D&D (2024) Should the PHB have an arcane half caster?

[Ruin Explorer]

Storywise, that just proves the point that the class lacks any lore or story. That entire thing can be condensed down to 'person who can cast and use weapons'.

Whilst the summary does show that, I would suggest Maguses (Magi?) in PF do actually have better lore than that, just not in the initial description of the class lol.

 

[Corinnguard]

Whilst the summary does show that, I would suggest Maguses (Magi?) in PF do actually have better lore than that, just not in the initial description of the class lol.

Magi

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Wait where is the poll?

OneDnD - What would you actually want from an arcane half-caster in 1D&D PHB?

What would you actually want from an arcane half-caster in 1D&D PHB? Tell me if there are missing choices I need to add, I'll be around for 20-30 minutes.

www.enworld.org

There

You can't do one in someone else's thread AFAICT.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Weirdly, I think that arcane archer could be a slight influence to a good swordmage class. But obviously expanded out into a full class rather than a subclass.

A series of 'strikes' to pick from a bit like warlock invocations. Maybe alongside a 'signature strike' gained from the subclass.

 

[Corinnguard]

Weirdly, I think that arcane archer could be a slight influence to a good swordmage class. But obviously expanded out into a full class rather than a subclass.

A series of 'strikes' to pick from a bit like warlock invocations. Maybe alongside a 'signature strike' gained from the subclass.

The Magus class from PF1 has the Eldritch Archer archetype.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I've seen those threads, and this thread.

I notice you're evading the question yourself lol. Anyway, I put up a poll, tell me what I'm missing option-wise.

I’m not evading anything, I’ve given answers in a dozen threads.

 

[Stormonu]

A Magus-style class would work for me, though I'd much prefer it to be a 2/3 or 3/4 caster (able to get up to 7th level spells - or at least Fireball no later than 7th level). The Eldritch Knight and Hexblade just don't properly scratch the right itch.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I’m not evading anything, I’ve given answers in a dozen threads.

Fair, but I'm not going to go hunt 'em down. And the answer from people who aren't you in this thread match what I'm saying as noted above.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Far fewer people enjoy playing pure support Bards than other Bards, I would strongly suggest. If you make a class into a pure support character like that, just a stand-and-do-nothing character, you're narrowing the audience on a popular archetype for no good reason.

The problem here isn't the bard class. One of its strengths was support. But they were also enchanters with save or suck spells (Tasha's Hideous Laughter, for example, was a first level spell for bards but a second level one for wizards and sorcerers), party faces in a way rogues couldn't touch (Charisma primary, joint second highest skill points in the game, spells like the unique Glibness for +30 (!) to bluff), scouts in a way rogues envied (Hide and Move Silently on the skill list plus Invisibility and possibly even Sculpt Sound) and more.

If you take the class that's simultaneously a better face and a better scout than the rogue, an almost specialist sorcerer level illusionist/enchanter, and a loremaster that can maintain a buff throughout the dungeon while still hitting as hard as a non-raging barbarian while making the barbarian hit harder than if they were raging, and you use this base to make a stand-and-do-nothing character then the problem is not the class. It's the player.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Fair, but I'm not going to go hunt 'em down. And the answer from people who aren't you in this thread match what I'm saying as noted above.

Not really, you seem to be twisting what people are saying into stuff you can easily dismiss, AFAICT.