D&D 5E Should D&D have a planeswalker class?

[Mouseferatu]

Uh, no. In fact, assuming we're talking about the M:tG Planeswalkers, it can't. A Planeswalker is defined as someone with the ability to, well, walk between planes. That, and they tend to be powerful.

That's it. That's the commonality. As pointed out upthread, each extant Planeswalker has their own abilities, their own skill sets. They are all, in D&D terms, different--sometimes drastically different--characters.

Plus, let's remember one very important detail of Planeswalkers in M:tG--they can't take others with them. (Unless they've changed that rule since I wrote AoA.) That's about the last ability you want to give a PC in a D&D game.

D&D already has the ability to move between planes, in the form of several spells. It could, perhaps, have other ways of doing so.

But a class would be the last way to go about it.

 

[Yunru]

M:tG planeswalkers? Hell no!
Those things are, on average, only just below the gods of the plane they're on.

You're talking something that starts at it's weakest as like a 11th level character, up to and beyond 20th level.

Sounds fitting for a Paragon Path/Epic Destiny mechanic though.

 

[cbwjm]

I think planeswalkers are too diverse for a single class. Look at some of the new breed of planeswalkers. Jace is a mind mage, Chandra is a thief loaded with fire magic, Garruk is a barbaric hunter, Lilliana is a necromancer, and Elspeth is a paladin or knight.

Although I did play around with creating a planeswalker class (actually 2. A caster and half-caster) I think that if I was going to introduce planeswalker like characters I'd use a special ability like the boons in the DMG to give them the ability to planeshift. The current planeswalkers aren't the god-like beings of pre-mending, there more similar to regular heroes who simply have the natural ability to move about the planes.

 

[Jester David]

If 5e ever brings back Epic Destinies as a form of high level advancement (such as packages of boons) then "Planewalker" would be an excellent one.

 

[gyor]

M:tG planeswalkers? Hell no!
Those things are, on average, only just below the gods of the plane they're on.

You're talking something that starts at it's weakest as like a 11th level character, up to and beyond 20th level.

Sounds fitting for a Paragon Path/Epic Destiny mechanic though.

That was post mending Planeswalkers, since then Planeswalkers got hit hard with the nerf stick, they aren't that powerful anymore, not even close.

 

[Eltab]

A character class that will become obsolete when Planescape and/or Spelljammer is published for 5e? Maybe not...

 

[Yunru]

That was premending Planeswalkers, since then Planeswalkers got hit hard with the nerf stick, they aren't that powerful anymore, not even close.

Theros is pre-mending?

 

[gyor]

Theros is pre-mending?

That was supposed to be Post Mending, my apologies for any confusion, Planeswalkers post mending got nerfed hard.

 

[Tallifer]

If 5e ever brings back Epic Destinies as a form of high level advancement (such as packages of boons) then "Planewalker" would be an excellent one.

I would love for someone to write up a bunch of 4E Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies for 5E. "Once per day when you die... "

 

[Mercule]

No. Never. I don't mind them borrowing from MtG for D&D, but I very much don't want it to become MtG: the RPG.