D&D (2024) 48 subclasses in the 2024 PHB: What are they?

[Baron Opal II]

I'd love if they made domains a lot thinner, something with a mechanical heft somewhere in-between patrons and invocations, so you could start with a couple and maybe pick up a couple more along the way.

Yes- I would prefer that clerics have their "subclass" be their temple / deity. One thing that I liked about 3e (?) was that you chose two out of three domains (I think). That allowed for a "standard" sun priest but still some variation within the religion itself. I've been fiddling with making custom subclasses that are often a mix of other published subclasses.

Similarly, I would like the wizard subclasses to be guilds. This would provide a template for DMs and players to craft their own guilds. Also, one subclass should be the renegade, a wizard trained outside the guilds.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Similarly, I would like the wizard subclasses to be guilds. This would provide a template for DMs and players to craft their own guilds. Also, one subclass should be the renegade, a wizard trained outside the guilds.

That's a great idea that allows them to keep the concept of Necromancers & Illusionists, etc, without having to make spell-school specialty the main thrust of what makes a Wizard Subclass.

 

[Blue Orange]

That's a great idea that allows them to keep the concept of Necromancers & Illusionists, etc, without having to make spell-school specialty the main thrust of what makes a Wizard Subclass.

As the most 'culture-bound' of the magic classes, I'd love to see different guilds for different areas/nations/regions, but that turns into way too many rules way too quickly.

 

[steeldragons]

Shooting for 48...divide by 12 classes...4 subclasses per class. Needing to divvy up the classes into thematic categories, that's 3 classes per major group... Soooo...

Warriors - Str. classes
Fighters - Str., Combat Mastery.
--Base/default: "Champion" (needs a better name)
--Battlemaster - the smart/tactician fighter
--Duelist - the fast/dexterity fighter
--Eldritch Knight/Arcane Warrior/"Magus" - half-caster fighter
Barbarians - Str + Con., Rage Mastery.
--Base/default: "Berserker"
--Totem Warrior - the "invoking nature spirits" (to do more than rage) barbarian
--Ancestral Guardian - "invoking ancestral spirits" (to do more than just rage) barbarian
--Storm Herald - "I am going to be Thor" barbarian
Paladins - Str + Cha., Oath Mastery.
--Base/default: "Devotion Oath," traditional LG Paladin
--Justiciar (Oath of the Crown)- Law & Order, but not necessarily Good, paladins
--Cavalier (Oath of Glory) - non-"divine magic" paladins, oath to themselves/rely on their own egos
--Greenknight (Oath of Ancients) - not "Law & Order" but "Nature/Natural Order/Old ways" (nature magic) paladin

Mystics - Wis. classes
Clerics - Wis., Channel Divine.
--Base/default: Life/Light Cleric - healing, protecting, supporting traditional cleric
--Balance/Neutral Cleric - could be Justice, Nature, Knowledge, Judgement of Souls/Death, etc...
--Chaos/Wild Cleric - could be Storms, Trickery, Battle, etc...
--Darkness/Void Cleric - not the good guys
Druids - Wis. + Con., Channel Nature.
--Base/default: "Land Circle" druid
--Circle of the Claw - the animal summoning, shapeshifter druids
--Circle of the Stone - the geomancer/earth-bender druids
--Circle of the Cauldron - potion brewer, spore snorter, "trancy" powers druids.
Monks - Wis + Cha., Channel Spirit (Chi).
--Base/default: "Open Hand" monk, traditional martial artist, xiaolin types
--Shadow Monk - the ninjas, shadow powers
--Dragon Monk - the glowy hands, chi-channellers for "magic" effects: undead destroying, psychic powers, healing (self and others), nerve pinches/paralysis, etc...
--Kensei - chi-channeling through/into weapon-use/combat perfection

Rogues - Dex. classes
Thieves (ne Rogues) - Dex., Skill Expertise.
--Base/default: The Burglar - traditional stealthy sneak thief.
--Acrobat - flippy, speed/movement gymnast/entertainer/combatant
--Assassin - disguise, spy, killer-for-hire
--Trickster - magic-using thief
Rangers - Dex + Con., Wilderness Expertise.
--Base/default: The Hunter/Monster Slayer
--Beastmaster - the animal companion ranger
--Seeker - the initiated to magic-use, "arcane archer," half-caster ranger
--Shifter - shapeshifting "I am going to be Wolverine" ranger
Bards - Dex. + Cha., Inspirational Expertise.
--Base/default: The Loremaster - chronicler, diverse jack-of-all-trades bards
--College of Glamour - illusionist, jester, courtesan/courtier entertainer bards
--College of Valor -skald, battle bards
--College of Whispers - spies, knowledge-mongers, not-so-nice bards

Wizards - Int. classes
Mages (ne Wizards) - Int., Arcane Magic-use
--Base/default: The Generalist/Universalist Mage
--Illusionist (Enchanter) Mage
--Conjurer (Evoker) Mage
--Abjurist (Protector) Mage
Warlocks - Int. + Con., Occult Magic-use - an arcane half-caster with innate magic powers
--Base/default: Pact Warlock - bound to Patron for occult knowledge (spells) and powers
--Binder - summoner of minions warlock
--Hexblade - "warrior" warlock that utilizes shadow magic predominantly through/for combat
--Blood Warlock (nee Sorcerer) - the magic's in your blood, grow to immense power while the magic within slowly corrupts and destroys you.
Psychics (ne Psion) - Int. + Cha., Mental Magic-use
--Base/default: "Disciple" - as in the user/holder of a "discipline," able to focus in all/various mental powers
--Seer - predominantly clairvoyant and telepath
--Oracle - mental powers with a divine magic slant/edge, "Akashic record" readers/any knowledge available.
--Psi-Warrior (needs a better name) - predominantly telekinetic and metabolic powers

 

[Baron Opal II]

As the most 'culture-bound' of the magic classes, I'd love to see different guilds for different areas/nations/regions, but that turns into way too many rules way too quickly.

How many do you need, really? And can druids or clerics fill in, too.

Right now I have three guilds, four temples, and two druidic enclaves. One guild, temple, and enclave are foe-focused, which leaves 6 magical "styles" to choose from.

 

[Marandahir]

An Arcane Trickster is basically 70% Rogue 30% Mage. A Swordmage would be 70% Mage 30% Warrior. And so on.

That's not a Swordmage, that's a Bladesinging Magic Wizard.

Swordmage - or at least what people have argued for - is 50% Warrior and 50% Mage, being able to cast at the same time as being able to fight. Basically, the Battle Smith and Armourer subclasses of Artificer, but created as a singular base class with its own subclasses.

I don't think it needs to exist as a class - I think the different dials of X% Warrior / X% Mage is best represent as a series of subclasses that share the common concept of warrior and mage but manifest that in different ways (pact magic warriors, bards and artificers that dabble in warrior stuff, traditional wizard vancian that knows how to cast spells while hitting stuff with a sword, fighters with some spells, bow fighters with trick/magic arrows, etc).

 

[Edwin Suijkerbuijk]

lets put in a wild card.
There will be 4 or 8 subclasses that are group subclasses.
These can be picked by all classes in the class group.

 

[Yaarel]

Swordmage - or at least what people have argued for - is 50% Warrior and 50% Mage, being able to cast at the same time as being able to fight. Basically, the Battle Smith and Armourer subclasses of Artificer, but created as a singular base class with its own subclasses.

I am familiar with the 4e Swordmage.

In 5e, I argue for a 100% Mage who spellcasts in melee combat. Any weapon attack is actually a spell, using the spellcasting ability, and inflicting a spell effect on the hit. Compare Paladin smite but with more spell effects.

 

[cbwjm]

lets put in a wild card.
There will be 4 or 8 subclasses that are group subclasses.
These can be picked by all classes in the class group.

I'd be happy with that. If each group has the same subclass structure, I'd also like to see a couple able to be picked by any class. I already have some ideas from 4e themes that I'd like to implement. I was thinking of making them a feat chain, but if the subclasses all line up then I'll be able to expand it out to a subclass.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Shadow of the Demon Lord does exactly this, with their paths: It's a ten level system, where
the main class (novice paths) give ability boosts at levels 1, 2, 5, and 8
race gives you a boost at 1 and 4
expert paths at 3, 5, and 9
and master paths at 7 and 10 (which can be the first two steps of a second expert path).

6 races, 4 novice paths, 16 expert paths, 64 master paths -- it's literally mix-and-match. Some synergize well, but you can make some really fun characters by thinking outside the box.

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