Level Up (A5E) A5e versions of O5e archetypes in a post-OGL world

[xiphumor]

i don’t know what wikidot is, and i’m not sayin’ i absolutely won’t allow or include (pre-owned and free) WOTC content, yet it takes a huge effort to convert a campaign, and socially to get all players on board—so i prefer to be nearly 100% Level Up as far as character creation. (+ 3PP 5e adventures).

This is wikidot: Frontpage - DND 5th Edition It has pretty much all of the O5e character building options, including UA.

See, I actually found it much easier to convince players to come on board with A5e when I let them know that they could still use certain O5e options. Then again, your table, your rules.

 

[Xethreau]

WotC is the biggest LUA5E 3PP. I see no reason not to indulge in the backwards compatibility, except for financial.

 

[Timespike]

So the AG clearly includes several archetypes that are intended to replace the archetypes from O5e. To give just a few examples:

Wizards
All 8 subclasses -> Arcanist archetype

Druid
Circle of Land -> Guardian
Circle of the Moon -> Skinchanger

Warlock
Archfey -> Spellbound
Fiend -> Diabolist
Great Old One -> Alienist

At the same time, the sense is that because A5e is reverse compatible with O5e, continuing to reinvent archetypes in this way is not an ideal use of time and resources. At the very least, this seems to be the stance of the GPG, and I approve. I prefer expanding the range of resources rather than trying to just replace O5e.

However, now that the OGL debacle has broken, that calculus might have shifted, and some players might prefer to see reinventions of O5e subclasses from a 3PP rather than getting those options from WotC products. I wanted to start a discussion as to how Level Up might handle this sea change in this respect.

I for one would probably say “hold the course” as far as the policy of the GPG and new official materials, but there may be some room for 3PPs to reimagine how these old subclasses work: ESPECIALLY the ones that weren’t executed particularly well.

E.g.
The Four Elements Monk
The Nature Cleric
The Alchemist Artificer
The Undying Warlock

Heroes Old & New from Roll Them Bones Gaming actually aims to update a bunch of those WotC concepts.

There are also some substitutes in very PMG products.
For example, MoAR Light & Dark has workable substitutes for the Divine Soul sorcerer (Exalted) and Celestial warlock (Glorified). You could probably use either the Mortalist or Spiritualist to get most of what you'd want out of the Undying warlock. While the flavor is a little bit different the Penitent herald (same book) covers a lot of the same ground as the Oath of Redemption, MoAR Wilderness has the Sporekeeper druid, which covers the "mushroom druid" feel better than Circle of Spores (which is more of a "necro druid" and that specific flavor will eventually get its own archetype). Arcane Showoff from MoAR Battlemages covers the Eldritch Knight, and the Martialist can stand in for the Hexblade. The Undertaker cleric in MoAR Light & Dark is a fantastic substitute for the Grave domain, too.