D&D (2024) what should the wizard's subclasses be?

[DND_Reborn]

I think, that ship has sailed in 5e and OneDnD and for good reason.

But there are a lot of DnD games that don't use subclasses... so you might be happy with one of thoses...

but then, there are class kits in 2e, archetypes in pathfinder, prestige classes in 3e and pathfinder, so actually this ship has sailed loooooong ago.

Yeah, it has sailed for certain, but for the same reason I was never a fan of kits in 2E, either. My groups play 5E, so I am basically stuck with it.

Edit: one thing I have to admit is, that one subclass should be the default and just enhance the bas class features without a twist. And as we can extrapolate from the classes we have seen already, and from what Crawford has said in the video, the designers do agree.
So chances are that if you just use the SRD, you will get exactly what you want.

Honestly, I commonly just go with the defaults or popular options, but most of the time feel like they are just mechanical benefits which either I don't need or should be baked into classes.

Take Frenzy for the Barbarian Beserker. Why can't any warrior type use a bonus action to gain an additional attack with the weapon they have when you can make a second weapon attack via TWF and your bonus action. Even if the second attack was with disadvantage if you used your bonus action? It could still involve a level of Exhaustion even if you wanted it to really represent that "extra effort" concept.

Another example is Polearm Master. Using your bonus action to make the attack with the other end is hardly different from TWF either. Even using your reaction when a creature enters your reach can be done via the Ready Action on the prior turn.

Many other things in subclasses or 5E mechanics should be simply part of the system IMO.

 

[ECMO3]

I have seen people complain about the concepts of the wizard's subclasses, what should the basic ideas be instead as I myself can't think of any?

I like the subclasses they have now except Chronogy and Graviturgy. Some of them should gets some boosts to be brought up to the level of the best.

I also think Wizards who specialize is spell schools (necromancy, evocation, enchantment ...) should have access to every spell from those schools from all classes. They should be considered Wizard spells for Wizards of those schools.

The thematic elements behind this are they studied that spell school, even if a spell is only god-granted they know enough about bending the magic to their will so they can fake it.

 

[BookTenTiger]

If I were a designer, I'd stick to the classic archetypes of wizards in fantasy literature and pop culture. I'd probably do something like:

The Sojourner - a wizard who has traveled vastly, collecting a variety of magic and martial skills. Gandalf, Merlin...

The Academic - a wizard who prefers the hallways of a library to those of a dungeon, but ventures out to collect and spread knowledge. Dumbledore.

The Mystic - a wizard whose knowledge comes from self-study, often connected to the land, tradition, and deals with supernatural creatures. Witches, herbalists, etc.

The War Wizard - a wizard who makes things go boom. Magic the Gathering style wizard.

 

[Yaarel]

If the Wizard has four subclasses, the important ones are:

• Evoker
• Illusionist
• Transmuter
• Gish (Bladesinger)



I would even go farther.

Remove Necromancy and give it to Cleric and Warlock.
Remove Enchantment and give it to Bard and Warlock.
Remove Divination and give it Cleric and Bard.

The schools that remain focus on the Wizard doing the magic of creation.

 

[Charlaquin]

Scribe - "All the spells!"
War Caster - "All the explosions!"
Bladesinger - "Not all Elves!"
Elementalist - "Forces of Nature!"

I like these, though I would probably swap elementalist for Summoner - “All the minions!” Then add a Necromancer - “All the edge!” in the DMG.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I like these, though I would probably swap elementalist for Summoner - “All the minions!” Then add a Necromancer - “All the edge!” in the DMG.

I'd like to see summoner as its own class, like the pathfinder 2e summoner.

Then again I've always thought that name was poor for it. It's more of a pet/mount class than a traditional summoner. So maybe there is room for both.

 

[Minigiant]

Bladesinger: More martial wizard
Scribe: Pure caster
Mind Mage: Specializes in divination and enchantment
Nethermancer: Specializes in illusion and nercomancy
Summoner: Specializes in conjuration and transmutation
Warmage: Specializes in abjuration and evocation

 

[Mind of tempest]

Bladesinger: More martial wizard
Scribe: Pure caster
Mind Mage: Specializes in divination and enchantment
Nethermancer: Specializes in illusion and nercomancy
Summoner: Specializes in conjuration and transmutation
Warmage: Specializes in abjuration and evocation

yeah, mind mage and summoner see odd combos as they do not feel right, secondly how would you make scribe even feel interesting as it would just be hyper generic?

 

[Minigiant]

yeah, mind mage and summoner see odd combos as they do not feel right, secondly how would you make scribe even feel interesting as it would just be hyper generic?

In most games, summoners focus on summons (conjuration) and physically buffing them (transmutation). The 5e conjurer and necromancer do that.

 

[Yaarel]

The summoner is pretty much what the words "sorcerer" and "sorcery" mean.

If the character wants to fly, they summon an Air Elemental to carry them. If the character wants to divinate information, they summon an Imp to go spy for them. And so on.

A Summoner is a solid class concept. Elric of Melnibone is a good fictional example of one.