I can't speak for the design team as a whole, but I definitely had a few specific influences in mind when I worked on 4e. It's late, so these are a little all over the place. It's easiest for me to break them down by class, since that was how I approached a lot of the work. Most of my contributions for the core rules centered on designed DM tools, like monster design, the treasure parcel system, stuff like that.
In most cases, D&D itself provided the core for the class. However, fictional characters served a useful role in making sure that the class fit in with what people would expect and want.
Rogue: The Gray Mouser is a 4e rogue. I did a fair amount of work on the class, and Leiber's Lankhmar stories were my guide. Leiber is easily my favorite fantasy author, and I've wanted to play the Gray Mouser in D&D since 1984. IMNSHO, the rogue has been saddled with the status of "class that has to suck since it's the only one that can deal with traps." To me, that was always the least interesting and compelling part of the class. I'm fairly happy with how the class turned out.
Other inspirations include Danny Trejo's character from Desperado (making daggers useful) and Luca Brasi from the Godfather (Strength-based rogue). Cugel the Clever from Vance's Dying Earth was the inspiration for the Charisma-based rogue.
Fighter: Conan served as a model for a fighter. While he's (obviously) the ur barbarian, he isn't much like a *D&D* barbarian. IMO, he's much more a fighter, multiclassed rogue, with high stats across the board. I wanted the fighter to feel a bit predatory, hence the marking mechanic and free attacks. Only a fool takes his eyes off a fighter.
Ranger: Surprise! Drizzt was a big inspiration for the design direction, as was Legolas from the LotR movies.
Warlock: Dr. Strange was something of an indirect inspiration, filtered through the 3e binder class and a dash of Lovecraft.
Avenger: Ripping aside the ethereal nature of Wolf's Book of the New Sun and treating it as a comic book of sorts, Severian the torturer was a major influence on this class's initial feel and direction. Obviously its divine roots steered in a different direction, but I can easily see playing an avenger based on fantasy's most famous torturer.
Bard: Fflewddur Fflam from Alexander's Prydain books provided a fair amount of inspiration.
Invoker: As this class shaped up, it became increasingly clear that Gandalf was our best model, both from Tolkien's books and Jackson's film version.
That's off the top of my head. There are more I'm sure, but in a lot of ways D&D has become its own influence. Really, every player comes to the table with his or her own set of expectations, favorite characters, and preferences that pushing D&D too hard in any one fantasy lit direction is a recipe for disaster.
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Mike Mearls
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Some really good ideas here so far, keep em coming.
As far as the D&D based stuff, the reason I wanted to exclude it is simply because we can already assume it's all on the list! I'm talking about the novel ranges, the video games etc.
It's more interesting to look outside of the 'D&D genre', to things like Perdido St Station or Locke Lamora (need to read that, it's come up a few times...). For instance I'd like to suggest The Ultimates by Marvel. Obviously not a direct inspiration, but a great example of a modern reboot.
I'd also want to include Knights of the Dinner Table and Order of the Stick in a new Appendix N.
Then there's the more trad stuff (in the nicest possible sense) like David Gemmell and Tad Williams.
Mike - Thanks for chipping in, it's a great insight. What were the inspirations for the Warden? I'd never heard of your Avenger source and it's the divine classes that have had me scratching my head more than any other.
And as for listing other games, it's fine if we're talking settings, but I'd like to keep rules out of this as much as possible please. (There's a potential thread in there though...). So in that vein I'd like to suggest Barsaive, the setting for Earthdawn, as an inspiration for 4e players. It doesn't surprise me at all that Redbrick are working on a conversion.
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The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (use of implements, heroic style, pulling himself together and fighting on)
Diehard staring Bruce Willis (Its what I always think of when I think healing surges and short rests)
Hero (and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but I've not seen it)
Fafard and the Grey Mouser by Freitz Leiber
Corum by Micheal Moorcock (Also Elric but I've only read the first one) (Hand and Eye of Vecna are stole straight from it as is the original alignment system)
I'd say even though its a D&D based series the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvador have a huge impact on D&D (Racial alignments becoming less important, martial manoeuvres, opponents being more then a statblock)
I'd say series like The Wheel of Time and The Sword of Truth have inflenced the power level, with epic tier and all that, compare the powers used by the heroes of those books to Gandalf, Elric or the Grey Mouser.
I'd say warforged owe soemthing to Bolo by Freiz Lebir, or possibly to Bladerunner.
Good list! The Dresden Files is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for, inspirational rather than aspirational. I like your thinking.
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Mike - Thanks for chipping in, it's a great insight. What were the inspirations for the Warden? I'd never heard of your Avenger source and it's the divine classes that have had me scratching my head more than any other.
No problem!
Rob Heinsoo created the warden concept, with Rob Schwalb doing a lot of the design. My one contribution was his "save at the start of your turn" class feature. Story-wise, I think it has its roots in thinking over the primal analog to a paladin, but I can't say for sure.
Another non-book/media source of inspiration: miniatures. I have tons of metal figs and love painting them. Sometimes, I'd browse through catalogs and look through my collection for inspiration. If there was a figure I really liked it'd help give me ideas.
For instance, the middle tier figure from the Ral Partha 3 Stage Cleric pack has always been the classic representation of a D&D cleric to me.
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Mike Mearls
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Ranger: Surprise! Drizzt was a big inspiration for the design direction, as was Legolas from the LotR movies.
You know, neither of those come to mind when I think of a ranger. Drizzt is a whirling dervish who can track and Legolas is an archer who can track. What happened to Aragorn?
The whole 'feel' of 4e is very like the Final Fantasy games in my opinion, especially when you get down to the 'moves' or at-will powers or whatever. The art and design is reminiscent of that series also.
Avenger: Ripping aside the ethereal nature of Wolf's Book of the New Sun and treating it as a comic book of sorts, Severian the torturer was a major influence on this class's initial feel and direction.
This is the awesomest thing I've read all day. New Sun is one of my favorite series in fantasy or sf.
Quote:
Obviously its divine roots steered in a different direction, but I can easily see playing an avenger based on fantasy's most famous torturer.
You know, neither of those come to mind when I think of a ranger. Drizzt is a whirling dervish who can track and Legolas is an archer who can track. What happened to Aragorn?
Aragorn is a warlord now IMO, with training in Nature & Perception (Perception covers tracking, Nature covers surviving in the wild). Quite possibly with a multiclass into Ranger, which'll also help cover the skills.
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Avenger: Ripping aside the ethereal nature of Wolf's Book of the New Sun and treating it as a comic book of sorts, Severian the torturer was a major influence on this class's initial feel and direction.
Wow. That never would have occurred to me, but now that I see it in writing it seems a perfect fit.
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Originally Posted by mearls
Invoker: As this class shaped up, it became increasingly clear that Gandalf was our best model, both from Tolkien's books and Jackson's film version.
Thanks for clearing that up. The Invoker has been the hardest class for me to wrap my head around thematically. I'd suspected that Gandalf was the inspiration, but I wasn't totally sure. He's so often (I feel) misrepresented as being more Arcane than Divine, but I mean anyone who drops lines like
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gandalf
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udűn. You cannot pass."
...to a Balrog is clearly rocking the Divine mojo.
So in that vein I'd like to suggest Barsaive, the setting for Earthdawn, as an inspiration for 4e players. It doesn't surprise me at all that Redbrick are working on a conversion.
From where I'm standing, more than inspiring the setting, it looks like Earthdawn inspired a lot of things on the mechanics side. The whole "awesome fighter" with special moves and powers looks very, very Earthdawnish. And healing surges are almost a carbon copy of ED's recovery tests.
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