wild Magic, and maybe Storm Sorcery all work quite well here. Indeed, the Simic might even prefer the inherent nature of sorcerers over the laboriously-acquired skills of a wizard (though Wizards might be the ones who started the experiments in the first place.)

Warlock:

In the pursuit of knowledge, I doubt the Simic would blink an eye at Warlocks in their midst, though I imagine Archfey patrons might fit the best cosmetically. As a story hook, one could imagine a Great Old One that is actually something that has not yet come to be, and that it is reaching back in time hoping that the Simic will ultimately lead to its own creation. But I'm just spitballing here.

Wizard:

While intellectual research is important to the Simic, there's not really any given school of magic that fits particularly well for them. Still, while the Simic would probably prefer that eventually everyone is some kind of sorcerer, they'll need to employ some smart wizards to keep the research going.

Combining Things in the Combine:

There's a good chance that you've done a little self-experimentation if you're in the Simic, and there's a certain recklessness that doesn't easily fit into the chaotic or lawful continuum. As a Simic member, you're probably going to be pretty enthusiastic about discovering every new life form you can.

There's also a big potential for arrogance among the Simic; as a group that is pushing evolution - both of its members and its creations, to the extent that there's even a distinction there - you might see members of other guilds as needlessly stubborn and, well, unevolved. When you see other mortal races, do you think of them as merely species that will one day go extinct?

Granted, you can also have a much more optimistic and altruistic view of things - you might see things like poverty and disease as something that will one day be overcome by the march of evolution and progress. You might not be terribly sentimental about individuals, but have high hopes for Ravnica as a whole. Likewise, you might not know what the future looks like, but you do have faith that Ravnica will be better as time goes on.

Likewise, given that you probably associate with many hybrid creations - mixes of human, elf, vedalken, and maybe fish, lizard, and other creatures - you might have a great tolerance for diversity and be in a better position to interact with beings that are very different from you.

Fighting for the Boros Legion - Class Options in Ravnica

Moving on from the Dimir to a guild that is more or less the direct opposite (they don't share any Magic colors, though that could also be said of the Selesnya and the Gruul,) the Boros Legion is one of the most visible guilds in Ravnica.

As an army on what is essentially a politically-unified plane, the Boros really act more as a police force - but one that is backed not only by a fully-armed military corps, but also flights of angels. The Boros are zealous in fighting evil, which of course means that they can sometimes become overenthusiastic.

Alignment:

The Boros are going to fit very strongly into the Lawful Good alignment. To what extent you want to skew lawful or good is up to you - at its best, Boros is the most classically "good guy hero" guild you can join in Ravnica. But being heavily-armed law enforcement also means that there's a potential for abuse and brutality.

In Magic, the Boros colors are White and Red. Boros' White affiliations - with law and order and moral fortitude - are pretty obvious, but it's important to remember the zealous passion that Red brings to the table, not to mention the destructive power that the Boros are willing and eager to employ against their foes.

The Classes:

As with any guild, some classes will probably make less sense with the Boros, though you and your DM will ultimately be the ones to decide whether it fits.

Barbarian:

The zealous nature of the Boros makes a Path of the Zealot Berserker (Xanathar's Guide to Everything) an obvious fit for the guild. But Berserkers also work quite well, as the Boros are happy to recruit anyone who wants a good fight.

Bard:

I'd flavor a Boros Bard as something like a military drummer or fife-player - someone who gets the troops riled up. Colleges of Valor, Lore, and Blades probably all work here to varying extents.

Cleric:

War domain is a pretty solid choice here, though I think Light and Forge domains also work quite well. The Boros are to a certain extent religious (they are led by Angels after all) and so Clerics are probably welcome members of any Boros platoon. While the Order domain, coming in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, is probably more for the Azorius, it could probably fit here as well.

Druid:

Druids probably don't fit terribly well within the Boros Legion (mentioning the Magic colors again, this is probably going to be the case for any non-Green guild.)

Fighter:

Boros is a great place for Fighters, considering how much they value martial aptitude. The only ones I might not include are the magic-based Fighters - the Eldritch Knight and Arcane Archers. Boros magic is largely divine in nature, and these two are more arcane. Battlemasters are maybe the most appropriate choice here, given the Boros' emphasis on tactics and coordination.

Monk:

With the dedication to martial service, most Monks probably work very well for the Boros. In particular, I think that the Sun Soul path monks are very on-brand for this guild. But Open Fist, Four Elements, and Kensai probably all work for it as well. I'd stay away from Shadow and Long Death monks, though.

Paladin:

Much as Dimir is the Rogue guild, Boros is the Paladin guild. We're talking about marching armies led by angels. I'd say that most Paladin oaths work here, but Devotion, Vengeance, and the Crown (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) are probably the best fits. On the other hand, Conquest is probably too dark, Redemption might be too pacifistic, and Oathbreakers would probably have been kicked out of the guild.

Ranger:

I could maybe imagine a Ranger serving as some kind of special investigator or bounty hunter, but I think that a Dex-based fighter will probably fit better with the Boros than a Ranger if you want to fight with a bow.

Rogue:

Not exactly known for their subtlety, most Rogues are probably not going to fit terribly well with the Boros. If you want to play up the beat-cop angle of the Boros, Inquisitives might be a good option. Swashbucklers and Scouts could also possibly fit.

Sorcerer:

Generally I think Boros would steer away from most arcane magic, though I could see a Dragon Soul Sorcerer working, and certainly a Divine Soul one as well. Other types might fit better in other guilds.

Warlocks:

Generally, making secret deals with powerful entities is not really standard operating procedure for the Boros, but I could see a Celestial Patron providing assistance to a Boros Warlock. The other patrons probably don't really work as well.

Wizards:

Ok, maybe I'm not quite right about the type of magic. But in terms of what kinds of spells they cast, I do think the Boros are not very into subtlety. That means Evocation or Abjuration would both be great options for them. War Magic (Xanathar's) would also work quite well.

The Legion Marches On:

The Boros are probably the easiest guild in which to play a straight-up heroic good guy. But there's some nuance there that you can mine for interesting character choices. For one thing, are you a soldier or a cop? The Boros kind of blur the distinction there, and that can complicate matters.

The Boros seem to rarely question if they're right, and that can lead to catastrophic mistakes. Another element to consider is that if you're one of the Boros, you probably have a tight-knit relationship with your comrades in arms. You've fought alongside members of other races, and that might put you in unconventional pseudo-families.

Are you in it for glory, to do the right thing, or just because this is a more socially acceptable way to unleash your violent urges?

You can certainly play your Boros character as a bit Lawful Stupid, but there's also a lot of room for clever investigator types, or grizzled military veterans. You can even be something of a noir-ish detective. Your badge signifies authority, but you're expected to enforce that authority.

Serving House Dimir - Class Options in Ravnica

Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica is coming in less than a month (or slightly more if you aren't getting it at a game store) and I'm ridiculously excited. This is probably the setting beside my own homebrew (or my friend's homebrew setting) I'm most excited to run something in, because Ravnica has been a big influence on me (along with all of Magic.)

As an exercise, I figured I'd go through each of the guilds and talk about what options would make sense for various classes. While I usually like to save my favorites for last, I decided to just rip the band-aid off and talk about my favorite guild first - House Dimir.

Note that the book itself will probably have some suggestions on what classes to play in which guild, and I don't have access to the specific mechanics behind these guild affiliations. But it's clear that certain character types work better for certain guilds. Let's explore! But first, let's talk House Dimir.

Lore of the House:

When the original Guildpact was written, there were nine guilds mentioned. House Dimir, founded by the psychic vampire Szadek, was part of that magical accord, but it was left out of any documentation. And that is because secrets, more than anything, define House Dimir. Many agents are not even aware that they work for the House, and those who do exist in heavily compartmentalized cells, knowing only as much as they need to know so that they cannot spill the secrets of the guild.

In more recent years, the Dimir have come out of the shadows to an extent, providing service as couriers and librarians within the city. Dimir hoards information like other guilds might hoard gold. But one can probably feel confident that the Dimir are still hard at work behind the scenes.

Alignment:

Magic's color wheel (something the books will ignore in favor of D&D-style alignment) is a bit more nuanced when it comes to good and evil, but in general I think one could describe House Dimir as Neutral Evil, with an emphasis on neutral. Your character might skew more toward the evil side or more toward the neutral or even possibly good side. The main thing is that the Dimir do not trust the other guilds to keep Ravnica safe. At its most wicked, the Dimir wish to control everything. At their most altruistic, they believe themselves the only ones capable of identifying insidious threats that could spell doom for the plane.

In Magic, Dimir is the Blue and Black guild. While Black is going to cover much of the assassination and thought-destruction the Dimir employ, the Blue aspect to the guild is equally important - the obsession with information and using intelligent tricks and traps to evade detection.

The Classes:

Dimir, being obsessed with subtlety, are not going to make a great amount of sense with some classes. That being said, because they employ agents everywhere, you can always make the very reasonable argument that you have apparent membership in one guild but are in fact an undercover Dimir agent, meaning every option is open to you (except maybe Paladin oaths where you can't lie.)

Barbarian:

This is one class that will struggle hard to fit in with the Dimir. House Dimir's greatest value is subtlety, and Barbarians are anything but. I might consider an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian as a possibility, using the House's many ghostly spirits as the spirits that aid the Barbarian, but even this is a stretch.

Bard:

The College of Whispers, from Xanathar's Guide to Everything, is about as Dimir as you can get. Addling the mind with Bardic magic and stealing peoples' shadows to imitate them is all very on brand. The College of Glamour could also fit to a lesser extent.

Cleric:

Here I think Knowledge and Trickery domains both work fairly well. If your DM allows Death domain, that could also work. Clerics are probably not going to be found as frequently in the Dimir, though.

Druid:

Generally there's very little overlap between Druids and the Dimir.

Fighter:

Once again, you might need to stretch things a little to justify a Fighter. An Arcane Archer who works as an assassin could be a pretty good option, but most melee-built Fighters are probably not going to be subtle enough to really work for the Dimir.

Monks:

Shadow Monks are a natural fit here, though I'd also argue that the Drunken Master, which is an inherently deceptive monastic tradition, actually works quite well. The Way of the Long Death from Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide could also work well here.

Paladins:

Like Barbarians, Paladins are rarely subtle, which would generally not make them a terribly good fit. That said, if your DM allows Oathbreaker Paladins, you could easily be some former Boros or Azorius member who has maybe been blackmailed or corrupted by your Dimir handler.

Ranger:

Rangers in general I actually think fit decently, but none so good as a Gloomstalker. You could easily flavor your Ranger as some kind of bounty-hunter or private investigator, a service that the Dimir would be happy to employ.

Rogue:

House Dimir is essentially the Rogue guild, so just about every option would work here. Mastermind is probably the best roguish archetype for the guild's flavor, but Assassins, Thieves, and Arcane Tricksters are also pretty strong choices. The only one I'd hesitate to take is Swashbuckler, which again, is not terribly subtle in style.

Sorcerer:

I could possibly see a Shadow sorcerer as a good option for the Dimir, but given their focus on knowledge and the acquisition of information, you'll probably want to go more in the Wizard direction for pure spellcasters.

Warlock:

Given the use of "horrors," as a creature type and a tendency to muck around in peoples' minds, I think that the Great Old One patron makes a lot of sense for the Dimir. Undying might also work - your patron could be the now-ghostly vampire Szadek. Mask of Many Faces is practically a must as far as invocations go.

Wizard:

The schools of Illusion, Divination and Enchantment are probably the most obvious fits here. Again, being able to muck with peoples' minds is going to be a strong choice for any Dimir Wizard, as well as being able to gather information. One could also go Necromancy, as the Dimir are known to employ skeletal and ghostly spies.

The House Always Wins:

Some RP suggestions I might have for Dimir players: One is to not tell the other party members which guild you're in. Perhaps your wizard claims to be an Izzet researcher, or your Rogue puts on the manic frenzy of a Rakdos thug.

I also think you should work out with your DM some alternative goal that you're supposed to accomplish that you don't share with the rest of the party. Maybe the Azorius have hired your party to recover some stolen relic, but your actual mission from your Dimir superiors is to instead hide it away in one of their hidden vaults.

I would also emphasize that the Dimir really do think they know best. The entire mindset of an illuminati world-controlling conspiracy like what the Dimir strive to be is that they don't just do it out of greed or lust for power - a Good-aligned Dimir character might simply believe that if they don't control everything, the world will fall apart, giving you some interesting potential character flaws as well as more sympathetic motivations.

In terms of alignment, while Dimir suggest insidiousness and malevolence, Dimir's "evil" is less born of malice and more born out of a ruthless pragmatism. The Dimir are secretive, but they are also the best-equipped guild for discovering secrets. Indeed, in the latest card set (Guilds of Ravnica at the time of this post,) the Dimir are actually one of the most active "good guys" of the set, as they used their vast network of spies implanted in the other guilds to sabotage the similarly insidious threat of Nicol Bolas, one of Magic's primary "big bad" antagonists that span the 25-year history of the game.

Now that they're officially confirmed as a real guild after the events of the original Ravnica block, House Dimir serves a city function like the other guilds, in this case often acting as couriers, librarians, and reporters. You could easily have a heroic Dimir journalist character who uses the guild's resources to infiltrate corrupt institutions and discover what crimes are being held from the public. As a Dimir Operative, you're perfectly positioned to be the one who first discovers the plots of your campaign's big bad and bring it to the attention of your party or even the general public.

If you want a character with such noble intentions but you still want to retain the guild's edge, you can simply have them use unscrupulous means to do so. If you're a caster, enchantment magic might give you a creepier vibe than, say, illusion magic, though you're probably going to be using a mix of both. If you're not a caster (in which case I'd guess you're a rogue,) you might spend a long time gathering information on a target location, perhaps shadowing someone who works there and either intimidating or coercing them in some way into giving you access.