Why mechanical specialization is dumb

As per the title post, I have always found mechanical specialization to be dumb. I mean, do people really need validation of their character concept that they are craving for every little +1 that they can get? And it even gets worse then that, because it actively makes the origin class worse by comparison.


Let me show you. First, let’s take a simple barbarian and fighter class. The fighter being the base class in this. They receive no bonus for anything. Now enter the barbarian. The barbarian is a big brutish axe-wielder, so he get’s a +1 to hit and damage when using an axe. Seems simple, right? But that +1 also means that the standard fighter is now inferior to the barbarian. But no, you cry, the barbarian is only better when using an axe! But think, when will the barbarian NOT using an axe? The answer is pretty much never. So now, a fighter using any one handed weapon, is always inferior to the barbarian using his axe. How is that good? 

The whole reason for archetypes, is to not need a multitude of options that are ultimately completely impossible to balance. They exist so that they can encompass many single concept. The fighter class is used for pretty much anyone whose main area of expertise is swinging a sharp piece of iron. You want to be a barbarian? Play a fighter, use only axe, and call yourself a barbarian. You do not need a new class because you do NOTHING significantly different the a fighter. 

This is why I like the core 4 classes, fighter, magic-user, cleric and thief. I am hard pressed to find a class that could not fit within those four archetypes. I tolerate AD&D classes (from the core book, not UA or others), because they do not give bonus, they give completely new abilities that the “base class” do not have. 

If you remember anything from this post, is that specialization is useless at best, and downright destructive at worst, as it tends to promote munchkinism (Not playing the game, but rather building the best character sheet possible). If you do feel the irresistible need to make new fancy classes, please, for the love of the game, give them new abilities, don’t simply give them bonuses (Bonii?) to stuff, otherwise, it’s just making playing the non-specialized class an inferior choice.