D&D (2024) Subclasses should start at 1st level

[Charlaquin]

I love that they seem to be standardizing subclass progression, but why start them at 3rd level instead of 1st? Even for the 2014 classes that get their subclasses after 1st level I have never actually seen a player wait until then to choose their subclass anyway. They always pick at character creation. Plus, having all subclasses start at 1st level would allow subclass to transform the base class more. Sorcerers could get access to different spell lists depending on subclass. Bards could get different options for their set of always-prepared spells depending on subclass. Rangers could have some subclasses that cast spells and some that don’t. Waiting until 3rd level makes it so that if your subclass is a significant part of the character concept, you have to spend two levels not playing that concept, at least not to its fullest extent.

 

[Horwath]

Yes!

 

[Mistwell]

Because of multiclassing cherry picking subclass abilities.

 

[Charlaquin]

Because of multiclassing cherry picking subclass abilities.

There are already rules for not getting all the same features if a class isn’t your first. Easy enough to extend that to subclass abilities if they anticipate that being a problem. Moreover, multiclassing is still an optional rule.

 

[Horwath]

Because of multiclassing cherry picking subclass abilities.

simple solution.

You cannot multiclass before level 5. When you take a level in new class, you need to take 4 levels of that class before you can gain levels in another class.

 

[Mistwell]

There are already rules for not getting all the same features if a class isn’t your first. Easy enough to extend that to subclass abilities if they anticipate that being a problem. Moreover, multiclassing is still an optional rule.

How? How do you extend that to subclass if it's not your first class, if you intend to continue in that second class and gain abilities which modify that first level subclass ability? It would wreck the entire design scheme of subclasses and force them to modify the first level subclass ability to be something that isn't modified by a later one.

 

[MockingBird]

I never had a problem with subclasses starting at 3rd level. It's pretty quick to get to 3rd level and it doesn't just throw a bunch of front loaded options at new players.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

We need to galaxy brained on this.

You choose your subclass at first level.

But you don’t choose your class until third level.

 

[TwoSix]

Right now, I'm guessing that subclasses will be standardized across classes within a role, but not completely harmonized across all classes.

I thought they might be harmonizing to the point of being swappable between classes, but Thief breaks that idea.

 

[darjr]

I like subclasses coming later. I agree that the cherry picking thing could be solved in other ways but not the simplicity thing.

It does bring to mind an idea, what if you just jumped to third level when multi classing as an option? Already I’ve seen campaigns auto start at higher levels, why not multiclassing.