I think some of y'all are confusing "archetype" with "class that has the following abilities". A lot of the stuff presented can be covered with existing classes, subclasses, ability (skill) checks, and backgrounds; and multi-classing if need be. A specific archetype doesn't need to be specifically created to exist or be a specific class. ;-)
Bard: college with access to druid spell list. Goes back to 1st edition, which in term goes back to the Victorian reinvention of druids, and the myth of Taliesin.
The easiest way to do this is with a valor bard who has the criminal (spy variant) background. The subclass bakes combat right into it to cover the 1e fighter requirements and the background covers the 1e thief requirements. All that's needed is appropriate skill proficiencies, taking spells shared with the druid spell list, and using magical secrets for druid spells. I've done it with lore bards too.
Alternatively, take 6 levels of fighter, 4 levels of rogue; or 10 levels of druid; or whatever mix feels best. Take entertainer for a background or other suitable background, or make a custom background. Introduce your character as a bard. Expertise in persuasion and history covers the rest. It's pretty much an exact replica of the 1e bard at that point.
This archetype is the basis for most of my bards, lol.
Actually, the Bard makes a great shaman.
Agreed. I had it listed among the bard archetypes in the original test forums for 5e. A shaman preserves history via storytelling, among other things. A bard is one of the first things that comes to mind for the archetype. Clerics and druids also work.
Huh. I can see that. Another case, though, where a dedicated subclass with a couple of flavorful abilities would really bring it to life, instead of having to refluff everything in your own head.
It's not actually refluff unless a person has predetermined the bard is a minstrel of some sort, which is inaccurate. D&D often treats the class like an entertainer, but the roots are deeper than that. Bards were the oral tradition and scholars in many cultures under different names but similar roles. They were historians and keepers of customary law. They were also attributed magical abilities.
It doesn't matter if the name of the class is bard, griot, kahuna, shaman, or ozan. Oral history and tradition being handed down through mnemonic devices (song and poetry) to help remember them is what bards did. The term "bard" comes from specific regions and times but the concepts for various bard archetypes existed everywhere. The ability to entertain was secondary until it become more prominent when they evolved after written history succeeded oral history.
All that really takes is writing it into your bard's background.
I had only thought about it for bards (to become sages, historians, teachers and storytellers) and paladins (for an arcane god, to become gish).
Bards are already those things. Every bard has a bonus to intelligence skills from jack of all trades, but moving into the archetype more only requires the sage background (or similar sources of intelligence skill proficiencies) and expertise in history. Expertise in history, proficiency in religion, and proficiency in perform covers the traditional bard role or story-teller well.
Rogues are cool, but where are the matchstick men, the con artists, that use deceit and manipulation to get what they want? We need some larcenous experts on social skills who get people to part with their wealth under false pretenses.
I saw other answers to this, but expertise in social skills already exists for rogues. That's not requesting a missing archetype; it's requesting special powers regardless of the archetype already being creatable. ;-)
But bards are artists, entertainers, and loremasters, not necessarily interested in stealing. There is definitely overlap, but there should be a roguish version.
The archetype is covered in a background. The class spells and skill proficiencies can be taken to match. Lore master does the job reasonably well.
Bard with the Background of Criminal or Chareltan. Done.
Arcane trickster with the appropriate background and proficiencies works great for the roguish minstrel archetype too. Doesn't even need to be a bard.
