D&D references in Wrath of the Dragon God [Archive] - Wizards Community

D&D references in Wrath of the Dragon God [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
trollbill
10-11-05, 12:21 PM Just for amusement I thought I would start a catalogue of D&D references made in the movie (which were considerably more than the first movie). Feel free to point out any I missed.

Character Classes
Barbarian – Lux (hinted reference to Frenzied Berserker, as well)
Wizard – Melora, Oberon & Ormaline
Rogue – Nim
Cleric – Dorian
Berek – While they didn’t state his class, he appeared to be a Fighter/Aristocrat

Races
Human – Lux, Melora, ect.
Elf – Ormaline
Half-Orc – mentioned in opening credits and was likely what Damodar’s assistant was, though it was never stated.
Half-Elf – Maybe it was just me be did anyone else think Berek had slightly elven features?
Dwarf/Gome/Halfling – Short people appear in both the Barroom scene that introduces Lux, and the cemetery scene when the party is leaving town, though it is unclear which races they were mean to represent.

Monsters
Corpse Creature
Lich
Goblin
Drow
White Dragon
Black Dragon
Kraken
Magman
Air elemental
Purple Worm
Specter
Gargoyle? – Not sure since they did have a camouflage ability, but also has a set of vestigial arms.
Darkmantle
Lizardfolk/Troglodyte

Spells
Vision
Discern Location
Lightning Bolt
Detect Magic
Teleportation
Wall of Fire
Gust of Wind
Spider Climb
Major Image
Hold Person or Sepia Snake Sigil
Disintegrate
Control Water
Dispel Magic
Shapechange or Polymorph
Summon Undead
Regenerate
Ressurection

Modules
Ghost Tower of Inverness
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Shrine of the Kuo-Toa

Magic Items
Ring of the Ram
Staff of Lightning
Gem of True Seeing
Figurine of Wondrous Power
Hammer of Thunderbolts? – the Cleric’s hammer seem to fit this mold considering its size and abilities.

Deities
Obad Hai
Thalizur
Juiblex
Yeenoghu
Demogorgon
Tyler Do'Urden
10-11-05, 12:40 PM Isn't that kind of like listing all the Arthur Legend references in Excalibur?
Realmsrat
10-11-05, 05:25 PM Some type of Lizard creature healed Damodar's cutoff arm. By the size I'd guess a Lizardfolk.
darkness ninja of light
10-11-05, 05:31 PM In the first scene I thought, too, that Berek was a half-elf. Then the camera changed and he had human ears. I think he was human though.

You forgot Darkmantles for the monsters.
Lao, Ninja of the Dragon
10-11-05, 05:42 PM Demorgorgan was mentioned somewhere in the opening sequence.
Verelor
10-11-05, 06:05 PM Well gee, I missed so many of these references. Guess I'll have to watch the movie again.
Sprain Ogre
10-11-05, 10:22 PM ... And this one is actually worth rewatching too!
Seeker95
10-12-05, 10:59 AM ... And this one is actually worth rewatching too!So's the first one, as long as you are doing so in an MST3K fashion!
Lord Ian Stark
10-12-05, 11:13 AM Black Dragon

That was a Dracolich Black Dragon. But yeah. Although Black Dragons don't have fire breath, Dracoliches do. It's more of a black flame but id does both half fire damage IIRC.

Specter

They were out in daylight and didn't look powerless IMO. They were specters though.

Gargoyle? – Not sure since they did have a camouflage ability, but also has a set of vestigial arms.

The gargoyle I think you are referring to was when the Lich was polymorphed into that demon/gargoyle thingy.

You also forgot Harpies. :)

Also turn undead was in there. Oh and Ressurection since the cleric was back at the end of the movie.

Good job at naming all the others.

Too bad those few mistakes were in there since it seemed they tried to be as accurate as possible. All around good movie compared to the first.
primemover003
10-12-05, 11:19 AM Where was the Disintegrate??? The Cleric under the tree was an illusion...
trollbill
10-12-05, 11:27 AM They were out in daylight and didn't look powerless IMO. They were specters though.

Well, the lich did say they were in a Necropolis, which may explain that. Though I must admit that the lich's "City of the Dead" looked a hell of a lot like any other forest to me.

The gargoyle I think you are referring to was when the Lich was polymorphed into that demon/gargoyle thingy.

You also forgot Harpies. :)

I am not sure. I have it on TiVo so I will have to check, but I am pretty sure the 'harpies' you are refering to looked just like the transformed lich. The first one gets hacked in half by the barbarian as soon as it exits the portal, but you get a better look at the second one just before the town guard fills it with arrows. They may also be the things you keep seeing flying around Damodar's castle.

Oh and Ressurection since the cleric was back at the end of the movie.

I missed that the cleric was back alive. Guess they saved that leg. Forgot to add Regenerate because the elf had her arm back, as well.
trollbill
10-12-05, 11:34 AM Where was the Disintegrate??? The Cleric under the tree was an illusion...

After the Lich held Berek, he started "monologing" about this little spell he'd been working on that disintigrates part of you. The rogue interferes with him casting it on Berek so the Lich shoots it at Nim, but gets the tree he's hiding behind instead. Admittadly I think of Disintigrate as being more like getting hit with a Star Trek phaser, but what happened to the tree could be accurately described as Disintegrate.

I assumed the Cleric under the tree was a Major Image spell (so, yes, illusion).
Lord Ian Stark
10-12-05, 11:56 AM Well, the lich did say they were in a Necropolis, which may explain that. Though I must admit that the lich's "City of the Dead" looked a hell of a lot like any other forest to me.

Oh I missed the city of dead ref.

I am not sure. I have it on TiVo so I will have to check, but I am pretty sure the 'harpies' you are refering to looked just like the transformed lich.

Not sure, but they had wrinkled nasty looking boobies. Sorry for the visual. LOL

I missed that the cleric was back alive. Guess they saved that leg.

Yeah at the scene where the mage and the rogue were, I guess, gardening at the end in the churches garden, he stands there at the right of the screen and the two stop working and look at him smiling. Was kinda wierd but so was the acting throught the movie.

LOL maybe it was True Ressurection as they didn't need a body part. :D
Seeker95
10-12-05, 01:47 PM Reference not in the list:
The movie title. :P
Telis_the_Deadeye
10-12-05, 03:46 PM The module stuff was cool, everything else is just D&D like the movie. It would be sad without the monsters and stuff
Tyler Do'Urden
10-12-05, 06:35 PM I thought the cleric got out from under the tree using gaseous form. He could do it, Obad-Hai, air domain.
Seeker95
10-12-05, 06:54 PM I thought the cleric got out from under the tree using gaseous form. He could do it, Obad-Hai, air domain.He could, except that would make the comments of the fighter completely odd, when he talked to the cleric afterwards about "being duped". Plus, if the cleric could do so, he would have without screaming like a baby to be rescued. :D
Mr. Cheese
10-12-05, 07:39 PM ugh. The cleric under the tree was either an illusion or the polymorphed lich, seeing as it turned into mist then formed into him.

THE CLERIC AT THE END IS NOT THE CLERIC THAT GOT KILLED!!1 If you actually looked at him, you would see the difference. It is probably the cleric that healed nim and the wizard.
Seeker95
10-12-05, 08:16 PM THE CLERIC AT THE END IS NOT THE CLERIC THAT GOT KILLED!!1Who has claimed that the cleric is alive at the end of the movie?

The "cleric under the tree" was an illusion.
The real version of that same cleric gets eaten by the dragon in the next major scene.
That cleric remains dead.

The confusion that some folks had was that they believed the cleric under the tree was the real cleric, who then gets disintegrated, and then appears in the next scene in time to get eaten by the dragon.
Lord Ian Stark
10-13-05, 12:34 AM Who has claimed that the cleric is alive at the end of the movie?

I did. Well I still have the movie recorded on my DVR so I may check the ending again. But my wife and I did rewind it because she said that was the cleric again. When I went back and looked, it sure did look like the cleric. Had the stripes on the head and everything?
Fayle
10-13-05, 01:54 AM I've caught everthing that was said except...

where was Yeenoghu mentioned? Perhaps I just missed his name for a moment.
Tyler Do'Urden
10-13-05, 02:30 AM He could, except that would make the comments of the fighter completely odd, when he talked to the cleric afterwards about "being duped". Plus, if the cleric could do so, he would have without screaming like a baby to be rescued. :D

Alright. Ya got me. I stopped paying attention to what they were saying once the fight scenes started.

It was late. I missed the first showing.
VirgilCaine
10-13-05, 09:19 AM I've caught everthing that was said except...

where was Yeenoghu mentioned? Perhaps I just missed his name for a moment.

In the intro when the fire is moving across the map, right before the devourer picture there is a foresty area labelled "Yeenoghu's Deep"
trollbill
10-13-05, 09:35 AM ugh. The cleric under the tree was either an illusion or the polymorphed lich, seeing as it turned into mist then formed into him.

The Cleric under the tree had to be an illusion. Just before he disappears there is a scene looking up from the Cleric's point of view. You can clearly see the Lich descending head first (Spiderclimb) from the tree above and behind Berek.
Fayle
10-13-05, 07:51 PM In the intro when the fire is moving across the map, right before the devourer picture there is a foresty area labelled "Yeenoghu's Deep"

Ahhh yes...I did miss that.
TheCarrionCrawler
10-13-05, 08:27 PM That was a Dracolich Black Dragon.

That wasn't a Dracolich. It was a Dragon God! He could breathe whatever he wants... (I mean, the title of the movie is "Wrath of the Dragon God" :P )
Lord Ian Stark
10-14-05, 01:03 AM That wasn't a Dracolich. It was a Dragon God! He could breathe whatever he wants... (I mean, the title of the movie is "Wrath of the Dragon God" :P )

Perhaps. But he looked just like a Dracolich. The undead look about him was overpowering.

I don't think he was a God like Pelor, but more of a God that the locals called him because he was so powerful. People tend to call things a God when it is so overpowering they have no choice but to worship it. This happened all throught history in RL. I see no reason why the same symbolance can't be used here.
Zerchai
10-14-05, 02:32 AM Sorry, Ian, that was not only a god, that was a named god. I'm surprised nobody elsed caught that the Dragon God being released was Falazure, the Night Dragon. They mentioned his name several times, actually, although I'd have to watch the movie again to catch the specific scenes. I think trollbill had his name marked down as Thalizur. Falazure's breath weapon is a level drain effect; I imagine it was changed for the movie due to the fact that level drain breath weapons are probably pretty hard to portray.

Being the Night Dragon, and powerfully tied to the Negative Energy plane, would probably also serve as a good reason for why they portrayed him as rather undead-looking.
Edymnion
10-14-05, 02:40 AM Yeah, he was Falazure, the Night Dragon. Draconic god of death, decay, and something else. He's in the Draconomicon.

And yes, this movie kicked much more ass than the original.

However, there was a class ability I saw being used.
If Lux wasn't using Uncanny Dodge when she bent over backwards in the fight scene by the obelisk, then I'll hang up my dice ;)

On a side point, its good to see you posting again Trollbill :)
Spelljammer
10-14-05, 03:21 AM You'd think Obad-Hai was the next best thing in Ismir since magic missile. For all that talk of him I didn't see a single druid.

I thought it was strange that there were so many straight up Clerics to the nature god as well since it seems more suited to worship by Druids.
trollbill
10-14-05, 09:28 AM You'd think Obad-Hai was the next best thing in Ismir since magic missile. For all that talk of him I didn't see a single druid.

I thought it was strange that there were so many straight up Clerics to the nature god as well since it seems more suited to worship by Druids.

The 'Mages' from the ancient kingdom prior to Ishmiir that originally imprisoned Thalazur (Falazure) worshipped Obad-Hai and used faith based magic that relied on the 4 elements. Kinda sounds like Druids to me. Druidic magic being a 'forgotten' magic would explain why you only saw Clerics of Obad-Hai.
Lord Ian Stark
10-14-05, 10:15 AM Sorry, Ian, that was not only a god, that was a named god. I'm surprised nobody elsed caught that the Dragon God being released was Falazure, the Night Dragon.

Oh sweet. Thanks for clearing that up.
strenoth
10-14-05, 11:47 AM I'm really suprised trollbill managed to miss that.
Seeker95
10-14-05, 05:17 PM I thought it was strange that there were so many straight up Clerics to the nature god as well since it seems more suited to worship by Druids.Although the movie is D&D, it is still for a general audience. The difference between claeric and druid is so subtle in real life that it would do no good to make the distinction. Only in D&D is the need for a completely separate class that does exactly the same thing necessary.

(My 4e change would be to strip down to four classes: Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Mage. Everything else would be built upon that with Flavor Feats, Ability Feats, or Skill Builds, coupled with good old-fashioned role-playing.)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
trollbill 10-11-05, 12:21 PM	Just for amusement I thought I would start a catalogue of D&D references made in the movie (which were considerably more than the first movie). Feel free to point out any I missed. Character Classes Barbarian – Lux (hinted reference to Frenzied Berserker, as well) Wizard – Melora, Oberon & Ormaline Rogue – Nim Cleric – Dorian Berek – While they didn’t state his class, he appeared to be a Fighter/Aristocrat Races Human – Lux, Melora, ect. Elf – Ormaline Half-Orc – mentioned in opening credits and was likely what Damodar’s assistant was, though it was never stated. Half-Elf – Maybe it was just me be did anyone else think Berek had slightly elven features? Dwarf/Gome/Halfling – Short people appear in both the Barroom scene that introduces Lux, and the cemetery scene when the party is leaving town, though it is unclear which races they were mean to represent. Monsters Corpse Creature Lich Goblin Drow White Dragon Black Dragon Kraken Magman Air elemental Purple Worm Specter Gargoyle? – Not sure since they did have a camouflage ability, but also has a set of vestigial arms. Darkmantle Lizardfolk/Troglodyte Spells Vision Discern Location Lightning Bolt Detect Magic Teleportation Wall of Fire Gust of Wind Spider Climb Major Image Hold Person or Sepia Snake Sigil Disintegrate Control Water Dispel Magic Shapechange or Polymorph Summon Undead Regenerate Ressurection Modules Ghost Tower of Inverness Expedition to the Barrier Peaks Shrine of the Kuo-Toa Magic Items Ring of the Ram Staff of Lightning Gem of True Seeing Figurine of Wondrous Power Hammer of Thunderbolts? – the Cleric’s hammer seem to fit this mold considering its size and abilities. Deities Obad Hai Thalizur Juiblex Yeenoghu Demogorgon
Tyler Do'Urden 10-11-05, 12:40 PM	Isn't that kind of like listing all the Arthur Legend references in Excalibur?
Realmsrat 10-11-05, 05:25 PM	Some type of Lizard creature healed Damodar's cutoff arm. By the size I'd guess a Lizardfolk.
darkness ninja of light 10-11-05, 05:31 PM	In the first scene I thought, too, that Berek was a half-elf. Then the camera changed and he had human ears. I think he was human though. You forgot Darkmantles for the monsters.
Lao, Ninja of the Dragon 10-11-05, 05:42 PM	Demorgorgan was mentioned somewhere in the opening sequence.
Verelor 10-11-05, 06:05 PM	Well gee, I missed so many of these references. Guess I'll have to watch the movie again.
Sprain Ogre 10-11-05, 10:22 PM	... And this one is actually worth rewatching too!
Seeker95 10-12-05, 10:59 AM	... And this one is actually worth rewatching too!So's the first one, as long as you are doing so in an MST3K fashion!
Lord Ian Stark 10-12-05, 11:13 AM	Black Dragon That was a Dracolich Black Dragon. But yeah. Although Black Dragons don't have fire breath, Dracoliches do. It's more of a black flame but id does both half fire damage IIRC. Specter They were out in daylight and didn't look powerless IMO. They were specters though. Gargoyle? – Not sure since they did have a camouflage ability, but also has a set of vestigial arms. The gargoyle I think you are referring to was when the Lich was polymorphed into that demon/gargoyle thingy. You also forgot Harpies. :) Also turn undead was in there. Oh and Ressurection since the cleric was back at the end of the movie. Good job at naming all the others. Too bad those few mistakes were in there since it seemed they tried to be as accurate as possible. All around good movie compared to the first.
primemover003 10-12-05, 11:19 AM	Where was the Disintegrate??? The Cleric under the tree was an illusion...
trollbill 10-12-05, 11:27 AM	They were out in daylight and didn't look powerless IMO. They were specters though. Well, the lich did say they were in a Necropolis, which may explain that. Though I must admit that the lich's "City of the Dead" looked a hell of a lot like any other forest to me. The gargoyle I think you are referring to was when the Lich was polymorphed into that demon/gargoyle thingy. You also forgot Harpies. :) I am not sure. I have it on TiVo so I will have to check, but I am pretty sure the 'harpies' you are refering to looked just like the transformed lich. The first one gets hacked in half by the barbarian as soon as it exits the portal, but you get a better look at the second one just before the town guard fills it with arrows. They may also be the things you keep seeing flying around Damodar's castle. Oh and Ressurection since the cleric was back at the end of the movie. I missed that the cleric was back alive. Guess they saved that leg. Forgot to add Regenerate because the elf had her arm back, as well.
trollbill 10-12-05, 11:34 AM	Where was the Disintegrate??? The Cleric under the tree was an illusion... After the Lich held Berek, he started "monologing" about this little spell he'd been working on that disintigrates part of you. The rogue interferes with him casting it on Berek so the Lich shoots it at Nim, but gets the tree he's hiding behind instead. Admittadly I think of Disintigrate as being more like getting hit with a Star Trek phaser, but what happened to the tree could be accurately described as Disintegrate. I assumed the Cleric under the tree was a Major Image spell (so, yes, illusion).
Lord Ian Stark 10-12-05, 11:56 AM	Well, the lich did say they were in a Necropolis, which may explain that. Though I must admit that the lich's "City of the Dead" looked a hell of a lot like any other forest to me. Oh I missed the city of dead ref. I am not sure. I have it on TiVo so I will have to check, but I am pretty sure the 'harpies' you are refering to looked just like the transformed lich. Not sure, but they had wrinkled nasty looking boobies. Sorry for the visual. LOL I missed that the cleric was back alive. Guess they saved that leg. Yeah at the scene where the mage and the rogue were, I guess, gardening at the end in the churches garden, he stands there at the right of the screen and the two stop working and look at him smiling. Was kinda wierd but so was the acting throught the movie. LOL maybe it was True Ressurection as they didn't need a body part. :D
Seeker95 10-12-05, 01:47 PM	Reference not in the list: The movie title. :P
Telis_the_Deadeye 10-12-05, 03:46 PM	The module stuff was cool, everything else is just D&D like the movie. It would be sad without the monsters and stuff
Tyler Do'Urden 10-12-05, 06:35 PM	I thought the cleric got out from under the tree using gaseous form. He could do it, Obad-Hai, air domain.
Seeker95 10-12-05, 06:54 PM	I thought the cleric got out from under the tree using gaseous form. He could do it, Obad-Hai, air domain.He could, except that would make the comments of the fighter completely odd, when he talked to the cleric afterwards about "being duped". Plus, if the cleric could do so, he would have without screaming like a baby to be rescued. :D
Mr. Cheese 10-12-05, 07:39 PM	ugh. The cleric under the tree was either an illusion or the polymorphed lich, seeing as it turned into mist then formed into him. THE CLERIC AT THE END IS NOT THE CLERIC THAT GOT KILLED!!1 If you actually looked at him, you would see the difference. It is probably the cleric that healed nim and the wizard.
Seeker95 10-12-05, 08:16 PM	THE CLERIC AT THE END IS NOT THE CLERIC THAT GOT KILLED!!1Who has claimed that the cleric is alive at the end of the movie? The "cleric under the tree" was an illusion. The real version of that same cleric gets eaten by the dragon in the next major scene. That cleric remains dead. The confusion that some folks had was that they believed the cleric under the tree was the real cleric, who then gets disintegrated, and then appears in the next scene in time to get eaten by the dragon.
Lord Ian Stark 10-13-05, 12:34 AM	Who has claimed that the cleric is alive at the end of the movie? I did. Well I still have the movie recorded on my DVR so I may check the ending again. But my wife and I did rewind it because she said that was the cleric again. When I went back and looked, it sure did look like the cleric. Had the stripes on the head and everything?
Fayle 10-13-05, 01:54 AM	I've caught everthing that was said except... where was Yeenoghu mentioned? Perhaps I just missed his name for a moment.
Tyler Do'Urden 10-13-05, 02:30 AM	He could, except that would make the comments of the fighter completely odd, when he talked to the cleric afterwards about "being duped". Plus, if the cleric could do so, he would have without screaming like a baby to be rescued. :D Alright. Ya got me. I stopped paying attention to what they were saying once the fight scenes started. It was late. I missed the first showing.
VirgilCaine 10-13-05, 09:19 AM	I've caught everthing that was said except... where was Yeenoghu mentioned? Perhaps I just missed his name for a moment. In the intro when the fire is moving across the map, right before the devourer picture there is a foresty area labelled "Yeenoghu's Deep"
trollbill 10-13-05, 09:35 AM	ugh. The cleric under the tree was either an illusion or the polymorphed lich, seeing as it turned into mist then formed into him. The Cleric under the tree had to be an illusion. Just before he disappears there is a scene looking up from the Cleric's point of view. You can clearly see the Lich descending head first (Spiderclimb) from the tree above and behind Berek.
Fayle 10-13-05, 07:51 PM	In the intro when the fire is moving across the map, right before the devourer picture there is a foresty area labelled "Yeenoghu's Deep" Ahhh yes...I did miss that.
TheCarrionCrawler 10-13-05, 08:27 PM	That was a Dracolich Black Dragon. That wasn't a Dracolich. It was a Dragon God! He could breathe whatever he wants... (I mean, the title of the movie is "Wrath of the Dragon God" :P )
Lord Ian Stark 10-14-05, 01:03 AM	That wasn't a Dracolich. It was a Dragon God! He could breathe whatever he wants... (I mean, the title of the movie is "Wrath of the Dragon God" :P ) Perhaps. But he looked just like a Dracolich. The undead look about him was overpowering. I don't think he was a God like Pelor, but more of a God that the locals called him because he was so powerful. People tend to call things a God when it is so overpowering they have no choice but to worship it. This happened all throught history in RL. I see no reason why the same symbolance can't be used here.
Zerchai 10-14-05, 02:32 AM	Sorry, Ian, that was not only a god, that was a named god. I'm surprised nobody elsed caught that the Dragon God being released was Falazure, the Night Dragon. They mentioned his name several times, actually, although I'd have to watch the movie again to catch the specific scenes. I think trollbill had his name marked down as Thalizur. Falazure's breath weapon is a level drain effect; I imagine it was changed for the movie due to the fact that level drain breath weapons are probably pretty hard to portray. Being the Night Dragon, and powerfully tied to the Negative Energy plane, would probably also serve as a good reason for why they portrayed him as rather undead-looking.
Edymnion 10-14-05, 02:40 AM	Yeah, he was Falazure, the Night Dragon. Draconic god of death, decay, and something else. He's in the Draconomicon. And yes, this movie kicked much more ass than the original. However, there was a class ability I saw being used. If Lux wasn't using Uncanny Dodge when she bent over backwards in the fight scene by the obelisk, then I'll hang up my dice ;) On a side point, its good to see you posting again Trollbill :)
Spelljammer 10-14-05, 03:21 AM	You'd think Obad-Hai was the next best thing in Ismir since magic missile. For all that talk of him I didn't see a single druid. I thought it was strange that there were so many straight up Clerics to the nature god as well since it seems more suited to worship by Druids.
trollbill 10-14-05, 09:28 AM	You'd think Obad-Hai was the next best thing in Ismir since magic missile. For all that talk of him I didn't see a single druid. I thought it was strange that there were so many straight up Clerics to the nature god as well since it seems more suited to worship by Druids. The 'Mages' from the ancient kingdom prior to Ishmiir that originally imprisoned Thalazur (Falazure) worshipped Obad-Hai and used faith based magic that relied on the 4 elements. Kinda sounds like Druids to me. Druidic magic being a 'forgotten' magic would explain why you only saw Clerics of Obad-Hai.
Lord Ian Stark 10-14-05, 10:15 AM	Sorry, Ian, that was not only a god, that was a named god. I'm surprised nobody elsed caught that the Dragon God being released was Falazure, the Night Dragon. Oh sweet. Thanks for clearing that up.
strenoth 10-14-05, 11:47 AM	I'm really suprised trollbill managed to miss that.
Seeker95 10-14-05, 05:17 PM	I thought it was strange that there were so many straight up Clerics to the nature god as well since it seems more suited to worship by Druids.Although the movie is D&D, it is still for a general audience. The difference between claeric and druid is so subtle in real life that it would do no good to make the distinction. Only in D&D is the need for a completely separate class that does exactly the same thing necessary. (My 4e change would be to strip down to four classes: Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Mage. Everything else would be built upon that with Flavor Feats, Ability Feats, or Skill Builds, coupled with good old-fashioned role-playing.)