D&D 5E Archetypes to add to 5e

[Vael]

I think there's not too much more space when talking subclasses, except for Psionics. That'll open up a large area, as, aside from the Psion/Mystic itself, virtually every existing class could conceivably have a Psionic subclass.

But aside from that, the other large untapped well, and I'm not sure how to tackle it, is Monstrous PCs. Things like playable Vampires or Lycanthropes. Or more exotic races like Gorgons.

Although, here's a few subclasses I've been working on:

Circle of Stars Druid: Basically an Astrology and Divination focused Druid. I'd grant them access to a few Cleric divinations like Augury, but they need a bit more of a niche. These are kinda the mystics that read the stars for omens.

Brawler Fighter or Barbarian: Give non-Monks some access to unarmed combat. Grappler-wrestler combat style.

Blue Mage Sorcerer: This Sorcerer has the ability to mimic and copy spells they see cast.

 

[ccooke]

Heh.

You know when you make a joke, and then realise that the core concept works as a serious take?

A while back, I made a joke about a warlock patreon to one of my groups. I really should finish off playtesting the serious version, which is a warlock beholden to a collective of bored minor fey, giving power in return for entertainment.

 

[Kyvin]

As others have mentioned, plus more:

Barbarian: one that changes into a bear/lycanthrope type thing when raging.

Fighter: some kind of weapon master

Rogue: dagger master

 

[gyor]

Rogue: Bounty Hunter, Archeologist, Surgeon

Sorcerer: Nymph Blooded

Warlock: Temporal Pact

Fighter: Deverish

Wizard: Nightmares, Red Wizard, Royal/court Wizard, Alienist.

 

[Parmandur]

Rogue: Bounty Hunter, Archeologist, Surgeon

Sorcerer: Nymph Blooded

Warlock: Temporal Pact

Fighter: Deverish

Wizard: Nightmares

These are All oddball and niche, and I fully don't grok several. Not saying they are bad ideas, but this does illustrate Crawford's point.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

Looking at a list of character archetypes (Warning! TVTropes link - time sink ahead!), it seems like there are lots and lots of things D&D could add.

Whether or not they should is , of course, a different question.

I would like to see classes specifically for the dumb muscle archetype (like the recent Brute fighter subclass) and the sidekick (as in a class that is designed specifically to be support for another PC).

 

[RSIxidor]

Inquisitor would be nice to see, either as a Paladin that gets something inquisitorial as their Oath ability or a Rogue that gets divine casting.

I'd like to see a Rogue that excels at using traps and adventuring gear of various sorts. I'm thinking they excel at improvised attacks with thrown weapons (including the attacks made with flasks of oil or holy water, etc) and can also activate things like caltrops or ball bearings as part of an thrown improvised weapon attack.

I'd like a Warden subclass for the Barbarian or Druid. Their are some places where this sort of already exists but typically at higher levels where the terrain control ability is not quite as useful. Would be nice to see some of it at lower levels.

I'd like to see a sort of Holy Defender Paladin that doesn't have divine smite but instead has something to protect allies in some way. I don't think the 4e defender aura is the right choice but we do have Sentinel in this edition which is similar in some ways. I also think something akin to Divine Challenge/Sanction/Aura could actually work in 5E but it would need some tweaks, like giving a saving throw and probably only applying a penalty (similar to the Barbarian path that has a "mark").

Spell-less ranger as some others have mentioned would be nice. I'd also like Ranger's favored terrain / favored enemy to be about abilities that are useful when engaging in that terrain / against that enemy but not strictly tied to facing those challenges. Like getting a swim speed if you're from a coastal area and turning a regular hit into a critical hit if it's reducing a creatures HP to 0 (enemy specialization: zombies). I also think the Wanderer from Adventures in Middle Earth is a good look at how to do a ranger well though it's version of "favored terrain" is even more specific than vanilla 5E, being regions in that world. I still think it's a better approach than what we currently have, though, even if it's not my preference. Bit more work for the DM, though, especially in homebrew worlds.

While I think some might think a "witch" is already playable, I don't like the options. Warlocks don't feel right as the type of witches I'm thinking of. Wizards might work with a subclass. Druids exist but they have wild shape as a default ability, and it doesn't quite fit what I'm thinking of either. What I'm thinking of is the the sort of witches that brew potions, enchant charms, and fly on brooms just as much as they cast spells or rituals. Somewhere between the witches in the LOZ and the witches in Miyazaki films, and some other anime.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

While I think some might think a "witch" is already playable, I don't like the options. Warlocks don't feel right as the type of witches I'm thinking of. Wizards might work with a subclass. Druids exist but they have wild shape as a default ability, and it doesn't quite fit what I'm thinking of either. What I'm thinking of is the the sort of witches that brew potions, enchant charms, and fly on brooms just as much as they cast spells or rituals. Somewhere between the witches in the LOZ and the witches in Miyazaki films, and some other anime.

I think the best way to do that, in existing rules, would be an Alchemist Artificer that uses a Herbalism Kit as their tool-implement. Maybe a custom bonus spell list to make it more rustic.

 

[Parmandur]

I think the best way to do that, in existing rules, would be an Alchemist Artificer that uses a Herbalism Kit as their tool-implement. Maybe a custom bonus spell list to make it more rustic.

I think the Artificer, being brand new and having only three Subclasses, has a lot of potential room for growth, though mostly weird archetypes;

• an Herbalist witch-y Shaman-y Artificer, focus on Herbalism Kit
• A chaos magic type.who uses game sets for casting
• A Runemage who imbues Runes into items using their tools
• really feel every tool type could be spun into a Subclass story.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

I think the Artificer, being brand new and having only three Subclasses, has a lot of potential room for growth, though mostly weird archetypes;

• an Herbalist witch-y Shaman-y Artificer, focus on Herbalism Kit
• A chaos magic type.who uses game sets for casting
• A Runemage who imbues Runes into items using their tools
• really feel every tool type could be spun into a Subclass story.

I still want a stoneshaper/jeweler type artificer, although that might be because I think rocks and gems are neat.