Most popular no-core classes?

[TwoSix]

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.

Oh man, I loved that class. I played a house-ruled version that had full spell list casting like a Beguiler for a few sessions, so much fun. I do love the challenge of playing full support classes.

 

[TwoSix]

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.

You can get to it along the edges with some combination of Paladin, Monk, and Hexblade Warlock, but there's a lot of wasted and irrelevant features in there, and you still need some houseruling.

Ideally, you'd start with a half-caster chassis, add in a version of Unarmored Defense, +Wis to attack with melee weapons, a mechanic to replicate the Oath of Enmity, and a spell list focused on smites, debuffs, and movement.

I do grant that "mystically endowed skirmisher from a mystery cult" is awfully specific, but I think it's OK for a class package to generate its own archetypes. Heck, the cleric might have lightly borrowed from Charlemagne and Van Helsing, but it pretty much created the "some fighting, some magic, divine caster" trope sui generis.

 

[77IM]

Monster Classes from Savage Species, but done right.

 

[Blue]

You can get to it along the edges with some combination of Paladin, Monk, and Hexblade Warlock, but there's a lot of wasted and irrelevant features in there, and you still need some houseruling.

Ideally, you'd start with a half-caster chassis, add in a version of Unarmored Defense, +Wis to attack with melee weapons, a mechanic to replicate the Oath of Enmity, and a spell list focused on smites, debuffs, and movement.

This is mechanics. And thing like "+Wis to attack" is very un-5e so you can't assume that it will be the mechanics the class ends up with.

IGNORE the mechanics. Give us a narrative-only description of them. You can mention things like "unarmored" - that's descriptive as well. Pretend that you want to port the concept to an RPG with mechanics completely unrelated to D&D. What's your pitch on who they are?

And then, does that pitch fit a hole in 5e that can't be satisfied reasonably though backgrounds and classes?

 

[Moorcrys]

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.

Out of curiosity, which versions (authors) are you using? There is such a mountain of material on DMs Guild it’s helpful to have some directions to go in from folks who have used the material.

 

[Tallifer]

What does the Paladin with Oath of Vengeance lack for Avenging? I played an Avenger in 4E and it seemed to be all about hitting things, chasing things and hitting them again with some holy magic: like a 5E smiting Paladin.

 

[Jester David]

I think even the most popular non-core class will be an order of magnitude less popular than the least popular class.
The big ones are the psion/ psionicist and the artificer.

Everyone here will have a favourite. I’m quite fond of the archivist. But I doubt it’s well known.

Right now, the most popular non-core is probably the blood hunter. Especially as it’s on D&D Beyond...

 

[TwoSix]

This is mechanics. And thing like "+Wis to attack" is very un-5e so you can't assume that it will be the mechanics the class ends up with.

IGNORE the mechanics. Give us a narrative-only description of them. You can mention things like "unarmored" - that's descriptive as well. Pretend that you want to port the concept to an RPG with mechanics completely unrelated to D&D. What's your pitch on who they are?

And then, does that pitch fit a hole in 5e that can't be satisfied reasonably though backgrounds and classes?

I could do that, but I don't want to. Classes aren't a story to me, they're a gameplay experience expressed through mechanics. I want a translation of the mechanical experience. It's easy for me to reskin a class (or classes) to change what a character IS, but to change what a character DOES I need to houserule mechanics or have new concepts introduced via class, subclass, or feats.

What does the Paladin with Oath of Vengeance lack for Avenging? I played an Avenger in 4E and it seemed to be all about hitting things, chasing things and hitting them again with some holy magic: like a 5E smiting Paladin.

Certainly the closest analogue, but needs to be able to use Wisdom as an attack stat and fight unarmored to be a real facsimilie of an Avenger.

Note that I have zero expectation that there will ever be an official class that matches my needs, I simply haven't seen a good homebrew that does yet. I might have to do it myself eventually.

 

[TwoSix]

Out of curiosity, which versions (authors) are you using? There is such a mountain of material on DMs Guild it’s helpful to have some directions to go in from folks who have used the material.

Magus and Warlord

The rest I picked up from a Patreon I sponsor (Middle Finger of Vecna), although the individual items can be found here. The Patreon has been the best money I've spent on 5e material, easily.

 

[gyor]

Binder was cool. Vampire as a class was better and cooler then 4e players gave it credit for, the min maxers hated it.