D&D 5E (2024) What should the 15th Class be?

[CreamCloud0]

That... is way more versatility than most subclasses can manage. Both in role and in stat focus. Usually subclasses are variations on a common tune, not entirely different songs.

So I remain unconvinced that this is a viable design path.

i don't see why it's not a viable design path, but with all respect to @Minigiant 's design suggestions you could probably drop the variable mental stat and just go with an INT/STR primary stat design, Battlemaster manoeuvres already provide a ton of versatility and given the general assumption in these discussions seems to be that the warlord is to the battlemaster as the wizard is to the eldritch knight they can go even harder into those, and with a few extra new manoeuvres the warlord can cover even more areas.

 

[ECMO3]

Everyone loves a caster apparently.

Yes everyone does, which is why I question the desire for more non-casting classes.

 

[ECMO3]

it's because everything in 5E that is more complicated than tying your shoelaces is coded as a spell.

Tactical Mind is pretty freaking complicated in play and it is not a spell .... it should be a spell, but it isn't.

The light weapon property (and all its variations) is also extremely complicated in play.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Yes everyone does, which is why I question the desire for more non-casting classes.

because there's the other half of 'everybody' who love martials.

 

[GrimCo]

Ideally, what I would like to see is a well-implemented Warblade, as per Bo9S. Done right, that could cover the Warlord class well simply through selection of maneuvers.
I'd like an interesting and fun martial class, with a good variety of selectable class features for both in-combat and out-of-combat use. The full version of the battlemaster, like the bladesinger is of the eldritch knight.

This. So much this. Battlemaster is pale shadow of Warblade. Full on updated Warblade, with stances and maneuvers (9 levels, like spellcasters). Make low level ones more grounded and higher level ones full on wuxia/anime physics bending/braking one. Also, different disciplines focusing on different aspects (some are personal, others are party based).

 

[Remathilis]

I said gish, but I'd be more interested in a overly magical warrior without needing spells (akin to Bloodhunter) that isn't bound by the shackles of being mundane. Like level 1 your doing supernatural stuff.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

A warlord. That uses superiority dice as their resource. Like the psion now uses psi dice.
Could introduce higher level maneuvers that the battlemaster could gain access to at slower pace.

The infrastructure is already there.

 

[Parmandur]

Sooooo...why does a new class need to support subclasses at all?

There's no reason why one base class can't have five subclasses while another has zero, depending on the flexibility and scope of the base class.

Absolute metaphysical reson...? No.

Is a Class needing the space to serve a dozen Subclasses a stated design principle of 5E itself? Yes.

That's why there are only 4 Martial Classes, eith Dubclasses they have been learning to model a hell of a lot, like the Assasin or the Cavalier.

 

[Yaarel]

Martial using sonething lije the warlock template?

When converting 4e Warlord "martial powers" into 5e, it turned out the 5e Warlock had the best chassis for the martial Warlord as well. At-Will cantrips, Encounter Short Rest spells, even Daily arcanums. Plus a whole lot of class mechanical flexibility via the invocations.

 

[Zardnaar]

When converting 4e Warlord "martial powers" into 5e, it turned out the 5e Warlock had the best chassis for the martial Warlord as well. At-Will cantrips, Encounter Short Rest spells, even Daily arcanums. Plus a whole lot of class mechanical flexibility via the invocations.

No surprise. The Warloch template could be tweaked in lots of ways. Jedi, 4E, hell probably Monks.