So I've been working a bit on a home-brew campaign in various ways, thought I'd toss things out here, hear what people say, see if there are any interesting idea's floating about.
Alright, so for simplicity sake I shan't discuss those classes I'm not going to change that are among the 'core' classes. So assume if I don't mention one of the core classes(here I'm not counting new ones from the APG and so forth as 'core') I'm not really touching it that much... yet.
Alright so without further adiue, and keeping in mind that the tone of this setting borrows elements from Eastern Europe(especially northern Eastern Europe), as well as liberal doses of Gothic.
Monks-Gone, no Mystic Kung-Fu in the campaign, 'nuff said.
Sorcerer-Also gone, for thematic reasons.
Paladin-Becomes a Prestige Class
The Alchemist, Witch and Cavalier are all permitted base classes.
Wizards are now somewhat different, but I'll come back to the mechanical effects.
In short, in this world most magic 'comes' from something else. Divine magic from the Gods, Magic from Nature, Magic from Witches mysterious sources. Bards and Alchemists are the exceptions, the former being old magic dating back to the earliest era of the elves and a time before man, etc. etc., the later extending from experimentation and a sort of weak psuedo-science.
Wizards are the exception; Wizards exist by changing themselves, warping themselves into something new and different in order to do the same to the world around them. Becoming a wizard is thus unlike being a member of another class. For starters once you become one, you can never take a level in another class. Secondly it alters you on numerous levels, giving you a magical 'aura' that can be detected by detect magic and the like. I will probably add extra ways being a wizard can and will 'alter' you over time.
Wizards are thus exceedingly rare. So much so that there are probably a dozen extant within the area of the campaign at most. Though that is a bit of an exaguration. Wizards have an elaborate culture, after becoming a first level wizard you are an aprentice, bound to your master until you achieve 9th level and pass some sort of esoteric test. Thus True Wizards will have a few apprentices of lower levels, but ultimately there are very few wizards, and each is mroe or less unique.
Now hoepfully this lays out a bit of my intent; Wizards are going to be, in general, scary, almost sword-and-sorcery types, Few of them, each one unique, the ones you know the names of certainly high level and having access to powers very few, if anyone, has access to.
Witches will be a large source of arcane magic in the setting than, but looked down upon by the church. In this period of history most places aren't burning them anymore, but that might happen in some very remote parts of the country. etc.
So the day to day world is more alchemy, witchcraft and clerical magic, with strange sects of Druids in the Woods, the occasional Bard, etc.
Okay, comments, curious, suggestions, etc. field away(I may not have layed this out as well as I could, I am spitballing a little bit.)
Rangers, Rouges, Barbarians and Fighters exist and are unchanged as of yet. Inquisitors no(I just don't really like the class honestly).