Most popular no-core classes?

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Blue]

The challenge for me is that I need to separate out "mechanics I miss" from "fills a unique hole, edition agnostically".

To go for a recent example, I liked the Runepriest from 4e a lot. Within 4e it had its own place, with most powers having options based on what rune state you wanted to invoke, which would also affect a short range aura you had.

But really, did it fill a narrative niche that's missing from 5e? It has a "give a lot of buffs / debuffs" class, which doesn't really fit the 5e paradyme where that's mostly limited by Concentration (with Bardic Inspiration and a few spells outliers). So maybe it's not a great fit in the first place.

 

[Laurefindel]

Hmmm. I think I’d like to see the Thief-Acrobat make a return. I could see the class being a lot of fun, working better in 5e than in past iterations. Other than that, there’s not too much I’m in need of, class-wise.

Ha! I was thinking of the thief-acrobat too. I'm wondering if there would be enough material to make it into its own class, or make it a urban-type monk archetype, or a monk-like archetype for the rogue.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I really liked the Healer, from the old Miniature's Handbook. It was like a cleric, but only healing spells, and it also gained a lot of the weird situational healing spells as spell-like abilities in case you didn't want to prepare them. The capstone ability was True Resurrection as a spell-like ability, but the iconic ability was the unicorn companion at level 8.

It would be utterly worthless in a 5E game, though, since anyone can recover from anything by taking a nap.

 

[smbakeresq]

I really liked the Healer, from the old Miniature's Handbook. It was like a cleric, but only healing spells, and it also gained a lot of the weird situational healing spells as spell-like abilities in case you didn't want to prepare them. The capstone ability was True Resurrection as a spell-like ability, but the iconic ability was the unicorn companion at level 8.

It would be utterly worthless in a 5E game, though, since anyone can recover from anything by taking a nap.

Healing still has value when I run my games where it’s 6-8 encounters before a short rest and all rest healing is spending hit die, Long rests do not get back all your HP.

Try it, the game is MUCH better. Many things become more valuable.

 

[Shiroiken]

I don't think we'll see many new classes for 5E. The psion in some for or another is the only non-setting specific one I really expect to see. Some setting based classes might find their way in, such as the alchemist for Eberon. Others are likely to only ever return as sub-classes, however, which is a fine way to slow the amount of bloat.

I think the missed opportunity was the swordmage. A half-caster class similar to the paladin, using primarily wizards spells instead of clerics, it would have provided the niche of Eldritch Knight and Bladesinger from level 1, using those plus Arcane Archer as sub-classes.

 

[Tallifer]

Friar (from Dark Age of Camelot)
Bene Gesserit
Shaman who has limited spells but gets various benefits from a spirit guardian at each level.
Warg (from SoIaF)

 

[Draegn]

Several of the classes from The Dragon. The bandit is often played.

 

[Blue]

I already have good third party supplements for alchemist, gunslinger, witch, warmage, warden, magus, and warlord. I wouldn't mind seeing a good 5e version of the avenger, probably my favorite 4e class.

I like the Avenger myself, but this was one of the examples of missing mechanics vs. what hole in character concepts could they fill that I was having problems with when yesterday I mentioned the Runepriest.

I think my personal checklist is this: assuming mechanics would be designed from scratch to fit 5e and nothing of them taken over, what is the character archetype that the class fits that can't be built already in 5e.

That's my sad part, I like the Avenger, but I think that between a religious background and some judicious multiclassing we can already build characters that fit that archetype.

 

[Blue]

Summoner. The lack of summoning spells kills the conjurer.

Would this need be satisfied by "rescuing" existing summoning subclasses by adding more spells to their spell lists?